Now that the engine mounts are complete. It's time to get the frame torn down and send it to the sand blasters. A note to the readers. After this post I will be all caught up from the last two months. The following is a video of all the work going into the engine and transmission mounts.
YouTube Link
First thing was to move the frame outside.
The next step was to take the rear end and front end off.
Then disassemble all the parts required for sandblasting.
This is what a sandblasted (not primed) frame looks like. Fortunately My friend has a trailer. It really helps having that friend.
Here are some photos of the trouble spots.
So the next steps are for me to continue to repair the frame and start to work on the ladder bar setup. I welcome any sage advice or a point to a forum that talks about installing ladder bars on long bed pickups. Since the 4L60E transmission is longer than the TH350 the center to center distance should be something like 68". Note: this is only a guess until I get the actual engine and rear end in the vehicle.
I also need hep figuring out what coil over shocks to purchase. I am interested in droping the truck's body 4" in the rear. If interested, the approx. weight of the truck is going to be 4157 lbs-force; the front 2415 lbs-force; the rear 1742 lbs-force. I obtained these figures from
RideTech's website . I've also seen some kits on
Jeg's website.
Any tips or other forum pointers would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance!