Starting a new build...

[gearhead2069]

Sorry guys, it's been a while since I've been able to post. Figured it was time for an update. So, where I left off I had for the most part finished the front suspension lack flipping the frame and welding in and finishing up the bottom portions (because I absolutely suck at welding upside-down).

I am just going to start with saying... the rear suspension was a bear! It was a pain (as I am doing this myself) getting everything leveled out and in the correct dimension to get this thing roughed in. I recommend having an additional set of hands if they are available. I have one floor jack and eight jack stands and at one point I was looking around and counting because I was often times thinking "I could have sworn I had one more stand"!

So here we go...

Had to put part of the bed together so I could see where I was going to make my wheel centers. I got pretty excited just laying the rear suspension below the rails so I decided I needed a picture of it. Quite a moral booster to pick a truck up in pieces, bringing it home in a box truck, then going to actually seeing four wheels under it.





Actually looks like a truck... well, half of one!



Putting that bed together was a bit of a pain because I'm kind of new at this. I will need to post some pictures of how everything was put together just so that no one else will deal with the same crap. Seems like I searched forever trying to figure it out with no real help in the matter.

Got the inside of the frame rails cleaned up a little where I was not going to be able to get back in with the soda blaster.



Tacked in the boxing plates. I was pretty impressed with the fitment, they actually did a pretty good job and required very minimal grinding on the ends to get that "L" shape.



I stiched them in once I liked the position better just because I didn't want to take the chance of having the cross-members tacked in and everything break loose after I've taken the time to get every measurement spot on.





Used clamps and those welding magnets to give me an extra set of hands in holding the cross-member and diff up.



It wasn't until the front cross-member was tacked in that it was brought to my attention that it had a pretty significant warp in the metal due to where the bracket was welded in.... so off it had to come again.



So for some guys on a bit of a budget... I don't have have an oxy/acet torch as my plan was to heat the metal on the opposing side then cool it with a rag to see if I can get the metal to over correct and shrink on that side. I first tried it with a propane torch... and that was pathetic. So I decided to lay some beads on the back end on the cross-member to give me a good bit of heat then grind the welds off once it was straight. Success!







Got the half shafts set at the correct angle and mounted the trailing arm brackets in. You need to bolt these in but there were no existing holes on my frame that aligned very well. Once I decided where I wanted them, I just clamped them and tacked them to the frame. That way I wasn't going to have to worry with them moving at all while I was trying to drill the holes. once I had the holes drilled I just cut the tacks and ground them off. Worked out pretty well.



I then sat the tires on the ground, lowered the frame back down for the correct angle on the half shafts, stood back and checked out how it looked and like it! I made everything permanent and here we are!



Did the same thing as the front with home brew "mock coil-overs".



It is a fantastic thing to have temporarily put up all my jack stands! Sitting on it's own four wheels!





I ended up going with a two inch rake. I think it looks pretty good especially considering where it started!

I guess the next thing is that I need to get my fuel tank situation figured out. I want to move it from inside the cab for obvious reasons and I am hoping to let it rest between the rails behind the rear suspension. I am going to have to move that cross member out of the way but I am more than okay with that. I want to go with a side mount filler neck as I'd like to make it come out of the side of the fender. A bed fill just isn't where I'm wanting to go with it. I also need one that will work with EFI as I still plan on going with that LS3. I have been digging around many different forums and none are really floating my boat very well. I would prefer something that doesn't hang too low below the frame rails and isn't quite as noticeable from the back. Any help, suggestions, or recommendations would be much appreciated. I saw one post where a guy used a manufacture called Docs Kustom. The tank that he makes for these trucks is actually not too bad and doesn't even require you to move the cross-member but doesn't really have the capacity. I really like the look of the Camaro tank that he has available and I'm pretty sure it will fit just right between the rails. I sent him an email to see if he can change a few things around such as relocating the filler neck and maybe modifying it to take a submersible pump from a later model Chevrolet *place model here* just to make it easier in the future should the fuel pump decide to give up the ghost and I need to make an emergency run to the local auto parts store.

I don't know, like I said... If anyone has any suggestions let me know.

[FarmerSid]

Looks awesome gearhead! Glad you are showing lots of pictures and explaining things as you go.

What tire rim combo are you planning on running?
How high off the ground do you plan on having your running boards?

