Black Betty rebuild begun!

Off topic/not diesel related

Moderators: Greenleaf, BC847, Richie O

Black Betty rebuild begun!

Postby DN01SE » Wed Nov 09, 2011 3:10 pm

I wasn't quite sure on where to post this so I figure the Lounge would be a good a place as any.

So you may, or may not, remember my topic a few months ago on my '93 D-350 being totaled (http://1stgen.org/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=9875). Well it has begun, pictures to come (forgot the camera at the shop) but heres some details, questions, and thoughts.

Well the donor chassis is a 92 w250, 360 gasser and I believe 518 trans, by my measurements and some help from a frame i.d. forum on dtr the frames are identical. On to drivetrain. I've searched high and low and cannot find axle i.d. numbers on the '93 1 tons axle. So best I can tell its D 60 or 70. The '92 3/4 is a Chrysler 9 1/4 so the build is getting the 1 tons axle. Besides this being a rebuild it also a 4x4 conversion. The front axle on the donor is a D 44, I havent taken the cover off yet, but i'm sure the ratios won't line up. Also i've gotten mixed opinions on if it will hold up to the cummins. I have been reassured that the NP205 will hold up.

On to body, the easy part lol. The 1 ton bed and cab are in great shape, beside needing to fix a lil cancer on the rockers, and both line up to the donor chassis body mounts. The donor body panels are pretty bad from the michigan dirt roads but i'll probably start off using the front quarters anyway for lack of funds. Now i'm wondering if the Radiator support on the gasser is the same. I'm having trouble finding one online or in junkyards to confirm and the original was pretty well mangled.

Now for the heart of it all, the Cummins. The radiator and aftercooler were destroyed in the accident and i'm sure the gasser radiator isnt large enough for the cummins so new ones will be needed. For now it might have the aftercooler deleted and depend on the Snow water/meth for now. I'm also going to need a new fan and fan support. Other than that I got a little antsy and decided to fire her up after checking fluids and reassuring myself it wouldnt blow up of course... And she ran BEAUTIFULLY. I let her run a little bit till the the temp gauge started to move and shut her down, very reassured.
I'm slightly worried about the 518 trans though, its real hard to move the trans shifter among the gears and won't go into park but i'm hoping thats mostly from the linkage being out whack with the bent frame.

This project is going to be real interesting and definitely a learning experience. I've got a pretty good grasp on the mechanics involved being formed into a pretty decent backyard mechanic since I was little. I just hope I'm not biting off way more than i can chew...
'93 1 ton. 6 in. Stacks, 5x10 injectors, BD pulse manifold, Snow Water/Meth, and more to come. Black Betty will rise AGAIN!
User avatar
DN01SE
fuel pin?
 
Posts: 18
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2010 3:35 am
Location: BG, Ohio

Re: Black Betty rebuild begun!

Postby oldestof11 » Wed Nov 09, 2011 4:02 pm

Take pics and document.

Trust me, you will be glad to be back in the saddle!
Jon
93 D250~ Mismatch of cheap parts, trying to look fast going slow
User avatar
oldestof11
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 4147
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:46 pm
Location: Northern Illinois

Re: Black Betty rebuild begun!

Postby dazedandconfused » Wed Nov 09, 2011 5:28 pm

It's not bad to do just time consuming.
Big Andy
1983 Dodge D150 that has been repowered with a 93 Cummins/518 running gear AKA The Ugly Duck! I would much rather build them then buy them.[
User avatar
dazedandconfused
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 6119
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:25 pm
Location: Walton, Kentucky
Top

Re: Black Betty rebuild begun!

Postby ahale2772 » Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:06 am

its a good chance for you to go through everything, its nice to know every nut and bolt on your truck, good luck!
84 CCLB W350 project
94' W350 Dually, Diesel, Auto 1080HP/1980FTlbs
User avatar
ahale2772
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 2353
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:43 am
Location: massachusetts
Top

Re: Black Betty rebuild begun!

Postby moose5.9 » Wed Dec 18, 2013 3:22 pm

It will be worth it at the end, when it looks as good as she runs :mrgreen:
DD: 99 nissan frontier

sold: 97 F250, 7.3l d60 swap, billet pushrods,elec.fuel, gauges, dual 5inch side pipe,
moose5.9
fuel screw!!!!
 
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 8:32 am
Top

Re: Black Betty rebuild begun!

Postby Philip » Thu Dec 19, 2013 6:37 am

DN01SE wrote:This project is going to be real interesting and definitely a learning experience. I've got a pretty good grasp on the mechanics involved being formed into a pretty decent backyard mechanic since I was little. I just hope I'm not biting off way more than i can chew...



Right now is the time to set down and plan out your attack. Decide what you want the end product to look like. Decide what up grades you want on the truck. Planing is cheap. It costs more if you have to do something twice.

