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ST4 restoration of Frankie the Frankentrac

Nice day here in Seattle, prefect time to sand and paint the top of the cab so it can dry in the sun. While watching the paint dry I continue to plumb the brake system, tidy up wiring, mount the oil filter in an accessible location and run the engine for the first time since installation. Everything working perfectly. Adjusted the clutch pedal, bolted down the battery holder. I'll paint some red parts tomorrow if the predicted weather holds and continue with the wiring.

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Another very nice day (but the rain is coming) so sanded down the sides of the cab and painted it red. Then riveted the louvers back onto the scuttle panels and painted them red, then painted the seats red, valve cover access panels red and the neighbors cat red as well :p

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Took all day to get the spaghetti sorted. I wrapped the wires near the defroster duct in firesleeve on Cidertom's recommendation because that duct gets hot and I don't want to melt the wires. Connected the speedometer cable and it works nicely, ran the tail light harnesses back along the sides and fit the new Land Rover steering wheel. Ready for the cab installation, but need to have a day with no rain so I can move it outside to lift the cab up and on the seats.

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For Nikos, this is how I wired my tach:

One wire to the battery positive through a fuse, the signal wire to the negative side of the coil, plus the light wire to lights and then finally the ground wire to battery ground.
 

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Yeah, I had the same issues, took 3 assemblies to get everything to line up - I'd get the door frame right then the roof wouldn't line up correctly. All looking great though, going to be a nice cat when its finished.
 
Got the rear end fabricated, painted, sealed and bolted up. Finally got everything aligned, door fits nicely, new hinges, just have to finish painting the door frame and skin. New fuel tank located, need to put down the rubber underneath the tank first, then put the tank on, plumb the fuel pump and fuel lines. First photo shows what I started with, hard to see both rear panels are cracked along the seat angle line. The rear bulkhead will be much more rigid now with the diagonal support angles.

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Sno-Surfer said:
Great work! Curious on the slight mod on the rear corners. Easier, better? What a great restoration on this!
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Are you referring to the diagonal struts added? Those give the rear bulkhead better rigidity - less flex back there. The benefits of triangulation of the bridge structure. Prior to adding them, the only rigidity came from the aluminum panels (web) and they were cracked along the seat angle - so no rigidity at all in that case.
 
Jphoenix said:
Are you referring to the diagonal struts added? Those give the rear bulkhead better rigidity - less flex back there. The benefits of triangulation of the bridge structure. Prior to adding them, the only rigidity came from the aluminum panels (web) and they were cracked along the seat angle - so no rigidity at all in that case.
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yes that's what I was wondering. The old styles had that angle on the rear so was wondering if you were just mimicking it.
 
Installed the fender supports this morning, plus a piece of angle that holds everything in proper alignment. Eventually, after the aluminum is riveted in place, I'll install the bumper over the aluminum. Then I cut the .090" thick 6061-T6 aluminum sheet into 19" wide lengths with my Milwaukee metal circular saw. Placed the pieces in location and drilled them up. The .090" thick aluminum is tough to curve, I'll remove the temporary angle, finish bending the aluminum down than install the bumper and bumper supports, etc.


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Finished the fenders, fabricated a new bumper and bumper mounts. Fitting the fuel tank, got some nice days here this weekend so will finish painting and get things put back together a little more.

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Thanks PJL, I‘m enjoying the reassembly, nice to see it going back together, unfortunately, the 70 degree weather means it will likely be next year before it see snow.
 
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Jphoenix said:
Thanks PJL, I‘m enjoying the reassembly, nice to see it going back together, unfortunately, the 70 degree weather means it will likely be next year before it see snow.
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I have had my cat out at the end of may. Do not give up hope. Even a small run will show if anything needs "tweaked" and give you plenty of time to adjust before the grand entrance next winter.
 
Cidertom said:
I have had my cat out at the end of may. Do not give up hope. Even a small run will show if anything needs "tweaked" and give you plenty of time to adjust before the grand entrance next winter.
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Yes, a test run will be required - so I can find all the loose nuts and bolts and make adjustments and discover all the things I missed or didn't get quite right.

Spent the day putting the tracks back on - followed Lyndon's tracks off - tracks on procedure and it worked well for a one man operation. Left side was easy, bumping the starter to get it round the sprocket, right side was more difficult because bumping the starter drives the left track, so I jacked it up, then it went pretty quick. I'll make new tracks up this summer when it's warm, the grousers and guides I cleaned with the citric acid bath are still rust free after 3 months in the un-protected shed.

Still plenty to do, but the big stuff is done. Engine runs good, clutch works much more smoothly, still need to bleed the brakes - not enough time in the day. This retirement business is a lot of work :)

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OK, been a fun few days bleeding brakes. Finally figured out my replacement brake reservoir was mounted too low, so temporarily mounted it higher on the air intake and then it started working. Pressure bled the system and now I have brakes. Also adjusted the handbrake and they work now as well. I ordered a new reservoir that will mount easier and higher than the old one and also will allow me to access it without special tubes and funnels.

While waiting for th reservoir to show up I started installing the windows, finished bolting the tracks - still have to adjust the right one a bit. Got some stickers on it and just tidying up dozens of little things (like bolting in the seats permanently and install nuts on bolts that for some reason did not get nuts :rolleyes:

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Cidertom said:
hope you have better luck with mirrors than I did, after the second set, I gave up. Too much low hanging limbs and brush where I run.
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I’m thinking about a rear camera, saw one on another machine somewhere. I have one in my bus, it’s quite useful.
 
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