Re: Super Blue
 

Thanks buddy! I'm enjoying the Square Peg progress, can't wait for the cutting and welding to begin!

Thank you!

I appreciate that. Sometimes I feel like my hard work gets lost in the places I didn't replace, or clean, or paint... It's good to know that some of the work still shines through.

_________________________________________________________________

Made some progress this weekend. FINALLY got my clutch all straightened out, the pedal feels like it could be a factory setup. That thing fought me the whole way, but once I got rid of all the inverted flares, I had no problems.

Then I conned RWB-713 and another buddy into coming over and helping me with the front clip. We dug it out of storage and got it set on. Got the body lined up as good as it's going to get. It's starting to look a lot more like a truck!

I also got my buddy bucket seats in. The driver's side tracks I got with them were pretty much shot. I ordered a set of universal ones from Speedway motors, and much to my surprise, they bolted right up. The only difference is the stockers have a raised mounting surface on the seat side, so I had to stack a few washers on my replacement units, but you can't even see them with the seats in the truck.

I got my Entropy radiator mounted up. I was able to use the 2-3 core mounts that I had with a little modification. I was having a hard time sourcing the 4-core mounts, unless I purchased them new (expensive), so I went the cheap route and modified what I had. I should have just ordered it for 2-3 core mounts, but I was trying to save some money. Lesson learned.

I also attempted to sort out the new headlight, fan, and charging system harness with no luck. Since I added fans, fuel injection, an electric fuel pump, internally regulated alternator, and had planned a headlight relay conversion I figured I ought to upsize the charging wire off the alternator. Well, to do it correctly and keep the ammeter gauge working correctly, you need to replace the factory 3-way connection near the left headlight. I'm going up to 8ga. on the wire, and will be feeding my headlights and fans with another 8ga. wire. Not only could I not figure out exactly what wires I was going to run where at first, but I found that getting terminals, junction blocks, etc. for my new 3-way connection was a little harder than I anticipated. I'm going to have to order a few things to get it done. But I've also since done some research and found out that not only will my current plan keep the ammeter working correctly, it also seems the correct way to do things. Not that other ways won't work, but supposedly they won't work as well as this.

I really should work on being more organized. As you can tell, I just kinda let stuff pile up everywhere I work... I should at least clean up before I take pictures, ha ha.

Re: Super Blue
 

You have to be careful with that one... I was driving my 71 while still doing little upgrades and weekend projects to it along the way so I could keep it on the road, then I started trying to get everything taken care of because of that old theory that "I have this piece off so I might as well do that too" then the next thing you know you have a frame, cab, bed and a bunch of boxes of parts scattered...:lol:

Re: Super Blue
 

That's exactly right. My idea for this one was a daily driver with a reliable drivetrain and suspension to make it fun to drive. Riding the fence between necessary work/expenses and things I'd like to have or that look nice was hard to do. I definitely spent a lot more time and money than I intended to, but it would have been VERY easy to spend even more.

Re: Super Blue
 

Nice truck! ;)

Saludos

Re: Super Blue
 

Okay, I have two things for you. First, thanks for the glove box mounting idea for the computer, I'm going to change mine now. But since my factory computer is so much heavier than yours, I am going to give a shot at building an aluminum replacement. Hope to have the template in a few days, then if it is feasible I will build one out of .040 2024 aluminum. I'll post pics after I'm sure it will work. :lol: Second, it looks like you are going to have the same problem I have with the wheel position in the stepside wheel opening (too far back). Are you going to tackle that one? My latest notion is to move the entire trailing arm set up fwd 1"; unbolt it, slide it forward, and re-drill the frame. There is already a pair of holes on the bottom that I think will locate it where it needs to be, so I'll just have to drill the rest (yea!) Anyway, keep up the good work we are looking forward to the first cruise video soon! :metal:

Re: Super Blue
 

keep it coming man this thing is too killer :metal:

Re: Super Blue
 

Thank You!

Thank you! I can't wait to drive it, see what it feels like in my hands!

You're glovebox will be sweet! Although, I liked where you mounted yours, I was too lazy to build a bracket or anything for mine, ha ha. Why are you changing it?

