'72 K5 - Greg's @MightAsWellK5 Build

[Greg72]

2009.03.05 - UPDATE! - OOOPS, NEED TO BACKTRACK A BIT....

Turns out I got a little ahead of myself on the a-pillar cagework.

Since I hadn't replaced the rusty sheetmetal on the inside of the a-pillar, the layout of the cage plates and rollcage was a bit premature.

First thing I did was to graft in this "donor" curve from the fresh air vent that I'd cut out of the passenger footwell. This helped to close a gaping hole in the rocker area. The black "Sharpie" line is where the outer rocker panel sheetmetal will ultimately cover. In the final design, these outer rockers will be fully-removeable, so I want the stuff underneath to still look good even with the outer panel removed.

Then it was time to graft in a new interior kickpanel patch...

As you can see from the tracing of the cage plate on the floor, the plate now has to be re-positioned since the panel covers two of the 4 original holes... You can also see how I flanged the plate toward the inside of the footwell area instead of doing the factory "crease" that tucks it into the rocker area. I'm hoping this will end up being a bit more impervious to water damage and will seal-up better once everything is Line-X'ed.

Finally, a complete patch. Just need to duplicate this work on the driver's side, then I can re-install and fine-tune the cagework.

 

[bp71k5]

In the final design, these outer rockers will be fully-removeable,

Woah, I'm interested in seeing how that's gonna work. Are you going to have tube work\sliders to protect the area underneath the outer rocker?

 

[Greg72]

Yep. I'll have retractable rocksliders that hide between the inner and outer rocker panels. When I pull the body panels and go "Transformer", I will extend the rock sliders and lock them into position (maybe 6" - 8" out from the inner rocker) so that I've got a bit of extra protection. The entire underside of the truck will be one massive flat skidplate, so things will already be pretty well protected there. Mostly, I want to be able to keep a tree or rock from getting wedged in front of the rear tire as I'm moving along...

 

[bp71k5]

I'll have retractable rocksliders that hide between the inner and outer rocker panels.

Sounds interesting. Any chance they'll be hydraulicly activated? That would really say "transformer"!

 

[BGKYK5]

x2! Just plumb a couple small cylinders into your PS pump.

It's gotta be easier than building your own hydro bender.....

 

[Greg72]

x2! Just plumb a couple small cylinders into your PS pump.

It's gotta be easier than building your own hydro bender.....

Geez, you guys NEVER want to see this thing finished, do you?

 

[tRustyK5]

You should set it up so the front and rear sheetmetal pull in to full taper hydraulicly too. Then invent tires that can be aired up to the diameter you want...

Rene

 

[imiceman44]

Geez, you guys NEVER want to see this thing finished, do you?

Hey isn't the title: Might as well...
You brought this on yourself.
And there is plenty of time till 2010.
I haven't even decided which truck to start building but I will see you in BB in moab in 2010.

 

[ryoken]

good stuff Greg.... love innovative work..

btw, I polished my following block... you where dead on, once you hit it, ya realize how much it can use... need to do the die, that looks alot better tho...

thanks...

 

[Greg72]

good stuff Greg.... love innovative work..

btw, I polished my following block... you where dead on, once you hit it, ya realize how much it can use... need to do the die, that looks alot better tho...

thanks...

If you think about the way the die works, it's really not as critical as the follower is... though putting a gentle radius on the leading edge will probably keep the bend from having a pronounced "ding" at the start of it.

The follower is really where I believe the magic happens. You don't need to lube the die when you bend for the simple fact that nothing really moves through it, just AROUND it.

Like always, it's nice to have the right tools but it's the application of those tools and all these little "experience" things you learn along the way that make the differnence between good results and GREAT results.

 

[norcal70blazer]

NIce build Greg, any chance that you'll be renting out your tube bender?

 

[Greg72]

You should set it up so the front and rear sheetmetal pull in to full taper hydraulicly too.

This might prove to be a seriously good idea... (not the hydro part, though)

I can already envision how the front might work. I'd still need to remove the hood, bumper and front grille, but the fenders could stay in place and simply pivot near the door hinge area. The core support would be collapsable on either side of the radiator to allow the taper to work.

The rear would be a bit more challenging, since I'd have to work out how to allow the fenders (and part of the floor on each side) to move inward, and not interfere with the cage I'd had imagined. Better put two of these guys to work for this part. ->

 

[ryoken]

Greg, not to drag you off topic too much, but a question for ya... I know your pretty versed in manual bending and have a concern that you might be able to answer...

Not sure whether you've peeked at my build thread or all, but I'm doing a large portion of my bumpers and cage work in 2" .120.. have you ever manually bent 2"?

is this gonna be psycho hard? I mean, I don't mind breaking out a 5' cheater and sweating my nuts off, but it is doable, right?

 

[Greg72]

I bent 2" .120" wall DOM with a 7" breaker bar... I built 3 complete rollcages that way. I was BUFF!!

Seriously, it's amazing how stiff DOM is compared to HREW, and 2" diameter is a lot more work than 1.5" diameters (or even 1.75", but I don't have any manual bending experience with 1.75")

As Rob Schneider once said: "You can Dooooo it!"

 

[ryoken]

cool, I like a challenge... thanks

 

[4X4HIGH]

I bent 2" .120" wall DOM with a 7" breaker bar... I built 3 complete rollcages that way. I was BUFF!!

Seriously, it's amazing how stiff DOM is compared to HREW, and 2" diameter is a lot more work than 1.5" diameters (or even 1.75", but I don't have any manual bending experience with 1.75")

As Rob Schneider once said: "You can Dooooo it!"

Dude, if you were bending 2" x .120" wall DOM with a seven inch breaker bar you most certainly were BUFFED.

 

[Greg72]

Ooops, I was too "shifty".... on the ' key.

Even us greenies make mistakes once in a while.

 

[tRustyK5]

1.75" x .120 wall HREW manual bending is not terribly hard with a 36" bar. I could see 2" DOM with a 6 or 7 foot bar being equally 'doable'...

Rene

 

[tRustyK5]

This might prove to be a seriously good idea... (not the hydro part, though)

I can already envision how the front might work. I'd still need to remove the hood, bumper and front grille, but the fenders could stay in place and simply pivot near the door hinge area. The core support would be collapsable on either side of the radiator to allow the taper to work.

The rear would be a bit more challenging, since I'd have to work out how to allow the fenders (and part of the floor on each side) to move inward, and not interfere with the cage I'd had imagined. Better put two of these guys to work for this part. ->

Even though it was meant in jest, it's an idea I've been mentally messing with for two years or so now. Not so much if I'd be able to do it, more a matter of how to do it so it is 'clean'. The "hydraulic" part was pure humor...can you imagine the self inflicted sheet metal carnage that would ensue if something bound a little?

Rene

 

[imiceman44]

This might prove to be a seriously good idea... (not the hydro part, though)

I can already envision how the front might work. I'd still need to remove the hood, bumper and front grille, but the fenders could stay in place and simply pivot near the door hinge area. The core support would be collapsable on either side of the radiator to allow the taper to work.

The rear would be a bit more challenging, since I'd have to work out how to allow the fenders (and part of the floor on each side) to move inward, and not interfere with the cage I'd had imagined. Better put two of these guys to work for this part. ->

I have an idea for the front, the section that will move in would contain the head lights so that when you are wheeling they would hide and all you would have on is rock lights for night wheeling.