Author Topic: SquareD Part 5: The build continues and gets more aggressive (Read 420982 times)

KensAuto · « **Reply #700 on:** January 20, 2015, 09:28:55 PM »

Good work bossman.

Nate · « **Reply #701 on:** January 20, 2015, 09:53:12 PM »

Great progress

Dawg25385 · « **Reply #702 on:** January 20, 2015, 10:50:39 PM »

Great work! Do you think you'll have to hack some more off the heater core shroud, or will the heat tape do it? Seems pretty close to the plastic!

Flyin6 · « **Reply #703 on:** January 21, 2015, 08:46:31 AM »

Quote from: Dawg25385 on January 20, 2015, 10:50:39 PM

Great work! Do you think you'll have to hack some more off the heater core shroud, or will the heat tape do it? Seems pretty close to the plastic!

The actual fiberglass heater core assembly is still some distance inside that cover. All that is removed is a section of the "Weather boot" part which is a rubber/fiber mat composite. I might have to trim some more, but it will clear an additional 1/2" of heat wrap so I might be OK.

BobbyB · « **Reply #704 on:** January 21, 2015, 10:16:12 AM »

Quote from: cudakidd53 on January 20, 2015, 08:46:31 PM

Wow- really starting to look like its ready to roll over hybrids and mulch beds! ;D

And FLEX the suspension?? Are you crazy! Think of the mud damage... oh the carnage and horror!!!

JR · « **Reply #705 on:** January 21, 2015, 11:16:48 AM »

Very nice, fire it up!! Just make sure red dog is chewing on the fan 8)

Flyin6 · « **Reply #706 on:** January 23, 2015, 05:50:32 PM »

OK, let's push this project a little further along

First thing the exhaust got buttoned up with the help of the newly arrived 4" butt clamp

Flyin6 · « **Reply #707 on:** January 23, 2015, 05:52:06 PM »

By carefully bending the transmission dip stick all over the place, I got it to fit around that huge 4" down pipe

I clamped it to a transmission hard line to secure it in place

Flyin6 · « **Reply #708 on:** January 23, 2015, 05:53:14 PM »

That dipstick now resides almost under the turbocharger, so I also had to bend the handle to get it to fit

Flyin6 · « **Reply #709 on:** January 23, 2015, 05:54:36 PM »

Time now to say bye-bye to the fat lip front bumper. It gets relegated to the trash heap!

Flyin6 · « **Reply #710 on:** January 23, 2015, 05:55:50 PM »

Then with some quick grinding the last bit of rust was removed and coated with the rubberized undercoating

Flyin6 · « **Reply #711 on:** January 23, 2015, 05:58:26 PM »

Moving right along and still clearing parts off the floor, I tackled the sway bar. Now, I had planned to do something interesting with it, however, for now I just want to get it on so I can press forward with actually getting a useable truck.
I tried fitting it to the front, but that is a huge no-go. The new crossover steering took the real-estate where it would reside. So it is going under the engine facing forward, here:

Flyin6 · « **Reply #712 on:** January 23, 2015, 05:58:56 PM »

And will mount to the frame here:

Flyin6 · « **Reply #713 on:** January 23, 2015, 05:59:56 PM »

In an attempt to get the bar more or less level, I started with some thick 2" square tubing and cut it to length, two pieces

Flyin6 · « **Reply #714 on:** January 23, 2015, 06:00:39 PM »

Then they were drilled and tapped for 3/8"/16 thread

Flyin6 · « **Reply #715 on:** January 23, 2015, 06:01:14 PM »

Everything is fitting well so far

Flyin6 · « **Reply #716 on:** January 23, 2015, 06:03:16 PM »

The suspension end of the sway bar mounts to these simple "L" brackets which bolt to the spring plates

Flyin6 · « **Reply #717 on:** January 23, 2015, 06:05:07 PM »

Then the mounts were welded to the frame along with some reinforcing plates which were rose welded first

One side of the mounts has studs, pictured here just to make assembly easier, no other reason...

Flyin6 · « **Reply #718 on:** January 23, 2015, 06:07:18 PM »

After cooling then cleaning the new mounts were graciously coated with undercoating, then the sway bar was permanently attached

Flyin6 · « **Reply #719 on:** January 23, 2015, 06:09:17 PM »

A few more views

Flyin6 · « **Reply #720 on:** January 23, 2015, 06:10:43 PM »

And that wraps up Build Day 207

cudakidd53 · « **Reply #721 on:** January 24, 2015, 07:56:29 AM »

Great progress and solution to the fitment problem! Does the movement aft change the anti-roll forces of the sway bar? I know the mounting location of the ends is the same, but did you loose or gain force moving the bulk of the bar 180* ?

Flyin6 · « **Reply #722 on:** January 24, 2015, 09:06:54 AM »

Quote from: cudakidd53 on January 24, 2015, 07:56:29 AM

Great progress and solution to the fitment problem! Does the movement aft change the anti-roll forces of the sway bar? I know the mounting location of the ends is the same, but did you loose or gain force moving the bulk of the bar 180* ?

Don't know Mike
However just looking at it from a physics standpoint I moved the "Arm" closer to the fore-aft Center of Gravity so the bar should to some small degree work on the whole vehicle and not just the front.
I got the idea from my old Tundra which mounted it's bar in a similar fashion.

Flyin6 · « **Reply #723 on:** January 24, 2015, 09:09:14 AM »

I'm not done with this either. I would still like to work in some method to allow me to disconnect one side from the other.
Now I have an idea of how much room I will have and where the mechanicals will have to lie.

