LFD's 4dr Tahoe Build

[msgross]

always like to watch how esy you make things look...

are you doing trucks 100% now?

[Rokcrln]

Originally Posted by msgross

always like to watch how esy you make things look...

are you doing trucks 100% now?

No I still have about 5yrs before I go full time. I am waiting for my son to start 1st grade and by then I should have the rest of the tools I want along with the second story on my shop. I am taking a class from Ron Covell next week end and then a class from Lazzy http://www.lazze.us/ two weeks after that. I am wanting to get more proficient with a few more things before the big plunge as well. Like everyone else I am always learning

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[68chevy68]

I would love to build trucks full time. You have some amazing skills. I can't wait to see this one.

[Rokcrln]

Originally Posted by 68chevy68

I would love to build trucks full time. You have some amazing skills. I can't wait to see this one.

Yes it Will be fun but allot of work at the same time. Remember no matter how fun it is one day you will still wake up and have to go to work! Most of the work I will be doing Will be metal work on 30's-50's street rods with a few trucks from now and then I am sure. Their is allot more $ in the street rod world than in the truck market, people are just willing to spend the big $ on a 33 3window coupe but not as much on a 71 C10. At least not yet


Had a few hours in the shop today and I got the rocker all finished up, primmed inside with a weld through primmer and welded up. Then I started to work on the 4th door and getting the front half of the structure all lined up and trimmed out so the rest can get placed.

My father in-law was over so he gave me a quick hand pulling the front end off so I can get access to the fire wall for shaving and hole filling. At the same time now I have plenty of room to get at the frame for the new PorterBuilt Bling that will be heading my way in a few weeks. I hope the have the door all tacked and swinging in the next few weeks since next weekend will be two days of school with Ron Covell so the weekend after I should be hard at it.






Kevin
LFD Inc.

[Rokcrln]

Well since the cats out of the bag now I can let you all in on the new Bling coming soon. You can read about it here http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=307009 But is on of the new designed DropMembers It is the same great design as the old one but with a few small changes Nate was able to knock off $400 from the old price This will let me keep the 3/4ton and still slam it to the dirt. It will get a medium C-notch in the rear to bring things down to earth.

I will be doing a full right up and How-To on the DropMember install for anyone who wants to check it out.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[Rokcrln]

Another 6hrs down and way to many more to go! I sectioned the outer door edge were the window felts go so it would match the pass side and not drag on the glass. I just cut sections out of a donor front door and Tig'd then in place. Then I made the cradle for the fixed vent window and installed the inner door handle latch mounting area. Then 3hrs of fun started when I had to rebuild the door lock system in reverse but it is done and works great.

Their Will not be any progress until next weekend because I am taking off in an hour to head down for my class this week with Lazzy to learn the English wheel, power bead roller and other panel fabrication tools. I will be taking pics

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[Spray-Bomb]

Originally Posted by Rokcrln

I am taking off in an hour to head down for my class this week with Lazzy to learn the English wheel, power bead roller and other panel fabrication tools. I will be taking pics

Kevin
LFD Inc.

Dude, thats awesome

[Rokcrln]

So here is just a tease of what I made while in class. In most pic's you can see the flat plate I started out with, it was suck a blast! Now I need to sell Low-Buck so I can afford the tools I need to build more and more and more......

Kevin
LFD Inc.
Learning curve or a fender as Lazzy calls it.






Alum hood scoop.






Rear quarter panel.




A pillar.




This is the start of the door.

[Rokcrln]

Well good news my electric life power windows showed up today. I ordered one set to check out because they do not make a set for the rear windows of the burbs only the front's. After a few minutes of looking and a few quick measurements I do believe they will work great in the rear doors with very little modifications. If I get a few projects done Thursday I will do the mod and see how well they work. Electric life is a direct bolt in for the fronts of the Burbs, truck and blazers and very soon my rear side doors

And yes I will show a step by step to mod these for anyone else wanting power windows in all 4 locations.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[Rokcrln]

Yes it was a blast! Here is the end result of my first 3 days. I can't wait for the 5 day class

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[Rokcrln]

Well not much progress but I did get the door gap adjusted and then leaded in. Next wil be pulling the door back off and finish welding the inner panel and the front edge.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[Rokcrln]

I got allot done today and would have finished the 4th door but I ran out of gas for my TIG. I started off by adding the second skin to the front of the door edge. This is to add strength to the front edge just like the factory did. Since mine did not have the factory door edge I had to make it this way. I first welded the edge all the way up the door making sure not to warp anything. Then I added an 1/8" Tig rod to the edge of that to give a thicker profile so their is more for the paint to stick to and to give a bit more metal to to scribe for my door gap. Then I sprayed some blue die on the edge of the door so when I scribed my 3/16" gap it would be allot easier to see and grind. After that was done I started welding up the inner door panel up until I ran out of welding gas.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[MrBeast]

Kevin, the one thing I love about your builds is you can really knock the work out its like a week ago "well I just decided im gonna punch a hole in that there suburban and put a door where the factory never did" then you do, And it looks factory.

