What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

1989 Crew Cab Tow Rig Build

Overview Gallery Discussion
Decided to take a break from trying to get the motor started and work on something I could actually see results. So started working on the rear lift. I also took a bunch of time to clean some things up and paint some stuff

This is all the crap that was cut off the rear:



2 and a half inch shackle flip from ORD installed, and their super shackles. Of course, the stock bolts were stuck in the sleeves, so had to cut/burn them out, so removed the factory bushing and need to get some greasable ones this week. So I will order those up and install them next weekend



And some shots of everything cleaned up and painted. And installed new flipped u-bolts to get rid of the old upside down ones







Just need to get the new bushings, install the bilstein shocks, and put the new break lines on and then rear is completely done....then on to the front...here are the front parts waiting to go on

 
JoshHefnerX said:
Looks clean.

What's the latest on starting it? I'm assuming more power didn't help?
Click to expand...

Hadn't touched the no start issues since last week. I'm planning to get a new battery (probably a yellow top) throw it on and see what happens with the lowered cranking amps after that. I just felt like I needed a break from that and knew I had a couple weekends of putting the lift on, so decided to work on something I could see some physical progress on, haha

skunked said:
Nice not having the fuel tank back there huh?

Looks good.
Click to expand...

Made a huge difference...I've only put flips on blazers before...not having to deal with the tank was really nice
 
I think these should work pretty good on this truck :saweet:

285x75x16 BFG KM2's, load range E on 16x8 Pro Comp Alloys with a black finish and 4.5" backspacing. This is a little extra motivation to get the lift done just so I can bolt these bad boys up!!





And a little mock up on my blazer cause it was the only D60 around my house at the moment :)



My lift/tire size was a little bit of a compromise all around. I wanted to get the truck just a little higher off the ground for curb appeal plus I'm going to use this truck for other uses like hunting and other types of stuff, but I didn't want it too big as this is a truck my wife may drive sometimes, and since I only have 4.10's in the axle, I didn't want to sacrifice too much gearing for towing since that's one of the main uses of this truck. I think this 3" lift and 285's was the best possible middle ground for all of my needs. These tires measure right at 33" tall.
 
I like those wheels. Been thinking of getting those for my company truck.
 
mrk5 said:
I like those wheels. Been thinking of getting those for my company truck.
Click to expand...

I was going back and forth on what rim to get...but my brother showed me these and I really liked their look, they have good load range ratings, and they are surprisingly a really good price too (compared to most other aluminum rims). I'm pretty happy with them. Hopefully by the end of this weekend the whole lift will be on and this thing will be sitting on all 4 of these tires.

Then it's just get the stupid 8.1 to fire up, exhaust, and it's driving
 
Wheels and tires look good! I can't wait to see them on too.

I also will be netting ~3-3.5 inches of lift and 285's. I felt it was the best in between for 4.10 gears too.
 
GWeakland620 said:
Wheels and tires look good! I can't wait to see them on too.

I also will be netting ~3-3.5 inches of lift and 285's. I felt it was the best in between for 4.10 gears too.
Click to expand...

After doing all the gear calc's with my NV4500 and 4.10 gears, the 285's are what I settled on. I really wanted a 4" lift and 315's, but looking at the calc's, it wasn't the best ideal gearing for towing and I probably would have needed to swap to 4.56's. The very most ideal for gearing I think was a 255 or 265, but with how long this truck is, that was just a little too small for the other uses I wanted out of it...hence why 3" and 285's is what I went with. I think it will be a really good all around setup.

Get working on your crew cab and use it to tow your blazer out here....then we can take pics of all 4 of our rigs next to each other!!
 
Put a long hard day in on this thing. Started really early and didn't stop until about 6pm when I had to get my kids so my wife could go to work.

Got the rear suspension finally done and installed. Pic of hotrod stance (kinda)



Then worked on the front. Was surprised how well everything came off on the front. It didn't fight me nearly as much as the rear. Crappy pic and kinda hard to see, but also cleaned up a lot of stuff and painted the d60 and frame













Sorry, these are the best pics I could get right now. When I get it running I'll take it out of the shop and take some better pics

I like the stance, it's sitting pretty much level now. I think the front will sag just a bit once it gets some time on it.

I still have at least one more day of finishing up the lift. I didn't put the front shocks on yet cause I have to install/modify the ford front shock towers since I'm running bilsteins. So need to do that, install my sway bar disconnects, and also install my new break lines...then the whole lift is done. After that, it's back onto the motor to get it finally fired up. Then just exhaust and it's freaking drivable
 
mrk5 said:
Damn you're a hard working man!
Click to expand...

Haha, yeah...i'm pretty tired now....but it was a good productive (long) day. I think I know how close I am to being able to drive this thing and am working as hard as I can to get it rocking :)
 
Looks really good dude. I feel like it's a race to see who gets done first, but I think you're winning! How much lift again?
 
GWeakland620 said:
Looks really good dude. I feel like it's a race to see who gets done first, but I think you're winning! How much lift again?
Click to expand...

It's ORD's 3" lift. So 2.5" shackle flip in the rear with their super shackles, and 3" lift springs in the front.
 
Didn't have much time this weekend to do a lot of stuff, but got a couple misc things done.

Finished installing the sway bar disconnects. I probably won't ever disconnect them, but this as the easiest way to keep my sway bar connected (which is what I wanted) with the lift. I haven't cut my u-bolts yet.



I installed the ford shock towers and modified them to where I wanted and then installed the bilsteins on the front



The only thing I have left to do is install the new brake lines (you can see the stock one stretched out a little bit). But I want to wait until the truck is running to change those out.

I only had some time to do some misc things left this weekend. So I replaced all my tailgate lights as only two of them were working. I found a whole replacement kit on amazon for $30. Now all of them work...in fact all the lights are working on the truck as they should



I mounted my tach...it's not hooked up yet, but at least its mounted where I want



And for those who might ask, no the shifter doesn't touch the tach. In fact, here is a picture of the shifter in 1st gear (3rd is the same distance) and it's not even close to the tach. The short throw of the NV4500 is very very nice



And I repainted my grill and headlight bezels as they were supposed to be black but were faded. It's amazing how much of a difference it made. I normally don't do stuff like this on my trucks, but I really want to make this truck nicer inside and out





And just a couple more back up shots just for good measure





Next weekend is hosed up for me with elk scouting, but after that it's back onto the motor to finally get it started and get this thing on the road
 
Interesting on the tailgate how the lights protected the clear coat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom