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Hmmmm, how hard is that to do? (Not the cross member, that's a given.) D60 from? D60 from any F-350 with the same gear ratio as Big Blue. Also you need the pitman arm and panhard bar w/bracket that attaches to the cross member. ... and the front driveshaft. The 350 lift blocks from the rear will keep it from looking like a dog dragging its butt.

The spring is about 60% of the way to the center of the tire, so my 2" was an exaggeration. It's really more like 1 5/8". But the point is that it's not quite as bad as it looks. And my '97 F-250 also has about 1" up-travel at the bump-stops. So 1 5/8" wheel travel before the stop is contacted and maybe another 7/8--1" before it bottoms? It's really no wonder why 250 ball joints get destroyed so quickly. Somebody get Gary a 'new' cross member, D60, RSK and some Superduty springs. Not only will he appreciate the ride quality, the turning radius is greatly improved.

This is what I was trying to say. But, if someone wants to overthink something, by all means let them do it. I just dont have time anymore to overthink. If a bigger hammer, or a blow torch cant fix it, I move on. Someday I will have the time on my hands too... GM definitely overthought their distributor when they went to Optispark, and look at the nightmares caused by that.

Very tidy. Well done! I somehow envision depotting an old DSII and repurposing it as a 'stockish' looking heatsink/housing. How many watts does a GM module draw? The HEI style 'all in one' distributors don't seem to have issues with overheating.

Also due to the positions along the lever, the wheel travels quite a bit more that the spring, so 1" of up-travel at the spring is closer to a whopping 2" at the wheel. OK, maybe not enough to get excited about, but it is significantly better than it looks. By the way, that's also why you need to put F-350 springs on an F-250 if you swap to a solid axle. The F-250 springs are a lot stiffer than F-350 springs since they don't flex as much for the same wheel travel. Putting a solid axle under TTB springs gives a really stiff ride. How far is it from the pivot point on the opposite side of the cross member to the center of the spring? And how far is is from the centerline of the spring to the centerline of the contact patch? I'm going to measure it tomorrow.

The van pressure hose works fine with a little tweaking of the hard line at the steering box. My problem was that I had read to use the hose from a '78 F-250 4x4 for a Saginaw conversion. So that is what I purchased initially. But the fittings we're wrong, so I just bought one for the 1986 E-350 donor.

That didnt work. Had some laying here. I think I am stuck chipping at it. Road stripe paint is epoxy, usually with glass microspheres for reflection. I guess epoxy is a good choice as it bonds like crazy and can be laid down thick while the exothermic reaction will only cause it to cure faster, unlike almost any other paint. You might try DMSO. I've had good experience getting it to soften epoxy bonds before. After it has a chance to diffuse in, the epoxy is able to be easily scraped off/out of the joint. If you're in KY look in horse stores as it's used as liniment(sp?) and available as a gel, which would stick better to the rocker panel. It does smell a bit like garlic but that goes away. They must not use any kind of road salt or mag chloride brine on the roads down there. That's instant death with header wrap. Heck, even soaked in water causes headers to rot quick up north. Looking good Ray! Thanks for giving Little Blue a new lease on life.

Yup. That's why I chose 3M. At least the gun won't be obsolete in a year or two. But it's a big nut for a one off job. Ask Brandon about Hilti plural mix guns for setting rebar or threaded rod in concrete and block. Though they aren't quite so proud of them as 3M are. If your body man will loan it to you for a day, great! You're much better off. The mixing tip is a consumable, but this is why I floated the idea of mixing by hand. (It can be done, in a pinch)

You can get panel bonding adhesive at any autobody supply. Just be wary of the cost of the gun to dispense it!... or borrow one and use the brand that fits.... or push it out onto some kind of pallette and mix it like you would Bondo. Since you're in no rush, a bonder with long working time would ease the stress

I've only used the 3M products because I have their proper plural component gun. There are different formulas for temperatures, open time, bond strength, rigidity v/s elasticity. Check their website industrial/autobody for specs and SDS. Otherwise, ask at a volume body shop what they use and why it is the best product for them. I don't have a lot of experience but have used the 3M product. Have you considered a flanging tool so the patch sits flat/flush? I guess it doesn't matter much given the location.

