Captain America rebuild

[Scott F.]

So I have finally moved my truck into the same state that I live in and it is time to see what I can salvage to get it running again. At one point about ten years or so ago this truck was a mix of red, factory white and blue SR5 colors. It was parked in 2004 in the woods until about 3 or 4 months ago when I went back to Raleigh to pick it up. Good news is I am now able to work on it, bad news is the working conditions are very primitive. I am working in the back yard on uneven grass that floods everytime it rains, basically about one step above working on your vehicle on the trail.

Goals for this build are to fight the rust that has taken over, cut some weight and overall length of the truck, move the drivetrain back about 3-4", but most of all I will be following the K.I.S.S principle. Also going to keep it on a budget, with the way it is rusted I am only looking for this rebuild to give me about 3 or four years of trail riding before I will strip the good parts to use for a cheap 4x2 tacoma and scrap the rest.

Here is a pic (if I can relearn how to post) of how it sat for 4 plus years. And one of its new resting spot. Had to take down a section of the fence to get it into the yard. Nothing on this build is going to be easy!

 

[yoder519]

man that was a goodlookin truck. thsoe tires look gimoungous. whats the specs on it

 

[Scott F.]

Ok so it looks like the pics are working. I sold the 42's and beadlocks with it was parked a while back. i picked up some H2 wheels that had some rollers on them. The TSLs and double beadlocks were heavy so I am looking to cut some rotating mass with the H2's and some Iroks.

Pulled out the drivetrain and put it in the shed (which also floods)

Here are some shots of the rust, the bed is a total loss so I cut it up. Still deciding on what to replace it with.

 

[NCYota4x4]

i remember seeing this truck on here years ago. goodluck with the rebuild.

 

[Scott F.]

I cut out some good patch panels in case i ran across more rust in the cab.

and put on the 39.5 iroks that I bought before moving. I am thinking about ditching the rear winch, not sure yet though.

Also had to get a cart to get equipment to and from the truck to be able to work on it. Did I mention these working conditions suck?

 

[Hurdt299]

Keep the winch, leave the back bumper on it, and build a flat bed off of the bumper.

 

[mosh5186]

i like the rear bumper

 

[1stgenxxx]

That truck is going to be awsome....Your cart kicks my carts ass......and it has more goodies on it.

 

[Metto]

this truck was an inspiration to me to get in to wheeling when i was 15. ill be watching this

 

[4sd air95]

this truck was an inspiration to me to get in to wheeling when i was 15. ill be watching this

same here, i remember wheelin at dunn with scott & dave years ago. glad to see you gettin the truck back together!

 

[yoder519]

x2 on the flatbed.

 

[RatLabGuy]

Very cool.

 

[rustyolred]

Mucho goodies on the cart. Wish my shop was equipped that good.

 

[Scott F.]

Well the cart is supposed to be rated for the weight, but it is way overloaded and it does not like the uneven surface. Anyway, so the interior is gutted, ditching the heat, ducting, and all other unnecessary things from behind the dash. I was hoping by doing this I would be able to make a "doghouse" on the firewall to be able to move the engine back as much as possible. As of now it looks like that won't be possible with the three pedals and plan on keeping it that way for cost (and the fact that the NV4500 thats in it shifts perfect). Also thought of offsetting the engine to the passenger side an inch or two but the frame rail is not cooperating with the exhaust manifold on that one. More to follow on that.

After taking the dash out I found some rust on the backside of the firewall and around the windsheild frame...so out comes the windsheild. I was able to get it out by myself without breaking it, which is always a plus.

I ditched the fiberglass fenders b/c one was pretty smashed up from a fight with a tree. Lucky i kept the originals to put back on. It was almost a shame to cut them up b/c the paint still looked really good...for the most part.

After, I used a combination of the air body saw, a pair of vice grips, and a 1/2" box wrench to make a guide to follow the original shape of the fender. It looked pretty ghetto and I didn't take a picture of it but it worked good (enough).

 

[Scott F.]

I am liking the new stance with the H2's and the 5.5" backspacing. It should help the steering effort, my scrub radius and hopefully help keep the tires out of the firewall a little. Here are some pics to reference future builds regarding the wheel combo. I know I spent some time searching to find out if the 5.5" backspacing would be an issue with leafs.

The front is a chevy d60 stock width 69.5", the rear is a dodge d70 stock width 65.5". switching from the old wheels (3" backspace with 42TSLs) to this cut my overall width down just over 6" which helps on the trail. Now it is half way between how it was on toy axles and true fullwidth.

Turned the steering to full lock both ways to find out if it contacts, as of now it doesn't, my 8" ram was the limiting factor. The truck does have no drivetrain so when it is actually sitting at ride height again or compressing it may rub on the front half of the leafs. I may go with a simple link setup and run some fzj-80 stock coils, they should be a comparable rate between the 4.5L and the 350. Still deciding though, kind of want to keep it leafs all around for simplicity. Initial plan was to throw the main leafs from a toyota rear pack up front combined with the bottom half of my worn out alcans. Here are some pics:

Oh and one more thing, I was taking misc. parts off from under the truck and found that the anti-wrap bar was hard to get off at the axle end. It was a typically 2 axle mounts with bushings and 3/4" bolts and a shackle on the frame end. I guess I need more seperation on the future one.
3/4" grade 8 bolt

 

[Yay!Gurrr]

I remember that truck ! Man you've done more, with less, in fewer days than most !

I'd keep it the way it is for now or until your working area gets slightly better.. Otherwise cool...

 

[Scott F.]

I remember that truck ! Man you've done more, with less, in fewer days than most !

I'd keep it the way it is for now or until your working area gets slightly better.. Otherwise cool...

the photos were taken over the past two weekends with some work in the afternoon in between. got a few more to post when I get a chance an then it will be awhile before I get back to working on it again.

 

[Scott F.]

OK last update for awhile. Got the paint done. Wanted to spray it with a decent paint but given the situation and lack of a paint booth I went with rattle cans. I used 8.5 cans of rustoleum camo khaki color and gave it 3 coats. It gives it a nice desert tan look. I am concerned about how durable the paint is going to be though, I don't want to have to touch it up everytime some rubs the paint. Still deciding whether to add a clear coat to help protect it or just wetsand it to keep the flat color from holding stains.

Can anyone comment on their rattle can job and how it has held up?
Prep

After

 

[tominator]

Wow Scott! I thought you were nuts when you said it was going to take several months to get it going again. Now I see what you had in mind. Keep going at the pace you're in and you will be wheeling in no time.

 

[Scott F.]

Wow Scott! I thought you were nuts when you said it was going to take several months to get it going again. Now I see what you had in mind. Keep going at the pace you're in and you will be wheeling in no time.

yea man, I am going to take the time on it now and get it right. It had way too many trail fixes that need to be attended to. Hope to finish it up before winter hits again.

 

[TapouT]

Very nice truck! I painted my Jeep the same color with the same spray paint you used. I painted it back in January and it's held up pretty good so far. It does rub off pretty quick though if the paint gets scratched. I wish now that I would have thrown some clear coat on it. But once again nice looking truck!

 

[RufusTheRam]

i, too, remember this truck from many years ago. in fact, pretty sure when i first started seeing it around was on weekends at goodberry's on strickland and it wasn't far from stock? this was probably like 98-99 i guess...?

 

[yoder519]

wow im pretty impressed with how your rattle can turned out. i rattle canned my 95 yota with krylon. i just did primer then the main coat. i got into it with a tree or two a day after i painted it and it looks like you took a hay rake down the side of it. im gonn ause the paint you used in teh khaki camo on my 85 when i get around to it. did you take the hood off to paint it? i didnt and mine is tiger striped pretty bad

 

[Rich]

SCOTT!! What's up brother.. Good to see ya back on! Really glad to see the truck getting some love!

I'd ditch the rear winch, since it never worked right to begin with.. Bob the bed back to the shackle hangar... I'm with Mike that I wouldn't undertake the whole firewall restructuring project and rather just get it going again, but more power to ya for doing it!

My glorified rattle can paint (Rustoleum) has held up really well, though it is garage kept, so the UV doesn't beat down on it all the time.

And while you're going through things, throw some good shocks on it. If you coughed up the money for coilover shocks (bare), it would really control the axles well, and you can use them in whatever project you go with later.. just buy the slider kit and the springs themselves. I like the Sway-a-ways over fox because the finish didn't rust up (I think they're nickle plated) Bilsteins would be a big improvement too, but you'd have to sell them if/when you go linked for the next rig.

Keep posting up progress pics!

 

[Scott F.]

wow im pretty impressed with how your rattle can turned out. i rattle canned my 95 yota with krylon. i just did primer then the main coat. i got into it with a tree or two a day after i painted it and it looks like you took a hay rake down the side of it. im gonn ause the paint you used in teh khaki camo on my 85 when i get around to it. did you take the hood off to paint it? i didnt and mine is tiger striped pretty bad

I think I will be in the same boat as you the first time a tree branch hits it or anything else for that matter. I do see myself having to do touch ups on a regular basis.


Rich- Whats up, its been a long time. Definetely taking your advice on the rear winch and frame. Going to ditch it and cut to the back of the hanger. Between the winch, extra frame and the old bumper I should lose 100lbs. Still decided whether or not to move the rear axle forward or just leave it. If I swap in toy rear main leafs up front it will put me at ~117. If I do shorten the wheelbase about 4" and take the frame to the back of the shackle hanger it will take almost a foot of the overall length of the back end. But even if I don't I should still be taking a good 6-8" or so off. I like your idea about the shocks, I may think about getting one set. Something that would work on the front end of a tacoma with links in the future.