55 in NH build

[daveshilling]

Originally Posted by Kevin_C

Ya I'm hoping the brakes are good. I just rebuilt the rears and I have a Wilwood adjuster off the the hydroboost. The PO installed the hydro and complained about the brakes but I believe he may have had his lines crossed.

I still haven't messed with my ebrake yet. I picked up a Camaro electric setup that I'm going to try to wire into the Camaro center console.

I haven't either.. I like that the later vette rears are setup for it so easily, but I'm wrestling with:

• A push-button "Parking brake" that would be essentially useless in an emergency, or
• A foot pedal "Emergency Brake" that I can control the amount of pressure with manually if something were to happen with my brakes somehow.

The foot pedal brake will attach right to the hood hinge bolts like it was made to fit there, but adds some clutter and additional installation complexity.

The E-Stopp style makes the remote mount easy, the button is cool, but if my brakes go out it just locks the rears completely...after seeing that video of the red Impala (I think it was) lose brakes and just smash into parked cars at a red light, the old school pedal brake feels like a lil insurance policy.

I guess have no reason to assume I'd lose all braking power front and rear, but with basically zero safety features in these trucks, maybe ONE feature is good?

[1project2many]

Originally Posted by daveshilling

I haven't either.. I like that the later vette rears are setup for it so easily, but I'm wrestling with:

• A push-button "Parking brake" that would be essentially useless in an emergency, or
• A foot pedal "Emergency Brake" that I can control the amount of pressure with manually if something were to happen with my brakes somehow.

The foot pedal brake will attach right to the hood hinge bolts like it was made to fit there, but adds some clutter and additional installation complexity.

The E-Stopp style makes the remote mount easy, the button is cool, but if my brakes go out it just locks the rears completely...after seeing that video of the red Impala (I think it was) lose brakes and just smash into parked cars at a red light, the old school pedal brake feels like a lil insurance policy.

I guess have no reason to assume I'd lose all braking power front and rear, but with basically zero safety features in these trucks, maybe ONE feature is good?

Hmmm....

Everyone loves electrical things these days. I wonder how adaptable a trailer brake controller is to an OE electric park brake. Or maybe a transmission mounted drum brake made from trailer brake would provide enough braking for an emergency?

Just thinking...

[dsraven]

If doing a driveline brake and you're fabbing stuff just use a disc brake. It will mount easier to the yoke maybe.

[Kevin_C]

Well lets just say progress has been minimal and my motivation has been dropping with the temperature. I've started installing my Vintage Air setup. Condenser and Evap is installed. I haven't decided if I'm going use their hard lines and relocate where I was planning to installing my overflow and washer tank or get creative. Do to the fact that my AC compressor is down low on the driver side I picked up some rectangular tube to make a cross bar that I can support the lines with. While looking at the mount that we made to adapt a SD7 compressor to a Gen V engine I realized that the ac manifold will interfere with the mount. I was able to redesign the mount moving it forward eliminating all the spacers and had a friend draw it up in cad. We 3d printed it just so I could test before having the parts laser cut. Parts are do to ship on friday. I think I may take some CAD courses in the future along with maybe a buying a 3d printer. ;-) it was pretty cool being able to print a mockup

[greystoke]

Very cool!!!

[6DoF]

3D to reality is super satisfying!

[57FleetsideC4]

Very nice fab work!! Steve

[Kevin_C]

Finally had a chance to get the bracket welded. I ended up making a front cross bar so the ac line will have something to mount to and not hang.

[Kevin_C]

well its been a while. Finally got the garage built but the summer when by too fast. I made all my AC and heater lines. Ran them similar to Dan's build. Got the stereo components laid out. I just need to finish a few things and then its off to get electrical done.

[Jason 56]

Garage came out really nice. I ran my AC and coolant lines in a similar matter. Yours came out cleaner than mine. A mechanic friend recommended I run an oil catch can in the PCV system. GM is having a problem with the direct injection. The valves are not sealing with increased mileage. With no fuel flowing over the valves, and only oil vapor from the PCV system. The valves get gummed up and can’t be cleaned. I was shock how much oil mine catches. Just thought I’d pass that along.

[Kevin_C]

Thanks Jason, been trying to build the garage for 4 years. The price kept outpacing my savings. Wife said this year or we are remodeling the master bath... They start electrical in a couple weeks.

I watched a lot of post on these new direct port injection engines. Its crazy the amount of oil the puddles in the intake. I ran a Might Mouse can running the valley and valve covers to the can and then exhaust back to the unused brake vacuum port on the back of the intake. I was able to buy factory push lock connectors so removal is a breeze.

[Kevin_C]

Finally got the truck down to the new garage. I got a month to button up what I can before its off to electrical.

