Mike D's 50 pickup build

[Thesilverfox]

[Thesilverfox]

Got cab fitted to engine and trans this weekend. Mocked up box to see stance with 305/35r20 tires at ride height.

[Thesilverfox]

Mocked up 3rd member and disc brakes today. Will have to countersink disc mount holes to fit 1/2" studs. Also am bit concerned about the 18 1/2"floor room between the door and my tunnel cutaway. Not sure where to mount the throttle pedal. I could have cut the tunnel a little narrower but pulling the trans out in the future would have been impractical. It also looks like brake pedal would fit perfectly under the steering column but i dont want to put the booster under the cab.
What do you guys think about throttle pedal position? Not sure what to do here.

[joedoh]

looks great!

the gas pedal can (and should in my admittedly dim opinion) move outboard of center (away from the trans). the stock location is based on ease of linkage for the stock carb, not by any ergonomics, and the brake/clutch pedal were set for farmers wearing heavy boots. if you plan to center the steering column between the gauges and run a brake booster on the firewall then you will be better off moving it outboard of center because the distance between the stock gas pedal location and the brake pedal will feel miles apart. set the brake pedal first and then set the gas pedal where its comfortable

[SSABMUD]

That rear shock mount is sweet. I may have to copy that.

[SSABMUD]

That rear shock mount is sweet. I may have to copy that.

[Thesilverfox]

Originally Posted by joedoh

looks great!

the gas pedal can (and should in my admittedly dim opinion) move outboard of center (away from the trans). the stock location is based on ease of linkage for the stock carb, not by any ergonomics, and the brake/clutch pedal were set for farmers wearing heavy boots. if you plan to center the steering column between the gauges and run a brake booster on the firewall then you will be better off moving it outboard of center because the distance between the stock gas pedal location and the brake pedal will feel miles apart. set the brake pedal first and then set the gas pedal where its comfortable

That makes sense. I want to mount the brake on the firewall so I guess it will have to be to the left of the original steering column hole. That will leave a lot of room for the throttle.

[Thesilverfox]

Originally Posted by SSABMUD

That rear shock mount is sweet. I may have to copy that.

Thanks, its a modifoed version of TCI's 4 link kit. Its just mounted higher so I can have a lower ride height. There are still 3 mounting holes on the diff bracket so I can raise the height if need be. Oh yeah, the box height stays the same too. I can't slam the truck right to the ground but can still go to 3 inches off the ground. I found that to be a good compromise between wicked cool factor and functionality.

[STOCKISH]

Looking really good man, I like the chassis especially!

[Thesilverfox]

Originally Posted by STOCKISH

Looking really good man, I like the chassis especially!

Was looking at your build thread. Can't believe you built yours from scratch, that's amazing.

[MIKESAD50]

You are building a nice truck, Like it.

[SSABMUD]

I need rear shocks like that. Any idea what Ridetech number they are?

[reaper71]

looking really good.

Mark...

[Thesilverfox]

Originally Posted by SSABMUD

I need rear shocks like that. Any idea what Ridetech number they are?

Yeah, its the Ridetech 5.2" Stroke HQ series Shockwave.

[Thesilverfox]

Originally Posted by reaper71

looking really good.

Mark...

Thanks man.
This weekends plan it to figure out if this 73-87 truck brake pedal asembly fits and rework the transmission tunnel. I'm not happy with my original cut. Am also working with the original wiring harness but will mount a modified fuse panel and TCM on a custom bracket inside the cab. Will kinda build in like a "Painless wiring" fuse box setup. I have a full pallet of warranty Deutch connectors and wiring harnesses from combines and tractors. Did a lot of research this week and figured out where to mount the rear brake lines, hoses and axle breather. Pretty sure where the mufflers are going to go and air tank. Got the lokar floor mount shifter idea semy figured out too.

Am also thinking about headers. Anybody have experience with LS swap headers?



Also, one of my buddies gave me this gas can thinking it would fit great in the box, I agree.

[gokellurself]

wow dude... awesome framework. this is a great build

[gigamanx]

Can I ask why you went to all the trouble of boxing and beefing up the stock frame over doing a chassis swap with a newer vehicle?

[Thesilverfox]

Originally Posted by gigamanx

Can I ask why you went to all the trouble of boxing and beefing up the stock frame over doing a chassis swap with a newer vehicle?

Hmm, simply put, I think its a beautiful work of art and maintains the trucks originality somewhat. Being a mechanic, at car shows I dont really look at paint jobs, I look at the details like welds, suspension components, steering column mounting brackets, wire harness routing under the dash etc...

[reaper71]

The LS headers I have used in the past are block hugger from speedway #9300114 $200.00 they fit fairly tight to the block as advertised.
I have also used the 8501HKR cast iron Manifolds $323.99 A bit more cash but they are super close to the block and if you have issues with steering component clearance these will help solve those issues.

Mark...

[gigamanx]

Hey that works. I didn't know if there was a mechanical reason why for example not having to c-notch a frame for the bags. Quite jealous of the chassis. I am in the design stages trying to figure out how to build a bagged truck that can also tow my camper. Needs to be stronger than the original frame I think.

[Thesilverfox]

Originally Posted by gigamanx

Hey that works. I didn't know if there was a mechanical reason why for example not having to c-notch a frame for the bags. Quite jealous of the chassis. I am in the design stages trying to figure out how to build a bagged truck that can also tow my camper. Needs to be stronger than the original frame I think.

Thanks, the main reason was to keep the box at the same depth. It will still be 2.5" of the ground when slammed with 29" tires.

[Thesilverfox]

Originally Posted by reaper71

The LS headers I have used in the past are block hugger from speedway #9300114 $200.00 they fit fairly tight to the block as advertised.
I have also used the 8501HKR cast iron Manifolds $323.99 A bit more cash but they are super close to the block and if you have issues with steering component clearance these will help solve those issues.

Mark...

Ok thanks.

[Thesilverfox]

Finally got some cash to continue working on my project. Should have most of it done by end of summer. Got rear bumper extensions welded this weekend and trying out air tank, air ride system mounting options. Rear frame narrowed to 40" for 20x 12 wheels.

[oldman3]

Nice...Jim

[dsraven]

if you are looking for a pedal assy with a drive by wire pedal and a brake booster mount, all in one, you may wanna look at the envoy/trailblazer pedal assy. may be an easy fit with a bit of zip disc work to make the unit smaller for your dash area.they use a large sheet metal bubble that bolts/seam seals to the firewall and the pedal/booster bolts to that with the booster directly bolting to the pedals through the "bubble". just google it for an image.