Project: Midnight Panic

[shortbus4x4]

How did the pressure washer & sandblasting attachment work out for you?

I bought the sand attachment, then read the requirements for it. My pressure washer didn't meet the minimum so I bought one that did. Haven't used it yet though.

I'm curious too. Have some stuff I need to pressure blast next year after winter.

 

[CarterKraft]

It worked crazy well for SV seeker but he wasn't blasting auto body panels.

That cab looks awesome, gonna watch the new yt video tomorrow

 

[Skipped_Link]

How did the pressure washer & sandblasting attachment work out for you?

I bought the sand attachment, then read the requirements for it. My pressure washer didn't meet the minimum so I bought one that did. Haven't used it yet though.

Well we all know, it doesn’t matter how you sandblast, it’s going to be a mess, & it’s going to suck,

Down side to the pressure washer setup, is adding water to the mess, it’s nearly impossible to keep a face shield or glasses clean enough to see,
Also it’s pretty easy to end up with slight surface rust if you don’t get the parts dried off right away.
Then if your sand gets wet it doesn’t siphon as well, then if you get the nozzle to close, & push water back down the sand hose, that’s a whole different mess,

The upside, there’s no dust, so no need for a pressurized breathing apparatus or even a dust mask,
It's easier to justify a good pressure washer than it is to own a tag along compressor capable of enough CFM to sandblast efficiently.
On heavy blasting there’s no heat to warp panels,
And when the blasting part is done, pull the attachment off & you’re already setup to was all the sand & dust off the project,

The most surprising part to me was the fact that a 100 pound bag of sand went from $6 to $20 sometime in the last 20 years!

 

[Skipped_Link]

It worked crazy well for SV seeker but he wasn't blasting auto body panels.

That cab looks awesome, gonna watch the new yt video tomorrow

Let me know what you think of that content,
I’m still in the air on doing much of that. I’m sure it’s like anything else, do something enough it’ll get easier,

 

[ridered3]

If you guys look at the alerts but not actually read the thread you got the alert on, you won't get any more alerts. Have to read the thread that alerted you in order to get subsequent alerts.

Good to know there. 👍

Let me know what you think of that content,
I’m still in the air on doing much of that. I’m sure it’s like anything else, do something enough it’ll get easier,

Enjoyed the new approach to video content. The timelapse videos are cool but having explanations is helpful too.

Really enjoyed the comment of “I have no problem talking to myself”

 

[Penetrode Offroad]

Super cool!

 

[SMI17]

This has been a fun build to watch the time-lapse was a great way of showcasing the build so far.

 

[Skipped_Link]

This days off I started with installing the new torque converter,
There’s really no good reason for many pics of that process,

The swap went well for not having performed the task before, & the whole process was pretty easy.

I did end up adding an access panel for dropping the chain fall through the floor & removing the SCS, rather than pull one whole section out of the floor,

The new converter did drop the stall RPM, I’m not sure if it was enough though,
It does seem to hang onto this engine much better though, so I’m still deciding if I really need the to have it changed again,
It’s certainly good enough for now.

I did another YT video just going through the process of swapping converters,

I had planned on the video covering my whole set of days off, but decided to call it good at a day & a half (just swapping the converters) since the video was already nearly 30 minutes!
I’m going to have to learn how to cut out more, or speed up the BS.

For those interested in checking that out, here’s a link,



Feedback will always be welcome on how you guys think those videos could be improved!

The remainder of my days off went into body work,
One day sanding, & repairing the front fenders, then getting them in primer,
The following day was spent block sanding the doors, parts of the cab, & the front fenders, then finishing the day by getting all those parts in a second round of primer,

My last day off was again spent with abrasives in hand doing what I believe will be the final block sand on those parts,

I did video a bit of that as well for next time,

Hopefully next week I can finish sanding the cab & interior, & finally get some color on these parts!

 

[Firstram]

Highlight reel

 

[Penetrode Offroad]

I probably missed it but how many HP's??

 

[gt1guy]

I probably missed it but how many HP's??

I'd say enough plus a few hundred.

 

[Skipped_Link]

It’s never been on a dyno so I can’t tell you what it is for sure,
Could be 1500, could be 2000+ just depends on what pulleys are on it,

I can tell you that Andre at Edge converters is pretty dang good at getting a converter stall right if you give him the right info,
I told him 1700 HP for the new converter, & it’s still about 1500 RPM higher than what I was wanting, this leads me to believe it’s higher than 1700.

 

[Twankie]

It’s never been on a dyno so I can’t tell you what it is for sure,
Could be 1500, could be 2000+ just depends on what pulleys are on it,

I can tell you that Andre at Edge converters is pretty dang good at getting a converter stall right if you give him the right info,
I told him 1700 HP for the new converter, & it’s still about 1500 RPM higher than what I was wanting, this leads me to believe it’s higher than 1700.

Fwiw I bought a "2800" stall converter from him ~ 15 years ago. It was more like a 3600 rpm converter behind a sub 400hp rig.

Never again.

 

[CarterKraft]

Let me know what you think of that content,
I’m still in the air on doing much of that. I’m sure it’s like anything else, do something enough it’ll get easier,

I was prepared for you too look like what I feel like when I talk to the camera...
But it wasn't bad at all, I was actually more interested in what you were saying than the time lapse of doing the work.

A suggestion would be to see about volume matching the audio, I think the music was hotter than your voice (on the torque converter swap video).

Overall Impressed, definitely looking forward to more not less.

 

[holdmypocket]

I’d like to understand the overall design of the rig. Maybe I missed it one of the times I’ve read through this thread, maybe there’s a source online you can point me to, but a general video walkthrough from you on Midnight Panic explaining the 4 link set up/design, the shocks, the axles, SCS transfercase, what it takes to mid/rear mount the engine like that etc.

I guess this would be called a mega truck which I’ve tried to find an in depth education on but it’s all very general.

Can’t get enough!

 

[Penetrode Offroad]

Could be 1500, could be 2000+ just depends on what pulleys are on it,

Sure sounds like it.

 

[Skipped_Link]

I’d like to understand the overall design of the rig. Maybe I missed it one of the times I’ve read through this thread, maybe there’s a source online you can point me to, but a general video walkthrough from you on Midnight Panic explaining the 4 link set up/design, the shocks, the axles, SCS transfercase, what it takes to mid/rear mount the engine like that etc.

I guess this would be called a mega truck which I’ve tried to find an in depth education on but it’s all very general.

Can’t get enough!

A suggestion would be to see about volume matching the audio, I think the music was hotter than your voice (on the torque converter swap video).

Great suggestions, I will work on both of those requests / suggestions for sure.


I didn't do any video at all this week, since it was all body & paint work anyway,
I did manage to finish sanding the interior, jambs, & cowel area, then masked off the windows & door opening, followed by sealing, painting, & clear coating the interior surfaces, after letting it sit the rest of the night, I went back the next day & re-masked the same areas this time for painting the exterior, I had to mask off where the floor area & firewall used to be this time, then sealed the outside of the cab,

While painting the interior the night before, I noticed the sealer took quite some time to flash off / hand slick due to cold temps, but after about an hour the base coat went on real nice,
For the exterior I wanted to cap the roof black, without getting black over spray all over the rest of the cab, so I knew I'd have to wait a bit before trying to tape to the sealer, unfortunaly I ran across some bad information on a video saying I had an 8 hour window with this sealer to get the base coat applied,
Long story short, I cranked up the heaters & took my time after spraying the sealer, a couple hours later I was able to mask where I wanted without leaving tape tracks, I then sprayed the black & removed the masking while it flash off, next was to mask off the roof to protect the black while spraying the rest of the cab, Sometime during that process I pulled a peice of tape off & the black base coat came off with it,

I then had to test several areas already painted to see how big this problem was going to really be. fortunately it appears the issue was isolated to the drivers B-piller right about the bottom of the back window level, (this was the only area painted so far closest to the heater)
All of the masking was removed from the roof, luckily no other painted areas pulled off, But I did spend a couple hours researching, & decided if a guy is going to use System1 sealer, you better re-coat, or base coat over it withing that first hour, not 8 hours,
I went ahead & called it a day at about 1:30 in the morning,
The product data sheet is kind of vague, but states wet on wet is ok, (barely hand slick) anything longer than that let it set 12 hours & scuff/sand,
So I'll be damned if I didn't have to sand that whole dang cab (minus the roof) Again! Inside the doors & jambs are the worst, & sealer does not sand near as nice as primer, then washing/drying, again, then final wash/prepsall, again,

It was another long day, but by midnight or so the cab finally had color,

The base coat says I had a 7 day window to get clearcoat on it, but I wasn't taking any chances,
I didn't get home until nearly 2:am, but I got clear on it, & all the masking removed,

The next morning I rolled up the doors to see how it looked in the sunlight,

The pic above shows why I had to mask off the interior, the color is the same, but the interior was sprayed with "clear" clearcoat, the exterior was done with "satin finish" clear coat,
This was mostly just a using up extra materials deal, but it turned out pretty good looking,

Really a lot of work, & a pretty good amount of money in materials for a pile of shit cab,

Since I had one more day off, & the front fenders were pretty much ready to go, I went ahead & blew some material on them too.

I had intended on painting the hood as well, but that sealer snafu on the cab bit a good chunk out of my week,
That said, I may wait until the cab is back on the truck to do the hood now, these big finished body panels are starting to take up a lot of shop real estate,
I've got 5 days to think about it now.

 

[ridered3]

Skipped_Link paint looks great! Between the time doing body work and painting, it'll be too nice to get muddy!

 

[Penetrode Offroad]

Skipped_Link paint looks great! Between the time doing body work and painting, it'll be too nice to get muddy!

Just wait till he rolls the thing.

 

[GGRR 4555]

This is fucking amazing work!

 

[FLUX]

How did I miss this thread! Sub'ed.

 

[ridered3]

Just wait till he rolls the thing.

or there’s that’s possibility too.

 

[Skipped_Link]

It's crazy how fast 5 days off go by sometimes,
I decided to go ahead & put the cab back on the truck in order to make room for working on the other body panels,
Before installing the cab, I had to figure out how to get it on there, during disasembly I simply used my 2 post hoist to lift the cab off the chassis, This worked well for removal, but I think it would be pretty tricky to place the truck perfectly under the cab when trying to set it back in place,
Instead I bolted a winch to the cross bar at the top of my 2 post, that along with a strap, a spreader bar, & a couple helpers made for a little more flexible installation tool,

While positioning the cab for a test pick, I was looking at the gaping vent holes in both pasenger & driver side kick panels, I thought to myself "A couple mud containment block off plates would be much easier to cut out & install now, before the cage/chassis is in the way"

The new router table made real short work of that little project,

Before attempting the install I swapped tires on the truck to the small transport tires, even with the belly of the chassis approximately 6" off the ground the cab was hoisted clear to the perlins, Before backing the truck under the cab, I hooked up a couple tag lines & had my wife & daughter keeping things steady,
Actually setting the cab in place went quite smoothly, a little masking tape & a couple pieces of pipe insulation (like pool noodles) kept the sharp edges off the new chassis powder coat,
Seeing the cab on the chassis was pretty satisfying, even on the small tires,

The truck was then moved back over to the other side of the shop, While still sitting low to the ground, I recruited the wife to assist with the windshield install, This very well could be considered one of those marrige survival tests, kind of like setting up a tent. However, an hour or so later we were both still alive, still married, not even mad, & the truck had some glass in it.

I spent the rest of that evening installing firewall, dash, & the rear cab tin work, along with new door seals & threashold plates

My last day off mostly consisted of cleaning & a little maintinance on my daily, but I did manage to get the front fenders bolted on, once those were in place I realized, I messed up,,,,,
It would appear I was being pretty frugal when mixing & spraying base coat on the cab, making sure I got 2 coats, plus a drop coat.
Then days later I mixed "plenty" of paint to spray the fenders, not wanting to waste any material the fenders ended up with 3 + drop coat,
The end of this story is even though all the paint came out of the same can, the front fenders are a different color.

I'm going to use this opportunity to show that I have no prejudice, support diversity & will give these fenders a chance as they are.

Actually, as much as this bothers me, I'm still convinced this body will not be on the truck long enough to justify any attempted solution, If the problem was with the fenders I would absolutely sand & repaint them, but I already know that the cab was simply shorted a coat that should have been applied, I guess we'll just have to see what color the bed & hood end up,

Finally, since I was already on the trail of dissapointment for the day, I figured I'd check fitment of my new eBay grill parts,
Recently there was a pretty good shortage of re-pop grill shells, companies like LMC, Summit, classic industries, etc, had them listed but none available,
I ran accross a listing on eBay for a NOS (not factory Ford) grill shell, & for a little over 100 bucks it was cheap, after receiving the part I quickly determined this must have been an old J.C. Whittney piece,

After wrestling & stretching this thing around, I was able to get all the bolts in it,
1, It looks like a 78-79 Ford grill shell, mostly.
2, If I auger this truck strait into the ground, I'd rather this grill be on there as apposed to one of the decent factory ones I have,
3, If this truck ever goes anywhere that it might be looked at up close, I'll probably take the time to swap out the shell, but it will look plenty good in pics & video. (Way better than that fender to door color transition!)

Speaking of video, I compiled what I've done over the last couple weeks (since the converter install) & put together another YT "episode"
Everything on the video is pretty much already posted here, but there is some footage of actually setting the cab on the chassis & a little better view inside the truck.

