I think there is a huge advantage to taking the time to model it out before cutting any steel. I wish I still had access to and knew how to use CAD...haven't touched it in 12ish years. Still, impressive for sure. It would take me a year to do all that work :lol:

Friday evening i got the front clip situated on there and got to making plans for how to move fwd with it. tire fitment was good but needed help and the core support mounts need re-done.

but it looks soooooo gooooood.

https://i.imgur.com/7lrY92c.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ETl5roE.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/XE7Nu0g.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/5KeNMXX.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/42GzlMV.jpg

to anyone who thought i was going to be eating fender steering, you weren't wrong!

so straight on the tires tuck great, and obviously at full drop the sheet metal is going to limit my steering. however, i was more limited at ride than i expected so i need to go a little further than just a lip trim.

since every little bit counts, i started messing with a body lift. 1/4" didn't change much, and 1/2" you could tell there was significantly more under rocker gap, so she's now sitting with a 3/8" spacer on the body mounts.

next was the wheel spacers, could i pull them in even more? since the sheet metal is my steering limit at drop and i now know where that is, it looks like my current clearances will allow me to narrow it another 1/2" per side. so i have ordered some 1.5" wheel spacers that'll be here today. this should be a big change up there. enough of a change that it'll most likely require that i "tub" the inner wheel well.

then the fender trimming itself, i channeled my Jeep Cherokee Fender trimming experience from college when i did more than i can remember and got to it. the fender lip that sticks in has 3 sections to vs a full round. i trimmed 2/3 of that lip off at the outer bend line, leaving only a minor flange. then to the dismay of my forearm, i hammered that little seam up and out of the way. this rolled lip leaves the fender just as stiff as factory, with significantly more clearance, but also with a clean finished edge that's still painted and won't ever cut a tire.

finally i think i'm going to have to invest in an air management system with height sensors. that'll make sure i'm always at full ride when tooling around town, but also make it easy to lower for a softer ride on the highway. excuses for more toys ... aw shucks.

as it sits now without the new wheel spacers, i can now get my full hand between the tires and fender at steering lock at 8" ride. at 3" ride i still have enough steering to change lanes quickly on the highway, but never plan to drive it that low for more than a picture.

https://i.imgur.com/nLf1wHS.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/lSr2RvO.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/f2biHnI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/f9p0we0.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/cCwEKui.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/HuofP90.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/lE0hTGR.jpg

Things are never easy, right?! Bummer, that factory edge looks nice, but doesn't look like you took a whole lot off...looks like a good trim! Kinda not even noticed since you have the outer lip still there :thumbsup:

my new wheel spacers will be in this evening and i'll get new pictures up. but with it being so low, you never notice the missing inner lip unless you know to look for it.

Why is it that you needed wheel spacers in the first place? I can't recall. Keep the tires out of the steering / suspension?

The clearance issues you're experiencing is why aftermarket front end kits for slammed trucks involve a substantially narrower track width.

i'm running dually wheels on SRW hubs. the normal dually spacer is 4.5", so using a 1.5" i've been able to narrow the track width by 6"!!

this really did require the wheels i have, and a good bit of control arm massaging as well. the wheel center on these hits the barrel way out at the lip, not inside like usual. this gave me WAY more caliper clearance. if you look back though, i had to clearance the LCA from hitting the wheel at drop since the inner lip is right at the balljoint pivot now.

so amazon got me the wheel spacers next-freakin-day, and i got them on last night. looks like this helped, and i'm going to call this good enough to move on.

my justification:
- anything lower than ride is fender limited ... cuz form > function?!?!
- at 3" i have enough steering to probably drive a normal road.
- at 8+" ride i get full lock with bump clearance, and you only use that going slow anyways, so unless i'm parking in a ditch and articulated the clearance should be good.
-if i am parking in a ditch, i can just inflate the bag stiff enough that the front doesn't articulate.

Ride @ 8.5":
https://i.imgur.com/z1MRFPK.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/5dMKlo1.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/4ne5ZcQ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/qNAZXg7.jpg

full drop:
https://i.imgur.com/NovNcNf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/iGVKOXH.jpg

Ride @ 3"
https://i.imgur.com/b76yzN3.jpg

Rear isn't actually that wide vs the body for a dually.
https://i.imgur.com/bf2017b.jpg

Looks good.

I'm kinda in love w/ the thing, really dig that wheel/tire choice, too. I love builds in general, especially as I don't do them but appreciate all the work and finish details that go into them. Miss my uncle even when I see these sorts of things...really need to get to Back To The 50's in St Paul, MN some time you're done w/ it!!

An old neighbor buddy of mine is a builder, he's done some incredible work, too...man, big props! :rock:

thanks!

i updated my cost sheet with a "gearhead math" cost and an actual cost to build. the difference being basically all iterations of the project including anywhere i made/lost money changing plans.

i started with the 6400 ... sold it for a +$2000 profit
then got this 3800 ... -$610into it after selling the engine/trans and seat
parted out a 4th gen camaro for a t56 that i later sold ... total part-out +$500 profit
was going to mate it to the TDI from the Golf ... fuel savings paid for the car, sold for +$3000
a c10 chassis and built the IFS for V1.0, that i later sold ... parted it all down for +$250 profit
drove home the $500 YJ, fixed it ... traded straight up for the 96 cummins ram
parted down cummins ram ... -$400 into keeping the 12v n chassis
build the chassis and sold it to build the new hotness ... lost -$750 on that

all-in I'm doing ok so far, neither number is hateful all things considered. i think i'm on track that once fully functional i'd be able to sell it for more than the actual (higher) cost.

with the body so low on the chassis ... the steering box, ended up right in the middle of the driver side core support body mount. add in the need for as big of a radiator as i can get, and the jungle gym steering, and i'm running out of room! only free space is under the frame really, and i need both body mounts and bumper mounts still. so i placed a body mount puck, and some small tabs where the bumper would be ... and started trying to connect it all to the frame. i'm not super happy with how this looks, it just seams overly complicated. but i'm starting to think that's only because i don't have all the BS i'm building around in there.


https://i.imgur.com/emTsvkW.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/W0MR7Do.jpg

decided i hated it ... started over.

the core support mounts are now inverted, so they bolt to the bottom of the frame instead. i was trying to keep the core support sitting on them even with a loose bolt, but this is just going to be way cleaner. the core support is basically flat against the front of the frame, so the lower plate will weld to it.

the bumper is also a completely separate mount now and should provide a little more protection. still need to figure out a better diagonal support thought. that might need to wait until it's built since i don't have the C30 crossmember modeled.

https://i.imgur.com/x3lVXuG.jpg

SELL IT :squint:

detailed some more 3D n got a little more plate ordered Saturday from my buddy, can't wait to have the the front clip mounted. also spent Saturday replacing the ENTIRE power steering, pump and all the lines even up to the hydroboost, in my 2500. freaking blew out the ONE day my wife drove it to work, and it was our anniversary. none of the crazy rusty lines blew, was a new chinesium hose from the new cooler last year ... WTF!?! whatever, all new now.

Sunday i managed to get a little done even while trying to cut my finger off. while removing the bits of the factory dash support that were in the way of the new pedal assembly, i managed to GASH my finger on some grinder flash. one of those super deep, you felt it go that deep, and you are rushing to wash it really good before the nerve endings catch up n it hurts. but got that all cut out and clearanced!

so i got the Helix pedal firewall assembly and it's really nice, but sux. the dash side mounting plate is way off at the wrong angle and almost an inch too long. tech support said it was designed for the cars, but "should also work in the the truck". well i'm debating between cutting it up or returning it for the CPP.

also chopped the seat frame out of the yukon bench, no going back now! i had it latched while i was cutting and it stayed together well, so i'm now 100% convinced that once bolted to the floor it'll be great. just more attention to lining it all up than GM would have done in a factory.

https://i.imgur.com/Hb72yF6.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/O55l5DL.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/sXz4cIt.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9kJWOhJ.jpg

:insert excuses for lack of progress:

chopped up the seat and got it's final resting place all figured. now i just need to fab up the mounts. shouldn't be too bad.

chopped up the Helix pedal bracket and got it to fit. she's bolted to the firewall and the dash, but now i need to weld it back together. also bought a 2nd pedal assembly just to steel the pedal for my clutch. pretty happy with this, need a longer bolt and to chop off the extra now.

https://i.imgur.com/vxqTg4z.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/uDMzj3J.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/eM47q5l.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/qSj5dJc.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/fX5A7nq.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Cv0SLaw.jpg

cool

seat is officially placed, and temporarily secured. the rear mounts are bolted to the factory seat location then tacked to the seat frame. the delrin spacer blocks are just sitting there but will be screwed to the seat frame and not the floor just for support. thought, i might also delete em after the mount is fully welded since the seat leans on the back of the cab anyways. the forward mounts will be riv-nuts in the floor vs the current self tappers now that i know the placement is good. fold n tumble seat still works great too. with the console down you really notice the driver seat being offset probably 2-3" from center of the cluster.

fit the steering and kind of wish i had gotten the 28" vs the 30". i'd rather have the brushed natural finish, but the 3 different finishes kind of sucks, so i might try and get a black 28". in the picture you can see it exits the firewall really close to the frame, and i could use it a little further away from me inside at that placement.

also got the pedals bracket all modified and welded back together, easier than shipping them back to try something different. cut up my 2nd set for the clutch pedal, and spliced the bolts to make the length i needed to get thru the whole thing. it feels pretty good, but now i need to figure out the height to place the clutch master. i was shocked and excited tough that the pedal shaft that came with the hydroboost for whatever application was perfect as-is!

