Project Frankensquare

[dbrannon79]

- yard equipment prep,

Supprised you didn't mention "skid steer project" in there HAHA

 

[Husker6.5]

Supprised you didn't mention "skid steer project" in there HAHA

Oh damn! I must be getting older and forgetting things!

 

[Rockabillyrat]

I'm just amazed on how fast you got that chassis together.

 

[n8in8or]

I'm just amazed on how fast you got that chassis together.

Thanks man. It depends on the day whether it has felt fast or not. Here it is the end of April and I sure hoped to be further along by now.

 

[Husker6.5]

On the other hand, Nate, you could be a LOT farther behind, Murphy being the way he can sometimes. Count your blessings.

 

[Rockabillyrat]

Thanks man. It depends on the day whether it has felt fast or not. Here it is the end of April and I sure hoped to be further along by now.

I've never been able to keep any project on schedule. So I just double the amount of time I think it will take me to do anything these days.

 

[Husker6.5]

I've never been able to keep any project on schedule. So I just double the amount of time I think it will take me to do anything these days.

You're almost using Mr. Scott's method for repair project time estimating.

 

[n8in8or]

Started working on rust repair today. I started out by bracing the cab with some 14 gauge 1” square tubing. Maybe overkill, but I know I’ll be cutting a lot of metal out so I want to be sure the cab doesn’t move around too much.



After that I lifted the cab off the chassis and got the chassis rolled outside.



I set the cab down on some 4x4s and then laid it on its back so I could work on the rust repair easier. Lots of rust to fix….



After lots of inspection and comparing to the patch panels I figured out what to start cutting out.



I ended today with some panels roughed into place with some clecos. Still a long way to go, but it’s starting to make sense where the panels are going to go.

 

[n8in8or]

This is the pile of what I’ve removed so far.



This is the pile of patch panels I started with.

 

[Husker6.5]

Hmm. A person could almost just make an all new cab from nothing but patch panels out of the catalog, couldn't they Nate?

 

[dbrannon79]

I was actually curious if a complete reproduction cab was available anywhere for these old rigs.

 

[n8in8or]

Yesterday was a lot of panel installation, measuring, removal, tweaking. Install, measure, remove, tweak. Install, measure, remove, tweak. After many iterations I got to where I was happy with the fit and ready to start permanently installing parts. I decided the floor patch and inner rockers were the ones that made sense to start with. They are about 75% welded in right now.

 

[jrsavoie]

I was actually curious if a complete reproduction cab was available anywhere for these old rigs.

Seems there might be a vin issue with that

 

[Husker6.5]

Seems there might be a vin issue with that

No different than the Model T Bucket and Model A Roadster body kits that Speedway Motors sells. Those are a complete body shell and builders have no problem licensing their vehicles.

 

[Husker6.5]

No different than the Model T Bucket and Model A Roadster body kits that Speedway Motors sells. Those are a complete body shell and builders have no problem licensing their vehicles.

It would most likely just mean that @n8in8or would have to license Frankensquare as a 2023 "kit car" using the either the engine # or a State Issued VIN plate. I don't know his State's regs for something like that.

 

[Will L.]

Nope- vin plate swaps happen all the time in body shops. Just take a couple pics to document incase there is questions. Owning the truck equipment shop we had to stamp frames, label body parts all the time.

 

[Husker6.5]

Nope- vin plate swaps happen all the time in body shops. Just take a couple pics to document incase there is questions. Owning the truck equipment shop we had to stamp frames, label body parts all the time.

What the State MVD inspector doesn't know/see, doesn't matter, I guess. That stuff varies so much from State to State. I know here in Nebraska that if you build a kit car, such as one of Speedway Motors' Model A street rod kits, it's licensed as the year it was built/completed. I'm not sure if the engine's block number is used as the VIN, or if the repro body shell comes with a serial # on it from Speedway that's used as the VIN. I know the penalties legally for altering/falsifying a VIN here in Nebraska as fairly severe both $$$-wise and time behind bars-wise.

Not so sure how if somebody like LMC made a complete replacement cab shell, how that would work legally where Nate lives as far as swapping the VIN plate from his rusted out cab to the new repop cab and calling that the original rusted truck.

 

[MrMarty51]

Montana has a break in title procedure. Meaning that the PO for some reason cant be found and someone through mechanical, storage or just out and out bought a vehicle that there is no title for.
A trip to the treasurers office, a piece of paper, LEO or police, sheriff dog catcher, etc inspects the vehicles serial number, writes it down on The paper and signs it. Returns it to the treasurers office, then the person wanting the title goes to the TO, pays the applicable fees and a title is issued.
I’m not sure how it would work if there was no VIN at all.
Most frames near the left front, ahead of the suspension works has a VIN stamped, as in the case of My sons 1963? IH Scout Red Carpet Special. Title was issued off of that number.

 

[Husker6.5]

Yup. Every State has their own peculiarities when it comes to titling homebuilt/kit/lost title vehicles.

 

[jrsavoie]

Yup. Every State has their own peculiarities when it comes to titling homebuilt/kit/lost title vehicles.

Illinois really sucks anymore.

How hard is a rust free cab to find?