# Contractor body build for my '54 Chevy 1-1/2 ton



## mehtwo

There was a couple of you that asked me to post some pics of my truck build. 
I'm focusing on building a contractor body from scratch for my '54 Chevy 1-1/2 ton. It's a long ways from being done but I'll post pics as things progress....I posted a link to my Webshots page. I narrated the captions to the best of my ability.:laughing:

http://rides.webshots.com/album/580094810GzzFxA


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## buildenterprise

Did you fab the unit on that Ford? That is freakin sweet, cant wait to see the Chev...


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## mehtwo

buildenterprise said:


> Did you fab the unit on that Ford? That is freakin sweet, cant wait to see the Chev...


No, I didn't fab that unit. That is a Scelzi body on a Ford. Their website link: http://seinc.com/#

Here's the pic of the chevy, I've posted it in a few CT threads already:










I've got a ways to go on the project, but i thought I would share the progress with you.


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## Cole82

Mehtwo looks good so far.

I see you are useing wheels to take it apart. That must be slow going.

Cole


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## mehtwo

Cole82 said:


> Mehtwo looks good so far.
> 
> I see you are useing wheels to take it apart. That must be slow going.
> 
> Cole


It's really not too bad, espcially since the welds are short in length. I'm a really patient person, so that helps too.


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## mehtwo

*More pics from Sunday*

It was REALLY windy, but my determination and thinking ahead made it possible. Here are more pics of my project, Enjoy!:thumbsup:

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2492722980107120811tvtrtA


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## dkillianjr

Very cool project mehtwo!:thumbup: Deffinetly keep us updated!




Dave


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## woodchuck2

Be nice to see the finished product :thumbsup:. What are you using for the powertrain again? Plenty of room there for a cummins :thumbsup:.


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## mehtwo

woodchuck2 said:


> What are you using for the powertrain again?


A 235 for now or eventually a 261 Chevrolet six-cylinder gas engine like this:














woodchuck2 said:


> Plenty of room there for a cummins :thumbsup:.


I did consider a 4BT 4-cylinder Cummins at one point, but I want to keep the nostalgia of an engine of the truck's vintage.

Thanks for the compliments, very much inspiring to me.:thumbsup:


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## mehtwo

Here are some updates:

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2720816470107120811KzAkFE

Not a whole lot of progress, but progress none the less.:thumbsup:


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## woodchuck2

mehtwo said:


> A 235 for now or eventually a 261 Chevrolet six-cylinder gas engine like this:
> 
> View attachment 47588
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I did consider a 4BT 4-cylinder Cummins at one point, but I want to keep the nostalgia of an engine of the truck's vintage.
> 
> Thanks for the compliments, very much inspiring to me.:thumbsup:


I see, good luck finding that intake with carb set up, been a long time since i have seen one. I used to have a 4V intake for a 300ci Ford with headers at one time but i sold them. I have seen guys make their own intakes and run the small Rochester carbs on them with very good luck. I remember seeing an article in HotRod magazine many yrs ago of a drag car that ran a 300ci Ford six and the guy was running a homeade intake with a carb for each cylinder. I remember the thing was a torque monster and actually ran some good times in the 1/4.


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## mehtwo

woodchuck2 said:


> I see, good luck finding that intake with carb set up, been a long time since i have seen one. I used to have a 4V intake for a 300ci Ford with headers at one time but i sold them. I have seen guys make their own intakes and run the small Rochester carbs on them with very good luck. I remember seeing an article in HotRod magazine many yrs ago of a drag car that ran a 300ci Ford six and the guy was running a homeade intake with a carb for each cylinder. I remember the thing was a torque monster and actually ran some good times in the 1/4.


Actually there are several suppliers that sell that intake. 
http://www.cliffordperformance.net/
http://stoveboltengineco.com/
http://www.patricksantiquecars.com/chevy_parts.html
I'm actually going with a single 1-bbl carb and single exhaust for now.


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## Mike's Plumbing

Very cool thread. If you pull it off well the truck will work great as a branding tool. If you hand letter it like they did in the old days when sign shops had actual skill with a brush It would look killer.

Mike


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## mehtwo

Mike's Plumbing said:


> Very cool thread. If you pull it off well the truck will work great as a branding tool. If you hand letter it like they did in the old days when sign shops had actual skill with a brush It would look killer.
> 
> Mike


I do plan on hand lettering it. This truck is too good for vinyl letters(my dad and brother do that for a living:laughing


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## RhodesHardwood

Nice. Look forward to seeing the updates.


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## woodchuck2

I like pics!!!:thumbsup:


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## TimelessQuality

Lookin like you got a plan:thumbsup:


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## mehtwo

Yes sir, big plans. I want to use Ipe lumber for the deck of the bed and for the stake horizontals.


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## mehtwo

Here's some more recent pics of my '54 project:

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2712353180107120811qOQZso


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## mehtwo

I'm FINALLY going to move my rear axle back 27" to fit my 12' bed wheel well cutout.

