My -79 Transit recovery truck

[bob cratchit]

Bloody brilliant, cant believe ive missed this thread!!.
Got to say you are doing an utterly amazing job there dude, incredibly impressive. You'll really enjoy that when you finally drive it out of the workshop. Dont give up, it's brilliant.

[fredrik]

Keep it up mate! Nearly there!

Thank's but nearly there can' be the right word, I'm expecting to work at least over the winter and hopefully get some paint on the cabin in late April or early May next year.
Then all will have to be put together again, perhaps it will be ready some time next summer.

[FredTransit]

Ok, nearly might be too big a word, how about getting there?

[fredrik]

Some project youve got there most would have given up long ago you must be a real patient man and highley skilled to boot .I take my hat off to you Would be a shame to sell in though after you have done what many would have said was an imposible task cant wait to see the end product of all your hard work .

Belive me there has been som close calls earlier, before I found the 120 pickup, I didn't know where to begin welding, alla of the cabin was so bad.

[fredrik]

8) this is one of my favorite threads superb work and keep the pics coming

I promise, the pictures will keep on coming

[fredrik]

Bloody brilliant, cant believe ive missed this thread!!.
Got to say you are doing an utterly amazing job there dude, incredibly impressive. You'll really enjoy that when you finally drive it out of the workshop. Dont give up, it's brilliant.

Thank's mate for those nice words, it has been quite depressing but now it begins to feel better, it will be finished.

[fredrik]

Ok, nearly might be too big a word, how about getting there?

Yes, I'm getting there. It will be so very nice when it has new paint on, a healthy engine, gearbox and new axels front and rear, an updated interior an a lot of padding and noice killers to make quiet inside

[fredrik]

OK, I'm back ! I have't written anything for a whole month so I thought I should write some or you'll think I've given up. That's not the case but there has been a lot other things going on.
I've dismantled my 130L -90 panel van, now I have all the goodies on the floor of my workshop, the rear axle with limited slip diffrential, the front axle with power steering, a very healthy engine and a 5-speed gearbox.
I've started to take out the interior of the cabin and found a little rust in the floor but not nearly as bad as the old cabin was, the new one is about a million times better..

Unfortunantely I don't have any new pictures today but I will try to get som during the rest of the week.

See you soon / Fredrik

[Nathan_Cardiff]

WOW..thats one hell of a project youve taken on... looking very good even tho its not my cup of tea. too old for me...lol.

Looking forward to seeing more pics in the future

[rover]

Good to know you havent given up fredrik

Yeah more pics would be good, most of us are in amazement at what you have achieved so far

Rover.

[madmark]

wow even going pas!

[fredrik]

Time for a update, with pictures this time
I am now beginning to fix the rust that was on my new cabin, not a lot but still it has to be fixed.
The lower part of the frame will be changed from the rear hanger of the front leaf springs and one meter backwards.
That is made both due to rust and the fact that cross section of the frame is only 95 mm on 120 models instead of 125 mm on 190 as the recovery truck is. The frame on the cabin and the rest of the frame will not match if I try to weld it together. Will show this better with pictures later.



I've raised the cabin to get a better working position. Welding is made easier and not as painful as if you are under it



Here is the cabin from underneath, the wholes in the frame is from removing som reinforcements. The cabin supports and the reinforcement box in th middle will be cut open to access the frame parts that will be repaired.
The support for the handbrake is already removed on this picture



A little more cut open.

All for now, see you soon / Fredrik

[FredTransit]

Nice work, and a good idea to suspend the cab like that, luck you to have the room! I see you have new wings at thready in case you need them, very wise to stock up!

[fredrik]

The wings will be changed, the ones on the truck is a bit rusted in the back towards the door.
They were wery hard to get by here in Sweden, Ford didn't even have them any longer but I was lucky to find two brand new on a website here in Sweden. It was a 300 mile round trip to get them but it was worth it

[FredTransit]

My advice to you would be to hang on to the new wings and repair the old ones, I know it's more work but if god forbid the worst happened and somebody ran into you, a squashed wing can't be repaired and would have to be replaced. Sounds depressing, but I am being realistic.