Shrunken66Stroker's build thread.

[66farmer]

I have a few questions.
1. What did you use to cut the fender
2. After cutting was it hard to get the fender back into shape again
3. After your finished with the bumper will it be chromed or painted
4. How much did you cut off the frame

Thanks your doing a great job

[shrunken66stroker]

Originally Posted by 66farmer

I have a few questions.
1. What did you use to cut the fender
2. After cutting was it hard to get the fender back into shape again
3. After your finished with the bumper will it be chromed or painted
4. How much did you cut off the frame

Thanks your doing a great job

I used a new 4" cutting disk on a grinder. I like to start a job like that with a new one because the larger the disk the straighter the cut. The disk is 1/16" thick and if you take it slow you won't get much warpage. I used tape to lay out the lines and serve as a straight edge. When you're welding it back together make sure to leave a 1/16" gap. If you don't leave a gap the panel won't align with the others and two pieces tend to tighten up toward each other as you go. Keep a hammer and dolly next to you and after every tack tap the next area so it buts up perfectly. This will allow for proper alignment and give the panel a little time to cool off between tacks. Take your time.
I'm going to paint the bumper. I'm thinking about getting the grill chromed if it's not cost prohibitive. I cut 1 1/4" out from between the bumper mount and the radiator mount. That tightened it up and then I shaved a little off the top to make it match the grill support. Hope this helps.

[shrunken66stroker]

The front wheel well is proportionate to the rear and looks better. I just have to finish weld and grind them flat.

[65Pickup]

Originally Posted by shrunken66stroker

The front wheel well is proportionate to the rear and looks better. I just have to finish weld and grind them flat.

Great information, thanks again for taking the time to illustrate it for us. I'd like to see a side shot but back several feet to gauge the nose perspective and weight. The front wheel set back always looked weird, this seems like a great fix instead of trying to move the suspension forward. Sorry for being a pain. Mike

[Scot_Douglas]

Man, I'm jealous of your skills. You're quite an innovator - on a platform that has had plenty of years for others to "innovate" on. Kudos.

[Dinos63]

I enjoy this thread

[Frizzle Fry]

Looks sick from that angle dude! How about a straight on side shot? or do you have to roll it out for that..?

[wutnxt]

Dude....

Your only a couple of hours away in a plane....come on up and work on my prostreet truck for a weekend.....lol...Dino has elf's helping him on his truck. Seriously your doing awesome work over there and i really like these mods your doing and the look they have.

[shrunken66stroker]

Here's where it's at. I could barely get back far enough to get the whole thing in. I'll roll it out next week and get some shots in the daylight. It still looks like a lot of space in front of the tire from the direct side view, but it's exactly where I want it.

[Strodder]

Looks great
I never noticed it before, but It seems like not all trucks are the same. Some look OK, and some look like a lot of space in front of the front wheels, unless it's just the angle they shoot the picture from.

[shrunken66stroker]

Originally Posted by Strodder

Looks great
I never noticed it before, but It seems like not all trucks are the same. Some look OK, and some look like a lot of space in front of the front wheels, unless it's just the angle they shoot the picture from.

I think the different looks are due to stance and tire size. The A arms are angle back for a smooth ride when hitting bumps, so the lower you go the further back the wheel recesses into the back of the wheel well. Some trucks look fine if they just have drop spindles but when you have lowering spring it starts accentuating that gap. Smaller diameter rim/tire setups accentuate it further while larger setups can help close the gap. In the picks above the bags are almost fully aired out so the wheels are as far back as they'll ever be.

[wutnxt]

I kind of noticed that.....but because my prostreet truck is running 33"x21.5" tires on the rear and it's a short box..I opted to change the box sides ( which were hatched anyhow ) to long box sides that were cut down and put back in . I figured that if i had to do repairs anyhow i might as well put in the long box sides which have a 3" wider wheel opening so it looks more even and you can see more tire from the side. I never even considered doing what you did because I wasn't bright enough to think of it ......lol. I think the "weekend mod " as you called it looks awesome and makes a big difference. It's those types of details that are really going to set your truck apart. You have a great eye for detail, i really like this build.

[65Pickup]

Its hard to remember whats changed, so subtle yet grand improvement. Grabbed a shot of my beast to compare, it becomes very evident side by side, and mine isn't very low. The trim job on the bumper really finishes the look, awesome touches.
Any idea if PB's or Scotts crossmember kits fix this design flaw?? Or is using a set of Delmo Hoops the only saviour for a non-fabricator.

[Frizzle Fry]

It's a great improvement man.

I've measure a long box wheel arch vs. a shortbox and found only ~1" difference.

The Porterbuilt dropmember does move the wheels forward. That's why Delmo's looks centered. If anything bigger hoops will accentuate the problem more.

[shrunken66stroker]

Originally Posted by Frizzle Fry

It's a great improvement man.

I've measure a long box wheel arch vs. a shortbox and found only ~1" difference.

The Porterbuilt dropmember does move the wheels forward. That's why Delmo's looks centered. If anything bigger hoops will accentuate the problem more.

I read somewhere that the difference in long and short beds was 3" but I've never measured them so I'll take your word for it.
And Frizzle, I looked at the Sunbeam/S2000 thread again after not seeing it for a year or so and I'm blown away. That's a great project that I'm sure will turn out amazing. Talk about a super sleeper. Great work!

[Frizzle Fry]

I have both long and short beds to measure side-by-side.

On the Driftbeam2000; thanks brotha! Just ordered another $150 worth of hardware for it. I've stopped counting...

[wutnxt]

Frizzle Fry :

Dude you have some mad fab skills yourself....checked out your builds....wicked work.

[shrunken66stroker]

I got home from work today and there was a box waiting for me. It's the wiring harness for the engine, ECU and the fuel system.

[Strodder]

Let the nightmares begin.

[R.A.D]

how 'bout that!!!!!

[shrunken66stroker]

I got the hydraulic throwout from Keisler today. I still need a few more parts before the engine build. Damn, this thing's gonna break me.

[R.A.D]

Originally Posted by shrunken66stroker

I got the hydraulic throwout from Keisler today. I still need a few more parts before the engine build. Damn, this thing's gonna break me.

when you need a fix you need a fix

[mosesburb]

Great build you have!! I like your attention to small details. Very cool!!

[Shooters_7]

So what headers did you end up going with?

[shrunken66stroker]

Originally Posted by Shooters_7

So what headers did you end up going with?

Check back on page 28. There's a picture of them. I'll definitely post a pic when they're finished, but I need to figure out rack and pinion steering linkage before any progress can be made.