87' GMC Custom Crew Cab Short Bed CUMMINS!

[OYMC]

OYMC submitted a new Build:

87' GMC Custom Crew Cab Short Bed CUMMINS!

I'll be continuing a write-up that started on 67-72ChevyTrucks.com but was cut short because of a dispute the ended with me being banned for LIFE... IF you care to hear about the drama that unfolded you can read about it in the "Lounge".. If you don't care, I COMPLETELY understand...

I considered starting where I left off but I think I'll begin where I started, cut out the parts that caused this project to take longer than it should have and condense it into a clean "Cut and Dry" build write-up...

So to begin I am building a 1987 GMC Crew Cab Short bed 4X4.
Here are the parts I am using:
2007 Dodge 24 Valve Cummins with a G56 6 speed manual trans and an Atlas 3:1 Gear reduction transfer case
GM Dana 60 front axle with a cross over high steer setup
GM 2WD steering box
Skyjacket 8" front leaf springs, and Skyjacker 6" lift rear
2005 GMC Corp 14 disc brake rear axle
2005 Tahoe power front seats, and rear bench seat
Blazer 30 gallon fuel tank
Toyo 37X13.50X17 M/T tires
Centerline Vector wheels
and a bunch of other fun stuff!

This Crew cab started as a donor for a 1954 Chevy Shop truck build I was working on but quickly realized that I had hidden feelings for this crew cab that I could no longer ignore...

The truck was purchased from a guy who was selling the crew cab for his Dad in Pollack Pines, CA. I was told that all it needed was 2 charged batteries and it could be driven home... When I arrived it had no interest to show even a flicker of life with the two fresh batteries I brought. The guy decided that rater than mess with it just to dump it so the price went from $1500 (Which was still a smoken deal) to $600. When I got home I pressure washed it, found that the positive battery nut on the starter had melted in half, replaced the starter and drove the crew cab for the next 2 months before deciding to move forward on the build.. All the while I drove this old turd of a truck my 2005 GMC Lift Crew Cab with 35,000 miles just sat in the drive way.. It was apparent early on that my heart had shifted and what was once going to be used as just parts would be the center of my fabrication universe....

These are the first photos I took of the crew cab:

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Read more about this build here...

 

[raymos]

Sweet! Welcome to ck5
subscribed

 

[metalneverdies]

Sweet truck

 

[KansasTwister]

Heck I might be the only member on here not banned! I've watched your other builds too, and this one since you've started it.

 

[y5mgisi]

There we go! By golly! I was so pissed when i got to the "end of your thread over there! Im thrilled that it will be continuing over here!

 

[909watcher]

subscribed, i just purchased a crew cab from a fellow member. I just gotta finish the blazer first in the mean time i'll fallow along.

 

[TheBeast_88K5]

Welcome.... and F*ck that other forum.

 

[OYMC]

I just wrote a quick response to my new brotherhood in the lounge... Go check it out! It's real "Note BOok" quality (I had to watch it because of my wife)

 

[y5mgisi]

Women folk make you do crazy things sometimes!

 

[OYMC]

Before the tear down began of the old turd 87' I had to have a plan. After cruising through photos of Square custom builds I ran into a number of Crew Cab Short beds... Holy Cow I was sold...

So the tear down began!

 

[munepit]

Glad your here! Cool build so far!

 

[OYMC]

When laying out the sectioning marks on the frame I tend to use leading or trailing edges of mirrored chassis mounting holes to insure I am measuring at an exact point of reference. If you try to measure by the approximate middle of a hole you will never get an exact point of reference.. Scribe a line on either side and use this as your reference and you will be golden...

 

[OYMC]

The one becomes two with the help of my trusty plasma..

 

[OYMC]

On the last photo of the previous post I scribed a line down the center of the Chassis and tack welded a piece of box tubing to the frame to insure my alignments were dead on...

The Two become one again after butt welding the two halves back together, and adding a fish plate to the inside of the frame rail. I drilled two 1" holes, one on the top half of the front chassis section and one on the bottom of the back half of the chassis section. These hole were plug welded to the fish plate that was welded to the inside of the chassis..

 

[OYMC]

Because the section of frame removed was all out of one location and not a little in the middle and a little in the back I had to reinstall the suspension further back on the frame rail then where it was originally positioned.. This was very easy to set up as the rear shackle hanger bracket was moved back and aligned by reinstalling the rear shackle hanger "bracket" front mount holes to the rear shackle hanger "chassis" mount holes and simply drilling new rear holes in the frame to continue bolting the hanger braket to the chassis... Say that five times fast!

The front spring hangers where moved back in a similar fashion...

 

[63chevyll]

You said "I started developing feelings for this crew cab"

Man brother, true words from a chevy guy. I'm in the same boat and glad I'm not the only one.

BTW, am I getting a hint you went to wyo tech?

And love the truck

 

[OYMC]

These photos show the suspension mocked up and the first Corp 14 that ended up in my 55 GMC installed... I had to build a little wedge for the front leaf spring mount bracket on the bottom of the frame.. Turned out really nice...

 

[OYMC]

These photos show the first test fit of the first of four different beds I purchased for my crew cab. The wheels shown ended up on my wife's K5.. I swapped wheels mostly because some other guy on the 67-72 site bought the same set after I had purchased mine... You can't have two Crew Cab short bed truck builds with the same wheels... How gay

 

[OYMC]

You said "I started developing feelings for this crew cab"

Man brother, true words from a chevy guy. I'm in the same boat and glad I'm not the only one.

BTW, am I getting a hint you went to wyo tech?

And love the truck

Love is a beautiful thing

Don't bring up WyoTech Please... That's a whole other story. I went there for 2 years, and took everything from Chassis Fab / High performance engine building, Trim and Upholstery, Sheet Metal Fab / Custom Paint, and on... I graduated at the top of the school earning the "Outstanding Student" award in everything I took, I was shop leader in all but one class, and was part of the Student advisory board. When I went there I was about 26 which is old compared to all those young wipper snappers but I was focused to learn as much as I could. I never pretended to know anything as most of the younger students lead to believe in themselves. I was there to learn and if I let my prior knowledge interfere I would have removed myself from learning something new... After all the smarter you become the more you become aware of how little you know... Anyway, I had issues with some of the staff in the way they conducted their professionalism which ultimately lead to a meeting with the president of the school by which I informed him he had a problem on his hands and his name was OYMC... This should be in a thread by itself...

 

[OYMC]

Well I'm off for tonight... My wife is fixing me a Margarita and history has proven that I shouldn't be online once the tequila hits me... Until tomorrow!