For the wheel placement in the rear fender, I'm not sure what I'll do yet. I'm bummed about it for three reasons: 1) If I move my crossmember, the frame isn't powdercoated where the crossmember sits now because I never took it out. 2) I bought a "cool" aluminum driveshaft already, and if I change the axle placement, I'll have to get my driveshaft shortened. 3) I'll have to do something with my Watt's link to move it with the rear end.

Honestly, I don't think I'm going to worry about it for a while. I'm burnt out on spending money on this thing, just trying to do what I have to do to get it on the road and enjoy what I've done to it so far. Then, what I really see happening, is avoiding moving the crossmember and exposing a part of the frame that didn't get powdercoated, and probably build or buy and modify a set of trailing arms. I really like the ECE ones that are made out of square tubing, and wanted them to begin with, but it seemed like more of a want than a need when I started the project. I'll buy or build a set of those, and make them the 1" or whatever shorter.

I also thought about changing the trailing arm mount brackets and trying to get the mounting hole 1" closer to the crossmember. I haven't looked at it closely, but I don't remember a whole lot of room to work with there. But my thought was that I could have new ones made with the mounting hole as close as possible to the crossmember, and then weld threaded studs on them to mount them, that way you don't have to worry about room for the bolt heads on the inside of the bracket. And, you could even get a sleeve made to house the trailing arm bushing and weld it to the trailing arm so you can trim the end of the trailing arm off for another 1/4" or so. You might also be able to cut a "window" in the mounting surface of the bracket and a matching one in the crossmember to give you a little extra room to move the trailing arm forward in the bracket. That kinda defeats worrying about the powdercoat though, and the bracket might be too weak.

Just some ideas that have been bouncing around in my head. Now that I get it all typed out, I bet modifying the existing or building a custom set of mount brackets is what I'll concentrate hardest on.

Re: Super Blue
 

I think you should absolutely get you truck on the road. Centering the wheel is something that can be tackled down the road. My intent is to get more people talking about the issue with wheel placement when dropping a stepside. When you talk to some of the leaders in chassis development they don't have a definitive fix for the issue, and I think it is an issue they should/can help us with.

With regard to my glove box, I knew my mount would be temporary when I built it. I will eventually install a vintage air system and the mount will be in the way. Building a shallow glove box to mount the ECM, fuel injection fuse/relay center, and MIL will open up that area and give a clean look. It's in my head, I just need to build it! :lol:

Re: Super Blue
 

How about a set of Nate's shorter trailing arms????

Re: Super Blue
 

I was wondering if Nate would build a set of his 1" drop or 3" drop Porterbuilt trailing arms,... in a shorter version for us stepside guys?
It would be easy for him, due to the design of his trailing arms.

Re: Super Blue
 

I definitely agree.

Absolutely, and Nate builds NICE stuff. The only reason I said I would go with the ECE stuff is that for some reason, the round tube seems a little out of place to me on these trucks. Aesthetically speaking I mean..

But Porterbuilt is ALWAYS on my mind when it comes to the suspension on these trucks, and some shorter arms from him was definitely one of my first thoughts.

Speaking of us stepside guys, lowlife, I had to check my subscriptions to make sure I had "Ginger" on there still. Sure looking forward to more progress when you get to it, she's gonna be a sweet truck! :metal:

Re: Super Blue
 

We have been aware of the differences in the fleet side vs. step side wheel well openings for some time now.... right Keith?

Definitely odd that they would have different placement on the wheel well opening... but that's how they did it.

When we became aware of this, we made a Dropmember rear kit specific to the step side.

We can easily do the trailing arms 1" shorter for anybody who would prefer it. :)

Re: Super Blue
 

Why did we come up with this on Sunday?? ;) More expensive than the crossmember, but WAY easier!

Re: Super Blue
 

Ask and you shall receive! I will definitely keep this in mind for when I get ready to fix my truck, thanks guys!

It's just money, right? Ha ha...

Re: Super Blue
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hart_Rod (Post 5765236) How about a set of Nate's shorter trailing arms???? (Present tense..:lol:)

I must be clairvoyant.....:smoke: :D

I didn't want to break my trend of underwhelming you....;). Plus I was going to use this as part of my job interview/resume with Porterbuilt INC....!!!!!:metal:

Re: Super Blue
 

One question, If someone is planning to do your coil over drop member in the future, is there an alternative that would move the axle forward and be used with the dropmember later to avoid wasting money?

