My 1941 Dodge Truck Build

This thing is looking great. Length is looking long only because it's bare. When the cab goes on it'll be looking just right.

Be carefull about goofing with the patina. I didn't like the patina on the '48 F2, so I mechanically stripped the paint and rust - now I don't like that either. (In the future I'll media blast anything I want to strip - but that's a different thread). In the photos the patina on your Dodge looks great.

frame is looking great... maybe i missed it, whats the wheelbase going to be?

Z.Z.Rat said:

Nice progress. Always a Thank You for the pics!

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Thanks! I'm glad you like the pictures.

DJ3100 said:

This thing is looking great. Length is looking long only because it's bare. When the cab goes on it'll be looking just right.

Be carefull about goofing with the patina. I didn't like the patina on the '48 F2, so I mechanically stripped the paint and rust - now I don't like that either. (In the future I'll media blast anything I want to strip - but that's a different thread). In the photos the patina on your Dodge looks great.

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Thank you!

I've heard of people artificially creating the weathered patina look by taking the body work down to steel, spraying it with anti-rust primer and then misting the semi-wet primer with a vinegar/salt mixture. Do you know anything about this? I think I might try it on a piece of sheet steel to see how it works and ends up looking.

CORPO said:

frame is looking great... maybe i missed it, whats the wheelbase going to be?

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Thank you!

The CAD model says the wheelbase 130 7/16". As of now, the wheelbase is about 130", with the frame layed out on the floor and the suspension unaligned.

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I hope the frequent updates don't annoy people.

I got the frame drilled for the axle bosses. It's kind of a pain to drill four 1" holes with a hand drill, especially when the drill catches and wants to break your arm, haha. Anyways, here it is.



Monster 1" drill bit:






Thanks for looking!

"I hope the frequent updates don't annoy people"

I always enjoy reading up on your build, Please keep the updates coming!

You've made great progress, the frame is sick. I can't wait to see the cab on there.

Paul

It's looking better all the time [cl - to me the frame doesn't look overly long, nothing is worse than having it too short and having the engine,rad and suspension crowding each other. what are you using for suspension on the front and rear, bags or springs?

Keep the updates coming! I'm enjoying seeing the progress and hope to be able to see it in persone one of there days.

I haven't heard of the vinegar/salt. Sounds interesting. I think I'll give it a try and see what it does. I'm at a point where I have to make a decision and so far, don't like any of the options

you hit it right with the front radius rods. They match the frame perfectly. I think now that they would have not looked right with round tube on them. Good work! [P

That frame is beyond cool !!

Looks great, you could never give us too much info!

Updates are always good, I wish I was moving at your pace

I dont think 130" is all that long, it definitely doesnt look too long. My frame is in that ball park as well.. It was 124-126 dont remember where I ended up setting it..

onetondodge said:

"I hope the frequent updates don't annoy people"

I always enjoy reading up on your build, Please keep the updates coming!

You've made great progress, the frame is sick. I can't wait to see the cab on there.

Paul

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Thanks a lot bud! Since you couldn't wait to see the cab on the frame, I have a little surprise for you.

zzrodder said:

It's looking better all the time [cl - to me the frame doesn't look overly long, nothing is worse than having it too short and having the engine,rad and suspension crowding each other. what are you using for suspension on the front and rear, bags or springs?

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Thanks! The suspension is air all the way around.

DJ3100 said:

Keep the updates coming! I'm enjoying seeing the progress and hope to be able to see it in persone one of there days.

I haven't heard of the vinegar/salt. Sounds interesting. I think I'll give it a try and see what it does. I'm at a point where I have to make a decision and so far, don't like any of the options

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Thanks Dan!

The vinegar is supposed to penetrate through the primer and bring out some rust and the salt is supposed to crust on the surface. Next time I'm at IMS, I'll pick up a scrap sheet of steel to try this on.

jfg455 said:

you hit it right with the front radius rods. They match the frame perfectly. I think now that they would have not looked right with round tube on them. Good work! [P

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Thanks man. I dig the radius rods too.

Gregster said:

That frame is beyond cool !!

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Thanks Greg!

Another thank for sharing your experience with the Colossol Tech plasma cutter. I ordered one last night. I can't wait to try it out!

rainman said:

Looks great, you could never give us too much info!

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Thank you very much!