Here's a pic, the rest are in the webshots link from the post above^^^.


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## mehtwo




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## mehtwo

*Any questions?*


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## plummen

What kind of rotors did you use?


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## mehtwo

plummen said:


> What kind of rotors did you use?


These are from a 1994 Chevrolet 3500HD. They're 13.85" in diameter.


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## mehtwo

mehtwo said:


> These are from a 1994 Chevrolet 3500HD. They're 13.85" in diameter.


I'm hoping that I can use the calipers from my 1977 Chevy 1-ton parts trucks.:whistling I gotta fabricate brackets for it.


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## Diamond D.

Are those plywood adapter plates going to pass inspection?
I thought, at first, you were making templates. 

With the contractor body, I assume you're going to tag it commercial.

Do you even have inspection in NM?

Just curious,
D.


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## mehtwo

Diamond D. said:


> Are those plywood adapter plates going to pass inspection?
> I thought, at first, you were making templates.
> 
> With the contractor body, I assume you're going to tag it commercial.
> 
> Do you even have inspection in NM?
> 
> Just curious,
> D.


The plywood is for a reference only. I'd bet they would catch fire the first panic stop I made! :laughing::laughing: I'm going to have a machinist make the hub adapters for me. BTW New Mexico doesn't have vehicle inspections.


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## mehtwo

I'm at a crossroads when it comes to straightening the frame, but I'm brainstorming a few ideas. Sometimes I wish I had started with a straighter truck, but when I was 19, this seemed like a great idea.... This is to a point where it seems like I'll get nowhere.


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## mehtwo

I think I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.:thumbsup: I gotta get a few professional opinions first.


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## mehtwo

Made some bird's mouth relief cuts to the bottom of the frame where it started bowing up, very pleased with the results....pics to come!:thumbsup:


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## Willy is

I'm glad the plywood shims are temporary. :thumbsup:

Some body shops or frame alignment can true your frame and get it right on the money. You've done a great job with what you had to work with.

I've had a few of these old 50 series Chevys. My last one was a 1 ton dump truck I paid 100 dollars for back in the 80's. I put a rock box on it myself. Sweet old truck and a looker. I also had a 50 3/4 Studebaker w/ 3 on the tree and an OD, and a 49 GMC suburban with 3 rows of seats and a plywood floor.

I still miss my 50's heavy metal trucks.

GREAT pictures and a nice tour, Thumbs up!!

willy


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## mehtwo

While I'm taking a break, I'll post some pics.....

This is a 1977 Chevy 1-ton that a friend gave me a few years back. I decided to use it as a parts truck for my 1954. For now I'm going to use the brake calipers off of it.


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## mehtwo

I stripped off the rotting wooden bed before I unloaded it off of the trailer....











This is the pickup I'm taking the Hydroboost brake booster off of, a 1993 Chevy K2500 3/4 ton that had a 6.5 diesel and a 5-speed at one time.....


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## mehtwo

I've been behind on posting pics, been slaving away at straightening the frame. The above pics were from a few months ago, I'll try to post the more recent pics ASAP......


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## mehtwo

Here are some more pics of my donor truck, a 1977 Chevy c-30 cab & chassis......


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## mehtwo

Here's some pics of the caliper removal from the '77...


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## mehtwo

Here's some pics of the test fitting it on the '54.....

    

Note:Even though the calipers are from a 1977 1-ton Chevy, I will use brake pads from a 1984 International S-series due to the fact that it uses the same caliper but the pads are almost TWICE the surface area.:thumbsup: Also the International discs are the same thickness as the rotors I will be using on my '54.:thumbup: 

I'd rather overkill in the brake department than to be sold short.


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## mehtwo

Now for the frame, here is what the bow and twist in the frame looked like before I finally started to fix it....

     

You can click on the picture for a bigger image.


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## mehtwo

I'll post more pics in the next day or two....


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## mehtwo

A few more pics before I go to bed.......:yawn:

   
The red chaulkline is a reference of 1½" from the top of the frame. As you'll see, it's very obvious how much the the frame bowed up towards the rear of the truck on both sides.

Then I wrote the measurements from the bottom of the frame to the chaulkine to compare the passenger side to the driver's side in 1' increments from back to front. I did this for the first 5 feet.


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## mehtwo

Thought I would take a day off from working on my truck to catch up on posting pics. I used a combination square, set at 1-1/2" along the top of the frame to determine where the bowing of the frame starts. Here's the point where it stated along the driver's side....

You can click on the pics for a bigger image.


 

Then I measured down 1-1/2" from the top of the frame at the rear and snapped a line to the point from the pic above. The difference between the chaulk lines is how much the frame was bowed.....


  

I took a framing square to both chaulk lines to determine the bird's mouth needed for my frame cut. Then I transferred that angle to the top of the frame. 



Using my portaband, I cut the frame all the way up, but left the very top portion to serve as a "hinge" to hold the frame in place. I also supported the rear of the frame with a floor jack and a block the keep the saw from binding.

   

I used a string to double check the straightness of the frame, it was very straight! I ground in a bevel for the weld to penetrate in. Now to clamp up for my tack welds....


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## mehtwo

Another view of my clamping before tacking it. 

After tacking it in....


Now to repeat for the other side....
  

Now to check the side-to-side bow. The worst of it is between the last and the next-to-last crossmembers.....
 

It's pretty obvious by the eye how bowed it is....


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## mehtwo

Since the rear crossmember is tweaked pretty bad, it needs to be removed as well. I used my portaband saw sideways to cut the factory rivets...


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## mehtwo

Since the top of the frame still isn't super straight, I decided to cut the top 1-1/2" off and replace it. I'm ripping a piece of 3"x3"x3/16" square tubing in half to accomplish this. Even though I used a composite blade in a circular saw to cut this, at first, a reciprocating saw with a 14tpi blade was WAY better at cutting this....


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## mehtwo

Now back to the frame....since I wanted the repair to be stronger than it was from the factory, I went up 60 degrees and 45 degrees to the inside on my cuts for both ends.

  

I made my cut with a reciprocating saw, just like what I did with the square tubing.


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## mehtwo

The "old" beside the "new".


Checking the straightness of the frame.


Scribing my cuts on the steel and making my cuts....

    

It fits beautifully!


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## mehtwo

After making relief cuts along the frame to straighten it(I forgot to take pics of this), it's time to test fit the "frame cap". I made a reference mark at the beginning of the string, at the end of the frame, and on both ends of the "frame cap". Then I used the string to line them up.
  

Cutting a bevel on the frame and frame cap before welding. Then tacking it into place....


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## mehtwo

Continuing the welding thing....
   

Now to repeat the same thing on the other side....
  

At least I took a pic of the relief cuts for this side....



Here's what happens when you measure something the wrong way. Oh well, I'll make it work...



At least the front fit nice...:thumbsup:


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## mehtwo

A couple of more pics....
  

I gotta say that doing rough and finish carpentry help me to develop the skill to accomplish this. I just had to ask professional welders if this was a possible feat. They told me that it would work. I was scared of my own shadow when i started this, but now I'm glad that I took the bull by the horns and did it! I'm developing skill and confidence to build my enclosed job trailer in the future. :thumbup:


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## plummen

Are you going to double frame it when youre done welding it up?


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## mehtwo

plummen said:


> Are you going to double frame it when youre done welding it up?


I'm thinking about boxing it in, but I'm not sure yet.


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## Randy Bush

mehtwo said:


> Since the top of the frame still isn't super straight, I decided to cut the top 1-1/2" off and replace it. I'm ripping a piece of 3"x3"x3/16" square tubing in half to accomplish this. Even though I used a composite blade in a circular saw to cut this, at first, a reciprocating saw with a 14tpi blade was WAY better at cutting this....


a Diabo metal cutting blade would work great for this. Cuts 1/4 plate like butter. 

Back in the day when I was lengthening truck frames we use to have new framing bent the size we neeed.

Make you kind of wonder what caused the frame to get bent.


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## Randy Bush

mehtwo said:


> I'm thinking about boxing it in, but I'm not sure yet.


If you do double frame it . It is better to double on the outside of the frame. Because of things like brake lines and cross member.


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## mehtwo

.....here are some more pics.....

   

Fixing my screw up, well at least a little....
  

More welding.....


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## mehtwo

Some more grinding....
 


Now to refit the spring hangers.....


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## mehtwo

Since my hole centers for my spring hanger brackets have changed because of having to cut a "bird's mouth" to straighten the frame, I'll have to redrill the bottom holes as well. Here's a pic of the location of the oversized plugs I will weld in place. It is where the scribed circles are....


It's a little dark, but I used a Unibit to drill 7/8" holes for the plugs.
 
This is the 7/8" cold roll that will be used for the plugs...
 
Here's the plug cut to the frame thickness and beveled. Then installed, ready to weld. I used my dremel with a tungsten bit to bevel the frame as well...
    
Here's some shots after I welded them up....


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## mehtwo

Now for the same on the passenger's side:thumbsup:....

     
Now to finish welding up all of the "bird's mouths"...


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## mehtwo

Time to redrill all of the bottom holes....
  

This hole is for access to the spring shackle center pin for removal....
  ....gotta love that Unibit!!!!

Since I'm picky about some things, I'm going to plug then redrill the rear spring hanger holes for the front spring hanger as well as the access holes.


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## mehtwo

Now they're redrilled...


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## mehtwo

I welded the fish plate where it wouldn't interfere with the spring hanger bracket...
  


