Project Leftovers: The Rise of Frankenstein

Fatgraderman I come across those on a regular basis. What I have found to work best is use a mig welder to weld a nut on to the stud even if it broke off flush or recessed a thread or 2. The heat seems to break the rust loose. Then you use lots of penetrating oil and patience working it back and forth. Hasn't failed me yet.
 
dieseldoc09 said:
Fatgraderman I come across those on a regular basis. What I have found to work best is use a mig welder to weld a nut on to the stud even if it broke off flush or recessed a thread or 2. The heat seems to break the rust loose. Then you use lots of penetrating oil and patience working it back and forth. Hasn't failed me yet.
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I bet you're a much better welder then me. They're a miserable outfit after you've welded on 'em. I used to have good luck with a chemsearch product, but it's seemingly unavailable now :soap:
 
Update: New Motor Build

Due to the stud failure on the old motor that we were unable to extract, Todd elected to move forward with a fresh motor build with some nice upgrades to add reliability to the motor in anticipation of big HP and extreme competition-type usage.

A box arrived from Mahle with the new pistons:
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Inside are (6) brand new pistons and a set of rings, ready for the freshly bored block.
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Close-up of the new flycut pistons with factory coated skirts, we ended up going .040" over to clean up the bores so we ordered .040" oversized pistons:
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In keeping with the Project Leftovers theme, Todd grabbed a used set of R&R billet rods from the spare parts bin and delivered them to the machine shop with the new pistons, these rods came from another project race truck and should provide a good foundation for the rotating assembly.

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Good billet rods are only as strong as their weakest link, luckily these rods came with the premium ARP 625 rod bolts:

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The machine shop is nearly complete, we anticipate short block completion sometime next week:

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This is a good seasoned block originally from a medium duty truck, it's an International casting with the higher nickle content. Hopefully it will live a long life with careful tuning to keep the motor away from the lower RPM torque that is notorious for blowing out cylinder walls on 1200+ HP 2000+ ft-lb power plants.

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Excellent excuse for a new engine :D
My stud let go between the #5 and #6 valve cover castings, about an inch above the deck. We took a bushing/sleeve and dropped down the hole and then hit it with a bent welding rod. We then welded a nut to the sleeve and torqued it out of the block.
 
This stud broke off about 3/8" below the surface of the block, so after pulling the head, it was still too deep to extract without major headache/tedious work, besides, who doesn't want billet rods and a fresh motor for a healthy triple turbo setup???
 
Update: Roll Bar / Seat Upgrade

In order to truly compete in the drag racing portion of the Diesel Power Challenge, a roll bar is necessary to meet the safety requirements mandated by NHRA to run 11.49 seconds or quicker in the 1/4 mile.

Since this is a true street truck that is regularly driven both locally for grocery store trips and gets used for towing/family trips, comfortable seating is mandatory.

Todd went right to work removing the factory seats while utilizing the factory brackets as a foundation for the new racing seats.

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No street/strip truck is complete without a matching racing seat for your passenger(s).
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One of the benefits of tig welding is it requires much less pre-work in the form of protecting the existing interior with masking, welding blankets, smoke seals, etc....

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All installed, they almost look factory..... almost.....
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Next came the NHRA legal roll bar which allows this vehicle to meet the NHRA requirements to run 11.49 ET all the way down to 10.00 ET. It takes a little over 1,200 HP average to run quicker than 10.00 in a 7200 lb truck so a roll bar should be sufficient.

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Todd let a professional fabricator build the roll bar, which is 100% custom yet looks modular and has neat features like an easily removable yet compliant door bar and bolted/gusseted removable main hoop and rear supports with NHRA compliant extensions that run down to the frame. This truck is truly a multi-purpose vehicle with removable safety features to allow it to remain safe for all passengers when its on the street. Roll bars are great for the track when the driver/passenger are wearing racing harnesses and helmets, they are not so great for daily driving with OEM seat belts and a baseball hat.....

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One of the benefits of tig welding is it requires much less pre-work in the form of protecting the existing interior with masking, welding blankets, smoke seals, etc....
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I won't lie, the carpet was on fire a time or 2. its a little crispy under some of those brackets.
 
And the seats should have been the same color, working with supplier to get a matching set.
 
Roll Bar attachment points and floor pics

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Driver's side door bar:
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Main Hoop, don't try this with an 8.50 legal certified roll cage since the rules are much more strict!!!

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Under-cab picture of the frame attachment.

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Rear brace attachment still inside the extra cab portion of the truck cab.

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Update: VOTE!!!

The April issue of Diesel Power Magazine is officially out, we need your vote!!! Project Leftovers: Frankenstein is #18 Todd Welch; sporting some old wheels and tires in that old live action track picture but don't be dissuaded from voting based on looks alone, this truck is the real deal and will be a serious contender if selected.

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I've saw this thread multiple times before and I don't know why I haven't read it until now. Awesome build. I've watched probably every video on YouTube of this truck before and I love it. Maybe some day I'll have the ability to put somethin together like this. I love watching a good build thread and this is one of the best so far. I hope yall make it into dpc. Best of luck
 
Once the issues I'm you'll have my vote. Any other compD trucks in the running?
 
Sarafin said:
Once the issues I'm you'll have my vote. Any other compD trucks in the running?
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Myself and John,(little6cylinder) are both in the mag to be voted on. We are both mechanical and as far as I can tell the only mechanical trucks in the running.

The pic is very old and I only have vids with the new wheels. I would have liked to take a nice pic for the mag but it was all torn apart for the build during photo submission time.

speaking of the build we have had many little setbacks. nothing major at all just a bunch of time eaters. But I believe, cross fingers, that they are now behind us and expect a lot of pics to be coming in the next week or so!
 
Looking good! I need to find my mag and turn in my vote!
What seats are those? They look good.
 
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