I'm going to be picking your head on some measurements soon if that's alright. I'm at the stage where I need to figure out what size tire I want to run and buy them before I can install my Vette suspension. I want to go as wide as possible in the rear but have some side wall too.

[gearhead2069]

Originally Posted by FarmerSid

Looks awesome gearhead! Glad you are showing lots of pictures and explaining things as you go.

What tire rim combo are you planning on running?
How high off the ground do you plan on having your running boards?

I'm going to be picking your head on some measurements soon if that's alright. I'm at the stage where I need to figure out what size tire I want to run and buy them before I can install my Vette suspension. I want to go as wide as possible in the rear but have some side wall too.

Thanks FarmerSid.

I'm still not entirely sure with the tires and wheels. My plan is to go with an 18 inch wheel and I'd like the tire profile to be either a 35 or 45. I guess I'll have to see when the time comes. As far as how wide I can go, I'd like to go as wide as possible. Once I start feeling a little more comfortable with having an idea of what my space is going to be within the front fenders, I'll have to start looking into it. My plan is that I'd like to go as wide as the front will allow me to go then mimicking it for the rear. As my plan is to drive the crap out of this thing when I'm done with it, I'd like to keep the front and rear the same to allow me to rotate the tires for good wear.

As far as measurements, like I've mentioned before, I am fairly new to this game but I will certainly provide any information I can!

[gearhead2069]

Well, I woke up this afternoon and before heading off to work I find a package at the front door. I couldn't stand it and had to check to see how it would fit. I ended up going with a tank from Tanks Inc. It is the 1941-48 Ford and 1939-48 Mercury steel tank for EFI. The dimensions as described on the site (33-1/2" x 19" x 8") appear as if it will fit pretty well. It has a 17 gallon capacity which is a little less than what I was after (20), but I think that will be fine. Being that it was just a little over 200 bucks, that certainly came out to be a more appealing option than the price I was going to have for a custom tank.

Obviously there is a little camera angle trick going on here, but it should fit pretty well once the cross-member is out.



Looking at the side profile, I think this will hang pretty well.



I think the tank for the blazer was around 10 or 10 1/2 inches deep; so, with this one coming in at 8, hopefully that will be enough.

[Chris.]

http://www.scottshotrods.com/front-s...rd-weld-on-ifs

Call them they are super nice and helpful tell them what your trying to do and budget and they will help you

[Roadkill58]

The stance looks great.

Going with original chassis and upgrading to C4 suspension was a smart move.

All your parts will be over the counter replacements from any part supplier and not relying on aftermarket to ship parts.

.

[FarmerSid]

Looks good gearhead. Tank should tuck up nice. Seeing that you have a bedside on, could you get me a few measurements. The distance from the bedside to the frame and the width of the fender well. From the bedside to the wheel opening lip if the fender.

Thanks!

[gearhead2069]

Originally Posted by FarmerSid

Looks good gearhead. Tank should tuck up nice. Seeing that you have a bedside on, could you get me a few measurements. The distance from the bedside to the frame and the width of the fender well. From the bedside to the wheel opening lip if the fender.

Thanks!

I'll be out of town this weekend but when I get back I'll be sure to PM you.

[FarmerSid]

How's things coming along gearhead?

[gearhead2069]

My schedule has been fairly stacked here recently so time for big progress is few and far in between.

Had a few hours to spare the other day and I was able to run some wire to get the new compressor wired in. This should make things more fun for sure.



Once I got all that worked out I did get a chance to place the new rear cross-member. I wanted to have that in before pulling the old cross-member to make room for the tank.







So not a whole lot of progress... But progress is progress I guess.

[pvienneau]

looks very nice.

[FarmerSid]

Nice compressor! That rear cross member should protect the gas tank pretty good. Ever tried a flap disk on your grinder?

This is what I use. Various grits and leave a nice finish.

http://www.mmsonline.com/products/du...increased-life

[gearhead2069]

Originally Posted by FarmerSid

Nice compressor! That rear cross member should protect the gas tank pretty good. Ever tried a flap disk on your grinder?

This is what I use. Various grits and leave a nice finish.

http://www.mmsonline.com/products/du...increased-life

I do use a flap disks but normally when I'm closer to doing finish work. I usually use a grinding disk prior the the flap disk just because the regular grinding disks are faster... And in my mind, the faster I get grinding done- the less time I have the disk rotating on the metal- less friction on the surface- less chance of warp due to heat transfer.

