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'72 K5 - Greg's @MightAsWellK5 Build

This is the build description. I will improve this later. (GB)
Overview Gallery Discussion
JoshHefnerX said:
Yeah, you want to make sure what you welded with (your fixture) was indeed square/flat.

Wouldn't be a problem if that wheel stays where it's at, but the other corners may not be the same.
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Makes sense. :waytogo:

I've got one final trick up my sleeve (if needed). I can take the welded wheels back to the machinist and have him square the mounting surface (WMS) to remove excess runout.

But at this point, if I can keep the values on the remaining wheels at 0.025" (less than 1/32" overall runout) I don't think it's even going to be worth the effort.


-G
 
sreidmx said:
Good work, now dont go messing up the other three.
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Well....... I only got one more done last night. At least I drilled the valvestem hole in the right place on the first attempt!!! :haha:


Welded up from the backside..... 7" of backspacing with this setup... :yikes:

IMG_0192.jpg




Here's the location of the valvestem.... hidden in the flange area:

IMG_0194.jpg



Two down..... 3 to go! First one came out at 0.025" runout. Last night's started out at 0.018" but after welding moved around a bit and ended up at a final runout of 0.026". I love that the valvestems are completely invisible with this setup too. :waytogo:

IMG_0196.jpg



Even at this slow pace, I should still have these things finished up by the weekend.


-G
 
Greg72 said:
Even at this slow pace, I should still have these things finished up by the weekend.
-G
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You going to run out and get the tires mounted so that we can see the blazer rolling with hub caps this weekend?
 
ashman said:
You going to run out and get the tires mounted so that we can see the blazer rolling with hub caps this weekend?
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That's a nice idea.... though probably too aggressive.

Keep in mind, I can't actually put the truck down on it's tires (under it's own weight) until I get the cage plates welded in.... I cut all of the tubing that holds the rear strut mounts to the frame, so things are a bit "floppy" right now.

My machinist has been finessing the angles and flats on those convoluted plates and keeps giving me new templates to try out... we are literally adjusting angles in 1-degree increments to get the best possible fit in the spots where they are being installed.

Realistically, I should have all 5 wheels welded up by the end of the weekend... then I can go get them beadblasted, and give them a quick mist-coat of Ryoken Green. I still need to figure out the "perfect" white that GM used... but for now I'll probably just rattlecan them with something close so that I can get the tires mounted and keep the build moving forward. When I finally blow this truck apart for the final time, hopefully I will have located a powdercoater who has a perfect color match that we can use... it would be great to get a durable, permanent finish on these wheels after all the effort that has gone into them. :)

-G



ps. I checked the runout of the axle itself (measuring at the aluminum wheel spacer) and it was 0.003"...... probably close enough. :wink:
 
I forgot that you had the cage cut up. Hopefully the cage plates get finished up soon.

Did you finish up what you were doing with the exhaust for now?
 
ashman said:
I forgot that you had the cage cut up. Hopefully the cage plates get finished up soon.

Did you finish up what you were doing with the exhaust for now?
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I am a few layers deep in that one.

The exhaust is dependent on the fuel tank location and I'm not 100% done with the tank design. I ordered a David Vizard book on exhaust design that should be here tomorrow... I really want to find a way to add both mufflers and resonators to keep the noise down but I'm running out of available space...

-G
 
Yeah, drone turns an enjoyable drive into a chore in a hurry.

I keep forgetting how many balls you have in the air at once right now. exhaust, tank, cage, etc... all dependent on each other. Makes it difficult to decide what to give attention to next.
 
You could take the wheel off and measure the runout again at 90* or 180* and get a different measurement.
Use that .003" to your advantage.
 
ashman said:
Yeah, drone turns an enjoyable drive into a chore in a hurry.

I keep forgetting how many balls you have in the air at once right now. exhaust, tank, cage, etc... all dependent on each other. Makes it difficult to decide what to give attention to next.
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.....and the new wheels are more aggressively offset (inwards) which will hopefully allow me to use more subtle wheel arch modifications since they will hopefully "tuck" better under articulation... though I think now I probably need to think about a subtle 1" or 2" flaring of the outer fenderlip to get the tire clearance I need with a smaller fender opening. :thinking:

I'm thinking about stereo stuff too.... I need to fit a couple of 1 cu ft enclosures for the subwoofers. This time around I think I'm going to do a downfiring setup into the raised floor area on either side of the rear seat.... that should help contain the bass a bit more and "couple" that energy into the chassis better. It's hard designing a decent sound-system for a convertible... so much sound just disappears into thin air!!!

I've also been researching the requirements for the compressors and airtank for the CTIS / ARB-Locker systems. Most systems seem to only want a 2-Gallon reserve tank which is reasonably small (fortunately)... but I still have to find a place for it underneath somewhere.

Seems like I spend a lot of time thinking around in a big circle!! :haha:

-G
 
pblaze725 said:
You could take the wheel off and measure the runout again at 90* or 180* and get a different measurement.
Use that .003" to your advantage.
Click to expand...

Sure.

I'll measure each wheel and each corner of the vehicle and mark the "index" where the runout is worst on each mounting hub and wheel assembly.

Then it's just a simple matter of plugging all of the measurement data into an Excel spreadsheet and optimizing the combinations of hubs and wheels to get everything as close as possible.

A few test runs to 200MPH will confirm that there is no detectable vibration through the steering wheel, and I should be good to go!!!

:waytogo:


-G
 
Greg72 said:
You're learning.

Any luck finding that perfect 1st Gen for yourself....boss man? :dunno:


-G
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Not yet, looked at a few just not the right fit.
 
Greg72 said:
I'm thinking about stereo stuff too.... I need to fit a couple of 1 cu ft enclosures for the subwoofers. This time around I think I'm going to do a downfiring setup into the raised floor area on either side of the rear seat.... that should help contain the bass a bit more and "couple" that energy into the chassis better. It's hard designing a decent sound-system for a convertible... so much sound just disappears into thin air!!!
-G
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I have a single 10" woofer behind the rear seat in mine. It sounds great parked in the garage, but in the open air the bass practically disappears. I had a stereo guy suggest to me that I swap the position of my 6x9s and woofers. The higher frequencies won't get lost as easy being behind everyone. That would put the woofers right behind the front seats and in front of the rear. At some point I'm going to give it a shot, but that means making new side panels again and I'm not in the mood. :P
 
In the side panel right behind the doors is a great place for the subs in a first gen. Skipping the 6x9s and putting a 6.5 right by it would be an even better set up for top off driving .
 
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