ebbsrig Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 Got on the forum a month or so afo and Mr Gary Lewis suggested a build topic on the main index. Full disclosure, I am a dang good mechanic, but useless at the computer stuff. If I did this right, the angeles in hevean are singing and a picture of the Zombie is on this post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 I see a Zombie! Good job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 I, too, see a picture of Zombie. Well done! So what makes it qualify for the name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebbsrig Posted May 17, 2019 Author Share Posted May 17, 2019 I picked this 1983 f250 a year or so ago for $1500, the old girl was in pretty rough shape. 6.9 idi 4 speed combo was in pretty rough shape, the bed was total crap but the body and bones was pretty solid. So I took a few pieces off to get a better look. Now, I been told that to make an omelet you got to break some eggs. Well I don't like breaking eggs so I went out to fine some a pre-broken eggs. Craigslist had this mangled chunk of iron listed for $2500 'cause it had a running engine. When I responded to the add and arrived at the seller's place I said.... gentlemen...start your engine. Alas they could not so I priced up cores for all the parts I could use and gave them $1400 for the wreck. When I got the wreck home I waved my magic wrenches over the engine and she fired up. The engine and transmission became the heart of the Zombie. Then the junkyard scrounging began in earnest. Picked up a few nice pieces, full factory turbo set up, couple doors, instrument cluster with tachometer and the list goes on. Suddenly and without warning Montana decided it was winter time. During the course of the winter I managed to break the Dana 44 TTB which necessitated a slight modification to the drive train...Dana 60 monobeam axle swap. Next up swapping the Dana 70 rear for a Sterling 10.25 limited slip rear. I will continue to pop in pics and one day soon the completed rig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 I picked this 1983 f250 a year or so ago for $1500, the old girl was in pretty rough shape. 6.9 idi 4 speed combo was in pretty rough shape, the bed was total crap but the body and bones was pretty solid. So I took a few pieces off to get a better look. Now, I been told that to make an omelet you got to break some eggs. Well I don't like breaking eggs so I went out to fine some a pre-broken eggs. Craigslist had this mangled chunk of iron listed for $2500 'cause it had a running engine. When I responded to the add and arrived at the seller's place I said.... gentlemen...start your engine. Alas they could not so I priced up cores for all the parts I could use and gave them $1400 for the wreck. When I got the wreck home I waved my magic wrenches over the engine and she fired up. The engine and transmission became the heart of the Zombie. Then the junkyard scrounging began in earnest. Picked up a few nice pieces, full factory turbo set up, couple doors, instrument cluster with tachometer and the list goes on. Suddenly and without warning Montana decided it was winter time. During the course of the winter I managed to break the Dana 44 TTB which necessitated a slight modification to the drive train...Dana 60 monobeam axle swap. Next up swapping the Dana 70 rear for a Sterling 10.25 limited slip rear. I will continue to pop in pics and one day soon the completed rig. Wow! I now see the reason for the name. And, that bricknose egg was more than cracked. I was smushed. But I'm jealous as I'm looking for the same axle to replace my D44HD TTB's. Anyway, well done! Can't wait for the completed pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 Wow! I now see the reason for the name. And, that bricknose egg was more than cracked. I was smushed. But I'm jealous as I'm looking for the same axle to replace my D44HD TTB's. Anyway, well done! Can't wait for the completed pics. And I thought my rolled parts truck was in bad shape, not even close. Cant wait to see the rest. Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebbsrig Posted May 19, 2019 Author Share Posted May 19, 2019 And I thought my rolled parts truck was in bad shape, not even close. Cant wait to see the rest. Dave ---- Yea, the donor truck had seen better days. The driver crested a hill at a very high rate of speed, lost control and actually bounced it up under a bridge crossing the road in front of him. He had to be cut out of the wreck and sustained some pretty serious injuries but, thank the Lord, made a full recovery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebbsrig Posted June 3, 2019 Author Share Posted June 3, 2019 Yea, the donor truck had seen better days. The driver crested a hill at a very high rate of speed, lost control and actually bounced it up under a bridge crossing the road in front of him. He had to be cut out of the wreck and sustained some pretty serious injuries but, thank the Lord, made a full recovery. All righty then. The Zombie got it's new front legs, Dana 60 monobeam 4.10 gears new positive arched leaf springs, brakes, rotors, bearing job, drag link, and tie rods. Popped in the track bar after 2 hours of the most awkward and irritating alignment and hole drilling you ever wanted to experience. Next item up for bids Sterling 10.25 4.10 gears. In the earlier posts I showed a pic of my parts truck. Today I discovered the cause of the crash. The driver crested a hill as I