Author Topic: Yet another old Dodge crew cab project (1985 W350 USAF) (Read 58682 times)

Flyin6 · « **Reply #200 on:** July 24, 2015, 06:25:28 PM »

Man, thought you bailed on us!

You never mentioned Miss Kay having eye issues...maybe mention it over on the faith area and let us pray for her???

That Ramcharger (Hers) is one of the very best looking I have ever seen!

EL TATE · « **Reply #201 on:** July 24, 2015, 06:52:06 PM »

x2 on both. Good to see you around there Kooter. I was hoping to see this thing move down the field but new projects are great. Keep that RC forever, still looks new!

OldKooT · « **Reply #202 on:** July 24, 2015, 09:09:57 PM »

Thanks all. And no worries Tate, the Crew cab is going to be getting most all the attention latter this fall/winter. My plan is to retire after harvest *I am going to quit self employment lol* and spend more time with my wife. She has sold her catering business, and now is the time for us to relax and get some stuff done. We just will have less funding to play with...but that's the least of my concerns.

JR · « **Reply #203 on:** July 25, 2015, 01:02:56 AM »

I USED to think retirement would give me lots of free time. I do have a few little ones to deal with though.

Maybe really see what you have stored around there!!!

EL TATE · « **Reply #204 on:** July 25, 2015, 03:49:36 AM »

Good for you. Looking forward to hearing more about your escapades and bending your ear on tech if that's OK with you. Might be nice to plant a little garden you can tend for fun rather than work, catalog and sell me your spicer collection, and build a truck or two? Did I say that out loud?

In reality, I may call you looking for obsolete parts in the future, just be ready.

OldKooT · « **Reply #205 on:** July 25, 2015, 08:07:36 AM »

Tate mentioned adventures, boy did we have one last night. I will try and shorten this the best I can.

Kay and I took Anvil and drove to town and got some Arbys. We then decided we hadn't saw a flick in a while so we went to the theater and dined on Arbys while watching the new Terminator. After the movie things got interesting... I had left Kay to run to the women's room and I stepped out side and was immediately greeted with "that smell" The smell of a powerful storm about to hit. This is about 11:40pm... and as Kay got to the truck the wind was starting to build and was about 30 mph.

I leaned on the Cummins hard and we streaked for home. Of course we were headed right into the storm. We had our 4 daughters still at home, and to top it off they are watching two of our grand kids while my oldest son and his wife had a date night. Kays on the phone trying to call the kids but no answer, I have the Cummins cranked to 4300rpm right on the governor and the winds starting to get worse.

I am estimating we are going to get home about the time the storm proper hits. The winds are getting intense enough I am having to slow down to about 80mph on the gravel as the trucks being pushed by monster wind gusts. At this point there are smaller tree branches flying around and corn stalks adding to the fun.

About a 1/4 mile from the house the straight line winds hit. It pushed us right across the gravel road sideways towards the right hand ditch. Kay yanks the transfer case lever back hard just as we hit the grass and head in. I realized she had the hubs locked as the front Detroit bit in and I sawed the wheel to the left and somehow got back onto the road just to see most of a tree fly past in front of us.

As we turned into our driveway I yelled at Kay to get the kids in the basement shelter, and I would be right behind her as soon as I got Anvil in the shed. I turned into the door yard Kay jumps out as I slow down and slide to a stop. She turns and runs across the front of the truck and then just like a rag doll she fly's backwards about 25' end over end and hits the hedge line. I put my entire shoulder into getting the drivers door open and finally get out and Kays low and going for the house so I follow just as our son and his wife come sliding in. We left the Ramcharger and the kids Suburban idling in the dooryard and ran for the basement.

All is well, and a walk around this AM displayed plenty of evidence I should have sharpened a few chains for the saws. We have a few trees down, loads of branches and it looks like we got lucky. We are still on generator at 7am but I am sure they will get the power fixed by lunch. Welcome to Nebraska, where you can hear the words from the weather man "we have a 60 mph breeze with some straight line winds approaching 100 mph, seek shelter if you suspect flying debris"

OldKooT · « **Reply #206 on:** July 25, 2015, 09:04:39 AM »

This tree was 40' It snapped off bout 10' from the ground, pin balled through the other trees and hit the west side of the house.

God clearly likes this topper. It left the truck (proof topper clamps suck) and landed 20' away unscathed. And to top it off the tree branches all missed it also.

There are some doors missing off one building, we lost a windmill fan and a few windows on the barn/shop. Looks like maybe a weeks worth of work and good as new. So all in all no big deal. The dog kennel took a tree branch into the fence but not to worry, both the sled dog and the dumb lab were running around this morning on the lawn like it was Christmas. No shortages of branches to grab run around, play tug of war over, and then drop and go get another.

Flyin6 · « **Reply #207 on:** July 25, 2015, 11:02:45 AM »

Holy smokes!

Near miss for sure!

Glad you all are OK!

Nate · « **Reply #208 on:** July 25, 2015, 11:07:17 AM »

great story tellin skills right there. glad everyone is alive and well.

Sammconn · « **Reply #209 on:** July 25, 2015, 11:36:20 AM »

Wow, quite a near miss. Glad to hear all is well with the family and the farm.

JR · « **Reply #210 on:** July 25, 2015, 01:13:14 PM »

Great story Norm. Good all are OK.

OldKooT · « **Reply #211 on:** July 25, 2015, 02:19:32 PM »

I may have to start a separate thread for Anvil, it seems I just have to keep working on it. It would appear when we took the cruise through the ditch last night we "tweaked" something. There was a fair mount of wood wedged into the U-bolt inner C area of the pass side front axle. My guess I hit a semi rotten tree stump.

