Project 635 - 300HP RWD 620

[DADZSUN]

... have you considered a screen over the inlet to keep out leaves & other debris?

I had not considered a screen - thanks for the reminder!

I was pretty lucky that I didn't have any nests/rodent bodies. I can say whenever I applied heavy welding to the frame rails I would get a distinct rodent dropping stench...

[DADZSUN]

I thought I'd squeeze in a final post for 2022 and give a good example where you have to be willing to sometimes take a cut-off wheel to a finished product - 'for the greater good'.

PassengerShockTower.jpg (115.81 KiB) Viewed 747 times

In anticipation of installing the cab, I took some time to pre-plan my battery lines to the engine bay. I was glad I did because there really wasn't a good route that safe from exhaust heat and road debris. I decided that this gusset had to go.

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In it's place I welded a small piece of exhaust pipe. Inside the pipe I squeezed in a piece of old radiator hose, then the 1AG booster cables which were also wrapped in cheap plastic wire loom. It took the better part of 4 hours to get done but I'm much happier with the protection that's there now.

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Here's how it all looked before the cab was installed a couple of days ago.

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Here's the truck as of this morning. I did re-fire the engine before mounting the cab and immediately after to make sure no sensors were disconnected etc. I'm still surprised how easy the motor starts - like it was just driven hours before, and it's a got a real nice bark when that pedal is pressed!

End2022StatusInterior.jpg (122.54 KiB) Viewed 747 times

Here's the interior at this point. I've been making really good progress with final assembly - the fact that we're getting really mild winter weather and I've got another 3 whole days to putter around the garage means that this truck will really get a solid final push.

It may have taken a month (actually, a year) longer than anticipated but it's so fun & easy to go into the garage now knowing all major work is done. I even mentioned to my son the other day how much cleaner it is to work on a near-finished product.

With that I'll close out the year and wish you all a Happy New Year! More updates coming rea soon.

[WxMan]

I'm really enjoying following all your hard work on this build. Keep up the excellent work. Thanks for all the updates.

[DADZSUN]

I'm really enjoying following all your hard work on this build. Keep up the excellent work. Thanks for all the updates.

Thanks for the feedback. With all the amazing builds out there that I enjoy to read, it's nice to contribute in my own right.

[DADZSUN]

I hit a pretty large milestone this weekend. All structural and mechanical work is now done. There may be some small modifications down the road, but the truck is physically pretty much done and I'm down to electrical, interior trimming, and some small body pieces.

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First, I finally got the cab and bed mounted for the final time. Pretty much everything fit nice, the bed mounts needed some bolt-hole enlargement to shift it a bit to the right, but I'm pleased how it sits.

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With that done I decided to add the rear and door glass. The rear glass mounted ok, some of the rubber still need a bit of messaging on the corners but I'll wait until it's spring to work it better.

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Before mounting the door glass I installed some generic window felt. Overall it fit nice and was a pretty simple process with the door cards out of the way.

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Next the door glass was installed. I got a chuckle from the security 'warning' that came with my truck. I'd like to lightly tint the windows but want to find a way to preserve this sticker.

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Now it's a bunch of little thing that I notice are missing as I work the area. In this case the licence plate lights were non-existent. I ordered some cheap plate-mount ones - we'll see how long they last. I do like how subtle they are.

LicencePlateLightsMounted.jpg (81.91 KiB) Viewed 651 times

I've also got main power/ground run and into the cab. The most cost effective solution was to purchase heavy duty jumper cables. 1GA in this case with a disconnect, $75 CAD or so on sale from princess auto.

MainBatteryCables.jpg (122.99 KiB) Viewed 651 times

I wanted something small and efficient for main fuse and read some positive reviews on the Blue Sea terminal/fuse. This 300A fuse is tiny!

300ABlueSeaFuse.jpg (58.29 KiB) Viewed 651 times

It mounts on proprietary (5191) terminal which neatly hangs off the side of the battery.

BlueSea5191FuseBlockTerminal.jpg (68.93 KiB) Viewed 651 times

Next up is the electrical. I've already got the lines run, the starter and alternator wired up, so I'm maybe 30% done? I've got a long weekend coming up and the weather continues to cooperate, so I'm hoping to get most of the major stuff done and take the truck for a quick spin this coming Sunday.

After that I'll finish the interior, install the windshield, then take my time to finish up the small non-critical stuff like electrical vents, gauge cluster (make the Speedhut gauge fit a little better in the 620 dash). I'm well on my way to getting this truck registered in March or April.

I can say that after 3 years of slaving away on this build, it really is surreal to be at this point, and super FUN!

[DADZSUN]

A quick update on 635 build (recently christened 'Hustler').

I've been slowly chipping away at the electrical. Working speed has definitely relaxed so I can enjoy the process more, and knowing it won't be on the road for another couple of months at the earliest. Front and rear wiring is pretty much done with the exception of fan wires. I also managed to run the wires for the front and rear wheel speed sensors (future traction control system).

I got a second drive in. Clutch take-up and throttle control was smooth (always a VQ35DE strength - especially for drive by wire). Considering the road was hardpacked snow (super slippery) and the past-due winter tires were accidentally at 15psi - the truck did alright!

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When addressing the rear lighting I took the opportunity to clean up the housings.

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While they look ok, I was hoping for a chrome-like finish. Quotes for vinyl wrap were $500 (?!?!) and spray paint was nowhere close. I'll likely try the polished-metal/clearcoat option one rainy day.

TailLightsMounted.jpg (78.88 KiB) Viewed 390 times

With most of the wiring done on each end, I focused on the 3rd brake light. If you recall I 3D printed a white plastic housing to hole two led mini light bars. For those wondering I do plan to print a matching white 'cap' on the driver's side.

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I found a good spot under the roof's rain gutter and nervously drilled a hole into the cab.

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I was going to try 2-sided tape but opted instead to try some epoxy (one of the MANY benefits of using farm implement paint - you really don't care if the finish gets compromised).

3rdBrake_3.jpg (120.67 KiB) Viewed 390 times

Some quick wiring was setup to test the brightness and I was VERY pleased! I'll compliment these lights with 1157 LED bulbs in the tail lights.

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Next I plan to focus on the cabin wiring. The dash will take time as I try to re-use OEM and mix it with new stuff as required. Either way it will have to come back out to fit this Sony setup I purchased. It's nothing fancy but I've got the same headunit in my Xterra and it's plenty for my needs.

SonyStereo.jpg (132.68 KiB) Viewed 390 times

[Edm620]

I'll likely try the polished-metal/clearcoat option one rainy day.

I recently saw a YT video where a guy tried several "chrome" products (hood ornaments I recall) and found the best product was a metallic nail polish type product. Great flow out and far more realistic.

I hadn't thought about a 3rd brake light, I like the slim one you've made. I trust you've put a diode into the circuit so it doesn't flash with the signals.

[datzenmike]

Get the brake signal directly from the brake pedal switch.

[ostaylor]

Great progress Fritz! I am actually in Ottawa today and was over the weekend but didn't think to try to connect. I've been locked out of the Realm for a few months along with many others so haven't been able to update here or keep up on my favourite build threads. I just got back in on Sunday.

My build is coming along... I'll post an update soon and I'm looking forward to installing my CV axels in the coming months.

I'll try to connect next time I'm out this way, would love to see what you've got going on.

[DADZSUN]

Great progress Fritz! I am actually in Ottawa today and was over the weekend but didn't think to try to connect. ...
I'll try to connect next time I'm out this way, would love to see what you've got going on.

Yes! Always fun to connect & chat with another Realm member. Definitely given me a call the next time you're in town.

[DADZSUN]

While I've been steadily working on 635, it seems like visible progress is minimal. A lot of the work I'm doing is not a high visibility item but is taking a disproportionally large amount of time. A good example is 3D printing sunvisor clips. Something so minimal in the grand scheme of things has to be sorted out before the headliner is installed so I'm certain the screw holes and overall fit work properly. Same process for the custom LED dome lights and 3rd brake light wiring - once the headliner is in, it's nearly impossible to design from scratch.

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So this is the segue to today's update, all those little things were finally done so I could install the headliner. This of course meant I had to remove the rear window (fairly easy).

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The vendor gave a pretty good breakdown on the procedures to install.

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I used 3M 'High Strength 90' adhesive spray with good luck. After a brief drying time the fabric became nice and tacky to make adjustments. In the meantime, I use leftover door edging to hold things in place.

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The end result was quite good. Some little tweaks will eventually be required around the doors but I'll wait until the summer to see if heat will shrink things up a bit.

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Custom length kickpanels installed nicely (approx. 3" deeper due to the wheel well being shortened). Speaker looks good too!

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Door panels also mounted fairly straightforward.

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The beige sunvisors and door pull/rest had to be painted. The Rust-O-leum vinyl paint seems to work well.

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Finally, after 2 years since I originally purchased a new 620 windshield, I was able to install it. The new rubber worked well and within 1 hour the windshield was in.

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So the truck is really starting to look finished.

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My next update will be on the gauge cluster, and get it to better fit the Speedhut gauges and double din radio. I'll also be working on the stock steering column housing which includes the ignition and hazard switch.

[ostaylor]

Nice touches and good progress. It is funny how some things that we do on these projects feel like big steps forward and other things that can take days don't feel at all like we are making progress.

[Edm620]

Man that is looking good. If only I had a moment in person, I'm driving to Halifax tomorrow but under a deadline. I definitely need the headliner mounting sequence... one day in the future...

[DADZSUN]

Man that is looking good. If only I had a moment in person, I'm driving to Halifax tomorrow but under a deadline. I definitely need the headliner mounting sequence... one day in the future...

Driving to Halifax from Edmonton??? That's a long haul!

[DADZSUN]

Nice touches and good progress. It is funny how some things that we do on these projects feel like big steps forward and other things that can take days don't feel at all like we are making progress.

Thanks! This latest update is much the same regarding small changes, but the good news is that my to-do list is getting super short and soon it will be ready for safety/registration.