1990 B2200 Ground Up

More progress today. It was tough getting motivated to do anything after working late today to finish some stuff up for shipping and it was about 100 again today.

But I decided I WILL make progress every day if I have at least 30 minutes to put into it. So since I was still boxing stuff for my business when my wife got home I talked her into starting dinner so I could finish the shipping. Then I went back out afterwards and cut these two pieces and marked and notched the crossmember.

I added some 1" square tube braces to keep these main top rails square and in place while I welded in the crossmember.



As you can see from the side I already have them notched to connect to the other pieces. In the front this connects to the down tube where the steering box goes and in the back it connects to the 2"x4" down pieces to the main rails.



Here is an update to the drawing I made in the beginning. It shows the front section past the main top rails.




Tomorrow I would like to get the front drops in and the pieces that go across the front as well. Depends on if I have time. More to come.

Finally! Someone who understands the rake on the upper control pivot.

I got that angle from the factory arms. Although I will end up using an aftermarket cross shaft.

I got some progress done today. Just a little though. I cut the rear main down tubes that come from the top main rails in the pic above down to the ground. I also cut the pieces that mount to those down tubes and go out to the width of the frame.



Then I beveled them with the rock and welded them together.




The next step wioll be to cut more 1" square tube braces and weld these pieces to the crossmember above and build out to the frame. I was going to do the front pieces but I need to cut the holes for the steering box mounting tubes. That will have to wait for the weekend. More to come.

nice keep it up.

Lookin good

this is really cool seeing a build start from litterally scratch, very awesome. your previous builds are sheer masterpieces as well, thanks for sharing!

can i ask how come you decided to go with the auto trans behind the fe3? the dawg sled had a v8 in it, didnt it?

Thanks very much. Yes the sled had a V-8, a Chevy 350 to be exact. But only because I got it free. This guy had a 3/4 ton Chevy van and wanted the transmission out of it and the body to scrap. I got the motor. It was worn out.

But Lance Martz, then editor of Minitruckin' saw me at Showfest in Greenville Mississippi in early May of 2002. He had been following the build. He said we had an appointment at the photo studio in Costa Mesa California on July 5th, 2002 for the cover of the November 2002 Construction Zone special issue.

So I had to get it from rust and primer over bare steel to bodyworked as much as I could get, interior and pretty much as close to done as possible in less than a month.

The plan was to have a Ford 302/C-4 in it for final build.

This one is going to use the auto trans behind the FE3. Not one for shifting a 5 speed. I've had too many manual trans trucks. Plus being RHD I do not want to shift left handed.

This weekend I will begin tearing down the Sportage and getting out everything that I need. I will also start tearing down the Mazda if I have time.

On top of all that I have to pour a small slab in my shop to hold my lathe. Then I have to go get my lathe at my brothers house. I will have to start turning bushings and sleeves pretty soon. Those control arms are not going to build themselves. lol

oh right, i never even thought about how much easier RHD will be with an auto. im actually in a RHD country right now and that has been interesting with everything backwards and all the mine trucks are standard, how ive wished for an auto haha. i really need to get a lathe for my shop, that would be a huge help.

Well my lathe is a Craftsman 12"x36" built in about 1967 so it's worn out as well. Not much good for making precision sized pieces but for cutting DOM tube and making 4 link and control arm bushings it works great.

I need to turn some tubes for the steering box mount. Then maybe some tube mounts for the motor mounts. Not sure on that until I get the FE3 sitting in the frame.

I just sent my kid to the steel yard in my 91 Mazda shop truck with a plumbers rack on it to get some 2" square tube, 3/16" wall. That will be used across the front of the frame under the radiator and also in the back for a cage around the fuel tank. And two extra pieces in the frame table. I already have the 2"x4"x3/16" for the frame main rails and the 2"x3"x3/16" for the front stuff.

I will end up buying more than I need to get the straight pieces I need but we are using the same stuff to build the frame for my kid's 66 F-100 project truck frame.

The plan as of right now though is to add the pieces to the frame table tonight, then get the 1" square braces cut and install the pieces I made the other night.

The setting up the concrete forms and pouring the slab will wait until the weekend. Harbor Freight is having a sale so I am going to buy the concrete mixer and another 10'x20' tent thingy.

I also have to make time this weekend to get the motor out of the Sportage. I will have to yank the fuel tank sender and some of the wiring and maybe the dash gauge cluster. Not sure how much of it I can or want to use. But it's looking like a car lot at my house right now so I need to get the Sportage apart and to the scrap yard. more to come when I get back in from the shop.

Ok, went out to the shop and added the two pieces to the frame table then I took the grinder to the v shaped pieces above. Then I mocked this whole front clip up and clamped everything together. I clamped some pieces outside the rails and a brace in the bottom to keep the distance apart correct.



Then I tacked it all up, un clamped it and welded the pieces together. Then I set it on the frame table in front of the factory clip.



Notice the 1" square tube under the engine crossmember. That will be the laid out height of that piece. It will have a drag plate bolted there also.



Notice the difference between the factory clip and the new one.



Hopefully I can finish going forward with pieces then start going backward. More to come.