![]() |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Thanks for the kind words/encouragement BOMP. I am dying to get back in the garage, but I've been working in Dallas almost full time since January 27. This Friday I should be finished in Dallas until the last week of March/first week of April, so I'm hoping to be back in the garage in the evenings next week. On a really positive note, my son and I swapped vehicles last week, and I drove the 66 GTO we built from Memphis to Dallas this week. What a blast! I set the cruise at 78 and in 6th gear it was turning 2000 RPM. Averaged 22 mpg, and I still need to get the final tune on the engine. I can't say enough good about the LS engines. That ride makes me want to get this truck going A LOT SOONER.
|
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Ricky: Man, I fell asleep at the wheel and missed all the progress to date. I am all caught up now and officially subscribed to the thread. Can't wait to see how the floor pan works out. That Memphis to Dallas commute has to grow old. You need to retire. Dug
|
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
WOW. . . . It has been cold for the last 6 weeks. So cold that I decided I would rather install hard wood flooring in three bedrooms than work on the truck. 700 square feet later, and several weekends, the wifey and I are very happy with the results. I know that without pictures it didn't happen, so here is the floor.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1cb01596.jpg http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...pscd9fea3f.jpg http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3ffc33b7.jpg During much of this time I have been working on a case in Dallas and commuting M-F. The hardwood floors were completed last weekend, and the Dallas commute is done until at least April 1, so the two evenings I have spent drilling out spot welds on the Trailblazer floorpan, and prepping it to fit up the front cab section. Here is where I am on the floor pan: http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...psa0bcc9c6.jpg http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2731257b.jpg I’m off tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday is also mine, so I plan to make some serious progress. I’m headed to the salvage yard tomorrow to pick up the firewall from the “parts” 55TF. I plan to use it to fit up to the Trailblazer floorpan as a mock up (thanks BBeep for reminding me you did that). Once I have that done, I will transfer the measurements to the “keeper” cab floor and firewall. I am also going to show the running total of hours spent building this project. I keep up with them on a tablet each day that I work on the truck, and I thought it might be interesting (depressing?) to show what a project like this takes. I also keep up with the money spent on this project and will post an itemized account of that amount once the truck is further along (don’t need the YOU SPENT HOW MUCH ON THAT??? Questions from the wifey at this time!) As always, more to come. Ricky Total hours spent to date: 38 |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Nice floor.
That's some scary fab work you're doing. Kim |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Your a braver man than me. Wood floor is way to scary to me.
Metal on the other hand. Piece of cake. Can't wait to see that cab come together. |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Friday morning I headed out to my friend's salvage yard where my parts are stored. Here is the cab as I left it two months ago.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...psed9e1b81.jpg First order of business was to pull the doors and then cut the seized bolts that held the front end on. I pulled the front end off in one piece and then cut the seized bolts that held the "firewall" part of my "parts" cab. http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps934693b0.jpg http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps445402ef.jpg I loaded the firewall up to bring home in my trusty S-10 and then turned my attention to the final part of my frame. On the Trailblazer ext frame I purchased, they yard had cut a portion of the frame bracing that held the power steering rack. When I purchased it the front end was disassembled, but all the parts except one wheel hub assembly was there. After I stripped the vehicle, I discovered that some of the structure had been cut. Since I am going to shorten the wheelbase from 129 inches to 123 inches, the yard owner said we would just cut another frame at the splice joint, and I would use that when I shortened the frame. He had a burned 2003 trailblazer that he planned to crush, so that was the victim. http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5c31d0ea.jpg He pulled the body off the frame and then pulled the frame into position for me to cut. It was short work with the sawzall, and now I have everything to make my shortened frame. http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9ed6ac56.jpg I was lazy the rest of the day and hung out at the salvage yard. As always, more to come. Ricky Time spent on Friday 6 hours working. Total time to date: 44 hours |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
What's going to happen with the TF frame in the yard now that you've pulled everything off of it?
