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'72 K5 - Greg's @MightAsWellK5 Build

This is the build description. I will improve this later. (GB)
Overview Gallery Discussion
Greg72 said:
Because full-hydro SUCKS! :whistle:


:haha:

I don't know of anyone who raves about how awesome full-hydro steering is on a street-driven truck....... it drifts, it's numb and is slow to react in an emergency maneuver. Doesn't sound like a fun time to me.

Not to mention that the "legality" of a fully hydraulic steering system is dubious at best.... perhaps I could spend all my spare time fighting the local police and vehicle codes about exactly what is considered legal, but I'd rather have a mechanical linkage and a lot fewer hassles each year when it comes time to register and inspect this thing for my windshield sticker! :waytogo:

The original truck with a modest lift and 35's weighed in at around 4,900 Lbs (the details are posted a couple hundred posts back in this thread). I figure based on that..... if I can keep the whole enchilada at around the 6,000 Lb mark after all the upgrades and tubework, I'd be doing pretty well.

The ORIs aren't really a great choice for SUPER-heavy trucks.... though they now offer a remote reservoir that can be added to increase the amount of fluid the system can carry. That is supposed to increase the weight capacity and allow it to still ride smooth..... we'll see!!!



-G
Click to expand...

Agreed......for street driven it does suck, and is probably illegal even here in TN where you can drive just about anything that will move under it's own power on the street and no vehicle inspection exists.

I've rarely driven mine on the highway except for rare, huge snowfall events (to help stranded citizens) and once when my son's rig broke and we had to trailer it back on my trailer from a ride.......and yes it's really squirrely with 42" tires at 5 psi.......!:eek: (my on-board air failed)

I just assumed from all the work/fab you have put into your rig that it was a purpose-built, fully off-road, machine. :bow:
Perhaps I should take a few days and read the entire thread.:popcorn:

Keep up the good work! That's gonna be one hell of a daily driver!:waytogo:
 
A1971Blazer said:
I just assumed from all the work/fab you have put into your rig that it was a purpose-built, fully off-road, machine. :bow:
Perhaps I should take a few days and read the entire thread.:popcorn:

Keep up the good work! That's gonna be one hell of a daily driver!:waytogo:
Click to expand...


It should do OK offroad... :D

When you've got several hours, a cold 12-pack and nothing to do, sit down and start at Page 1 of this thread..... You'll see the transformation of a truck, but more interestingly.... of the owner. Six-years ago I barely knew what the heck I was doing in the garage most of the time. I just kept trying, making mistakes and experimenting and over time I have been able to add a lot of skills and a few specialized tools along the way.

I think if there's anything "inspirational" about this thread it's more about the fact that the internet can flatten-out the learning curve on what might otherwise be an impossible DIY project and allow someone to actually succeed.... there is SO much information and help available on CK5 (and other sites) if you're willing to do the work and study it, it really is possible to achieve something pretty amazing. :bow:


-G
 
There's an old saying I'm sure you've heard:

"success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration."(Thomas Edison)

I've been in the metalworking biz for 40 years and I try to learn new stuff as often as possible. I make so much stuff for other people/customers that sometimes it's hard to get motivated to work on my own stuff.

Watching and following a build like yours, and many others, serves to help inspire me to continue "eating the elephant" so to speak. I'm in a lull right now because business is so good (not complaining) and it's hard to find the time for "fun stuff."

OK, end of derail....now get back to it and make us all proud!:waytogo:

Oh, if I EVER get a few hours with nothing to do.......:haha:
 
Awesome progress lately Greg! Haven't checked in for a while, so this was a nice bit of reading/drooling:bow::bow:
 
Greg, if you don't mind me asking when will we see more frame plating? I'm patiently waiting to see your tricks!
 
As you probably noticed, I have a pretty good-sized notch in the DS framerail where the idler needed clearance....

That one still needs some love. I'm going to extend the front frame horns a bit more too (probably). It just depends on where the winch lands relative to the front bumper mount brackets.... out back, I'll need to do some additional work to clearance for the upper link "towers" under articulation. Those hit the framerails pretty hard on the non-drooping side. Now that the rear axle is pushed back a couple extra inches, the clearancing I did previously isn't going to work anymore.

