75 Dually build

[75Dually]

I got the diff and the pinion out tonight. Now it is time to get the new bearings pressed on and get this truck back on the road. I have a list of items I want done before we head off to LST, so it is time to get busy and check them all off before we head out.

42 days 11 hours 43 minutes and 28 seconds!

Time to get busy!

Stay tuned!

[75Dually]

So just a quick note. We have been working on the truck! Ok in between nasty head colds (the flu has been running around Lubbock like wild fire!), my job (Imagine that!), and life in general. I have had a bunch of good friends helping me get a ton of small items completed.

So far we had a couple of starts and stops with the diff update. Some bearings were wrong in the kit I got, but finally we got it all figured out and got them all installed today. I should have the diff and the rear end buttoned up, along with the watts link reinstalled by the end of the week. Crossing my fingers!

Then we should be on to finishing up the interior. I am trying to update the seats, a center console, and finish the stereo system. A lot of small items to get checked off the list before we leave for LST.

So much to do and so little time, typical!

Stay tuned!

[75Dually]

The diff and the pinion are in!!! Now to rest my sore back... Tomorrow I will run the patterns on the engagement, and then button it all up.

Gotta get the watts link mounted back up too. Going to make it removable this time. Ah well live and learn!

Stay tuned!

[75Dually]

So tonight I worked on getting the watts link reinstalled. Nothing very special I just made mounting tabs out of 1/4" plate, welded them to the rear end housing and then drilled a 1/2" hole through the tabs and the link arm. Shot some black paint on the metal parts and bolted everything back up. Sounds simple but it was actually a lot of work to get everything perfect and to line up correctly. Now if I ever have any issues with the rear end again the watts link can be unbolted and moved out of the way for servicing. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know I should have done this in the first place! Ah well live and learn...

My friend and I went during lunch today to the upholstery shop and picked up the vinyl material for the door speaker pods and the center console we are building. I did take a pic of the seats that I'm installing so we could match the material. These are late 80's Chevy buckets and a rear 60/40 split. I have always liked these seats, they are very comfortable, and I think they look great. I can't wait to get them installed and moving towards getting this truck ready for LST.

Stay tuned!

[75Dually]

So I took the truck out for a quick spin and the results were excellent. Now to concentrate on the interior make over. My friend is getting the new lower door panels ready for the 6.75 inch speakers. This weekend I will get on the construction of the new center console.

Getting closer to being ready.

Gonna be fun! Stay tuned!

[UKNOWME]

Sweeeeeet!

[75Dually]

My last mechanical with the truck was finished tonight! YES! Now on to the interior...

I have had a drive line vibration at around 70 MPH for quite some time. Because this truck has a 4:10 ring I don't like to rev this 454 too much and possibly hurt it. So I try to keep the top speed down a bit. The pic below is an older pic from when I was doing the 4 link, but you can see the angle gauge that I have used, and it is really accurate.

What I did was investigate all the drive line angles as they sat right now, and then I did some research on what the correct angles should be for the entire drive line. The hyperlink below is from the Spicer webpage, it is really good to use if you are doing any suspension changes. You click on how many driveshafts you have (mine obviously has 2) and then you enter the measured angles and it gives you the working angles for each u-joint.

For those of you who have never set your drive line angles there are some really good YouTube videos that explain how all that works. Basically you have the driveshaft angle and then the angle the u-joint is positioned at. The relationship between these two is very important to keep the u-joints happy and functioning properly, and the relationship of the opposing u-joint and 2nd driveshaft (if you have a 2 piece driveshaft) need to be in harmony. In the end what you need is to make sure the working angles between the shafts and the u-joints are very close to the same angle. That way as one u-joint moves it's opposing u-joint cancels out the vibration and movement of the other u-joint. The closer you get the working angles to match the less vibration you will have.

I'm so happy the way I set up the 4 link. It gives me so much flexibility to move the pinion angle to whatever is required. What I found out was I only had to move the pinion angle about 0.6 degrees up. This did not take all the vibration out, but a lot of it was dealt with. What needs to happen next if I decide to take this any further is I need to move the center carrier bearing up to lessen the driveshaft angles. That would close down the working angle in the center and thus make the whole system work a lot better. However for now I will take this as a win and come back to it in the future.

http://spicerparts.com/calculators/d...gle-calculator

We are in the last 2 weeks of the LST crunch! Interior is next...

Stay tuned!

[SCOTI]

6° change??

What was your pinion set at?

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

6° change??

What was your pinion set at?

No 0.6 degrees Scoti Glad we got that cleared up!

[75Dually]

Glamour shot! It needed a bath soooo bad! We have had a ton of dust storms lately, and it got covered in dust and dirt while getting repaired.

But I took it in today to get the annual inspection, and it drives so nice now. Can't wait to cruise it to LST!

Oh yeah that is going to be in 13 days 11 hours and 9 seconds, but who's counting...

Stay tuned!

[75Dually]

It is so on! Today after church I took out the old seats and started to trial fit the new seats. I started with the 60/40 split pair. Um... They are going to take a bunch of work. I'm hoping that the front seats will go in much easier. What I have done so far is just bolt down one corner and see what it is going to take to get them to fit. Lots as it turns out... I'm thinking about just making my own frames, I think that will be less work than redoing all the GM stuff. The issue is they are way to high. I tried to sit in them at the height that you see in the picture below, but my head just touches the ceiling. Basically they are not even close to right, so I guess I have to get the saw and the welder out!

Stay tuned!

[aggie91]

Dude, you are running out of time...

[Dieselwrencher]

Nice to hear you're getting the vibration removed in it. To add to the operating angles, if you don't have enough operating angle on the u joints, they can prematurely fail as well. I've had that same battle with newer seat mounts. They are always to high it seems. Making new frames/mounts is what I have done too. Definitely faster. Good luck getting them done in time!

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by aggie91

Dude, you are running out of time...

Yeah I know, I know... But we will be there this year! I look forward to seeing that wing!! Remember I owe you dinner.

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Nice to hear you're getting the vibration removed in it. To add to the operating angles, if you don't have enough operating angle on the u joints, they can prematurely fail as well. I've had that same battle with newer seat mounts. They are always to high it seems. Making new frames/mounts is what I have done too. Definitely faster. Good luck getting them done in time!

We are going to take our time driving to the show this year. I just don't want to run into any issues.

The seats are just about done! I will have them finished tonight, and hopefully painted and ready to be finally installed for the last time.

Wait until you see the center console, and the speaker door pods we are making. They are going to be really nice!

[75Dually]

I have been in the shop after work every night until late trying to get everything buttoned up. The rear seats have been a lot of work to get right. The pic below shows them in their final position. There is very little left of the original frames. To get these seats to fit the frames had to be cut, sliced, and almost diced to get them to fit and work. The cool thing is that they have the same function as the original frames, just changed to fit these floor pans.

The last thing I did tonight was paint the rear frames black to match the carpet and not make them stand out so much. I bet a ton of people will look at this and think "yeah so you put stock seats back in it, so what?" Never knowing just how much work it was to get them to look like they belonged from the factory.

The front seats are all ready to go, they just need to be bolted down in their new homes. I have to wait until the new center console is finished and installed before I can check that off my list. BTW the new center console is off the charts!

LST - 7 days, 7 hours, 51 minutes! But again who is counting....

Stay tuned!

[75Dually]

The clock that does not stop! #lonestarthrowdown The pain is real!

[SCOTI]

I didn't enter the show but will be driving there & attending as a spectator.
What is your trip plan?

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

I didn't enter the show but will be driving there & attending as a spectator.
What is your trip plan?

We will be there on Friday for setup. We might go earlier than that but we shall see...

See you there!

[75Dually]

Have I mentioned that there is this time crunch for this upcoming show... Just saying...

The seats are finally in!!! Don't hate me because I left a small portion of the passenger side frame unpainted. Look I ran out of black paint late last night, and no I was not going to go to Walmart at 11:30 at night. So just get over it already! I mean it is under the seat for crying out loud! LOL!

Sorry the time pressure might be getting to me! NAH! I'm used to this stuff.

Seriously I can't wait to show you guys the new center console. It is going to really set off the interior.

Stay tuned!

6 Days 9 Hours 16 Minutes, again who's counting...

[Advanced Design]

Just went through your build thread and wow, what a great build! Awesome fab skills, creative solutions, having fun with the hobby and a great sense of humor mixed in made for a great read. Tagging along for the rest.

We love our 88 we bought from the original owner.

[75Dually]

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

Just went through your build thread and wow, what a great build! Awesome fab skills, creative solutions, having fun with the hobby and a great sense of humor mixed in made for a great read. Tagging along for the rest.

We love our 88 we bought from the original owner.

You must have the patience of Job to read through all that! Glad you enjoyed it.

I think you need to have a really good sense of humor in this hobby. First laugh at yourself, and often! Plus it makes all those frustrating moments more tolerable. This is a fun and great hobby.

BTW that is a cool dually you have there... Would look great on some 24's slammed on the ground! Just sayin'!

[Advanced Design]

Originally Posted by 75Dually

BTW that is a cool dually you have there... Would look great on some 24's slammed on the ground! Just sayin'!

Thanks, yeah I regularly hear that slammed idea from my car buddies ... along with various engine swap ideas too. All fun stuff...

[75Dually]

I got the seat belts installed today for the rear seats. I also made a new mount for the Accuair eLevel. I could not use the old mount because it was where the new center console is going. So I made this part. No visible fastners but the small allen head bolts that hold the touch pad.

My list is getting smaller. So glad because I am so ready for it to be done!

Stay tuned!

[Dads79GMC]

Fabulous build! Went through all 39 pages. Great work; very creative stuff!! Mike

[75Dually]

We made it to LST! The ride down there was no fun at all. The truck ran really well, but we ran into the winter storm that was running through our path to Conroe. Ice was the major issue, and we drove through a lot of it! As you can see in the pic below. This pic was in Sweetwater, TX and it was 1.5" thick! Scary stuff! Anyways we made it through a rough night drive and made it to the show the next day.

Once I get a chance I will upload some pics of the new interior that we finished before we left for the show. It has been just so crazy just getting down here that I have not been able to get the pics of it.

I will also post some cool trucks from the show later on too.

Stay tuned!