That's easy money for me! She's basically the one that decided on ARMY Green! She's dying for one of the new Army Green Toyota 4Runners.
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"Snowzilla": A Comprehensive Tucker 1643 Project...
- Thread starter Blackfoot Tucker
- Start date
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
The past months of thrashing things on my FrankenCat has been to GET STUFF MOUNTED...GET STUFF REPAIRED THAT NEEDS IT.
Just before the rain and cold got here I was fooling with the tire guides and in and out of the shop a lot and each trip out was looking at the cat.
An idea started to jell a bit...Make the beast look like a "RAT ROD" All the mechanical's top notch..but go grungy on the paint scheme....Flat black....maybe something that sort of resembles camo but not any real honest pattern to it.....
I am not a fan of the Orange....not a love hate thing, just want this rig to be off the beaten path all the way....
Nobody else around here gives a rip what I do...
Anyway...We are not going to Concours with it....Gitterdone....
Just before the rain and cold got here I was fooling with the tire guides and in and out of the shop a lot and each trip out was looking at the cat.
An idea started to jell a bit...Make the beast look like a "RAT ROD" All the mechanical's top notch..but go grungy on the paint scheme....Flat black....maybe something that sort of resembles camo but not any real honest pattern to it.....
I am not a fan of the Orange....not a love hate thing, just want this rig to be off the beaten path all the way....
Nobody else around here gives a rip what I do...
Anyway...We are not going to Concours with it....Gitterdone....
Speaking only for myself, I don’t care for the “Rat Rod” look, or concept…at all
I was fortunate to go to the SEMA show in Las Vegas three times. The vast, vast majority of the vehicles displayed there were darn near perfect. Absolutely incredible! The attention to detail, throughout the whole vehicle, was awesome. Then there were the Rat Rods, and IMHO they were the opposite end of the spectrum. I’m sure they appeal to some, but not me.
One of my very best friends, who sometimes makes parts for our Tucker projects, says one’s work product is a reflection of the person who did it. I think he’s right, and I’ll tell a story on myself:
Years ago I had dropped out of college and got a job as a machinist trainee. I had a knack for it and finished first in my class. I then became a manual turret lathe operator, primarily making very precise parts for optical comparators. Procedurally, we were required to have the first piece of a production order inspected and signed off prior to producing more pieces. One day I was given an order for some knurled handles. I set up the machine and took the first piece to be inspected. The inspector in my department was busy, so I took it to the final inspection department. Mr. Chase checked all the dimensions and said “Dimensionally it’s fine, but I’m going to reject it because the finish on the knurl isn’t sharp enough. I know your work, and I know you can do better”. Henry Chase was my sixth grade teacher’s husband. He was a nice man, and I liked him and I respected him. That was a humbling experience; one of those life's lessons moments for me. I don’t want to be known for doing lousy work. Period.
Yesterday (real time) among other things we repainted the bolt-on six-way blade frame on Snowzilla. When Scott originally sprayed it, the paint coverage was thin in a couple spots. There were also some runs. Yes, you would have to crawl underneath the machine to see them, but since we needed to touch up the thin spots, I decided I’d sand out the runs and we would respray the entire frame. That extra effort will probably never be seen or appreciated. Doesn’t matter…I have to satisfy myself.
That doesn’t mean everything we do is perfect. But it does mean we try…hard.
I was fortunate to go to the SEMA show in Las Vegas three times. The vast, vast majority of the vehicles displayed there were darn near perfect. Absolutely incredible! The attention to detail, throughout the whole vehicle, was awesome. Then there were the Rat Rods, and IMHO they were the opposite end of the spectrum. I’m sure they appeal to some, but not me.
One of my very best friends, who sometimes makes parts for our Tucker projects, says one’s work product is a reflection of the person who did it. I think he’s right, and I’ll tell a story on myself:
Years ago I had dropped out of college and got a job as a machinist trainee. I had a knack for it and finished first in my class. I then became a manual turret lathe operator, primarily making very precise parts for optical comparators. Procedurally, we were required to have the first piece of a production order inspected and signed off prior to producing more pieces. One day I was given an order for some knurled handles. I set up the machine and took the first piece to be inspected. The inspector in my department was busy, so I took it to the final inspection department. Mr. Chase checked all the dimensions and said “Dimensionally it’s fine, but I’m going to reject it because the finish on the knurl isn’t sharp enough. I know your work, and I know you can do better”. Henry Chase was my sixth grade teacher’s husband. He was a nice man, and I liked him and I respected him. That was a humbling experience; one of those life's lessons moments for me. I don’t want to be known for doing lousy work. Period.
Yesterday (real time) among other things we repainted the bolt-on six-way blade frame on Snowzilla. When Scott originally sprayed it, the paint coverage was thin in a couple spots. There were also some runs. Yes, you would have to crawl underneath the machine to see them, but since we needed to touch up the thin spots, I decided I’d sand out the runs and we would respray the entire frame. That extra effort will probably never be seen or appreciated. Doesn’t matter…I have to satisfy myself.
That doesn’t mean everything we do is perfect. But it does mean we try…hard.
another take on camo paint on a tucker
I like that... much more than Baby Sheet Green...
What year is the 543, 1970-ish?
1967, with Jeep Tornado power, 4 speed
A Thanksgiving day update...
Here are before and after pics of the rear of the Tucker truss frame, complete with rust and galvanic corrosion.
Not difficult, or time consuming, or costly in materials to do it right. It only takes caring…just a little.
When it came time to spray the exterior, we masked off the door openings, window openings and any holes of significant size to prevent overspray on the inside. We hung plastic sheeting to prevent overspray on the truss frame.
Here it is all masked.
Scott starting to spray the roof.
And covered in...(ahem) green.
I’ve mentioned this previously, but one of my pet peeves is when so-called experts never make a mistake. The example I gave was Norm Abram on the PBS show The New Yankee Workshop. Well, Scott and I are far from being experts, and I’m sure readers have figured out we’re really just a couple of knuckleheads. And we still make mistakes, or at least I do. I think it's important to come clean and be honest about it. If nothing else, it provides a bit of credibility.
Here’s a pic of the firewall after painting, and with almost all the masking paper, tape and plastic removed.
With the possible exception of the choice of color (okay, probable exception) it looks pretty good, right? Yeah, except there’s a problem. In my zeal to weld up all the extraneous holes in the firewall I had Scott weld the hole for the heater temperature control cable. Officially, it was to more optimally position the hole for the location of the temperature control valve on the L94 engine, but the truth of the matter is... I screwed up.
Here are before and after pics of the rear of the Tucker truss frame, complete with rust and galvanic corrosion.
Not difficult, or time consuming, or costly in materials to do it right. It only takes caring…just a little.
When it came time to spray the exterior, we masked off the door openings, window openings and any holes of significant size to prevent overspray on the inside. We hung plastic sheeting to prevent overspray on the truss frame.
Here it is all masked.
Scott starting to spray the roof.
And covered in...(ahem) green.
I’ve mentioned this previously, but one of my pet peeves is when so-called experts never make a mistake. The example I gave was Norm Abram on the PBS show The New Yankee Workshop. Well, Scott and I are far from being experts, and I’m sure readers have figured out we’re really just a couple of knuckleheads. And we still make mistakes, or at least I do. I think it's important to come clean and be honest about it. If nothing else, it provides a bit of credibility.
Here’s a pic of the firewall after painting, and with almost all the masking paper, tape and plastic removed.
With the possible exception of the choice of color (okay, probable exception) it looks pretty good, right? Yeah, except there’s a problem. In my zeal to weld up all the extraneous holes in the firewall I had Scott weld the hole for the heater temperature control cable. Officially, it was to more optimally position the hole for the location of the temperature control valve on the L94 engine, but the truth of the matter is... I screwed up.
Wow BFT, I wish I screwed up as bad as you do ?
A couple years ago a friend was talking about the cost of his kid's college education, around $40k a year. Hard to believe. When I went to college I could work all summer and make $1,500, get about that in a government grant, and that would pay room, meals, tuition, books, gas back and forth home, and weekend big game hunting and camping, for the year.
After I thought about it for a minute though, I told him, $40k for a year, thats cheap. Look at us now, one mistake on one job and we get a $40k 'education' ?
No doubt that the new hole will be more optimally place anyway.
A couple years ago a friend was talking about the cost of his kid's college education, around $40k a year. Hard to believe. When I went to college I could work all summer and make $1,500, get about that in a government grant, and that would pay room, meals, tuition, books, gas back and forth home, and weekend big game hunting and camping, for the year.
After I thought about it for a minute though, I told him, $40k for a year, thats cheap. Look at us now, one mistake on one job and we get a $40k 'education' ?
No doubt that the new hole will be more optimally place anyway.
1BG Thanks for the laugh. Believe me, I screw up plenty. Fortunately on snowcat projects Scott frequently, but not always, catches the buffoonery before it happens.
I share your thoughts regarding college tuition costs and how expensive some mistakes can be. It was a bit over a year ago: my wife and I went to a pretty nice restaurant and the waitress was very sharp, and in her early-twenties. We chatted a bit and she had just graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Political Science. My checkbook quivered at how much that education cost and likely the amount of her student loans. OUCH!
After all the fun Scott and I had at SV 2021, it was back to the realities of life, and time to turn our attention back to Snowzilla. I will add though our enthusiasm for the project has been rejuvenated by SV 2021. We are determined to have it done for SV 2022!
When I bought the machine it came with a large roof-top carrier. But for all the carrying capability of the carrier, there was no good way to access it to load it. We needed to mount the carrier temporarily and design and fabricate a ladder for each side that would allow someone to safely climb up and load various items into the carrier. While it seems relatively robust, the floor is expanded metal and there wasn’t much in the way of support. The Infamous WBJ1 said he wanted to be able to stand in the carrier, and that meant adding some floor reinforcement, in addition to the ladders.
We added two lengths of 1” square tube (.125 wall thickness) to both the front and back halves of the carrier. The machine also came with a rotating beacon and it was mounted on top of the carrier. While that made for better functionality, it was an easy target for low-hanging branches, and it wouldn’t take much of a branch to destroy it. We decided to mount the beacon lower and we fabricated a bracket to install the beacon to the front of the carrier. This will unfortunately block visibility of the beacon from the rear, but hopefully it will at least survive.
Then we used the shop’s crane to lift the carrier into position on Snowzilla's roof and spent some time thinking about ladder options. We took measurements of the fuel tank, so we’d know where the front part of the tank stopped, and did the same on the opposite side where we’ll install a large Weatherguard box WBJ1 purchased. The Weatherguard box is eight inches longer than the fuel tank and as we wanted the ladders to be identical, the right side became the limiting factor. We put pieces of masking tape in the approximate locations and made marks to show the exact position. You need clearance between the door in front, and either the gas tank or Weatherguard box, and the ladder's side rails for your hands so they don’t get pinched. Scott said the typical amount is 1 1/2”. That determined the maximum width of the ladders.
We then looked more closely at the carrier mounted on the roof and it looked…awful. Huh? What is going on?
