1947 Dodge WDX-31

If you come up needing another flat head, I know where a school bus full of them is.
 
Thanks for the compliments. Made some good progress today. Boxed in the front crossmember that I had to cut the crap out of for clearance. Also started boxing the frame from the middle toward the front. Hopefully tomorrow will be the same forward progress and I will get the rest of the front boxed in and the motor mounts finished. I am aching something severe right now from moving the engine in and out of the frame several times, twisting myself like a pretzel to weld in awkward places, etc. Gonna need some Jack Daniels tonight. :Cheer:
 
Got more frame boxing done today and started grinding the welds. Not going to go for a crazy smooth look but it will look nice and sanitary when complete.


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I ran the box plates most of the way to the front crossmember. There is a roughly 8" length where the A/C compressor goes, and the lower coolant hose points straight into the frame rail. I will need a solution for that, but the frame will get boxed in that area when I figure out what to do.


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And tomorrow's project.....figure out how to work this area. The steering box cannot be removed from the mounting bracket while it is attached to the frame rail, and I had to notch the top of the frame rail to make it fit. I will need to get crafty to reinforce this area while leaving it serviceable. The general plan for the motor mounts....3/8" angle, welded to the inside of the frame and the boxing plate, then gusset from the box plate to the mount. Should work out nicely.


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Made a little progress this afternoon. Made some box plates for the steering box area. Have to keep it serviceable.


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The steering box and mounting bracket can be persuaded to come out. I still need to weld in some gussets on the engine mounts.

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Here is one of the next obstacles....the lower coolant port on the engine is pointing right into the frame.


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Primed the cab tonight. 2 coats epoxy and 3 coats of hi-build. Brought it home with me tonight so I can do a few final test fitting on the chassis this weekend.
 
brought the cab home for firewall fitment. A few modifications and it will be good to go.


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This is the removable doghouse. It should work out well when complete.

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Is it just the angle of the picture or is it gonna be pretty tight in there for pedals and steering column with that dog house?

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imelmo said:
Is it just the angle of the picture or is it gonna be pretty tight in there for pedals and steering column with that dog house?

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Well, just like any hot rod build, it's going to be tight. The pic makes the doghouse look like it is all 90 degree angles, but it isn't. I' 6'5" tall with a size 13 workboot and I will have enough room to be comfortableish. It will definitely be a left foot brake pedal actuator. The is a chance that I might tweak the doghouse some and gain another 1.5" of foot room. But it really isn't too bad in there.
 
no chance of moving the cab back so the engine wasn't in a dog house?.. I would look into that.. might need to extend your hood or make a removable cowl.. might need to lengthen frame as it looks short. it might be worth all the extra work.
Looks good,
Deo
 
therabbittree said:
no chance of moving the cab back so the engine wasn't in a dog house?.. I would look into that.. might need to extend your hood or make a removable cowl.. might need to lengthen frame as it looks short. it might be worth all the extra work.
Looks good,
Deo
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Not worth the effort and I don't have the ability to make it look good. Very few people can pull off a major modification like that and have it look like a nice rig when it is done. I'm struggling to make this thing look good from a distance as it is. The cab is already small and I am only losing a small amount of room in the toeboard area so it isn't a big deal. If it was a serious problem, I would have selected a different truck to modify with a larger engine bay, like a REO or Diamond T.
 
could always notch the frame where the coolant connection is going to hit it, then fill it with a piece of pipe
 
OrangeNV said:
could always notch the frame where the coolant connection is going to hit it, then fill it with a piece of pipe
Click to expand...

I plan to fit some body parts this weekend to come up with some ideas. The pipe is part of one plan. Could go straight through the frame with a roughly 3.5" pipe and run a coolant hose through then run the coolant line in the fender well area. Not the best plan but it would work. I might just need to scrap the A/C plan and make it easy on myself. :bang
 
Don't schimp.. trust me you'll regret it.. from a man with too many projects, cutting back to finish sooner , only finishes sooner , it does not do the best etc... as for pulling off the modifications. its time and patience, or procuring the skills to complete it either your own or a friends, ..I wasn't thinking about the interior room as much as the hassle your gonna have doing valve adjustments, injector swaps, bleeding the injectors, head studs or any thing with the cylinder head...
 
FYI judging from your current welding and fabrication skills you definately can pull it off either way.... the pipe idea for the radiator hose clearance is good, you could also french half a pipe into the frame and box the are around it for strength.
 
therabbittree said:
Don't schimp.. trust me you'll regret it.. from a man with too many projects, cutting back to finish sooner , only finishes sooner , it does not do the best etc... as for pulling off the modifications. its time and patience, or procuring the skills to complete it either your own or a friends, ..I wasn't thinking about the interior room as much as the hassle your gonna have doing valve adjustments, injector swaps, bleeding the injectors, head studs or any thing with the cylinder head...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice/compliments. The whole reason for the removable doghouse is to make service much more manageable. The last thing I want to be doing is laying on my freshly painted fenders trying to reach the rear of the motor. There will only be one valve cover in the doghouse. Anywho, if I can get a few extra hands to help, I plan to test fit some sheet metal this weekend, and also throw the seat back in place to check pedal placement options. I'll probably test fit the gauges, cab lights, Master cylinder/booster, and some other bits and pieces.
 
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