said before. I suspect that the pucker factor caused by his speed prompted a tap on the brakes. When I pulled the hub off the Sterling I saw this-- Oil and grease is great for moving parts, but brakes are a funny thing. Folks joke about greasing up yer brakes to make them work better ha ha ha. Thing is on drum brakes it's a fact. Oil or grease embedded in your brake linings will lock them up faster than me to the table when mama yell vittles are done. I thought to myself "dang this fella had a run of bad luck" Then I saw this-- Either that Joker, or some other fella that should never be allowed to touch tools had pulled them hubs and instead of replacing the oil seals slapped in a bunch of high temp RTV. Trust me I get that folks want to save a dime when they can, and them seals will eat up a Grant and his buddy Jackson. But some decided to save the $70 ish and ended up totaling that 1990 F350. Advice to those that will take it. Save when you can, but not on the important stuff. I reckon that everyone on this forum wrenches on their bullnoses, mainly because we love the trucks and IF you can find a shop that knows what they are doing you get to pony up your first born to get them worked on. Unless you got more dollars than sense you get to get greasy owning the lucky 7th gen. The Zombie will be on the road by the end of June. Ugly as a mud fence, but on the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 All righty then. The Zombie got it's new front legs, Dana 60 monobeam 4.10 gears new positive arched leaf springs, brakes, rotors, bearing job, drag link, and tie rods. Popped in the track bar after 2 hours of the most awkward and irritating alignment and hole drilling you ever wanted to experience. Next item up for bids Sterling 10.25 4.10 gears. In the earlier posts I showed a pic of my parts truck. Today I discovered the cause of the crash. The driver crested a hill as I said before. I suspect that the pucker factor caused by his speed prompted a tap on the brakes. When I pulled the hub off the Sterling I saw this-- Oil and grease is great for moving parts, but brakes are a funny thing. Folks joke about greasing up yer brakes to make them work better ha ha ha. Thing is on drum brakes it's a fact. Oil or grease embedded in your brake linings will lock them up faster than me to the table when mama yell vittles are done. I thought to myself "dang this fella had a run of bad luck" Then I saw this-- Either that Joker, or some other fella that should never be allowed to touch tools had pulled them hubs and instead of replacing the oil seals slapped in a bunch of high temp RTV. Trust me I get that folks want to save a dime when they can, and them seals will eat up a Grant and his buddy Jackson. But some decided to save the $70 ish and ended up totaling that 1990 F350. Advice to those that will take it. Save when you can, but not on the important stuff. I reckon that everyone on this forum wrenches on their bullnoses, mainly because we love the trucks and IF you can find a shop that knows what they are doing you get to pony up your first born to get them worked on. Unless you got more dollars than sense you get to get greasy owning the lucky 7th gen. The Zombie will be on the road by the end of June. Ugly as a mud fence, but on the road. Good job! "The driving dead" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 All righty then. The Zombie got it's new front legs, Dana 60 monobeam 4.10 gears new positive arched leaf springs, brakes, rotors, bearing job, drag link, and tie rods. Popped in the track bar after 2 hours of the most awkward and irritating alignment and hole drilling you ever wanted to experience. Next item up for bids Sterling 10.25 4.10 gears. In the earlier posts I showed a pic of my parts truck. Today I discovered the cause of the crash. The driver crested a hill as I said before. I suspect that the pucker factor caused by his speed prompted a tap on the brakes. When I pulled the hub off the Sterling I saw this-- Oil and grease is great for moving parts, but brakes are a funny thing. Folks joke about greasing up yer brakes to make them work better ha ha ha. Thing is on drum brakes it's a fact. Oil or grease embedded in your brake linings will lock them up faster than me to the table when mama yell vittles are done. I thought to myself "dang this fella had a run of bad luck" Then I saw this-- Either that Joker, or some other fella that should never be allowed to touch tools had pulled them hubs and instead of replacing the oil seals slapped in a bunch of high temp RTV. Trust me I get that folks want to save a dime when they can, and them seals will eat up a Grant and his buddy Jackson. But some decided to save the $70 ish and ended up totaling that 1990 F350. Advice to those that will take it. Save when you can, but not on the important stuff. I reckon that everyone on this forum wrenches on their bullnoses, mainly because we love the trucks and IF you can find a shop that knows what they are doing you get to pony up your first born to get them worked on. Unless you got more dollars than sense you get to get greasy owning the lucky 7th gen. The Zombie will be on the road by the end of June. Ugly as a mud fence, but on the road. How much lift do you think you got from the monobeam and new springs? I'm not far behind you. And, what's this about hole drilling and the track rod? Please enlighten me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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