[Chaparralman1974]

1/16/2023
Frame Repairs and Engine Tear Down
Today was full of rain in the forecast, so I decided to cut off the make shift bumper and shock mounts that were added to the frame of the truck. At some point, someone goober-welded a dual shock mount with angle iron and rebar and added a channel iron front bumper mount. The bumper mount was actually welded on fairly well, but the goober-welded shock mount was not. The shock mount required very little cutting with a cuttoff wheel before the welds just knocked off. I wonder if they were welded by the same person. Some surface clean up with a 80 grit flap disk, and the frame is now ready for the sandblaster. I had a brief lull in the weather, so I loaded the frame on the trailer so it is ready to go.
Once the rain picked up again, I was locked in the garage so I decided to tear into the new motor to see what I was dealing with. I was a bit disappointed. Despite being told that it was a “runner” when I bought it, it was clear that this motor had sat out in the elements for some time. Several of the lifters and all of the cylinders were full of rust. The motor had been rebuilt at some point as the pistons are all marked .030 over. Lastly, I verified that the motor is a 2 bolt main. Since I am not too concerned about power, a 2 bolt is fine, but at this point the motor is probably just going to be a core since I am not attached to it. I may just look at a turn key motor now.