So off it came, and Scott measured the distances between the various mounting holes on the carrier and the main carrier frame. The right side was about 6 3/4” and the left side was 6 1/4”. Nice! We discussed methods of rectifying this and Scott welded on sections of flat bar to the short side brackets, marked and drilled new holes, and then welded the original mounting holes closed. Some clean up with an angle grinder and it was time for a test fit. Much better! The gaps between the carrier are now pretty consistent from side to side. Looking closely at the roof skin one can see a slight gouge in the aluminum where the lopsided carrier had rubbed against the skin.
Pics.
You can see the masking tape marking the edges of the fuel tank and the carrier in position. Though the crane is attached, the weight of the carrier is supported by the Tucker.
The right side. You can see how far forward the Weatherguard box will protrude.
No longer lopsided...
Look under the bottom of the carrier's frame and you can see the mark in the skin.
Scott wanted to stand in the carrier to simulate WBJ1 doing the same thing.
No deflection despite Scott's weight (allegedly 220 lbs, though I suspect I should add an "-ish" for accuracy).
When I bought the machine it came with a large roof-top carrier. But for all the carrying capability of the carrier, there was no good way to access it to load it. We needed to mount the carrier temporarily and design and fabricate a ladder for each side that would allow someone to safely climb up and load various items into the carrier. While it seems relatively robust, the floor is expanded metal and there wasn’t much in the way of support. The Infamous WBJ1 said he wanted to be able to stand in the carrier, and that meant adding some floor reinforcement, in addition to the ladders.
We added two lengths of 1” square tube (.125 wall thickness) to both the front and back halves of the carrier. The machine also came with a rotating beacon and it was mounted on top of the carrier. While that made for better functionality, it was an easy target for low-hanging branches, and it wouldn’t take much of a branch to destroy it. We decided to mount the beacon lower and we fabricated a bracket to install the beacon to the front of the carrier. This will unfortunately block visibility of the beacon from the rear, but hopefully it will at least survive.
Then we used the shop’s crane to lift the carrier into position on Snowzilla's roof and spent some time thinking about ladder options. We took measurements of the fuel tank, so we’d know where the front part of the tank stopped, and did the same on the opposite side where we’ll install a large Weatherguard box WBJ1 purchased. The Weatherguard box is eight inches longer than the fuel tank and as we wanted the ladders to be identical, the right side became the limiting factor. We put pieces of masking tape in the approximate locations and made marks to show the exact position. You need clearance between the door in front, and either the gas tank or Weatherguard box, and the ladder's side rails for your hands so they don’t get pinched. Scott said the typical amount is 1 1/2”. That determined the maximum width of the ladders.
We then looked more closely at the carrier mounted on the roof and it looked…awful. Huh? What is going on?
So off it came, and Scott measured the distances between the various mounting holes on the carrier and the main carrier frame. The right side was about 6 3/4” and the left side was 6 1/4”. Nice! We discussed methods of rectifying this and Scott welded on sections of flat bar to the short side brackets, marked and drilled new holes, and then welded the original mounting holes closed. Some clean up with an angle grinder and it was time for a test fit. Much better! The gaps between the carrier are now pretty consistent from side to side. Looking closely at the roof skin one can see a slight gouge in the aluminum where the lopsided carrier had rubbed against the skin.
Pics.
You can see the masking tape marking the edges of the fuel tank and the carrier in position. Though the crane is attached, the weight of the carrier is supported by the Tucker.
The right side. You can see how far forward the Weatherguard box will protrude.
No longer lopsided...
Look under the bottom of the carrier's frame and you can see the mark in the skin.
Scott wanted to stand in the carrier to simulate WBJ1 doing the same thing.
No deflection despite Scott's weight (allegedly 220 lbs, though I suspect I should add an "-ish" for accuracy).
I'm a weenie when it comes to side hills. I hope the carrier is used to hold pillows, popped pop-corn, lite beer etc. The carrier itself raises the cg. But then again, I don't operate a tucker. I just keep seeing the video I shot at McCall, where it really looked ike I was going to get to see the bottom of a Sno-Cat.
What CT said. Regardless of your sediments for the company, trailers solve many problems, i.e. no ladder required and the accidental slip off the tracks while load/unloading. Also the option of un-hooking while climbing that "Hill too steep in Snow too deep". Seems like someone here has skis for trailers.
Attachments
how is the sweet one , going to bbq up on the roof?
Cidertom,
I agree with you regarding CG concerns on sidehills, and especially so with a heavily laden roof-top carrier. What you probably don’t know is Snowzilla is being purpose-built for WBJ1’s specific needs. He has a remote, off-the-grid cabin that is accessed by a dirt road of several miles. My understanding is the road is semi-improved and it’s not maintained at all in the winter. Cabin access would be via skis or snowshoes if on foot, or snowmobile or snowcat if available. There are not significant sidehills in the road, though snow can certainly drift to create them. Snowzilla is also being equipped with a six-way blade that would allow him to cut a path through, or across, such a drift minimizing the sidehill issue if such an obstacle comes about.
Back in 2019 WBJ1 borrowed our 1544 at Christmastime to bring his family, as well as his brother-in law’s, and all their gear, food, toys, winter clothing, etc to the cabin. He told me it took four trips to get everything up there. Increasing Snowzilla's carrying capability of “stuff” would reduce the number of trips the next time he is faced with such a task.
Sno-Drifter,
I certainly agree about the desirability of the trailer over a roof-top carrier. It holds more in terms of volume and weight. It’s very easily accessed for loading and unloading. It adds greatly to the utility of the machine when needed, yet can be disconnected and set aside when not. And they look Uber-cool, in addition to the safety factor. What’s not to like about all that?
