Hey @Norman89 since I’m not integrating the frame of the flatbed to the cooling rail, should I just 45 miter and weld the frame up that way, or should I do more of a T type joint? It’s just gonna be an ugly old rectangle with some bracing. I plan to cradle it like you did with your V10.
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I think the miter 45 is easier to clean up the weld and make it look good personally
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Good deal.
Well my new sending unit and tank straps have arrived but not my tank. Hopefully it shows up tomorrow and not all dinged up.
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Still need to look up some tail lights. I’ll be keeping the original bumper, plus I don’t have any plate big enough to do the standard oval or 4" round grommet lamps. I guess I’ll browse Harbor Freight and see if they have some bolt on lamps.
I’m either going to have the frame of the bed 3" or 4" up off of the truck frame, and I will weld in a strip of plate to fill the gap between the flatbed and the bumper to mount my lamps. Figured I’d like to keep that original bumper to protect the gas tank, and give me steps to climb into the bed. While I’m at it I should look for my old Yosemite Sam “BACK OFF” mudflaps.
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I wasnt sure how i wanted to mount my tail lights. I didnt really want to weld on a plate and didnt want to drill into my rear post as they contain wood gas. So for the time being i used magnets. Mounted the tail light to a block of wood and recessed a 2 inch round magnet into the block.
I figured it was temporary but havent changed it yet. 
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Hey sometimes you do a temporary job so good it’s just a rough permanent.
Ask my old minibike with the 2x4 wood engine spacers.
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My “Stock” Dakota still has the Harbor Freight “Magnetic” LED trailer lights on the back, because of crummy OEM wiring. 
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Partsam sells a couple versions of Jeep YJ tail lights, I might pick those up. About 7 inches tall and 5 some odd inches wide. Comes with a license plate light that I honestly don’t need, might block that off with gorilla tape.
The one that doesn’t have the license plate light also doesn’t have side markers and I don’t feel like testing our State Troopers. I’m leaning towards this one but I won’t grab them until I’ve got the bed mostly done so I can make sure it’ll fit.
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I like that they have the backup light incorporated in too.
I still havent added those back on to mine.
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Just a little mocking up.
It doesn’t sit too far proud of the cab, the mirrors are still the furthest thing outside and that’s how I’d like to keep it.
I’m getting eat up by mosquitos just from walking over here. I hope this monsoon season is over with soon.
I might need to spray some fogger or something.
I think the lowest I’ll have the gasifier be is where the old fuel tank hangs. That tells me that’s as low as I should go in the middle of this frame. That’s also even with the axles on the differential housing.
Gas tank came in today, just need to wham on that tire hanger crossmember to straighten it, cut the rivets and flip it in place, drill the strap holes and weld some angle to the rear crossmember.
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Trying to check the voltages on the tail light connector. Getting super low volts. 6.5 volts when I hit the turn signal and check. I think it’s bad grounds. Guess I’ll have to wire brush every ground spot. The ground to the frame is very convoluted, wires run from the battery to the alternator and engine, and battery to body and wiring harness. No wire directly to the frame except from the cab. I’m going to run some wires to either side of the frame with 16ga wire directly from the battery, should be plenty good.
I am also not getting voltage from the license plate light connection, period full stop, so I think the wire is just plain broken somewhere.
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After a couple years of using Affirm for breaking up payments on stuff like tires, they upped my limit. They work less like a credit card and more like a line of credit, if you’re all paid off there’s no fees. So I bit the bullet and ordered all of the rest of my suspension stuff. I’m still putting away money for the Dakota, I’ve got 2,000 set aside personally right now to pay for any repairs necessary.
The heavier spec 52" springs were out of stock so I ordered the direct replacement 5 leaf 1250lb rate springs and got some Husky brand helper springs. Also got Prothane control arm bushings, new shackles and U bolts just in case, new struts that also act like helper springs, and Heavy Duty front end springs. Honestly wondering if the truck is going to sit taller with all new springs and with all that assistance, I bet it’ll ride like a boneshaker and less like a magic carpet like it has been. I’m just paranoid of not setting my bed high enough over the tires and bottoming out hitting a pothole. The more money and work I put into this truck the more paranoid I get about that 350 blowing up.
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As far as woodgas goes, I could not be concerned LESS about a sbc grenading. They have few weak points. Head gaskets are a here and there thing not common unless overheated terribly. The early motors with the “Nyla-gear” a nylon covered timing gear set were known after many many years to shed the nylon by cracking it off and allow slack in the timing chain to jump time and bend push rods. Lack of maintenance and slipping oil pressure due to clogged pickup tube is another. And lastly the oil pressure sensor failing and spraying oil out and causing spun bearings. Of these issues which I have experienced all of them at some point or another through many many small block chevys I have owned (of the carbontated variety’s) you have nothing to worry about
Oil pressure sensor issue is not with your manual gauge, keep an eye on it
Nyla-gear was earlier then your truck unless the engine has been swapped with a older one that hasn’t had a timing set yet, unlikely
Overheat on woodgas is difficult, and I know your watching the temp gauges so another non issue
And your religious beliefs in keeping clean oil, mmo use ect should cover any oil starvation issues
That being said, a guy with a good handle on sbc repairs can pull and rering and put it back in between Friday night and Sunday morning. I have a deep love for these motors in their absolute simplicity, and I’m sure with time so will you
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Speaking of the oil pressure gauge, I actually did have to replace the old steel line with a new copper line kit. Luckily I discovered the line was rotten after a fresh oil change and I haven’t been driving the truck more than a few miles a week. Right now with the bed off she’s sitting with almost a full tank of Premium though.
I’ve been wondering if the charcoal canister works without having to be connected to manifold vacuum, someone mentioned getting a Foxbody Mustang’s charcoal canister and they had theirs mounted under the bed.
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Woke up mid sleep with a grocery list of stuff to get. Since I’m spark chasing for the tail lamps and I’m headed to Harbor Freight for a new dead blow hammer I’m going to pick up a 25 foot 4 way wiring harness and replace the old factory wires and pigtail with those. This will let me run the ground directly to the battery as well. I’ve got some good melt connectors and last month I invested in a butane heat wand.
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Got what I needed from Harbor Freight. Front coil springs, urethane bushings, and all 4 of my shocks came in today. Still waiting for the leaf springs and shackles and all that good stuff.
Got my passenger side control arms off. I’m WHUPPED. These are a dang mess to remove.
Noticed my brake pads are low too, so I guess I’ll need to run to the parts store and grab two sets of pads while I’m at it. I don’t think I’m gonna be done with the front end this weekend at this rate. It’s slow going and struggling. I sure hope the rear springs will be easier than the fronts.
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Finally got the passenger side.
I’m not going to bother with the driver’s side. I’m so frustrated at these godforsaken springs. Returning the Moog front springs I ordered, the opening at the topside isn’t big enough for the locating dimple. I spent over an hour trying to get that new spring in. Old springs aren’t even worn out, WHATEVER.
The inside of the rubber bushings were okay they just looked bad on the outside, I think they’ll last another year. Passenger side has the urethane bushings. I’m just going to change the shock absorber out. I think I’m back to stock ride height with just the shocks changed. The urethane bushings are so easy to install. I just burned out the old rubber internals and left the outer sleeve in place. Cleaned it up, greased what needed it and put it on there.
I’d really love a captive spring kit but in all honesty I don’t need it. Once I eventually change the driver bushings I will hopefully never have to touch the suspension save for ball joints and steering.
Rears are going to be an absolute cakewalk with the bed off, I’ve been spraying every nut and bolt with PB Blaster at least twice a day.
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Decided to kill a little time getting the suburban tank set up.
It’s just being held up with ratchet straps for now until I bolt in some angle iron to mount the actual tank straps.
Had to grind off one of the rear brake hose mount rivets to move it forward some.
Biasing the tank to tilt down a little towards the cab so when the weight of the bed and gasifier is on it should sit a little more flat. I didn’t get a baffled tank.
Edit:
Going ahead and putting the sending unit on, and cover all the ports with tape to keep the inside clean. Labelled them as well because I’m a forgetful dingdong that will manage to mess that up.
My mechanical pump doesn’t have a return, and I like the idea of having a return system to prevent vapor lock while on gasoline.
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Wondering what I could do with this room back here, maybe I could mount some blowers or something. Wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to have the blowers here since the condensate will be at/below the hay filter. I’d thought about making a fake dual exhaust for the flare/startup blower exit.
Using these blocks for bigger spacers during mockup, these are 3.75" wide. Everything clears it so far if I go with at least 4" spacers all around. Driver’s side pipe running to the filter will cross diagonally under the bed and passenger side will be a straight shot.
The main reason I’m using identical length spacers is the truck still has a rake to it, rear is higher than the front. I’m hoping the helper springs will keep it that way so my piping will drain to the front into the tank. Unless y’all think I should use taller spacers in the back to compensate for load.
Cooling rails I’ll angle slightly down to the back of course.
Here’s 2" PVC with 3.75" spacer. I think it’ll clear with 4". Maybe 4.5" I’ll keep testing with blocks before I cut any metal. I could always cut some of the web in that former tire carrier, it’s only job is to keep the fuel tank from raising too high.
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SOME rubber pads up top will keep the tank from digging in , probley I would put some sort of buffer between the final straps and the tank, IS this an older picture, or is the frame been cleaned,primed and painted already. IS this your 2nd or third wood gas truck, I can’t remember the length of my nose it seems lately anyway. NICE tank, I need a bigger tank than the one I put on my Dakota, if I had another air tank tied in to the other air tank, I could get at leaste 100 miles, I ran out at about 50 miles on the one tank, pulling my newbers carivan home on a dolly.
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