[Kevin_C]

Well it looks like one step forward two steps back. I had planned on aligning body panels and getting the truck closer to paint this fall. Trying to align the doors and noticed the cab edge was a 1/2-3/4 out from the door.

I know the cab corners were replaced but there seemed to be a lot of bondo so I started to grind into it to see what was going on.

The Cab corners were lapped a couple inches. Spot welded and seam welded. I decided to grind it all back and the door was sitting pretty flush except the bottom. The driver side step was also replaced but they left 50% of the original and the bottom was all stitch welded. The inner cab corners were cut off and scraps were welded in to the new cab corners. but not attached to the inner cab corner at all.

So now I'm replacing driver side step and inner and outer cab corners on both sides.

[Jason 56]

Yikes… I know that feeling. I thought mine was in great shape until I did the same thing. The grinder will reveal all. Good luck

[Kevin_C]

got the abbreviated inner cab corner removed. the front of the cab corner was in good shape so I drilled out the spot welds on the back side. After some trimming I have it fitting well. Going to trimming the outer cab corner next. On the plus side I'm getting some practice on my new welder.

[Kevin_C]

got the cab corner welded in. I cooled it as I welded but I didn't seem to do a great job grinding the welds and it feels a bit wavy. I'm going to try to dolly it out

[Rickysnickers]

Still, it's looks like you did a good job.

[dsraven]

Weld cools and shrinks so hammer ON dolly across the Weld area to stretch it back out it doesn't need to be hard hammer swings. Work your way across the wrld, check, repeat till it looks good. I usually use sandpaper wrapped around and stapled to a wood block to quickly sand across the area and show the highs and lows.
Did you mig, tig, or gas Weld the patches
When I mig I usually tack it in, hammer on dolly each tack just quickly, compressed air cool, keep tacking across different spots till the tacks are an inch or less apart. grind tacks smooth. Then cut mig wire
end to create a chisel tip for quick stsrt up. start mig weld on top of a tack and Weld to the next tack. End ON the next tack. This way there is no possible gap or pin hole. Hammer on dolly a little when hot, cool. Hammer on dolly to get shape back. Do another short Weld but in a different spot, same technique. Pretty soon it's done and ready to grind smooth.
Important to sorta finish each short Weld after to get panel as close to smooth as possible so the next Weld foesnt compound ghe distortion.
Nice job anyway. You'll get it straight with a little work.

[Kevin_C]

thanks dsraven. I mig welded. I was fighting blowouts here and there so those areas were the hardest to grind after filling. I think the grinding was my toughest part to do flat. I will try your method on the other side. This is my first time doing sheet metal. I looked crazy with the lights off in the garage with a flashlight inside the cab so I could mark the pin holes with a sharpy. I was able to dolly a lot of it out. there is a dip on the first 3/4" that I can't get the dolly because of the support structure. I may stud weld it or just put a couple tacks and grind. what a difference from the old cab corner to this. I'm glad i decided to replace it. I'm now trying to space out the bottom of the fender so start to figure out how to bend in the outer profile of the step to match the fender and cab corner.

[dsraven]

I sometimes use a headlamp on the auto dsrkening welding helmet so I can see better. Cheater glasses or cheater Lena in the helmet helps too, even if you don't normally use reading glasses.
I use soapy water in a squeeze bottle and compressed air blowing on the smoothed weld on the back side. Bubbles show up easily enough. Then drill through that leaky spot to get rid of welding slag before welding the hole closed
If you have trouble blowing through when welding try a copper bar behind the weld spot. I have a couple of pieces of 2 or 3" copper pipe that I flattened out. Works great. I also have a small C clamp that I cut the anvil part off and attached a magnet to. The screw down part has a copper pipe plug covering the end and crimped down so it stsys put. Then I can attach it to the back side and the magnet is far enough away so it doesn't disrupt the weld.

[Kevin_C]

ya I used a magnetic copper foot where I could. mine doesn't love some of the radius. I used a magnetic led light when I weld. I switched to a large screen welding hood which I love. Clarity is great. I ordered a set of magnifying lenses for them but they made me dizzy.

[dsraven]

most helmets have provisions for a cheater lens. mine was a cheap one from princess auto, like harbor freight in the USA, but it was fine and made welding much easier for me unless it was a little off angle, then i could see how it might mess with the melon a little when not used to it.

[Kevin_C]

Well driver side inner outer cab corner and step are all welded in. I clamped some angle iron and was able to adjust the step profile to match the fender and cab profile. Now I get to do it all over again on the passenger side. Should be a lot less scary the second time.

[Rickysnickers]

Nice work!

[Kevin_C]

started stripping down the passenger side. going to replace inner and outer cab corners, step and replace the patch they put in near the hinge