ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is

[clay68c10]

Thanks! I’ve got more to post as I have time. I’ve actually been taking pics over this past 2 years, unlike the last truck.

[Ol Blue K20]

I just read through the thread and subbed to watch.

[clay68c10]

I didn’t find any of my pictures during the trailing arm repair, but here’s some after shots.
So, if you can afford to buy nice ones or new ones, do it. If it’s a clustertruck, then get out the plasma and welder.

The first one was all pooched out in the middle section and paper thin. I split it and cut out the rot, then made a repair section out of some scrap plate. Then welded it back in with fairly short stitches to avoid heating and warping.

The second wasn't all poochy but had some crust in there. I blew it apart and cleaned it up, then re-welded up the holes. I did add welds across the top and bottom in short sections for a little added rigidity.

Hit it with rust converter, then some satin rattle.

Lesson learned, get the wire wheel for your 4" grinder and a dust mask. Do this outside with a fan blowing on you or on a breezy day and stay up wind. Prepare for a hell of a red dusty mess.

[clay68c10]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

I just read through the thread and subbed to watch.

Thanks. I'll update more as I go thru my old pics.

[clay68c10]

Last summer at about this time I was realizing that I needed to get this thing stripped down to bare frame and unload some extra parts that I didn’t need.

Time for a refreshment and my helper and I got after it.

All this actually took a couple of weekends.

[clay68c10]

I sold my crusty cab to a guy that needed some cuts from it and also unloaded the drivetrain bits piece by piece.

[clay68c10]

At this point, I started checking the frame for square. Remember that bed that wouldn’t line up? Time for some quick tape measure checking.
Good news: the front 3/4 of the frame was square and true.

Bad news, from the rear axle centerline (at the shock crossmember) it was pushed over to one side.
I borrowed a tram gauge from our body guys to confirm it.
The best measurement was from the crossmember rivets, but that was not one I could take a picture of without an extra person.

[clay68c10]

If you want to spot frame damage, look for pushed up/down spots on the c-channel that aren’t symmetrical from side to side.
Like these
The first pic shows it on the right, just aft of the shock crossmember.
The second and third show the deformation to the right (front) and top of the “crooked” crossmember and the bottom left (rear). Both are pushed out away from the center of the C because the metal was compressed and had to go somewhere.
I didn’t get a good pic of the other rail, but it had low spots in similar areas because the metal was stretched and had no where to go so it pulled into the center of the C.

[clay68c10]

Another tip for frame damage on any vehicle where the damage is fresh. You can spot the damage by looking for an area where the paint (or surface rust) was rippled or blown off of the metal. It just doesn’t look right.
I’ll try to get a pic of that effect at work tomorrow, we have plenty of wrecked cars to look at.
No dice, it was raining and all our wrecks are outside.
I'll try to add a pic next week.

[clay68c10]

I tried to get that rear frame section straightened out with my hydraulic ram, but it wasn’t happening.
I did manage to blow out a pump seal trying tho
No pics that day. I was done for a bit and needed to talk to someone that actually knew what to do.

[clay68c10]

I went to our body guys and asked them about straightening a frame. We have a frame bench at work, and one guy is really good at doing frame pulls. He said it is fixable. The biggest problem I am having at home is the fact that I have no way to tie the frame down stationary so I can isolate the area that needs pulled.

They were pretty stacked up with work and it would be a few months before we could get my frame in. That was fine with me, I had plenty of other stuff to do.

I also asked if he thought it would be ok to do my frame shortening now since the part I'm cutting is straight. I figured it would be fine, and he agreed.

I had taken the chassis fab course at WyoTech and knew what I needed to do. The only difference for me at home is that I didn't have a fabricating/frame bench to keep everything stationary during the cuts. So I did the next best thing and braced the bajeebus out of it so nothing would move around after the cuts were made.

This was Labor Day weekend 2018.

[clay68c10]

My only worry was if there was any tension in this portion of the frame. The moment of truth would be in the last part of the cut. If the frame sprung apart or grabbed the cut off wheel, I would have trouble going back together.

[clay68c10]

And at that last cut, nothing moved. Not at all, not in the slightest. Whew, what a relief.

Now it was time to clamp the bajeebus out of it and measure 10 times, then weld it back together.

Using the junkyard Crown Vic jacks was a great way to level and square the frame. I had 8 of them altogether. It made small adjustments very easy and steady. They have a nice flat perch on top with a small lip on one side.

[clay68c10]

Here we are, welded with fish plates and cleaned up. Also did more measurements to ensure nothing moved around with the heat. It was still nice and square.

[clay68c10]

During all this, my kids were in and out, checking my progress. My daughter has welded before, and does pretty well. My son has wanted to but was always scared of the spatter burning him. He decided to give it a go, and was prepared to get some sparks.
He was pretty proud of what he made with my cut frame pieces.

[clay68c10]

My daughter was watching me grinding rivets and wanted to try it out. She got good at it, and has just enough sauce to hammer out the old rivets.

And a shot of her learning how to weld at my work back in 2017.

[clay68c10]

Fast forward to December, and it's time to take the frame in and get the rear portion pulled straight. I didn't take a ton of pics, I was helping out.
Long story short, its straight after this. I brought in the bed floor to confirm it would square up.

[Ol Blue K20]

Nice job on the frame. It's nice that the kids are participating. ...

[clay68c10]

They like to help out sometimes. I don't push the issue or it won't be fun for them. Really I'd just like them to have an appreciation for this kind of work. If they end up into it, then that's a bonus.

[clay68c10]

I was never set on an engine for this thing. I had acquired a core 880 block but wasn't sure I wanted to go that route.
A couple of years ago, I drove a friends 70 Chevelle with a junkyard 5.3. I was really impressed by the power, but the swap pieces were still expensive then. It seems that recently that stuff has gotten a lot cheaper.
So I pulled the trigger on this used 6.0

[cornerstone]

Lovin’ this. Keep the happy kid pics a comin’!! The truck too, of course.

[clay68c10]

Originally Posted by cornerstone

Lovin’ this. Keep the happy kid pics a comin’!! The truck too, of course.

Can do

Here's some LS stuff

I got the Speed Engineering headers since I've heard so many good things on here about them.
I'm using the donor 04 engine mounts so I have more room for the AC compressor. This is what LS1Nova71 used, and I like how he has lots of space.
I didn't find anyone using this mount/header combo, so I figured I'd try it out.

The passenger side was easy. Just bend the heat shield. The driver side took some trimming, but nothing crazy.
Here's more detail; http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...60#post8547960

[clay68c10]

If you have the whole LS donor vehicle and you are handy with the welder, you can cut out the mount perches and make them work.
I didn't, but had some box tubing scraps.
This is just a start. I'll have to make a bottom plate and bridge between it and the box tube. Maybe I'll cut the tube bottom corner out, maybe not. That's a ways off, I need to get the cab floor/rockers/corners done first. Then I can mock it all up on the frame.

[clay68c10]

And here's what got me going this direction.
From LS1Nova71. I hope you don't mind...
This way takes up so little space and puts the perches low and narrow on the crossmember. I also think these are WAY better mounts than the Pre-73 type and equal or better than the 73+.

[clay68c10]

Speaking of the cab, I need to get the bottom done before I can mock up anything for my eng/trans mounting/crossmembers.

That cab I got from my buddy was great up top and typical on bottom. So now it's time to learn some body panel welding.

I took measurements and put in some bracing, then started cutting out the rot.

The driver side is the worst, so that's where I'm starting.