"Geronimo" 54' 3100 LS built in PA

[Cuttin up]

Lookin forward to your build. I've seen your prior builds, you'll get it worked out.

[lower50's]

Never nice to find surprises. Probably some farmer 40 years ago found his frame was cracked and hit it with the stick welder (just for now).

[99 to Life]

12-14 Well got about 5 hours in today. Took doors off, took seat out, gas tank out, got steering column out, steering box off, cleaned out cab, got cab off, cleaned up frame a little, swept up pounds of dirt, got frame preliminarily leveled. I wanted to see how bad the frame was out, which I needed another hand in helping me measure, from what I could do myself it didn't seem that bad.

The front xmember is so beefy, I think it kept things together up where it really mattered. So I'll iron that out. Once I get my 220 line ran over here I can do some welding. I'll weld steel tubing legs to the frame so it doesn't move.

Hoping to fix frame, and get IFS tacked in by end of month. also going to put all new s10 leaf springs on here. Just ordered up some new shackles and poly bushings so hopefully I can get it all to work. already cracked my shin off the running board brackets, prolly the only thing I don't miss about the removable ones I do on s10 frames!!

[IWanna49]

Good work for a day by yourself!

[Sim6]

Moving right along 99.

[99 to Life]

12-9

Spent about 3 hrs tearing down the 5.3 engine I had (planned on using for my own build) but since the search has been killing me for almost a month, I decided to try and use my engine. Well its froze so I'll use it for a moch up block for now. I did moch up the intake and you can see the MSD box that will control the timing for the coils. I got some fittings on the way so you can use mechanical gauges. I am suppose to pick up a nice 5.3 tomorrow with LS6cam and get this.... its a fresh take out and is already painted almost exactly how I planned to paint it myself. So that should save a lot of headache, crossing fingers for tomorrow.

Not much else to show, I did run my electric for this part of the garage so I can weld. Hooked up my Hobart over in this bay. I spent a while welding up braces all over the frame. I then put some steel tubing on the floor (since I don't have my frame table hooked up yet) I leveled the steel on the floor so I can measure upwards and make sure the back, center and front of frame is all equally leveled that way. So when I cut the bad patch up front, the frame moved, I then made sure it was squared up front and also back and forth, as the frame rail wanted to dip down when I cut it.

This is just the first weld to keep it in position until I can plate it up. Which will be a big PIA since there is all types of stuff in my way. You can see in the pic I have a thick piece of tubing tacked to the top of the frame and to get the bad section of frame straightened out, I put a scissor jack in there. Basically the frame most likely wasn't ever hit and where it broke, just folded the frame a little in that area, it did very little moving.

Once I get the IFS tacked in, I'm going to start on the rear leaf conversion, I got some s10 shackles and poly bushings, seems like it might work out. I gotta get the leafs in here and see how they differ from the stock leafs. Its all in my head, but not yet measured out!
I'm hoping Monday to possibly get some more patching done and or start moching up the IFS. I gotta tear more of the front apart. Should have a plasma cutter showing up Monday, so not sure if I'll have time to hook it up, but really could use one right about now (why I bit the bullet on getting it).

[99 to Life]

Well, got snuffed on the engine buying again. Turns out the 5.3 is actually a 4.8 and the engine was all tore apart when I showed up, the fbody pan was swapped out, he took everything that was for the car off the engine. I couldn't justify buying this one, he had heads off and all tore apart, list goes on. If I'm gonna buy something that isn't ready to take on the new intake and go, then I'd rather rebuild engine from ground up (which I didn't plan to do on this build).

[Advanced Design]

Too bad about the engine! Sounds like the seller wasn't accurate with his description.

Hope you enjoy the plasma cutter!

[FarmerSid]

That sucks! One will pop up.

[99 to Life]

yah can't wait to get the plasma. as for the engine I just want something I can hear run and clean up, put my intake and carb on etc. But if one doesn't pop up by spring, I'll just get whatever I find, tear it down and rebuilt it. I wanted to have this truck done in a timely manner and rebuilding an engine to me is fun and I like it, but takes 50 plus hours to get, tear down, rebuilt, clean and plum up on start stand. For me that's over a months worth of work. Time will tell

[lower50's]

Plasmas are nice wish I had one.
Good luck with the motor hunt. You will find one!!

