71 4X4 Frame off Restoration

[Dale_Brown]

Did not think about using my engine stand for the transmission.. Thanks for the pictures. Now I will not be wrestling this bad boy around the garage floor!

[DWilbur]

Hello Dale
The idea came to me when I was getting ready to paint the transmission it weighs over 100 lbs. I can roll it around the shop until I'm ready to install it as well.

[thebowtieranch]

Very nice build looks awesome thanks for letting me know about it. I will defineltly be following your build. Just wondering are you planning on adding a 4th door to it or just keeping it 3 door. I am going to start planning on what and where I'm going to cut this weekend and will be doing a lot of measuring and deciding if it would be better to cut the entire back of the cab off with door jams and all to make it easier to ad the 4th door but I'm not sure if they line up yet or not I'll be posting pics this weekend of my build. I plan on doing about the same set up but just a mild cammed 6.0 4l80e combo . Gets the job done would really like a 6l80e but they are outrageous. And my funds are limited at this time. I was wanting to run a sm465 at first but decided an automatic with overdrive would be more sutible for my needs. I already have a long bed and really want to have the extra bed room also. I'm getting my bed lined with linex I have it in my 04 z71 and I love it strongest liner ever and life time warranty. Can't wait to see more keep up the good work.

[DWilbur]

Hello thebowtierranch
I'm keeping the cab as 3 door. some guys cut the suburban half way through the back door and cut the back of the truck cab half way through the front doors and lower the roof to match up with the truck cab and add the 4th door. if you google 67 to 72 crew cab you can find several builds and different ways to fit the part together. their are several members on this site doing the same thing. good luck with your build.

[DWilbur]

I finely fixed the shock mounts on the rear axel to match the mounts on the frame. the axel is out of a 1973 truck and 1 shock goes back the other goes forward. finish painting the axel the afternoon.

[AirSpeed]

Originally Posted by ryanroo

beefy looking combo DWilbur!






where have you been?!? haha. the atlas has been around for a while. i think the original is old enough to vote!

made by AA and in pretty much all of the "cool" off road rigs in the late 90s and through today. the atlas II has a pretty solid track record.

if you would like a 205 rear output brake, Jesse at high angle driveline will be able to help. i am sure there are a few others that make them as well, maybe NWfab. they can be home made also, but for the time and design invested, id buy it. for the ultimate in holding power, a rear output band brake would be ideal. not to many options there.

May be a dumb question but what is the brake for?

[ryanroo]

it is a parking brake. instead of setting the rear drums you set this brake. or if you have disks in the rear with no parking brake capabilities.

[DWilbur]

That's correct it is used as a parking break. I replaced the rear drum breaks with disk breaks. I tried the Cadillac Eldorado break calipers and I can't find a right and left side to get the parking break function to work so I went with the disk break on the T-case.

[DWilbur]

Wednesday I dropped off 10 pieces for power coating inter fenders hood hinges and latch and some frame parts. I bead blasted some nuts and bolts after I replaced the glass bead media in my blast cabinet works much beater now. kept clogging up. I picked up factory alt/ power steering pump bracket for my engine at local junk yard Friday cleaned it up and installed it. Installed the Vintage Air AC pump today.

[7dee2]

Looks good!

[DWilbur]

Friday I picked up the part I dropped of about a week ago for power coating. The front inner fender wells, grill parts, hood hinges, hood latch. I stopped by Sky's Hot Rods to see how things went while Sky was on vacation for 3 weeks and nothing was done body wise. As the old saying goes ( when the cat is away the mice will play) Next week the gas tank door will be installed in the bed. hopefully it will fit on the left side of the bed in front of the rear wheel. I bought a new gas tank a while ago it's about 28 gallons to fit in-between the frame rails under the bed.

[rgunlock]

Those parts look like they came out real nice.

[DWilbur]

Hello Rick
Yes the power coating looks good. The only thing I was not aware of is power coating moving parts as they get stuck together. The hood latch took some massaging to get it to function. Then I used silicon grease to get it working like new. It was a learning curve for me. Next time I will take the moving parts apart and have them coated separately.

[DWilbur]

I dropped off the gas tank and gas tank door I cut out of 2004 Suburban for Sky to install the gas door on the left side. good thing is the tank is set up for left side fill. I should be getting my frame back by the end of the month so I can fit the NV4500 and Atlas T-case cross member then the frame can be power coated. Final body work will start in about a week.

[DWilbur]

A picture of the gas tank door installed I dropped off the filler neck and tubing today. Sky will mount the gas tank so he can set up the filler tubing. Missing rubber body mount for the radiator core support this is the 3rd time I have ordered rubber mounts from LMC.

[swamp rat]

Is that a saddle tank?

[DWilbur]

Hay swamp rat
No it not a saddle tank. It will be mounted under the bed in-between the frame rails. I bought an aftermarket gas tank about a year ago for about $120.00 on line. Its about 25 or 28 gallons. I don't have a picture of it to share what it looks like.

[swamp rat]

Ok,The pic is so close i cant tell if its driver or passenger side.. maybe the finger recess is throwing me?

[DWilbur]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Ok,The pic is so close i cant tell if its driver or passenger side.. maybe the finger recess is throwing me?

The gas door is left side in front of the rear axle.

[DWilbur]

Found out that the gas tank I bough does not fit it's to tall and to close to the rear axle. found a company in New Jersey that will custom build one for about $400. I got quotes from $500 to $1,500. I sent them the info we will see how it goes.
Sky got the front end installed today and started to break down the doors for media blasting removing the door locks and window cranks. Getting closer can't wait to get the frame back and fit the transmission cross member.

[mud.man.rj]

On this site everyday but missed this somehow, what a great build, really well thought out. Sure is a lot of work, especially on the cab. Will be watching for more. Thanks for sharing the build.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by DWilbur

Found out that the gas tank I bough does not fit it's to tall and to close to the rear axle. found a company in New Jersey that will custom build one for about $400. I got quotes from $500 to $1,500. I sent them the info we will see how it goes.
Sky got the front end installed today and started to break down the doors for media blasting removing the door locks and window cranks. Getting closer can't wait to get the frame back and fit the transmission cross member.

If you havent already contact Boyd Welding here on the forum he will make a custom tank too but may have one you can use already?

http://www.boydwelding.com/

http://www.fueltankparts.com/replace...evy-tanks.html

[DWilbur]

I called Boyd welding and they wanted 500 to 700. I'm working with Speedy tanks and they quoted me 420 for the tank. I sent them a PDF drawing this morning of the tank for a final quote. see what happens.

[DWilbur]

Originally Posted by mud.man.rj

On this site everyday but missed this somehow, what a great build, really well thought out. Sure is a lot of work, especially on the cab. Will be watching for more. Thanks for sharing the build.

Hello mud man
Thanks for checking out my build. I can't wait for the real fun to start when I get to put it back together and start the engine for the first time.

[Dieselwrencher]

Looking good! That tank you got may be for a suburban. I got one for my truck and it wouldn't fit either. But I looked at a 72 burb I have and it looks like it will fit in there perfectly.