Matt's 56 3600 4X4 Build

[mvitale27]

While I was waiting to receive the fuel pump for the Silverado I finished up the trans crossmember and finished a few miscellaneous items on the frame such as removing the old upper shock mounts and bump stops. All that is left before the wire wheel and paint is to drop the springs. Hope to get that done this week.

You can see I made a slight modification to the crossmember. The trans was sitting a little too low and it had the engine with too much of a backwards angle (leaning down in the back). I welded a piece of 1" square tubing to each cup and put some spacers inside for extra strength on the bolts. Didn't come out too bad and yes I know, my welding skills needs some improvement.

[mvitale27]

Small update: picked up my cab, doors, etc. from the sandblasting shop. Came out pretty well considering the shape they were in. At least now whenever I am ready to do some metal work I can start!

Also, got the frame totally ready to prep/paint. Will be doing that this week.

[mvitale27]

Got the frame painted this weekend. Last weekend I had stripped it down with just a wire wheel attachment on my angle grinder. Then I did the POR-15 process. I used their degreaser and metal prep as directed. Then I brushed on 2 coats of their POR-15 Rust Preventative Paint (base coat). Then I sprayed on about 5 light coats of their POR-15 Chassis Top Coat (semi-gloss). I love the results. Frame looks brand new and has a flat-ish finish. Here are some pics. I think the last one was after the last coat was put on.

[_Ogre]

after i got my cab sand blasted i took it straight to my painter to have it primered with 2k epoxy
saves the trouble of reblasting to get rid of surface rust and easy to spot sand/grind where you need to weld in panels

[Purcell69]

Nice work Matt! I used those same motor and tranny mounts in my 57 before I did the Camaro clip and ultimately the Dodge chassis. They are nice and sturdy.

-Joe

[mvitale27]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

after i got my cab sand blasted i took it straight to my painter to have it primered with 2k epoxy
saves the trouble of reblasting to get rid of surface rust and easy to spot sand/grind where you need to weld in panels

That was my original plan but things came up and I got delayed. I have a spray gun so I am thinking of just spraying some epoxy primer on it myself in the next few weeks. Nothing has rusted.... yet!

[mvitale27]

Originally Posted by Purcell69

Nice work Matt! I used those same motor and tranny mounts in my 57 before I did the Camaro clip and ultimately the Dodge chassis. They are nice and sturdy.

-Joe

Thanks! I am a little worried about the NP208 hanging off the back of the trans. The TC I have does have this weird bracket that runs from the TC to the bellhousing for some extra support though.

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by mvitale27

Thanks! I am a little worried about the NP208 hanging off the back of the trans. The TC I have does have this weird bracket that runs from the TC to the bellhousing for some extra support though.

You should be ok. Most transfer cases just bolt to the rear of the trans without any support. The bracket that has been added to yours at the factory is more than enough. Even in the days of steel cased transfer cases, the NP 205 is the only one I can think of that used an extra bracket to the frame, though it was less for support and more for torque limiting.

Keep up the good work!

-Joe

[OldChevysRule]

Matt............I have some other brackets that support the transfer case from the bottom. They attach to the lower transmission bolt holes and use a little longer bolt. I pulled them from a 91 Suburban 4 wheel drive that I scrapped several years ago. I am planning to convert my truck to 4X4, so I will probably use the ones I have, but I thought I would pass the info along so you will know where to look when you go to your local salvage yard. You might also find them on the K-5 Blazers as well. I have never seen them on any pickups, but they may have just been removed. Jason

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by OldChevysRule

Matt............I have some other brackets that support the transfer case from the bottom. They attach to the lower transmission bolt holes and use a little longer bolt. I pulled them from a 91 Suburban 4 wheel drive that I scrapped several years ago. I am planning to convert my truck to 4X4, so I will probably use the ones I have, but I thought I would pass the info along so you will know where to look when you go to your local salvage yard. You might also find them on the K-5 Blazers as well. I have never seen them on any pickups, but they may have just been removed. Jason

Cool! I learned something new. I've worked with NP 203s, NP 205s, NP 231s and whatever Dodge put behind the Cummins. None had any extra support. I was not aware the 208 used anything other than it's own case.

-Joe

[OldChevysRule]

I am glad that I could share some useful information. Here are some pics of all 3 transfer case supports. The short braces should not be hard to make. The flat spots are rotated 90 degrees from each other. One hole is elongated. I turned the brackets in opposite directions from each other just for comparison. I even placed a yard stick on the edge of the board so you can see the length. I hope this helps. Jason

[mvitale27]

Cool info on the TC brackets. Haven't got much done this week as I have been doing some work to my Silverado. I was on my way home from the parts store with a CV axle, u-joints for the front driveshaft, front pads and rotors when I blew a brake line. Managed to pump the brakes enough to get it home. The line that had a major leak was one from the MC to the ABS unit. As I was making the new line, I noticed most of the front brake lines are corroded and very fragile so I decided to replace all of them. $64 and 6 hours later I am half done. Setbacks!

[Purcell69]

Originally Posted by mvitale27

Cool info on the TC brackets. Haven't got much done this week as I have been doing some work to my Silverado. I was on my way home from the parts store with a CV axle, u-joints for the front driveshaft, front pads and rotors when I blew a brake line. Managed to pump the brakes enough to get it home. The line that had a major leak was one from the MC to the ABS unit. As I was making the new line, I noticed most of the front brake lines are corroded and very fragile so I decided to replace all of them. $64 and 6 hours later I am half done. Setbacks!

Yikes!

A long, long time ago, the rear hose between my frame and the rear axle blew out on my 1978 Power Wagon while I was stationed in SoCal. The truck was full-time 4wd, and I was in a pinch, so I ran a trim screw down the middle of the broken hose and held it in place with a hose clamp until I could get to the parts store and replace the line. Front brakes, manual trans, 4wd to slow the rear and the parking brake if necessary. There was no crisis because I knew what I was driving and left room around me.

Hardlines are a different animal though, especially with ABS. I never used to hear about hardlines corroding through, but it seems to be a more common occurrence now. I've seen some late model trucks where the hardlines rusted through before the sheet metal. Anything to save a few pennies of profit.

-Joe

[mvitale27]

Originally Posted by Purcell69

Yikes!

A long, long time ago, the rear hose between my frame and the rear axle blew out on my 1978 Power Wagon while I was stationed in SoCal. The truck was full-time 4wd, and I was in a pinch, so I ran a trim screw down the middle of the broken hose and held it in place with a hose clamp until I could get to the parts store and replace the line. Front brakes, manual trans, 4wd to slow the rear and the parking brake if necessary. There was no crisis because I knew what I was driving and left room around me.

Hardlines are a different animal though, especially with ABS. I never used to hear about hardlines corroding through, but it seems to be a more common occurrence now. I've seen some late model trucks where the hardlines rusted through before the sheet metal. Anything to save a few pennies of profit.

-Joe

Yea, almost all the hard lines in the truck were corroded. I ended up replacing every brake line in the truck because everytime I touched a line to move it slightly they would just break. What crap they used in this thing. I used the NiCorp nickel copper mix that is supposed to "never rust." Also had to replace the ABS pump because all the fittings were stripped out but I got one locally for $70. Should be back on the road today and then I can get back on the '56.

[mvitale27]

Sorry, no pics for this update. Front and rear end refreshes are almost complete. Will be putting the axles back under the frame this weekend.

I am trying to get most of the truck back into the garage before the cold rolls in so after this I will be finishing the 700r4 (needs tq converter, wiring and paint) and np208 (needs gasket and paint) so I can get my powertrain on the frame. Then I will be getting a gas tank and doing my fuel plumbing. On that note, Dave from Hollister Road was EXTREMELY helpful in researching a mustang tank set up. He took it upon himself to figure out which tank set up would best fit my needs (looking to have a rear fill, carb pick up and mount it under the frame rails to avoid moving the crossmembers and thus weakening rear spring support).

Once all that is done, I will be repairing my floor pans and front mounts on the cab so I can drop it back on the frame and have a warm place to work this fall and winter!

[mvitale27]

Here are some pics of the front 10 bolt and rear 14 bolt rebuilds. Both are from a '78 K20.

Front Corporate 10 bolt 8 lug w/ 8.5" ring gear. 3.73 open
This is the "newer" style with the internal/one-piece hub and rotor.

Ring and pinion were in great shape. I replaced both axle shaft u-joints, all 4 ball joints, inner wheel seals, spindle bearings and seals. Repacked all the wheel bearings and lubed the Superwinch lockers. Had the rotors cut for free at the tech school I just graduated from and got some new medium-duty semi-metallic pads. All old gear oil was flushed out and refilled with fresh 80w90. Axle housing, knuckles, backing plates, calipers, etc. all have been painted and reassembly of the front end is almost complete.

[mvitale27]

Rear Corporate 14 bolt Full-Floating 8 lug w/ 10.5" ring gear and 13" drums. 3.73 posi

Just started the tear down on this last night. Got the axle shafts out and one drum off so far. Other one is seized like a mofo. Wheel bearings appear to be in good shape so I should be able to get away with wheel seals, cutting the drums, and new shoes hardware. Haven't looked at the ring and pinion yet. That will be next after finishing reassembly of the front end.

All the leaf springs are being torn down, sanded, grinded, painted, new center bolts, shackles, and bushings.

[marc55]

Looks good. I am not looking forward to looking into my diffs.

[mvitale27]

Originally Posted by marc55

Looks good. I am not looking forward to looking into my diffs.

I honestly think the worst part of solid axle 4X4s are the fronts. The ring and pinion is usually in good shape (if it wasn't beaten too bad off-roading), but all the ball joints, steering components and other wearable items are usually shot and a pain in the ass to service.

The rear, well all there really is aside from the ring and pinion are the axle shafts (which are pretty bulletproof in the 14 bolt FF) and the drums assemblies which once you can bust em off the shoes isn't that bad. I have a feeling my rear diff has too much backlash and not enough turning torque resistance at the pinion so it may need a rebuild. I decided against a rear disc conversion and will be rebuilding the drums. Luckily the tech school I just got my Automotive High Performance AS degree from has a brake class that is going to turn and cut my rotors and drums for no charge.

[_Ogre]

one thing i noticed is that you mounted the motor and trans without the cab on the truck
just for grins throw the cab on the frame just to check for firewall and trans clearance
these trucks with stock v8 had the distributor, valve covers and trans very close to sheet metal
might save you a lot of time repositioning the motor/trans now vs modifying the firewall, core support or floor pans later

[mvitale27]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

one thing i noticed is that you mounted the motor and trans without the cab on the truck
just for grins throw the cab on the frame just to check for firewall and trans clearance
these trucks with stock v8 had the distributor, valve covers and trans very close to sheet metal
might save you a lot of time repositioning the motor/trans now vs modifying the firewall, core support or floor pans later

When I had the originally mocked up and welding in my engine xmember, I had the engine mounted and the trans hanging but supported with a short 2X4 to give me the correct angle. The cab was still on during this process. I did the final welding of both the engine and trans xmembers after the cab was off but I had the locations for both marked. I think I will be OK but thanks for the advice.

Once the chassis is rolling again in about a week I am putting the cab, doors, and front sheet metal on with new mounts, hinges and hardware to align all my gaps before I brace the cab and remove it again for rust repairs. I will mount the motor/trans/t-case again at this point to double check location and clearances.

[marc55]

Looking good.

My axels are going to be the last thing I do. I want to do disk rear but I can't find a cheep conversion for 6 lug rotors. I can find $300 kits for car but truck conversions are $500. For that price I can just buy a mid 90s rear with disks already installed.

[mvitale27]

Originally Posted by marc55

Looking good.

My axels are going to be the last thing I do. I want to do disk rear but I can't find a cheep conversion for 6 lug rotors. I can find $300 kits for car but truck conversions are $500. For that price I can just buy a mid 90s rear with disks already installed.

Yea, the prices for a 78 14 Bolt FF disc conversion are outrageous. Plus I have the 8 lug version so they get really prices. I have seen some well over $1k. I just picked up all the parts to rebuild the drums (drums themselves are getting cut at the tech school I just graduated from at no charge) and it was $60 from my parts guy. for shoes, wheel seals, and a spring/hardware kit.

[mvitale27]

Not too big of an update. Kept working on the front and rear ends. Also cleaned out my side of the garage to give me so more room to work.

[mvitale27]

Small update here. Got the knuckles cleaned painted and new ball joints installed. Installed the knuckles into the front end and greased the ball joints. Need to put a plug in the top ball joints as the axle shafts u-joints will interfere with the grease fitting