Hello all.

[jeremy.farlow]

Suburban is STILL on the back burner, but we’re getting closer to getting back to it every day. The Powerstroke OBS is finally going BACK together. I’m hoping to send it to the paint shop before thanksgiving, realistically it’ll probably be after though.

Some fun progress pics:







Every time I do anything on the Ford I’m even happier being a general man. I’m pretty sure Ford is in cahoots with the manufacturers of sockets and wrenches… you absolutely HAVE to have a full socket and wrench index… they make sure you use the sockets that no one else uses, 7mm, 11mm, 15mm… all of them.

Once the paintwork is complete it’ll be time to whip up a flatbed and swap the single rear axle for the dual one. I’m thinking both of those projects will be easier than doing bodywork… I HATE bodywork.



Be safe




Jeremy

[frotosride]

Amen to body work!! I mean who needs finger prints anyway.

The truck is looking good.

[Mike81K10]

You do great work and I love your Suburban.

[JohnnyPopper]

Why aren't you blowing stuff up? And a FORD?? 

Is this the one you almost killed that poor screemie meemie bimbo in?

[jeremy.farlow]

One and the same. I’m still dealing with the legal stuff as well… traffic court has been rescheduled three times. After six months they drop the charges… they didn’t reschedule my court date the last time, DAYS before the six month mark.

I’m confident I’ll beat the case. I got cited, I’m fairly certain it was because my vehicle still ran and the cop knew he wasn’t gonna be stuck with me until the wrecker came. Georgia doesn’t do “no fault” accidents on the roadway either.

The cab swap was honestly a lot easier than I had expected. I’m dreading reinstalling the dashboard, but that’s the last big hurdle. It’s pretty obvious Ford pulled some cues from the general when they designed the OBS trucks. Stuff like the door stampings are nearly identical. The dash though… instead of having a nice piece of stamped steel to support the dash-pad… the climate control… the steering column, stereo, all that stuff, OBS Fords ductwork is effectively structural and there’s this massive casting, either aluminum or magnesium, that functions as the steering column support.

To date I have removed two OBS dashes… and broken parts of both. Thank God I had two… I still have no clue HOW the dash separates from the ducting?!? Theoretically the dash screws to the ductwork, but there’s one screw that comes in from behind the ductwork, so how does that work???!

Wish me luck. The sooner I get this *yuck* Ford out of my shop the sooner we can get back to trucks made by a proper manufacturer. I’m pretty sure I still owe the community a tires-roasting-off picture…






Be safe




Jeremy

[1980K20]

Nice work!

On my 1980, ducts attach to the dash molding, those nuts for plastic stud. If you can get to them, you can remove vents without removing the dash.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[jeremy.farlow]

No matter what it seems I’ll take the whole year of 2021 away from the suburban, but if I can keep the rate I’ve been going at on the Ford, I’ll be wheeling the suburban into the shop no later than February.

The cab is swapped and as put back together as makes sense before it goes off for paint:





In retrospect I really wish I had done similar sound damping on the suburban. My girl took my advice and found the KillMat… similar enough to dynamat, but a fraction of the price.

But wait! There’s more:



And even more!:


I’ve hit my picture limit for the post… it’s hard to tell, but that is a dual-rear-wheel axle in the last picture. It’s no more than under the truck… but the hot-rod() gods are smiling on me. Despite FoMoCo seeming to like changing stuff for little more than the sake of changing stuff, the only thing that doesn’t drop-in are the spring perches on the axle. Shock mounts, sway-bar end-links, brake lines… even the “ABS” speed sensor uses the same connector.

Just like my suburban, this truck claims some rudimentary “Anti-Lock Brakes”… whether the system ever worked since the girl has owned the truck is unknown to me… I pulled all of that stuff out of my suburban… mostly because I couldn’t even figure out how it works. Obviously the system senses a speed differential between the axle and the transmission… but I’m neither system can I see any means of doing anything about it.


Anyhow, happy holidays to all out there. I’m looking forward to sharing General Motors updates as soon as I’m able…




Be safe





Jeremy

[jeremy.farlow]

Oh yeah! I beat the traffic case the week before last. It was mostly a matter of principle at that point. Neither the cop nor the other driver showed, so I didn’t even have to make a case. Which is too bad as I had taken the time to prepare evidence. I even had hot wheels cars and a scale aerial view of the street where the accident occurred.




Jeremy

[78 Chevyrado]

Welcome to the fold homie!

[frotosride]

I even had hot wheels cars and a scale aerial view of the street where the accident occurred.
Jeremy

This surprises me not! I would be surprised if it wasn't all animated with explosions and a mini car flipper though.
Las time I had to be in court I was told I didn't have to show up by my lawyers so the kid without insurance that destroyed the left side of my body and totalled my motorcycle got off scottfree!

[JohnnyPopper]

too bad you didn't get to get to school them Jeremy! That would have been FUN!!

[jeremy.farlow]

Some more “mini-Freightliner” pictures:







Be safe




Jeremy

[Mike81K10]

Very nice! Love that custom work and I would love to have a shop like that to work in.

[jeremy.farlow]

The countdown to the resurrection of the resurrection of the suburban started tonight. The hole I’ve been waiting for opened up in my shop:


I’ve still got final punch list stuff on the 1-ton Ford, but it WILL NOT be coming all the way back into the shop… hopefully ever.

Gratuitous pics of the final flatbed project:




The most important picture of all:

That is one happy missus with her big-girl truck back on the road.

I plan on using the Ford to haul the suburban over to the shop and I’ll resume this thread in earnest sooner than later.




Be safe


Jeremy

[JohnnyPopper]

Nice work Jeremy!

Great pics!

Will you use that to haul your tools of destruction?