Project "Popeye"

[a5Ben]

Thanks for the info guys, I'm doing the S10 swap as well and want to use the original column to keep the inside as stock looking as possible, oh and cheaper

Since I haven't pulled my cab yet I haven't actually seen the inside of the shaft so your descriptions help a lot!

Ben

[67cheby]

LEEVON ... not trying to say anything here just posting a little pic for you

[67cheby]

ok maybe i was.....JUST SAYING!!!

[CHIZZLER]

I agree.still lovin the build.keep the pics comin.

[LEEVON]

...where's that darn "67cheby lock-out button"...

Since you guys NEED pics like a fatboy needs cake, here's the latest. Got the engine/trans mocked-up and removed the cab to start work on it. The truck oil pan is keeping me from putting it on the ground but I dropped an f-body pan off to get welded up today. The Hooker LS1 headers are perfect, no clearance issues at all. Next task is getting the brakes installed then the engine will come back out and get detailed and fitted with the flywheel/clutch assembly. I have the rear bags, brackets and panhard bar on the way from Thorbecke Bros.

Wish I had thrown the Hurst shifter on.

[ambryatim]

Man that looks GOOD!!!!

So, I see you have the trailing arms on there.....did you have to modify the mounts where the arms bolt to on the cross-member??

I had talked to Nate Porter about that and he said that I (we...who ever does this mod) need to make sure the arms are pointing up to the center of gravity on the vehicle to prevent any issues with binding or poor performance. He also suggested that one might have to lower the arms down because they could be at too much of an angle (upper wards) and the solution would be to drop the mounting point on the cross-member to compensate for less kick-up on the older trucks that have more of a straight ladder frame.

[LEEVON]

Thanks! Sorry I never got you those angle measurements. I really don't have an angle finder. I didn't modify the mounts at all, the clearance from the arms to the crossmember you see above them is about 1" at full dump. If you wanted to go lower, blocks on the axle would solve that problem.

I'm sure the geometry is not perfectly engineered, if I put too much thought into it I may talk myself out of it. I bet it will ride much nicer than the older version of this truck's suspension though. At ride height the arms will have more angle to them, the pics are a bit deceiving but they are about level aired-out.

[ambryatim]

That's fine about those angles.....to be honest....I am about 3-4 months out before I even start on the rear suspension.....Just a thought though, if you do get an angle finder (home depot have some) I would just check what your 72 is at, at ride height....I am sure it will be close enough....Just thought I would throw it out there. I am looking forward to the ride of mine also.

Me I, try to be a perfectionist, but then I will sometimes loose my patience and just say, Awww...its close enough...then I will have to go back to it later to re-do it.

I am really trying to keep from doing that any more, it eats up alot of my time...LOL

[LEEVON]

Originally Posted by ambryatim

That's fine about those angles.....to be honest....I am about 3-4 months out before I even start on the rear suspension.....Just a thought though, if you do get an angle finder (home depot have some) I would just check what your 72 is at, at ride height....I am sure it will be close enough....Just thought I would throw it out there. I am looking forward to the ride of mine also.

Me I, try to be a perfectionist, but then I will sometimes loose my patience and just say, Awww...its close enough...then I will have to go back to it later to re-do it.

I am really trying to keep from doing that any more, it eats up alot of my time...LOL

I've got one of those angle finders, set up the chassis, engine and everything with it, just didn't have a way to measure the angle of the trailing arm mounts in relation to the crossmember.

[kustombrad]

Dude!!! Gonna be a way cool truck!!

[LEEVON]

Originally Posted by kustombrad

Dude!!! Gonna be a way cool truck!!

Thanks! I was showing my wife pics of your truck and she was asking me how in the world we're going to find somebody to do lettering and striping that nice!

[99 to Life]

u-joints if you are doing s-10 pws, go to the scrap yard an find a conversion van chevy late 80's maybe early 90's. take the upper and lower u-joint off of their steering. That bottom u-joint fits right onto the s-10 box. the upper you will have to shim and also square off the steel tube that comes out of the original column. Basically you have to find a way to connect the top ujoint to the bottom of the original steering column. There are tons of ways you can do it. Then just find a d shaft from say a full size chevy truck that way you have plenty of length to work with, cut it to fit in between your ujoints. The aftermarket ujoints are alot smaller than these chevy van ones, plus they are about 60 bucks and up a piece. Check out my build and you can see how I ran mine, if you need.

Popeye, I am sure there are plenty of people on here that can answer your suspension angels. I would check out Yarils Customs, he had done some similar stuff to you, but not with trailing arms I don't think. Anyway keep the work and sorry for typing so much on your thread.

[LEEVON]

Worked on the truck a little today and wound up making this, a salute to 9/11 victims:

[ambryatim]

That is cool LEEVON...I like it. You should get it Bronzed.

[CHIZZLER]

Thats freakin killer.chassie looks good to.

[ratty 46]

No that is KICK ASS LEEVON. Well done. I watched the 9/11 special last eve ..... It still stings. Yet .... our mamby-pamby leader apologizes & asks for tolerance.

I could go on & on ..... let me step down off the soap box.

But on a positive not that is wicked kewl dude.

Ratty 46, A LOYAL AMERICAN

[OrrieG]

I watched the special too. Seeing those firemen walking towards the second Tower after the first had already collasped almost made me loose it. True bravery and heroes there, no BS, no posers. 430+ NYFD lost that day. Rest in peace men.

[LEEVON]

The special "102 minutes that changed the world" was very good. I had my family watch and there were no dry eyes.

[67cheby]

hey i have a home made cab dolly setting behind my shed if you want to borrow it for a while

[LEEVON]

Originally Posted by 67cheby

hey i have a home made cab dolly setting behind my shed if you want to borrow it for a while

Ummm....heck yeah! I didn't bother posting about my cab fiasco but I put two pallets together with some casters from Harbor Fail on the bottom. I had a heck of a time getting the cab onto the pallets by myself. Happy that the job was done, I started rolling it around the garage and it rolled like butter so I headed out to the driveway. Then I hit a bump and a wheel and all it's bearings shot out, then another. I grabbed a sledge and beat the other two off. So my wife came home and asked how I did all that by myself and was it going to stay in the driveway? I don't think she believed me that I was happily rolling it all over the place a few minutes before.

So long story short I was trying to figure out another system.

[67cheby]

mine has 10inch casters on it ....it will roll

[bjcaldwe]

I did something similar with my old 5 window cab. I have a lip going into the garage and it knocked off one how side of castors lol. Luckily, it was far enough in that I slid the cab and pallets far enough to close the garage door.

[solidaxel]

I hear that !!\350 engine on a 3 wheel engine stand and a expansion joint in the floor = one broken block !!!!

[LEEVON]

Little by little...swapped the cam, pushrods, and valvespings. The cast LS valve covers came today from PML covers and they are very, very nice and solid. I of course got impatient and had to mount them so I did a little painting (heads, covers and oil pan aluminum with clear). The block will still be painted blue like the wheels...so this is just a teaser.

I was able to get the bag brackets, panhard, tank and compressor mounted this weekend also. The Thorbecke Bros panhard is a very nice piece, thanks Ricky!

TONS of little things left to get the chassis done but it's getting there.

[my67chevytruck]

nice progress!