Wow Gary, Reading the data link for M1 seems more a caulk than any panel bonding adhesive like I have used from 3M. Reconsider pulling anything tight using that, as their chart shows a maximum 2:1 ratio. So... if you had a 1/2" overlap you would need a minimum 1/4" thickness of adhesive. It might seal but would never be rigid.

Ow Gary! That looks like it must have been painful after all the time and money you have into that cab. But it is progress. And Progress Is Good! Just a suggestion. Dont rely on pop rivets to *pull* anything together. Use Clecos, or drill only the patch and use self tapping sheet metal screws to pull the patch tight. Then remove one screw at a time, drill for the rivet and install. On second thought... don't use Clecos. Because they are tough to clean and if panel bond gets into them you may as well toss them in the trash.

DLMS is a laser sintering. IIRC SLS is a plastic, not steel. Remingting Arms had both DLMS and SLS. Sorry about the terminology Ray. I was just going with the actual url and text that Porsche created and I linked, although they describe the process exactly as you do.

Gary, I printed STEEL a few year ago when I worked for Remington Arms. I believe the machine was a DLMS machine. You start with a bed of powdered alloy. The plate has to match the material properties of the powder. Then a laser welds the powder in layers to the plate. You end with a part perfect to your model, but with ~70% of the yield strength, depending of the alloy. You can heat treat, and regain more of the material properties, but because of the welding process, and inevitable inclusions, its never 100%. Ray, In viewing the YouTube clip I think I was mistaken saying it was a laser sintering process. Porsche seems to be using SLS, but this is different. Tom states it is a printing process that is then oven brazed. (Infused) He mentioned a 420 stainless powder with bronze matrix. I'm sure all the material data is available on Shapeways site.(it is) Eta: seems comparable to 1040 HR according to engineers edge. The advantages of an additive process in creating a more 'organic' structure with less stress risers can't be overlooked. Who really cares if the piece appears the same bolted to the bellhousing, as long as it fits and functions at least as well as OEM?

You can actually see the header grow from the heat! That's a Ford I-6 but not the same ones we got here in the U.S. (Just like they got Cleveland's while we got the 351M/400) I do believe it was available in their Falcon based Ute. Similar to the Ranchero we used to have here in the States.

Glad to hear you & yours are safe Gary!Hopefully no one else was injured or lost their home.Is that engine being used on a pump?I'm trying to understand the need for a pilot bearing...

When my ignition tumbler got loose enough that I could remove the key while running I purchased a set of 3 cylinders from Amazon for a later model pickup. Name brand and inexpensive. I really like having just one key.

I edited the post Gary. Just put the link instead of embedding.

- deleted -

If you had an NOS one it could be 3D scanned to generate the STL file. Modeling in CAD might not be too hard for someone that you're well acquainted with. With very little work to correct for shrinkage of the SLS process a new pivot would be just a mouse click away. And the file could be available for anyone. Parts finish and strength seems pretty good. (First 10 minutes) *Edit because embed doesn't seem to work for me*

I'd read it a year ago and had thought to put it in the CAD/additive manufacturing thread with the Bugatti calipers. I never did, and filed it away, but when this conversation popped up I thought the context was a good fit.

It's being done.

Thank you Adam, for reaching out to our little community. Must be disheartening for you this late in the game but hopefully someone else can make good use of that tow rig. If not repowered, then as valuable parts to keep their own classic truck going Gary does this all on his own and really strives to be the best source of documentation and knowledge about these vehicles available. Wish you a safe trip and a great future in California. ,Jim

Wow Adam, that's real unfortunate. I'm sorry you've put so much effort into this only to have it go bad at the last moment. I know I could swap the engine in a long day, with a jack, hoist, my toolbox and a hand with a few things like the hood. If the other engine you spoke of is still available maybe it's an option? But I don't know if that's an option for you at this point, or how you intend to get your tiny home moved without the tow rig.