Project Sno Ball....85 RamCharger

Well guess I better update this thread as well.....;)

Before the move I had to get it inspected so I could register and insure it in BC. So there were a few things I had to address.

As is typical on these old trucks the steering coupler was toast.....so new pieces and a grease nipple to finish it off.







Then a couple new tie rod ends, and a drag link.....





 
Also needed some new mufflers, and a bit of tweaking to the pipes.....





And I pulled the OEM brake cables and soaked them in a bucket of used oil....just to lube them up and get them moving freely again.

 
Obviously to get the E-brake cables out I had to pull apart the rear drums...everything looked good so I just cleaned, and lubed and re-installed once the cables were back in place.



Also Sno-Ball is still sporting the rear drums it left the factory with!



Had to clean up and replace some battery wiring as well.

Nice ground.....:(



Some new cables.....



 
The Heater controls had been messed with pretty heavily....and had been HOT.





So I dipped into my parts stash for a few decent used parts. Used a control panel from a 80's RWD chrysler.....had to swap the temp lever, and that was about it. Works fine now....just looks a little off.



 
I passed my inspection a few days before we had to be out of the old house, so I insured it for a few months and parked it at a friends house until I could get back down to bring it up to the new homestead.

Couple transport pics....



 
Some nasty sludge....





Lots of fine sand had made it between and into the parts and pieces....



Used my fingernail to clean off the old black repaint to expose the original decal on the main body....

 
Pump all rebuilt and ready to be repainted and installed.



Went to the local auto parts store and bought a can of engine paint that looked close to the original yellow. Got it pretty close....looks much better. ;)



Replaced the trip springs....they were looking a little rough.





And some new lines and fittings.



When I first got it all back together I had no power to the main controls in the truck. Hunted and messed around with the wiring for several days until I finally started tracing wires and found that the power is supplied by the A/C fuse in the fuse panel. All the on-line wiring diagrams I found showed it powered through different fuses....depending on year. Tossed in a new 30amp fuse and it works like a charm now.
 
And then there is the purchase of the donor truck for the cummins conversion. Found a local guy who was selling just the axles....3.54 D60F and D70 from a 93 1st Gen. Called and he said they were still in the truck. Well I asked how much for the carcass and the axles....same price!

Tons of good parts still on the truck, and he tossed in a bunch of spare 1st Gen parts he had laying around as well. It was a pretty decent score!

Loading it up with the trusty old chain block....slow, but always gets the job done. ;)





And home....



Unloading with my new-to-me Case 1845C....

 
And that is about it....Sno-Ball sits and waits for the call of duty....it's plowed the driveway a couple times this winter so far. Doubt I will get the Cummins conversion done next year....need to get a Shop/Garage built so that is my priority.
wink.gif
 
68R/T said:
That spare truck is a gold mine of parts. :2thumbs:
Click to expand...

I agree....can't believe the guy said that there wasn't much of worth left on the truck. About the only thing missing is the motor and radiator, the rest is still there....even the blown Getrag 5spd....needs new input shaft and bearings and a couple shift forks, 3-400 in parts and it will be good to go.
 
I fired up old Sno-ball and plowed the driveway and yard and about 1/4 mile of road in each direction from my driveway yesterday....neighborly thing to do since the plows don't get up our way too often. ;)



Going to go out again in a bit...snowed another 8-10" over night and it's pounding down as I type this. :)
 
Cow, I commend you for not only doing a neighborly thing of plowing for others benefit, but also for your effort to keep this site alive. Only 3 new posts all week, but only you included a picture. :bravo: :clap:
 
I been wondering how hard you were getting hit up in PG with what BC has been hit with lately. The neighbourly thing is nice to do until some county official has to beef about you taking work away from his guys and starts threats about liability. A lot of people who have the ability to plow get told not to do it unless it is on private property.


Good to see you alive and well and Sno-ball is doing a fine job for you. Good find for your new home.
 
71dusterman said:
I been wondering how hard you were getting hit up in PG with what BC has been hit with lately. The neighbourly thing is nice to do until some county official has to beef about you taking work away from his guys and starts threats about liability. A lot of people who have the ability to plow get told not to do it unless it is on private property.


Good to see you alive and well and Sno-ball is doing a fine job for you. Good find for your new home.
Click to expand...

That is very interesting information....never thought of it that way.
 
Sno-Ball and I were plowing the driveway and yard today and something went "ting" in the plow when I ran into a snow bank and the trip springs went over.....would not return to upright condition. Removed the plow and turned out one of the lower pivot pins had sheared off and bound things up.

So had to cut the old pins to get things apart, once apart the LH side pivot was also cracked in several places. Ground the cracks open and then fired up the old stick welder. Been a lot of years since I have done any stick welding....forgot how much I loved using the big 240V arc welders! Got things patched up for now....will have to tear things apart to replace that cracked bushing eventually.

 
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