Frame Welding

[Dragonslayer140]

Hi Kenn, Looking good, you should not have to worry about that tank freezing with all that foam. Been trying to get down your way again to see your progress, but seems like summer is sliding away fast. Making any progress on the upper unit?

Dave

[Kenn]

Hi Dave, I have been trying to finish everything on the truck before paint. I had to replace a rear wheel seal and S cam bushings on the drivers side. I put new drums and shoes on the rear and shoes and air canisters on the front. I also replaced the pin and bushing in the clutch pedal. Yesterday I polished the grill and worked at putting Hush-mat in the cab. Last week I replaced the headlights with single round lights and put the turn signals on the fenders to give it the old school look. I hope to have the truck painted in the next week or two. I also finished the fresh water tank. It took a long time but I like the way it looks.

[Kenn]

Today I primed the truck and all went OK but not great. I used an epoxie primer and I can't seem to get if to spray as well as I want. I will sand the primer before painting the color (white). My make-shift spraybooth worked good with very little overspray. I had to be creative in order to get the hood and cab of the truck with a few feet in between in my 30' floor space.

[SnaykeByte]

SWEET is all I can say!!

[jbeech]

You're chewing on a lot of project Kenn. It's been a fascinating read thus far. Attaboy!

[Kenn]

I finished the white paint last week and it came out OK. Every time I paint I am reminded that real painters are very skilled people. As I add more chrome and black trim to it, I like the look more. I finished the last of the 90 + square feet of "HushMat" on the inside of the cab. A lot of $$$ and labor, I hope it helps with the sound and heat. I also managed to break on of the windshields while cleaning it. I had a glass guy make and install the new and old glass. It looks good with the new black rubber seal. Next up is the new wing vent on the drivers side and the floor.

[jbeech]

That white looks very clean and with the old school fender mounted turn signals and the single bucket lights it's going to be sharp when you're done.

[Kenn]

I have been trying to finish off the cab before the weather changes. I have all the windows in with new weather-stripping. I started on the floor. I am using rubber coin flooring made for trailer and garage floors. The picture on the garage floor with yellow tape shows how I marked the rubber to cut it to fit around the steering shaft, brake, clutch and throttle pedals. The Peterbilt floor has a front and back section with stainless trim that covers the joint. My sister Sue came out and helped mount the brake valve (all of the air line still attached) to the underside. Once everything was in place the flooring should not be able to move. It worked pretty good but was a lot of work. While Sue was on hand we mounted the grill and grill bars. The picture of the mirror shows the new rubber seal for the hood and the vissor. After taking the old mirrors and brackets apart to polish I decided to replace both mirrors because the wires to the heated and motor mirror (passenger side) had been cut, spliced and taped.

[Bob86ZZ4]

Floor looks great. So does everything else, but I like that flooring material.

[bushpilot]

looks nice ! really nice !
did you use hushmat on the floor too ?

why not some carpet & padding (to reduce the noise) ?

[Kenn]

I did use Hushmat on the floor. I put two layers on the firewall and the section under the pedals. A large (17" x 44") piece of 3/4" plywood goes between the pedals and the seats with the gear shift in the center of it. To make the floor flush with the wood, I used three layers of Hushmat. The Hushmat is 1/8" thick and I have been told that multiple layers work well. The metal floor is held in place with small machine screws that have round heads. I cut the Hushmat to fit around the screw heads in an attempt to have everything flat when finished. My truck did come with carpet but I wanted something I could wipe off with a damp cloth. The pictures show the floor behind the drivers seat and if you look close you might be able to see that I used many small funny shaped pices. I tried to not waste any. I also did the iner part of the door and the door panels that screw to the inside of the door frame. Smaller pieces are easier to use than large ones in tight spots. I drove the truck with no carpet or upholstery other than the seats and it was not bad. I hope the new door panels, head-liner and wall corner pieces help control the noise. Hushmat claims that it cuts the heat as well as sound.

[Kenn]

Today I finished putting the rubber floor in the truck cab. The rear piece was rolled up in a clod room and won't lay flat. It should flatten out with a little time in the warmer shop. I put new stainless trim pieces in and they are not the same width so the cross piece sits forward just a bit. With a lot of head scratching, I was able to get the coins to line up pretty good between the two peices. Next up is to mount the speaker and run wires for them and antennas for the CB and AM/FM radios along with wires for a back-up camera. I also finished installing the air horn valve above the drivers head. I am running the air lines out the back of the cab.

[Kenn]

I have been unable to post any pictures because my computer lost it's hard drive. I got a rebuilt computer and all of the software is a bit different. I think I am getting better with it. I have spent the last week working in the cab. I had to fine tune the fit of the headliner and move the speaker holes (I need a hole slider). I have installed a Pioneer AM/FM chepo radio, a Cobra 29 LXBT CB and a back-up camera and lots of wires. Both of the radio antennas will run through the boot of the walk through so I have a lot of speaker wire and antenna leads hanging from the back of the cab. Next up is to install the seats, panels and then put the hood back on.

[Kenn]

Today I put the door upholstery on and the last pieces of trim. I like the overall look. The seats are not the same but after the upholstery guy covered them they look fine. I bought some pricey wooden armrest and when I looked at them in the truck I decided to put the old chrome grab handles back in. I put all new air lines for the seats and also added a blow gun. I still need to install the fire extinguisher and triangles. I put some bright red vinal behind the Pete 359 plates and they show up better.

[Kenn]

I filled several holes in the heater box and repainted it then put on a new plastic plate and a new A/C decal. A lot of $$ and a bit of time on the phone with Peterbilt to find all the small parts. Hard to get any good shots of the seats. I put a shifter cover on to prevent snagging those small air lines. It all went well until the windows would not roll all the way up. I will try to get that worked out.

[#90-GTSC]

Originally Posted by Kenn

and also added a blow gun.

Now that is a great idea. You never know when you're going to need it and its handy.

[Kenn]

Yesterday my sister helped me put the hood back on the truck. We also lifted the lower unit off the work trailer and backed the truck under it. We took our time and all went well. Today I started putting the U-bolts back on and then moved the truck outside to take a picture or two.

[Bob86ZZ4]

Looks great. Love those roll up doors.

[coal]

Those roll up doors are nice, pricey I bet. Looks like a nice build your doing there, you cleaned up the interior nicely too, that rubber mat is a nice touch.

[#90-GTSC]

I like the roll up doors too. I've been coveting them looking a fire trucks, which are almost always natural aluminum. Didn't know how much I like the painted ones, they really, really nice. I would think that rollup doors make much more sense than either top or bottom hinged.

Do you think they are going to seal really tight?