Snowzilla thread-wise, posts are always made in arrears, meaning after we’ve completed a task. Sometimes I’ll hint about what’s coming up in a subsequent post, but not all that often. What I haven’t mentioned yet (stay tuned!) is that personal safety is our overarching objective with the design of the ladders to access the carrier. Ladders can be dangerous, and snow and ice only make them more so., A Tucker has a whole lot of sharp edges and a fall onto a fuel tank or track with grousers could easily result in a trip to the emergency room. Regardless of the emergency room, it will hurt.
While the Tucker factory built trailers back in the day, the vast majority have probably been scrapped, or their whereabouts are unknown. The new and improved DaviScott trailers are truly awesome, but our marching orders from WBJ1 are to keep costs as low as possible. For example, the ladders are being made from steel pipe Scott had on hand at the shop. Aluminum tube would have been preferable, but substantially more expensive. I can honestly tell you with just about everything we do - one eye is on cost. A trailer would be budget busting (In my head I’m picturing WBJ1 howling).
I’ll try and get the next installment posted soon (it’s partially written)...
I agree with you regarding CG concerns on sidehills, and especially so with a heavily laden roof-top carrier. What you probably don’t know is Snowzilla is being purpose-built for WBJ1’s specific needs. He has a remote, off-the-grid cabin that is accessed by a dirt road of several miles. My understanding is the road is semi-improved and it’s not maintained at all in the winter. Cabin access would be via skis or snowshoes if on foot, or snowmobile or snowcat if available. There are not significant sidehills in the road, though snow can certainly drift to create them. Snowzilla is also being equipped with a six-way blade that would allow him to cut a path through, or across, such a drift minimizing the sidehill issue if such an obstacle comes about.
Back in 2019 WBJ1 borrowed our 1544 at Christmastime to bring his family, as well as his brother-in law’s, and all their gear, food, toys, winter clothing, etc to the cabin. He told me it took four trips to get everything up there. Increasing Snowzilla's carrying capability of “stuff” would reduce the number of trips the next time he is faced with such a task.
Sno-Drifter,
I certainly agree about the desirability of the trailer over a roof-top carrier. It holds more in terms of volume and weight. It’s very easily accessed for loading and unloading. It adds greatly to the utility of the machine when needed, yet can be disconnected and set aside when not. And they look Uber-cool, in addition to the safety factor. What’s not to like about all that?
Snowzilla thread-wise, posts are always made in arrears, meaning after we’ve completed a task. Sometimes I’ll hint about what’s coming up in a subsequent post, but not all that often. What I haven’t mentioned yet (stay tuned!) is that personal safety is our overarching objective with the design of the ladders to access the carrier. Ladders can be dangerous, and snow and ice only make them more so., A Tucker has a whole lot of sharp edges and a fall onto a fuel tank or track with grousers could easily result in a trip to the emergency room. Regardless of the emergency room, it will hurt.
While the Tucker factory built trailers back in the day, the vast majority have probably been scrapped, or their whereabouts are unknown. The new and improved DaviScott trailers are truly awesome, but our marching orders from WBJ1 are to keep costs as low as possible. For example, the ladders are being made from steel pipe Scott had on hand at the shop. Aluminum tube would have been preferable, but substantially more expensive. I can honestly tell you with just about everything we do - one eye is on cost. A trailer would be budget busting (In my head I’m picturing WBJ1 howling).
I’ll try and get the next installment posted soon (it’s partially written)...
"The Sweet One? Really?
LOL LOL LOL hahahahahahahaha,
I will give him a Trailer, and one top notch daviScott skiis, anything to stop the howling, a little peace and quiet would be most welcome, all for the sweet one. good olde boy from Georgia......now he can bbq without climbing up on the roof, risking his life and his eye, broken arm, leg, head, back, etc and or budget
will deliver it on the my next trip to GJ, very soon
yuppppppppppppppppp, he will need to buy the other ski, pay real money, otherwise.............
I will give him a Trailer, and one top notch daviScott skiis, anything to stop the howling, a little peace and quiet would be most welcome, all for the sweet one. good olde boy from Georgia......now he can bbq without climbing up on the roof, risking his life and his eye, broken arm, leg, head, back, etc and or budget
will deliver it on the my next trip to GJ, very soon
yuppppppppppppppppp, he will need to buy the other ski, pay real money, otherwise.............
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PP,
That is an over the top thoughtful, kind and generous thing to do. Totally awesome on your part!
That is an over the top thoughtful, kind and generous thing to do. Totally awesome on your part!
After we decided on the maximum width of the ladder, we discussed different ideas for the overall design. One thing I have learned from Scott is time spent on design, is time well spent. And when ideas start to gel, it can be beneficial to draw them out using Scott’s CAD system. Assuming you use good numbers, you can draw it accurately and then make tweaks in various ways to refine the concept. The CAD system also can also be used to get dimensions to be used in the fabrication process. Sometimes at the end of a night during which we’ve spent hours at the computer, I'll think “We got nothing done” and it’s a frustrating feeling. However, the time was indeed well spent and the result is a better design. You also eliminate the "Oh, cr*p" moments when you realize halfway through fabricating, your hurried design failed to take into consideration some issue - and now you have to start over. Yes, I’ve “been there and done that”...
We used this methodology in designing the ladders for Snowzilla. We wanted ladders that were very sturdy and secure, and we wanted them to be totally functional. Safety was the primary concern and looks took a back seat. Climbing up a ladder can be easier than going down, and all of this was taken into consideration. We decided the ladder should run all the way up to the carrier (and be securely mounted to it). The top rung of the ladder is even with the floor of the carrier and we added a small platform of steel diamond plate on top of the top rung.
