The "In over my head" build thread

[SeventyOne]

Been about a month so I thought I would post a quick update as to the trucks progress...

I did finish up the Tcase rebuild about a month ago now. It wasn't terribly hard and I would certainly feel confident tackling another now that I know what to watch out for. Here are some pics when I finished it up:





I have also been amassing parts to get the engine, trans, and Tcase back in the truck such as flexplate bolts, torque converter bolts, and bellhousing bolts. Also a bunch of steering parts...got a raised steering arm, drop pitman arm (both should give me a nice flat drag link angle), new tie rod ends, and this beauty:





I also cleaned and painted the Tcase adapter, fuel tank straps, main steering link (I always forget what it's called...). Lastly since I cannot find a vendor that sells the square u-bolt that holds the gas tank straps to the frame nor can I find a u-bolt manufacturer that will make me a 1-off for less than $125, I bought some 3/8" threaded rod to attempt to bend my own square u bolt - total cost from Home Depot? $2.50. Pics to come when I get around to bending it.

[elzombo]

Awesome...if you have a chance, will you PM me the info on the Tcase kit you used, price, what to watch out for, etc.? Thanks! Looks great!!!

[SeventyOne]

I have all the manuals/guides/walkthroughs for the rebuild on my home computer. I will try to post links to where I found them.

Rather than PM this info it might be nice to post the info here so it is a record for anyone else wanting to rebuild a NP205:

Rebuild Kit: I bought a full rebuild kit from NorthWestFab (google it). It came with all the bearing, small parts, and seals needed. There were some parts I didn't use because I didn't fully disassemble the rear output shaft to change out the needle bearings. It would have been a major pain in the ass, two of the 3 write ups skipped the step, and my case was so clean and showed only minor wear I thought it was ok to skip. Price was about $220.

Things to watch out for:

I did not do this but IF I were to do another I would powerwash the case before I disassemble.

Bag each assembly (input shaft, front output shaft, rear output shaft, idler assembly, etc) as you remove the parts. If you are a forgetful person you may want to take pics as you disassemble - the write ups also have a ton of pics to help you out though.

Once apart: I wiped down and cleaned anything else that needed it, and masked, primed, and painted the case.

Reassembly: Tricky part #1 = the shift rail insertion. You need to put the first rail in to a certain point WITH the shift fork attached (but not yet pinned) in order to get the 2nd rail in all the way. Once the 2nd rail is in you can insert the 1st rail all the way and pin both shift forks. I did this wrong, I put the first rail in with the shift fork, pinned it and then had a dumb look on my face when I was unable to get the 2nd rail all the way in. I ended up having to un-pin the fork, pull the rail out part way, put the 2nd rail in with the shift fork, then insert the 1st rail in all the way before pinning both forks.

Tricky Part #2 = Shift fork roll pin insertion. Obviously when you shift the transfer case you are moving the shift rails which in turn move the shift forks around. The roll pins are what keep the shift rails attached to the forks. To save you a headache pre-tap the pins into the top of each fork enough to seat it. then when you are ready to drive the pins in (after completing the shift rail insertions) they will already be seated and easier to drive into the rail holes.

Everything else was pretty straight forward...

[el3m3nt3l]

dont blame you. i'm thinking matte black for mine. but not sure yet.

[SeventyOne]

Originally Posted by el3m3nt3l

dont blame you. i'm thinking matte black for mine. but not sure yet.

What part are we talking about here?

[el3m3nt3l]

we were talking body color.

Originally Posted by SeventyOne

Update 5/18

Here's what was delivered yesterday...
Attachment 748725

Attachment 748727

Attachment 748728

Attachment 748726

383, roller cam & rockers, aluminum heads, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake.

BaketownScotty: Yes, I and using the stock trans crossmember in the stock location. I had the trans built with the Advanced Adapters output shaft so it will bolt up to the NP205 behind it. The extra length that the 700r4 has over the Th350 will be accounted for by moving the engine and crossmember forward.

el3m3nt3l: Yes I really like the stock green color but I don't think it will end up being painted that color in the end...

[SeventyOne]

Originally Posted by el3m3nt3l

we were talking body color.

Gotcha! I've actually been thinking about a light ice blue color now...I think I will have changed my mind a few times between now and paint time.

[el3m3nt3l]

This is what i'm thinking when it comes to body color.

[SeventyOne]

I think I like "oooh shiney paint" too much for any flat color

To each his own though.

[SeventyOne]

Update 6/25

Got some time today to go out in the garage and took care of some little projects.

Redhead steering box on:



Drop Pitman on:



Raised Steering arm on:



Here are the custom aluminum spacers for the shock mount I ended up using:



And here is the square U-bolt I made up for the gas tank straps:


I just took some 3/8" all thread, used my bench grinder to cut V notches where I needed the bends and then folded the metal on itself. Then I tack welded the cut/fold to make it solid again. Came out perfect and I saved myself $122.50!

[dacian]

if you dont mind me asking how much did it cost to get the frame powder coated?





poker online

[SeventyOne]

From post 84

Originally Posted by SeventyOne

Frame alone would have been $600. Not bad in my opinion - the thing is spotless. I got all the brackets, crossmembers, core support, shackles and mics junk for a little more than $900.

[tantrumpipeline]

looking good as always, look forward to the progress of this build

[SeventyOne]

Update 7.3.11 God Bless America!

I love this country! I spend the day with friends, drinking Budweiser (have you seen their cool "Patriotic" cans lol) and working on a Chevy!

Anyways, on to the good stuff...

My Brother, his friend (he has an '82 Blazer), my cousin, and boardmember Rdrdave came out to help with the drivetrain installation. Big thanks to everyone - I couldn't have done it without their help!

[Pop's C-10]

nice build

[SeventyOne]

Thank you

[Mr-Jack]

i had an issue with bulging on an old rock crawler...i took the big nut off and double nutted using some skinnier nuts...not sure if this is correct, but they never loosened at all.

Nice build by the way. giving me a few ideas.

[Rdrdave]

You might want to check your torque wrench. Torque to a lower spec until it clicks then go to the recommended spec. They're weird like that. I've seen t/w break bolts before they click.

[SeventyOne]

Originally Posted by Rdrdave

You might want to check your torque wrench. Torque to a lower spec until it clicks then go to the recommended spec. They're weird like that. I've seen t/w break bolts before they click.

Worth a try. I have a 3/8" and 1/2" drive so I'll try both. Thanks.

Edit: though now that I think about it I had been using the T/W on nut/bolts for an hour prior making my way around the truck...BUT this was the last nut/bolt I attempted to torque that day so I can't be sure the wrench didn't get tweaked somehow.

[jav418]

nice build!

[SeventyOne]

Hey! I'm not dead! ;-)

Update 3/10/2012 "Finger Tight"

Ok...So I haven't posted since July. Ya my bad. Been busy I guess.

Vacation in Belize, wedding anniversary, Holidays Holidays Holidays, started new hobby brewing my own beer (so fun!), running a 5k three times a week to keep the beer weight off , hanging out with my Brother who joined the Marine corps about 1.5 years ago and JUST made it to Afghanistan on Monday...I miss him a lot.

I had to make an effort to get back into the Blazer game. WTF? I'm so glad to be back!

What's good is I know what needs to be done - throw $ at it!

Carb, Air cleaner (though I want to get a taller element...5 or 6"?), HEI, Fuel lines, fuel pump, Corvette manifolds, plugs and wires.

Here's some pics of progress...

Corvette Ram Horns with the "generator bracket" cut off. High temp (1700*) Paint drying here.


Engine as it sits now...


Manifold fitment. Corvette ram horns will fit on a 4x4 w/ a 700r4 with the engine shifted forward some 1.75"


Should flow well w/o the headaches of a header. Plug wire fitment is awesome.


Please take a seconds to remember our Military Forces overseas...

Kick some ass Brother.

[72truckman]

Trucks lookin good Message me if you ever need a couple extra hands, only 5 minutes away!

[SeventyOne]

I just might need some soon. Trying to figure out my next moves regarding the body, how to clean, paint, coat the underside. Also paint the firewall...

Then get it back on the frame and keep chugging.

I'll post up some pics and ideas tomorrow.

[SeventyOne]

Got out into the garage - did some general clean up, tinkering, thinking. I apologize in advance for the long post.

I think I have a plan for next steps - please let me know what you think - as you know I am in over my head and need second opinions!

As it sits:
Chassis is more or less done and ready to accept the body. Need to run fuel and brake lines, instal mech. fuel pump, and do misc tasks.

Body is on a wooden cart I build when I took the body of the frame. My attention needs to shift to the body and how to get it ready to mate to the frame once again.

There are some rust areas that I don't know if they need of should be addressed before moving the body back over. See pics below.

But what really seems to by tying my brain up is how to clean/prep/finish the underbody and firewall before putting the body back on the frame - once it's on the frame those areas are more or less inaccessible.

So I am thinking of I need to build some kind of rotisserie or better yet just a simple "tub tipper". I think I can leverage the rear seat mounting bolts (4) and the front most body mounts. Build it out of steel w/ casters and then tip it when I need to get to the underside.

The questions/concerns I have:
What is the correct order of things? Once I have it on the tipper, I would like to send it to a media-blaster to have the whole thing blasted & primed. Then I can "undercoat" the bottom & paint the firewall. Do I then tackle the remaining rust while its on the tipper on do I do that with the body back on the frame?

I also think I should redo the rockers (PO installed). I would assume this should be done with the body back on the frame. I have new body mounts to install, and I would do it with the doors and top installed to ensure straightness.

So does this sound right:
Build tipper cart
Put body on cart
Have body blasted and primed (I would like to do this with the rocker panels removed and major rust areas exposed to clean out better - this ok?)
Repair all non-structural rust (rear tailgate areas, rear wheel tub area)
Undercoat and paint firewall area
Install body on frame
Install Doors and Top
Repair structural rust (rockers, torsion boxes, footwells, B-Pillar)
Body work & Paint

[botmfedr1]

Just my two cents. Several of my brothers do bodywork/paint for a living and in most cases if they are given the opportunity to remove the body they will. Especially since you have the frame pretty much completed. So perhaps you should get a bodyshop to media blast the entire tub. As you may have read on here, once you get into the body channels- there might be more rust issues than you see on the surface. I am on my 3rd , this one a Blazer and as i suspected...more issues.
media blast
fix all rust issues
under coat
body work, then put it back on frame....then paint. Trust me...you don't want to manuver a freshly painted body onto a frame...
Nice work so far!

mondo

btw...I am active duty Army, 20+ years and counting...Godspeed for your brother!!!