Top notch for a top notch build, man those are sexy. 
CK5
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'72 K5 - Greg's @MightAsWellK5 Build
- Thread starter Greg72
- Start date
This is the build description. I will improve this later. (GB)
Top notch for a top notch build, man those are sexy. 
No excuse for outside pics now... 
I stayed up well past midnight....!!!
THANKS BRANIK!!!
Man, these links look awesome!!! The photos don't really do justice to the impact of these polished masterpieces. The 2.25" lowers are so beefy looking, I can't wait to get them installed and take some new photos for you guys.
I couldn't help myself after I unwrapped them, so I swapped in the tie rod last night. It feels good to ditch those tack-welded mock ups.
Now my next issue to resolve is buying some new wrenches large enough to actually fit on the "flats"..... I think the smallest ones are 1-5/16".
-G
THANKS BRANIK!!!
Man, these links look awesome!!! The photos don't really do justice to the impact of these polished masterpieces. The 2.25" lowers are so beefy looking, I can't wait to get them installed and take some new photos for you guys.
I couldn't help myself after I unwrapped them, so I swapped in the tie rod last night. It feels good to ditch those tack-welded mock ups.
Now my next issue to resolve is buying some new wrenches large enough to actually fit on the "flats"..... I think the smallest ones are 1-5/16".
-G
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Maybe aluminum wrenches so you don't mar up the finish?
This is one rare situation where I recommend you use a good quality adjustable crescent wrench. When you can adjust it to the exact width of the flats you have less chance of rounding them off. The key is to tighten the wrench snug on the flat. Plus, then you only need to carry one wrench to adjust on the trail instead of 3 or 4. On most bolts I recommend 6 pt sockets or real combo wrenches, but this I would say an adjustable wrench is better.
What is the finish on there? Anodized or are you powder coating or painting them or leaving them raw polished?
What is the finish on there? Anodized or are you powder coating or painting them or leaving them raw polished?
I haven't spent much time looking around yet, but I have come across a couple aluminum adjustable wrenches on the interwebz that might be a good option.... non-marring, and I don't have to spend $300 for a set of traditional large-sized combo wrenches to fit all of these different links and jam nuts.... if anyone has a good tool source for something like this, please post it up.
Interesting that you asked about the finish on these. I spoke with Stan @ Branik over the course of several days trying to get all of my dimensions and specs figured out with him.... he had already checked out this build thread (and my Mog-9 axle build thread on Pirate4x4). As we were finalizing the order and arranging for payment, he mentions to me that he has decided to fully polish all of the links for no additional charge!!! (they normally charge something like $40 per link for that service). It was an awesome surprise, and now that I've seen them in-person I have to admit that it is MUCH nicer than a raw aluminum finish would have been and really shows off the quality of his work.
Smart guy.....that Stan.
When your company is providing products in a thread that's pushing 500,000 views, showcasing your products with a bit of extra "bling" is smart business.
For the time being, the polished aluminum will be left alone. When the project is disassembled, it might make sense to have them powdercoated with clear, or maybe some other finish that will not oxidize.... I just want to make sure that I don't end up becoming "that guy" who spends his weekends polishing his suspension links to keep them looking nice.
-G
Buy real wrenches. Adjustable (crescent, tin benders, crescent hammers, etc) wrenches will come loose and mess up the finish worse.
Martin
Martin
Machine your own custom aluminum wrenches
I agree, that is true for general use on most mechanical things because people abuse them. But if you buy one adjustable wrench specifically and only used for this (a good quality one not a cheap POS), then it will not come loose. I only have a few adjustable wrenches and they are all still really tight and snug after 15 years of use, because I only use them for a few certain things and really don't use them all that often at all. A normal wrench will have a tolerance that will mar the finish more than a tight adjustable wrench will on that aluminum link, because no one will make a fixed wrench with zero clearance.
