Stewart's T

[rebstew]

Thanks guys for all the good feedback. I'm getting close to the end on the build log. Not done with the T but close to the end of the pics. Side shot coming up.
To be honest this T was going to be sold to make some extra money. It's been such a fun build that I really didn't want to sell it. Times got rough and the talk of fixing it and selling it came up again. My wife is pretty understanding and let's me have my way 99% of the time. This time she put her foot down. She didn't want me to sell it. I told her you can't keep them all. [P Long story short she said I shouldn't sell it. I have a few other projects going on so I told her if that was that then she could have the T. That made her happy and if she's happy I'm happy. If she's not working at her job she's in the garage when I am working on the T.
She has spent hours helping and learning her way around the garage. She is really into cars but I didn't understand how much untill she started wanting to learn to weld and learn the tricks of the trade. To say I'm tickled is an understatement. She is picking stuff up fast.

 

[rebstew]

Someone drilled holes and bolted on a set of old style breather. I figured I'd make a plate to cover them for now.
Note the carnage of the holes.

I didn't have any aluminum on hand so I used some 16 gauge sheet.

Wanting to get the plate to somewhat match the valve covers I covered it with aluminum duct tape.

 

[rebstew]

I didn't what any chrome on this car. No polished aluminum either. I'd rather drive the eyeballs out of a car than to polish it every week. I was going to sand blast all the aluminum I have but didn't want the dust in the garage. I whipped out the die grinder with a gasket remover and sanded it down. The finish is not what most would like but I do. To me it almost looks like a brushed aluminum.

The duct tape plate matches good enough too.

 

[rebstew]

Most of the guys that come in the garage can't understand what the 27 is. They ask about the rear and what I'm going to do with it. When I say I'm putting a bed on it they look at me funny. It's a truck! Butch from the club and me was messing around with some card board. We mocked up a bed side just to see what it would look like.

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[rebstew]

Not too for sure about the turn down. It can stay till I get most of the other side done and I will figure out the turn down then.
Started out with a Cherry Bomb. 3" inlet and 2 1/2 out

I cut the 3" end off and welded a collector ring right to it. I then took a 2 1/2 pipe and made me a baffle. I want this one not so loud that it rings my ears on a long run. A lot of holes and the end was capped off to a smaller opening.

The baffle was weld to the Cherry Bomb and a 3" peice of pipe was slid over it and welded on.

 

[rebstew]

It took some grinding and cutting to get the turn down. I may change it later. I was wanting something different. Not just a 1970 ish style side pipe turn down.

 

[rebstew]

I got the steering stuff done on the outside. The box is bolted on. The steering shaft is hooked up and the pitman arm is on the box and working perfect. It's really cool to grab the steering wheel and be able to turn the tires lock to lock for the first time.

 

[rebstew]

The Ford pitman arm that was on the steering box was cut in two place, welded back together and shortened. It woudn't work. I had a WS6 box off T/A and used the arm from it.
I had big trouble getting the arm off the WS6 box. My 3 finger puller wouldn't do it. I got tire of messing with it and cut shaft off the box with the arm still on it. I figured the shaft would pop right off in the press. That's almost 2" of metal plate that snapped under the preasure. I had a socket between them. I was lucky I wasn't standing there. I went to get the torch. The socket was like a bullet shooting across the garage. Harbor Frieght junk!

 

[rebstew]

I wasn't too happy. I set everything back up and put a little preasure on it, put the torch on it and every few minutes give it another pull. It's popped off. [cl
To make it worse I was hoping the arm would be close enough to the Ford box that the WS6 may be modified a bit to work. It wouldn't.
I had to cut the Ford arm at the bottom and weld the WS6 arm to it. It worked out pretty good. I had to put a little angle on it so I set it before welding.
Here is the arm after it was welded up and roughed in.

 

[rebstew]

I drilled the holes for the grille and headlights. I still need to do some work to them and paint everything but they are at least mocked up to see where they will go.
Note the windshield wiper. It's more for the fun of getting people to scratch their head than anything.[S

 

[rebstew]

Gonna go spend some time with the wife. I'll post more later.

 

[rebstew]

 

[rebstew]

If we spend as much time driving this T as we have pushing it from one garage to another it will be okay.

 

[rebstew]

Brackets and master for the brakes are in. I don't normally scrounge through the scrap piles for bracing but Christmas was right around the corner so I dug in. No one will see it anyways.
Still have a ton more to do but at least the floor is started.

 

[rebstew]

I have been messing with the rearend a little. Well too much! I thought I was going to leave the rearend alone but I just wasn't happy with it. Went from a stock rearend to and F-body then to a S10. To keep it simple and faster to build I was wanting to keep the leaf springs but the wheels set too far back for my liking. I was going to go with a set of split wish bones and move the rearend forward a couple inches but after digging into it I changed my mind once again. The rear frame rail had a cobbled up patch welded into it to. I want to move forward on this truck but I just couldn't leave it the way it was. The whole back end is getting changed. That's the only way I'll be happy.

 

[rebstew]

 

[rebstew]

Amy was helping out.

 

[rebstew]

Mock up and yet another rearend.

Amy is making a template and support for where the top of the rail will sit.

 

[rebstew]

 

[sgtpontiac]

Everything is shaping up great!!!

Isn't it amazing....you think you've got something down and when it's done, you look at it and you know it just isn't right or the way you want it .....so it's back to the cutting and grinding....but it looks like you're on the right track....by the way, tell Amy that it looks like she is having way too much fun..LOL...