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Hunting for History...

Lonestar

Member
...on my C-cab. The more and more I drive, the more flaws in the cab are starting to show. I'm 100% convinced this body was made by Spirit Industries that was cut down into a cab for a truck type look. I know it was painted in 95. Does anyone know if B.C comes here to these forums? I joined theirs but it won't let me post anything. I'm hoping to find out who built this car and start getting idea on what and how I'm going to redo this cab.

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Yeahs guys but I can say for sure this is not a Scott Rods body, no this was a full length cut down. I removed the back cover and I can see where the van door was screwed in. Under the right light I can see where the hinges for the rear door where still in the paint and filler.
 
Popping this up after just coming across it...to say I think its AWESOME!
Very different, very old school 60's ish...roomy...somewhat weather protected. It's got it all.
The bed looks incredibe and the back window looks good too. I kinda like the wood bed rails over the bare look myself and love the spring over I beam.

Hows it coming along???
 
Looking through this thread a 2nd time, I noticed the old Dodge truck instrument panel. I bought one a couple years ago, but then realized I had no idea how to make the speedometer work with my 700R4...now it's on a novelty shelf. No idea what trans was used in that build, but it has me curious. o_O
 
I think all 700r4's are cable. I had to use an adapter to convert to electric. If it is cable, (should be) a cable could be made to drive the speedo.
 
The 700R4 speedometer is normally cable driven...but in the case of the speedo I got to use instead of the old Dodge unit, an electronic conversion module fastens in place of the cable. I no longer intend to use the old Dodge panel...I'd just like to gather info to pass on if I decide to sell the panel.

Yup, Lokar makes nice shifters for the 700R4...but they're too pricey for my microscopic budget. As the plan stands right now, I have 2 plans. If I go with a conventional floor shifter, I'll probably go with a salvaged late '80s Corvette shifter. The other alternative would be a B&M Unimatic cable shifter, modified to mount to the firewall, with the lever coming out under the dash. <shrug>
 
I have the B&M Unimatic shifter and it's Ok on the console, but looks like it would be difficult trying to push up/down and not overshoot the gear you are after. A ratchet shifter might work.

Have you considered building a electronic shifter like the one PotvinGuy designed. I don't think its too expensive. Then you could put the push buttons on the dash like you are wanting.

Big redo of the old bucket
Big redo of the old bucket

.
 
I have the B&M Unimatic shifter and it's Ok on the console, but looks like it would be difficult trying to push up/down and not overshoot the gear you are after. A ratchet shifter might work.

Have you considered building a electronic shifter like the one PotvinGuy designed. I don't think its too expensive. Then you could put the push buttons on the dash like you are wanting.

Big redo of the old bucket
Big redo of the old bucket

.

Up front I want to say that this car will be a leisurely cruiser. There will not be much if any shifting on the fly.

With the Unimatic, I'd be looking to build my version of the old Corvair dash shifter...just a little lever protruding under the dash. I'd definitely be shortening the lever to the point of just being able to grasp without fouling the dash. To avoid straight up and down travel I could mount it lower on the firewall with a tapered spacer/bracket, to give it a bit of angle.

A ratchet shifter would be cool, but likely a budget buster. If I run across a good used affordable one, I'll probably go for it...but I'm not counting on it.

From my first encounter, I've been a big fan of Potvin and his work. The shifter he's created is seriously cool. But for my purposes it's too complicated.

This has always been a KISS project, but as of the last few days, I've been going back through my plans to simplify where ever possible and affordable. Due to health issues, my ability to complete this project is in question. Getting back to basics is my best hope.
 
Well I applaud you for staying on task and not getting sidetracked. Sticking
to the original goals can be hard sometimes.

I had to shorten my shifter, it was so tall, it was in the way getting in the car.
If you need any measurements just let me know, be glad to help.

FP01_ShifterShortened_6286.jpg

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The 700R4 speedometer is normally cable driven...but in the case of the speedo I got to use instead of the old Dodge unit, an electronic conversion module fastens in place of the cable. I no longer intend to use the old Dodge panel...I'd just like to gather info to pass on if I decide to sell the panel.

Yup, Lokar makes nice shifters for the 700R4...but they're too pricey for my microscopic budget. As the plan stands right now, I have 2 plans. If I go with a conventional floor shifter, I'll probably go with a salvaged late '80s Corvette shifter. The other alternative would be a B&M Unimatic cable shifter, modified to mount to the firewall, with the lever coming out under the dash. <shrug>
I knew they used cable and the signal generator, but I didn't know what gear was on the tail shaft. You can use any speedo, you just have to figure out the correct gears to get it accurate. There are places that even make gear boxes to reduce or whatever it takes to make it workout. One of my first jobs was as a mechanic at a cab company, and back then they used cable drives to meter the ride. We had to fool around with them and the state regulated and inspected them... It was like working on a watch...you would also have to make up a cable... Those ratchet shifters are ok, but not all they are cracked up to be, imo... Pretty common craigslist or flea market find. It wouldn't be that difficult to make a simple automatic trans shifter to mount in the dash, as long as you don't want to manually shift, or the like. That would make your T stand out! You could also try to convert a camaro style console shifter to work, they are cable activated.
 
I knew they used cable and the signal generator, but I didn't know what gear was on the tail shaft. You can use any speedo, you just have to figure out the correct gears to get it accurate. There are places that even make gear boxes to reduce or whatever it takes to make it workout. One of my first jobs was as a mechanic at a cab company, and back then they used cable drives to meter the ride. We had to fool around with them and the state regulated and inspected them... It was like working on a watch...you would also have to make up a cable... Those ratchet shifters are ok, but not all they are cracked up to be, imo... Pretty common craigslist or flea market find. It wouldn't be that difficult to make a simple automatic trans shifter to mount in the dash, as long as you don't want to manually shift, or the like. That would make your T stand out! You could also try to convert a camaro style console shifter to work, they are cable activated.
What's to stop you from using a column shifter? They make cable adter kits for them if the linkage is an issue.
 
Lonestar, don't know if you're still in possession of this car, but I think I found some history. Here's a pic from an NTBA gathering in 1999 in Branson, MO. The guy who owned it then was Rod Stovall, and I believe he lived in Missouri.

Rod%20Stovall.jpg
 
Scottrods bought up about a dozen fiberglass manufacturers over the years. There was a company call RodNRace that he bought around 2009. RodNRace had both a long and short bodies. RodnRace was the only people I knew of that made a short C cab body back then (there were several that made long bodies like Hot rods in the desert @ Fiberglass Glass Hot Rod Bodies 1923 - 1934 - Tucson Arizona). Scott has 3 buildings full of molds so he has way more than what is shown on his website.





 
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I have tyo echo Hackerbuilt......it looks good, different and in my mind just needs some interior work. I got a bucket a couple years ago and tried to find who and where it was made......good luck, not an easy task. I like the C-cab and truck bed.....
 

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