My Jeep FC170 (Forward Control) "Patina Rod" project

[1x1_Speed_Craig]

More parts falling into place...

My girls helped me tear down a '92 Cherokee last weekend (in & out in 24 hours). In the course of doing so, we got some almost-new brake pads & rotors for 13-year-old Mira's '97 XJ 2-door, and an engine to use for mock-up in my FC project (actually, I'm trading this good-running engine for a bad engine plus a little cash). The girls earned some extra $$$ for their hard work, and we all celebrated the completion of the tear-down by going to see the movie "Frozen", which was a lot of fun.

The Cherokee also kindly donated a "mock-up" NP-231 (it's actually a functioning t-case), as well. I have a loaner AW4 auto coming soon, too.

Underneath this snow lies my new-to-me 2005 F350 Dana 60 and complete front suspension (and rear leaf springs, not shown), which I'm picking up tomorrow morning. These bolt-on parts will get me into a (semi-)rolling status in no time.

 

[Zeep]

Looking foward to see a michigan FC resurection. They are truly far and few between here in the rust belt!

 

[1x1_Speed_Craig]

Looking foward to see a michigan FC resurection. They are truly far and few between here in the rust belt!

Thanks Zeep.


A few updates...

I want to give a HUGE thanks to booster on GreatLakes4x4 for giving me two (2) steelies with decent tires for FREE (it definitely helps me stick to my low budget!!!). I bought/rounded up the remaining wheels & tires, and some OEM front dually adapters from MARTIN HASSENGER here on GL. I'll stick with the steelies for my build, and may resell the two aluminum ones I ended up with, or keep them around as spares...who knows at this point. I got the rear springs and wheels/tires mounted up, and positioned under the rear of the vehicle. I also bought a set of of new U-bolts (AB Spring Service in GR) for the rear.



It looks like my friends at RockSolid Performance will be making me some front caliper adapters so I can fun smaller calipers/rotors, allowing me to use the 16" wheels on the front. They'll also do some very minor machining on the DRW spacers to fit over the 2005 hubs.

I also sold my Millermatic 135 welder, and bought a (230V) Millermatic 211. Given the thickness of the F350 C&C frame, the stronger welder will definitely be helpful! I have been eyeing the 211 for several years.

I opted to buy new springs seats (coil spring/shock towers) rather than cut the existing ones off the donor frame. I bolted up on the new frame with 7/16" bolts, but they're a little loose in the holes; the rivets I removed were a VERY tight fit, and required a good pounding with a small sledge & punch. I'll use these bolts for mock-up, but will replace them with either Grade 8 or Grade 9 (recommended by the dealership) before final assembly.

I also got the 2005 Dana 60 and all suspension parts removed from the donor frame today. With the weather breaking here in the "forever Winter" state (Michigan), I hope to get it bolted into the new frame in the next couple weeks.

 

[IdahoXJ]

I will be following this build with keen interest. Good start already. I would love to find an FC to build up. Thanks for taking the time to detail and photo your build ... then share it with us.

 

[1x1_Speed_Craig]

I will be following this build with keen interest. Good start already. I would love to find an FC to build up. Thanks for taking the time to detail and photo your build ... then share it with us.

Glad you're enjoying it, IdahoXJ!


Well, the weather is finally breaking here in Michigan (finally!), and I made some decent progress on my project this weekend. First and foremost, I now 220V power in the garage thanks to my friend Ron, so I'll be able to start using my new Millermatic 211 (I used a Millermatic 135 for years, and absolutely loved it).

I also wire-wheeled/sanded the '05 F350 radius arms, and got a coat of Eastwood primer on them. Once the finish coat is done, I'll use some Eastwood internal frame coating on them.

I started lightly sanding the coil springs to prep them for paint, but it took longer than expected, as the donor truck was undercoated, and they had a healthy coating just on the outside surface of the springs. I'll pick up on that work the next time I work on the truck.

Craig

 

[shortbus4x4]

Nice build you have going. Am watching to see how you handle the P/S conversion.

 

[1x1_Speed_Craig]

Nice build you have going. Am watching to see how you handle the P/S conversion.

Thanks shortbus4x4.

Sanding/prepping the coil springs for a fresh coat of Eastwood Extreme Chassis Black Satin paint spurred me thinking about the added weight of the cab on the front end of the F350 frame. I haven't been horribly concerned, as people throw heavy plows on the front of these things all the time. However, I wanted a little piece of mind with having that much weight that forward on the frame.

It looks like I definitely lucked out with the purchase of this 2005 F350 front frame half (below). The donor vehicle was equipped with a 6.0L Powerstroke, which I found has a dry weight of 920 lbs. (or 966 lbs. with oil). By comparison, the Jeep 4.0L that will power this truck weighs around 515 lbs...a 400-lb.+ difference! While I'm not certain what the FC cab weighs, I'd guess that it's between 300-400 lbs. I don't know what "code" my coil springs are, but I'm willing to bet that they're at the stiffest end of the spectrum in regards to spring rate.

The OEM radius arms have now been top-coated, and are in indoor storage until which time the axle is painted, and ready for install under the cab & chassis frame.

I also ran the BOM on the front axle, and it came back as a Dana "Super 60". What does this mean? Confusion, in most circles. The axle tube has a 3.75" diameter (1/2" wall thickness), bigger ring & pinion, and in some axles, bigger u-joints. All 2005+ Dana 60s have 35-spline shafts, so strength in this truck will not be an issue. I'll just have to have RockSolid Performance regear it to 4.30 at some point to match the rear.

 

[DucRyder]

Craig you're one jeep building Maniac. If the snow ever melts I'm going to put that former M101A3 in your sig. to work...

 

[Gatordoc]

Super-cool project - I'm in for the show! :lurk:

It's nice to see a fellow West-Michigander on the forums, especially this one since so much of the action seems to be centered around the South-West.

Good luck with your build - your daughters are lucky to have a dad that includes them on stuff like this.

 

[1x1_Speed_Craig]

Craig you're one jeep building Maniac. If the snow ever melts I'm going to put that former M101A3 in your sig. to work...

Thanks Clay! Get some good use out of that trailer!

Super-cool project - I'm in for the show! :lurk:

It's nice to see a fellow West-Michigander on the forums, especially this one since so much of the action seems to be centered around the South-West.

Good luck with your build - your daughters are lucky to have a dad that includes them on stuff like this.

Thanks Gatordoc. Where are you from? You're welcome to visit & see it in-person sometime if you're close by.

BTW, here's the other project we're working on...my 13-year-old daughter's 2-door XJ.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/jeep...93-xj-2-dr-build-11-year-olds-first-jeep.html

Craig

 

[Gatordoc]

Craig,

Thanks for the link, the pirate thread was a good read, though my computer didn't like the page for some reason (likely issues with my PC; it's "temperamental"). Great to see you getting in there with your kids (daughters, no less!) spinning wrenches, cutting, grinding, welding, and such. That's an experience they will remember long past video game "achievements" and meaningless baubles. I am in a similar patenting-time situation with my kids, though mine are a boy 6 and girl 8, so I totally understand making the most of what time you have with them. Kudos for your efforts, you are no doubt making lasting memories.

I live and go to school in Muskegon, but work and play mostly in the Whitehall/Montague area. I don't make it down to GR very often but would love to check out your FC170 and/or other projects sometime. I don't have any exciting projects to share at the moment since I am ridiculously busy (working and college full-time) and am still putting down roots after moving back to the area, but if you are ever in my neck of the woods I'd be happy to shoot the breeze for a while over a refreshing beverage or two. :beer:


Unless, of course, your are also a motorcyclist in which case there are some very nice scenic roads along the lakeshore which I am always looking for an excuse to ride up and down. :bike_rider:


In an effort to stay on topic, have you had your girls helping with the FC170 at all? I'm guessing they prefer working on their own project(s), but they seem to be good sports about getting dirty with dad, too.

 

[1x1_Speed_Craig]

In an effort to stay on topic, have you had your girls helping with the FC170 at all? I'm guessing they prefer working on their own project(s), but they seem to be good sports about getting dirty with dad, too.

I'll shoot you a PM. Our garage is up in Cedar Springs (49319), north of GR.

The girls haven't helped much yet on the FC170, mainly because our work time is limited (I'm a divorced dad, and our time together is usually spent working on Mira's Jeep, and/or doing other family-related stuff). I'm sure they'll help some going forward, though. Mira has found that she really enjoys painting Jeep parts and making them "purty".


Brief update...I made some minor progress on Saturday. All accessories have been removed from the 2005 F350 Dana 60, and it's now ready to be wire-wheeled, sanded & painted. More Eastwood Extreme Chassis Black paint is en route.

 

[1x1_Speed_Craig]

Several hours of combined orbital sander, wire-wheel-on-a-drill, and old-school hand sanding later, one of the F350 front coil springs is now sanded/primed. I could have just sprayed over the difficult undercoating overspray, but this is the kind of work/detail that of like to think sets my Jeep builds apart from the pack.

I also got the Dana 60 front axle loaded on the dolly, and ready to bring into RockSolid Performance next weekend for new U-joints & ball joints (both preventative maintenance before cleaning up, painting & installing the axle). Yes, the axle will be strapped down better before hauling it.

 

[1x1_Speed_Craig]

Jeep work is on hold this weekend, as I married my incredible bride this morning. WOOT!!!

I'm also arranging pick-up of several more Jeep FCs/parts in a couple weeks). I'm buying all of these as a package deal, and couldn't be happier with the find! The seller is very friendly & knowledgible, and has been great to work with. I'll be getting a 16K-mile FC170 (gray), a restorable FC150, a rough FC170, a nice FC150 cab (yellow, originally from Colorado), and a rough FC170 cab (blue), a rolling FC170 frame/chassis, and a FC150 chassis, among other misc. parts. It'll take 2-3 trips to get it all home, but it's worth it, IMHO.

 

[b dash rian]

wow, that's like a mini mother lode of FC's right there! I just came across a relatively ok M677 (4 door FC) here in AK. Working on acquisition now... will be watching this build for sure!