50 Chevy pickup

enjenjo · January 27, 2007, 11:34:18 PM

I finally got back on my pickup project, the other three cars I am working on are all waiting for parts. Last time I worked on it, and posted about it was June

http://www.roddingroundtable.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4828&highlight=chevy+truck

I decided to use an air bag over truck arm rear suspension. I'll address the truck arms later, but the bag mounts in the frame are being done now.

Anyhow, I finished making the frame rails, with a big C over the rear axle, did I mention this will be low? All the joints were done with internal reinforcements, plug welded into place. The material is .125 steel tubing, 3" by 4". After the rails were welded, and braced straight, and level, I installed a Crossmember for the front of the truck arms, 54" from the center of the rear axle, I may need to modify the center for driveshaft clearance, at this point I don't think I will. It's made of 3" by 3" by .187 wall tubing. Next was a rear crossmember that includes a hitch receiver. It's made of 3" by 4" tubing with a .250 wall. This, plus some temporary braces will hold the rails straight.

Next up is the upper bag mounts. The bags I am using are Firestone bags, originally used as a traction booster on a class 8 truck. I got them free off a wrecked truck. They are just under 9" diameter with a loaded height of 5" to 6.5", and a capacity of 2800 lbs per bag. I fabricated a mounting plate from .250 steel plate, and drilled holes for the upper end of the bag to mount in, and a clearance hole for the air fitting. I bent the rear of the plates at the same angle as the frame in that area. I then welded a 2" diameter by .126 wall tube in the top of the C on the frame, just behind the center of the rear axle. The mounting plate is welded to the bottom of this tube on each side, inside the frame rail. A second 2" tube is welded to the portion of the plate bent down in the rear, and connected to the frame with .187 gussets. Better planning would eliminate the gussets, but that's what happens when you change your mind in mid build.

You have to have at least 1/2" clearance all round the bag to insure that it can't rub on anything. My bags ended up 26" on center.

Crosley.In.AZ · January 27, 2007, 11:38:25 PM

looks good so far.

My 48 chev i built was low , but not that low as you are looking for.

enjenjo · January 27, 2007, 11:40:42 PM

more...

GPster · January 28, 2007, 08:48:28 AM

What about shocks? Are you going to use level action shocks? Also with the pick-up style of coil suspension you'll want some sort of track bar (loss of words on the correct technological terms)(and spelling). You're planning on having the driveshaft running above that crossmember in front of the frame "C"? A lot of great ideas. Can't wait to see all of that together. GPster

1FATGMC · January 28, 2007, 10:00:01 AM

That looks great Frank. I like the way you have done the frame and the air bag mounts. I think the truck arms with the air bags are going to be a good thing. I might be copying some on this later.

I took the slack out of the cruise cable like we talked about and changed the sensitivity and neither made any difference at all. I can take it over 7400 rpm, but it will go back down there and stay there. I know it isn't reading rpm, but the drive shaft rpm, but that is what it is doing. Next I'm going to change the PPM setting and then maybe try and see if I can hook it to the tach signal. They have a dip setting for it, but don't really talk about that option in the instructions.

Anyway keep working on the pickup and posting pictures,

Sum

enjenjo · January 28, 2007, 11:34:07 AM

Joe, it will have a Panhard bar to control side sway. The driveshaft will run above the truck arm mount, I may put a hoop on it.

Sum, it sounds like you found the instructions. You should be able to reset the DIP switches to get where you want to be.

Dave · January 28, 2007, 04:04:12 PM

not bat Frank

Can you put a hitch on it and buy an enclosed trailer and have it done by the 2nd week of march

Dave

enjenjo · January 28, 2007, 04:09:01 PM

Quote from: "jusjunk"not bat Frank Can you put a hitch on it and buy an enclosed trailer and have it done by the 2nd week of march
Dave

Sure, all but the 'Buy an enclosed trailer, and finish it by march" part.

enjenjo · January 28, 2007, 07:14:29 PM

Here's today's progress. Finished up tacking the air spring mounts, then made up a dummy axle to locate the rest of the suspension to. The dummy axle is located at ride height, and centered where I want the wheelbase. A dummy axle is not totally necessary, but makes things easier to work on, and around.

enjenjo · January 30, 2007, 09:50:24 PM

Well, I got to spend a couple hours on it today. I fabricated the axle pads, started cutting the material for the truck arms, and making the lower spring mounts.

I started out by drawing a full size drawing on a piece of cardboard. now I can take the angles, and lengths right off the cardboard. I may revise things a bit as I do more of it.

The truck arms will be built out of 2 1/2" by 1 1/4" by .125 channel I made by splitting 2 1/2" square tubing with a plasma cutter. You may notice that a lot of this is recycled material, a lot of the rest is leftovers from other projects.

GPster · January 30, 2007, 10:36:42 PM

Quote from: "enjenjo"The truck arms will be built out of 2 1/2" by 1 1/4" by .125 channel I made by splitting 2 1/2" square tubing with a plasma cutter.

How are you going to fasten the two channels together to make the "I" beam? Of course you probably won't have the rust problem between them that the stockers do but they might trap enough water between them to make it hard to keep them painted. I like the idea of the holes around the cut line of the big hole saw. Gives the shavings a place to go so that the cutter grove stays clean. I liked the time that Lil John Buttera was a technical editor on "Hot Rod" magazine. GPster

enjenjo · January 30, 2007, 10:59:25 PM

The channels will be plug welded together. They may rust between the channels, but I doubt I'll still be around when it's a problem. I'll spray some weld thru primer before I weld them, and powder coat the finished product.

40 · January 31, 2007, 11:13:31 AM

A couple more of those "20 good years" comments and you might not be around to finish it

We could be hearing about this old guy from Ohio who died "mysteriously" in his sleep

Looking good by the way!

enjenjo · January 31, 2007, 11:19:40 AM

Quote from: "40"A couple more of those "20 good years" comments and you might not be around to finish it We could be hearing about this old guy from Ohio who died "mysteriously" in his sleep Looking good by the way!

She has a great sense of humor, after all she married me, didn't she?

river1 · January 31, 2007, 05:07:21 PM

Quote from: "enjenjo"
Quote from: "40"A couple more of those "20 good years" comments and you might not be around to finish it We could be hearing about this old guy from Ohio who died "mysteriously" in his sleep Looking good by the way!

She has a great sense of humor, after all she married me, didn't she?

or a sense of charity

later jim