Now that I have the rear axle in, I know where the drive shaft will be and started building the main cross member. I moved it back just slightly from where it was originally as it it quite a bit taller than the original cross member and I didn't want to have clearance issues with the cab. I will still have to check drive shaft clearance at the back of the cab when I get the cab on.
Once I got the main tubes of the cross member tacked in place, I put some cross bracing towards the rear. I was then able to cut off all the temporary bracing that was getting in the way of putting the drive shaft in. I put the drive shaft in to see if I had made my measurements correctly and it looks like I should be good. With the coilovers in the lowest hole on the bottom mount(lowest ride height), the axle will come up and touch the frame with around 3/4 - 1" left of coilover travel. This is without a bump stop. At this point, the drive shaft barely rubs on the cross member directly in front of the axle. I will address this later.
For now I am going to bolt the cab mounts back on the frame so I can start putting the body on the truck. I need to figure out where I want the motor to be so I can get that put in place. Once that's done, I can make motor mount or modify the ones that I have to get it where I want it.
