btfarm
America First!
Nice fabrication work.
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Project "Johnny Cash"
- Thread starter Rockabillyrat
- Start date
Duvall
6.5 lives matter
I have used POR 15 on my truck. It is the only product that I have used so I can't say its the best. I will say that it's not the best for bare metal or parts that are not rusty. IIRC there is a note in the instructions to rough up bare metal with a certain grit or surface finish. I have sprayed it on some bare metal areas and it peeled off pretty easily. I did not prep the bare metal area mainly to see how it would stick. It is also not UV resistant.
I will say that while using it I have spilled it on plastic sheeting and when it dries and peels off the plastic the POR15 itself is a very tough material. If you get it on something unintentionally, you need to get it off while it is still wet because its not coming off when it dries. Especially skin.
It was about 10 years ago when I used POR15 and I don't think there was any other product like it at the time. I am satisfied with how everything turned out with my usage of it.
Now there are several products with similar properties. If I were doing a project like this I would look for something other than PO15.
I see that you have decided to go with something other than POR15. I just wanted to share my experience with it.
Ask @n8in8or , he is sponsored by KBS
Last edited:
Will L.
Well-Known Member
Your use deteriorated how to cover the frame. A show quality frame for sure when your done, so having it powder coated jumps to mind. Its more durable than paint but if used frequently it will get some rock chips and that lets moisture wick inside and do damage ot just in the bare spot but few surrounding inches.
If you do single stage or two stage paint, it is the easiest to touch up.
Using bed liner material like Line X - they have rough and less rough (not really smooth) and it is WAY more resistant to chipping than powder coating. I’ve seen some videos of it being heavily abused and no issues- many hummer/hmmwv/jeep etc guys are “painting” the body and it stays perfect looking for years if you use one that is uv resistant. I was considering it for mine for a while.
And just because yours is looking so awesome, have to throw in:
How well does chroming stand up in your area? Here chrome is forever so long as you rinse the dust off before anyone starts rubbing it causing scratches. Well, the chrome is re-polishable, but the owner goes to jail for hitting the clown that wiped off the dust with his hand- haha
If you do single stage or two stage paint, it is the easiest to touch up.
Using bed liner material like Line X - they have rough and less rough (not really smooth) and it is WAY more resistant to chipping than powder coating. I’ve seen some videos of it being heavily abused and no issues- many hummer/hmmwv/jeep etc guys are “painting” the body and it stays perfect looking for years if you use one that is uv resistant. I was considering it for mine for a while.
And just because yours is looking so awesome, have to throw in:
How well does chroming stand up in your area? Here chrome is forever so long as you rinse the dust off before anyone starts rubbing it causing scratches. Well, the chrome is re-polishable, but the owner goes to jail for hitting the clown that wiped off the dust with his hand- haha
Rockabillyrat
SlIgHtLy StUpId.
My experience with POR15 was the same. I did a frame about 10 years ago. The frame for the most part was very nice. I cleaned it up with a wire wheel and flap disk. Then prepped it with the marine clean and metal etch. The spots that had the most rust had zero issues. The clean spots flaked off after some time. I've heard about guys sandblasting the frame and having better results. But I know there are some other options out there in would like to try other than POR15.
Actually a good friend of mine was a big wig at a plating and powder coating company. He always told me I could get anything done for cost of materials. But the company went under last year. So I missed out on that opportunity. Always a day late and a dollar short.
Actually a good friend of mine was a big wig at a plating and powder coating company. He always told me I could get anything done for cost of materials. But the company went under last year. So I missed out on that opportunity. Always a day late and a dollar short.
btfarm
America First!
POR15 is excellent on sand blast. But yeah, it can be tough to work with
MrMarty51
Well-Known Member
I once used some shake and shoot that was made for frames and such in high abuse areas. I now dont even remember what it was that I used it on so I cant give a reeeport on how it stood to the occasion. LOL
It may have been a Krylon or some such brand.
I have used that Hammered look shake and shoot on My camper frame and the propane tank bed, that stuff seems mighty tuff and after about 1500 miles there are no chips in the paint and there is no peeling. I cleaned the rust with a wire brush attachment on the right angle grinder then used brake and parts cleaner to warsh it all off before applying the hammered affect paint.
Oh yeah, no need to prime with that hammered stuff, its both in one. I am impressed with the ease of application and how well it holds up.
It may have been a Krylon or some such brand.
I have used that Hammered look shake and shoot on My camper frame and the propane tank bed, that stuff seems mighty tuff and after about 1500 miles there are no chips in the paint and there is no peeling. I cleaned the rust with a wire brush attachment on the right angle grinder then used brake and parts cleaner to warsh it all off before applying the hammered affect paint.
Oh yeah, no need to prime with that hammered stuff, its both in one. I am impressed with the ease of application and how well it holds up.
Rockabillyrat
SlIgHtLy StUpId.
I got some time to get the front leaf spring hangers/core support mounts tacked together. I bought DIY4X4's B52 kit. But since I'm using stock front length springs I ordered them unwelded just in case I had to move some mounting holes around. The kit has two frame mounting locations and 4 different mounting locations for the leafs. I mounted it to the frame at the farthest back location. Then squared it up with 2 leaf spring bolts and my aluminum bushing pucks. Measuring from the rear most hole it only moved the leaf spring back a 1/8" and up 1/8". So it looks like I could have ordered them welded with no issues. Oh well better be safe than sorry. I want to get rid of the "universal " look of these to make them look like they were designed specifically for my truck. So I'm going to fill the unwanted holes for both the frame and leaf spring mounting areas. Then trim the front to give it a better look. I also added a second gusset to the back side. For now I'm going to leave it together. I want to be able to keep it square when I weld it up. So once that is done I will trim the front down where I have it marked.
The leaf springs fit great! The only change I had to make was the B52 calls for a 3" wide bushing. And the stock front springs use a 3.5" wide bushing. A simple bushing swap and the leafs slipped into the front hangers perfectly. Then I test fit the Red Head gear box. I went with a 80-91 c20 gear box for the cross steer conversion. I have had great luck with Red Head on customers trucks.
I started to strip the front axle down. But lost motivation and energy around 11pm. So I cleaned up and called it a weekend. I hope to have the truck back on all 4 wheels really soon.
The leaf springs fit great! The only change I had to make was the B52 calls for a 3" wide bushing. And the stock front springs use a 3.5" wide bushing. A simple bushing swap and the leafs slipped into the front hangers perfectly. Then I test fit the Red Head gear box. I went with a 80-91 c20 gear box for the cross steer conversion. I have had great luck with Red Head on customers trucks.
I started to strip the front axle down. But lost motivation and energy around 11pm. So I cleaned up and called it a weekend. I hope to have the truck back on all 4 wheels really soon.
Rockabillyrat
SlIgHtLy StUpId.
Made some more progress over the weekend. I finished getting the front axle stripped down. Like I expected all the old castle nuts fought me. But after a hour or so I had it torn down and proceeded to wire wheel the junk off. I got lucky with the one upper ball joint taper because it spun out by hand. The other side was rusted solid. I was able to free it with some heat and an air hammer. Then made a DIY tap out of the other one to clean up the threads. It did a nice job because both of them now spin in by hand!