Here's a link to that for those interested,

 

[CarterKraft]

It's crazy how fast 5 days off go by sometimes,
I decided to go ahead & put the cab back on the truck in order to make room for working on the other body panels,
Before installing the cab, I had to figure out how to get it on there, during disasembly I simply used my 2 post hoist to lift the cab off the chassis, This worked well for removal, but I think it would be pretty tricky to place the truck perfectly under the cab when trying to set it back in place,
Instead I bolted a winch to the cross bar at the top of my 2 post, that along with a strap, a spreader bar, & a couple helpers made for a little more flexible installation tool,

While positioning the cab for a test pick, I was looking at the gaping vent holes in both pasenger & driver side kick panels, I thought to myself "A couple mud containment block off plates would be much easier to cut out & install now, before the cage/chassis is in the way"

The new router table made real short work of that little project,

Before attempting the install I swapped tires on the truck to the small transport tires, even with the belly of the chassis approximately 6" off the ground the cab was hoisted clear to the perlins, Before backing the truck under the cab, I hooked up a couple tag lines & had my wife & daughter keeping things steady,
Actually setting the cab in place went quite smoothly, a little masking tape & a couple pieces of pipe insulation (like pool noodles) kept the sharp edges off the new chassis powder coat,
Seeing the cab on the chassis was pretty satisfying, even on the small tires,

The truck was then moved back over to the other side of the shop, While still sitting low to the ground, I recruited the wife to assist with the windshield install, This very well could be considered one of those marrige survival tests, kind of like setting up a tent. However, an hour or so later we were both still alive, still married, not even mad, & the truck had some glass in it.

I spent the rest of that evening installing firewall, dash, & the rear cab tin work, along with new door seals & threashold plates

My last day off mostly consisted of cleaning & a little maintinance on my daily, but I did manage to get the front fenders bolted on, once those were in place I realized, I messed up,,,,,
It would appear I was being pretty frugal when mixing & spraying base coat on the cab, making sure I got 2 coats, plus a drop coat.
Then days later I mixed "plenty" of paint to spray the fenders, not wanting to waste any material the fenders ended up with 3 + drop coat,
The end of this story is even though all the paint came out of the same can, the front fenders are a different color.

I'm going to use this opportunity to show that I have no prejudice, support diversity & will give these fenders a chance as they are.

Actually, as much as this bothers me, I'm still convinced this body will not be on the truck long enough to justify any attempted solution, If the problem was with the fenders I would absolutely sand & repaint them, but I already know that the cab was simply shorted a coat that should have been applied, I guess we'll just have to see what color the bed & hood end up,

Finally, since I was already on the trail of dissapointment for the day, I figured I'd check fitment of my new eBay grill parts,
Recently there was a pretty good shortage of re-pop grill shells, companies like LMC, Summit, classic industries, etc, had them listed but none available,
I ran accross a listing on eBay for a NOS (not factory Ford) grill shell, & for a little over 100 bucks it was cheap, after receiving the part I quickly determined this must have been an old J.C. Whittney piece,

After wrestling & stretching this thing around, I was able to get all the bolts in it,
1, It looks like a 78-79 Ford grill shell, mostly.
2, If I auger this truck strait into the ground, I'd rather this grill be on there as apposed to one of the decent factory ones I have,
3, If this truck ever goes anywhere that it might be looked at up close, I'll probably take the time to swap out the shell, but it will look plenty good in pics & video. (Way better than that fender to door color transition!)

Speaking of video, I compiled what I've done over the last couple weeks (since the converter install) & put together another YT "episode"
Everything on the video is pretty much already posted here, but there is some footage of actually setting the cab on the chassis & a little better view inside the truck.

Here's a link to that for those interested,

Good video. You seem really natural talking on cam.
This build has taken a bit so you might touch on some of the fab porn details you have incorporated, now that it's on YouTube you can tell millions about it (for better ir worse).

 

[ridered3]

Skipped_Link good looking updates and enjoy the attention to detail you are taking on a "throw away" cab/body panels.

Those are sweet looking mud block off plates. What does the logo stand represent?

 

[Penetrode Offroad]

 

[Skipped_Link]

Skipped_Link Those are sweet looking mud block off plates. What does the logo stand represent?

It’s actually the logo for a “fictional secret organization” I guess,
Nothing that I’m into really, it was just the image I liked best when I did a google search for “containment symbol”
It actually serves no more purpose than the “caution” symbol on the access cover I just built into the floor, there’s really nothing there you have to be cautious of. It technically has a definition, but mostly just there to show there was a little thought/effort beyond cutting out a panel & drilling some holes.

 

[Skipped_Link]

This build has taken a bit so you might touch on some of the fab porn details you have incorporated, now that it's on YouTube you can tell millions about it (for better ir worse).

This would go good with the technical overview video suggested by Holdmypocket,
I am definitely planning on doing that video later on!

 

[Frodo]

Did you make or buy the threshold plates?

 

[ridered3]

It’s actually the logo for a “fictional secret organization” I guess,
Nothing that I’m into really, it was just the image I liked best when I did a google search for “containment symbol”
It actually serves no more purpose than the “caution” symbol on the access cover I just built into the floor, there’s really nothing there you have to be cautious of. It technically has a definition, but mostly just there to show there was a little thought/effort beyond cutting out a panel & drilling some holes.

Thanks for the explanation.