"Elwood" the 77_remix

[54Caddy]

Looking good Ken, as asked before ride tech came along. Is the old rear setup going to be available or you keeping it on hand for another truck you have up your sleeves hahaha.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by 54Caddy

Looking good Ken, as asked before ride tech came along. Is the old rear setup going to be available or you keeping it on hand for another truck you have up your sleeves hahaha.

Im stashing spare parts for now. I may do a budget build in the future.

[N2TRUX]

Sunday was a productive day. It was time to tie up loose end and determine what's next. I double checked all the bolts on all the hardware and moved on to the tanks. I had two 3 gallon steel tanks mounted out back. I had hoped to change that and mount them under the cab on the drivers side.

Ridetech sent a single 5 gallon and two 3 gallon aluminum tanks for me to test fit. After measuring and mocking up, I determined that the location under the cab was just not going to work. Its feasible, but it would require me to fabricate a mounting system to get proper placement of the tank bungs. I decided the original location would be best.

Initially I thought I could use the original tank rack , but the aluminum tanks mounts differently. The old rack had been welded in, and I wanted this to be bolt in the event I ever needed to service them. I checked my scrap stock and found a piece of 1x1" steel tubing. It was perfect for what I had in mind.

[N2TRUX]

With the tanks mocked up I was able to determine that this was a viable option. The bung configuration is different from the previous tanks, so it will require mapping out a new routing plan. The location of the previous rear bags and the Shockwaves is different as well, so I needed to plan the entire system.

[N2TRUX]

Merry Christmas today! Look what Brown did for me! My shipment from Wilwood arrived. I know what I will be doing tonight.

[PowerdbyChevy79]

looking great brother..what paint did you use for the frame?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by PowerdbyChevy79

looking great brother..what paint did you use for the frame?

I only use the best at my shop. Thats Krylon Colormaster. I buy it from Walmart and get the 25% more cans for 3.79.

[PowerdbyChevy79]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

I only use the best at my shop. Thats Krylon Colormaster. I buy it from Walmart and get the 25% more cans for 3.79.

sweet!!

[N2TRUX]

I took a break from the RideTech install last night. I had to consult my buddies Keith Stephens and Johnny Merder for thoughts on how I should route my air tanks. When in doubt, consult an expert...or two.

My shipment from Wilwood arrived so I anxiously watched the clock till it was time to leave my office. My boss was out Christmas shopping so I clocked out a bit early and slipped out to my shop. I laid out all the items I had received and took a good look at the instructions.

[N2TRUX]

The first thing I needed to do was pull the differential cover to gain access to the carrier. The axles have to be removed and that starts with the carriers pin. There is a 8mm bolt that locks the pin in place that comes out first. With that out the center pin slides out. Once the pin is removed you can push the axle shafts inward and the retaining C clips will be free. I used a magnet to retrieve the clips and set them aside.

[N2TRUX]

Now that the axles were slid out I could remove the entire drum assembly. The four bolts that hold the backing plate on were removed and the HD drum brakes were set free. I used a wire brush to clean the housing ends up followed by course sand paper and a brake cleaner bath.

While they were exposed, I pulled and replaced the axle seals and bearings. The seals didnt want to come out so a bit of excessive force was applied.

[youngrodder]

I kind of prefer the looks of the rusty drum brakes...especially if you plan on running some nice fancy wheels...JK

In all seriousness it looks great.

Marc

[gringoloco]

More, please. Love shiny new stuff getting bolted on

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by youngrodder

I kind of prefer the looks of the rusty drum brakes...especially if you plan on running some nice fancy wheels...JK
In all seriousness it looks great.
Marc

Originally Posted by gringoloco

More, please. Love shiny new stuff getting bolted on

Your definitely going to like this next segment.

[N2TRUX]

With the old system out of the way it was time to add some new. The original bolts for the backing plates were bead blasted since they will be reused.
Fortunately the emergency brake system comes completely assembled. It slipped in to place on the axle flange.

[N2TRUX]

Once the backing plates are each side gets an adapter bracket. Under the machined billet bracket is a spacer specific to your application.

[N2TRUX]

To make the rotors flexible for various applications, they are seperate from the mounting hat. The hat and rotors bolt together and go on the axle hub.

Once the rotors are in place the calipers are next. Slide them on the two studs protruding from the adapter.

[N2TRUX]

After the calipers are mounted the brake pads slide in place. Well in this case they were a bit too tight. I chose to remove a few mills off each end of the brake pad backing plates to ensure the pads float in the calipers.

The new calipers require a flexible line. Wilwood offers a braided stainless steel kit with the proper fittings. I will use the factory line clamps to hold these in place. I created new hard lines that will be cut and flared once correct length is determined.

[mcbassin]

Very clean work on the rear diff and brake setup! looks great!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Very clean work on the rear diff and brake setup! looks great!

Thank you sir.

[N2TRUX]

Yesterday I got a new team member involved with "Elwood" the 77_remix. I have worked with Seth at Switch Suspension on Instagram promotional projects. He always said if I ever needed anything to let him know.
I decided I wanted to run dual compressors on the new RideTech system. Having a redundant air supply makes a much faster recovery. In the rare event of compressor failure I still have one left ton run the system.

The ViAir 444 compressors came highly recommended by several experts that I had consulted. Seth agreed and hooked me up with a pair of satin black pumps.

[N2TRUX]

Last night I focused on the brake lines. The Wilwood calipers require AN fittings, which were part of the braided stainless hose kit. It includes an adapter to attach to stock lines. Of course I was having no part of keeping the ugly stock shielded lines.

I bought new hard lines from Oriellys and bent them to follow the contour of the axle housing. Fortunately this line is rather forgiving and made my tube bending skills look much better than they are.

[N2TRUX]

I also replaced the flex line that attaches to the housing. I found out the hard way that the new one was a bit narrower than the old. No big deal unless you have hard lines with no room for variance. I will be remaking one side of the axle hard line to accommodate the narrower bulkhead.

[N2TRUX]

After looking at the parts coming together, I decided I really liked the satin black accented with polished fatner them I had going. I decided to paint the differential cover satin black instead of cast iron.

Which version do you prefer?

[83GMCK2500]

My vote would be for satin black cover, subtle and classy with the hardware. The cast iron cover draws the eye and it looks good but I think it takes focus away from the more interesting features you have going on back there.

Love following your builds, wish you had an instagram for these too!