Once I had the axle cleaned up I muscled it in place and secured it with the u bolts.... well sort of. I ordered 9" u bolts some how so I had to make due with some washers for now. The cross steer conversion requires the flat top passenger knuckle. So I purchased a pair of used flat top knuckles from Spicer that included ball joints. They are non greaseable, so I will use them for mock up and upgrade for finally assembly. I originally ordered ORD cross steer and high steer kit. But after looking at it I'm not a fan of the look of the high steer. Because then the stock tie rod location is left unused which i didn't think about when ordered it. So Im running the WFO cross steer arm instead and I'm going to sell my matching ORD arms to make some money back. That way the stock tie rod mount is used on the knuckle and it won't look weird. With that in place I mounted the drag link and started to lay out the track bar. (more on that later)
Next it was time to get the shocks mounted. I went with Bilstein that I picked up at summit racing. It's nice that I only live 30 minutes from the Ohio location. I'm not getting to fancy here. I'm leaving the shocks in the stock location. I reused the stock front upper mount. I see no reason to upgrade it. For the rear upper mount I went with ORD's bracket. I could have easily made this. But the price is right and it comes with all the hardware. So why not save some time. I've had 2 trucks pull the mount bolt out of the frame at this location. So this definitely a must have upgrade in my opinion. The brackets on the axles seemed to be in good shape. Until I tried to get the shocks in place. They are clearly bowed in at the bolt head area and took alot of work to get the bolt holes lined up. Needles to say I'm going to cut them off and weld on something more solid. That will have to wait for a later date. For not the shocks are in for mock up.
Next I have to lay out the track bar/drag link geometry. Then test fit the tie rod and sway bar to check all my clearance in the front end. But so far everything is coming together nicely.
Once I had the axle cleaned up I muscled it in place and secured it with the u bolts.... well sort of. I ordered 9" u bolts some how so I had to make due with some washers for now. The cross steer conversion requires the flat top passenger knuckle. So I purchased a pair of used flat top knuckles from Spicer that included ball joints. They are non greaseable, so I will use them for mock up and upgrade for finally assembly. I originally ordered ORD cross steer and high steer kit. But after looking at it I'm not a fan of the look of the high steer. Because then the stock tie rod location is left unused which i didn't think about when ordered it. So Im running the WFO cross steer arm instead and I'm going to sell my matching ORD arms to make some money back. That way the stock tie rod mount is used on the knuckle and it won't look weird. With that in place I mounted the drag link and started to lay out the track bar. (more on that later)
Next it was time to get the shocks mounted. I went with Bilstein that I picked up at summit racing. It's nice that I only live 30 minutes from the Ohio location. I'm not getting to fancy here. I'm leaving the shocks in the stock location. I reused the stock front upper mount. I see no reason to upgrade it. For the rear upper mount I went with ORD's bracket. I could have easily made this. But the price is right and it comes with all the hardware. So why not save some time. I've had 2 trucks pull the mount bolt out of the frame at this location. So this definitely a must have upgrade in my opinion. The brackets on the axles seemed to be in good shape. Until I tried to get the shocks in place. They are clearly bowed in at the bolt head area and took alot of work to get the bolt holes lined up. Needles to say I'm going to cut them off and weld on something more solid. That will have to wait for a later date. For not the shocks are in for mock up.
Next I have to lay out the track bar/drag link geometry. Then test fit the tie rod and sway bar to check all my clearance in the front end. But so far everything is coming together nicely.
Rockabillyrat
SlIgHtLy StUpId.
Tonight I spent some time laying out my front end geometry. And I quickly discovered the track bar mounting location CFM's engine crossmember provided won't work. I'm not sure who dropped the ball on this one. In order to make it work I would have to build a bracket on the axle that is 9 inches tall to get it in the proper location!! That would look ridiculous and take a ton of bracing. And if I drop the axle mounting location down it throws off the geometry giving me a perfect combination for bump steer. So my only option is to modify the crossmember and drop the track bar mount down. Luckily the brackets that came with my Ruff Stuff track bat kit will work great! It drops the frame mount equal with the drag link. And moves it inward to help clear the axle. So by dropping the frame mount it allows me to drop the axle mount down as well and use the off set mount I got with the kit!! What a win win!! I will have to modify the crossmember and upper frame mount a little to make them blend I together. But it looks like it should work out great. Hopefully I can get the track bar finished up this weekend!!
I used green tape to lay out the track bar/ drag link.
Track bar in CFM mount. Raised 9" above axle
Track bar in CFM mount. Lined up with Ruff Stuff axle mount. HELLO BUMP STEER!!
Track bar lined up with ruff stuff bracket locations! Much better.
New frame mount
Offset axle mount
I used green tape to lay out the track bar/ drag link.
Track bar in CFM mount. Raised 9" above axle
Track bar in CFM mount. Lined up with Ruff Stuff axle mount. HELLO BUMP STEER!!
Track bar lined up with ruff stuff bracket locations! Much better.
New frame mount
Offset axle mount
Rockabillyrat
SlIgHtLy StUpId.
I'm not sure. The only local place I knew that did work like that is out of business. I'm undecided what I'm going to do about the frame yet anyways. Right now I'm to focused on fabrication work to think about body and paint stuff yet. But I should take the time to research that stuff so I can keep productive
ak diesel driver
6.5 driver
If I lived down stateside I'd consider trailering it a fair distance to have the frame hot dipped galvanized. Seems to me that would be the ultimate frame coating.
MrMarty51
Well-Known Member
MAN, You is doing thingks I never HERD of afore. That frame system is going to be much to pretty to cover up with a body. LOL
At work, the DOT, We had a liquid galvanize solution that is approved for bridges and such. It stuck onto steel real nice too. Thick like components had been dipped in hot coating.
At work, the DOT, We had a liquid galvanize solution that is approved for bridges and such. It stuck onto steel real nice too. Thick like components had been dipped in hot coating.
Spray on zink would be good, the high grade stuff does cost a bit...
Rockabillyrat
SlIgHtLy StUpId.
Ok so this has been a fun week of finding all sorts of clearance issues. I finally got the tie rod installed. First thing I noticed was I had a hard time clearing the leaf springs pulling it in. And the front end is only finger tight. I'm using D44 knuckles that run the tie rod on top. Also the ORD tie rod sits higher due to its design. So I knew it would be a close fit. Once I tightened up the ball joints and all of the steering arms the clearance got worse. On full lock my tie rod rubs the leaf spring slightly!! I'm a little disappointed about this. I ordered everything from ORD even the leaf springs. I'm running the correct knuckles they recommend. And I'm still having clearance issues WTF!
After I rolled it over for a few I came to a very easy solution. I'm going to add a short leaf that will give me the clearance I need. Luckily I have a set of practically new add a leaf for the 52" springs. They are 5/8" thick so I cut them down to 8". That will give me the tie rod clearance I need. Just need a set of longer center bolts for the springs and I can finish that up. So unfortunately the track bar has to wait till I correct this issue.
Then I ran into another clearance issue. I could get full steering lock turning left. But the tie rod hit the diff cover going right. And it was a noticable amount of steering loss. So this diff cover is not going to work.
Finding a plate steel cover for the front 10 bolt was far and few between. This was really the only one I found. And it's been discontinued. But I found one other place that makes one with a option to order it unwelded. That will be very helpful so I can custom fit it to clear the tie rod. It's still going to be tight but its possible. Here's a pic of the stock cover for a clearance reference.
Then I got the sway bar temporally clamped in place. TK 1 racing makes a 73-87 chevy kit for crossover steer conversions. I wanted to see how it would clear the track bar. For once something is going to fit and work. The sway bar clears the pitman arm and track bar so its going to be a super easy install. I'm actually going to order the same style bar for the rear. I measured it out and a 42" bar with 16" arms will clear everything. I'm going to make mount tabs on the rear u bolt plates. That will give the suspension an over the top look.
Lastly I got the steering stabilizer bolted up to see how it lines up with the tie rod since its flipped with the D44 knuckles. I got a Bilstein stabilizer for a Dodge truck. All I had to do was change the bushings for the 5/8 style Bilstein sells separately. Ruff stuff makes a bolt on tie rod mount that will work perfectly for $30. So I'm going to get one next order I place with them.