[Rokcrln]

Well to this point I am into it about 45hrs but that does include building temlpetes and paterns out of alum plate for the next time I do one of these. It will save a good 8hrs off the next one I think.

To finish the door 100% I am going to guess about 40 more hours But then the real fun gets to start

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[gferris5]

Hooray! Another LFD build!

[68GMC454]

once again another great build.. wish i had the money to buy the truck when it goes on the market...nice job on the 4th door.. keep up the great work..
billy

[skchevota]

Wow, that looks great. I will be watching this one. Just a thought. why not sell the 5.3 and buy a 5.9 cummins with the cash? I think that would be the final touch to send this one over the top. Plus it is a tow rig, right?

[Rokcrln]

Originally Posted by skchevota

Wow, that looks great. I will be watching this one. Just a thought. why not sell the 5.3 and buy a 5.9 cummins with the cash? I think that would be the final touch to send this one over the top. Plus it is a tow rig, right?

I thought about it but this will be so low I don't think a cummins would fit very well and Nate does not recommend that much weight on a power rack & pinion. With out his DropMember their is now way to get a 3/4ton that low and handle so well. Yes it will be a tow rig but it will see more cruising than towing but when towing is needed.


Here are a few pics from Fridays work. I got allot done but it does not look like anything was done at all.

This pic is with the door skin lined up just to make sure the body lines are are all right before completing the hinge post.



All looked good but I still need to change out the inner door structure from a hinge post to a strike post. You see the door does not have the same profile from the front to rear. The front of the door is thicker as seen in this pic. The inner structure sticks out more then the rear of the front door.




So after the hinge structure was all welded up and braced I drilled out the spot welds and placed the structure into the rear of a passenger side front door. What this gave me was a profile that is the same as the rear of my front drivers door. The hinge area will need some dress up work so it looks right and the door skin will need to be split and shrunk so it flows right.






Here are 2 pics showing the new door front and how well it aligns to the front skin.





Now for just a few pics from Ron Covells class this weekend out at Dominator's shop. It was worth every cent!




This is one of the cars being built by Dominator that was not part of the class but I had to get allot of pics just the same. It is a 37 Cabrio.



Kevin
LFD Inc.

[Spray-Bomb]

Dang !!!

[desertrat]

WOW Kevin, you're doing an awsome job on that burb. Makes me want one even more now.

[gferris5]

Sooo, after seeing your builds, I'm wondering: "Why's this guy taking a class!? he should be teaching!"

But seriously...
Kevin, I'm sure you have some pics somewhere else on the bb, but I'm wondering what your shop set up is like? I know you were redoing your house and stuff a long time ago, but I just am curious what you're working with.

btw, I have a good friend in Fairfield, one of these days I'll have to come bother you up in Winters!

[Rokcrln]

Originally Posted by gferris5

Sooo, after seeing your builds, I'm wondering: "Why's this guy taking a class!? he should be teaching!"

But seriously...
Kevin, I'm sure you have some pics somewhere else on the bb, but I'm wondering what your shop set up is like? I know you were redoing your house and stuff a long time ago, but I just am curious what you're working with.

btw, I have a good friend in Fairfield, one of these days I'll have to come bother you up in Winters!

Thanks. I know allot but I always feel I have even more to learn from others around me. A day that I don't learn something was a half waisted day!

My shop is just a 25x45 concrete building that was built around 1920 or so. It was the original carriage house for working on horse and buggy's back in the day. It is very cluttered (full of tools, parts and cars) and needs a second story added on soon. I have the plans drawn up for the second floor and over half the metal for it but I just don't have the time to do it right now or the break in builds to be down for as long as it will take. I will happen in the next few years before I go full time at fabricating because I will need a place for the other sheet metal fabricating tools I need to get like the English wheel, power Bead roller, shrinker and stretchers and so on. My classes next week will be with Lazzy who is an amazing metal former and it should be a great class.

Also I have Friday off so I hope to get the door just about finished up so I can start on the back half chop


Kevin
LFD Inc.


Here are a few more pics from my last class. It is a 37 sedan, glass body, tube chassis, 2000 Norstar rear mounted V8 and way too much time. This car was not built by Dominator but by a home builder that spent 7yrs and I don't even want to know how much money.









Notice the radiator hose's and were they go!

[Rokcrln]

Well the door is turning out good and should be finished by Sunday if all goes well. I had to take a slice out of the door skin to get the profile just right. I decided to use my Tig welder for this job (guess I was feeling Lucky) but I have never really Tig'd body panels just some brackets and "Play stuff". I guess luck was on my side because it turned out great and after some time of Tacking, Dollying, Tacking, Dollying and after about two hours it will only need a few good cotes of fill primmer and blocking.

Kevin
LFD Inc.











Now I am starting on the rear jamb before I tackle the upper window rail.

[Painter D]

Nice work ,and craftsmanship.

[noteron]

badazz az alwayz!!! Stop making it look so easy... Im starting to think I can do it too...