CORPO said:

Updates are always good, I wish I was moving at your pace

I dont think 130" is all that long, it definitely doesnt look too long. My frame is in that ball park as well.. It was 124-126 dont remember where I ended up setting it..

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Thanks dude! The frame itself is a lot shorter than 130". I would say by probably about a foot at least. Suicide front and rear axles contribute to the long wheelbase, but I really dig the stretched look.

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A little update:

It was an impulsive move, but I decided to put the cab on.



My original plan was to chop the cab 3" and channel 3". I think the picture below kind of confirms it. What do you guys think?


I was going to do more work and take more pictures, but as I was moving the frame, this sorry piece of crap broke in half. It's supposed to be able to handle 1000 lbs, and I barely had 300-400 lbs on it. What do you expect from Harbor Freight? LOL



I have to run to Harbor Freight to exchange the furniture dolly. I should really just weld some struts to keep the suspension at ride height and do away with these dollies.

Thanks for looking! Also a big thanks for your great feedback! I really appreciate it.

I think the proportions look pretty good as is, but would have to see more.

HMMMMMMM I like!! RR

Lookin good, I miss spoke.. i meant a wheel base of 124-126

Darn your doing good! This time of yr all I can do is dream about how ours may come together. How bout we buy you a ticket to come to Indiana & help out when your done!LOL Let's say Jan./Feb. bet you'd like it cause it's a little cooler!

Been brainstorming today & bounce this off of you. What would you think of using some 1" rebar for a set of radius arms. Trying to obtain a different look.

rainman said:

I think the proportions look pretty good as is, but would have to see more.

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It's a tough call. It's one of those things where if I cut the floor, there's no going back, you know?!? I've added some picture below.

ratrodney said:

HMMMMMMM I like!! RR

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Thanks bud!

CORPO said:

Lookin good, I miss spoke.. i meant a wheel base of 124-126

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Oh I see.

That's a pretty decent wheelbase if you really think about it. The wheel base on an extended cab short bed Chevy truck is about 132".

Z.Z.Rat said:

Darn your doing good! This time of yr all I can do is dream about how ours may come together. How bout we buy you a ticket to come to Indiana & help out when your done!LOL Let's say Jan./Feb. bet you'd like it cause it's a little cooler!

Been brainstorming today & bounce this off of you. What would you think of using some 1" rebar for a set of radius arms. Trying to obtain a different look.

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Indiana, eh? Sounds good! I've never been out there!

I really don't know much about the chemical composition of rebar and how it compares to low carbon steel (like 1018). From my understanding, rebar is a lot less "stiff" of a material than regular mild steel. This is to dampen the shocks that concrete may experience, due to various loading conditions, earth quakes, etc.... I don't think rebar is a great choice in automotive applications where stress is applied, like suspension, steering links, frame components and so forth.

If you're after the look of rebar, you can look at "hammered tubing" that is used for making railings and such. They're made out of low carbon/mild steel and they look a lot more interesting than plain square or round tubing. They look like this:



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I exchanged the broken furniture dolly and rolled the frame outside again. I took some more picture of the thing from different angle. On the driver side of the cab, you can see that the sheet metal under the door is bent in. This happend when we took the cab off the original Dodge frame.

Anyways, I'm thinking of starting with a 3-3.5" channel. The cab is quite spacious; I don't think it would get crammed in there. I'm 6'3" and I had plenty of room inside. There was about 7.5" of space between my head and the top of the cab.













Thanks for looking!

I like the driver's side with the bent in rocker better than the passenger side. Just trim the bottom of the cab to match - or not.

The ZZ's behind the cab look awesome!

I'm thinking an oval fuel tank right in between the rear frame rails would be cool. I like the long rocker myself.

Looks like your cab is the same as my 39 Chevy. The cab covers the frame naturally with no channel needed . By not channeling I was able to keep the floor nice and sturdy as it came from the factory . I chopped mine 3 " and with me at 5-11 the head room is just right . I also use bomber seats which have the narrow back and lower seat profile . A reg seat and a reg back section would make my interior very crowded . A lot of the available head room is above the top of the windshield ,ducking down to see traffic lights gets old when driving around town . My sunvisor also cuts about 1" from my view , making it the same as a 4" chop . I couldn't drive it if it was any lower .

Your truck is awesome! [cl

The frame I’m planning for my project is along the same line as yours. Nice to see one done, makes me feel a little more confident in what I’m trying.