maxxy's 81 bagged c10 build

[maxxxy]

what do you guys think of an 88-98 door handle on my 81. i kinda did a photoshop in paint.

[dv8customs]

I am pretty certain your drive shaft isn't going to clear those support thingies.

[grayharville]

i agree about the driveshaft hitting the support thingys, it looks close. might have to build a different style of thingy.

[maxxxy]

The support had more clearance than the stock support had and it seems everything will clear, but I figure if when it's aired out and it doesn't clear, I'll just remove the brackets and notch the support

[Chevy623]

I like the newer door handles on these trucks.

If your going with a bright colorful paint, i'd use the early model handles because their smooth and paintable. my '95 has the textured black ones and i hate them. just my .02.

[JohnC]

Only bad thing I have seen about the 88-98 handles on the 73-87 trucks is that you have to put them lower in the door, and after awhile they tend to want to pull out. A guy I know did it, and after awhile he wished he would have just shaved them all together. My uncle has shaved doors on his 85, and a keyless remote that works the poppers. That's the way I would go.

[RandyP]

Knowing all the door handles on cars and trucks over the years, and seeing how they all react while frozen, I'm sort of amazed GM went away from the push button type like the squares have. I never really remember replacing outside handles very frequently until the 88's came out. Since then, during winter I'll try to keep a drivers outside handle in stock for modern trucks. Frozen handle, and a deep desire to gain entry with force, equals breakage these days.

[JohnC]

Yeah the door handles on my 03 aren't very strong at all. I know 3 or 4 people that have broken theirs due to the door being stuck with the colder weather. I make sure I'm extra gentle with mine due to it.

[dv8customs]

Originally Posted by maxxxy

The support had more clearance than the stock support had and it seems everything will clear, but I figure if when it's aired out and it doesn't clear, I'll just remove the brackets and notch the support

When laid out your drive shaft will be much higher. You WILL need to notch the cross member you built so I wouldn't weld it in solid just yet.

[BGRAFX]

Here my 2cents about shaved doors. They look great on a weekend cruiser/ show truck but for a DD they can cause problems when the popper gets stuck or the doors get frozen shut. I had both things happen to me on my shaved door burb about 10yrs ago. I was stuck with no way to get into the truck.

[dv8customs]

Originally Posted by BGRAFX

Here my 2cents about shaved doors. They look great on a weekend cruiser/ show truck but for a DD they can cause problems when the popper gets stuck or the doors get frozen shut. I had both things happen to me on my shaved door burb about 10yrs ago. I was stuck with no way to get into the truck.

I had shaved doors on my Nova and drove it daily for several years with no issues. Of course it doesn't get as cold down here in Texas

[joe231]

Originally Posted by BGRAFX

Here my 2cents about shaved doors. They look great on a weekend cruiser/ show truck but for a DD they can cause problems when the popper gets stuck or the doors get frozen shut. I had both things happen to me on my shaved door burb about 10yrs ago. I was stuck with no way to get into the truck.

that's why you hide a manual release some where accessible from the outside

Originally Posted by maxxxy

yall were right. i lowered the truck off the jack stands and the driveshaft doesnt clear. darn. :/

if the rod ends break and my whole truck falls apart i guess you guys can say i told you so. haha if i were to get rid of the all thread, what would you suggest i used to replace it to make my bars adjustable?

i was thinking the 88-98 handles are just more smooth with the body and give it the smooth look of being shaved but with the reliability of an actual handle. you suggest just keeping the stock handles?

You could use the ends you have and weld them to pipe and get something like this
http://www.*****************/4-link-p...d-zerk-fitting
or find you some higher grade studs to weld on or bolts and cut the heads off
There is a build on another forum (I believe) who smoothed the ridges off the stock handles, it looked very custom

[Chlsnk]

Sweet truck! I would kill to get a truck that cheep for what it has already done to it!

[justpball]

I have had shave doors on more car,trucks then I can remember, if they are set up right and have a good back up you will have no problems... I let some talk me out of shaving my burb... wish I would have done it now...

