47-55.1 '50 3600 re-do. Shortening things up!

[mobileortho]

Originally Posted by 57tailgater

What lights do you have on the end of the bed rails and how are they mounted? Looks pretty clean.

Thanks. I bought them on eBay awhile back. They just slide into the bed roll and fit perfectly. They’re LED and very visible. Here’s a link:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Red-Bed-Rol...-/193379897015

Mine have the clear lense but the bulb is red.

[mobileortho]

Wanted sonpmething different for tail lights. These are bagger led’s.

[joedoh]

very classy!

[mobileortho]

Thanks Joedoh, I see Bickle is coming quite nicely as well!

[mobileortho]

Aftermarket parts are hit or miss. My old hinges were chewed up so I purchased these. Kinda hard to tell from the pic but there's a noticeable gap between the tail gate and the bed.

[mobileortho]

Added another mod to my to do list. Got a set of Miata door latches.

[joedoh]

i saw you post that in the door handle thread and wondered if it was going to be part of yours. haha! neat stuff

[mobileortho]

Yeah man, I hadn’t planned on it but I stumbled across the post and liked it and thought why not?!

[mongocanfly]

we have a door handle thread ?
sure do...found it....
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...+handle&page=2
http://www.hotrodsandhemis.com/DoorLatch.html

[mobileortho]

This may come in handy as wel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmfx...&feature=share

[mobileortho]

Not much progress but I'm finding more and more stuff to fix. This mess under the dash has to go. Got a new harness from Speedway, thinking about putting it under the seat for easier accessibility. I’m getting too old to be doing contortions to get under the dash! I already have the TPI computer under there now. May end up moving the Dakota Digital components under there as well.

[joedoh]

oof thats a mess for sure!

[mobileortho]

No real progress lately but a lot of planning. I was looking into replacing the rear springs but after looking over prices, I’d be better off using a 4 link kit. There are a plethora of kits for the 1/2 ton but few offerings for the 3/4 ton. I see Fabquest makes one that interests me. Anyone have any experience with them?

https://www.fabquest.com/search-by-t...reet-rods.html

[docrock]

Just read through your build. Great work. What was the new axle out of? And how wide is it?

[mobileortho]

It’s a 8.5 10 bolt posi with 373 gears. The person I got it from said it was the original unit in his 68 Camaro, but everything I find shows that car only had 8.2s.

[mobileortho]

Placed the order for the Fulltilt rear 4-link. Still debating on coil overs or shock waves.

[mobileortho]

Got the kit in, spent time figuring out where everything goes. It doesn’t apppear to be difficult to put in.

[mobileortho]

Mocked up one side. The only minor issue I see thus far is I’m going to install the bolts on the axle mount from the opposite side, the nut hits the frame.

[oldman3]

Nice looking kit, seems well built...Jim

[mobileortho]

Progress has slowed to a crawl on my 4 link install. Still mocking things up, had the drive shaft shortened and installed and realized the yokes were different & the ujoint wouldnÂ’t work. I picked up a different one not thinking that the newer one wouldn’t fit the driveshaft and foolishly threw the old one away. It dawned on me that the old rear was also an 8.5 so I decided to just swap the yokes. This leads me to a couple of other potential issues that I need some advise on:

1. In my haste to remove the yoke, I didn’t count the threads before I removed the nut. What do you recommend I do as far as tightening it up.

2. As you can see there is a little play on the yoke. Is this normal?
https://flic.kr/p/2kh2mTn

[mobileortho]

Finally got some time to play around with it. I opted not to go with the super slammed look. It seems to be going together ok, no binding when I raise & lower the axle. Still mocking things up & when it’s all lined up, I’ll take the rear end to have the brackets tig welded & por15 the frame.

[57tailgater]

Not that I am an expert, but you may want to do some research on your panhard rod attachment location on the frame. I believe that rod should be more horizontal/parallel to the ground to reduce side-to-side movement during suspension travel.

[mobileortho]

Originally Posted by 57tailgater

Not that I am an expert, but you may want to do some research on your panhard rod attachment location on the frame. I believe that rod should be more horizontal/parallel to the ground to reduce side-to-side movement during suspension travel.

Thanks, someone else pointed that out as well. This video on YouTube was quite helpful in regards to setting up the a panhard bar. I’ll be making some modifications this weekend.

https://youtu.be/liR1--EHMg8

[mobileortho]

Anyone ever used the Watts link from Speedway Motors?

[dsraven]

I was going to point out the panhard angle as well. it should be as parallel to the ground as possible at ride height to keep the axle location, side to side, in the middle of the travel. there will always be some side to side because the panhard travels in an arc. shorter panhard means more side to side movement. that's why newer trucks with panhard bars have long bars. watts link will also take up some space you may need for exhaust if you plan a rear outlet. since you have the complete panhard rod and brackets it would be simple enough to make the rod longer or purchase a longer rod locally and make the panhard longer. I have used a length of square tubing that is too large for the job, cut a top corner out of it the size of the cross section of the frame, this is so it can be mounted vertically on the frame and go up the outside of the frame, for better stability, and also fit up tight under the frame at the bottom of the cut out to allow a longer weld. then taper the section that hangs below the frame so it is physically smaller and more appealing to the eye but becomes the mount for the rod at the frame end. mount the rod up high on the axle and the frame mount won't need to hang down as far to be level with the axle end at ride height. space the axle end away from the axle some so the rod can pass by the axle cover without contact. some will put the rod at an angle to help with this issue. that would mean the rod ends would need to be welded on an angle so they don't bind when the suspension moves.
when welding brackets on the axle ensure to do it in steps so the axle tubes don't get distorted from the heat/shrink effects of the welding. the shop you use will/should know that.
for the wiring components they could be placed on a tray under the seat with cabinet drawer sliders and a small gas strut to keep them in place and to make access easy if the need arises. a sheet of plastic would take a screw easily, without the screw protruding through to snag on carpet etc, with no worry of shorting or rattling like tin would.