I am over year into a rebody of my truck. So I know where your going.
93 W350 Club/cab w/duals, buckets & console, B&W flatbed, G56, 6 spd, 3:07 rears, gages, HX40/16, 4" exhaust, 6X.018 sticks, rear air ride suspension
User avatar
Philip
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 1954
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2007 10:50 am
Location: Indiana
Top

Re: Black Betty rebuild begun!

Postby DodgeFreak » Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:02 am

so far he's 2 years into it....
92 D350 Cab and Chassis. Auto stock, wiring gremlins. 330k miles
92 W250 Ext cab rotted completely out. Auto, pump maxed, 215 ppump nozzles, Denny T2 pin.
85 D350 single wheel, converted to cummins, getrag, turned up 2 turns and afc screw flush.
User avatar
DodgeFreak
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 1701
Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 8:14 pm
Location: Iowa
Top

Re: Black Betty rebuild begun!

Postby Philip » Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:58 pm

DodgeFreak wrote:so far he's 2 years into it....



I don't count the time preping and painting the new sheet metal. I am only counting the time the truck has been down and not drivable. It was torn down on 11/01/2012.
93 W350 Club/cab w/duals, buckets & console, B&W flatbed, G56, 6 spd, 3:07 rears, gages, HX40/16, 4" exhaust, 6X.018 sticks, rear air ride suspension
User avatar
Philip
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 1954
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2007 10:50 am
Location: Indiana
Top

Re: Black Betty rebuild begun!

Postby PToombs » Thu Dec 19, 2013 6:00 pm

Philip, he meant the last post was 2 years ago...... ;)
pete

Just enough power to break everything behind the crankshaft.
User avatar
PToombs
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 11367
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:13 pm
Location: Syracuse NY. Snow central!
Top

Re: Black Betty rebuild begun!

Postby DodgeFreak » Thu Dec 19, 2013 6:46 pm

Yeah....didnt come out as well as it sounded in my head lol
92 D350 Cab and Chassis. Auto stock, wiring gremlins. 330k miles
92 W250 Ext cab rotted completely out. Auto, pump maxed, 215 ppump nozzles, Denny T2 pin.
85 D350 single wheel, converted to cummins, getrag, turned up 2 turns and afc screw flush.
User avatar
DodgeFreak
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 1701
Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 8:14 pm
Location: Iowa
Top

Re: Black Betty rebuild begun!

Postby Philip » Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:04 pm

PToombs wrote:Philip, he meant the last post was 2 years ago...... ;)



I didn't notice the thread dates. :lol:

I see what was mentioned about a shovel at work.
93 W350 Club/cab w/duals, buckets & console, B&W flatbed, G56, 6 spd, 3:07 rears, gages, HX40/16, 4" exhaust, 6X.018 sticks, rear air ride suspension
User avatar
Philip
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 1954
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2007 10:50 am
Location: Indiana
Top

Re: Black Betty rebuild begun!

Postby AHineman » Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:25 pm

Andrew

Owner of two old 1stgens and not much else.
AHineman
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 1364
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 7:15 pm
Location: Crown City, Ohio
Top

Re: Black Betty rebuild begun!

Postby DN01SE » Sun Dec 22, 2013 1:41 pm

Wow, it really has been 2 years! I should probably post an update!

Well, through much craigslisting and junkyard searching I finally accumulated all of the body panels about a year ago. I "dry fitted" all the body panels on the donor chassis just to make sure nothing was tweaked, pulled everything back apart and hung it all the from the rafters. Next was a workout of cleaning up the donor frame, pulling every hanger and mount off, sanding every bit of rust off, and priming so i didn't have to do that again. The cummins is still sitting in a torched off section of the old bent frame, heads off, awaiting a few extra funds to get the half rings and studs machined in.
Beyond that its been a very long planning phase.
This project has really evolved since the old plan of put it back together and make it look nice. This will truly be a one off truck, with a laundry list of custom sheet metal and concepts. Roll forward hood and fenders, removable bed sides for flat bed use without losing looks, removing the "gutters" on the cab, 1 off aluminum grill, entirely unrecognizable interior including a flush, smooth, 1 piece oak dashboard, and many little odds and ends. Suspension will be air bags, mostly for load handling but a little for style.
Paint will be Radioactive Green from HoK and one of the few things i'm not doing myself.
I don't get a lot of spare time with my job but the project is coming slowly. I figured if the whole truck is getting reworked anyway, why leave it anywhere near stock?
'93 1 ton. 6 in. Stacks, 5x10 injectors, BD pulse manifold, Snow Water/Meth, and more to come. Black Betty will rise AGAIN!
User avatar
DN01SE
fuel pin?
 
Posts: 18
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2010 3:35 am
Location: BG, Ohio
Top


Return to Lounge

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests