'56 S-120 4x4 Build

[Azzy2000]

Originally Posted by Harold Phipps

Gotta be a bummer losing your shop down south!
Good luck where you are now!
Anxious to see where you take this project!

Thanks! I'm anxious to work on it again! I brought all my equipment and the machines up this time and I'll be bringing the truck and my buggy up in 3 weeks when I get back on land.

The old shop was nice, but I think this will be better once I'm settled up here.

[Azzy2000]

Originally Posted by just4cuz

Been some time! Will be good to see this build come together. What ever happened to your fender ornament? Was she a keeper?

It's been way too long! I can't wait to get the truck up here and get the engine mounted next time home.

And yes, she's a keeper. She's the whole reason I moved up to Oklahoma

Here she is with a big 'ol smile helping me move into the new shop lolz

[suprdave737]

Wow , they got any more like that up there?

[just4cuz]

Good for you! She looks happy you made the decision.

[Azzy2000]

Originally Posted by suprdave737

Wow , they got any more like that up there?

I doubt it

Originally Posted by just4cuz

Good for you! She looks happy you made the decision.

Thanks! Everything is going good.


I should have the truck moved up there in about 2 weeks and will hopefully get something done on it shortly after.

[Bruce A. Frank]

Azzy,

I have read through your build several times. Couple of decades ago I swapped out the cracked 44 in my S120 with another considerably younger 44. Spring perch on the differential was in a significantly different place. I went with remounting the springs to the frame. Took about 4 hours total including fabricating of the gusseted spring frame mounting brackets. I considered axle tube work, but didn't have the money for such extensive fabrication.

I have a question about the engine. I have been investigating feasibility of a diesel, but! My latest '56 S120 Travelall maxes out on the road at 70mph at 3500 rpm. Redline on the old iron BG 240 (replacement for the original BD) is 3800 rpm with the recommendation to keep it below 3500.

The diesel operating rpm is below 3000 rpm. Interstate travel would be SEVERELY limited with that rpm with the original running gear. Have looked at overdrive replacement transmission. . .expensive. Or an overdrive gear box to place between the trans and transfer case. Only slightly less expensive.

At this time, changing gearing is an expensive option for me, particularly with the old International axles. My question is, are you going to use the vehicle on the highway at all. What is the expected cruise speed with the diesel?

BTW, my original S120 got a swap to a Chevy 292 straight six. The diffs it the old S120 were 3.73. With the Chevy's higher rpm capability and higher HP, I never hesitated to travel to get to four wheeling sites. Lived in Salt Lake City at the time and explored Canyonlands around Moab several times a year. Island in the Sky one of my best trips ever.

[Bruce A. Frank]

Bit more about that cracked Dana 44. The vehicle had been owned by the U of Utah Geophysics dept. The front axle was bent, but the tubes were straight. Apparently some one (student?) either hit a ditch or jumped the vehicle at speed. The differential was crack so badly that it would not hold lube.

I acquired a newer axle at a Salt Lake City salvage yard. Mounting this slight mismatch was straight forward. Even the gear ratio was correct. Bought this axle in '76 for $100; a bargain even then.

Because of the observed damage to the original axle, I decided to reinforce the "new" axle. I took 1" square bar and heated and bent it to follow the contour of the bottom of the axle, knuckle to knuckle. I spaced it off the tubes and differential with 1/2" tall standoffs. Welded all those contact points with 5/32" 7018 stick.

A few years later while driving a desert highway (western desert high quality graded roads in Utah) I topped a rise at about 50 mph to find a washout. I hit a 2 ft wide by 2 ft deep ditch across the road. No way to slow appreciably or miss it. The impact sheared the bolts attaching the axle to the passenger side spring. The bolt through the leaf stack sheared and the road behind me was littered with the leaves of the spring.

I found enough bolts so that by leaving out two of the leaves in the stack was able to bolt the axle back in place. We drove it 4 hours to get back to SLC. While knocking around in the UT desert I always carried a VERY complete tool kit.

Upon dis-assembly I found NO damage the the reinforced axle. The impact on the drive shaft bent the support plate for the transfer case. But, there was no damage to the axle itself or to the drive shaft or U-joints.

[just4cuz]

Damn, thats a pretty good testimonial to trussing a Dana 44!

Square body Chevy open knuckle Dana 44 front axles had a nasty habit of doing similar damage to the cast center section if abused. Bad enough that the axle tube would actually pull out of the axle center section.

We used to plate vertically to the bottom of the axle from the inside of the knuckle to the cast housing. The we would weld 1/4 by 1" strap steel to the vertical plate. Worked very well, even 3/4 ton 4x4 trucks we used in Mexico for chase vehicles never broke a housing after this modification.

As I remember we copied this from Sherman Balch or one of the other Scout racers after we tore up a couple of bolt on trusses.

[larboc@hotmail.com]

Is this truck done yet?

