Re: my build thread
 

Thanks guys.
Here is a progress video.

Re: my build thread
 

Very nice work! Your truck is gonna look wicked!

Re: my build thread
 

Thanks man! :metal:

Re: my build thread
 

Well here's an update since the last one. I brought the frame home, primed and painted it. I've also made my rack and pinion adapter sleeves, drilled out my ball joint taper and pressed in a sleeve, typically when you buy a dropmember kit they tell you to drill your ball joint hole out to 5/8. But it only cleans up about half the hole. I didn't really feel safe like that so I reamed my hole out to 3/4 and pressed in a sleeve to 5/8 and its a really tight fit on the bolt. No slop. I ordered a full poly bushing kit for the front end and getting the old ones out was a huge PITA. I got my 5/8 to 3/4 high missalignment spacers in the mail the other day.
Here are some pics.
Reaming out the hole.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...m/8958b903.jpg
Sleeve pressed in.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...m/0b48517b.jpg
Rack and pinion adapter sleeves I made out of 1'' 1045 TGP and 5/8 to 3/4 high misalignment spacers.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...m/c27ea988.jpg
Old bushings
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...m/9a55fcbe.jpg
Truck as it sits in the garage now.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...m/bcfd8a4e.jpg

Re: my build thread
 

I know this is a little late but I just noticed in your pics there aren't any plates welded the the sides of the frame where it is Z'ed. I have always heard you should weld a plate on each side of the frame rail, overlapping the gussets and tying both sections of the frame together. I think they are called "fish plates" or something like that. Never done a Z so don't know for sure.

Re: my build thread
 

I fish plated the outside of the rails with 1/4". Should be plenty. Check out the video.

Re: my build thread
 

Cool! Are you keeping the 305? Have you test fit it with the Z?

Re: my build thread
 

bad ass truck bro , you are making me wanna z mine front and rear now , only thing stoping me is cost of steel , you could of made a brandnew frame from scratch , look at all the bling toys you got to play with . bad ass see ya on the road some time .

Re: my build thread
 

Thanks for the kind words bro, I'm very fortunate to have the the knowledge of machining and having that whole shop at my disposal, I'd love to set up a machine shop if I ever bought a house. I know I could have made a complete frame but I felt that was a little over my head when I started. If I get another parking spot I'd love to pick up a registered 1964 but its the 1963 body style Suburban and I'd build a full frame for it.

Come'on man a stick of 2x4 is only 72 bucks, I built my whole back half with 1 stick and then some extra 2x3 for the body drop, pick up a stick and start cuttin!

Re: my build thread
 

I haven't tried to fit any motor in thier yet. I have a 350 for it that I was planning on using. I would imagine that the 305 would fit just about the same. That thing is a monster.

Re: my build thread
 

Well today I got my poly bushings in the mail, I figured out they didn't come with the metal sleeves around them and I completely demolished mine removing them. So I decided instead of trying to find some new ones I'll just build new tubeular upper arms. I got a basic sketch drawn up. I'll start building jig off of my stock ones tomorrow. I went over to my good budy Luke's (frenchblue72) house and checked out his Strong Arms to get some ideas. Pretty stoked about it. Gonna have to run inner fender less now!
Bushings
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...m/15af3a4e.jpg
Rough sketch idea.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...m/4a32f4ce.jpg

Re: my build thread
 

Sam glad ya came over today Im getting some serious motivation on my ride cleaned up the shop and am ready to kill the shop with metal shavings and major truck progress.. It cool to actually know someone local who is building the same thing as me makes me wanna actually work on mine..

Re: my build thread
 

i like the sketch!!

Re: my build thread
 

Thanks man. Hopefully I can bring it to life.

Re: my build thread
 

You know I will man.
Didn't have the motivation to build a jig today but I priced out my steel for the set of uppers. 6' of 1 1/4 wall dom and 1.5' of 3/8 cr. Runs about 70 bucks. Now jus gotta find someone to bend 1 1/4.

Re: my build thread
 

I could bend that, but I'm not close to you.

Re: my build thread
 

Found someone to bend my tube. Put an ad up on CL and a guy that used to come into the machine shop alot replied. He said we could trade machining for bending but then I reminded him who I was and he said free.
Pretty stoked to get started on them.