https://i.imgur.com/sltYCux.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Ke1B5EN.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/U2LexFv.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/mtQJLwI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/jKKpmSn.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/0jNHtqE.jpg

poomiim :dunno:

Get in there and take a proper pic :roflmao:

:lol:

so i did return the 30" natural finish steering column and got a 28" all black. the 3 different materials/textures of the natural was pissing me off, and the less 2" should put me only JUST thru the firewall for better steering shaft angles.

so funny story, i returned it directly to the Summit Racing warehouse where i like to go thru the scratch n dent pile. well they got rid of it, and that sux, hopefully coming back after renovations cuz even the staff was pissed. so i'm getting my gift card credit at the cashier and with no one else in line i ask for some extra help. their online order history is only 3 years and i've already lost access to orders i made for this truck. i asked if she could print out my entire order history for me to scan back into a PDF. sure thing! so she proceeds to then tell my wife how much i've spent at summit racing since 2013.

:eek: :lol: :james: :bangtard:

so i set about getting the 12V placement figured, that was a b!tch. at one point i got it stuck between the chassis and cab and had to just start cutting, but at least it was stuff i needed to eventually cut anyways. it "fits". engine/trans and chassis are sitting on separate jack stands ready for mounts. i have them all drawn up, but need to get the plate cut now ... i really need my own plasma table ...

firewall reference for how far back it is, the #6 cylinder is totally behind it. the '55 AL radiator is in basically the stock placement to check clearance, and there is some. fun fact: there is 11" from the rocker of a 1955 chevy truck up to the under side of the floor. and yet, with an nv5600 sitting on the ground it still requires cutting! that trans is literally in there with the bottom parallel to the ground and the same 0.5" above the bottom of the frame that the rockers are.

please excuse the second "rock out selfie" ... it just keeps happening! :lol: :metal:

https://i.imgur.com/t3lk19A.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FH2iNBS.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/nrTH2bf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/cg8JuEZ.jpg

OOPS :lol: :roflmao: :james: :bangtard:

:rock:

Nice sweatshirt ;)

so i'll be really disappointed if i never get the chance to throw way too many PSI's at this motor. with that in mind, and my current record of blowing out drive shafts, i wanted to make sure i gave this every chance to live. enter the 1410 series u-joints, ram used them factory on some HD applications and is what the truck-pull guys will upgrade to as well.

i need a 2pc drive shaft just for length alone, and to get out from under the cab easier. i also wanted a CV rear shaft with the CV flange fixed right at the truck arm pivot. this would give me the "perfect" shaft angle thru the entire range of travel. this all meant that i needed a fixed carrier bearing at a different angle than the forward shaft, really you could maybe call this a 3pc drive shaft. the carrier bearing or mid shaft, will be at the same 6.5deg as the transmission and have a standard shaft between the trans to bearing. the bearing will be fixed to the chassis and give me the fixed CV flange output to the axle.

so Branik Motorsports sells this ultimate carrier bearing for KOH rigs. however they only sell it with a standard yoke on both ends. Dodge used a 1410 CV in the front of some 4x4 trucks, and dimensionally i figured it could be used in the assembly. i bought a used yoke, mailed it to Branik, and they machined it to work! 32spline chromoly shaft, shimmed bearing pre-load, and ready to weld in. can't weld it with the bearings in there, so once it's fit i'll pack it with grease and install the seals.

https://i.imgur.com/7NzsMX2.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ZD4x5MY.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/h5XxDDh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/GWrEjf2.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/RGWJv2j.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/MuuzLU5.jpg

new power steering pump n bracket to delete the factory vacuum pump gives me all kinds of room for motor mounts! and one less oil leak.

drew up the shock mounts. decided to use RS9000XL shocks for the adjustability, so i hit up service and got a PDF with every shock they make listed with lengths and eye's. took a bit to go thru, but found some.

also sandblasted a factory bezel before i made a backing to mount gauges. the plate is actually CORTEN and will most likely get a clearcoat to keep that look. at this point i'm leaning towards one gps Speedhut speedo centered low, and 2 Banks iDash datalogging gauges above. can display anything and everything i'd ever want, plus datalog and tune the 12v when i start playing with it. i probably won't order those until i get the body back on the chassis for good though.

https://i.imgur.com/Y0c0N0x.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/j0xRiGj.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/xFetrz0.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/PtfENxt.jpg

Looking good.