(Sorry we've hijacked ur thread!)

Re: Super Blue
 

For coil spring trucks,... or trucks with the bag in the stock spring location,... would there be any issues?

The length of the PB trailing arm would be 1" shorter,... but the coil spring/bag mount on the trailing arm would have to be either:

1) moved back 1" on the trailing arm to align with the upper hole in the frame.
or
2) left in the stock placement on the arm,... and the frame would have to have the spring cup hole (in the frame) drilled 1" farther forward.

Does anyone see issues with either option?

Oops,... SORRY for the hijack.

Re: Super Blue
 

This crossed my mind as well. So then I thought, "Well, it must just be from the suspension drop, and the lower spring mounts are actually back from where they should be like the axle, so shortening the arms should fix it."

But I'm starting to gather that the axle position is off at stock height too?

I tend to say move the spring mount back on the arm. Although, that will make the spring act stiffer (just a little) and may raise the rear height a little. It would also cause the springs to be a little wider at the bottom mount, but you could modify for that while you're at it.

If you move it forward on the frame, you'll have more weight behind the spring, so it will squat the rear and pick up the front slightly. It should keep you over the top of the trailing arm better though (side to side).

I think my vote is for moving the mount on the trailing arm back toward the axle.

No worries on the "hijack", I love the discussion!

Re: Super Blue
 

The Notch is the only component that is different in the Dropmember Extreme kits. On the fleetside, you would place our trailing arm x-member in its rearmost mounting holes. This locates it 1.5" further back in the frame. When running a step side bed, the trailing arm x-member is located in its forward most mounting holes (keeping it in the factory location).

These are all things that we would need to discuss if we were to build a "custom" set for somebody (that means that it varies from standard production). A few different ways to skin this cat!

I don't want to detract from Portmod's thread on his sweet little step-side. If necessary we can carry this dialogue on in a different location. :)

Re: Super Blue
 

[QUOTE=I don't want to detract from Portmod's thread on his sweet little step-side. If necessary we can carry this dialogue on in a different location. :)[/QUOTE]

Started a new thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...63#post5765563

Re: Super Blue
 

As I said guys, no worries on the "hijack". This is the kind of stuff I look forward to in a project!

Re: Super Blue
 

Now that the Holidays are over, I've finally made some progress. Not really much to look at, but I got the wiring all DONE, finally. It took me forever to do. I added a junction block/terminal to replace the "3-Way" junction in the stock harness so that I could upgrade the power wire from the alternator, and install power feeds for my EFI, electric fans, and headlight relays. Everything for the EFI is under the dash. The headlight and fan relays are in a sealed box I mounted where the old voltage regulator was.

I didn't get a chance to test the headlights or fans, but I did get to fire it up again. No issues whatsoever, I just hit the key and she fired right up. I had some issues with the first test run, but it looks like I did get them fixed. Woo hoo!

I also finally got my 3rd member back, so I have gears to put in the rear end now. Not much left to check off the list before she hits the road! :metal:

Re: Super Blue
 

That Junction box is sweet! Where did you source it?

Re: Super Blue
 

I got it from Waytek. Here is their catalog.

The only thing about these guys is that they are a distributor, so they sell most things in bulk. But the cool part is, it's so cheap it didn't even matter for me. I was able to just buy one relay/fuse block, but I had to buy like 50 terminals and seals of each size. So I've just got extra terminals and seals laying around.

Really a pretty cool source for wiring parts. Especially if you want to do weather pack connectors.

The "junction" block I spoke of earlier is actually very similar to what is on the passenger side of our trucks, I just added another from a Corvette on the driver's side near the location of the original "3-way" junction. Got mine used off ebay for like $3, you can get new ones for $20 or so I think.

Re: Super Blue
 

Waytek is a good source, n2billet turned me onto them. Next time I do a LS swap I am going to load up an orderf rom them. The relay/fuse block is what i was asking about, glad you knew what I was thinking! :lol: