tranny tunnel cab not sitting flat after 4" z

[boomer]

I set my cab back onto my 4" z'd frame last night. I see ofourse a few things on the firewall gotta go, heater etc. I was wondering, i still have to do a step notch in the rear and obviously have to have a decent sized one too, so today im gonna take the rear end out and lower the back 4"s like the front.
Just so i can see where things sit because the cab has a rake due to the end being up so its not sitting flat on the garage floor yet.

What im wondering is this. I didnt look really closely as it was getting late but when you guys who have kept the engine in the truck and tranny while z'ing and refitting cab on to frame do you have to notch the tranny tunnel before youll be able to have the cab sit totally flat one the floor. Im wondering if my cab may be hitting the tranny somewhere. I still have about 1 inch to go before laying pinch right at the front. I know i still have to lower the back to put it on a level playing field but i feel even if i do this is looks like it still may be a bit above pinch and thats not possible with the 4" z i did and trimmed the 2" off the cab rails . Question is did u guys have any problems sitting flat with the tranny tunnel un notched. I just let the tranny sit right on the floor when i put the cab back on....

Hope i can get some help here asap.. Ill be checking for replies frequently.. Once again its an 87 so anyone with a 73-87 truck may help me foresure

[FnLow69]

yes you well have to cut the tranny tunnel out before the cab will fully set on the chassis. have you raaised the tranny mount?

[boomer]

no i havent raised the crossmember. The tranny is sitting on the ground resting under the cab. I couldnt see it hitting anything like the bellhousing however i am havin 1 heck of a time to get this truck to sit into the cab mounts, i need a few more guys. I lowered the frame 4 inches in the rear by taking out the rearend. So the pinch welds are on the ground except right at the back there up about 1 inch but u cant tell anything until its in the cab mounts. No real sense in trying to line anything up until then, i just wanted to see it on the frame. lol lol

I have to get a new crossmember done as well. So your saying its not possible for the cab to be able to achieve its lowest stance until the cab floor around the tranny is cut out so when i get this thing lined up in the cab mount holes ill have to cut the floor out right away to see the true fruits of the job. With what ive doon this thing should lay rocker once i cut out the tranny hole in the cab with a 4 inch z and 2 inches off the bottom of rails.

[BK]

i had to cut out the whole tranny tunnel on my 65 panel i had z-ed 4". I also had to notch the support/crossmember that sits behind the seats, where the floor comes up, to clear the tailshaft and driveline. that is with a 700r4/327 combo moved 3" ahead.

[FnLow69]

so the trannys out, is the engine out? sound like its in there... can you take pictures maybe?

[Rollie396]

I'd cut out the tranny tunnel first.Then I'd get all the driveline angles set up to where they should be at ride height.Next I'd lay the thing on the ground.Last I'd put some new sheetmetal in the floor to clear the drivetrain.

[boomer]

tranny and engine never came out. I took cab,box and rad support off.
Should have taken the engine and tranny out. Come to think of it after looking at alot of the build pictures on this website i should have done alot of things different. I know i did the z properly though i still have to complete plating it all in and i know the rad support is right. Whats frustrating is assembling things and stuff not lining up. Like i went to put the fender back onto the cab and found out i had to cut half the inner fender itself so it would clear or not rub against the tire. I know boo hoo for me, it just sucks cutting everything into pieces. I know its custom work but my time is so limited that when i do go in there alot of times i leave the garage further back then when i went in. You start to not take youre time and cutting corners because u wanna drive it but thats not a good thing either.

Time is never on my side and i like hobbies but not a 5 year hobby. I am seriously considering taking the donor frame ive been given and trailoring it out to one of the members hot rod fab shops about 5 hrs from here and saying heres the frame do it from front to back, heres my cab,box,engine etc etc etc and make it all fit and ill send u lump sums of money each month. This way when that truck rolls out i know i can drive it and have no worries because the crew members who did it had that time i didnt and certainly had the means and proper tools and alignment goodies to make sure its driveable safely with the kids in it. And this shop definitly does nice,clean honourable work.Everything is all laid out before hand just like on the the t.v shows and im sure changes are made but there well planned out before and after. Man that would be nice to have a truck done and just pick it up. All the hard work, sweat,blood and tears could be someone elses problem and when i come home from my 12 hour shift welding at a tank shop everyday i wouldnt have to take time away from the family. Anyway it 4:30 am and i have a 45 minute drive to work so off i go.

Sorry for rambling i just needed to tell someone that it is fun doing your own work believe me but technology in certain shops far proceeds mine and if they use it properly a product can look and drive pretty darn nice.

www.macgyvers.com is the shop i will go to. Rob is a member on here. grnddwn is his nickname, he has the bodydropped silver primered blazer.

[FnLow69]

yes if the engine and trans are in there the floor must be cut out because when you Z the frame you raise the engine and tran up that amount (4" in your case) but i would raise the tranny first, then cut the floor out,and then the set the cab back on the frame.

yes its alot of work but in the end you can be proud of it and say "I DID ALL OF THIS" .

[Rollie396]

If it helps at all I think most of us have the same problems with time and project planning.There have been times when I think mebbe paying someone to build this thing would be the way to go (this usually happens when unexpected problems show up).I won't do it though for a couple of reasons.The money would be even more out of my range than it is already.I would be at the mercy of the shop doing the work.Most importantly,I would be giving up the pride and sense of accomplishment when the thing is finally finished.
Tank builder huh?I build field tanks for a company out of Lloydminster.Where are you at?

[BK]

www.loweredd.com