JR · « **Reply #724 on:** January 25, 2015, 12:38:15 AM »

Looks nice Don. Got a pic over in the SUB build for you.

I think moving it to the back would change nothing on how it works if mounted to the same basic "points" on the frame and axle. Reminded me of the guys who say a cranked up torsion bar will ride worse than a stock setting.

FIRE IT UP!!!! ;D

Flyin6 · « **Reply #725 on:** January 25, 2015, 08:44:32 AM »

Quote from: JR on January 25, 2015, 12:38:15 AM

Looks nice Don. Got a pic over in the SUB build for you.

I think moving it to the back would change nothing on how it works if mounted to the same basic "points" on the frame and axle. Reminded me of the guys who say a cranked up torsion bar will ride worse than a stock setting.

FIRE IT UP!!!! ;D

Copy...

Fire it up??

I hear ya, working on it

Next up is the radiator support. once that is in, probably the wiring harness lines and hoses, or the rear 64" springs...

Getting there!

Armalite · « **Reply #726 on:** January 26, 2015, 03:05:03 PM »

Glad to see more progress being made over here... Seems things were collecting a little dust, lol.... Nice work Don. :)

Flyin6 · « **Reply #727 on:** January 26, 2015, 06:39:41 PM »

Hey Ash, yep, got slowed down for awhile. But just finished a 8+ hour day on the truck just now, so there will be some significant changes.

No time to post it all up at the moment so I'll put out this little teaser.

I installed that heat proof blanket over the exhaust down pipe.

The blanket itself is a high quality piece which clamps around the pipe in several places

Flyin6 · « **Reply #728 on:** January 26, 2015, 06:40:25 PM »

Here is where it is going:

Flyin6 · « **Reply #729 on:** January 26, 2015, 06:41:13 PM »

And here it is all installed:

cudakidd53 · « **Reply #730 on:** January 26, 2015, 06:50:27 PM »

Tease! How often have you been called that outside of San Francisco? ::)

Flyin6 · « **Reply #731 on:** January 26, 2015, 09:56:35 PM »

The big project for the day was to get the radiator core fitted.

A lot has changed in this truck. The P-Pump engine locates the water pump in a different location which measn the fan moved. Additionally I added 1" Body mount spacers, and finally the truck now sports a cross flow 2nd generation aluminum radiator. So really, nothing is the same except for the actual sheet metal of the core support itself!

Flyin6 · « **Reply #732 on:** January 26, 2015, 09:58:05 PM »

Right away the radiator alignment called for the removal of the bottom of the fan shroud

Flyin6 · « **Reply #733 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:00:03 PM »

The initial fitting resulted in a little more material being removed, but in the end the core support stood straight up and everything fit

Flyin6 · « **Reply #734 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:02:03 PM »

With the radiator fitting the engine and core support, it is finally time to refit the intercooler. This big 2nd gen I/C is at least twice the size of a first gen unit. There is going to be some big changes happening to the core support sheet metal to accommodate that big sucker

Flyin6 · « **Reply #735 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:03:50 PM »

I removed the stock I/C lower mounts

Flyin6 · « **Reply #736 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:06:02 PM »

The main upright supports and stiffeners will need to be completely removed, which will substantially weaken the core support, so intervention will be required

Flyin6 · « **Reply #737 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:09:23 PM »

Before removing the largest structural section of the core support, I decided to stiffen up what I had first.

Step 1 of that process was to skip weld in a section of 1" angle steel

Flyin6 · « **Reply #738 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:11:35 PM »

Followed by 3/4" square tubing uprights

Flyin6 · « **Reply #739 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:13:38 PM »

The three center reinforcements skip welded in:

Flyin6 · « **Reply #740 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:15:46 PM »

Next I cut out the access for the new I/C inlet and discharge tubes

Flyin6 · « **Reply #741 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:17:51 PM »

Close, but not yet. The factory stiffeners are in the way, time for more surgery

Flyin6 · « **Reply #742 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:20:42 PM »

The remnants of the uprights are in the way of where to lower IC mounts need to sit, so I had to remove them as well

But first I added two more upright braces to the area that lost the sheet metal

Flyin6 · « **Reply #743 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:22:16 PM »

Here the rest of the vertical upright is removed from the lower core

Flyin6 · « **Reply #744 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:23:58 PM »

And now the rest of that stiffener is removed

Flyin6 · « **Reply #745 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:25:38 PM »

The I/C fit great and tucked in nicely so I permanized it in it's new found home!

Flyin6 · « **Reply #746 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:27:21 PM »

And then the new upper mounts which nearly completes the new I/C mounting

Flyin6 · « **Reply #747 on:** January 26, 2015, 10:29:29 PM »

I still have to create a mount for the A/C condenser but for now that is the end of another build day, call this one #208

Nate · « **Reply #748 on:** January 27, 2015, 09:22:07 AM »

Nice fabrication

EL TATE · « **Reply #749 on:** January 27, 2015, 10:54:47 AM »

Quote from: nmeyer414 on January 27, 2015, 09:22:07 AM

Nice fabrication

Indeed. It's nice to see that form and function work well with aesthetics. That support will probably stiffen up the chassis up front as well as protect the IC. Nice work.

BTW, new welding table? is that 3/8" or 1/2" plywood? I'm looking to upgrade my personal welding table at home as well ;)