[BGRAFX]

You guys in the southern states don't have ice storms or 6ft of snow. So shave away those mirrors and door handles.
Mine was done when I bought in the middle of summer. When its 100* I wasn't thinking about winter time until mid december I went out to go to work and my door poppers wouldnt open.

[justpball]

LOL...you mean it gets colder then 50?....

[Davidmichael]

Yeah shaved doors would never work for me. I work the graveyard shift and in winter the temp can go into the single digits.

[maxxxy]

yall were right. i lowered the truck off the jack stands and the driveshaft doesnt clear. darn. :/

if the rod ends break and my whole truck falls apart i guess you guys can say i told you so. haha if i were to get rid of the all thread, what would you suggest i used to replace it to make my bars adjustable?

i was thinking the 88-98 handles are just more smooth with the body and give it the smooth look of being shaved but with the reliability of an actual handle. you suggest just keeping the stock handles?

[primrrd]

the 88 on handles look pretty cool.
back in the late 80's - 90's when that was popular I would have every bodyman I knew cutting out and saving the handle mounts out of the doors and skins they replaced on the stock trucks for me. To add those handles was really double work from shaving handles... cause you had to shave the original handle, and cut and weld in the new handle skin/mount.
those 88 and up doors )ck) were easy to "pop" (thieves could jimmy under the handle with a thin screwdriver and work the lock rod..)
they made a theft preventer back then that was bolt on.. i used to double the area behind with tacking in an extra strip of sheet metal (typically trimed
off of the same door skin that the handle hole came out of ) to strengthen and help prevent a popper from access.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by maxxxy

yall were right. i lowered the truck off the jack stands and the driveshaft doesnt clear. darn. :/

if the rod ends break and my whole truck falls apart i guess you guys can say i told you so. haha if i were to get rid of the all thread, what would you suggest i used to replace it to make my bars adjustable?

Ok, devils advocate here.

Let me start by saying I have no disrespect for your efforts. That being said, the 'pre' welding prep looks almost non-existent in your pics. That pic w/the modified spring hanger tacked in place looks like it was tacked w/o any cleaning what-so-ever of the base material. Cleaning your 2 pieces down to fresh metal is Welding 101.

The use of all thread for a rod end sounds dangerous. Saying "I told you so" will mean nothing to the man whose family you just killed when your driving down the road & your modified-parts break (potentially causing loss of control thus possibly causing a fatal accident). You should be striving for 100% OVERKILL/over-build on everything; "it will do" does not apply when building/fabbing suspension parts in your driveway.

[nbpro]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Ok, devils advocate here.

Let me start by saying I have no disrespect for your efforts. That being said, the 'pre' welding prep looks almost non-existent in your pics. That pic w/the modified spring hanger tacked in place looks like it was tacked w/o any cleaning what-so-ever of the base material. Cleaning your 2 pieces down to fresh metal is Welding 101.

The use of all thread for a rod end sounds dangerous. Saying "I told you so" will mean nothing to the man whose family you just killed when your driving down the road & your modified-parts break (potentially causing loss of control thus possibly causing a fatal accident). You should be striving for 100% OVERKILL/over-build on everything; "it will do" does not apply when building/fabbing suspension parts in your driveway.

x 2 research and homework is always a must imo

[SCOTI]

Thanks guys.

I always want to encourage guys w/their fabrication but it must come w/full responsibility for everyone else on the road. I would not/could not live w/myself if I caused harm to someone elses loved one because of a poor quality job.

I'm still learning as well. I'll take the advice & constructive criticism from my peers & use it as a tool to improve. I didn't want to come off sounding like I'm a pro criticizing anothers efforts.

[steppside69]

Are you welding with a Mig or Stick welder? Awesome find Are there bags all th way around?

[maxxxy]

On the shaved doors and poppers, I know a lot about them and how they work but I I don't know about the emergency manual unlock. How does that work? Where do you hide it?

I don't think my welder can handle more than grade 5. And where do you find 3/4" bolts?

[scotts62]

I got the 1" ones, yeah they are a little more but that is your suspension your playing with and i want to be safe than sorry.

If you need something welded just haller.