Well, I suppose it's about time for me to start this thread. It's pretty much been a year in the making now, and substantial progress is finally being made.
The Preface:
I'm sick of sheet metal. I wanted something low, long, stout, and maneuverable. I was initially leaning towards a V6 and 9's, but I don't have the budget to support that kind of thing right now, so I went with what I know, a V8, 4 speed, and rockwells. Kert offered me a job for the summer, so I obviously took him up on it and am building it in the DIY4X shop.
Preliminary Specs:
Vortec 5.3
SM465
NWF Black Box
Ford NP205
Steering Rockwells Front and Rear
49" Iroks
Re-centered Hummer Rims
~125" Wheelbase
27"-30" Belly Height
~6' Tall to the top of the cage
51.75" wide at the sliders
71.75" wide at the shoulders
One thing I was mentally butting my head against when planning all of this is that I'm a tall guy with big feet. Therefore I need lots of leg room and a wide footwell with 3 pedals. This added up to pushing the driver back or the motor forward, and with already bad visibility from being so low, I wouldn't have been able to see a damn thing. So...I decided the motor needed to take a trip to the back.
Anyways, the few pictures I have thus far.
The model I made beforehand:
Tires:
Rockwell Skid:
Pinion Brake:
Got the sliders and mid-plate cross tube tacked in last week. Finished up the mid-plate and tossed the motor and transmission on it last week as well. The drivetrain could come down another inch or two if I bought an LS1 pan and cut a new plate. But, I don't see moving the drivetrain down 1.5" (the most realistic estimate) moving the COG down more than a half inch or so, which IMHO isn't worth it.
Transmission is a standard SM465, motor is a junkyard 5.3. I'm using flipped Hooker LS1 headers. The exhaust will run back (forward) and turn into a Spintech muffler. Intake manifold is an LS1 with the EGR blocked off that I spun 180 degrees to put the throttle body right next to my ear.
:
The 465 is a 32 spline output, which will go through the Black Box and turn into a 31 spline to go into the Ford 205. The transmission bell is a later model aluminum bell with the mount for a hydro clutch slave.
Currently, the a-pillars, b-pillars, and three spreader bars (rear roof bar, forward roof bar, and lower windshield bar) are tacked in place, as well as the rear fender "hoop" and a couple of braces. Tomorrow I hope to get a better idea of the seating location and bend up a second b-pillar. The seats will probably be ~1' forward of the mid-plate in the pictures. This will give me quite a bit of storage room as well as better visibility.
More pictures in a minute or two.
The Preface:
I'm sick of sheet metal. I wanted something low, long, stout, and maneuverable. I was initially leaning towards a V6 and 9's, but I don't have the budget to support that kind of thing right now, so I went with what I know, a V8, 4 speed, and rockwells. Kert offered me a job for the summer, so I obviously took him up on it and am building it in the DIY4X shop.
Preliminary Specs:
Vortec 5.3
SM465
NWF Black Box
Ford NP205
Steering Rockwells Front and Rear
49" Iroks
Re-centered Hummer Rims
~125" Wheelbase
27"-30" Belly Height
~6' Tall to the top of the cage
51.75" wide at the sliders
71.75" wide at the shoulders
One thing I was mentally butting my head against when planning all of this is that I'm a tall guy with big feet. Therefore I need lots of leg room and a wide footwell with 3 pedals. This added up to pushing the driver back or the motor forward, and with already bad visibility from being so low, I wouldn't have been able to see a damn thing. So...I decided the motor needed to take a trip to the back.
Anyways, the few pictures I have thus far.
The model I made beforehand:
Tires:
Rockwell Skid:
Pinion Brake:
Got the sliders and mid-plate cross tube tacked in last week. Finished up the mid-plate and tossed the motor and transmission on it last week as well. The drivetrain could come down another inch or two if I bought an LS1 pan and cut a new plate. But, I don't see moving the drivetrain down 1.5" (the most realistic estimate) moving the COG down more than a half inch or so, which IMHO isn't worth it.
Transmission is a standard SM465, motor is a junkyard 5.3. I'm using flipped Hooker LS1 headers. The exhaust will run back (forward) and turn into a Spintech muffler. Intake manifold is an LS1 with the EGR blocked off that I spun 180 degrees to put the throttle body right next to my ear.
:The 465 is a 32 spline output, which will go through the Black Box and turn into a 31 spline to go into the Ford 205. The transmission bell is a later model aluminum bell with the mount for a hydro clutch slave.
Currently, the a-pillars, b-pillars, and three spreader bars (rear roof bar, forward roof bar, and lower windshield bar) are tacked in place, as well as the rear fender "hoop" and a couple of braces. Tomorrow I hope to get a better idea of the seating location and bend up a second b-pillar. The seats will probably be ~1' forward of the mid-plate in the pictures. This will give me quite a bit of storage room as well as better visibility.
More pictures in a minute or two.
