Alaskan '35 Truck with Coyote

[Alaskan]

I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to extend the cab, but the way they designed the chassis it is just fiberglass work to extend the cab back to meet where the back of the frame meets up behind the seats. I am still undecided if I want to move the rear roll bar or leave it as is. I’m leaning toward leaving it, so no welding would be necessary. This pic better illustrates how much room there is in the cab section of the chassis, so all I need to do is cut the fiberglass cab, add some material, and use that space. I’ll admit it’s easy to say you are going to cut the cab in half, and a little harder to actually do it. I’ll build up the courage and do it pretty soon. I’m still researching the best methods for laying glass in between two cut sections. Any advice would be appreciated. 547266A9-E70E-4EA5-93B3-CE43F8E19F44.jpg

[Robodent]

You can do it . It can be done however the Bed will need to be shortened meaning the big stainless sheet will need to be cut down and the quarters shortened in front of wheels so they will still fit over the rear end in the proper spot. Then the front of the quarters mounting area will need to be addressed so you can mount in a new location. But on the flip side ya spend 30k and have to do all this work to gain 3-4” which should of been in the design all along . Rob

[vckiter]

Yea ultimately I don't want to do any fiberglass work, thinking the design would have been updated for parts adopting new technology but also for the updated average human size which is probably 6 or +6 inches taller than in the 1930s. I actually thought until now the body was sheet metal, not fiberglass. Not sure if I like that, or not. I suppose it will never rust.

I agree getting good glass bonding on something like this would be tricky. Unless you sanded down the two parts thinner so you can get a new overlay of fiberglass sheet, the glass will be inherently weaker at those two joints where the cut was made and filled. You'd have to be ok with having a band of thicker material on the inside of the truck body where it would hardly be noticed, I suppose, if you were concerned about vibration eventually creating some hairline cracks. I used to work on surfboards which are all glass and the best bond is an original bond. That or using a vacuum mold but for the whole cab to mold that under pressure you'd be almost better off taking a mold of the existing pieces, then making the cut into the mold, extending the mold and shaping it to be smooth, then laying new fiberglass in the mold and making entirely new pieces. Honestly that's something FFR should do. They likely already have access to CNC machines there, or their supplier, who can re-cut a few new molds to make this an option. Would be VERY easy for them as they likely have the original CAD drawings. That's something I do now, CADCAM, and it would be a bit of cost and about an hour of work to make that an option.

[bnelson]

I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to extend the cab, but the way they designed the chassis it is just fiberglass work to extend the cab back to meet where the back of the frame meets up behind the seats. I am still undecided if I want to move the rear roll bar or leave it as is. I’m leaning toward leaving it, so no welding would be necessary. This pic better illustrates how much room there is in the cab section of the chassis, so all I need to do is cut the fiberglass cab, add some material, and use that space. I’ll admit it’s easy to say you are going to cut the cab in half, and a little harder to actually do it. I’ll build up the courage and do it pretty soon. I’m still researching the best methods for laying glass in between two cut sections. Any advice would be appreciated. 547266A9-E70E-4EA5-93B3-CE43F8E19F44.jpg

Sent you PM with my 2 cents. Hope it helps. Good luck! PS: The link I sent you for the fiberglass kits the guy there is supper knowledgeable and helpful.

[Bob Cowan]

No, I don't think so. There' no welding required. Sometimes you want to do custom stuff, and a welder is a nice tool. But it's certainly not required.

[Alaskan]

It’s been a few weeks, as I was out earning money to pay for all of these important hobbies! Today was the day. I guess I’m committed now...85088543-AE5F-4930-98AF-5F70D3A08847.jpg2E72A0F4-3EE6-4E2A-B506-1FCE3902666C.jpg2E72A0F4-3EE6-4E2A-B506-1FCE3902666C.jpg

[Pat Landymore]

Very cool...nice start on the extension!!
Cheers,
Pat

[Alaskan]

37E29BCD-3767-494C-BA11-7EE4A6F00D34.jpgA345A844-30A2-4F1B-9D56-391A59201E30.jpg We (dad is in town for Christmas) spent the day working on our mixtures for resin and testing different combos of cloth. 7 layers seems like the magic number with one layer of woven cloth in the middle. The molds for the side body accents/ contours came off the back of the cab and look great. Tomorrow we will work on the molds for the bottom lip, then the plan is to use strips of UHMW plastic on the “flat” parts. I’ll keep you guys posted!

[Alaskan]

The dirty work is done. We laid 7 layers of glass in widths starting at 3.5” and working up to the last layer which was 7” wide. The gap was 3” wider than the original cab. The first three layers were chopped strand glass mat followed by one layer of woven material and three more of mat. Overall I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. It will definitely require some follow up body work around the corners and the body trim lines. The stuff stinks. It’s not for the faint of heart even with a respirator. My wife asked that this be my last fiberglass job in the garage until summer.7FDB778A-D56D-4A27-9712-F076D80EB976.jpgE73044D2-CE77-4E56-8BE4-2E72BC3607D6.jpgD7103809-C541-4F5B-874A-80A1D7E398B0.jpg47D5DC25-DCCD-4DBF-B92A-6EFC777ECD7E.jpg13B48916-3918-4B87-9885-460BE5837DC6.jpg

[bnelson]

The dirty work is done. We laid 7 layers of glass in widths starting at 3.5” and working up to the last layer which was 7” wide. The gap was 3” wider than the original cab. The first three layers were chopped strand glass mat followed by one layer of woven material and three more of mat. Overall I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. It will definitely require some follow up body work around the corners and the body trim lines. The stuff stinks. It’s not for the faint of heart even with a respirator. My wife asked that this be my last fiberglass job in the garage until summer.7FDB778A-D56D-4A27-9712-F076D80EB976.jpgE73044D2-CE77-4E56-8BE4-2E72BC3607D6.jpgD7103809-C541-4F5B-874A-80A1D7E398B0.jpg47D5DC25-DCCD-4DBF-B92A-6EFC777ECD7E.jpg13B48916-3918-4B87-9885-460BE5837DC6.jpg

Great job Adam! Ive been waiting to see how you came out. Looks perfect! And yea....Fiberglass is a nasty, itchy, crappy job But you can do some real cool mods with it! looks Great Adam You'll be glad you did it after you get past the itchy part

[Alaskan]

We got the cab back on. Here are a few pics from the inside. Remember I’m 6’6” and 270 lbs. 556A4FE6-6153-4E23-AC56-2BAE5A15D36F.jpg85D70B12-4CB2-4B1C-A2C5-93AFE5C5D199.jpg

[Robodent]

Looking great !! You will be glad you did it in the end. I installed 3 point seat belts in my roll bar for comfort. I would of done the same chop you did but I missed it. But gosh darn it you spend money on the kit only to work your tail off to fix something that was missed in the original plans. Great job. Keep at it . Rob

[Straversi]

Great job. You’ll never regret making the car more comfortable to drive.
-Steve

[Alaskan]

Look how much more room you have to play with seats (18” wide kirkeys) when you extend the cab!A12EBB56-3519-4FDF-97C5-31F8D675BB9A.jpg. My head sits about 3.5” lower too. I’m gonna have to lift them up for visibility and to get around the trans hump too.

[Alaskan]

A few small parts arrived today. Technically I can say the motor is “IN” the truck.93F8E577-94E4-43A9-A615-A0B7F0EABF0B.jpg

[RuffShod]

Close enuff!