The key is to tighten the wrench after you slide it on, before you actually turn the link, this achieves zero gap.
I am not advising people start using adjustable wrenches all the time Martin, I agree with you. For 99% of stuff I stay away from them.
Sorry, growing up around farmers will make you learn to hate adjustable wrenches with all of your soul.
Martin
Martin
My question is... do you wrap them in tape to try and stop them from getting scratched, overspray, etc, before the build is done? Or say F it as they'll get scratched up once the truck is driving?
Nothing wrong with a good ole Mexican socket set IMO 
Greg, is the aluminum stronger than steel in this case? Or do they "bounce" back to straight better than steel? Ive never really read up on the advantages. Other than its going to be lighter.
Greg, is the aluminum stronger than steel in this case? Or do they "bounce" back to straight better than steel? Ive never really read up on the advantages. Other than its going to be lighter.
gotta keep em purty till it's first "done" photo-op...
than ya can drag em across the boulders!
that's a good kinda bling there Greg....
I know that 3M makes a bodyshop sheet product for protecting items from weld spatter and scratches... I'm sure Ryoken or someone might be able to provide a link or part number for it.
You may have noticed that in the most recent photos, I've removed the front ORIs (again). It does get tiring having to carefully protect the chrome shafts from weld damage any time I am in the vicinity with my welder. Sometimes I wrap a bunch of the green 3M tape, or even tape extra sets of welding gloves to them..... weld blobs on those shock bodies would destroy the shaft seals and would be an expensive mistake.
It's absolutely true that when you get to this point in the build, the "mock up" parts start getting swapped out for the "final" parts....and the stakes get a lot higher. There is still quite a bit of messy fab work going on, and there's always a chance that beautiful parts could get damaged. I think it makes sense to seek out some of that 3M wrapping paper (once I get a few beauty shots of the links under the truck of course!) and protect the links from accidents and keep them in great shape.
These bars are solid aluminum, but are similar in strength to a similar diameter DOM. The wall thickness of the DOM has a small influence on strength, but usually at a VERY high cost in terms of link weight. The nice thing about aluminum (besides the lower weight and bling factors) is that it has a good "springback memory" vs. DOM. When you drop the weight of the truck on an aluminum lower link it will flex.... but as soon as the weight comes off the link, it will return perfectly to it's original position. Obviously, there are limits... but at these sort of diameters, the odds of a bent link are really a non-issue.
Keep in mind my lower links are SUBSTANTIALLY shallower than a typical 1-Ton K5 setup, so those links are much less susceptible to rock impacts. Last time I checked I think my lowers were only at about an 8* downward slope. That keeps the AS% nice and low... and should allow me to transition a rock impact smoothly to the flat skidplate area and avoid many of the "high centering" type issues that steeply raked lower links can exacerbate.
-G
y5mgisi
1 ton status
Boy that's just a load of sexy.
not as much as vise grips....
Sh!t, beaten to it.
Soooo tired of people thinking a vise grip is the one-fits-all fastener tool
-- A
Generally I don't like them either, no apology necessary, you can rip on them all you want.
It's very rare I would ever recommend someone use one as most of the time they are a good recipe for damaged bolt heads and busted knuckles.
I stayed up well past midnight....!!!
THANKS BRANIK!!!
Man, these links look awesome!!! The photos don't really do justice to the impact of these polished masterpieces. The 2.25" lowers are so beefy looking, I can't wait to get them installed and take some new photos for you guys.
I couldn't help myself after I unwrapped them, so I swapped in the tie rod last night. It feels good to ditch those tack-welded mock ups.
Now my next issue to resolve is buying some new wrenches large enough to actually fit on the "flats"..... I think the smallest ones are 1-5/16".
-G
You know Greg, Jim has been known to make precision wrenches for purposes like this before.
You know Greg, Jim has been known to make precision wrenches for purposes like this before.
You keep talking like that and you're going to end up getting a homework assignment!
-G
