53 3100 - complete rebuild and upgrade . . . .

[youngrodder]

Looking great Dan...

Marc

[dsraven]

good thing you took those seats out now. you might never get out of the cab otherwise. haha

[big_dan]

Thanks for the input, fellas. Still hammering down; right now chassis is fully welded, POR-15 in progress. And yes, the seats are quite comfortable!

Dan

[big_dan]

Spent a week wrapping up the chassis. 3 coats of POR-15 then a light scuff and some satin black to keep the glare down; that POR-15 is ridiculously glossy. I'll start final assembly on the chassis, finish wrapping up the 5.3/TKX, etc in the next few weeks. One bite at a time-

Thanks for looking-

Dan

[Rickysnickers]

Good job!

[big_dan]

Piddling along making progress slowly. Installed crossmembers, gas tank, just tinkering along. Also found a pic of the 53 when it was first finished back in 94-95. More later -

Dan

[dsraven]

looks good. I am a little partial to red though. is that GM torch red by chance?

[big_dan]

Originally Posted by dsraven

looks good. I am a little partial to red though. is that GM torch red by chance?

I'm a red truck guy myself! Not sure on the exact color, though.

Dan

[big_dan]

Wrapped up the weekend with a good bit of progress. Rear suspension is close to being assembled, front is moving along as well. More later -

Dan

[dsraven]

nice.
I love how clen your shop looks. now, time to get it messy and have parts laid out all over the place. haha

[big_dan]

Originally Posted by dsraven

nice.
I love how clen your shop looks. now, time to get it messy and have parts laid out all over the place. haha

Thanks! I tend to clean up between steps so it doesn't get to be too much of a mess. Still tinkering on the chassis, though. Rough alignment is done, starting to run fuel and brake lines so soon we can check the chassis off the list.

More later -

Dan

[big_dan]

Still making headway. Chassis is now officially back on its own suspension for the first time since September of 2019, so I'm stoked about that. Took the time and got the alignment close to save time later, and then set it up on my "custom" jackstands. Cleaned up a little, then slapped the engine on the table to check bellhousing runout, clean everything up and do the cam swap. More later - thanks for looking-

Dan

[youngrodder]

Looks really good. Keep at it Dan.

Marc

[big_dan]

Quick update. Still making good progress; spent the last few weekends routing e-brake cables, test fitting the seat frame a few more times and sent the headers off for coating. Also cam swap is in progress, got the bellhousing dowels replaced with offset dowels and dialed in - and fooling around with a "weight distribution" idea.

More soon -

Dan

[joedoh]

looks outstanding!!

[big_dan]

This next part may be controversial, but . . . .

Every truck I've owned has been too light in the rear, so I knew I wanted some weight in the back but didn't know how much. I mocked up the bed, fiberglass fenders, running boards, etc to see how the rear suspension acted. Of course, it was a little stiff. I "added" the weight of a full tank of gas and played around with extra weight till I had a little more motion, and finally decided I needed around 80-100 pounds added out back. So how? I dug around and had a piece of stainless plate from a past job and started whittling away. 1-1/2" stainless plate, 6"×36", is 94 lbs. Perfect. I bent up some brackets and hung it under the gas tank. With the plate installed and 100 lbs of gas, the plate sits 6.5" off the ground. If it's too much, I wasted a morning, but I can drop it in 30 minutes, so we'll see what happens. Still moving along - thanks for looking-

Dan

[dsraven]

now thats thinking outside the box-so to speak. lol.

[6DoF]

i normally don't run a spare, but added a full size 37" spare to the back of my jeep for the same reason. better ride, better balance, but it's more weight swinging wide around a corner ... not like the jeep corners anyways.

any way to run more fuel or relocate functional items back there vs just added mass? you know, cuz racecar.

[joedoh]

shoulda cut "BIG DAN" into it and put it on top of the notch!

looks a little low to me for steep entrances but if you drag it once in a while will it even show?

[big_dan]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

i normally don't run a spare, but added a full size 37" spare to the back of my jeep for the same reason. better ride, better balance, but it's more weight swinging wide around a corner ... not like the jeep corners anyways.

any way to run more fuel or relocate functional items back there vs just added mass? you know, cuz racecar.

I actually started with way more weight, then deducted fuel weight, bed, etc. The actual plate i started with was 1-1/2×18×36 (300 lbs). Once I figured what I needed it was water-jetted to size. Fingers crossed it works!

Originally Posted by joedoh

shoulda cut "BIG DAN" into it and put it on top of the notch!

looks a little low to me for steep entrances but if you drag it once in a while will it even show?

It should be 6-1/2" from the ground and hidden by the license plate if my ciphering is correct . . . . But I like your idea too!

Thanks for looking - more later-

Dan

[big_dan]

Minor progress- finished the cam swap and got the LS back together and cleaned it up a bit. Waiting on the clutch, then I'll go ahead and land the engine / trans in the chassis for good. More later -

Dan

[big_dan]

More forward progress. Waiting on a longer hose for the hydraulic clutch,
so shifted directions for a day or two. I've had the Raingear wiper system patiently waiting on the shelf, so went ahead and got that installed - wow, that was fun. Finished up the front dress on the engine also - happy to say belt length was correct on the first try. Anyone that runs an ICT alternator kit #551519; belt is 79". Still moving along - thanks for looking -

Dan

[dsraven]

Looks clean. Will you install a heat shield on the balance pipe to protect the trans seal and u joint? Not needed?

[big_dan]

Originally Posted by 57FleetsideC4

Coming along nice Dan. Headers look great. What size tubes are they 2"? Steve

They're 1-3/4" with 3" collectors; planning for an aggressive 6.0 in the future.

Originally Posted by dsraven

Looks clean. Will you install a heat shield on the balance pipe to protect the trans seal and u joint? Not needed?

I think there's plenty of clearance, but I do plan to wrap the H-pipe regardless.

Thanks all-

Dan

[big_dan]

And a little more progress. With no real bodywork to fight with, I'm at the assembly point finally. Finished installing the EFI manifold, put some color on the firewall, finished installing the exhaust, moving along. Hoping to have the cab mounted for good in the next month or so. More later-

Dan