Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

Not as strong as I use to be
Had to invite a friend over for a hand to torque the U bolts to 145 foot pounds.

Assembling the rear suspension and checking that everything has clearance thru out the complete suspension travel. With the shock relocator mounts and air shocks just wanted to make sure everything cleared, and it did. Plus with the coil springs not installed I could center the rear end and set the (LMC – 37-8541) Adjustable Tracking Arm at the proper ride height without having body weight on the frame. I also installed some control arm bushings (7-301-BL Prothane Motion Control).

The one thing that I would change if I was to fabricate the shock relocator mounts again is to make the ½ inch spacer out of aluminum instead of steel. The largest drill bit that I have is ½ inch and had to bring the holes up to ¾ inch plus with a step drill (not really made to drill in this thick of metal) and if it had been aluminum it would have been a lot easier.

Attachment 574885

Attachment 574886

Attachment 574887

May you have all the strength needed for your build or friends to help (smile). Enjoy your build

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

LOL I'll need some friends help soon enough.

I can't remember which came first, my bad shoulder or that old pick up truck.

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

On four wheels again
The frame and suspension components are back together. At least it’s easier to move around (smile).

Looking thru some old reseats for suspension parts that I used to lower the truck a few years back and found some of the part numbers I used.

Parts obtained thru Sport Truck Direct (2.5/4 Deluxe Drop Kit)
Drop Spindles --------- 2-1/2 drop C10 (#1001 Western Chassis)
Rear Drop Coils ------ 4 inch drop (#3828 by ?)
Front Shocks ---------- #4052G Doetsch Nitrogen Slammer Shocks
Front Sway Bar ------- 1-1/8 DIA #7423 Hellwig sway bar
Rear Sway Bar -------- 1-1/8 DIA #7401-D Hellwig sway bar
(Note parts may not be still available or part numbers may have changed)
(More parts like ball joints, tie rods and A arm shafts where used to rebuild the front end a few years ago was unable to locate the reseats) O well that happens over time (smile).

My truck didn’t come with any sway bars. The Hellwig sway bars where a clamp on stile (no drilling to install). I didn’t like the clamp on stile so I converted them to bolt on with grade 8 nuts & bolts.

With it being on its wheels again it was definitely a good time to roll the frame outside to clean up the shop and take some pictures

Attachment 578559

Attachment 578560

With the shop cleaned up and the parts somewhat organized a never ending battle (smile). It’s definitely a good time, turning the corner where final assembly of all the parts on the frame begin. Enjoy your build

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

looking good! nice progress

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

What size tires are those?

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

P255/60R15 Radials

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

Thanks, thinking of 275 60R15 BFG's for the 68 I'm finishing

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

looking good bruce! big day back on 4 wheels:ito:

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

A little massaging, a little caressing and it finely fits
The stainless steel brake lines are installed

Added a few more clamps than a stock installation and used 5/16 - 18 x ¾ long stainless steel nuts and bolts instead of the stock steel ones. The forward brake hoses are stock but the aft brake hose is a custom 12 inch long hose from Inline Tube. Even when the truck was at a stock ride height I thought that the stock aft hose was to long (stock hose 18 inches long) and with the truck lowered the stock hose was really twisted up.

All in all the pre-bent stainless steel brake lines from LMC fit pretty good with minimal adjustments for fit for this stock 72 truck installation.

Ill let you guess where I added clamps over the stock installation (smile)

Not shown in the pictures below I also installed the tail light wiring harness along with a 18 gauge wire for the relocated gas tank along the LH frame rail using the similar fastener locations as the brake line run on the RH frame rail.

Attachment 581990

Attachment 581991

Onto the gas tank installation and more pluming of the fuel lines to do. Enjoy your build

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

lookin good :metal:

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

nice, clean install....keep at it!

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

good job bruce! when would you like to do mine!

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Thanks for the complements guys. sourkraut I wouldn’t want to rob you of the self satisfaction of doing it yourself (smile)

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

thanks buddy! i will have to get busy on mine shortly.

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

Wow. Bruce, I've spent the last couple of days looking over this build thread. I am a fairly new member here, don't have any experience in body repair but have work experience in tool and die, fabrication and design (water heaters :lol:). I could say this is about as detailed or more than some of the college courses I've taken. Absolutely amazing work you do with that shop. It's been a while since you posted the story, but glad to hear that you're ok after that breakin. It goes to prove that a level head will get you much farther than being young & dumb with a weapon. I would be proud to have a neighbor like you with or without trucks!

