85 GMC Sierra Classic 1 Ton Crew Cab

[1985-GMC]

I would try to move the ball up so the square part of the ball sits flush with the tube. The trailer hitch will be a little close to the bed like that and once you get a little dirt & water down in there it will make it hard to get the ball out especially if it sits a while

[Mattman2010]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Hey, you lost your chickens that were in your trailer!

Nice work. For the release mech, just get a long hitch pin and a spring. add a bracket to your hitch and set it up so that the spring holds pressure on the hitch pin to keep it in the ball. Then on the bracket on the side of the frame cut a hole and get some smooth 1/4" meound stock and make a handle for it. Pull the handle out and mark where the handle is out side your gn bracket. Weld another piece on top of the rod there and that will be your stop for when you pull it out. The GN bracket will hold your hitch pin out so you can remove your ball.

Thanks man, yeah we talked about doing it that way. I think I'm going to try that method. We will see what I come up with.

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

I would try to move the ball up so the square part of the ball sits flush with the tube. The trailer hitch will be a little close to the bed like that and once you get a little dirt & water down in there it will make it hard to get the ball out especially if it sits a while

Already done! Forgot to take a picture of that.
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[1985-GMC]

Hmm, I didn't really think of that but one of our B&W hitches doesn't have a stop; the ball will slide all the way through...

[ryanroo]

Glad to hear you are boxing the frame. thats what all the cool kids do anyhow. people who dont are just silly.

(hehehe)


here is a pic of what i did to prep for a reciever. i wishi had spaced the pattern out a little more, but i have an idea on what to do for that.

not exactly what you are working with, but the concept would be the same. similar to your front cross-member bolts

[Mattman2010]

Originally Posted by ryanroo

Glad to hear you are boxing the frame. thats what all the cool kids do anyhow. people who dont are just silly.

(hehehe)


here is a pic of what i did to prep for a reciever. i wishi had spaced the pattern out a little more, but i have an idea on what to do for that.

not exactly what you are working with, but the concept would be the same. similar to your front cross-member bolts

I get what you mean about boxing the frame, who wouldnt do that?

As for the receiver. The one I have bolts to the bottom of the frame. I think I am just going to weld some nuts inside the frame for that to mount for now. I plan on doing what you did with the bumper mounting holes. Im going to run a stock rear bumper for now. When I make my custom bumper my receiver will attach where the bumper attaches so sleeving that will make it really strong. As much as I would love to build the bumpers now I really need to get this thing going. I have a ton of money into this thing because I have changed my mind a lot on it, and it seems lately I could really use this truck

[Dieselwrencher]

Ryanroo, were you in to skate boarding before trucks?

[ryanroo]

color me stupid, i dont get it?

[Dieselwrencher]

Well you seem real good at skatin.

[ryanroo]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Well you seem real good at skatin.

I shred man...

I hear what your saying about the money...

[Mattman2010]

Well I have been working on the latch system for the gn hitch. So far so good. I needed a long pin and I couldnt find a really long pin so I took two pins and welded them together. The weld does not have any kind of force on it other than when you pull on the pin to release the ball. So it should be good to go.

Here is the pin. It is two 5/8s hitch pins welded together. You can see the bracket that I made that the springs will push on to push the pin in. It also acts as the stop when the springs bottom out. I put a 5/8s shaft collar on the end of the springs to allow for the pin to be replaced if I ever need to replace it.



Here is a video of how it works. I took it with my phone so sorry about the quality of it.

It does not slide in and out as good as it should right now because I dont have the stopping plate mounted.

[Mattman2010]

I got the handle started. As you can see I bent it into a U shape. The part that is not connected to the pin will be used to hold the pin out. It will get cut down and when the pin is push in all the way that part will set on top of he frame. When I pull the pin out I will turn the handle and use the frame to hold the pin out. I have to get the rear cross member welded in and then I will mount the stop for the pin.

[Devillusion]

...nice! I like it.

[Mattman2010]

Got the stopping plate and handle all done here is a video of how it works.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps321cd152.mp4
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[Dieselwrencher]

Nice work!

[Mattman2010]

Well tonight I was going to start on welding all of the nuts for the bolts that hold on all of my rear suspension brackets but started looking at some things that i should probably get done before I start doing the boxing.

First off here is a picture of the steel that I will be using


The first problem I noticed was one of the cross members in the truck. The way it is factory made is really going to make it hard to go about boxing in that part of the frame. So I am going to cut it out and replace it with some 2x1/4.


I then also have to push my front rear spring hangers in toward the frame some. When I first mounted them they I did not notice that they where not flat against the frame and so I need to fix that and probably going to add 2 more bolts into the bracket to the frame.


The last thing I need to do is add some support for the bottom of the shackle flip bracket to the bottom of the frame.


One step forward three steps back it seems. Just gotta keep plugging along!

[Mattman2010]

Well today I got the cross member cut out and got a new one tacked in place. I seemed to have forgoten to take pictures of it. I will tomorrow. I also added 2 more bolts to my front rear spring hangers and got them all pulled up tight to the frame so they are now correctly mounted. Should hopefully have all the templates I need made tomorrow so I can start cutting some steel!

[Mattman2010]

Here is a picture of the new cross member tacked into place.



I was also able to make the templates for the steel for the rear part of the frame.

[Mattman2010]

Well I started cutting out the steel for the rear. I hate using card board as templates as it flexes to much so when you transfer it to steel its usually to big. But it is probably better to have to grind it to fit so that it is a tighter fit.

[meatwagon83]

hey you can come to my house and put a gooseneck hitch in my truck!!

[ryanroo]

Looking good Matt!

[Mattman2010]

Originally Posted by meatwagon83

hey you can come to my house and put a gooseneck hitch in my truck!!

Probably would be easier to bring your truck to my shop!

Originally Posted by ryanroo

Looking good Matt!

Thanks man! Between you and Dieselwrencher I want to bag the rear of my truck too But i gotta get this hoe running.

[Mattman2010]

Got the two other pieces cut that I need to cut for the driver side of the frame.





Got one on the passenger side cut and fitted into the frame, have one more cut out for the passenger side still needs fitted and the last one still needs cut out and fitted. Going to head back to the shop here soon.

[Mattman2010]

And here are the last pieces cut and fitted.

[ryanroo]

Better get to burning wire, son.

also, i hope you trim that rec. tube. itll get all in the way when you bag the rear hangin down like that

[1985-GMC]

Ive tried to tell him but he doesn't listen... lol jk matt

BTW Ryan quit putting ideas in peoples heads! haha