55 make over

[nvrsatisfied]

Originally Posted by dsraven

a drop like that is gonna call for some serious frame work, like chop off the rear and weld in a big C notch to allow the frame to drop over the axle. that also means a bunch of box work to allow for the C notch. I would make sure the owner understands what the final look will be and, of course, how many hours it takes to do this properly so YOU don't have "come back warranty" problems. it may affect the wheels and tires chosen as the lower it goes the easier it is for tires to rub. shocks need to have the proper travel factored in as well. the front axle centreline may also need to be looked at once he decides on the actual "driving down the road" ride height.
sounds like fun. sometimes more fun when it isn't yours and somebody else is paying the bills. haha

i hear ya, defiantly some work ahead but nothing i really haven't done. i told him how the ride quality will still be good especially with the setup we'll install. i've done a few cheapy? setups where they have the floating feeling, but then customer gets more money and improve things. but i think we can get it to ride good, we'll be doing the Accuair "premium" setup, i like the ride sensors used to help smooth out the ride some. i did tell him however that he lives in beautiful Oklahoma and not to forget our beautiful highways and road conditions...

[nvrsatisfied]

we'll we've been busy outside the truck work, but have been doing what we can. colt's started on the body work since i've pretty much finished out the doors. we did run into a hick up with the door to fender, with the previous body work they basically took down the body line and redid it with filler. so we took down the 1/4" worth of filler all over the fender to discover another beautiful patch job? once again they stacked the patch on top and attempted to weld on the patch, WHICH by the way wasn't hot enough to burn into the metal so it basically pulled up all at once.. so we fixed it and continued the body work. with the body line i scabbed a piece off our old door and grafted it in.

[nvrsatisfied]

i also got into the rear suspension and since we are ridding the coilover setup and replacing with bags is going to be nice. i did remove the coil overs to discover that they had one in such a bind it actually bent the shaft in the coil over! the four link bushings were completely shot and if not partially missing. so i ordered new bushings and got that all back to good and adjusted correctly, i think previously it may have been running slightly dog legged down the road because my beginning measurements showed the rear axle to be crooked, which might of been the cause of the tire rubbing on the passenger side? but who knows; crooked bed installed also? but either way the axle is setting centered a bit better.

[nvrsatisfied]

after getting the suspension stuff figured out i moved onto the bed to install the caddy lights. i would like to give a shout out to
https://www.ebay.com/usr/cadillacdev...&ul_noapp=true

i did some research and found out that he posted some info on another guys build on the site. i hit him up about my project and he built up a new set of buckets and the rest is history the project was off and running. the buckets and lights are in great shape so big thanks to cadillacdevillelights

started off by cutting away the front and side part of the post. after getting more into mock up i had to remove the rear part. the quick overall info is that my post is 5" deep front to back and i slightly tapered the bottoms. i will say that you could probably get away with 4.5" depth. that would put the light plugs about a 1/16" away from the back wall. with the way i did it i've got about 1/2" from plug to back wall. since you have to pull the whole light out to replace bulbs then the back wall placement shouldn't matter.

using some chipboard i did a combo of the end cap of the bed and the post to get my shape. i didn't want the square boxy look i seen on a few others so this kinda help me keep the curve of the post. once i got the mock up going i transferred to metal and got to building.

i like the end result. it is a bit "big" but i'm going to mod the other posts so that'll match and maybe the taillight won't look so odd? now just gotta go in and finish out the spot welds and grind my ears away...

[nvrsatisfied]

one little thing i did was lay my light face down. i placed the bucket over it and used a small piece of scrap metal to reach the back of the lights tab and made my mark, used that scrap as basically a gauge depth. i then used that depth to cut a slit in the bucket. i made a small tab and crimped on the supplied screw tab. checked everything and welded it in and i had my depth.

[nvrsatisfied]

couple more pics

[nvrsatisfied]

a few more...and now off to tack and grind my life away...

[dsraven]

the light buckets came out nice, a little deep but ok in my books. curious, since the lights are frenched in, will you add a side marker light somewhere for transportation dept regulations (and because the design comes back to you the fabb guy) or will you leave it and see what happens? on my 57 the lights are not frenched in but they don't show from the side so I will install a side marker wired to the signal so it blinks when the signals are on. that may help deter lane change issues. I plan the same on the front fenders. a couple of those small LED penny sized lights.

[nvrsatisfied]

well everyone says they like progress pics so here ya go. we've been pretty busy on work stuff, but daily we chip away at the truck. trying to pick up from where i might o left off.

after the lights i built a filler piece/roll pan i guess you could say, to help fill in the empty area since originally it was just a license plat bolted to the bed area. once i got that in i spent a ton of time tacking and grinding everything in. the lesson i learned, is that i wish i would have rolled my edges of the taillights with my fender die (forgot i had till later) through my bead roller. it would have softened the edges to roll more with the truck. what i have will work and looks good, but i know what i would do differently..

next up, made some measurements of everything in order to build the notches we were gonna need to send the body of the old truck down to earth. got to cut them out and a few other parts on our new toy...very nice!

then we received a load of goodies in! ready for the fun to start!

[nvrsatisfied]

next move was the front pocket area. i basically built a set like the rear to help maybe make things look more evened out and to calm my OCD. so instead of a balky back and a skinny front, figured i'd make them match. went ahead removed all the bondo they had stacked along the top rail. we did a little metal work where they had filled in the pockets and then built up bondo to hide it. now it won't require their average 1/4" of filler.

stripped down the frame to bare bones. removed the old 4 link after noticing how far down the front brackets were. those brackets would've bottomed out before the desired drop. next mocked in the notches and bought a universal 4 link setup from the boys down the road in Choctaw, Ok...Phat Phabz...great group of guys!

[nvrsatisfied]

once i double checked distances, pinion, etc...(about 100 x's) it was time to make it official. this first pic is my favorite part of the build no matter what! this is my oldest son and he knows how to weld (school 3yrs for welding and now works as a full time welder last 3yrs). it was a proud poppa moment for sure! so once he got those things tied in i was able to check fitments, drop, etc...

then i moved up to the front. removed the lower A-arms to flat plate and removed the old coil over setup for my own setup. tacked it all in and went through another 100 x's of checking. then had my son come in and work his magic and make it all solid. i did have to remove the small notch they did for the steering arm because of the amount of drop we are going to. so we removed it and put a piece of 2x3 3/16 wall in place and it has plenty of area. i will come back and work on the sway bar setup and shocks next.

[nvrsatisfied]

next i jumped back to the bed where a huge amount of the build is gonna be at. did some mocking up of bridge ideas and decided to keep it simple and clean. once that was made up my son came back in and welded it all in. i will admit that made a mistake and put my bottom brackets in wrong the first time out. i measured off axle instead of plumb bobbing my center of bag movement. so i had to cut those off, make new bottom brackets and watch my son shake his head at me...lol next i removed the wheel spacers that had been installed and cut out our bed panel to start making tires fit.

so with things going down i realized some things need to go up. i did get lucky on the mustang 2 front end they installed, it does not hang below the frame. the bed was my issue. since going with a 29" tall tire i raised the whole bed 1" i made spacers out of 1x2 tubing and welded them to the frame. i also raised the fenders about as high as i could get them with out hitting the rolled bed side. as of now the setup keeps the body when aired out, about 3/4" from the pavement. and keeps about a 1" gap above the tire. yes...other mods soon to come.

once most of that was figured in i built a frame to help bring up the bed floor and then went ahead and started making the fenders.

[nvrsatisfied]

the first pic is what i made to raise the entire bed of the truck 1"x2", these are welded to the frame. everything is accessible from the top if anything needs to be done; remove entire bed, access air compressors, anything fuel related, battery removal, etc... i think of later down the road and working on it and i hate being on the ground...lol. So anyways, with the bed being raised we cut and added 1" to the step to make it match the lower part of the cab. and with the fender being raised more than just the 1" we will cut the lower area of the fender and drop it accordingly so that it bolts up to the step as if nothing has happened.

i then mocked up the wood to start in on the next big adventure...why keep it simple..

[nvrsatisfied]

so here is where i am today pretty much. there will be a total of 5 fold up compartments. these three in the rear and two opposite side of the fenders closer to the cab. these two will allow access to the compressors and anything else under the truck in those areas.

there is a bridge that goes fender to fender and floats when the center area is opened. this was defiantly a learning curve for me. my first idea was o.k. but didn't lift as high as i wanted, things were binding into themselves and not rolling along the fender like i wanted. the overall look is going to be good i think . next time around i know what to do to maybe make things work as a whole.

i did away with the factory straps and used 2"x1/8" strap. i welded the "bolt" to the bottom of the strap so the top is smooth. then the bolt goes down and catches the framing underneath with a nut and is counter sunk to help it seal off when completed. the two outside panels are lifted by hand and have rods to hold them up, which also fold back when not in use. the center is raised by two small struts. i have billet push button locks for all 5 of them when all is said and done.

things coming up are to fill in the area around the counter sunk flip up gas cap and bead roll that area. the center bottom pan will be bead rolled for strength and have an access door to the fuel level sender. the battery pan area will be removable to access the battery area for any reason. all the lids will be trimmed out to look clean and hide all the ugly work. the long lower pan will be welded together, bead rolled and an access pocket will hold two posts from the battery for any charging needs. this panel will be magnetized allowing it to be easily removable to access the main bed bolts, etc..

then it'll be off the other half of the bed..

i know i have missed a few things but that's the run down to where we are at now....till next time!

[Jason 56]

Wow… I really like all the access you have built into the box. Looking great!

[dsraven]

did you use thin wall tubing for all the structure? is it heavy?
I have thought of using the plastic deck material for the floor but went with a steel bed floor instead. i incorporated a stroage area under the floor since the bed floor is raised to accomodate the frame over the axle.
nice work, keep on plugging away, and of course posting up progress pics

[dsraven]

nice work on the tail light area, do youneed to install side marker lights in your jurisdiction?

[nvrsatisfied]

Originally Posted by Jason 56

Wow… I really like all the access you have built into the box. Looking great!

thanks! one thing i don't like is not being able to get to everything, i know somethings can't be avoided, but a little out of the way now will speed up maintenance work later.

[nvrsatisfied]

Originally Posted by dsraven

did you use thin wall tubing for all the structure? is it heavy?
I have thought of using the plastic deck material for the floor but went with a steel bed floor instead. i incorporated a stroage area under the floor since the bed floor is raised to accomodate the frame over the axle.
nice work, keep on plugging away, and of course posting up progress pics

most of the sub frame for the bed is a mixture of 1" x 1"....3/4" x 3/4".... and 1" x 2"...all of that is 1/16" wall.

notches are all from 1/4" plate.

the bridge is 1" round with a 1/8" wall.

all the front end overhaul was done in 3/16" plate (upper lower, bag plates) and 2" x 3" 3/16" wall for the top support.

the four link is just as beefy; 1/4" plate for brackets and 1.5" round tubing for the bars 3/16" thick.

i thought about the composite but we already had this full floor. i'm gonna plain, re-sand and router it if need be for the straps to fit flush. after all that hit it with a color stain, then use a high build with a spar urethane, cut and polish that out.

Originally Posted by dsraven

nice work on the tail light area, do you need to install side marker lights in your jurisdiction?

no i do not. i don't have a ton of knowledge on these trucks like i would a 67-72 but from what i "assume" is since the truck did not have side marker lights in the rear from factory?? then in that case i don't have to have them. i know that by Oklahoma law if the light is present from factory then it must be there.... cause right now i'm in a dispute with my 3rd brake light on my 93' GMC not working but my two tail lights work fine....and i made the comment i'm gonna shave it anyways and the officer "no ya can't"...

[dsraven]

ok, just making sure. mine was made from 2 trucks and the vin tags basically fell off. I had to get an inspector to come to the shop, take my old vin tags and give me a whole new vin that he rivetted onto the cab. the truck will need a complete inspection when done, like an insurance write off would need before getting a registration, and would be subject to the newer rules concerning lights. i will install some of those small round LED buttons on the rear fenders down low. not a big deal if you plan to do it before paint.

[mobileortho]

Good looking truck!

[6DoF]

that whole bed is sick, well played!

[nvrsatisfied]

Originally Posted by dsraven

ok, just making sure. mine was made from 2 trucks and the vin tags basically fell off. I had to get an inspector to come to the shop, take my old vin tags and give me a whole new vin that he rivetted onto the cab. the truck will need a complete inspection when done, like an insurance write off would need before getting a registration, and would be subject to the newer rules concerning lights. i will install some of those small round LED buttons on the rear fenders down low. not a big deal if you plan to do it before paint.

just asking to ask out of curiosity, but from what year do they determine "newer rules concerning lights".... like for example are you gonna need a third brake light if they decide 2020 and up? i might be wrong but at some point in time in years, most trucks have acquired the 3rd brake light and a lot of trucks now don't have a side marker for turn, at least in the rear.

[nvrsatisfied]

Originally Posted by mobileortho

Good looking truck!

Originally Posted by 6DoF

that whole bed is sick, well played!

thanks. it has defiantly been a process of thinking ahead which is hard for me according to my wife..

[slammed57]

great fab work. all lookin REAL good!