OSHA has lots of regulations that apply to fixed ladders. However, those regulations are specifically written for fixed ladders that are an integral part of a building or structure. OSHA's website also says this: OSHA's fixed ladder requirements do not apply to vehicle-mounted fixed ladders. Nonetheless, as a best practice we tried to incorporate many of the OSHA ladder requirements in our design as close as we could. For example, the distance between the ladder rungs and the cab’s exterior, the vertical distance between ladder rungs, and the width of the ladder rungs between the ladder rails.
Then it was time to start cutting and welding. We used 1” steel pipe for the rails, and 3/4” steel pipe for the rungs. The rungs get “fish mouthed”, or coped, so they fit tightly to the rails and then get welded to them. We decided to space the ladder rungs about 6 1/2” away from the cab wall. In this way the balls of your feet are well inside the ladder rungs. It gives you more of a feeling of security and it’s safer than only having enough room for your toes to grab the ladder. To protect the cab wall from any ladder usage induced damage, we'll rivet some aluminum diamond plate to the cab’s skin.
Photos:
Laying on the work table awaiting installation. You can see the top platform in the foreground.
A side view after installation.
Another angle.
I climbed on the ladder, and yanked and pulled pretty hard. I can personally attest that this ladder design is really stout. At the bottom it bolts through the Tucker’s frame, and at the top through the carrier’s frame. You could hang multiple BFTs from it, and it would be fine. (Multiple BFTs…a scary thought!)
Going forward the plan is to remove the ladders and the roof top carrier and have them sand blasted and powder coated. We'll put non-skid adhesive strips on the ladder rungs during the installation process to provide traction on potentially slippery ladder rungs.
We used this methodology in designing the ladders for Snowzilla. We wanted ladders that were very sturdy and secure, and we wanted them to be totally functional. Safety was the primary concern and looks took a back seat. Climbing up a ladder can be easier than going down, and all of this was taken into consideration. We decided the ladder should run all the way up to the carrier (and be securely mounted to it). The top rung of the ladder is even with the floor of the carrier and we added a small platform of steel diamond plate on top of the top rung.
OSHA has lots of regulations that apply to fixed ladders. However, those regulations are specifically written for fixed ladders that are an integral part of a building or structure. OSHA's website also says this: OSHA's fixed ladder requirements do not apply to vehicle-mounted fixed ladders. Nonetheless, as a best practice we tried to incorporate many of the OSHA ladder requirements in our design as close as we could. For example, the distance between the ladder rungs and the cab’s exterior, the vertical distance between ladder rungs, and the width of the ladder rungs between the ladder rails.
Then it was time to start cutting and welding. We used 1” steel pipe for the rails, and 3/4” steel pipe for the rungs. The rungs get “fish mouthed”, or coped, so they fit tightly to the rails and then get welded to them. We decided to space the ladder rungs about 6 1/2” away from the cab wall. In this way the balls of your feet are well inside the ladder rungs. It gives you more of a feeling of security and it’s safer than only having enough room for your toes to grab the ladder. To protect the cab wall from any ladder usage induced damage, we'll rivet some aluminum diamond plate to the cab’s skin.
Photos:
Laying on the work table awaiting installation. You can see the top platform in the foreground.
A side view after installation.
Another angle.
I climbed on the ladder, and yanked and pulled pretty hard. I can personally attest that this ladder design is really stout. At the bottom it bolts through the Tucker’s frame, and at the top through the carrier’s frame. You could hang multiple BFTs from it, and it would be fine. (Multiple BFTs…a scary thought!)
Going forward the plan is to remove the ladders and the roof top carrier and have them sand blasted and powder coated. We'll put non-skid adhesive strips on the ladder rungs during the installation process to provide traction on potentially slippery ladder rungs.
renamed, BSGZilla...
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Walk right into the shine on that paint job.....
Really looks great....
Really looks great....
She’s sure shining this thread on…..
That first paint job could have warren buffeted out to a gloss finish but not the orange!
That first paint job could have warren buffeted out to a gloss finish but not the orange!
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After a long hiatus, Scott and I are back at work on the machine formerly known as “Snowzilla”. I used that phraseology because I renamed the machine “Putri-Zilla” to reflect it’s hideous color. It has recently returned from a trip to an out-of-state snowcat spa in the Pacific Northwest owned and operated by Tucker royalty. It went there for some spa treatments and cosmetic rejuvenation.
Readers will recall that The Infamous WBJ1 wanted the machine painted Toyota Army Green. However, he didn’t want to pay for automotive paint and the exact color was not available in the chosen industrial paint line that was much less expensive. As such, he selected a color from a Federal Stock Number color fan, and that’s the color it was painted. During its time at the spa the machine was re-painted with a high quality automotive paint…in Toyota Army Green. While the paint is higher quality and the finish is a whole lot better, the Toyota Army Green color is just as awful, and thus the name change. We’ve all heard the phrase “A face only a mother could love”. Well, Putri-Zilla is painted "a color only The Infamous WBJ1 could love”. Yes, it IS that bad.
The painter very cleverly painted one small panel the correct shade of Omaha Orange. This serves to remind The Infamous WBJ1, and anyone else who sees it, what could have been. If only….
But now back in our hands, we’ve started the reassembly process. We installed a new windshield along with a new rubber gasket. The engine and transmission have been reinstalled and we are in the process of installing sound deadening mat throughout the cab interior. We used up all we had on hand, and while waiting for more mat via Amazon’s Not-So-Prime delivery service (eight days from order to delivery), we started installing the partially finished wiring harness. It’s been over a year since we did anything wiring related on Putri-Zilla and both Scott and I have forgotten a lot of the "what went where". Despite consulting our notes and doing research, we are having to use a voltmeter to confirm circuits. It’s a S L O W process, and quite frustrating, too. For me the only saving grace is it seems Scott has forgotten just as much as I have. Finally, the ordered mat arrived and we finished installing the it throughout the cab. (The floors are not installed so we’ll have to do those later.)
Now that we’re working on a more regular basis I’ll try and update the thread more frequently.
Pics:
The mat comes folded in thirds in an odd size. The uncut sections are not large enough to use a single piece and to do a door, for example. You have to use more than one piece. It will get covered with "upholstery" so you can use multiple pieces and it's not an issue. The Infamous WBJ1 is very cost conscious so we try and minimize waste to save him a few bucks. (We'll spend 'em elsewhere, anyway.) There's no requirement that the embossed diamonds all run in the same direction so I try and cut pieces to fill in as necessary.
You can see a vertical line of rivets that protrude through the mat behind the front door's rear door post. Those rivets secure the black aluminum scuff plates that will be directly behind the ladders used to access the roof top carrier.
Here's the back of Putri-Zilla. I haven't operated a machine with this stuff installed but the unofficial "rap test" is impressive. Lightly rap your knuckles on a bare panel, be it a door, side, etc and it's pretty loud. Now do it after the mat is installed and it's a quiet "thud".
Readers will recall that The Infamous WBJ1 wanted the machine painted Toyota Army Green. However, he didn’t want to pay for automotive paint and the exact color was not available in the chosen industrial paint line that was much less expensive. As such, he selected a color from a Federal Stock Number color fan, and that’s the color it was painted. During its time at the spa the machine was re-painted with a high quality automotive paint…in Toyota Army Green. While the paint is higher quality and the finish is a whole lot better, the Toyota Army Green color is just as awful, and thus the name change. We’ve all heard the phrase “A face only a mother could love”. Well, Putri-Zilla is painted "a color only The Infamous WBJ1 could love”. Yes, it IS that bad.
The painter very cleverly painted one small panel the correct shade of Omaha Orange. This serves to remind The Infamous WBJ1, and anyone else who sees it, what could have been. If only….
But now back in our hands, we’ve started the reassembly process. We installed a new windshield along with a new rubber gasket. The engine and transmission have been reinstalled and we are in the process of installing sound deadening mat throughout the cab interior. We used up all we had on hand, and while waiting for more mat via Amazon’s Not-So-Prime delivery service (eight days from order to delivery), we started installing the partially finished wiring harness. It’s been over a year since we did anything wiring related on Putri-Zilla and both Scott and I have forgotten a lot of the "what went where". Despite consulting our notes and doing research, we are having to use a voltmeter to confirm circuits. It’s a S L O W process, and quite frustrating, too. For me the only saving grace is it seems Scott has forgotten just as much as I have. Finally, the ordered mat arrived and we finished installing the it throughout the cab. (The floors are not installed so we’ll have to do those later.)
Now that we’re working on a more regular basis I’ll try and update the thread more frequently.
Pics:
The mat comes folded in thirds in an odd size. The uncut sections are not large enough to use a single piece and to do a door, for example. You have to use more than one piece. It will get covered with "upholstery" so you can use multiple pieces and it's not an issue. The Infamous WBJ1 is very cost conscious so we try and minimize waste to save him a few bucks. (We'll spend 'em elsewhere, anyway.) There's no requirement that the embossed diamonds all run in the same direction so I try and cut pieces to fill in as necessary.
You can see a vertical line of rivets that protrude through the mat behind the front door's rear door post. Those rivets secure the black aluminum scuff plates that will be directly behind the ladders used to access the roof top carrier.
Here's the back of Putri-Zilla. I haven't operated a machine with this stuff installed but the unofficial "rap test" is impressive. Lightly rap your knuckles on a bare panel, be it a door, side, etc and it's pretty loud. Now do it after the mat is installed and it's a quiet "thud".
PJL,
I feel similarly every time I work on it....
I promised I’d update the thread on a more regular basis. I don’t really have anything exciting to add, or any cool photos. (Can there be cool photos of a color so awful?)
I did pick up the new side windows from a local glass supplier. Evidently glass, like so much else these days, has taken off in price. What was also somewhat surprising is how few “glass companies” have the capability to supply custom cut flat, tinted, laminated glass. Just like with the windshield, we installed the glass. Really it would be more accurate to say “Scott installed the glass" as he did the vast, vast majority of the work. Trying to work the glass into the rubber gasket is challenging, and then getting the lock strip in place is even more so. Count on some sore thumbs if you try this.
All the fixed glass is now in place.
With that done it was back to wiring. UGH. I previously mentioned it was "slow”. Maybe the word “glacial” would be more accurate. A considerable amount of planning, then stringing wire and connecting some things, then more planning. Of course there is the occasional back-tracking as well.
We mounted the four round 7” LED lights on the grille. Each light is 80 watts and we installed a three position switch on the instrument panel to control the lights rather than a floor-mounted dimmer that Tucker utilized. The switch is on-off-on with one “on" position being dim and the other bright. The switches actually control relays which supply the power for the lights. “Dim” will illuminate the two lower lights and “bright” lights up all four. While the amount of light these lights will produce would be more than sufficient for a vehicle competing in the Paris to Dakar Rally, our “customer” opted for a roof mounted LED light bar as well. That’s another 240 watts of light….
We’re starting in the front and working to the panel in the cab with all the circuit breakers and relays. In addition to the front lights there are two electric fans to cool the radiator, a fan for the auxiliary hydraulic cooler and a horn. The radiator fans are controlled by the engine's ecm and operate through relays. We need to get the ecm re-flashed and the individual fans programmed to turn on and off at different temperatures. Right now we're thinking we'll have the first turn on at 184º and off at 180º and the second fan will turn on at 207º and off at 200º.
I hope to make some serious progress next week...
I feel similarly every time I work on it....
I promised I’d update the thread on a more regular basis. I don’t really have anything exciting to add, or any cool photos. (Can there be cool photos of a color so awful?)
I did pick up the new side windows from a local glass supplier. Evidently glass, like so much else these days, has taken off in price. What was also somewhat surprising is how few “glass companies” have the capability to supply custom cut flat, tinted, laminated glass. Just like with the windshield, we installed the glass. Really it would be more accurate to say “Scott installed the glass" as he did the vast, vast majority of the work. Trying to work the glass into the rubber gasket is challenging, and then getting the lock strip in place is even more so. Count on some sore thumbs if you try this.
All the fixed glass is now in place.
With that done it was back to wiring. UGH. I previously mentioned it was "slow”. Maybe the word “glacial” would be more accurate. A considerable amount of planning, then stringing wire and connecting some things, then more planning. Of course there is the occasional back-tracking as well.
We mounted the four round 7” LED lights on the grille. Each light is 80 watts and we installed a three position switch on the instrument panel to control the lights rather than a floor-mounted dimmer that Tucker utilized. The switch is on-off-on with one “on" position being dim and the other bright. The switches actually control relays which supply the power for the lights. “Dim” will illuminate the two lower lights and “bright” lights up all four. While the amount of light these lights will produce would be more than sufficient for a vehicle competing in the Paris to Dakar Rally, our “customer” opted for a roof mounted LED light bar as well. That’s another 240 watts of light….
We’re starting in the front and working to the panel in the cab with all the circuit breakers and relays. In addition to the front lights there are two electric fans to cool the radiator, a fan for the auxiliary hydraulic cooler and a horn. The radiator fans are controlled by the engine's ecm and operate through relays. We need to get the ecm re-flashed and the individual fans programmed to turn on and off at different temperatures. Right now we're thinking we'll have the first turn on at 184º and off at 180º and the second fan will turn on at 207º and off at 200º.
I hope to make some serious progress next week...
olympicorange
Active member
as always,.. '' very nicely done'' ,.. i like the green ,.. omaha is the standard,.. but a new temperature is always welcome,... i dying to do a ,...''real teal'' 58 chevy sedan ,... snow makes colors ''pop''
Plugging away on Putri-Zilla….
We installed the front roof-top LED light bar. This is the same type bar we mounted on the '86 1544 project, and on the DMC 1450, aka “TUG”. It’s a 42” bar, and it’s curved. You really can’t go wider on this vintage Tucker (52” wide cab) due to the curvature of the roof unless you want to fabricate some special brackets.
With the Thundercat project we added three thermostatically-controlled remote fluid coolers; one for the transmission, one for engine oil and one for hydraulic fluid. You can think of these as small radiators with electric fans. On Thundercat we mounted two under the rear cab floor on the lower truss frame, and the third underneath the bed. But Putri-Zilla doesn’t have any of that real estate available and places to locate a cooler are really limited. To give you an idea of what I’m trying to describe, we even considered mounting a remote cooler on the roof-top carrier or inside a really nice and large Weatherguard box that will be mounted opposite the fuel tank. There really aren’t a lot of options, and we wanted to consider all of them.
But we scratched our heads a fair bit, and there was enough room for one in front of the engine, so Scott welded a bracket to the Tucker frame to support the rear of the cooler. But you also have to plumb the cooler with lines to carry the fluid. With Thundercat we custom made bent steel tubes which makes for a really clean and professional look, but it’s also obscenely time consuming.
As such, Putri-Zilla gets rubber hoses, which to be fair is what about 99.9% of people use. Unfortunately, we needed an immediate 90º turn for at least one of the two lines. There was very limited space to work with and the locally available fittings would not work. I did some Internet research and found some fittings that would work, but Holy Moly are they proud of them! Scott and I discussed more cost-effective options and decided to mount the cooler differently so we could use cheaper fittings. I don’t think it looks as good, but the savings were substantial and we’re under orders to minimize costs. (It must be fun to be a defense contractor, make a bid, then run up the costs and pass ’em on to the .gov.)
Mounted with the inlet and outlet fittings to the front. Return fluid from the orbitrol will come to the cooler and output fluid will return to the hydraulic tank. You can see the in-line thermostatic switch installed at the top of the cooler in the photo. It turns the fan on at 180º.
Here’s a view from the front. Scott carefully re-bent the front mounting flange to match the angle of the Tucker front frame cross member. Note the fasteners. They are what Scott refers to as “Zip Screws”. He has a fetish for these things and his are made for metal buildings and have a rubber washer for sealing.. They are made of hardened steel and are self-drilling, so it’s sort-of like using a new drill bit for every hole. I really don’t like the idea of self-drilling screws being installed where the drill point is exposed after installation, but these are installed into square tube so it’s impossible to contact the point with your hand and cut yourself. The horizontal fittings you see at the bottom of the photo are for the front blade’s hydraulic hoses.
Here’s the underfloor setup on Thundercat.
Note: If you like the bent steel tubes, Scott gets the credit. He is an absolute genius at this, and that’s not an exaggeration. Don’t, however think we got them 100% right the first time. We would get them close, and then a fair amount of “adjusting” which we referred to as the "tweak, torque and spiral” process. The first bend in a tube is easy, but subsequent bends have to start in the right place, they have to have the right amount of bend, and the bend has to be in the correct plane, or radially, around the tube. You are almost always working with a length of tube that is too big to hold it in position to mark, so you use something as a proxy for the tube, such as a piece of welding rod. You bend that, check the fit, make adjustments, and when you’re satisfied, you use that as a model to bend the tube. But that’s when the tweak, torque and spiral comes in to get the tube to fit just right.