Take care from the other side of the country.

And if you still have that cab, feel free to send it on the wings of some big bird to drop in Ada, MI! It looks flawless to my partial cab I'm using for my build!

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

Bruce, I found your build thread last night. I have to say it is one of the best I have found in the last year of research. There is only one other that was in your catagory for clarity, planning, organization and great photos. Your photos are great and leave no doubt as to what is being done even for shy beginners like me. I am encouraged. I should have realized sooner that you had a background in aviation. I used to work in aviation in Europe before moving back to Canada so I saw a lot of quality repairs being done and your work is the epitome of those skills in auto rstoration.

Thank you for sharing your progress and making it seem less daunting for us newbies. I hope my dream plans for my 1949 Chevy 5 window are someday as good as your work. You make it seem attainable.

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

Look what I found while wandering thru the auto parts store
Something new to me at least and a improvement to towing wiring that I wanted

I plan on doing some trailer hauling nothing big that would require trailer brake wiring just a basic trailer flat 4 pin wiring. The plug-in trailer wiring has been around for a long time and I have used it in the past and consider it the way to go instead of splicing in wires (when a wiring kit exists for the vehicle I’m working on) and a wiring kit exists for 68-84 Chevy pickups part # 41105 by Hopkins.

Always thought it would be nice to be able to mount the flat 4 pin connecter instead of just using a clamp on the wires and letting the connecter just hang down. Now I’ve found the Adapter part # 47605 by Hopkins that allows the connecter to be mounted in a 1.25 inch hole with a bracket or in some hitch wiring mount holes. As far as I’m concerned this is something that’s been needed for a long time and maybe it has been around but I just found out about it (smile).

Attachment 583202

Wandering thru the auto parts store can score something you didn’t know existed or something you wanted to exist and today was my day. Enjoy your build

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

I've enjoyed watching your build as you progress. Has given me some good ideas as to what to do for mine. Anyhow, you may want to test that 41105 adapter to make sure there are no problems with it. I bought one from O'Reilly's and had to return it. It caused feedback in the system somehow, and when I would step on the brakes, the dash lights would come on. When I tested it with a multimeter, two of the lines were interfering with each other, causing the said problems. I tried another one from Advance Auto, but it was the same thing. I finally made one myself that works properly. Just a heads up, may not be the case with the one that you bought though.

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

Thanks for the heads up (nightmare)

Just went out and did a ohms check on the complete wire run thru the wiring kit and the adapter and found no crossed wires. Looks like there will be no problems with mine but as can happen with any thing there can be a bad batch, always a good thing to check ahead of time rather than try and figure out the problems later. Thanks again

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

Hi Bruce, I just joined the site a week or so ago and tonite I found your build project. You have done some fantastic things to this truck with great detail. I look forward to seeing more. Keep up the great work

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

Bruce, I have some wiring looms like you have mounted on your engine. I was wondering if you had to shim/use spacers to get them to clear the ramhorn exhaust? My ramhorns interfere with the mounting. I can bend the tabs to make it clear, but it looks funny with the looms not level.

Thanks

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

The plastic spacer came with my wire looms to raise it above the exhaust manifold, of course a longer bolt was required.

Attachment 586122

If you’re going to make some spacers I would probably make them out of aluminum tube/pipe. If your unable to find some tube/pipe to fit your needs locally I found a online company to order raw stock material (they do no machining) that they will cut to length and ship to your door. The cost is a little high but when you’re looking for a small peace of metal to work it comes in handy I’ve used them and find it a benefit. The company is Online Metals ( http://www.onlinemetals.com/ ). Finding aluminum tube/pipe with thicker wall thickness can be hard some times just order a little more than you need and cut it to the lengths needed.

Hope this helps you out

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

McMaster Carr (and others like them) carry a variety of standoffs/spacers. Here is a link to their "selection" menu.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#spacers-and-standoffs/=7571wy

From there you can narrow down by shape, size, material - whatever you want.

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

Thanks Bruce, that helps alot, i was thinking you used spacers, thanks for the pics and info.

Thanks for the info.

Re: It’s Just A Pickup
 

Thanks for the added info on another place to look for parts I will be adding them to my list of places to look in the future.