'52 Rot-box turned tire roaster.

[Curt_pnw]

Whoa. Sub'd! This is a rad build!

[HooWybrow]

I dunno if you are building this thing strong enough.

I have a history of breaking shit, so... the less things to break the better.

This is inspirational, I'd love to learn half the skill and drive you have for fabrication sir.


I'm using my iPhone 5s.

Haha, thanks, man. Again, though, it's not all me. I'm fortunate to have a very smart and skillful set of friends and we all bring something to the table in each other's builds.

Over the weekend and tonight I finished welding everything I could on the crossmember while the frame is right side up. I then built the lower bars and also glued together the lower link bar tabs.

Oh, I forgot to mention, in a last minute decision deal (wound up being the perfect timing) I traded some parts for an '85 F-body rear end. Has a great posi (so I've read over the years) and also has rear disc brakes. It's a lot cleaner and has a good track width. We were able to utilize the same tack-welded scrap to line up the wheel base and set "ride-height". It took way less time to get the axle set in than what it normally would.











I measured and tacked in the lower link bars.

Then we farted around with bag positioning, I think it'll wind up somewhere around where I have it placed now. I know exactly how we're going to do the upper plate and bracing, another one of those "it's in my head but hard to explain until I have pictures of it installed" sorta things. It'll work, promise.





I took this picture and then realized how much I still have to grind to finish the back half off, not excited at all.



I got a good clean up done and decided it was high time I check ride height out, it made a big difference seeing it almost on the ground.



I've got lots to do this week, making the upper bars first and I should hopefully have bag plates for the weekend.

[MattHatCat]

This is inspirational, I'd love to learn half the skill and drive you have for fabrication sir.


I'm using my iPhone 5s.

[Dave_The_BMXER]

I dunno if you are building this thing strong enough.

[HooWybrow]

Hi friends, I worked at the truck some last night, got the crossmember mostly smoothed out and stitched in. I absolutely love it. Tonight we'll build the 4-link bars and get them in and hopefully have everything fully welded. We have the bag mounts planned out and also a crafty mount for the bag cups. Once that is all welded in I can go nuts welding shear gussets in, plating sections of the frame and finish smoothing all the welds (completely dreading that part).

Here's some shots of the crossmember in, I need to finish weld it still and smooth the welds so it does not look finished, mainly because it is not.





Forgive the picture quality, apparently my phone lens is getting quite scratched up, I may have to start taking my DSLR out.

Anyways, until tonight, gentlemen! We shall reconvene.

[HooWybrow]

that looks amazing. really makes me wish i had access to someone with a lazer machine.

glad to see you found a short box too man

Haha, thanks buddy!

I want to get drunk and build things with you.

I rarely, rarely drink at the shop, haha. I have a hard enough time using my brain let alone having alcohol. I have to focus otherwise I'm fucked.

[cobrawannabe]

I want to get drunk and build things with you.

[fitted_fit]

that looks amazing. really makes me wish i had access to someone with a lazer machine.

glad to see you found a short box too man

[HooWybrow]

Much to my surprise, after leaving last night Dave and Dan stuck around and finished assembling the crossmember, what great friends. Here's what I showed up to tonight.



I spent a few hours welding it all up a few stitches at a time. I'll spend tomorrow cleaning and smoothing the crossmember and the link bar pockets, then it's ready to go in the frame.



(I couldn't wait, had to smooth a bit, this is going to look good)







I had a picture of the guide tubes for the bolts/socket but apparently photobucket is not wanting to play nice.

They're cut to be flush with the outside of the frame, so when we cut and weld on the shear gusset they'll be "corner to corner" and have lots of room to weld.

[HooWybrow]

Thanks, fellas!

I brought the truck box and half of a cab home Friday. The more I look at this cab section the more I'm disappointed it had it's roof cut off. It is in fantastic shape, it probably won't look it in the pictures I post from here on out, but it's real good. Better than almost anything I've seen sitting around here semi-locally.

We got the lasered parts for my crossmember, and like I anticipated, it sucks to put together, haha. Lots of pieces. Lots of welding.

These are the pockets we assembled for the link bars, and welded onto the "back side" of the rear most part of the crossmember.





It's starting to take shape.



Next is to assemble the other side with the tops and bottom welded in place like we did with the rear rail sections.

There will be a hole on the outer most side of the frame to access the lower bolts and there will be a hole in the side of the crossmember to access the tops. They'll all have guide tubes so I won't ever lose bolts or sockets. When the shear gussets are made for the back-half, we'll figure out some kind of clean design of holes and stuff, and you won't even notice the hole in the frame. Hard to explain but it's all upstairs in my brain compartment. Hopefully it works out. I'm getting excited, it's looking pretty good.

Here's some other miscallaneous pictures, over the last few days.

[M.Doban]

I fully intend to reuse the original floor

I think he does.

[way2fastx3]

You better keep that wood floor in the bed biznatch!

[M.Doban]

Oh man, Jeff, that is so freaking cool you found a bed. And with an original wood floor all in Canada? Wow. I'm so happy.

[drifte]

Very cool, I'd love to wander a place like that too.

[Lobster]

nice nice nice