i am still plating bolts and assembling frame brackets and cross members. it is slow going but the results are turning out nicely - photos to come soon...
i bought a frame reinforcment that goes between the engine frame stubs. this will go a long way to help prevent future frame cracks in this location since it ties both side together. i also bought a rust free right front fender, a left front chrome trim piece for the hood to ensure i have a straight one in case the dent does not come out on the original part and some frame bumpers for the springs.
once the frame is fully assembled i am either going to rebuild the transmission or start stripping the new cab of all the grease and grime. i am having trouble deciding what is the best approach. since i have not done a 727 before i may tackle it later and work towards getting the body components roughed in now that i have all the key parts. this way i can rought everything in and get it all primed and all panels straight. then take it all apart again and cut in the panels with paint. knowing eveything fits.
i am excited about everything that has happened this year - from seeing Terry Winkler's truck come together, seeing it in person in Columbus Ohio and then see it appearing in the Feb '06 MoparAction and in the Jan '06 Mopar Collector's Guide to getting the frame where it is now. much to do and enjoying every minute of it!
Details of the past year:
- I have been busy working on the farm - cleaning up all the downed tree, fence work, new out building, mowing, etc.
- i have cleaned, painted and detailed the whole frame and most of the crossmembers and suspension components.
- My work on the CSS Registry has added several new trucks and i went to the Mopar Nats in August to see Terry Winkler's 64 D100 HPP truck - talk about inspiration! I also met Matt Mugno, Dan Goldhardt and several other Sweptline enthuiasts. it was a great time!
Process to cleaning and painting the frame:
- first thing i did was pressure wash the frame and suspension. there was 40 years of grease, grime, dirt, lime rock, sand and gunk.
- after that i scrubbed it with simple green and then i pressure washed it two more times.
- then i finished taking the suspension and all crossmembers off and got it down to a completly bare frame with not a single nut or bolt on it. to move it around i used furniture dollys and blocks of wood to set it up higher.
- after it was mostly degreased i sandblasted the frame. that got most of the petrified undercoating and paint off. i also did all the parts the same way except i used a bench grinder with a wire wheel attachment - it made easy work of paint and grease and did not hurt the natural finish of the metal.
- on the frame after it was sandblasted i used my 3/8 drill and a couple different wire wheels and went to work on the whole thing to get the soft undercoating the blaster could not get. i got it to bright metal with all this work using the drill.
- then came the tedious part. with a tooth brush sized wire brush, a screw driver, a putty knife and a larger wire brush i scoured every knook and cranny for more grease grime and undercoating.
- once that was done i wiped it all down with laquer thinner and then did it again.
- once it was sufficiently prepped i sprayed it with Eastwood Rust encapsulator.
- i top coated it with Eastwood chassis black. i left most of the suspension components the flat black rust encapsulator for a variety of finishes in an effort to emulate factory finishes.
- the original bolts are all tin/zinc plated using a kit from eastwood.
- i installed new bronze bushing in the spindles.
- i installed the front disc brake kit i purchased from AAJ Brakes.
All in all i am feeling very positive about the hurdle i just crossed with the project. there are several more suspension parts that need to be painted and its fasteners plated or painted. once those are done i will start on redoing the Engine and Transmision.
Images below....