Tomorrow I'm going to get the engine cross member cut up and fit the new track bar mount to it. Once I get the leaf spring issue done then I can fabricate the axle mount. The track bar should just clear the u bolt plate even with the extra 5/8" drop from the add a leaf. And hopefully it will clear the oil pan and I can leave the bar straight. This front end is taking some time to dial it in but so far I'm happy with how its coming together.
After I rolled it over for a few I came to a very easy solution. I'm going to add a short leaf that will give me the clearance I need. Luckily I have a set of practically new add a leaf for the 52" springs. They are 5/8" thick so I cut them down to 8". That will give me the tie rod clearance I need. Just need a set of longer center bolts for the springs and I can finish that up. So unfortunately the track bar has to wait till I correct this issue.
Then I ran into another clearance issue. I could get full steering lock turning left. But the tie rod hit the diff cover going right. And it was a noticable amount of steering loss. So this diff cover is not going to work.
Finding a plate steel cover for the front 10 bolt was far and few between. This was really the only one I found. And it's been discontinued. But I found one other place that makes one with a option to order it unwelded. That will be very helpful so I can custom fit it to clear the tie rod. It's still going to be tight but its possible. Here's a pic of the stock cover for a clearance reference.
Then I got the sway bar temporally clamped in place. TK 1 racing makes a 73-87 chevy kit for crossover steer conversions. I wanted to see how it would clear the track bar. For once something is going to fit and work. The sway bar clears the pitman arm and track bar so its going to be a super easy install. I'm actually going to order the same style bar for the rear. I measured it out and a 42" bar with 16" arms will clear everything. I'm going to make mount tabs on the rear u bolt plates. That will give the suspension an over the top look.
Lastly I got the steering stabilizer bolted up to see how it lines up with the tie rod since its flipped with the D44 knuckles. I got a Bilstein stabilizer for a Dodge truck. All I had to do was change the bushings for the 5/8 style Bilstein sells separately. Ruff stuff makes a bolt on tie rod mount that will work perfectly for $30. So I'm going to get one next order I place with them.
Tomorrow I'm going to get the engine cross member cut up and fit the new track bar mount to it. Once I get the leaf spring issue done then I can fabricate the axle mount. The track bar should just clear the u bolt plate even with the extra 5/8" drop from the add a leaf. And hopefully it will clear the oil pan and I can leave the bar straight. This front end is taking some time to dial it in but so far I'm happy with how its coming together.
Rockabillyrat
SlIgHtLy StUpId.
I've been slowly taking care of the clearance issues in the front end. The new center bolts came in for the leaf springs. My custom 8" bottom springs went in with no issues. They follow the arc of the leaf above them perfectly. And they are half the length as well. I think they look nice and more importantly I gained the needed clearance.
After that I decided to get the hubs back on so the wheels and tires could be mounted.
The new cover arrived and with that I gained about 3/4" of clearance. Its closer to full lock going right.... but still the tie rod is hitting the cover. I was planning on just modifying the cover but I stumbled upon 1" off set gm 1 ton tie rods. That gave me all the clearance and then some needed to get full lock. Lastly I finished up the steering stabilizer mounting to finish off the steering.
With the axle in it's new location it was time to start on the track bar. I removed the engine cross member and cut off the mounting tabs. Then mocked up the new frame mount and tacked it in place. Added a little gusset and presto a new and improved track bar mounting setup. The center hole turned out to be perfectly centered with the drag link end. What luck!!!
I did fab up the axle mount bracket.... but I'm not going to go into detail about it because I'm probably going to redo it. The ruff stuff bracket needed to be moved out a little so I built a new base for it. But after I finished it I realized I need to raise it up a little more. Which normal wouldn't have been a big deal only I bought a new anti splatter spray to try. Well why not try it out on this bracket I thought. I'm sure it's in the right spot.... well I should have measured that one twice before welding it completely. Rather than try to cut it off I have a new bracket coming that I'm going to build a different style base for. Also I did a poor job of laying out the location of the weld seams. So a lot of them got really close and it just doesn't look clean to me. I left it tacked in place so I could cut the track bar. I left it long for now so I can double check oil pan clearance before I trim it to length. But to do that I need to get the engine back in.
Next up I need to get the engine in so the track bar can be finished. To do that the oil pan needs changed so I figured thats a good time to tear the heads off and inspect my optimizer fully.
After that I decided to get the hubs back on so the wheels and tires could be mounted.
The new cover arrived and with that I gained about 3/4" of clearance. Its closer to full lock going right.... but still the tie rod is hitting the cover. I was planning on just modifying the cover but I stumbled upon 1" off set gm 1 ton tie rods. That gave me all the clearance and then some needed to get full lock. Lastly I finished up the steering stabilizer mounting to finish off the steering.
With the axle in it's new location it was time to start on the track bar. I removed the engine cross member and cut off the mounting tabs. Then mocked up the new frame mount and tacked it in place. Added a little gusset and presto a new and improved track bar mounting setup. The center hole turned out to be perfectly centered with the drag link end. What luck!!!
I did fab up the axle mount bracket.... but I'm not going to go into detail about it because I'm probably going to redo it. The ruff stuff bracket needed to be moved out a little so I built a new base for it. But after I finished it I realized I need to raise it up a little more. Which normal wouldn't have been a big deal only I bought a new anti splatter spray to try. Well why not try it out on this bracket I thought. I'm sure it's in the right spot.... well I should have measured that one twice before welding it completely. Rather than try to cut it off I have a new bracket coming that I'm going to build a different style base for. Also I did a poor job of laying out the location of the weld seams. So a lot of them got really close and it just doesn't look clean to me. I left it tacked in place so I could cut the track bar. I left it long for now so I can double check oil pan clearance before I trim it to length. But to do that I need to get the engine back in.
Next up I need to get the engine in so the track bar can be finished. To do that the oil pan needs changed so I figured thats a good time to tear the heads off and inspect my optimizer fully.
Will L.
Well-Known Member
Nice progress.
Rockabillyrat
SlIgHtLy StUpId.
Opened up the optimizer for inspection. I must say I was a little nervous on what I might find. These military surplus engines are hit or miss it seems like. Many find cracks, catastrophic damage, or rust from inproper storage. I was happy to find almost no issues with my short block. I found no cracks in either the heads or block The cylinder walls look clean and I see no reason I cant hone them. That's great news because the p400 pistons only came in stock bore size. I did find a little rust on the back cylinder though. But its under the ring line so I lucked out. Been soaking it with a PB baster to clean it up and keep it from spreading.
I'm just going to swap the oil pan for now and use the engine for mock up. The blaster should keep the rust under control until it makes it to the machine shop.
I got the transmission and transfer case ready too. I'm running a nv4500 out of a 98 k3500. And behind that a late large bearing np205. I picked up a spacer from advance adapters to mate them together. The tail shaft housing need some light machine work to clear the shift rail. So I pulled that to get machined. Once that's done I can get everything installed and lined up for the transmission and transfer case crossmembers.
I'm just going to swap the oil pan for now and use the engine for mock up. The blaster should keep the rust under control until it makes it to the machine shop.
I got the transmission and transfer case ready too. I'm running a nv4500 out of a 98 k3500. And behind that a late large bearing np205. I picked up a spacer from advance adapters to mate them together. The tail shaft housing need some light machine work to clear the shift rail. So I pulled that to get machined. Once that's done I can get everything installed and lined up for the transmission and transfer case crossmembers.
Rockabillyrat
SlIgHtLy StUpId.
The world has gone crazy... luckily it hasn't slowed me down getting work done on the 78.... yet.
I cleaned the engine up and reassembled it with the new oil pan. The CFM crossmember came with matching motor mounts. They are made from 1/4" steel, with urethane bushings and 9/16" grade 8 hardware. A nice upgrade from the original style motor mounts. It felt good to finally see the engine in between the frame rails.
