My name is Mathew and i am building up a right hand drive delivered 1958 viking 1.5 tonne in Australia.

I have tried to do most things myself and have wanted to put together a journal , saw this and thought why not.


It has been kept all mechanical with a Cummins 6bt that is ready to install.

At the moment finishing firewall mods and fixing some rust in the cab area.

Just got back my front springs and getting ready to put the front axle and front brake upgrade together.

It has the nv4500 gearbox and dana 80 rear end, yet to weld in my pinion angles as i need to get ride height right first and finish restoring the rear springs.

Been putting in time every day on the Viking, It seems to take forever but a bit every day will get there sooner.

Looking back at purchase receipt and it is actually nearly 5 years since first purchasing truck.

IT has been shipped from state to state over 1000kms from initial purchase place, and come with me each time moving house since then (3 times).

Little bit of insight for Stovebolters in the USA, we have very strict automotive design rules and regulations on Australian roads, so many modification to a vehicle need to be signed off by an engineer for a vehicle to be deemed roadworthy and legally driven on the roads.

Initial plans were talked over with an engineer, he knocked a few back saying they would be very difficult to get passed and offered alternatives such as putting my Viking cab on a c30 chev chassis.

To me that was not a true 1958 Chev truck, I wanted the original and figured out ways to keep the 1958 chassis whilst still integrating my driveline and braking upgrades albeit with some extra challenges thrown in

Works completed so far include cross member modifications to accept the Cummins 6bt,
This required a drop in the front and 2nd crossmember, tried to keep standard looking chassis by moulding in parts from spare chassis to keep original look. They were both re-enforced with spare crossmember pieces I had acquired.
Motor and gearbox mounts were designed with a friend (thanks Brett) and in consultation with an engineer. Mounts sit the engine and gearbox on a 5 degree rearward slant when chassis is level (will get the pics up soon - any recommendations for uploading lots of photos?)
wire brushing the frame and painting with POR15 - soon to get more and a top coat as it has gone chalky.
Front springs have been serviced and raised a little for the desired stance once complete, bushes and pins have been replaced, front spring perches required inserts to repair where the old pins had made oval shaped holes

One of the biggest challenges has been the braking system upgrade, now remember how i said that we have very stringent vehicle requirements when modifying vehicles - stay with me here
One of those requirements is that any hubs or axle upgrades that you use on your modified vehicle must then be the same track width as the vehicle from which they came from.
I am hoping that the next little bit of information does not get me kicked off the site, there is profanity.. ready.. here it is FORD parts were used.. sorry in advance!

The front disc upgrade that would meet the requirements for my front track width using the standard front axle (think its the heavy duty 2 tonne one) was the 2015 ford f350 2wd front hubs. 14.3 inch discs

The inner front bearing cone from these hubs can be retained with the original 1958 chev roller bearing, the outer bearing and race need to be replaced. Can ad part numbers when uploading pics

A 10mm spacer was required to be machined for stub axle to get front track within the 10mm f350 front track requirements of engineer.

The caliper bracket - many versions were made - ended up out of 12mm flat plate.

Braking components need to be from one vehicle so that justification for the modification and performance expectation is a simple and proven one at inspection time.

The hydroboost setup from the f350 was used and mounted underneath the dash to keep the firewall and engine bay looking clean.

What a job that was, required the pedal setup from an isuzu npr truck that pushes on right angle of booster from pedal direction ( pictures to come)

The steering has been upgraded to power steering using the toyota hilux steering box, mounts made from 1 inch plate - used a 4 inch drop drag link from the toyota pitman arm. I thought that this prevented bump steer but the engineer told me that it just reduces the chances or your rod ends binding.

Current job that is taking too much time is the front firewall insert, the shaping process has been a big learning curve and much respect for these craftsmen has developed. It is nearly complete and ready for final welding into place just finishing making the bottom corners before welding in as one piece.

A fair amount of work has commenced with the engine upgrades, but I will leave that for a later post. (if i am allowed back :))

Thank you for letting me share my build

Mathew

looks very good! I'm following to see how this turns out.

I like the idea of having requirements for sound engineering practices on vehicles that operate on public roads. While the people I used to race dirt track cars with were all there voluntarily and understood the risks involved, some of the rugged individualists here in the USA who insist on "doing it my way" haven't bothered to ask the soccer mom in her minivan full of kids if she minds being on the same road with something that goes like stink but can't stop or steer safely! On the other side of the coin, resisting the tendency of an all-powerful government to meddle in our daily lives is a big reason the USA exists at all. Good luck on your project, and keep us updated! It looks very good so far!
Jerry

looking good! I can hardly wait to see your progress!

Hy 1958Viking, you do very good work, it looks great! It is a better idea to have it inspected and approved as you go, most jurisdictions over here will only inspect the finished product, it can be very disheartening when they tell you you have to redo a major part of your modifications. I hope the remainder of your project goes well. How long of a bed are you planning to have and what will you use the truck for?

Hello,

thanks for the feedback, always helps to keep work ticking along.
The modified fire wall has been welded in , still needs finishing to the welds with planishing hammer and dolly and final sand/grind.
Working on making some alligator back welds today to get the turbo in the position required. (would love to ad some pics of these - any suggestions for upload or is it a moderator request?)
Yes, it can be a real pain to meet so many requirements but I do like the reassurance that it should be safe when family and friends are riding in it.
It does help getting several visits from engineer as work progresses, the underdash Hydroboost and brake pedal placement required extra firewall bracing to prevent any firewall flex.
It was much easier to amend the mods before truck is fully assembled and I would need to pull apart, weld and refinish for a second time.

Spoke with a mate today re ideas for tray - width of cab to rear wheels before slimming to chassis width and tubs over duallys.
Hope to use for pure enjoyment

Cheers

Mathew

You can add your pictures here...click on the "Use Full Editor" button, then click on "Attachment Manager", then drag and drop.

Mike B

The firewall modification to accept where the 6BT will sit has been welded in finally.
I say finally because it has taking months, between inexperience and procrastination because i did not know what to do next or how to go about it.
Need to planish the welds and clean up, was going to paint firewall in POR15, has anyone done this before did the paint stick there? - it is the chassis paint one i have
The firewall modification also allows for the hydroboost underdash brake set up be removed and accepts the clutch pedal set up (photos will come as i get that installed) - it is all pretty tight up in there
Been also welding up my turbo manifold/ relocation mount, it is coming along nicely I think, (will get more photos of it once completed ) again never done this before so it is a nice but steep learning curve - should have done this week if the rain stops
My Pins and bushes for the rear springs showed up yesterday, they are both very nice looking quality and looking forward to installing them once i replace the rear hangers that have elongated holes due to being flogged out.

Had a fella answer my parts wanted ad , looking for front axle bearings and he has a 56 3600 that he is replacing front and rear suspension on so going to go and have a look if axles are similar and look at condition of front hangers if they may come in handy as spares

Thanks Mike B for the insight on uploading pics , it is all easy once you know how

Hey Steve, cheers i am following yours too, good job on the shortening chassis - you made quick work of that

Finished the turbo mount this week and getting started on the pull rear spring mounts off that are worn out.

no masterpiece but i am happy with how the turbo mount turned out for a first try.

Also visited fella with the 56 and getting the shock mounts from him when he has removed them = score