I appreciate the comments and suggestions that have been posted from your previous experiences. This has been a heck of journey. Now it's time for a nap, I gotta help pour 1,000 yards of concrete tonight.:whistling:thumbup:


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## plummen

The columns from early -mid 60s through the 70s basically stop at bottem of firewall and have a seperate shaft you can install knuckles/borgenson(spell check) style joints in them to route around stuff to reach steering box. 
Me and my dad built a 50 chevy 1 ton dually flat bed when I was a kid that we wanted to put a v8 in but couldnt bring ourselves to butcher the firewall to shove stock steering column over.
so my dad came up with the idea of using the front cross member from a mid 70s 1 ton truck and all the suspension parts,from what I remember we narrowed the cross member around 3/4" and bolted it up in there.
Anyway it looked like a factory install when he was done,of course he was still working as a blacksmith/boiler maker at the railroad at the time before he he tired so he had access to unlimited tools materials.
anyway you could probably do the same thing with your straight axle using a steering from a newer c-50/60 chevy or ford f-600 style truck with straight axle,that would also clear up some space for a v8 down the road if you ever wanted it.


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## mehtwo

plummen said:


> The columns from early -mid 60s through the 70s basically stop at bottem of firewall and have a seperate shaft you can install knuckles/borgenson(spell check) style joints in them to route around stuff to reach steering box.
> Me and my dad built a 50 chevy 1 ton dually flat bed when I was a kid that we wanted to put a v8 in but couldnt bring ourselves to butcher the firewall to shove stock steering column over.
> so my dad came up with the idea of using the front cross member from a mid 70s 1 ton truck and all the suspension parts,from what I remember we narrowed the cross member around 3/4" and bolted it up in there.
> Anyway it looked like a factory install when he was done,of course he was still working as a blacksmith/boiler maker at the railroad at the time before he he tired so he had access to unlimited tools materials.
> anyway you could probably do the same thing with your straight axle using a steering from a newer c-50/60 chevy or ford f-600 style truck with straight axle,that would also clear up some space for a v8 down the road if you ever wanted it.



I was advised of that a dozen times, but I want to keep mostly original. I like the vintage look a lot. I would probably have to narrow the straight axle of the later trucks to make it work.


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## plummen

I was thinking of keeping your origional axle with newer box.
Have you looked into the parts for rebuilding the origional box?
I rebuilt the origional box in a 50 1/2t one time,theres quite a few things in the box itself that wear out,column itself is basically just a long rod run through a tube to steering wheel


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## mehtwo

plummen said:


> I was thinking of keeping your origional axle with newer box.
> Have you looked into the parts for rebuilding the origional box?
> I rebuilt the origional box in a 50 1/2t one time,theres quite a few things in the box itself that wear out,column itself is basically just a long rod run through a tube to steering wheel


Yep, I realize that. I'm kind of OCD on some aspects of the truck. I want to keep it as 50's as possible.


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## plummen

Nothing wrong with that,Ive got the same philosophy when it comes to building motorcycles im struck right in the middle of the 70s and wire wheels.
As far as hot rods I definately try to stay with the way things looked in the 50s-60s


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## mehtwo

plummen said:


> Nothing wrong with that,Ive got the same philosophy when it comes to building motorcycles im struck right in the middle of the 70s and wire wheels.
> As far as hot rods I definately try to stay with the way things looked in the 50s-60s


Amen!!


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## TimelessQuality

soo... no power steering?


Lookin' good there meh':thumbsup:


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## plummen

Thats add on power steering hes looking at,although Ive driven plenty of old dump trum trucks without it.
as long as youve got a 48" steering wheel and the front end is greased up it builds charactor! :laughing:


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## mehtwo

TimelessQuality said:


> soo... no power steering?
> 
> 
> Lookin' good there meh':thumbsup:


Oh there will be power steering!!!!!!!!! Even if it kills me to do it, THERE WILL BE POWER STEERING!!!!!!! :whistling :laughing:


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## mehtwo

plummen said:


> Thats add on power steering hes looking at,although Ive driven plenty of old dump trum trucks without it.
> as long as youve got a 48" steering wheel and the front end is greased up it builds charactor! :laughing:


It'll be worth the effort to add the power steering, air conditioning, power windows(?), etc. 


A 48" steering wheel?:blink::blink: These cabs are small enough as it is.....:whistling


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## mehtwo

A few more pics, but not much progress:

 

Here's the crossmember that I will remove:

 

The rivets were difficult to remove, especially while getting rained on:

  

It's removed, ready for modification:

 

This was one of those lazy, non-motivating weekends. I guess we get those every now and then....baby steps are better than no steps.


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## plummen

mehtwo said:


> It'll be worth the effort to add the power steering, air conditioning, power windows(?), etc. A 48" steering wheel?:blink::blink: These cabs are small enough as it is.....:whistling


:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## TimelessQuality

Hey... my '59 only has a 36" wheel:laughing:


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## mehtwo

I need to drop the driveshaft before I remove this crossmember.....

 

.....and dropped it is!



I cut the rivets and wrestle it out.


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## mehtwo

Thanks to the little dead blow hammer that could!!!!!



Here's the other crossmember out in the open.....

  

This frame looks funny without crossmember!!!


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## plummen

Keep em coming,I need motivation for this winter! :laughing:


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## mehtwo

plummen said:


> Keep em coming,I need motivation for this winter! :laughing:


Motivation for a project you have? :blink::blink:


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## plummen

Ive got enough 4 wheeled and 2 wheeled projects to last me several lifetimes,problem is during this time of year nobody leaves me alone long enough to work on them! :laughing:


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## mehtwo

plummen said:


> Ive got enough 4 wheeled and 2 wheeled projects to last me several lifetimes,problem is during this time of year nobody leaves me alone long enough to work on them! :laughing:


Well, you should schedule time to work on them....I finally had to do that myself. It was pathetic having an old truck sitting around for 15 years and not much progress made.....:whistling


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## plummen

Ive still got a 30 model A I started restoring 32 years ago in juinor high school thats not done,Ive also got the 29 hot rod me and the boy need to finish(his will probably be done 1st though! :laughing
Ive got a collection of 400 plus project/parts cars in an undisclosed location north of here ,theres probably 15-20 chevy pick ups and heavy from 48-53/54 in there.
Ive also got a 55-56 chevy truck that i want to make the mother of all 1t 4x4 dually flat beds out of


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## mehtwo

Well I'm still brainstorming my power steering dilemma. I did come up with an idea after some inspirations(these aren't my pics):



















Except I want to use a steering coupler instead of just a sleeve like these pics show:



















Here's an example of the coupler I want to use:










Then I want to mount the box at the same angle as the stock box. After some research I found out that there is a kit that does what I wanted to do, except I'm too cheap to spend nearly $1,000 for it. Here's a few pics of the kit:


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## mehtwo

I was going to used a saginaw box that was used in 2wd chevy and dodges for years but the output shaft swings the wrong way. Then after some more research(and some dumb luck:laughing, I found out that Dodge used the same box on their 4wds as the 2wd from 1972-1979 except they reversed the rotation of the output shaft which I think is what was used in the $1,000 kit. 

I also want to fabricate my own bracket to make it look more factory than what the kit supplies. 

The reason I'm looking at the steering box instead of the power assist is because the power assist 1.)requires more hoses, 2.)the hoses will move back and forth with the control valve, 3.) the hoses hang down below the truck causing a possibility of snagging on something, and 4.)it would be more difficult to plumb it in with a hydroboost power brake booster such as this:


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## plummen

mehtwo said:


> Well I'm still brainstorming my power steering dilemma. I did come up with an idea after some inspirations(these aren't my pics):
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> Except I want to use a steering coupler instead of just a sleeve like these pics show:
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> Here's an example of the coupler I want to use:
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> Then I want to mount the box at the same angle as the stock box. After some research I found out that there is a kit that does what I wanted to do, except I'm too cheap to spend nearly $1,000 for it. Here's a few pics of the kit:


Thats a big chop job they did on that wheel well


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## mehtwo

That's a big reason why I want to build my own bracket, etc. I didn't care for the chop job either......


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## mehtwo

I would rather take the time to make something look good than to chop it up and try to patch it up later. Sometimes, I'm not so successful....:whistling


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## plummen

mehtwo said:


> I would rather take the time to make something look good than to chop it up and try to patch it up later. Sometimes, I'm not so successful....:whistling


I feel your pain,if I had a to pay myself $10hr for all the time ive spent modifying and rebuilding parts that didnt fit quite the way I liked Id never be able to afford to build anything! :laughing:
That being said I got bored today so I drug an old 900 kawasaki frame Ive been wanting to use for a dragbike for a long time out from under the bench,Ive been measuring things up on it for a couple hours now to make sure its square.
Now im making templates for the frame gussets since I dont like the aftermarket ones,then Im going to build me a swingarm since i want it to look like it just rolled out of 1977 and nobody makes a swingarm the way I like them either!
Ah the life of an anal retentive prick! :laughing:


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## plummen

Heres some shots of my last z1 project that I havent finished yet either,I think a 1385 motor with a turbo and a nitrous bottle ought to keep em wondering what just hit em! :laughing:
And just to remind them they just got beat by an old guy on an old bike Im going to paint it stock 74 z1 900 colors this time! :laughing:
The frame Im doing right now will be braced the same but wont be raked


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## mehtwo

Here's some more pics of the crossmember transplant:

As you can see, there needs to be some modification done to the crossmembers to get them to work......

    

While removing the crossmember from the '77, it got tweaked a little as the pic shows:

 

Now I'm straightening it using the poor man's workbench technique...:laughing:


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## mehtwo

Laying out the crossmember's final destination:

  

Snapped a center line to determine where the holes in the frame need to be:

 

My notes:

  

My centerline:

  

Inside the circled areas are the punched points where the bolt holes are to be drilled:

 

I used an 1/8" drill bit to make them easier to find:


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## mehtwo

Checking to see how close my measurements are. It looks like I may have to change some of my layout since the crossmember wasn't layed out symmetrically:

  

Holes are drilled:

 

Since I don't have a workbench and a bench vise handy, I rotated the crossmember 180 degrees, turned it upside down and bolted it to the frame to make it solid enough to remove the diagonals:

 

Removing the factory rivets:


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## plummen

mehtwo said:


> Here's some more pics of the crossmember transplant:
> 
> As you can see, there needs to be some modification done to the crossmembers to get them to work......
> 
> 
> 
> While removing the crossmember from the '77, it got tweaked a little as the pic shows:
> 
> 
> 
> Now I'm straightening it using the poor man's workbench technique...:laughing:


nothing werong with that,I call it south omaha blacksmithing myself!:thumbsup:


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## mehtwo

Still removing the rivets from the diagonals:

 

One diagonal down, 3 more to go.....

    

I had to redrill the holes that weren't quite centered:


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## mehtwo

More drilling:

  

As you can see, the diagonals need to be modified. Hopefully I can get this started today:


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## plummen

Im glad you put a cross memember iside that spring perch,thats a highly stressed area. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## plummen

Heres a couple shots of my version of south omaha black smithing yesterday straightening an old 900 kawasaki frame and installing an oversize backbone tube to stiffen it up,hopefully finish welding the tube in and start bracing frame tomorrow.
The 1 picture shows a chunk of the old tube next to new one to show size differance


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## mehtwo

plummen said:


> Im glad you put a cross memember iside that spring perch,thats a highly stressed area. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


That's how it was done from the factory......:whistling


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## mehtwo

plummen said:


> Heres a couple shots of my version of south omaha black smithing yesterday straightening an old 900 kawasaki frame and installing an oversize backbone tube to stiffen it up,hopefully finish welding the tube in and start bracing frame tomorrow.
> The 1 picture shows a chunk of the old tube next to new one to show size differance


That's pretty cool, there's a lot I want to do once I get a shop.


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## plummen

mehtwo said:


> More drilling:
> 
> 
> 
> As you can see, the diagonals need to be modified. Hopefully I can get this started today:


How much Do you need to remove from the bottem piece to fit that in there?
Have you looked at any other scrap truck frames to see if they have a shorter lower bracket you could use,maybe a 1/2t or 3/4t frame you could canabalize for the lower piece?


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## plummen

mehtwo said:


> That's how it was done from the factory......:whistling


Youd be suprised how many people out there arent smart enough to figure out theres a reason why the factory did that or just dont want to go through the time/work to fit something back in there though! :laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## mehtwo

plummen said:


> Youd be suprised how many people out there arent smart enough to figure out theres a reason why the factory did that or just dont want to go through the time/work to fit something back in there though! :laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


Oh yeah, I know those types. I see their work in the trades all the time. It's ALL about speed then their work has to be fixed later. As I build this truck, I also want to look at liability as well since I will be sharing the road. It would suck if my truck snapped in two because of carelessness and being in a rush. 

I always want to build it as strong or stronger than factory.:thumbsup:


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## mehtwo

I know I know, back to the '54........:whistling :laughing:


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## plummen

I was looking for your other post about the trans swap on your work truck but couldn't find it,Heres a picture of the odemeter in my 95 ford work van.
Pushing 305,000 still has original trans and motor,keep trans filter changed once a year


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## plummen

Call me sometime,lost your number


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## mehtwo

plummen said:


> I was looking for your other post about the trans swap on your work truck but couldn't find it,Heres a picture of the odemeter in my 95 ford work van.
> Pushing 305,000 still has original trans and motor,keep trans filter changed once a year


Does it have a 351W in it?


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## plummen

Which ever 351 ford was using in 96:laughing:


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## mehtwo

It's been a while, but between the license exams, cold weather, depression, etc. the old truck just sat there with NO improvements happening to it.:whistling So, after kicking myself in the azz for weeks and weeks since the weather warmed up, I dove in. All I did today was modify the other diagonal crossmember bracket. It went a lot easier and quicker than the first one did. :thumbup:


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## mehtwo

I also think this looks a lot neater and cleaner than the other side.


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## plummen

Youre getting there!
Heres my fab project from this weekend,frame brace kit for one of my old kawasakis.
Maybe Ill get time to fire the ol tig welder up tomorrow and get them stuck on


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## mehtwo

More progress pics:


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## mehtwo

Fitting the modified pieces:


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## plummen

Much better,now hit those pin holes again and buff em up with a flapper wheel.:laughing:
Then its time for a coat of thick black paint


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## mehtwo

plummen said:


> Much better,now hit those pin holes again and buff em up with a flapper wheel.:laughing:
> Then its time for a coat of thick black paint


Not yet, I plan on getting them blasted before I paint them. :whistling


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## mehtwo

My work area is not very OSHA-friendly......:laughing::laughing::laughing:


















Now on to the featured presentation::whistling


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## mehtwo

The reason for the hole is for an access to drive out the spring pivot pins from the backside with a drift punch........











































The above is what you get from using a circle template, a spring loaded punch, an 1/8" drill bit, a 3/8" drill bit, a Uni-bit, a metal-cutting reciprocating saw, and a half round file. :thumbsup: If anyone would like to donate a plasma cutter, I would gladly accept!! :clap::thumbup::whistling

Now onto the other bracket:


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## mehtwo




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## mehtwo

The brackets side by side: 


















I welded the back side of the driver's side bracket:









Well for tonight:


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## plummen

mehtwo said:


> My work area is not very OSHA-friendly......:laughing::laughing::laughing:
> 
> View attachment 87386
> 
> 
> View attachment 87387
> 
> 
> 
> Now on to the featured presentation::whistling
> 
> 
> View attachment 87388
> 
> 
> View attachment 87389
> 
> 
> View attachment 87390
> 
> 
> View attachment 87391


Don't wont worry about those buys from osha,youre even farther away from Wisconsin than I am in Nebraska!:laughing:
I like the slot you cut in the bracket!:thumbsup:


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## mehtwo

Now I'm looking to lower my truck 3" back to stock height by removing the lift blocks that I installed back in 2001. Originally when I lifted the truck, I was going to install a "dummy" rear axle to make a tag axle which made the back end of the truck a lot higher. But now since I'm using only 1 rear axle and moved it back 26" inches, it lowered the rear of the truck a bit. I'm also lowering the truck so I don't have to have a longer pitman arm made. I also think it will also help me to get in and out of it A LOT easier.:thumbup: 

OK OK..... here are the pics so far......:laughing::laughing:

The height before:










The height 3" lower:












What do you think? :whistling


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## mehtwo

I'll be pulling the lift blocks as soon as I thread the "U-bolts" 3" further up. I think lowering it back to stock height will be VERY advantageous.:thumbsup:


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## plummen

I think Id install the box on it first to see how the truck sits with some weight on it.
Id bet those stock springs have settled a little over the years


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## TimelessQuality

plummen said:


> I think Id install the box on it first to see how the truck sits with some weight on it.
> Id bet those stock springs have settled a little over the years


:thumbsup:

Slam it on down:thumbup:

A smaller tire/wheel combo could get you a lot lower as well...

Keep pluggin' away at it


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## mehtwo

I think it'll hide that cute and adorable little I-beam axle that Chevy used from 1918-1959. :laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## mehtwo

Not much progress this time around, but baby steps nonetheless......
I finally made myself remove the U-bolt to see if I can find a die to thread the U-bolts further up. Here are some pics:



























I had these U-bolts custom made back when I put in the lift blocks around 2000 or 2001 so they're not all that old.


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## mehtwo

TimelessQuality said:


> :thumbsup:
> 
> Slam it on down:thumbup:
> 
> A smaller tire/wheel combo could get you a lot lower as well...
> 
> Keep pluggin' away at it


Thanks for the words of encouragement. There a lot of my co-workers that drive the later model stuff and sometimes I get discouraged. I often think about selling it all and going late model everything. Thanks for cheering me on, I hope it'll all be worth it down the road.:thumbsup:


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## Randy Bush

Make a low rider out of it.:laughing:


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## mehtwo

Randy Bush said:


> Make a low rider out of it.:laughing:


Yeah!!! With a bumper sticker the says: "Praise the lowered.....":blink:


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## mehtwo

Uunfortunately, the shank of the U-bolt decreases after the threaded portion.  So, I'll try to dig up the stock ones or get some new ones made. As a reminder when tackling any kind of project: NEVER NEVER throw anything away until you KNOW everything will fit and work properly!!!


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## TimelessQuality

Aw.. Just put a stack of washers on 'em. J/K


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## mehtwo

Well, I'm back! It's been a heck of a month, but I'm back at it! I took it pretty hard when my buddy/girlfriend decided to up and leave me. It really set me back emotionally, but working on this truck has helped me. Now for some pics....

The removal of the driveshaft..


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## mehtwo

Now to lower the truck back to stock height up front.....

I had already removed one of the U-bolts to reference for ordering new ones.









The "new" shorter bolts vs. the "old" longer bolts.









Removing the old bolts.










Removing the lift blocks.


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## mehtwo

I have a lot more pics to post. I've been going through a lot of depression the last few months after my girlfriend left. It's only been the last couple of weeks since I felt like myself again. It's been a couple of months since I messed with the '54, but the other day I started on it and it felt great! This old truck is therapy!:thumbup:


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## J L

Glad to hear you're back to yourself and working on the truck again. Looking forward to the pics.


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## plummen

Its like I told my wife years ago before we got married I had an old lab mix dog I brought back with me from korea.
She wasnt really into dogs ,but I told her that dog was here before her and it can still be here when shes gone.
Gf's can be replaced but dogs and old chevy trucks are a till death do we part arrangement!:laughing:
Stick with that old truck,youll have a lot fewer headaches.
You can rent a gf!:laughing:
Ive got another truck project of my own in the works,to go with the other 10,000 things I havent finished yet since retiring.:whistling
Its even older than your project,Im thinking to build it to look like an old barn find but with some decent brakes and maybe a slightly warmed over old 348 chevy just to make it interesting!:laughing:
Ill post a couple pictures later.


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## plummen

Still working out details and exact pedigree,but it should make an interesting old project for cruising around town after a whole lot of work.
I havent seen the title yet so if anybody has any ideas of exactly what year/model it is im all ears.


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## mehtwo

Here are more pics from a while back:

Out with the old:


























In with the new:


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## mehtwo

Those shiny new U-bolts look so purdy......:laughing::laughing:


















Look at the new 3" lowered stance, it's sooooo much easier to get in and out of.....:thumbup:










I'm glad I removed the blocks, they looked like they were deteriorating. They were Autozone lift blocks, so what do I expect?


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## mehtwo

Here's the before:













.....and the after:


















*What do you think?*


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## TimelessQuality

Looking good! Much better stance..


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## plummen

TimelessQuality said:


> Looking good! Much better stance..


What he said.:thumbsup:


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## mehtwo

TimelessQuality said:


> Looking good! Much better stance..





plummen said:


> What he said.:thumbsup:


The stance is stock.......:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## TimelessQuality

Just think how cool it would look down another three


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## mehtwo

It's been quite a while since I posted pics of my progress. These are pics from a few months back. Depression had a lot to do with my lack of motivation. 

Anywho, I decided to use the driveshaft from a '77 Chevy 1-ton parts truck because the length is a lot closer to what I need and the diameter is a lot bigger. The cool part is: that they both use the same U-joints. :clap: Here's the swapping of yokes of the front half of the driveshaft. My buddy James is in the pics...


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## mehtwo




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## mehtwo

Now, it's ready to install.


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## plummen

Sometimes you just need to walk away from it for a while, looking good though!:thumbsup:


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## mehtwo

I test fit it and determine the pinion angle.


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## blacktop

plummen said:


> Sometimes you just need to walk away from it for a while, looking good though!:thumbsup:


My Dad always said ...''let's get back to It when were fresh''
The bolts always seem to turn just right the next day.


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## jlsconstruction

Looking good


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## mehtwo

The old tailshaft is the black one. The diameter difference is like night and day. 










I'm going to put another crossmember where the carrier bearing will end up. I also want to use this crossmember to support my future exhaust stacks.










You can see that the driveshaft will need to be shortened. I will determine if the front driveshaft or the tailshaft or maybe both will be shortened.



























I had to chase the threads before I installed the new nuts to the flange.


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## mehtwo

The new nuts required a bigger socket than the old ones, so the fit was tight with the driveshaft in place. 


















The cheesy looking angle iron that supported the vacuum line ports for trailer brakes had to go. I will put a modified crossmember from the '77 Chevy in its place.


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## mehtwo

As I get a chance to work on it, I'll post more pics.....:whistling


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## mehtwo

I'm fixing to tinker with the ol '54 a little this afternoon. It sure feel good.... :clap::clap::clap: I'll have more pics in a while.


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## mehtwo

This is the crossmember from the '77 Chevy donor truck. I'll have to shorten it 1/4" to make it fit in the frame. Before that happens I'll also need to position in relation to the carrier bearing. I also want to put the mounts and the diagonals for my exhaust stacks on this crossmember. There is a lot of planning before I make my first cut. :whistling Anyhow, here's some more pics.....

Right now the focus is on the carrier bearing....


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## mehtwo

We had to raise the press to get the driveshaft to work in it.....


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## TimelessQuality

That front shaft looks about the right length.. Are you gonna shorten it too? I'd just shorten the rear..

All those details really take time.. Glad to see your still chipping away at it:thumbsup:


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## mehtwo

Now I'm fitting the driveshaft to determine how much needs to be cut and the angle.


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## mehtwo

I'm checking the depth of the crossmember to determine the drop for the carrier bearing mount.










The amount of room of the female end of the socket verses the length of the splines on the male end..


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## mehtwo

TimelessQuality said:


> That front shaft looks about the right length.. Are you gonna shorten it too? I'd just shorten the rear..
> 
> All those details really take time.. Glad to see your still chipping away at it:thumbsup:


It'll all depend on where I put the crossmember that is right behind the cab.....


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## TimNJ

Reminds me of my old '65 Chevy pickup.
That thing used to go through carrier bearings and U joints like they were going out of style.

Keep on truckin'. It'll be all worth it when you are finished.:thumbsup:


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## plummen

:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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