I'm picking up the tail shaft housing from my father tonight. I'm lucky he has a small machine shop in his basement. And he is a month from retirement so I plan on keeping him busy with some other projects when I get to the engine. Once the transmission is back together I can get it and the transfer case in place and start laying out the last two crossmembers.
I was able to check a few things with just the engine in place though. The good news is the track bar clears the oil pan! I pulled the bar WAY beyond my max suspension travel and it makes contact with the frame first. So the pan will have no chances of ever getting hit by the track bar. So now I can leave the bar straight, need to cut it to length and I will be done with it. Here is a picture of the oil pan clearance with the bar pulled up to the frame rail.
But before I do that I had to redo the axle mounting bracket. I decided to change the design of this a little. Instead of using all flat steel. I got a piece of 1/4" wall square tube to build the new base from. I'm extremely happy with how this came out. I learned my lesson from the last one and just tacked it in place for now. I'm glad I took the time to go back an redo this. Now the track bar lines up with the middle mounting holes on both the frame and axle mounts. That will give me the ability to adjust the angle of the bar in either direction if future suspension changes require it.
The last thing left in the front end is the sway bar. Unfortunately I'm waiting for the correct length bar. TK1 sent me a 39" because he was out of the 40". Well the 1" makes the difference. I hope to have that in a week or two and put a check mark on the front suspension. Getting closer everyday!!
I cleaned the engine up and reassembled it with the new oil pan. The CFM crossmember came with matching motor mounts. They are made from 1/4" steel, with urethane bushings and 9/16" grade 8 hardware. A nice upgrade from the original style motor mounts. It felt good to finally see the engine in between the frame rails.
I'm picking up the tail shaft housing from my father tonight. I'm lucky he has a small machine shop in his basement. And he is a month from retirement so I plan on keeping him busy with some other projects when I get to the engine. Once the transmission is back together I can get it and the transfer case in place and start laying out the last two crossmembers.
I was able to check a few things with just the engine in place though. The good news is the track bar clears the oil pan! I pulled the bar WAY beyond my max suspension travel and it makes contact with the frame first. So the pan will have no chances of ever getting hit by the track bar. So now I can leave the bar straight, need to cut it to length and I will be done with it. Here is a picture of the oil pan clearance with the bar pulled up to the frame rail.
But before I do that I had to redo the axle mounting bracket. I decided to change the design of this a little. Instead of using all flat steel. I got a piece of 1/4" wall square tube to build the new base from. I'm extremely happy with how this came out. I learned my lesson from the last one and just tacked it in place for now. I'm glad I took the time to go back an redo this. Now the track bar lines up with the middle mounting holes on both the frame and axle mounts. That will give me the ability to adjust the angle of the bar in either direction if future suspension changes require it.
The last thing left in the front end is the sway bar. Unfortunately I'm waiting for the correct length bar. TK1 sent me a 39" because he was out of the 40". Well the 1" makes the difference. I hope to have that in a week or two and put a check mark on the front suspension. Getting closer everyday!!
Rockabillyrat
SlIgHtLy StUpId.
Had a short delay getting my tail housing back from my father. We had a slight miscommunication on the machining specs. But thankfully he took off material in the correct location, just not enough. I need most of the flange removed to clear the shift rail on the NP205. With that squared away I was able to get the transmission ready for installation. I also got a bellhouing from advance adapters when I got the transfer case spacer. I don't like the internal slave cylinder on the factory setup. With the AA bellhouing I can keep my factory z bar (Which I prefer) or run the factory external slave. So I have options when I get to that point. Also, the factory bellhouing is prone to cracking so switching to the AA bellhouing is a win win.
The transmission mount flange lined up perfectly with the factory crossmember. So I stacked some wood in there till I had a drive line angle of about 3*. Next it was time to test fit drive shafts. If I remember correctly the NV4500 is a direct swap for the SM465 but since I'm running the long input shaft NP205 the spacer moves every back a few inches. The front shaft will need to be longer but with a little force I over extended the slip yoke to make it reach. At this point I'm just using it for mock up so who cares. I'm going to order new shafts for final assembly. The rear will obviously need to be shorter. This truck originally had a carrier bearing mounted at the rear cab mount area. But with moving the transfer case back it dosen't make sense to keep the carrier bearing anymore. Luckily I have the old driveshaft from the other 78 that doesn't use a carrier bearing. But its 2 inches too long now because of the spacer. So I carefully removed the yoke by splitting the factory weld. Cut 2 inches out of the shaft and tack welded the yoke back in to use for mock up... problem solved
I wanted to see where my rear drive shaft angles were at. I know the transfer case is at 3*. But I wanted to see what the rear end did with the flip kit. Well I measured 13*, so no way that's going to work. So my plan is to drop the engine angle to 5* then install 6* axle shims. That should give me 2* difference the perfect amount for a CV style drive shaft. That should eliminate all drive shaft vibrations. I could cut off the mounting brackets and change the mounting pinion angle of the rear end. But for now I'm going to dial it in with shims and do a final check with the truck fully assembled.
The NP205 is HEAVY! Anyone that has handled one knows that. I'm a little worried about that so I decided to add a transfercase crossmember to take some weight off the tailhousing. With the torque I plan to make with this engine I don't want to explode this thing on a hard 4×4 dig. I ordered a DIY mount kit off ebay then got some 1.75x.25" DOM tubing to build the crossmember from.
I need some more steel to build my own mounts and a few other things. So I'm on stand still till I get more material. Once that is finished I can remove the factory transmission crossmember and build that similar to this one.
Also the correct length sway bar arrived along with the rear one to match. Looks like I should have the chassis wrapped up by the end of the month... hopefully lol.
The transmission mount flange lined up perfectly with the factory crossmember. So I stacked some wood in there till I had a drive line angle of about 3*. Next it was time to test fit drive shafts. If I remember correctly the NV4500 is a direct swap for the SM465 but since I'm running the long input shaft NP205 the spacer moves every back a few inches. The front shaft will need to be longer but with a little force I over extended the slip yoke to make it reach. At this point I'm just using it for mock up so who cares. I'm going to order new shafts for final assembly. The rear will obviously need to be shorter. This truck originally had a carrier bearing mounted at the rear cab mount area. But with moving the transfer case back it dosen't make sense to keep the carrier bearing anymore. Luckily I have the old driveshaft from the other 78 that doesn't use a carrier bearing. But its 2 inches too long now because of the spacer. So I carefully removed the yoke by splitting the factory weld. Cut 2 inches out of the shaft and tack welded the yoke back in to use for mock up... problem solved
I wanted to see where my rear drive shaft angles were at. I know the transfer case is at 3*. But I wanted to see what the rear end did with the flip kit. Well I measured 13*, so no way that's going to work. So my plan is to drop the engine angle to 5* then install 6* axle shims. That should give me 2* difference the perfect amount for a CV style drive shaft. That should eliminate all drive shaft vibrations. I could cut off the mounting brackets and change the mounting pinion angle of the rear end. But for now I'm going to dial it in with shims and do a final check with the truck fully assembled.
The NP205 is HEAVY! Anyone that has handled one knows that. I'm a little worried about that so I decided to add a transfercase crossmember to take some weight off the tailhousing. With the torque I plan to make with this engine I don't want to explode this thing on a hard 4×4 dig. I ordered a DIY mount kit off ebay then got some 1.75x.25" DOM tubing to build the crossmember from.
I need some more steel to build my own mounts and a few other things. So I'm on stand still till I get more material. Once that is finished I can remove the factory transmission crossmember and build that similar to this one.
Also the correct length sway bar arrived along with the rear one to match. Looks like I should have the chassis wrapped up by the end of the month... hopefully lol.