Project: "just a little rust repair, turned LS2 swap"

[67cheby]

Sweet !

[cAlvis165]

All right!!

[widewhite70]

Originally Posted by 67cheby

Sweet !

Originally Posted by cAlvis165

All right!!

Thanks guys!!

[widewhite70]

Here's a couple new ones, starting to clean up all the aluminum suspension components, and got the bed filler work started

[widewhite70]

I've got my brother Clay doing a little TIG clean up on some of the welds on the frame.

[67cheby]

that frame is so cool looking !

[STOCKISH]

^^Totally agree.

[widewhite70]

Originally Posted by 67cheby

that frame is so cool looking !

Originally Posted by 1972SuperCheyenne

^^Totally agree.

Thanks guys! it's greatly appreciated

[Hart_Rod]

Very nice build!

[Mike Bradbury]

Just got done reading through the whole thing, Not sure how I missed it but it is looking great! It seemed as though in the beginning you were leaning toward a green color and now are more leaning brown. I never thought I would like green when I bought my truck and it was first on my list to change but then I started liking the color because there were so few turquoise trucks out there. Now if I ever get around to painting my truck I will still paint it turquoise but in the hot rod flatz paint. I am just too rough on my truck to keep it looking nice and shiny. First time I squeezed along the side of it in the garage and put a scratch in the old oxidizing paint I assured myself that if I had spent a bunch of time and money I would be crying right now.

Looking back to your auto cross video, I noticed that when you would accelerate your rear suspension seemed to be having a hard time controlling body roll. What kind of spring/shock combo are you running on the corvette suspension? I did not see any sway bar but I am not that familiar with the Corvette rear end so it might be hiding somewhere. With the drastic roll of the body like that I bet the t the contact patch of your tires is being compromised.

How is your turning radius with the wide tires and the corvette rack? Any rubbing, or bump scuffing?


.

[Mike Bradbury]

One more thing, did you happen to weigh the frame by itself?

[widewhite70]

Originally Posted by Hart_Rod

Very nice build!

Thank you!

[widewhite70]

Originally Posted by Mike Bradbury

Just got done reading through the whole thing, Not sure how I missed it but it is looking great! It seemed as though in the beginning you were leaning toward a green color and now are more leaning brown. I never thought I would like green when I bought my truck and it was first on my list to change but then I started liking the color because there were so few turquoise trucks out there. Now if I ever get around to painting my truck I will still paint it turquoise but in the hot rod flatz paint. I am just too rough on my truck to keep it looking nice and shiny. First time I squeezed along the side of it in the garage and put a scratch in the old oxidizing paint I assured myself that if I had spent a bunch of time and money I would be crying right now.

Looking back to your auto cross video, I noticed that when you would accelerate your rear suspension seemed to be having a hard time controlling body roll. What kind of spring/shock combo are you running on the corvette suspension? I did not see any sway bar but I am not that familiar with the Corvette rear end so it might be hiding somewhere. With the drastic roll of the body like that I bet the t the contact patch of your tires is being compromised.

How is your turning radius with the wide tires and the corvette rack? Any rubbing, or bump scuffing?


.

Thanks Mike! I appreciate it!
-I do have to agree with you on the shades of greens that are on these truck, I really like the vintage look that it gives them and still haven't ruled it out yet. I like the #503 light green, and also agree on not seeing many of them in those colors, but there is something about that brown that caught my eye.

-In the video with the rear squatting so bad, we made our own rear adjustable trailing arms, the original vette arms were short and non adjustable. But as a starting point we set the angles the same as the stock vette, which in turn had the suspension center of gravity and anti squat way off for the truck and the extra power the LS was putting to the rear tires. After some math, head scratching, and a little guess work we played around with the trailing arm adjustment and actually got the squat under control a couple weeks after Goodguys at the autocross. It was so bad that it would literally drag the frame under hard acceleration and shifts. It does awesome now though!

