fabrication and 97/99 plow truck on a hot-dip galvanized frame

Post away!

 

It's your build tread


Look, even some Ford guys are trickling in..

 

@Taco critter , hot dip your next project!

 

X2!

 

Oh yeah, I forgot to write this chapter... my bigass wings tore apart the weak 6.5-foot Meyer plow frame. I was planning on refurbishing it a little bit, straightening some bent stuff, gouging out and rewelding some cracks, etc. I got a little further into "repairing" it and just decided to build a whole new plow from scratch, adding a little more beef to resist the forces on the outside edges that turned the old plow into a banana. I actually built a new A-frame for it a couple years ago; it broke when I was in the middle of cleaning up during a huge blizzard. We have truck traffic in and out of the business every day, so I had to run to the shop and bust it out in a couple of hours. I think the only part of the plow I didn't fab from scratch now is the Y-shaped forging at the king pin and the trip box it slides into.

If you're going to put a plow on a Tacoma these days, just buy a good blade for a UTV/side-by-side. I think there are a bunch of options on the market. Unless you like building things or have also fallen victim to the sunk cost fallacy, there's no reason to do what I've done.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xBmcdmHcakc







Math was kind of funky, I ended up with an angle of attack that was too steep. Had to correct it with a piece of flat bent 20° down its length. More weight, more rigidity I guess.

 

Im sure all of us flatbed owners would love to see you fab a 1st gen version of that sweet ford flatbed. Very nice work

 

I kinda wanted to build a flatbed Tacoma around a VW ALH TDI... I built this big turbo ripper for my New Beetle, but the shell has seen better days. Engine has a GTB2260 from a 3.0L TDI, built and balanced internals, ported head, big cam, ceramic coated crowns and bowls, big injection pump, plenum intake, etc... It's completely pointless in a FWD car, doesn't get traction until the middle of 3rd gear, even with 29 inch ATs and a Wavetrac posi diff. My idea was to mate that TDI to the 5 speed trans out of the '97 donor truck, then find a clean 1st gen Tacoma crew cab and order a pair of frame rails from Mike at Cornfield Customs, build a solid front axle frame based on those rails and galvanize it, build a flatbed, onboard air, etc... I have about 300 years of projects lined up as it is, so I need to get rid of some of the ingredients for that project before I start something I cannot finish.

 

Here's an extremely abridged summary of the 'phase 1' build of the F-650, taking it from a box truck sitting in New Jersey, decking it onto a Volvo VNL and getting it home, converting it to a crew cab (clamshell hood trucks have a different firewall-forward than F250 through 550,) etc.

Long story short, I did not know it was a flood truck when I bought it. Copart description said 'minor dents and scratches,' which usually means it's a fleet vehicle being aged out. Thankfully, the water level did not reach above the frame, but it did get into the crankcase breather. We greased the free float hubs before towing it home, and I swapped the rear end gear and replaced all the bearings during the build. The engine was a 5.9L common rail Cummins with an Allison 2200-series behind it. I had the transmission rebuilt and replaced the 5.9L with a 6.7L ISB. Thankfully, these trucks have a rear geartrain and aren't compatible with Dodge Rams, so I was able to find a good deal on a very low mileage takeout from a transit bus with an SAE #2 bellhousing, then use a combination of 5.9 and 6.7 parts to put it together, and rewire the engine to body harness to work with the 6.7 ECM's architecture.

 

I was towing a 5-ton military tractor on a 40ft gooseneck through Wisconsin and blew a recap drive tire, which tore off half the box side and caused about $12k worth of damage (according to the insurance estimate.) Used the payout to buy a bunch of steel sheet, a frame cut from an air-ride International 4300 (same frame as the F650/750, so I could use the existing spring shackle holes from the first time I relocated the axle with the original leaf springs,) a used wheel lift from a Century rollback, and a used Wabco compressor from eBay. I had to pull the engine again to replace the rear accessory drive to accommodate the compressor, then I built an onboard air system with a dryer and governor and a couple of tanks from a Freightliner, fabricated a crossmember for the wheel lift, and built the flatbed.

When you build anything with galvanizing in mind, you have to take into account the metal's need to expand and contract as it's dipped into the molten zinc (which is about 850°F, IIRC.) I tried to keep my material thickness uniform throughout the assembly, and made all the toolboxes and wheel tubs separate elements which would bolt in after the fact. I knew if the side skirts were constrained by the wheel tubs, they would likely develop a wrinkle as they expanded.

In addition, you need to ensure any sealed assembly is properly vented prior to galvanizing. You can see the vent/drain holes in the taillight buckets and the crossmembers below. When the assembly is lowered into the various cleaners, fluxes, and the molten zinc bath, the liquids need to flow in the bottom as the air escapes the top of the part, and vise-versa when the part is removed. This ensures complete coverage inside and out the part, which is part of the reason the corrosion protection of hot-dip galvanizing is nearly unparalleled. You cannot achieve this degree of coverage with paint or powdercoat, nor do those coatings form a metallurgical bond as they alter the composition of the steel substrate's surface.

You can see how I palletized everything on the flatbed Isuzu - I think it was almost 30 individual pieces. Thankfully, there was no noteworthy warpage, and everything went together without much trouble. I finished assembling the flatbed the night before we left for the SEMA show and picked up the Tacoma. Big shakedown run.

 

Bought this gooseneck at auction in North Carolina last spring, then hustled up some pirate freight on uShip to cover my expenses. I took the GS down there and did some riding in the Smoky Mountains area of Georgia, NC, and Tennessee, then filled the trailer with more pirate freight for the ride home... made a contact on that trip and was able to circumvent uShip's crazy fees and keep my trailer loaded for the rest of the summer hauling farm implements for a guy in Wisconsin, which helped pay for a bunch of airplane rental while I got my Private certificate. Starting to work on Instrument right now... really need the road salt to wash away so I can get the F650 and trailer back out there earning for me.

 

Hell of a first post/thread! Nice work @ColinD!
Welcome to TacomaWorld!

Maybe a Zamboni next?

 

Thanks. I'm still holding back the rest of my off-topic junk.

 

Do it!

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/other-builds.104/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/off-topic-discussion.14/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/garage-workshop.80/

 

I am absolutely speechless.
So glad I stumbled upon this thread.
Somebody hook @ColinD with a TV producer...he should have his own show

 

That sounds terrible. I'm like the tenth best fabricator I know, and the other nine guys aren't even on Instagram.

 

That's because they aren't as funny as you

 

Very Impressive, you have some great fabrication skills. I really enjoy reading threads like this one. Really nice work all around on both vehicles.

 

A galvanized frame is a Holy Grail mod to us 1st Genners.