'72 K5 - Greg's @MightAsWellK5 Build

[Greg72]

Welcome to Page 28...

I'm going to set a short-term goal to have the front suspension completed before Page 29.


At our current pace, we are burning through 100 posts / month (roughly) so by late September I want this thing on it's own 4 wheels and sitting out on the driveway in the sunshine..... no casters, no cheats. Just some classic old Chevy iron soaking up the rays!!!


-G

 

[Greg72]

For future reference, here is a photo of the Vanco hydroboost I was thinking about using for this build.... it's a bit on the long side, but it seems compact enough to sneak through the tubes that I've just installed...

-G

 

[Z71paramedic]

For future reference, here is a photo of the Vanco hydroboost I was thinking about using for this build.... it's a bit on the long side, but it seems compact enough to sneak through the tubes that I've just installed...


-G

Looks pretty close to the one out of the 85 I'm using. I'll run out and grab a couple pics for you with everything in view for perspective once it quits storming outside...

 

[ashman]

.
.....and finally, the "money shot". (The one where I have to climb up into the filthy attic at almost 1AM and crawl around with my camera to get into position!)

I for one appreciate the effort!

Looking good Greg but I too am wondering if there is enough room for the hydroboost/MC/etc once that strut is in. Do you have one you can use for mock up? I think I still have the hydroboost I tried to repair laying around here somewhere. Not sure if it would be worth the cost and effort to send it to you but if you're interested I can certainly go see if I've still got it.

 

[ashman]

Looks pretty close to the one out of the 85 I'm using. I'll run out and grab a couple pics for you with everything in view for perspective once it quits storming outside...

Yup, that looks like a stock one to me, just with a different mounting plate and a pre-modified pushrod.

 

[Greg72]

Even just having some basic dimensions off a factory part would be helpful....overall length, width at the widest spot, etc. I don't really need the part at this point, it would be good to understand if I'm going to need to move my "through hole" on the firewall or not....


-G

 

[munepit]

Welcome to Page 28...

I'm going to set a short-term goal to have the front suspension completed before Page 29.


At our current pace, we are burning through 100 posts / month (roughly) so by late September I want this thing on it's own 4 wheels and sitting out on the driveway in the sunshine..... no casters, no cheats. Just some classic old Chevy iron soaking up the rays!!!


-G

Mine says page 136!!!

Bump!!!

To get the front done!!

 

[ryoken]

me likey.....

 

[Greg72]

Mine says page 136!!!

Bump!!!

To get the front done!!

For those of you not using the "100 posts per page" setting, the goal is to get the truck on all fours before Post #2800... post padding to force me to build faster will be frowned upon.

me likey.....

Thanks Paul! .... I was wondering if you ever lurked around on this build thread. The engine cradle is turning out really nice and is that delicious mix of function and aesthetics that I strive for. I could have slapped a straight bar on those diagonals and it would have worked fine, but doing the bent bars just "felt" like the right thing to do and it looks WAY more professional (to me at least!)

EDIT: Another interesting factoid about the engine cradle is that it's 100% bolt-on to both the frame and the firewall. That means that when the time comes I can unbolt the body from the frame/cage and lift it up and off onto a rotisserie for final bodywork. It also means that if I wanted to I could remove the entire engine cradle and flip into any position necessary for final welding (I am still lousy at upside-down welds) and can get everything into final paint as small, reasonably-sized projects...... interior cage could be one project, engine cradle could be another, and the boxed framerails themselves could be a seperate painting project. I like the idea that the structural items can be broken down into smaller and more manageable sizes.



-G

 

[jekquistk5]

For those of you not using the "100 posts per page" setting, the goal is to get the truck on all fours before Post #2800... post padding to force me to build faster will be frowned upon.




Thanks Paul! .... I was wondering if you ever lurked around on this build thread. The engine cradle is turning out really nice and is that delicious mix of function and aesthetics that I strive for. I could have slapped a straight bar on those diagonals and it would have worked fine, but doing the bent bars just "felt" like the right thing to do and it looks WAY more professional (to me at least!)

EDIT: Another interesting factoid about the engine cradle is that it's 100% bolt-on to both the frame and the firewall. That means that when the time comes I can unbolt the body from the frame/cage and lift it up and off onto a rotisserie for final bodywork. It also means that if I wanted to I could remove the entire engine cradle and flip into any position necessary for final welding (I am still lousy at upside-down welds) and can get everything into final paint as small, reasonably-sized projects...... interior cage could be one project, engine cradle could be another, and the boxed framerails themselves could be a seperate painting project. I like the idea that the structural items can be broken down into smaller and more manageable sizes.



