'46 Chevy Shorty

[cadillackid]

Wow that thing is huge! Is it wider than the bus or just looks that way because the bus rear tapers down?

[Tango]

Her lovely rounded butt does make it appear wider, but it is actually about 2" inside the line of each outer wall. I would have made it a bit narrower, but I need every square inch back there to fit my genny and such.

[Stewzer55]

If I may quote Hip Hop, "Shortie got a big ol' butt"

[Tango]

OK, OK...I know --- I said I was done for now on the deck but could not resist adding the hinge and one more frame element.


Used all of the C-clamps I had handy and needed more just to position this sucker. Note to self...take more to shop.


Sweated bullets hoping I had the position just right but here it is in the down position...and...


...in the up position. Then, after a few minutes of angst...


...I welded it in place. Drilled a dozen or so 1/2" holes then melted some iron in them. Also put beads along the edges. Should (hopefully) stay put. Working on a latch system next to keep it in place when on the road.



ONWARD!

[GuidoLyons]

Disregard previous post...you got the hinge covered!

[Tango]

More on the deck --- Or, maybe that should be "Moron, the deck!". Hard to stop once you get going on something. Especially after having had most of the parts sitting around for about a year or two.


Adding the fold up section now. Still have a few more chunks of iron to weld on but it is coming along. Decided at the last minute to cut down the size of the fold up to 22" instead of 24". Just seemed like more deck than I needed and will save a tiny amount of weight. And in case you are wondering, that back rail IS smaller than the others. 1-1/2" x 2" instead of 2" x 2". I also have a pair of adjustable stabilizers I made eons ago that will be added before I take it all back off and set it in a corner...or hang it from the rafters. Stuff this big (and heavy) can be a PITA to deal with but I need access to the body for a while longer.

ONWARD!

[cadillackid]

Looks good!!! Yeah atuffcthia big is a bit to deal with , as I'm dealing with my transmission project , a lot of weight real quick in metal stuff!!

[Tango]

Still on the deck --- Today I got the final pieces welded up from the top-side. Will wrap up the underside manana. Then, attach the adjustable stabilizers. Will have to fab some mounts for them.


Except for the welding on bottom, it is together. Here it is down...



...and here it is up.


And up from the driver side.


The angled corners came out pretty OK in spite of the size change of the iron.

Will wrap up the last bit of welding tomorrow then take it off and set it aside for a while. Engine work comes next.



ONWARD!

[Robin97396]

Looking good.

That's a pretty nice looking bead on those inside corners.

[Tango]

Thanks Robin --- I've been getting a lot of welding practice in lately. More than I'd bargained for.

[ol trunt]

Wow, that deck is huge! I'd guess it nearly doubles the usable floor space of your bus.

I have a nice nylon 8 man tent with two entrance doors that I've been wondering what to do with. How about I give it to you to pitch on your deck? You could rent it out like a duplex---- gotta think outside the box! Jack

[Phatman]

Originally Posted by Tango

Back on the welding today --- Wrapped up the fixed half of the deck today. Time consuming. Actually, the biggest PITA was closing the tube ends. Making little square chunks of 1/8" then fitting them around errant welds. But at least that part is done. Will set it aside and do the folding part later. May need to pick up more hinge since no one here has a continuous 92" section.


Anyhow, here is the first part put together.


After flipping it over and welding up the other side (bottom), I threw some paint on it. Once that dries I'll do the other side (top). And what with all the practice on this bus...my welds are actually starting to look a little better.


ONWARD!

Tango. Look up a place called Austinhardware.com. I bought an 8' x 4" x 3/8" thick continuous hinge. Rated for a 1000 lbs.

[Phatman]

Never mind Tango. I just needed to read further.

[dredman]

Amazing! I need to get back to Houston and shoot more video before you finish the damn thing?

[BlackJohn]

Lining everything up and trying to keep it square is a trick. I had hoped to send it to my metal shop where it could be tacked together on a nice, flat and square surface but decided to just go for it.

Not to worry , more people are walking around with a set of eyes, than a square,lol.

Great job all the way! The quality will remain long after the price is forgotten.

John

[Tango]

The Veranda is almost done --- Yes Jack...except for opening and closing the rear door, I suppose with a tent it could be used as a guest house.

Dred...You are always welcome here my friend. Bring it!. Lots of costruction going on but the electric hook up is still available.

BJ...I have been lucky so far. Hanging stuff in space can be tricky but so far everything is looking as square & plumb as I could have hoped for.

As usual...it is the tiny little parts that are killing me. Making the pieces for the brackets and such to mount the adjustable stabilizers is a RPITA.



ONWARD!

[Tango]

Short day today --- The only thing I got done was to attach one of the two deck stabilizers. Life gets in the way sometimes.


Here it is in the up position. May add a clip or something to keep it from flapping around over the road.


And...in the down position supporting the deck. They will both adjust in and out to adapt to the terrain. Just some steel tube, a couple of big bolts and some all-thread with a foot.



ONWARD!

[Robin97396]

I can see that back porch backed out over the bank of a creek while you catch your dinner.

[cadillackid]

wow that thing doubled in size! I ddnt catch that you have 2 sections.. do you think thats going to make the bus want to sway when loaded down on the road?

seems like a lot of weight behind the rears.. although I guess its balanced out with the motor / trans in front.

-Christopher

P.S. - the folks at CAC remembered you when I mentioned your project while i was pciking up my transmission. they are huge 4BT / allison fans.. they are putting a 4BT and a 1000 in a Land rover, and have one in an old ford work truck. first time I saw a 4BT up close. they are beastier than I thought!

-Christopher

[Tango]

Robin --- Ya...I can see that. Fishing from my back porch sounds excellent. Especially with a cold and tasty adult beverage right at hand.

Chris --- My bus is so short it has very little overhang behind the rear wheels to begin with so I'm not really very far back with the deck. Nothing like most of the rigs here. Here's an old pic from the side...



And yes, the "little" 4BT's really are monsters. Right at 750 pounds. I had new front springs made and added 350 pounds to their capacity. Good news is they are monsters on torque too for their displacement. The Crawler Crowd and Sled Pullers push these motors to well over 800hp and insane torque. Me...I'm perfectly happy with my 130 ponies. For now, anyway.

Will try and get the other stabilizer made today. They are simple in function but kinda' tricky to make.



ONWARD!