Lost and Forgotten 51

[67_ShortFleet]

Looking good!

[PurdueSD]

Thanks!

Big news today! Front end is finally settled, although my budget it on life support.

[ChuckDriver]

Cool project!

[sparks54]

nice work on the rear... looking foward to seeing your front end pics.

[PurdueSD]

Couple updates to add:

I've got some 15x5 steel oe style wheels on order. (powder-coated black)

Settled on some Coker Firestone bias ww in 6.70-15 for rubber, just need to get them ordered.

So... ive been spending some time studying up and mocking up my front suspension.

Got my dad to stop by today to help me set the front clip back in place so i could check some things before tacking in my front crossmember. Here's a couple mockup shots that show where my ride height and tire placement should end up. I am pretty happy with it, should be perfect for a driver!

[chevyboy73]

sweet truck! staying with that color or gonna repaint it? looks like it is crying in one of the pictures of you washing it!

[BILL48]

truck looks great are you going with the wide white wall tires ?

[PurdueSD]

I'm sick of always having a "project" instead of a vehicle. This ones getting some scuffed marroon rustoleum on the new parts and its gunna be a driver. It can always be torn back apart later for paint. I think thats the biggest mistake ive made in mt 16 year journey. Between this truck and my 54 ive never even had one on the road.

Tires are going to be wide white firestone bias (actually made by coker). 6.70-15
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[Russell Ashley]

Sounds like a good plan to me.

[Maximus]

trucks coming along great,
may I ask why this 54' hasn't shown its face in this thread?

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by PurdueSD

I'm sick of always having a "project" instead of a vehicle.

i feel your pain
mine was apart for 8 years
the more you tear apart
the more you have to fix
to get it back together

your truck is looking good

[PurdueSD]

TEASER!

[PurdueSD]

Got to cross one item off my list today! Hate to admit to the amount of time mounting my tank took though... I started off with 40 gallon suburban tank which i quickly found i didn't care for how far it hung down. Needed a tank with a low pressure internal pump to support the tbi 350 from the donor burb. I didn't have the money to spend on a $800 custom tank and pump, so some research led me to a 20 gallon s-10 blazer tank/pump/ sender from the same late 80's era. I went ahead and picked up the tank/ pump/ sender/ straps new from rock auto for a cool 120 bucks. My main goals with tank placement are safety, ease of remove down the road and getting it tucked up out of sight. I think i managed to accomplish all 3. Spent some time, asked for suggestions and this is what i came up with.

The spare tire crossmember needed to go so, fabed up some box tube to replace it at the rear of the frame. This should also hopefully provide some protection. I had to cut out some access holes so i could get to my rear bed bolts.





With that done and out of the way i can now hack out the spare tire crossmember and start scratching my head about the tank placement.



The idea behind the tank mount was to use the blazer straps to sandwich the tank flange up to the crossmember in the rear and a drop down bracket off of my shock crossmember up front.









I havent gotten the bed back on, but here's a shot after i tucked the bumper. I think the tank hides pretty nice.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Looks great but when you wrote,

"The idea....was to.... sandwich the tank flange up to the crossmember in the rear"

I thought you were gonna put the tank ALL the way to the rear and bring the tank seam up to that cross member you added. I see you added a piece of angle iron and that looks like it works fine. Just curious if I understood it wrong or you changed your mind as it went along?

[PurdueSD]

...just meant the crossmember directly behind the tank. I wanted to leave some space between the tank and crossmember at the end of the frame rails case of getting rear ended.

I just worded that a little funny.
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[dleeadams]

Love it. Subscribed.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by PurdueSD

.....I wanted to leave some space between the tank and crossmember at the end of the frame rails case of getting rear ended....
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Smart! I suppose every extra inch you get away from the very rear of the truck is an inch closer to safety you get in a bad accident.
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[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by PurdueSD

.....I wanted to leave some space between the tank and crossmember at the end of the frame rails case of getting rear ended....
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Smart! I suppose every extra inch you get away from the very rear of the truck is an inch closer to safety you get in a bad accident.
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[PurdueSD]

So, been fiddling around with my motor placement. My cool wife got me and engine and trans mounts from chassis engineering for Christmas. When i was filling out my christmas list, chassis engineering really sold me on how their trans mount bolted in place of the original trans mount using existing holes. Perfect... should locate my motor and wah-lah. SOLD.

Unfortunately, i'm not sure what chassis engineering designed their location around, but it doesn't work well with my rack linkage, their side biscuit mounts and really limits exhaust choice. With the motor mocked up as per their instructions i ended up with about 6 degrees of tilt in the motor and the front lower pulley in contact with the front cross-member. I have come across several other people who have had similar issues. Luckily the biscuit mounts and trans mount are a pretty flexible design to be moved around. So i've been playing with that.

This is my first hot rod (so to speak), so i have been doing a lot of reading and researching. I came to the conclusion i would be better off getting some parts ordered and mocked up before proceeding with finalizing engine placement.

Here's a shot of where i think it will end up. Tailshaft is at 3 degrees:

[PurdueSD]

I ordered my steering column, wheel and all the linkage to hook it up yesterday. (man that crap is expensive, kind of a splurge but oh well). Ended up going with an ididit chrome column and moon wheel.

Ive managed to avoid splurges so far, other than key areas. Suspension and steering. This tucks going to haul me and my young boy many miles hopefully, so money well spent.

Decided today to make my self feel a little better about the splurge by going out to the shop and pillaging the donor burb. Not sure if i will be able to use all this stuff but hopefully at least some. Its all free. Brake booster/master, pedal mount, gas pedal/ linkage, emergency brake bracket. If i can use it all that'll save me close to 500 bucks.

[skymangs]

Looking great. I love the IFS. I think the next one is getting something along those lines. Subscribed!

[48ChevBagged]

Like where your going with your project. Looks great so far.

[skymangs]

Looking good! You should be able to use all that stuff in your build. I did in mine.

[PurdueSD]

Thanks guys. Not much progress as of late. Been busy with remodeling part of the house and family stuff. I hope to get back on it in a week or two.
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[PurdueSD]

Got my home projects wrapped up. Now that they are out of the way i spent my first bit of time back on the truck today.

Rotors are installed.
Cut the rack notches in the frame.
Bolted up the rack.
Motor is mocking in place pending final placement (steering shaft clearance)

First time on all fours!!




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