Wow so it's been a while since I've updated the thread. Not slacking on the truck just on posting updates...
I've been super busy lately trying to get the Viper project finished up. It's back from the frame shop and 100% straight. I got the body most of the way back together as a mock up before paint. Should be getting paint in the next couple weeks.
Also I bought another bump... For two reasons really: 1. I was getting impatient with my '67 and was contemplating throwing it together without doing everything I really wanted to do to it. I needed a truck to drive to keep me patient on the '67 and 2. Saw it. Had to have it. Got a good deal.
This is my new daily driver. I get to use it as a truck and not worry about dinging up the bed. I've been doing little detail projects on it like repainting the grill inserts and headlight bezels and just cleaning it up. I also put the f-250 badges on it that I refurbished and they look excellent on the light blue.
ANYWAY:
So here's where I'm at on the '67
Got a gauge set and bezel insert/face off ebay. I refinished one of my old cluster bezels with silver krylon and painted the billet face plate black. I love how it came out.
I also FINALLY found some Crown Vic stuff. I got a whole front assy and matching rear axle off an '03 P71 that had 100K on it. I took it to the car wash and pressure washed it then brought it home used two different degreasers to try and clean everything up. It all still looked like this (which is actually clean compared to when I first got it).
Next was time for tear down. All the ball joints, tie rods, sway bar links, wheel bearings etc are on in great shape and I will re-use mostly everything but I'm going to be putting new drilled rotors and new pads on when I get it ready to reassemble.
Next I went down to the local parts store and picked up some acid wheel cleaner and some small wire brushes. It took a couple hours, a whole bottle of wheel acid, and sh!t load of elbow grease but I'm very happy with how the k-frame came out:
Then I went to work on the frame. I used a grinder and an air hammer to get all rivets cut off (my neighbors weren't very stoked about the air hammer so I tried to get as much of the rivets cut off with the grinder as possible). That got rid of the shock/coil towers and i-beam mounts.
Then I braced the frame 3/16" angle iron. I didn't take measurement to do this part. I used the existing 9/16" holes in the frame and marked the angle iron while holding it in place. I also drilled the holes in the angle iron to 9/16" using a stepper bit (or uni-bit) and used 9/16" bolts to bolt the supports in place. I did it this way to make everything as snug as possible to eliminate the frame from having any room to move at all. Bolts fit very tight. I tightened them down to 50 foot pounds or so.
Then came time to cut the original cross-member out. I used a sawzall to do this. I went through 6 blades but not because they were worn out but because I kept bending them all to hell. It was a pain in the balls but I got the bulk of it cut out.
I did mark my center lines before cutting all my original stuff and decided to set the crown vic k-frame roughly in place so I could stand back and drink a beer while I just looked at it for a while.
Now that I have a new phone with a better camera (with my old phone I had use the screen side camera because the back/regular lens was cracked, so I hated taking pics) I will update more regularly. I now have a 1970 mustang tank kit, my engine mostly finished up, headers, seats, and a bunch of other stuff sitting in the garage ready to go, so I should be moving right along with the project now. My goal is to be finished up by the end of summer.
. I havent decided if I'm going to try fixing it or just incorporate my stereo into the center console I'm going to build. Most likely the latter and will just weld a smooth piece where the radio used to be or figure out a way to mount the radio delete plate I got from ebay.
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