-G

I think everyone besides Kert and Rene, are pretty bad at upside down welding. I saw kert run a bead upside down, that looked better than some I have seen right side up. It is a tricky skill to learn. I have yet to master it. Some of my welds are great upside down others, not so much.

 

[Z71paramedic]

Sorry it took so long to stop raining...

 

[imiceman44]

I think everyone besides Kert and Rene, are pretty bad at upside down welding. I saw kert run a bead upside down, that looked better than some I have seen right side up. It is a tricky skill to learn. I have yet to master it. Some of my welds are great upside down others, not so much.

Kidjethro did some nice upside down welds on my k5

 

[jekquistk5]

Kidjethro did some nice upside down welds on my k5

I couldn't remember his name I know he used to make bitching diff covers

 

[Greg72]

Sorry it took so long to stop raining...

Sean,

Thanks for posting those photos. Looks like 15" overall from the firewall bracket to the very end of the reservoir?

Unfortunately, that unit is a lot larger than I expected and fitting it between the tubes I installed last night is going to be a challenge.

I installed the dash, brake pedal bracket and steering column tonight. At least the steering column looks like an easy shot to the steering box....

Need to think this hydroboost thing through a bit longer. Some sort of offset linkage or significantly relocated HB unit (with a much longer actuating rod) may be a solution?

-G

 

[Z71paramedic]

Sean,

Thanks for posting those photos. Looks like 15" overall from the firewall bracket to the very end of the reservoir?

Unfortunately, that unit is a lot larger than I expected and fitting it between the tubes I installed last night is going to be a challenge.

I installed the dash, brake pedal bracket and steering column tonight. At least the steering column looks like an easy shot to the steering box....

Need to think this hydroboost thing through a bit longer. Some sort of offset linkage or significantly relocated HB unit (with a much longer actuating rod) may be a solution?

-G

Yep, almost exactly 15" to the end of it. The pic you posted earlier looks like it has a slightly flatter mounting plate, but I doubt it'd buy you much. I'm thinking a floating mount with longer rod might work for you though Either way I'm sure you'll work something awesome looking out.

 

[kgblazerfive]

Ford Bronco's had that goofy 90 degree ones maybe a variation of that would work.

 

[blazinzuk]

Ford Bronco's had that goofy 90 degree ones maybe a variation of that would work.

shoe box broncos the big broncos didnt' have it.

 

[Greg72]

I should probably work this solution backwards.

The dual-piston calipers and rotors on my axles (F&R) are from a 1995-97 Ford F250 (over 8500Lb GVW)

1. Did this truck come from the factory with 4-wheel discs?
2. Did this truck come with hydroboost brakes?

If so, then it would make sense to seek out the hydroboost unit from this model truck. It would already be optimized for the calipers (piston size) and would move the correct amount of fluid and build the proper line pressure to work correctly. The only variable would be knowing the length of the pedal pivot and the distance from the pedal pivot to the hole where the actuator rod goes. That establishes the leverage ratio as well as the amount of pedal effort it will take to apply the brakes.

Theoretically, if I can figure out those numbers I can modify my stock Chevy pedal assembly to match.

Now, on to a few new pics....

Here's a fun shot of the interior with the dash temporarily bolted back in, and fitted around the a-pillar cage bars....and the steering column back in position. It had been so long since I took everything apart that I'd forgotten that the brake pedal bracket is what holds the steering column in place!

Here is a shot of the steering column coming through the firewall... This one looks to be a slam dunk, with no real issues getting a steering shaft down the the new steering box.

....and here's the current trouble spot. I got the bolts onto the brake pedal studs but there's not much clearance otherwise.

Any and all brilliant ideas are welcomed at this point.


-G

 

[swettysblazer]

I know my dads 96 F-250 has front discs and rear drums.... as for hydroboost, I'm not positive.

 

[Greg72]

So....

Lurking around on some Ford sites trying to learn more about hydroboost conversions.

There seems to be some opinions that the 1996 Ford F450 came from the factory with hydroboost and 4-wheel discs... that's a good start!

A site called PowerStrokeArmy.com has a good writeup on hydroboost conversions (about 113 pages, so I'm still reading!) Apparently, the "good" parts to use are as follows:

Master Cylinder: Motorcraft BRMC-39
Brake Booster: Motorcraft BRB-37

Here's an image of how it looks... a little different than the one Sean posted, and perhaps just a bit smaller package?

It was interesting that some people who had done the swap complained about a hard pedal... then someone showed images of the stock pedal assembly (vacuum booster) vs. the correct hydroboost version. The hydroboost version was 2.75" spacing from the pedal pivot to the MC clevis pin compared to the old "original" one which has 3.50" spacing... obviously, there's a lot less leverage at 3.50" than 2.75" which is what made the pedal feel so stiff after the conversion.

Image:

A few more pieces to the puzzle...


-G