|
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Quote:
|
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Your math looks correct but you might want to mock it up before final welding....
|
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Quote:
Tomorrow night I will be drilling more of the spot welds on the Trailblazer firewall - but the initial cuts make it look like the Trailblazer firewall/floorpan and the TF cab will work. Ricky |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
4 Attachment(s)
Pics of my template
|
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
BBeep, Thanks for the pictures. After you reminded me several weeks ago about using a template, I decided that my "Parts" firewall would make a good template. I am drilling spotwelds, and really resisting getting the Plasma Cutter out and just whacking it up. I hope to fit these parts up this weekend.
Where are you on your build? I have enjoyed following it, and am looking forward to what I'm sure will be a spectacular finished product. Ricky |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Just now catching up with last weekends work. When we last left the story I was leaving the salvage yard with my "parts" firewall.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6c3eb38b.jpg last Saturday I trimmed the firewall and continued grinding, measuring, and cutting to make the TF firewall and the Trailblazer floor pan work. http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps056dcd9a.jpg http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...psd641f404.jpg Here is the rough mashup of the two parts. http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...pseee3f8e7.jpg http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2fb0fb49.jpg The two parts look like they will match up fairly well. That exercise (and a trip to an "old" junkyard to begin cutting out the dashes) accounted for 8 hours on Saturday and 2 hours on Sunday. As always, more to come. Ricky Time spent last weekend: 10 Hours. Total time: 54 hours |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Brain surgery...I like. Man, you have allot of moving parts to tie back together. On the edge of my seat. Dug
|
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Are you going to tack the whole cab together roughly? floor,firewall,front,back
This thing is seriously over the top! |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Quote:
Quote:
Ricky |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Wow, you got bigger stones than me! Nice work so far!
|
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Quote:
I said in the last post that I spent part of last Saturday preparing to cut out two dashes. With spring fast approaching, I needed to get these out. One was from a 59 Chevy car and the second was from a 62 chevy truck. It was clear and cold, just the way I like it when messing with this kind of iron. http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps27418e81.jpg http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9f7f9109.jpg I cut the windshields out on Saturday, and prepped both to cut out the dashes. I left wotk yesterday ahead of a storm and went to the yard to finish the job. Cutting out the 59 dash. http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps50b1c367.jpg Here are both dashes http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1b09a411.jpg http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/...pse9504c77.jpg While I have planned to put the Car dash in this truck because its lines look to be in the same vein as the 55 truck body, something about the 62 truck dash is appealing. Its lines are very close to the dash found in the 63-67 corvettes. It is not anywhere near the time to decide, but does anyone have an opinion as to which dash to use, and why? I know this is not a democracy, but I am interested in everyone's opinion. As always, more to come. Ricky Time spent 3/27: 2 hours Total time : 56 hours |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
'59 car dash has my vote.
|
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
59 dash also. I have seen a picture with the 59 dash in an older truck and it look nice.
Rich my build http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...70#post6599970 |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
I like the car dash as well.
If I could find one cheap I would do it to my truck. Kim |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
Well ya know I've got to vote for the 59! But the truck dash would look cool too!
|
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
You should DEFINATELY use the truck dash, that car dash is plain ugly... that being said, you can ship me that '59 dash at your earliest convenience! :)
J/K that '59 dash would be a beautiful swap man. |
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
59 car dash....
|
Re: 55 TF Stretched Cab/Fleetside/LSx/Trailblazer Frame
At some point I'll be putting a '59 car dash in my '56 pickup. You'll need to lose about 7 inches in width- I have an idea of how I want to do that, but I'm really looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
The only other bugger about that dash is that the holes for the side gauges aren't a typical size. 2 inch gauges are too small and 2 5/8 are too big... I ws hoping to use some original SW Greenlines that I have, but they don't fit, so I'm still looking for ideas. Best of luck, Bill |
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:49 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 1997-2022 67-72chevytrucks.com