I've built a truck that I think is pretty unique, I'm not aware of another one exactly like it. Many thanks go out to all the people who have inspired me with ideas and know how by doing similar things before me and sharing the experience. I have combined a lot of other people's knowledge, and a little of my own vision to make this build possible.
This is more of an overview of the build than an actual build thread. The reason for that is that this build took a long time to accomplish, in fact it's still not finished (not that it ever will be). I faced a lot of issues in bringing this all together, and there are bound to be details that I forget to include, or think would be boring, so if anyone has a question, feel free to ask. It's the least I can do to repay the online community for all the help I have received.
There will be a bit of a lack of pictures, as I didn't really focus on picture taking or want to handle my camera with my grubby hands. I do have a few though.
I guess I should set the story up...
I bought this truck new just after graduating college. It was my first nice truck, and I will always love it. Right away after getting the truck I wanted to start the modding. I didn't have any money, I was paying for a new truck, so the mods were what I could afford. The first thing it got was a body lift and some 33's. I drove it like that for a while, then it got a 3" Revtek lift and some 35's. Along the way it got a locker in the front and 4.88 gears. It also ended up with a supercharger and supporting fuel upgrades from URD. I drove it like that for a few years, my modding itch was being scratched by my motorcycle hobby. Then I had a baby come along so the bike thing needed to take a back seat to something the family could enjoy, I decided that should be my other love, wheeling. I decided to try to stay with the stock drive line, so I put a 6" Fabtech on top of the 6" I already had. I then put a set of 18x39.5 Boggers on it, and that did a couple things, one I could no longer daily drive it and needed another truck to drive, and two made it REALLY hard on CV shafts. I tried to get by with it like that by babying it, but it was just too delicate, I had ruined my baby, so I decided to fix the problem. I believe in fixing a problem permanently, so I went big and sourced all the parts to put a set of Rockwells under it. That's where the story starts.
Here it is sitting beside a stocker, in the configuration it was in at the start of all this.
I went and picked up the new axles.
And went to work tearing them apart to be narrowed.
These are the shafts, the joints are HUGE, just like everything else about these things. In the second pic, that is a milk crate they are laying on.
Pile of "weight savings"
Tool I made to use on the spindle nuts.
The narrowing begins.
The narrowed one compared to a standard one.
Building a mount for the steering ram.
New steering components.
Oil pan off.
Rolling the axle under the truck.
Frame braced up.
There isn't much room for this thing. Even with the truck being pretty tall, it needed to be taller to clear the diff. I wanted the truck to be a short as possible, so a custom pan was in order. I thought about a dry sump, but that was cost prohibitive.
This was my first attempt at a pan design.
I didn't end up liking it, so I made this one. It has a few seeps, so it will be pulled off and fixed up. All the welding here was with a 220 Lincoln stick welder, so nothing fancy here.
It is just now to the point it can move itself around. I took it out and crossed it up to get an idea about how things were going to work.
Here are a few highlights. It has ARB lockers front and rear, pinion brakes, front and rear hydraulic steering, 18x39.5 Boggers on 15x14 steel wheels, and receiver hitches front and rear. The frame was plated front and rear, and the rear springs (All Pro 5" lift springs 230# IIRC) were moved in to a 33" center to center measurement to allow the rear tires to turn. The front springs are 28" center to center, All Pro 6" lift springs with a rate of 220# (I think). There are other things, but that's the general idea. The whole project was done outside with basic tools, a torch, stick welder, drill, grinder, and a big ass piece of plate steel.
This is more of an overview of the build than an actual build thread. The reason for that is that this build took a long time to accomplish, in fact it's still not finished (not that it ever will be). I faced a lot of issues in bringing this all together, and there are bound to be details that I forget to include, or think would be boring, so if anyone has a question, feel free to ask. It's the least I can do to repay the online community for all the help I have received.
There will be a bit of a lack of pictures, as I didn't really focus on picture taking or want to handle my camera with my grubby hands. I do have a few though.
I guess I should set the story up...
I bought this truck new just after graduating college. It was my first nice truck, and I will always love it. Right away after getting the truck I wanted to start the modding. I didn't have any money, I was paying for a new truck, so the mods were what I could afford. The first thing it got was a body lift and some 33's. I drove it like that for a while, then it got a 3" Revtek lift and some 35's. Along the way it got a locker in the front and 4.88 gears. It also ended up with a supercharger and supporting fuel upgrades from URD. I drove it like that for a few years, my modding itch was being scratched by my motorcycle hobby. Then I had a baby come along so the bike thing needed to take a back seat to something the family could enjoy, I decided that should be my other love, wheeling. I decided to try to stay with the stock drive line, so I put a 6" Fabtech on top of the 6" I already had. I then put a set of 18x39.5 Boggers on it, and that did a couple things, one I could no longer daily drive it and needed another truck to drive, and two made it REALLY hard on CV shafts. I tried to get by with it like that by babying it, but it was just too delicate, I had ruined my baby, so I decided to fix the problem. I believe in fixing a problem permanently, so I went big and sourced all the parts to put a set of Rockwells under it. That's where the story starts.
Here it is sitting beside a stocker, in the configuration it was in at the start of all this.
I went and picked up the new axles.
And went to work tearing them apart to be narrowed.
These are the shafts, the joints are HUGE, just like everything else about these things. In the second pic, that is a milk crate they are laying on.
Pile of "weight savings"
Tool I made to use on the spindle nuts.
The narrowing begins.
The narrowed one compared to a standard one.
Building a mount for the steering ram.
New steering components.
Oil pan off.
Rolling the axle under the truck.
Frame braced up.
There isn't much room for this thing. Even with the truck being pretty tall, it needed to be taller to clear the diff. I wanted the truck to be a short as possible, so a custom pan was in order. I thought about a dry sump, but that was cost prohibitive.
This was my first attempt at a pan design.
I didn't end up liking it, so I made this one. It has a few seeps, so it will be pulled off and fixed up. All the welding here was with a 220 Lincoln stick welder, so nothing fancy here.
It is just now to the point it can move itself around. I took it out and crossed it up to get an idea about how things were going to work.
Here are a few highlights. It has ARB lockers front and rear, pinion brakes, front and rear hydraulic steering, 18x39.5 Boggers on 15x14 steel wheels, and receiver hitches front and rear. The frame was plated front and rear, and the rear springs (All Pro 5" lift springs 230# IIRC) were moved in to a 33" center to center measurement to allow the rear tires to turn. The front springs are 28" center to center, All Pro 6" lift springs with a rate of 220# (I think). There are other things, but that's the general idea. The whole project was done outside with basic tools, a torch, stick welder, drill, grinder, and a big ass piece of plate steel.