-There is a sway bar stuffed into the rear there, it's hard to see and actually above the differential, I'll see if I can find a decent picture of it. Surprisingly though we never had issues with traction, It hooked up really really well and was actually hard to get it to break the rear tires loose. That was on drag radials though so they were sticky.

-The turning radius is great! the rack works really well and to date has not had any issues being underpowered to steer the truck. With as low as it sat we did have to do a little clearance work on the front fenders due to tires scrubbing under hard turns but nothing to major.

-Yet have had to get a chance to actually weigh the frame on it's own but hopefully in the next couple weeks I'll get a chance to throw it into the truck and take it to the gravel pit and find out because I've really been wondering that myself.

[widewhite70]

Here's a couple shots of the sway bar hiding in there, across the top of the fuel tank.

[widewhite70]

Here's the adjustable trailing arm set up.

[widewhite70]

Here's the radius we had to do to the front fenders.

[Mike Bradbury]

Glad to see you had the idea to install adjustable four bar set up, it will make all the difference.

Yeah those drag radials will be sticky but expensive to keep on long term, do you plan on streeting this truck or just keeping it a trailered auto crosser?

My trucks original color is #511 Turquoise and it has that cool sometimes its blue sometimes its green look.

[widewhite70]

Originally Posted by Mike Bradbury

Glad to see you had the idea to install adjustable four bar set up, it will make all the difference.

Yeah those drag radials will be sticky but expensive to keep on long term, do you plan on streeting this truck or just keeping it a trailered auto crosser?

My trucks original color is #511 Turquoise and it has that cool sometimes its blue sometimes its green look.

Yes it has already saved us! My buddy that is helping decided to go big or go home on the adjustment that way there was plenty of adjustment.
But the drag radials are actually not allowed in auto cross for timed runs, I've got a set of regular radials now. We plan on hauling it around and showing it for awhile and I'd like to run some of the auto cross with it to, but after a few years she'll be on the street.
I do like that color of yours and like you said there aren't many like that so it sets it apart, and your tires and wheels look killer with that color.

[widewhite70]

A couple new pics of the bed

[widewhite70]

And more drive train tear down, sanding and clean up.

[Mike Bradbury]

Are you planing on polishing the suspension parts? It would look cool but tons of work and upkeep. If you use fresh glass beads in a sand blaster it makes the aluminum casting look like it is brand new off the showroom floor. We used to do that on motorcycle cases.

[smartass12]

Originally Posted by widewhite70

Here's some shots of the bed floor now that we got the stainless strips.

Great build!

Question..with the way you have those bed hinges does the bed pull away from the cab as it raises?? Love the bed, is is cool if i borrow your bed design?

[widewhite70]

Originally Posted by Mike Bradbury

Are you planing on polishing the suspension parts? It would look cool but tons of work and upkeep. If you use fresh glass beads in a sand blaster it makes the aluminum casting look like it is brand new off the showroom floor. We used to do that on motorcycle cases.

The first initial plan was to sand and polish and you are correct the work and up keep would be never ending, Last week I talked to a powder coater here in Ohio and I believe that's the route I'm going to take now. I was thinking the chrome powder coat looks close to a polished aluminum. I'm hoping I can get a sponsorship help from them in trade for a little advertisement, just have to wait and see what evolves.

[widewhite70]

Originally Posted by smartass12

Great build!

Question..with the way you have those bed hinges does the bed pull away from the cab as it raises?? Love the bed, is is cool if i borrow your bed design?

Thanks! but yes the way the hinges are set up they pull up and away from the bulk head in the bed to prevent and major rubbing issues there, and the tilt floor has yet to get a patent yet lol so let your imagination take off

[Mike Bradbury]

My A arms are the two stage chrome powder with clear, but my rear suspension is just regular car paint, two stage silver base with clear. I have dinged the rear bars a couple of times, but the front is still looking like the day I put it in.