You should get one of those in-cab adjustable fuel plates. If I had a 12V I would get one no question.

https://puredieselpower.com/12-valve...uel-plate.html

interesting, i had not seen that before.

this is what i had seen:
https://powerdrivendiesel.com/product/afc-live-gauge/

ultimately however, both are only doing one thing. they limit the max travel of the AFC and therefor limit the max fueling available. one physically moves the end stop, one interrupts the boost reference and limits the max PSI to the pump. one of the first steps in tuning a p-pump is to set the AFC spring/plate so that it achieves desired max travel (based on your possible fueling) at your max boost. limiting the psi will limit the travel just like putting in a physical stop.

so for $30 i bought a precision parker air pressure regulator with air blead and will stick it in-line with the boost reference. i'll also copy the AFC-Live guys and have a bypass valve switch. unfortunately it's not really a linear or proportional tuning reduction, just turns off the stupid zone. the AFC-Live also includes an orifice valve though, so you do have some control over how quickly the max psi you set is shown to the pump. combined these help make a 1000hp truck more street-able by giving you a simulated better throttle resolution.

the best solution would be to have variable in-cab control over the AFC spring rate, but i've never seen that. tune the truck right for "race mode" then use something to limit that for "street mode"

i still have a TON to learn about tuning the p-pump. it truly has mechanical provisions to basically tune every aspect of fueling. the base fueling, the max fueling, the fueling profile thru the RPM range with 2 different profiles based on either partial or full throttle, psi proportional increase, timing, pressure of delivery, etc etc

Injection timing is the main thing I do not understand about direct injection engines. I know you can really screw sh1t up if you get that wrong, though.

Haha, right! Well it seams like everybody and their brother goes to 18 to 20deg, so im going to shoot for 19. Factory is 12

oooohhhhh yeah! she officially holds her own face finally!

you might also notice that i chopped out the rad mount and welded it back in. it used to stand proud of the support, but i made it flush to gain another 1/2" of clearance. was going to go further, but this was easier and still helped.

https://i.imgur.com/mLc9Dkr.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ApmvJ0i.jpg

Can't wait to see this thing do it's first burnout ;) :rock:

I just got my JK home, need to pull the grille and mount the winch box again...or move the cooler from the Hemi install...hmmm...seems like childsplay compared to this :lol:

me too!!!

Looking good.

so that's not going ANYwhere. a little alignment, a little more strap rubber, a few hoses, n fill it.

https://i.imgur.com/2FkkASf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Noxyj9P.jpg

she now holds the 12v! I'm super happy with the fit/function of these mounts, they aren't going anywhere. but they just lack something, they don't have the same style as other bits on the truck. they are missing with my eye, but unless i come up with something super easy, they aren't getting changed. front of the crank sits 1/2" passenger, and the trans output is 1/4" passenger to help gain clearance for the starter (and a throttle pedal)

https://i.imgur.com/Q6z8M4d.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ny4cRoN.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/4SOBymD.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/rNduJ19.jpg

"Make the noise!"

https://i.imgur.com/11pd7jF.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/fnlOyn2.jpg

YYYEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHSSSSSSSSS!!

I might have done some things out of order n had to re-do em ... But she's officially hanging. The crossmember should be good for the chassis, was easy in n out, and won't let that trans go anywhere.

I love the flat belly pics, b/c racecar :lol:

https://i.imgur.com/3Md0whF.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FtXjbWf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FTxuyOA.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/UXBeBd1.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ECE4NHZ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/5Swp9NR.jpg

made some shocking progress this evening

https://i.imgur.com/GtK3zFa.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/rwHXhi7.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/PBLPzqn.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Zr6TILa.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/lBOQJ26.jpg

got the carrier bearing mounted finally now that i knew the angle of the trans output. the sucky part is that i have to knock the bearing races out to fully weld it.

i do have some drive shafts i can start cutting up for temporary bits for the first test drive and sorting everything out.

https://i.imgur.com/eo6ZzrA.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/HG7OcxG.jpg

one thing i really want this to be is reasonable to drive for long distances on the highway. that's going to require a new rear gear to really get there, but I'm starting with noise and heat. while researching mufflers and killing drone on big exhaust for the 12v, the ONLY thing that everyone agreed on was that these resonator/mufflers are the best thing going. even adding another standard muffler after it for a great note that is actually more quite then factory in the cab. but it looks super screwy :lol:

my next issue is getting a 5" exhaust to go anywhere reasonable. i have always planned to run it down outside the frame on the passenger side with a side exit in front of the running board. the running board might now get scrapped for a 2nd muffler, but i'll save that for later. the real issue is going to be getting the exhaust around the frame, tire, shock, and body! if building this frame again, i'd move the 45deg section back by 3" to gain enough space to turn a 90 in plane with the ground and then turn a 90 straight up inside to the turbo. as it stands though, i have 5.5" between the floor and frame. i was thinking maybe i would just run a 4" down to the rocker, but now maybe i can crush a 5" down to a 4" tall oval locally there. we'll see, this will be a project.

https://i.imgur.com/KY3xwI8.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/dUEakxT.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/jp56AGs.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/dNPiZri.jpg