June 7th
I started late morning on the front-end again. First thing was to drain the radiator and get it out of the way. Next, off came the grille. Found a couple more bolts holding the left fender on. One of them was damaged and in a tight spot. I was able to get the skirts out, and that enabled me to cut the bolt out. At this point, the driver's side fender is off.
Worked on removing the bolts on the other fender and front piece that the grill attaches to. Got all of them off and the front-end is bare. At this point I had to call it quits - I had a wedding to go to.
I'm still debating on where to go next. I need to get the gas tank drained and out of the cab. Also, the steering wheel and pedals need to come out so I can remove the cab. I'm leaning in this direction. Once I get the cab off, I can finish the frame. Also, I want to take as much of the engine apart as I can to clean and paint. Probably do the front part of the frame while some of the engine is out.
June 28th
Had a very good weekend! Mike and Molly came into town. Not only did we have a good time, Mike provided some needed help...
I spent most of Saturday trying to get the steering column out. I got the column shifter disconnected easy enough, and then the clutch pedal, brake pedal, accelerator, and starter. However, I just couldn't figure out how to remove the pitman arm and steering wheel. I could tell by looking at them that they just came off. I knew that there were special pulling tools for these items, but some good old fashion muscle should have done the trick.
So, at the time that Mike and Molly arrived, I was beating on the pitman arm pin, thinking that the force against the frame would be enough to pop it off. No joy. Also, I had been applying this same principle to the steering wheel. Anyways, Mike walks into the garage and gets caught up to date. He pushes me out of the way, and puts a socket-wrench handle between the pitman arm and frame, gives the pin a good whap with the hammer and it pops right off. Bastard! He then repeats the treatment to the steering wheel. Double bastard! I head inside to clean up and visit for a while. Mike is feeling pretty smug, so I use his ego against him and he volunteers to help me get the cab off Sunday morning. Sucker!
June 29th
After a wonderful breakfast by the beautiful hostess Sarah, Mike and I head to the garage. The trail-bosses inform us that we have an hour to work on Rusty, before we head off to the zoo. Taylor is running "crazy circles" screaming something about zebras and toucans....
The only thing we need to do is remove the gas tank and the four bolts that mount the cab to the frame. I had so much stuffed piled in the cab, that I thought removing the gas tank was going to be messy. If you remember from the beginning of the journal, I had filled the gas tank up on the journey home. After removing all the crap from the cab, Mike notices that the fuel line is connecting into the top of the tank. Okay, that makes it way too easy, and frankly, I don't get how it works. We remove the tank straps and disconnect the fuel line and the nozzle hoses. We pick up the tank and carry it out of the way. Even with a full tank, it was an easy job with two people and we didn't spill a drop anywhere. Mike yanked the hard gas line up through the cab, and the flexible hose under the cab was in such a position that no gas leaked. Beautiful.
I grab a pair of vise-grips and crawl under the cab. As I am holding on to the nut underneath, Mike wrenches the bolt out at the front of the cab (move to the other front bolt and repeat). He passes the socket wrench to me under the cab and I remove the rear bolts. After that is done, I take a peek around and make sure that there is nothing connected to the cab. Mike gives it a quick shove on both sides and we determine that the cab is ready to be removed.
I won't bore you with too many details. From my reading, I was lead to believe that it is a two person job to remove the cab. Maybe if the engine was out of the way, but taking it over the side was a bear. Luckily, Mike has above average strength and he makes it look easy walking across the frame. A tip for you people who are about to perform this trick - have four people handy to remove the cab. Anyways, the cab is sitting in the driveway until I can take it to the sandblasting place. Have I mentioned how much my neighbors love me?
This is a good stopping point. I need to get the sheet metal over to the blasters. I plan on finishing the frame next. Soon after should be engine cleaning, front suspension, and steering. On to the next entry.
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