This morning while driving over to check on our neighbors I hit some washboard gravel and got a nasty case of death wobble. My guess is a broken king pin bushing or a busted spring. That or I cracked the knuckle. I see the tie rod is a bit tweaked also.

Once again this is a appropriate time to complain as to why no one makes HD aftermarket knuckles with a Dodge tie rod location.

JR · « **Reply #212 on:** July 25, 2015, 03:47:50 PM »

I think they do as they seem to be referred to on the 4x4 sites for the guys running huge tires.

Reid makes em after a quick search; http://www.reidracing.biz/off-road-products/dana-60-knuckles/chevy-heavy-duty-dana-60-kingpin-steering-knuckles

OldKooT · « **Reply #213 on:** July 25, 2015, 07:00:27 PM »

Jr sadly those are not the same as a Dodge knuckle. They have a Chevy tie rod location which is much lower than Dodges. Dodge gets no love LoL

EL TATE · « **Reply #214 on:** July 26, 2015, 01:09:00 AM »

Man, I was looking forward to stories but you didn't have to go and get caught up in some crazy storm on my account! Glad to hear no one was seriously hurt.

OldKooT · « **Reply #215 on:** July 26, 2015, 11:18:27 AM »

So yesterday is behind us, but it was a productive day. I am going to make a post in the DOT area about it.

So the pass side steering knuckle was cracked from our little adventure Fri night. So Anvil is sporting a replacement off my parts shelf, and we drove it all over creation and it ran like a dream. We have decided to turn this into a bit of a expo kinda truck so opinions.... ya all want to see thread on it, or blah it's just another old Dodge? LoL

Dawg25385 · « **Reply #216 on:** July 26, 2015, 11:56:13 AM »

Thread!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

KensAuto · « **Reply #217 on:** July 26, 2015, 12:27:08 PM »

Thread!!

Sammconn · « **Reply #218 on:** July 26, 2015, 12:29:08 PM »

Put er up in a thread.
There's bound to be lots of interest in it as well as at least some one will benefit.

Flyin6 · « **Reply #219 on:** July 26, 2015, 09:15:35 PM »

Yea, I'm gonna have to pull rank or age or something like that here

Norm: Thread

Move out! :D

JR · « **Reply #220 on:** July 26, 2015, 11:09:38 PM »

OK, so the GM and Dodge are not the same.

If you just go cross over steering, would that solve a couple issues??

OK. New thread,,,,,,,,,,,,

EL TATE · « **Reply #221 on:** August 05, 2015, 03:40:01 AM »

Thread thread thread!

KensAuto · « **Reply #222 on:** August 05, 2015, 10:45:23 AM »

I think he did Mr Tate: http://real-man-truckworks-and-survival.com/index.php?topic=1207.0

EL TATE · « **Reply #223 on:** August 05, 2015, 01:45:21 PM »

yeah, I was struggling with some insomnia last night and didn't see the date, just NEW on the comments and chimed in, lol.

Nate · « **Reply #224 on:** August 05, 2015, 05:45:50 PM »

so tate is not paying attention.....while he is out camping.......;D

EL TATE · « **Reply #225 on:** August 05, 2015, 06:33:13 PM »

Back from camping, but my brain is still out there. There were trout as big as my arm from elbow to finger tip just swimming up to us in the tubes. guess they get used to tourists dropping food because they didn't leave until the dog jumped in to try and catch em. I dream about it!

JR · « **Reply #226 on:** August 06, 2015, 03:01:33 AM »

Quote from: EL TATE on August 05, 2015, 06:33:13 PM

Back from camping, but my brain is still out there. There were trout as big as my arm from elbow to finger tip just swimming up to us in the tubes. guess they get used to tourists dropping food because they didn't leave until the dog jumped in to try and catch em. I dream about it!

My kids want to go again next week fishing for the same up near Shasta. Don't think I'm in for a 250 mile drive for a overnight trip. Of course the 55* lava tunnel is nice during the 100* heat. Ever hear of Hat Creek??

EL TATE · « **Reply #227 on:** August 06, 2015, 05:37:39 PM »

Hadn't heard of it but looks beautiful. Norm, how're things shaking on the homefront there sir?

Wilbur · « **Reply #228 on:** August 06, 2015, 06:42:49 PM »

Gee.....sorry I'm late but glad you survive that storm and ride home...yikes! For all our "power" mother nature has a way of showing us who's boss doesn't she? I remember camping outside Phoenix with the kids on a cross country trip....watching a beautiful thunder and lightning storm to our west over the city....having dinner...enoying the fireworks....never even saw the hailstorm moving up on us from behind. Next thing I knew it sounded like a freight train coming right into the campsite. I got the wife and kids inside and then set to trying to break down camp. Got it done dodging branches (one good thing about the desert- the debris was not huge) and other crap flying around. I think the other campers furniture was the most deadly stuff I had to avoid. Next AM was like a bomb had gone off. But it was another fun story for the kids.

Love the Ramcharger! Always liked them. I hope your wife is doing well....that's a scary thing. I am sorry.

JR · « **Reply #229 on:** August 07, 2015, 12:07:13 AM »

Well, don't tell the prez who is in charge of the weather. We have to fix this!!!!

Had one of those spring showers last year up in the sierra's. kayaking and fishing on a nice lake around 8k up and the sky looked funny. Then it got dark as it rolled in from the south and we watched it come across the lake at us. Good thing this was a trailer trip and not a tent trip as it was nasty for around 2 hours. Kids were fine with popcorn and a movie and I got to recharge the batteries without disturbing anyone!

Author Topic: Yet another old Dodge crew cab project (1985 W350 USAF) (Read 58682 times)

OldKooT

OldKooT

OldKooT

OldKooT

OldKooT

OldKooT