[Bruce A. Frank]

Originally Posted by just4cuz

(SNIP)
We used to plate vertically to the bottom of the axle from the inside of the knuckle to the cast housing. The we would weld 1/4 by 1" strap steel to the vertical plate. Worked very well, even 3/4 ton 4x4 trucks we used in Mexico for chase vehicles never broke a housing after this modification.
(SNIP)

Would you have a picture? I haven't modified the axle on this Travelall yet. Since the differential was the part that cracked on the previous axle(near center-line of the bottom) I felt it essential that the 1"sq bar-stock wrap across the bottom of the diff, housing. The 1/4" plate truss you mention sounds good but I'd add my 1" sq across the very bottom of the diff.

I also welded the axle tubes into the differential housing. The following drawing shows what I did and what I think you are talking about. I do not know if the plate method is stronger compared to the solid bar method (If the bar is welded correctly to the differential, I think it would be a toss up as to which design is stronger).



The 1" bar-stock was spaced off of the tubes with 1/2" sq bar cut in 2" long pieces along the axle tubes, then welded all around. In the area of the differential the 1/2" bar stock was also use except in the corners of the curved 1" truss bar and the junction point between the tube socket and the "round" section of the diff housing. For that I cut a fitted piece of 1/2" plate stock and welded it all around.

[just4cuz]

Bruce,

The bottom picture is what we would do. The verticle plate did not extend below the housing though. We would leave openings between the verticle straps for the u-bolts. The bottom horizontal strap, the 1/4 by 1" would butt in to the back side of the knuckles. We would use an arc welder to weld to the knuckles and center section with some rod that was easy to weld to pre warmed cast iron with. I want to say it was 7014 or 7018 rod. I don't remember for sure it has been a lot of years since then.

A recent picture of the front axle in the October 2012 Four Wheeler Magazine shows a truss Randy Ellis installed on the front axle on his Suzuki Samari. This is very close to what we would build except he used tubing for the bottom and we used strap metal.

I would recommend this to Azzy for his build also since that Detroit is a monster engine over the front axle.

[suprdave737]

Hey Andrew, Hows the 56 and everything else going?

[Azzy2000]

Originally Posted by suprdave737

Hey Andrew, Hows the 56 and everything else going?

Everything else is going good... the '56 is still sitting lol

Been offshore more than I've been home lately. Still getting settled into the new shop, got the Jeep running yesterday and drove it around. Might actually get to work on the IH this next time home... heading back to work today

[ChiScouter]

Originally Posted by Azzy2000

Still getting settled into the new shop

New shop Did you move out of that old supermarket that you had put so much time into?

[Ben Segrest]

Originally Posted by ChiScouter

New shop Did you move out of that old supermarket that you had put so much time into?

He followed a split tail to Oklahoma.






































but he did

[just4cuz]

Yea and she drives a mean forklift and has a smile as wide as Texas. Good on him, she's pretty.

[Azzy2000]

Originally Posted by ChiScouter

New shop Did you move out of that old supermarket that you had put so much time into?

Yup.. I have my own place now up here. Quite a bit smaller than the old shop but perfect for just me and my junk.. It's 1800 sf. Finally got it pretty much settled and organized. Time to actually work on something again!

Originally Posted by Ben Segrest

He followed a split tail to Oklahoma.







but he did

Yeah... I did

Originally Posted by just4cuz

Yea and she drives a mean forklift and has a smile as wide as Texas. Good on him, she's pretty.

Damn straight!

Shes a native Texan too, so +1

[larboc@hotmail.com]

Blah Blah Blah, how's the s120 coming?

[Azzy2000]

Originally Posted by larboc@hotmail.com

Blah Blah Blah, how's the s120 coming?

You don't read much, do ya boy?

[larboc@hotmail.com]

Nope-just would be nice to see some progress being made on an s120. Sure not seeing it on mine

[Azzy2000]

Originally Posted by larboc@hotmail.com

Nope-just would be nice to see some progress being made on an s120.

Tell me about it

[just4cuz]

Check in and let us know your OK. Every time an offshore rig burns in the gulf I wonder if your aboard...or would it be on the plat, or O-plat as my son called them when he was in the NAG.

[Azzy2000]

Originally Posted by just4cuz

Check in and let us know your OK. Every time an offshore rig burns in the gulf I wonder if your aboard...or would it be on the plat, or O-plat as my son called them when he was in the NAG.

All good here. Our rig is in the shipyard in Mississippi right now for our 5 year inspection. We should be back out at the first of the year.

Thanks for checking up

[just4cuz]

Good, Thanks for checking in. Whats new with the projects, you gonna have all that time off or you have to help with the maintanance of the rig.

[Azzy2000]

Originally Posted by just4cuz

Good, Thanks for checking in. Whats new with the projects, you gonna have all that time off or you have to help with the maintanance of the rig.

We stay on the rig and assist with tear down, inspection and installation of all the rig equipment. We spent the whole first week in the shipyard inspecting our anchor chains. 8 chain lockers with 4,000 ft of 3 1/4" chain in each locker.. that was a long week

Not a whole lot new as far as the projects go. Still getting everything organized.. built several big shelves for storage.. got my air compressor wired and plumbed finally.

And on Nov. 9th I finally married that "fender ornament" forklift driver of mine