I ordered new coils, front and back, and new shocks, front and back along with the coil cups, hardware, u-bolts, all that stuff. The front is being lowered one inch and the back is being lowered 3" to give it a little bit tighter stance. It should improve handling a bit too. Should be here this week sometime and I’ll try to get it installed maybe by the following week. Too many projects right now! I’m behind on teh hunting property and clearing new lanes before it gets too hot!
The good news is the back half of the truck is almost done. The bad news is that the front half is much more difficult! I’ll start looking for a replacement cab here soon.
“Another poon dream splintered on the rocks of reality.” --Peepod 07-25-2017
Rear brake lines installed and the rear axle is bolted back to the truck. Still waiting on the suspsension to be delivered, but I should have it installed by next weekend assuming no issues arise.
Suspension install, drum brakes assembled, and the back half of the truck will be complete.
I would have the entire brake line assembly complete, but LMC sent me the wrong tee. Contacted them today and hopefully I can get that part delivered. I don’t want to use this old nasty one.
“Another poon dream splintered on the rocks of reality.” --Peepod 07-25-2017
Rear brake lines installed and the rear axle is bolted back to the truck. Still waiting on the suspsension to be delivered, but I should have it installed by next weekend assuming no issues arise.
Suspension install, drum brakes assembled, and the back half of the truck will be complete.
“Another poon dream splintered on the rocks of reality.” --Peepod 07-25-2017
Well, the suspension shipping was delayed, so hopefully it’ll be here sometime this week to get installed.
I did however manage to pick up a good parts truck for the build on St Patrick’s Day. Running and driving well, 1971 Chevrolet 2wd long bed truck. Clean title, all VINs matching. I drove it 50 miles to the house and no smoke and no hiccups, so I feel pretty good about this one. Yes, this one is a long bed, but for the parts I need, it doens’t matter. I will be selling the other parts to pay for this purchase. The longbed is actually in great shape with minimal surface rust.
It has a 350 V-8 auto turbo hydramatic, 12 bolt rear end, power steering, aluminum radiator, good disc brakes up front, and maybe most importantly, a much much better cab and body parts for me to work with. Its already been sandblasted and prepped to a certain point. Interior isn’t too bad either, but I plan to gut it and go in with new material I think. I’m going to park these side by side in the driveway and slowly remove parts, clean, paint as necessary and reinstall on the project truck.
The 350 has a leaky oilpan and intake and rear axle, but those are easy fixes once I pull the parts and start going through them.
I might drive it around town for a few weeks first before I start ripping it apart, so if you see me, wave with all your fingers! No muffler, so you’ll probably hear me coming!
“Another poon dream splintered on the rocks of reality.” --Peepod 07-25-2017
Nice work Ricky. I was hoping to do all that stuff with my '66 F100 but due to a lack of available time I decided to sell. Maybe sometime in the future. Have fun!
1966 13’ Boston Whaler “Flatty”
2018 Sportsman Masters 207 www.eyestrikefishing.com#predatorsstriketheeye
This truck was a steal for me…I think I can sell off the parts I don’t want and break even. Or better. I’ll be selling the bed, 12 bolt rear end, front and rear bumpers, grill, toolbox, original rims, and frame if someone wants it. Plus I’m keeping the cab, doors, hood, fenders, motor/transmission, disc brakes for my build. Opti is right; buy those parts from LMC and it’ll be 5-6K easy. The used cabs alone I’ve looked at are around the $1200 mark for a good one. 6k for a fiberglass new one. I think I made out well.
“Another poon dream splintered on the rocks of reality.” --Peepod 07-25-2017
Rear suspension is installed. New coils with 3" drop; I can already tell the stance is much lower than stock and I’m loving it.
Rear drum brakes rebuilt with all new parts.Drum brakes are intimidating at first, but once you build and rebuild several times (because you forget something), you get the hang of it. I can almost assembly these in my sleep now.
On to the front part of the truck next…here’s where the real work begins. Rear tires are back on the ground hopefully for good. Its a good feeling to get the rear jack stands out and look at the truck standing up on her own.
“Another poon dream splintered on the rocks of reality.” --Peepod 07-25-2017
Just a thought for you, while the bed is off now would be a good time to do the wiring for the lights, that will make it easier than having to crawl underneath again. BTW that truck is looking very nice.
