'49 Fargo 4x4 build

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70DartMike

70DartMike

Too many projects
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Thought I'd share my '49 Fargo build.

I decided to put my '49 Fargo body on a '66 Dodge W200 chassis I have. It's a short wheel base 3/4 ton 4x4. I took 6" from the center of the frame, to shorten the wheel base from 114" to 108".
I had first installed a 225 slant 6 and 904 auto on the '49 chassis, but that wasn't powerful enough. So I installed a 440/727. As fun as that was, the chassis wasn't designed for that weight or torque, and I quickly learned the leaf springs weren't happy.
So here we are, I lifted the cab and box off the '49 chassis, and put them on the '66. Had to move the cab mounts, but so far it's suprisingly similar to the '49 chassis. I also picked up a '76 Dodge W200, 400 4 speed truck for parts, so I will be putting a 4 speed in behind the 440.
I will be parting out the '49 chassis if anyone needs anything. It has a set of Scarebird disc brakes that I put on it a few years ago.
Last 2 pics are the '49 as it was, and the rotten carcass of the '66.
It's not an A body, but both my '70 Dart and '65 Valiant are where I want them.

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Cool build! What's up with the green Ford?
 
RustyRatRod said:
Cool build! What's up with the green Ford?
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Green Ford is a '73 F250. Years ago when my dad died, I had gotten the '75 F250 4x4 Highboy, 390 4 speed. The body rotted away after years of me using it, so I bought that green '73 Ford 2wd and put the body on the '75 4x4 chassis. It's currently in the shop because I pulled the heads (3 dead cylinders) and have the heads out getting rebuilt.
 
70DartMike said:
Green Ford is a '73 F250. Years ago when my dad died, I had gotten the '75 F250 4x4 Highboy, 390 4 speed. The body rotted away after years of me using it, so I bought that green '73 Ford 2wd and put the body on the '75 4x4 chassis. It's currently in the shop because I pulled the heads (3 dead cylinders) and have the heads out getting rebuilt.
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Very cool! I love older Ford trucks. Nothing compares.
 
The guy that bought my rust-free green '73 F-250 2-WD 390 4-speed said he was putting it on a 4X4 frame. I had to look twice to see if it was my old one.
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mpgmike said:
The guy that bought my rust-free green '73 F-250 2-WD 390 4-speed said he was putting it on a 4X4 frame. I had to look twice to see if it was my old one.
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Mine was sold new in Port Alberni, BC. Spent it's whole life here on the island. It's a Ranger XLT Camper Special, that came new with a 390 on propane, C6, 4.10's. It had factory cruise control and A/C.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Very cool! I love older Ford trucks. Nothing compares.
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Hoping to finally work on both of mine next summer. On the right, a '68 F250 Camper Special I bought in Idaho. 390, 4 speed, and Dana 60. On the left, a '67 F250 I recently dragged home from Barstow, CA. 390, auto, and another Dana 60. (On top of the '67 bed is a really clean, flipped-over, '71 bed I brought home as well). I have bad knees, and that 4 speed in the '68 is a killer in traffic, so I'll be swapping transmissions sometime, and then plan on selling the '67 w/the 4 speed.

That is, IF the noise I'm hearing in Bazza's 318 isn't a rod knock....

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Jim
 
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Some progress..

440 and NP435 4 speed are in. Had to make engine mounts, also had to get creative with the trans mount as the 435 I'm using doesn't have a mount, it originally had mounts on the side of the cast iron bellhousing, but since I went with an aluminum bell it doesn't have anything. So I built something off the end of the trans.
The engine/trans is sitting 6" forwards of where it would normally sit, as the fenders are shorter than the '66 and so the cab then sits forwards too, so that sort of threw everything off for the clutch linkage. I moved the Z bar up 3" as the ball stud coming from the bell pointed straight at the steering box. Yes, could have gotten creative with a hydraulic clutch but I don't have the parts, trying to use what I have, and about 20 different Z bars is what I do have.
Front fenders, grill, rad support is in. Had to modify the front cross brace to fit the rad down low, to clear the hood.
Pedals are in, they came from the '66 Dodge W200 out back. Amazing how the bracket actually lined right up with the dash frame, even the holes in the bracket for the bolts lined up with the holes in the dash for the steering column. Crazy since the pedals for the '49 went through the floor and had no bracket there.
And cut the floor a little to bring up the twin sticks for the transfer case.

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Gotten a lot done since I last posted.

I had to press in new studs in the drivers front hub. I only had left hand, imagine that.
I shortened the rear driveshaft and made a longer one for the intermediate one (since the engine/trans sits 6" forwards of stock due to the cab location). I used a front shaft and shortened it to fit the intermediate.
I found a pair of 18 spline axles for the Dana 60 in a '73 Ford F250 with a Dana, just had to shorten them 1/2" to fit.
Front closed knuckles are rebuilt, the brass bushings were in great shape, as were the lower king pin bearings. Also rebuilt the locking hubs, both were corroded and stuck.
All new brakes are in and bled, including new brake lines. I also turned the drums on my lathe. I bought the Eastwood brake line flaring tool, what a difference!! Literally 5 seconds for a perfect double flare. No more generic flare kit. Also relocated the master cylinder to the firewall instead of under the floor.
Clutch/brake pedals are in.
Exhaust is installed.
Tires and wheels are mounted. Not doing anything crazy right now, just tall skinny tires.
Wiring and cooling system are in hooked up.
Had to make a clutch fork as I'm using the large throwout bearing for 10 spline trans but the aluminum bellhousing doesn't use the ball type pivot but instead the flat tab type. So I cut the large fork end from one and welded it onto the other style fork.

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Shortened the steering column, the column is from the '66 W200. Originally I had planned on using the rag joint but the angle is too sharp where it meets the steering box, so I ordered a Borgenson joint. But still had to shorten the column regardless.
Used the transmission tunnel from the '66 cab, cut it up a bit. Fits pretty good in there. Bolted it to the floor, then used that silver heat shield stuff that's on the rest of the floor.
Got the Borgenson joint from Summit Racing. Used a milling bit on the lathe to cut the steering shaft flat on both sides to mount it.
Steering column is in. I have a multitude of steering wheels to use, the one on there is from the '66 but it's a bit large. I have one from a '76 Dodge truck that's a bit smaller, and a C body one that's even smaller than that.
Also finished hooking everything back up in the engine bay. Got it running, had to pull the top plate off the transmission and line the shift fork for 1st gear up with the disc properly, it was getting stuck in gear. Also went through hell with the pressure plate, had to disassemble the Borg & Beck pressure plate and replace the springs. It had white, purple, and no colour springs, which the service manual said was wrong for a 440. So I changed it to 9 white and 3 no colour. Then I had to adjust those nuts for the 3 fingers, decreasing the drag and bringing the fingers closer to the clutch fork. After all that it's finally working as it should, it goes forwards and reverse in gear.

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Well, here it is. Runs great, clutch works well. I still need to sort out the front bumper and do a few small things, but it's moving under it's own power.
440, 4 speed. 1st gear is bull low, truck has 4.10 gears.

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TREMENDOUS!!!

What is the brake lathe? Don't recognize it. I've used an OLD Van Norman many decades ago, and used and have an Ammco combo disc/ drum lathe. I've literally turned thousands of drums and rotors in 15 some years selling parts
 
67Dart273 said:
TREMENDOUS!!!

What is the brake lathe? Don't recognize it. I've used an OLD Van Norman many decades ago, and used and have an Ammco combo disc/ drum lathe. I've literally turned thousands of drums and rotors in 15 some years selling parts
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It's an Accuturn, does drums and rotors. I also turned the flywheel on it. It works great, every once in a while gets a build up of shavings in the cone where it mates to the body, which ends up with some runout, but you just have to clean it here and there.
 
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