I realize this thread is about Putri-Zilla, but I’d like to show you some more of the tube bending detail on Thundercat. (Also the color is more visually appealing than the green.) This is the plumbing to the six-way valve for the front blade. The blue tape identifies lines that still need to be tightened. The unpainted line at the rear was subsequently painted. (That's the supply line to the hydraulic fluid cooler.)
Another view. The wires coming through the center floor area are for the front seat heaters.The rear seats are also heated. (Putri-Zilla will not have heated seats.) If you think the seat heater concept is a little over the top, Mrs. Blackfoot has significant scoliosis and heated seats are much more comfortable for her. (The unfilled holes on the rear flange of the center floor section are where the front seat brackets attach.)
Here’s how the lines come through the floor. Note the rubber grommets that seal and isolate the individual tubes. (The rear line has now been painted.)
It’s really a shame to hide that craftsmanship, but we enclosed the valve assembly in an aluminum housing we made. If you look carefully at the inside of the enclosure you can see we lined it with sound deadening mat as well. At the top front of the enclosure is a trapezoid shaped bracket we added for the transmission shifter. The enclosure ties into that and there is a synergistic support effect. It is really solid.
We installed the front roof-top LED light bar. This is the same type bar we mounted on the '86 1544 project, and on the DMC 1450, aka “TUG”. It’s a 42” bar, and it’s curved. You really can’t go wider on this vintage Tucker (52” wide cab) due to the curvature of the roof unless you want to fabricate some special brackets.
With the Thundercat project we added three thermostatically-controlled remote fluid coolers; one for the transmission, one for engine oil and one for hydraulic fluid. You can think of these as small radiators with electric fans. On Thundercat we mounted two under the rear cab floor on the lower truss frame, and the third underneath the bed. But Putri-Zilla doesn’t have any of that real estate available and places to locate a cooler are really limited. To give you an idea of what I’m trying to describe, we even considered mounting a remote cooler on the roof-top carrier or inside a really nice and large Weatherguard box that will be mounted opposite the fuel tank. There really aren’t a lot of options, and we wanted to consider all of them.
But we scratched our heads a fair bit, and there was enough room for one in front of the engine, so Scott welded a bracket to the Tucker frame to support the rear of the cooler. But you also have to plumb the cooler with lines to carry the fluid. With Thundercat we custom made bent steel tubes which makes for a really clean and professional look, but it’s also obscenely time consuming.
As such, Putri-Zilla gets rubber hoses, which to be fair is what about 99.9% of people use. Unfortunately, we needed an immediate 90º turn for at least one of the two lines. There was very limited space to work with and the locally available fittings would not work. I did some Internet research and found some fittings that would work, but Holy Moly are they proud of them! Scott and I discussed more cost-effective options and decided to mount the cooler differently so we could use cheaper fittings. I don’t think it looks as good, but the savings were substantial and we’re under orders to minimize costs. (It must be fun to be a defense contractor, make a bid, then run up the costs and pass ’em on to the .gov.)
Mounted with the inlet and outlet fittings to the front. Return fluid from the orbitrol will come to the cooler and output fluid will return to the hydraulic tank. You can see the in-line thermostatic switch installed at the top of the cooler in the photo. It turns the fan on at 180º.
Here’s a view from the front. Scott carefully re-bent the front mounting flange to match the angle of the Tucker front frame cross member. Note the fasteners. They are what Scott refers to as “Zip Screws”. He has a fetish for these things and his are made for metal buildings and have a rubber washer for sealing.. They are made of hardened steel and are self-drilling, so it’s sort-of like using a new drill bit for every hole. I really don’t like the idea of self-drilling screws being installed where the drill point is exposed after installation, but these are installed into square tube so it’s impossible to contact the point with your hand and cut yourself. The horizontal fittings you see at the bottom of the photo are for the front blade’s hydraulic hoses.
Here’s the underfloor setup on Thundercat.
Note: If you like the bent steel tubes, Scott gets the credit. He is an absolute genius at this, and that’s not an exaggeration. Don’t, however think we got them 100% right the first time. We would get them close, and then a fair amount of “adjusting” which we referred to as the "tweak, torque and spiral” process. The first bend in a tube is easy, but subsequent bends have to start in the right place, they have to have the right amount of bend, and the bend has to be in the correct plane, or radially, around the tube. You are almost always working with a length of tube that is too big to hold it in position to mark, so you use something as a proxy for the tube, such as a piece of welding rod. You bend that, check the fit, make adjustments, and when you’re satisfied, you use that as a model to bend the tube. But that’s when the tweak, torque and spiral comes in to get the tube to fit just right.
I realize this thread is about Putri-Zilla, but I’d like to show you some more of the tube bending detail on Thundercat. (Also the color is more visually appealing than the green.) This is the plumbing to the six-way valve for the front blade. The blue tape identifies lines that still need to be tightened. The unpainted line at the rear was subsequently painted. (That's the supply line to the hydraulic fluid cooler.)
Another view. The wires coming through the center floor area are for the front seat heaters.The rear seats are also heated. (Putri-Zilla will not have heated seats.) If you think the seat heater concept is a little over the top, Mrs. Blackfoot has significant scoliosis and heated seats are much more comfortable for her. (The unfilled holes on the rear flange of the center floor section are where the front seat brackets attach.)
Here’s how the lines come through the floor. Note the rubber grommets that seal and isolate the individual tubes. (The rear line has now been painted.)
It’s really a shame to hide that craftsmanship, but we enclosed the valve assembly in an aluminum housing we made. If you look carefully at the inside of the enclosure you can see we lined it with sound deadening mat as well. At the top front of the enclosure is a trapezoid shaped bracket we added for the transmission shifter. The enclosure ties into that and there is a synergistic support effect. It is really solid.