2 for 1, My son's first Square Build

[yukon ratrod]

Your a lucky young man to spend such quality time with your dad! And hats off to your dad for teaching you! My father is a welder fabricator and i never got the support or help to build anything for my projects! You keep it up and your going to be a man we can all be proud of! Talent you have already showed us all and thats pretty cool! You have a natural talent,and its showing! Give your old man a hug hes earned it!
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[Kerlijah]

Awesome build thread guys, cant wait to see how the truck turns out...subscribed!!

[aggie91]

We spent some time yesterday taking apart the donor truck. The front crossmember is bent real bad on the passenger side and the passenger side frame rail is bent behind the control arm mount. We got the grill off and both front fenders along with all the lights. Baseball practice started last week for Korbin, so his time during the week will be very limited for a while. We will take all we can use and part out/trade/sell what's left. We have a lot of work to do..

We plan on sending the frame and stuff for blasting next month. Just a few more things to do.
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[Can't kech me]

we decided to flip the rear hanger over, for handling and and ride quality purposes.


it actually lowers it 1/8th of and inch or so, all working on bringin it down closer to mother earth!


picture of the finished notch, ready to be blasted and smoothed

[UPNADM]

Very cool stuff. I got my love for square body GM trucks from my dad as well. I loved helping him at a young age work on his trucks.

Now the tables have turned and he enjoys helping me with my builds.

Keep up the great work.

[aggie91]

We did the hanger flip last night after reading and following Rob's "Make it Handle" thread in the Suspension section. Most off roaders do it to raise the suspension, which it does if you use the same holes in the frame and the hanger. Our frame/hanger had an extra set of holes that allowed me to move the hanger so that it did not raise the truck. It is actually lower by 1/8" like Korbin mentioned. In the pictures, the frame is upside down...

[made2drag]

Originally Posted by aggie91

We did the hanger flip last night after reading and following Rob's "Make it Handle" thread in the Suspension section. Most off roaders do it to raise the suspension, which it does if you use the same holes in the frame and the hanger. Our frame/hanger had an extra set of holes that allowed me to move the hanger so that it did not raise the truck. It is actually lower by 1/8" like Korbin mentioned. In the pictures, the frame is upside down...

very interesting! never thought about that. im anxious to see this on the ground. ive got mine as low as i can get it with leafsprings adding a 2 x 3 in block. i drove it at all speeds and have no driveline vibration and my pinion is great. i though about raising the front hangers but never thought about flipping them in the rear to make it handle. let me know if you see a big difference!

[made2drag]

im wondering what the affects are when the shackle swings into position with a load on it... are you expecting a 1/8 drop or about the same position but greater handleing? the less motion my leafsprings are in... the better

[made2drag]

could you tell me about what page or post # it was...that thread is like 45 pages long. lol

[aggie91]

Same net ride height, just a better overall ride.

Look on page 41, post 1009 is where the discussing starts about leaf springs.

I hope to post pictures of the floor raising soon. We still have one bed side to finish up...

[made2drag]

Originally Posted by aggie91

Same net ride height, just a better overall ride.

Look on page 41, post 1009 is where the discussing starts about leaf springs.

I hope to post pictures of the floor raising soon. We still have one bed side to finish up...

hey man thanks! i'll check it out. cant wait to see the bed floor raising too since im almost at the point where i need to decidewhich way im gonna go with my bed.

[hairlesshobo]

Man, this is so awesome to see. This reminds me a lot of my dad and I. I started working on trucks with my dad when I was about 8 and have done it ever since (I'm 22 now). Just as others have said, the older you get the more you will appreciate every day that you have spent working with him.

Karl: you are a good man for taking the time to spend with him and teach him this stuff. I was blessed to have a dad like you and I love him more than anything for it. Now the tables have turned and I have my own kid on the way. I cant wait to be able to pass the torch when my child gets old enough.

Keep up the great work guys and keep us posted!
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[Can't kech me]

yeah buddy!



clears everything!

[aggie91]

Korbin posted the pictures of the changes to the bed to raise the floor 4". I made some 4" tall tubing spacers to raise the mounting of the bed floor. We will weld these to the frame and center them around the mounting holes. After much thought, I decided to cut the inner panels our of the bed sides. I took a 4" strip out of it at the top. In the pictures above, I just have sheet metal screws holding the sides to the flanges where they were spot welded together. By doing it this way, the sides are still bolted to the floor using the factory hardware and the tubs are still bolted in the same way as the factory did it. At the rear, the side is bolted and spot welded together, I cut the welds apart and then notched out the stake pocket to give me the 4" raised floor. I did have to make a couple of cuts in the light pocket area, but the taillight should still bolt in without any issues.

I need to do the other side and I will have the majority of the bed complete. The front bed panel is shot, the top edge is rusted through in a number of places. I have the ability through work to make a new panel on our CNC machines, so I will make on that is 4" shorter that bolts together in the factory places. I got the one side done in about 2 hours, I figure that not that I know what I need to do, I should be able to do it in an hour.

I will try to take some pictures when I cut the other side apart.

[made2drag]

Originally Posted by aggie91

Korbin posted the pictures of the changes to the bed to raise the floor 4". I made some 4" tall tubing spacers to raise the mounting of the bed floor. We will weld these to the frame and center them around the mounting holes. After much thought, I decided to cut the inner panels our of the bed sides. I took a 4" strip out of it at the top. In the pictures above, I just have sheet metal screws holding the sides to the flanges where they were spot welded together. By doing it this way, the sides are still bolted to the floor using the factory hardware and the tubs are still bolted in the same way as the factory did it. At the rear, the side is bolted and spot welded together, I cut the welds apart and then notched out the stake pocket to give me the 4" raised floor. I did have to make a couple of cuts in the light pocket area, but the taillight should still bolt in without any issues.

I need to do the other side and I will have the majority of the bed complete. The front bed panel is shot, the top edge is rusted through in a number of places. I have the ability through work to make a new panel on our CNC machines, so I will make on that is 4" shorter that bolts together in the factory places. I got the one side done in about 2 hours, I figure that not that I know what I need to do, I should be able to do it in an hour.

I will try to take some pictures when I cut the other side apart.

wow, your plan worked out perfect! everything cleared and very nice ideas too. everything looks factory and i love the crossmember notch.....cant wait to see more pics! great work guys

[Can't kech me]

yeah i'm really happy with how it worked out, i didnt do much of the bed, so compliment my dad, iwas there but it was his ingenious design so...

i helped one of my friends on his truck today, 2007 gmc vortec max 6.0l 4l60e 14 bolt posi, straight pipes, spectre intake. we installed a corvette servo into his transmission, it shifts so much better.

well, it made me want to get my engine in and start doing power mods. we are going to mount my engine and tranny before we sandblast the frame, and do all the wiring, then take it all apart, sandblast and paint the frame, do all my engine mods while the engine is out of the truck, and put it all back together. hedman shorty headers, flowmaster super 44 mufflers, gm hotcam 219/228 .525 lift, and the cheapest cold air intake i can find, corvette servo, shift kit. my goal is 400hp 400+ ft/lb torque and close to 20mpg.

in other good news, my dad found a shop that's 1400sq ft with shelves and an air compressor already there, we are splitting it with one of my dad friends. my dads truck will go there, and guess who gets the garage? finally no more laying in the grass haha. i'm pretty stoked that we finally have a shop

[made2drag]

Originally Posted by Can't kech me

yeah i'm really happy with how it worked out, i didnt do much of the bed, so compliment my dad, iwas there but it was his ingenious design so...

i helped one of my friends on his truck today, 2007 gmc vortec max 6.0l 4l60e 14 bolt posi, straight pipes, spectre intake. we installed a corvette servo into his transmission, it shifts so much better.

well, it made me want to get my engine in and start doing power mods. we are going to mount my engine and tranny before we sandblast the frame, and do all the wiring, then take it all apart, sandblast and paint the frame, do all my engine mods while the engine is out of the truck, and put it all back together. hedman shorty headers, flowmaster super 44 mufflers, gm hotcam 219/228 .525 lift, and the cheapest cold air intake i can find, corvette servo, shift kit. my goal is 400hp 400+ ft/lb torque and close to 20mpg.

in other good news, my dad found a shop that's 1400sq ft with shelves and an air compressor already there, we are splitting it with one of my dad friends. my dads truck will go there, and guess who gets the garage? finally no more laying in the grass haha. i'm pretty stoked that we finally have a shop

congratulations on a new place to lay your truck....i mean park your truck....are you planning on laying frame?

[Dieselholic92]

Very cool project. I wish I could've done a father/son project with my dad, but he's not mechanically inclined even though he owns an excavating company haha. He did buy me my 66 Bel Air when I was 14 however, and I did the mechanical/chassis work on it and paid for the body work.

[Can't kech me]

well good and bad news, we got outa that shop i told yall about, didnt particularly like the owner. My dad is in the proccess of finding a new one. my truck will stay home but i will get the garage, my dad's 65 is going to the shop and we're taking a bunch of other stuff that will give me A LOT more room. i'm pretty much to the point of doing the engine swap, as we are going to do it before we have the frame sandblasted so the mounts and tranny xmember will get blasted too. dad says we can fab up our own motor mounts, but to the speed up the proccess and make for a little better look and adjustability, i like these mounts
http://dirtydingo.com/store/product_...oducts_id=1308
The only problem is my front xmember is raised 1.5'" and i don't know if they will work, also, i need to figure out which headers will fit the best for the best price. Rob at no limits used a hedman brand header, and liked them, but i don't know. while the engine and tranny is out i will be doing stuff like shift kit, corvette servo, gm hotcam, air intake, and whatever else i can afford. i'm doing it while it's out because it's well, out and easier to work on haha. anyone have any ideas on the headers and motor mounts? i'm not totally against fabbing some up and i am pretty sure my dad could make some adjustable ones because he has access to a mill. my biggest concern is the headers though.

[Can't kech me]

got the engine out! need a 2wd tranny though o well here are some pics

[ProjectGMC84]

hey i just did my 86 exhaust. 1986 and older cats are not required per my exhaust guy who also is a shop manager at a meineke. so.. you may do a lil more research on that when the times come.

[notyo_cheez]

In TX that's kind of a grey area, while an exhaust specialist will tell you they aren't needed an inspector will say any OEM emissions component has to be there, whether it works or not. Several counties in TX require emissions testing for all vehicles between 2 and 24 years old, based on the county the vehicle is registered in. I think it depends on where you are and who performs the inspection, in Nueces county (where I am) emissions testing is not required and a general safety inspection is all they'll do. A wink, nudge and a few dead presidents could be arranged to persuade an anal-retenitve inspector who tells you your '79 doesn't have an EGR and needs it...

[made2drag]

Originally Posted by aggie91

Korbin posted the pictures of the changes to the bed to raise the floor 4". I made some 4" tall tubing spacers to raise the mounting of the bed floor. We will weld these to the frame and center them around the mounting holes. After much thought, I decided to cut the inner panels our of the bed sides. I took a 4" strip out of it at the top. In the pictures above, I just have sheet metal screws holding the sides to the flanges where they were spot welded together. By doing it this way, the sides are still bolted to the floor using the factory hardware and the tubs are still bolted in the same way as the factory did it. At the rear, the side is bolted and spot welded together, I cut the welds apart and then notched out the stake pocket to give me the 4" raised floor. I did have to make a couple of cuts in the light pocket area, but the taillight should still bolt in without any issues.

I need to do the other side and I will have the majority of the bed complete. The front bed panel is shot, the top edge is rusted through in a number of places. I have the ability through work to make a new panel on our CNC machines, so I will make on that is 4" shorter that bolts together in the factory places. I got the one side done in about 2 hours, I figure that not that I know what I need to do, I should be able to do it in an hour.

I will try to take some pictures when I cut the other side apart.

do you have anymore pics? i may be doing this this week, only 5 or 6 inches. i have done this on my 91 mazda b2200. im wondering if you did it the same way.

[aggie91]

No more pictures yet. I got the driver's side apart and made a few cuts and tacked it together. I will see about getting pictures today...

[Can't kech me]

cleaned up pretty well, i think. i used degreaser and a pressure washer.
before




after




me and a buddy were jokin around about how big the truck intake was, and he said that it was big enough to be a blower, and i had to agree, cuz it is! i'm thinkin victory red valve covers, victory red block,victory red engine cover. with the heads left aluminum and all of the accesories and everthing else painted aluminum.