I cant help myself.

[boxhead]

Not that I need more projects but one thing led to another and I ended up with more toys at home.

A few weeks ago you may remember I was asking about sealing a whipper snipper fuel tank, well I ended up finding the local Maktita agent and ordering a new tank.
When I went down there to order it I spotted an old Dodge AT4 tipper truck, I peeked under the bonnet and spotted a 318 Chrysler engine.
I started thinking, "wonder if I could get that cheap enough and I could convert it into a transporter for the Cobra and a heavy duty rig for dragging cars home from out bush or a spare motor for the Charger I have.

I did nothing about it at the time but wondered, well I got a call to say the tank had arrived so I went to pick it up, spotted the Dodge again and had to ask.
The shop owners tells me it is owned by a guy in Darwin who bought it purely for the engine, he has a clinker boat he is restoring and in the process he has lost the original motor (was delivered to a shop the shop closed up and everything disappeared) and the truck was at there shop to remove the motor and dump the rest. So I said if I can take it home, I will pull the motor out and bring it back on a pallet, he rang the owner and a deal was struck.

The shop owner then says to me "I have another truck you may be keen on"
So we wonder through his yard and he points out a 1974 J series Bedford, the Bedford has a stairway on it.
He tells me it is the old stairway for TAA (I though he said Ansett - but it was TAA after checking) It has 4500 genuine miles on the speedo and apart from needing door seals it is a really good truck.
So we strike a deal ($500) and I agree to come down last Saturday, get them both going to drive them home.
The Dodge was easy, just added fuel and hot wired balast resister and away she went.
The Beddy was a little harder as it had a fuel leak at feed hose on fuel pump and has a clogged accelerator plunger in the carbie - also once started I found the water pump was seized, pulled it off and found it had rusted itself to the #1 cylinder liner (quick clean on wire wheel and good as gold), so then Saturday lunch time I drove them both home, I got some funny looks from the coppers as I drove past the Camel Cup.

So the Bedford will get used as a scaffold when I assemble my shed (was going to cost $110 per day to hire scissor lift after I got a licence to operate it) then I will be donating it to http://www.roadtransporthall.com/ind...&id=1&Itemid=2
And the Dodge will be converted to transport duties.
It will be a long slow process but should be fun.

Here are some pics.
(sorry they are only from my phone)












So once the shed is up with a dirt floor I will start on the Dodge.