[99 to Life]

12-21 making a little progress. Got front suspension tore out, cleaned frame up a little. coated the inside of frame with chassis saver also the back of the boxing plates. I got my rotors, spindles and brakes from BO and they look sweet. CPP has a really nice kit for the price. But.... I don't really haven instructions, so I printed out TCI's awesome instructions.

Took forever making sure things were lined up and then trying to level the dang xmember by myself sucked. you gotta be on your center of frame mark, the center of your frame rail marks, gotta be level side to side, then level front to back (I'm told they have rake build into the xmember, so I'm assuming I keep frame at zero deg and also the xmember, awaiting confirmation on that)

Didn't have time to get the top hats on. What I'll do and learned a cool trick from the web, is put a lower control arm on upside down and measure off the grease fitting back to the rear axle, that way I know I'm as square as can be.

got my plasma, but I need to buy the right receptacle for it. had to change welding wire right as I finally got xmember lined up, first tack and boom no wire, hoping I don't run outta gas at a bad time!!!

[oldman3]

Looking good there 99...Jim

[Advanced Design]

99, the joys of working by yourself when leveling something...frame, crossmember...ugg. Been there.

I have several small bottle jacks that I use for levelling. Don't know how they would work for a crossmember, though they work great on a frame with one on each corner.

That is some nice looking weld bead!

[FarmerSid]

Nice work 99. Welder and plasma not 220?

[99 to Life]

thanks guys, farmersid.... both are 220v the plasma has a different receptical than the welder uses. I only have one extension cord, so my two welders have the same plug, would like the plasma too as well. I think the plasma can plug into 110v too and auto detects voltage. I'll hook it up wed and or after xmas.

[99 to Life]

12-23 Doesn't look like much I know. but for any of you that have done IFS you'll maybe agree its more work than it looks. Esp for me with the frame that was previously fixed, I have to measure a million times. anyway, got top hats tacked in, boxing plates fully welded. moched up some arms and shocks. also PWS rack needs clearance. got one side started.

going to make some solid shocks so I can get the front end down on the ground at some point. Hoping to start the rear leaf conversion soon, be nice to have roller. Then get frame patch fixed. I can then get cab on and engine moched up to see what I got to clearance.

[Coach529]

looks great!!

[FarmerSid]

Right on 99!

[oldman3]

99, nice job...Jim

[hotrodelrod]

Nice progress 99!

[joedoh]

makin it look easy my friend!

[99 to Life]

haha be easy if I actually made my frame table, I'v wasted a lot of time leveling this darn thing so many times. Esp since I had to fix the initial frame damage. all and all I got 10 hrs into it. I think it could be done faster. Its my first one of these, with proper directions its not bad. I'm using directions and the basics from TCI's instructions because CPP doesn't have full instructions yet. I do like their kit so far. only thing I would do differently next time is mount the boxing plates on the outside of frame which does require you to cut frame first. TCI explains that but I completely overlooked it at first. So my gap from the IFS to boxing plate is larger than I like, but I can fill it no problem.

[Advanced Design]

Lotta work completed 99. Looks good!

[99 to Life]

12-24 Got a couple hours in tonight. Got my Lotos plasma cutter up and running (1st timer here) zipped out this rack and pinion notch. Put rack up in for moch up.

then onto to rear. gotta luv GM for not only keeping basic things like wheel bolt patterns the same and the sbc the same for so many years, a 54' truck and a 98' s10 both have the same leaf spring span 51.75". So pretty cool I think. I'm gonna fab up some shackle mounts and try to mimick the stock geometry as much as I can. I can always block the rear up or down to fit the stance of the M2 up front (which the front springs will take hundreds of miles bf it settles, so they tell me). Customer doesn't want the truck too low, so sux for me but in a way makes it easier for some stuff. I'm going with newer springs and shackles because they are simply better, customer will be doing some light towing and I didn't want this part of the truck to be expensive. So far I had the leafs, bought new shackles for under 70, then new poly bushings for 48. Obviously need a few other things, but compare this to TCI and CPP's kits which are both around 500 plus.

plan to get rear done, get truck down on its own weight, put my temporary rims and whitewalls on (until I can get the final ones blasted and painted). I'll prolly use a moch up frender and rear bedside/fender to make sure the wheel base is proper. Then once those check out, I'll put cab on and start moching up engine.