I can't tell you exactly when that will all happen. None of it is on the "critical path" for my goal of getting the truck out of the garage... so I don't think you'll be seeing it until after I reach that milestone. :waytogo:


-G
 
Sounds good, I almost reached that mile stone but then I traded off the rear axle. Maybe through some pm's and illustrated drawings I can pick your brain if you don't mind.
 
Babaganoosh said:
Sounds good, I almost reached that mile stone but then I traded off the rear axle. Maybe through some pm's and illustrated drawings I can pick your brain if you don't mind.
Click to expand...

You know how to reach me...


-G
 
Greg72 said:
It should do OK offroad... :D

When you've got several hours, a cold 12-pack and nothing to do, sit down and start at Page 1 of this thread..... You'll see the transformation of a truck, but more interestingly.... of the owner. Six-years ago I barely knew what the heck I was doing in the garage most of the time. I just kept trying, making mistakes and experimenting and over time I have been able to add a lot of skills and a few specialized tools along the way.

I think if there's anything "inspirational" about this thread it's more about the fact that the internet can flatten-out the learning curve on what might otherwise be an impossible DIY project and allow someone to actually succeed.... there is SO much information and help available on CK5 (and other sites) if you're willing to do the work and study it, it really is possible to achieve something pretty amazing. :bow:


-G
Click to expand...

This for me as well Greg, although nowhere near your level of craftsmanship, I feel I've come along way in a few years and feel I can think about many different areas of building a truck that I would have looked to someone else to do 10 years ago.
Awesome stuff!
 
76zimmer said:
This for me as well Greg, although nowhere near your level of craftsmanship, I feel I've come along way in a few years and feel I can think about many different areas of building a truck that I would have looked to someone else to do 10 years ago.
Awesome stuff!
Click to expand...

That's what it's all about brother! :waytogo:

I really enjoy hearing that other guys around here got some courage from reading this thread.....and then went and did something on THEIR truck that they ended up being really proud of.

I know I say it a lot, but there is nothing quite as satisfying as dreaming up some kind of cool part, or accessory and then building it with your own two hands. When you step back and see it rendered in steel it's a really cool feeling to be able to say "yeah, I made that"....


-G
 
4X4HIGH said:
Greg has also become a magician, he literally made thousands of dollars disappear pretty quickly to never be seen again. :D
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HA!

Why is it that when someone spends $50,000 to $100,000 to go to college and expand their knowledge, nobody thinks it's weird.....? :eek1:

Learning new skills costs both time AND money... It shouldn't surprise anyone that when I spend money on this build, sometimes it translates to hard parts that you can directly SEE on the truck, and sometimes it goes to "tuition"......that harder-to-define arena of expenses which can't directly be "seen" but are more subtly revealed in the final design. For example: My current steering arm design is quite an elegant bit of fabrication.... That's what you see when you look at the truck. What you DON'T see are the first two uglier attempts that didn't quite work out right. So yes, I "paid" for all 3 sets of arms but only one set is visible..... The other two became "experience". :waytogo:

Ultimately, some of the $$$ ends up in the truck, and some ends up as expertise in my brain and hands.... IMHO, none of the money has been wasted. Both are equally important.

-G
 
Greg72 said:
HA!

Why is it that when someone spends $50,000 to $100,000 to go to college and expand their knowledge, nobody thinks it's weird.....? :eek1:

Learning new skills costs both time AND money... It shouldn't surprise anyone that when I spend money on this build, sometimes it translates to hard parts that you can directly SEE on the truck, and sometimes it goes to "tuition"......that harder-to-define arena of expenses which can't directly be "seen" but are more subtly revealed in the final design. For example: My current steering arm design is quite an elegant bit of fabrication.... That's what you see when you look at the truck. What you DON'T see are the first two uglier attempts that didn't quite work out right. So yes, I "paid" for all 3 sets of arms but only one set is visible..... The other two became "experience". :waytogo:

Ultimately, some of the $$$ ends up in the truck, and some ends up as expertise in my brain and hands.... IMHO, none of the money has been wasted. Both are equally important.

-G
Click to expand...

I totally agree! :thumb:
 
2014.08.18 - UPDATE! - HALESTORM & THE IRON MAN.......!!!


Saturday "honey dos" were completed, and the weather was perfect on Sunday morning...... it was time to roll up the garage doors and get to work!!!

IMG_0077.jpg



OK..... the shop was a bit messier than it usually is at the START of a build day, but the other critical items were all there...... there was a hot cup of coffee and some fresh iTunes downloads of some Halestorm (thanks to Zim for posting that music thread!) :waytogo: TIME TO ROCK OUT!!!!!

There were still 3 more bracing plates that needed to cut and shaped for the upper strut tower area. So that got knocked-out first... (this photo also shows my highly-secret and proprietary "radius drawing tools" in three different sizes.) :D

IMG_0075.jpg


I put a fresh 36-grit on the 20" grinder so that I wouldn't waste any time, and after a couple of hours of fussy shaping and fishmouthing the remaining plates were all tack-welded into position.....

IMG_0086.jpg


Another little-known secret to getting super-hero type results on a garage day is to make sure that you get plenty of iron supplements! By the time I was ready to weld those brackets there was PLENTY of extra iron (and cutoff wheel debris) in my coffee....... YUM! :doah:

IMG_0081.jpg


It was finally time to spend a lot of quality "under the helmet" time with the welder.... there is nothing like extended periods of welding to really sharpen-up the skills again.... the first welds of the day were kind of "meh", but by the end of the session things were looking pretty tight and professional...

IMG_0090.jpg


Here's a fun shot of the upper strut mount (from the top side) that shows the HAZ from all the new welding that was completed. Obviously, there was PLENTY of heat and penetration, and you can see the cross-hatch pattern of overlapping plates and the way that everything ended up tied to the triangular tubing structure that surrounds the strut hanger. :waytogo: I think this is going to work well and I have no remaining concerns about it's strength or long-term durability.

IMG_0101.jpg



Once the welds had cooled a bit, I pushed the entire workbench over to the front of the truck to prepare to re-install the engine cage..... this is no small feat now, as it's been getting heavier and heavier and more awkward to handle....

IMG_0104.jpg


In a move that OSHA would certainly "NOT" approve... I basically stood on top of the rolling workbench, then used my shoulders to lift the cage up....then slowly walked along the tops of the framerails to get it into position before slowly lowering it down onto those new "saddles" and against the firewall area..... The saddles actually make it a lot easier than before, the cage can't really fall off the frame to either side once those saddles start to engage. In effect, it sort of finds it own way as gravity pulls it down.

Nice.

The two front engine bars up to this point were still only "tacked" to the perimeter hoop....and one of the mounting plates had already fallen off when it's single tack weld broke... so with the cage completely bolted and torqued-down tight it finally seemed like the right time to rework those front plates, and get those bars squared-up and positioned correctly.

IMG_0114.jpg


Check that one off my list as well..... :woot:

The only lingering issue related to the engine cradle / strut mounting scheme is that I'd still like to add a couple more tubes (animals) to my farm.... :D Ideally, something that picks up that unsupported front "triangle" on the perimeter bar and locks it down to the framerail like everything else..... remembering that this is an area where the tire will live under "full stuff" articulation, it makes sense to use a curved tube to provide adequate clearance. Having a curve will also help to define the "wheeltub" shape and give me a good starting point when I start trying to fit some sheetmetal (or fiberglass) wheel tubs.

So here is the current idea rendered in small-diameter solid rod, to show the possible tube shape and position:

IMG_0120.jpg


I think a "rolled" tube would look pretty cool for this little detail, but I don't think I'll be able to create a smooth looking one with my currect tubing bender.... the best I could do is bend a couple of degrees...shift the tube maybe 2", bend another couple of degrees, etc, etc. I'm sure I could get a quasi-curved shape but I doubt that it would have the smoothness of a truly roll-formed part??? :thinking:

Now that I've written all this.... it sure does seem like a pretty big day's worth of progress after all..... :D




-G
 
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