Well... Makes sense in my feeble mind anyway.

[solidaxel]

Did you try and fit up the rear x member for the bed to the frame, as I had to move mine AFTER it was all welded in!
Take a look at your bed parts and make sure they fit with the frame cross member you have
As for a fuel pump (in Tank) I have had great success with a stock pump for a 2003 Camaro, just sayin'.

[gearhead2069]

Originally Posted by solidaxel

Did you try and fit up the rear x member for the bed to the frame, as I had to move mine AFTER it was all welded in!
Take a look at your bed parts and make sure they fit with the frame cross member you have
As for a fuel pump (in Tank) I have had great success with a stock pump for a 2003 Camaro, just sayin'.

Yep, rear bed to frame crossmember fits. I think I avoided the issue with cutting a "C" notch out of the steel tube to fit "into" the frame rails. You can sorta see how I did it with the previous picture of the rear crossmember prior to it being welded in (The one where the jack is holding it up). The only thing I have to watch for is not boxing myself into a corner with covering up access to those bolt holes that mount the bed to frame crossmember until I make a fix that will allow me to have good access to that bolt.

[gearhead2069]

Had another opportunity for progress last night so I capitalized.

Got the old crossmember removed.



Taped up the areas on the frame rails that I needed to remove for boxing the rails.



I wanted to do this install and make it easy to remove the tank from both the top (without the bed in), and the bottom (so that I wouldn't have to remove the bed later should the pump go out). I made some plate brackets that will be bolted in on both the tank and the crossmember that the tank will mount to.



In trying to stick to the plan of making the frame as air tight as possible (trying to keep moisture out), I want to make sure that the bolt holes won't allow anything to get inside the rails so I took a piece of steel tube, cut it to size, and drilled out an enlarged hole for it to be welded on the inside. Once I finished it up, I was pretty happy with the results. I'll just need to find the most abrasion resistant coating I can find to make sure that the inside of the steel doesn't rust. My bolts are stainless but I'd still like to have the precaution. If anyone has any experience in this, let me know your suggestions.







Boxing plates put in for mounting the crossmembers (I am only boxing as little as possible for now just because I don't know when I may need access to the inside of the rails during the mock build. I will box them in completely once everything is finished and every hole that I need is located).







Rear tank crossmember mounted to the rear tank crossmember. My original plan was to make a small space between the two but the more I thought about it, the more I though of how much of a pain it would be to wash the dirt out of in between and more of an opportunity to rust as it would be difficult to get a really good coat of paint in there... Solution: just weld them together.



I just tacked in the front tank crossmember with the tank in and decided to take pictures at that point just because the tank would need to be removed again to get good access for making it permanent. Once I tacked it in, removed the tank, and got the crossmember completely welded in, there was no reason to put the tank back in as my next step is to pull everything off of the frame. Everything is coming off the frame again because I still have a few old factory brackets that need to be removed and I need to flip the frame (as stated earlier... My upside down welding skills are substandard).

Here are the pictures of the tank mounted in its permanent location. I am keeping the plastic on for protection since it will be moving back to it's temporary residence (the attic) until completion. The plastic is a bit difficult to see through, but you should be able to get a pretty good idea of where everything sits. I have a lot more room than it appears between the top of the tank and the bottom of the black member that mounts the bed. Plenty of room for fuel lines. I am really excited about where the filler neck is sitting. My plan is that it will go to the rear fender. since my plan is to use the bed of the truck more like a trunk, I didn't like the idea of having to lift the bed cover, drop the tail gate, and slide my backpack out of the way to fill it with gas. Fender mount filler neck it will be. I also like how the bottom of the tank should be completely covered once the bumper goes in.











Well... That's about it for now. I'm pretty happy with progress so far. I guess I have plenty of tedious little inexpensive things to do now to keep things moving while I save up for the engine/tranny.

[FarmerSid]

Any updates gearhead? I just set my D44 under my frame tonight and I need to make a new C notch to get it as low as I want. My rear toe bar links hit the frame on both sides. Looking at some of your pictures it looks like yours are close to the frame too. I may have to look into lowering them in order to get the frame set to the ride height want. Looking to go 4-5" clearance under the running boards. What are your running board brackets set at?

[gearhead2069]

Originally Posted by FarmerSid

Any updates gearhead? I just set my D44 under my frame tonight and I need to make a new C notch to get it as low as I want. My rear toe bar links hit the frame on both sides. Looking at some of your pictures it looks like yours are close to the frame too. I may have to look into lowering them in order to get the frame set to the ride height want. Looking to go 4-5" clearance under the running boards. What are your running board brackets set at?

Hey Sid, yea progress is fairly slow as I've been pretty busy and my schedule really isn't working in my favor. Still making progress just nothing that I feel is good enough to post. I have gotten the frame flipped over and welded up the bottom side. I was finally able to finish up with cleaning all the old brackets and hardware off of the frame (I never even want to look at another rivet again!). I "C" notched the front of the frame for the rack and pinion and got that mounted. I have been playing around a bit with the stock sway bar that the c4 came with but I'm not liking how it was going to look in the end so I put in an order for a universal torsion bar that I think will look much better. Just waiting for that to come in so it can be fitted and I'll be ready for the BIG step with purchasing the crate motor. The closer I get to it, the more I start second guessing my decision about putting a 6L80/90 behind the engine. I know I want to go with a 6 speed but man... I keep salivating over the idea of a manual transmission. The only thing holding me back is the question of whether or not I would be able make it have short enough throws for a sporty feeling shift.

Yep, the toe bars are really close on mine also. Unfortunately the Flat-Out instructions really give no explanation nor provide any hint of awareness over this issue. I have been looking around and a few guys have used what they call a "flip kit" which turns the mounting location on the diff and the shackles upside-down but I can't find these anywhere. I also worry about how it would mount because the ends are cone shaped... And I feel that it was probably for a reason. I've seen other guys just notch the frame, so I think that may end up being my route.

Let me know if you find any better solutions.

[Nick_Prime]

I have a solution for them.

[IMG][/IMG]

[FarmerSid]

Any updates man?

[gearhead2069]

Originally Posted by FarmerSid

Any updates man?

Hey buddy. Yeah, it's been a little slow at it here recently. I've gotten a few things done but nothing I felt worthy of a post. Figured I'd just wait until I get enough done and make a big post. I've separated the inner cab shell so I can get to all the hidden pockets of rust. I've also removed the fire wall and the inner kick panels. I'm kind of in a tool gathering stage right now. Picked up an English wheel and a bead roller along with a few other little things that hopefully will help me out with some metal work here in the not so distant future. I've started soda blasting but as of recent I haven't really had decent enough weather to actually get it finished. Seems like the lovely month of March has been giving me nothing but rain and only on the days that I have off... I guess that's how it works right? How about yourself?

[FarmerSid]

Sounds like some good progress. New tools are great arn't they? I picked up a planishing hammer and bead roller too. Was busy all winter coaching hockey and when I did have a bit of barn time, I only stayed out for short periods of time as it was too cold and the propane fumes would start to get to me. I got my new C notches in and am at a stand still as to what I should do next.

Still working crazy hours?

[FarmerSid]

How's things going? Any updates? I got my rear end in and frame is almost complete. Curious on your progress.

[gearhead2069]

Originally Posted by FarmerSid

How's things going? Any updates? I got my rear end in and frame is almost complete. Curious on your progress.

Hey buddy. Glad to hear that you are getting things done! As with me, however, I've gotten more hardware installed in myself than I have in the truck. Schedule got set back a bit on account of having to have my knee bolted back together after blowing it out while getting some yard work done. I was really sad about it as the moment it happened my FIRST thought was "Damn! There goes my T56!!!" I was literally a week away from grabbing my transmission. Oh well, everything has a reason I guess. Other than that, I haven't really been able to finish up my firewall because I was wanting to get my tranny and at least a mock block just so I know the demensions for a more clean build. My plan is to set the engine as low and as far back a possible without eating into a whole lot of cab space and without dropping the pan below the frame rails. I realise that these trucks aren't exactly built for weight distribution but I figured every inch would count. So... Until I get those two, I'm kind of having trouble pulling a blind trigger on getting the cab wrapped up.

[Miatafanatic77]

Hey guys - you might find it useful. Found car auction with great Corvettes for sale. Found there car for my project [xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx