Holey Schomoly

Well as you have seen the front metal is finished and superb it is to. So the scenario now is the cab is at the paint shop in a corner bubble wrapped up.. but in a busy workshop with lots of people working and milling about all the time so I gotta move fast. The front metal bar the cab is at my mate Col Walkers office premises' and strewn about the floor... so again gotta move fast, before the inevitable damage occurs.

So what have I gotta move fast on, well let me tell ya. the bloody chassis for a start.

Idea is get that all welded and sorted take it to a blasters who will clean it up and coat in a phosphate? primer, then back up to Long Lane Garage and be 2pack stone chipped.

While that is being done I have to rebuild oh strip first then rebuild the front and rear suspension paint it all and reassemble.. so when the chassis is done I can bolt it all up all painted and mint like ;o) and then we have a roller... Back up to Long Lane Garage to have them help me fit the cab... then back home and strip and re-mint the engine (fitting me noisy gear drive) and painting in a gold to match the body... then hopefully back to Long lane Garage to fit the rest of the front metal.. or if that cant happen I have to take to Col's and hopefully he can help me fit the front metal there. Rather than risk taking to my garage and me do it on me own and fuk it all up.. like I usually do.. Not this time matey!!! er I hope. If I do I will throw the towel in that would be me done.. finito..

So anyhow I have been working like mad, on the chassis and this is how far on I have got.

I wanted to secure the rear now the cage was missing and make up some kind or rear support though many if any don't bother I felt I wanted to for extra strength and also I wanted to make some out of twisted square bar just for looks alone. One of my heroes (sadly gone) is/was Indian Larry he was a great character and his hallmark apart from the question mark was twisted bar work so hence my tribute some twisted square bar work and an iron cross just cus I am a rebel deep down.. Terrrrrr Lets get that chassis done.

I have always hated the engine mounts I made, lets be honest they were utter crap. I used the original adapter that was fitted, by cutting and shutting it but it was a cheap skates way and though strong aesthetically it was dog poo. So I sat and looked drank a cup of coffee now I don't have the luxury of smoking (gave up 5yr ago). I pondered and looked and pondered then Boiiing like a flashy it came to me box em in. So I made some templates cut some steel.....

And bent some boxe's

Then welded em in, they look so much better now I was chuffed to finally have some mounts I would not be ashamed of.

Oh forgot, while I was happy with the IFS fitting as I did mine as Jag fitted theres.. I always thought the set-up would benefit from a little support outward of the front bush.. er so I made some up, in slightly thinner metal at 3mm but as they dont even have them on a Jag I though that would be ample. So the bolt goes through three supports now.. should be mega! Though this shows the chassis upside down, I did these with the front suspension on and the right way up with the bolt passed through all three supports.

Where the hand brake was joined and passed through the now boxed crossmember I welded in a tube so that the joining block couldn't snag on the boxing when applied or released.

I sorted out a rotisserie of sorts so I could flip the chassis and work on the underside and final weld it.

Once on its back I slotted and welded some tube in for access to the nuts that secure the bed crossmember's to, as once boxed you canny get to the bed bolts otherwise. Clever eh! ;o) Terrr

Then I looked and pondered again.. The F100 chassis is riddled with bloody holes over 100 of the buggers.... so even though I was in a rush and really did not want in any shape or form to do this job I just got on with it. I welded up around 110 holes.. Jeeezzzz and ground em all flat..er ish... I sure hope the 2 pack covers all my sins.. as my work is not 1st rate as I long it to be, and not 3rd rate as I try not to be... but in my opinion 2nd rate, 2nd rate is Ok by me.. better than dog shit so hopefully again the professionals can pull me out of the mire as the grounding flat is a little but dodgy in places as yes I was rushing.

Once the chassis was on its back I finished the boxing of the engine mounts underside. now they look cool.

I made a major boob with the rear shock upper mounts and so decided to sort that out now.. Its weird now because now I realise that these jobs are the final time I will be doing them. I just never felt like I would never get to this stage, it feels weird but also real good... I feel now I am moving forward, toward my dream truck.. Well actually to be honest my dream truck is a 40 Ford but lets not go there eh.

There was a lot of work needed to finish the underside of the IRS crossmember. Final welding seemed to take for ever, then the frame ends needed boxing to and I had to cut out some of the metal left from IRS fitting mark one.. But it's Done now!

I cut out the Jag upper shock mounts and drilled them to match the holes I had done in the crossmember.

Now I could bolt from underneath all I had to do now was weld some captive nuts on the top side and all would be well.
I stupidly had welded the bolts in the old mounts previously and was going to fit little trap doors in the bed floor to access them if I needed to raise or lower the truck. that idea was soon out the window when I got some nice Oak for the bed.. so I have to revert back to my original way of lowering.

Here are the nuts welded in place now, so I can use one of three settings to riase or lower the rear, the bolts are just in there to protect the threads when it gets blasted and painted. I have done the same with all the nutserts that I fitted to the chassis for the brake, fuel and LPG pipes for the p clips to fix to...

So that's the state of play on the 15th November 2007. My garage is like a bomb site tools and bits everywhere, the floor is now covered in metal fillings and making strange patterns on the floor, as where I live is on an old iron ore mining site, I guess there is still plenty in the ground as the fillings arrange them selves in very weird shapes on the garage floor because of the natural magnetic properties the ore possesses..

I wanted to get the chassis to the blasters by tonight, but I missed them and I was gutted cant take it now until Tuesday and today is Thursday. I gotta get all the front metal fitted by the end of this month or I am doomed. As work becomes very busy for us, we work every day from the 5th or 6th of December so no time to do any major work then until January.
But "Phew" all the welding is done..

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