Re: my build thread
 

Hurry up sam I wanna see em finished at this rate your truck will be done before your dads car hahahahahahaha

Re: my build thread
 

Haha I hear ya Luke. And all he needs is interior and wheels! Altho I couldn't imagine building a car of that caliber. I get nervous just standing around it. I couldn't imagine working on it.

Re: my build thread
 

Got started on my tube UCA's. Started the jig and made my 3/8 ball joint plates.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...m/8908222f.jpg

Re: my build thread
 

Got my jig made up for my control arms. Decided to build the jig on a something so I can keep it in case I want to build some more. Got my card board templates. Might get the tubing bent this weekend.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...m/7c078fd2.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...m/b0e8cb95.jpg
Card board templates of the tubes and ball joint plate bolted down. These have the exact deminsions as stock control arms. I might build another set down the road with a more mellow ball joint angle.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...m/25857e35.jpg

Re: my build thread
 

Well I called up my buddy to see about getting my tubing bent and he was just heading out for a long weekend. So maybe next week I can get the tubing bent.

Re: my build thread
 

Dude that sucks... I may have you machine me out something for my watts link and I may pick your brain on suggestions on how make it looks super clean..

Re: my build thread
 

I'm down. :metal:

Re: my build thread
 

Got my A arms made up. Turned out great! I made left and right jigs off of the factory arms in case I ever want to make more.

Re: my build thread
 

Those turned out nice :thumbs:

What wall thickness is that 1.250 DOM?

Re: my build thread
 

It's 1/4" wall. Pretty gnarly stuff.
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: my build thread
 

Wow, that's awesome! Are you gonna try making some lowers too?

Re: my build thread
 

I've been kicking around the idea of some lowers in my head quite a bit.
I'm not sure tho.
There is alot more riding on the lowers than the uppers.

I have plenty of tubing left over to make some tho wasn't sure how he was going to be able to bend it but it only took about 4 feet for the uppers.

I know I could make them but at the same time its a confidince thing.
I'm a machinest not a fabricator lol.
I need to build something safe.

Re: my build thread
 

Took my arms over to Luke's house today. Media basted them and then he powedercoated them for me. Turned out spectacular.
Thanks for all the help today Luke.

Re: my build thread
 

those look great. you are making hard for me not to build some uppers. you make it look easy. keep up the great work.

Re: my build thread
 

Honestly it wasn't too hard. I just made my jig off of the factory arms, made some bushing sleeves, and had the tubing bent so it looked close, took a while for the final fit and finish... But all in all I figure I have about a day in them. Jig to finish.

Re: my build thread
 

So now its just reassemble frame and mount cab? Or are you gonna build lower arms? Let me know I wanna help...

Re: my build thread
 

I do eventually want to build lowers. But for now I think I'm just going to run my modified stock ones for now. I'll throw an ad up on CL for a set of lowers to build a jig off of. I'm just ready to have it back to a roller.
I've got a few things I want to do to the cab before I put it back on. Shave the drip rail/ shave the firewall shelf thing or whatever you did in your build and plug all the extra holes in the fire wall.
Did you go down to the shop and find that mesh?

Re: my build thread
 

Got the front end of my truck back together and made this video.

Re: my build thread
 

Cool you got mad skills bro :metal:

Re: my build thread
 

it looks great man! keep it up!

Re: my build thread
 

Thanks guys!

Re: my build thread
 

Yesterday I rolled it outside and layed it out in my drive way, just cuz lol. Looks pretty sweet, front end needs some more work to get it all dialed in but its rolling for now. The rack is just ratchet strapped to the cross member.
Then totally off subject but for the past few years I've been working out of a messy tool bag so a few days ago I bought a vintage Snap On roll away and today I bought a Craftsman top box and completed my set of ratchet wrenches with a set of metrics. Anyways when the Snap On box is restored I'll bring it home and put them together. Its so nice to finally be organized, I've got a small garage so the more organized the better.

Re: my build thread
 

DUUDE NICE WORK !!, JUST A IDEA HAVE YOU TRIED RUNNING THE TIE ROD ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SPINDLE? NOT SUCH A ANGEL, I DID THAT ON A 66 PRERUNNER SEEMED TO WORK OUT WELL, NICE JOB ON THE ARMS:metal: