The Stovebolt Site Forums Project Journals Archived Journals 1940 Chev 1/2 ton “Franken/Restomod”

Well here it is 3 months later and a ton of work has been done, I have broken the 250 hour mark on the build...
Most of the big welding work has been completed, though some things have only been tacked in place. the rear 4-link suspension is in and I really like the stance of the truck now, low and mean looking! The entire frame will be gone over once all the fitting has been completed. The whole frame will then be sandblasted again and painted. The engine and transmission have been mounted, a small block Chev 350 and a 400R transmission. I changed the transmission as I was originally going with the turbo 350 I got with the engine, but when deciding on the rear diff gear ratio, I went a little lower and can use the 400R OD to get me to a nice cruising speed. This way I get the best of both worlds, if I want a little smoke from the tires I have the torque, but I can also cruise for days and get decent mileage.
The cab now has fresh controls; a tilt steering column, brake pedal assembly, gas pedal and E-brake. That was a milestone for sure when the steering was connected up and actually works. Prior to that, when the truck needed to be moved, you had to grab the front wheel and push/pull to steer the wheels. After repairing the firewall I mounted the master cylinder and brake booster. The brake pedal assembly mounting was a little tricky, but only because of the awkward body position required to work up under the dash.
The front bumper is next to be mounted, I need to fabricate some new brackets and then drill and bolt it to the frame. There is a picture of it sitting in place and I think it is going to look awesome! I lucked into a brand new set of old stock 5" fog lamps I will mount to the bumper as well. I also got an aluminium visor from my father-in-law and that will look cool too.
I had 16 x 8 rims on the front, but had clearance issues with the steering so I needed to reduce them to the 16 x 7 and a regular offset. I went with a Michelin LT truck tire and a set of white wall side inserts as they are much cheaper than a set of white wall tires. I wanted a really wide white wall and only had 1 option for the tire size I had and it was a very expensive tire.

Up next: Fabricate a gas tank, choose a radiator and mount it, fabricate a seat frame for the BMW bucket seats and sort out seat belts.

I am starting to feel the pressure of having this competed for spring, I am not sure I will make it but will keep pushing to try!

It is our 22nd wedding anniversary this month, I will be sure to take the wife out and say thank-you and show some appreciation for all the time she is letting me spend on this project!

I am looking for ideas on a box cover. I don't like the fibreglas style as it needs to be removed, nor am I a fan the fabric with snap covers. I really like the roll-top cover, but don't want to lose the box space to the drum. any thoughts, suggestions??
I have added a couple of pictures to the photo montage.