'88 K5 - Running Down A Dream

[jimmyleetn]

Cut out the braces and got the body pretty square (1/8in from perfect) and torqued to the frame today. Got the front and rear brakes hooked up too. The plan was to start the DIY4X4 roll cage today. So. Much. Tape. Residue. I spent an hour with a rag and acetone on two of the six pieces. Not sure why Saran wrap was not used, the residue is extremely annoying to get off.

 

[82355]

Well I made a tactical error. I forgot all about the energy suspension body mounts using the original hardware. Spent at least an hour or two getting those crusty rusty pieces back to looking good. I had to throw the sleeves in the rust remover bin. They'll probably stay in there for at least 24hrs, maybe 48hrs. I knocked a lot off with the wire wheel but they were really crusty. The cups cleaned up nice. Since I had the down time I also went ahead and polished up the hard vent line for the front differential. I'll have to finish plumbing once the frames attached so that's one less thing I've got to do later. On an upshot, I did get the frame under the body. Baby steps in the right direction I guess.

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That's why I always recommend the rubber LMC body mount kits instead.

Martin

 

[imiceman44]

Cut out the braces and got the body pretty square (1/8in from perfect) and torqued to the frame today. Got the front and rear brakes hooked up too. The plan was to start the DIY4X4 roll cage today. So. Much. Tape. Residue. I spent an hour with a rag and acetone on two of the six pieces. Not sure why Saran wrap was not used, the residue is extremely annoying to get off.

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They used tape instead of wrap?

 

[jimmyleetn]

They used tape instead of wrap?

Yes, every piece of the cage in that first picture is all tape, no wrap.

 

[jimmyleetn]

I don't feel like I have a lot to show for the amount of work I did today, but today involved a lot of sitting and thinking as I started on the roll cage. I ran out of acetone right as I finished the pieces for the b pillar hoop so I guess that worked out since that was as far as I wanted to get anyways. They had to be cut at least 5 in just to fit in the truck. They needed to be 63.5 inches. @nvrenuf and I have been talking about the plates so I knew this day was coming, but they just don't fit good enough for me. I'm going tomorrow to get the metal to build my own. I'll feel a lot more comfortable with the way they fit and they'll still be plenty safe if not more so. I spent the rest of the day mocking up where the b pillar brackets will go and then starting on the rust on that passenger side. I imagine that seam is bad all the way down but once everything is cut and done for the convertible conversion I don't see how water will ever get there to it again so I started a patch for the bad spot.

 

[nvrenuf]

That's going to be sweet when you get it done!

Are you going to bend your own plates or shim them to fit the step?

 

[imiceman44]

I don't feel like I have a lot to show for the amount of work I did today, but today involved a lot of sitting and thinking as I started on the roll cage. I ran out of acetone right as I finished the pieces for the b pillar hoop so I guess that worked out since that was as far as I wanted to get anyways. They had to be cut at least 5 in just to fit in the truck. They needed to be 63.5 inches. @nvrenuf and I have been talking about the plates so I knew this day was coming, but they just don't fit good enough for me. I'm going tomorrow to get the metal to build my own. I'll feel a lot more comfortable with the way they fit and they'll still be plenty safe if not more so. I spent the rest of the day mocking up where the b pillar brackets will go and then starting on the rust on that passenger side. I imagine that seam is bad all the way down but once everything is cut and done for the convertible conversion I don't see how water will ever get there to it again so I started a patch for the bad spot.

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You don't need to make new ones, just shave 1/4" on the outside and 1/4" + chamfer at 45 degrees on the inside

 

[jimmyleetn]

You don't need to make new ones, just shave 1/4" on the outside and 1/4" + chamfer at 45 degrees on the inside

I looked at that for awhile today but I think it'll put the 1in pin too close the side of the footwell.

Rereading this I could flip the plate around, but it'll be less than 3.5in wide which doesn't feel super sturdy to me.

 

[jimmyleetn]

That's going to be sweet when you get it done!

Are you going to bend your own plates or shim them to fit the step?

I'm gonna bend them. Well, 1/4 is so thick I'll probably do them with relief cuts and then reweld.

 

[jimmyleetn]

Made a metal run this morning. Got everything for the roll bar floor plates and some brackets for like $35. I thought that was pretty fair price. The big question running through my mind at the moment is is that attachment point on the B pillar for the roll cage strong enough? I had basically burned the whole whole thing in before the idea that I could have put a plate back there with that threaded insert came through my head. Trying to decide if I want to cut it back out and do it again or leave it. I'm open to suggestions, but I'm really hoping y'all will talk me out of cutting into it again LOL. The intended use of the vehicle is street use only so it's not like I'll be beating it against the rocks, but I do want some peace of mind that me and the kiddos will have some safety feature since it will be a full convertible.

 

[jimmyleetn]

Well I'm my own worst enemy. I decided to beef up that attachment point on the b pillar with some 1/8th plates. Definitely sturdier than the first way I did it. I didn't enjoy cutting that passenger side out again, but I feel better about it now.

 

[jimmyleetn]

Today was a slow day. I did get stuff done though. I took a detour from the roll cage and went ahead and got all the steering hooked back up and torqued down. Spent the rest of the day deciding how I wanted the roll cage to fit, at least the b pillar hoop. From there, I started working on the brackets. That step in the floor there is difficult because it is angled and tapered as it sweeps towards the back. I think I did a pretty good job, at least as good as I can do making that first plate. I got it lined up and then the kids got home but I know what I'm doing now so that makes me feel pretty good. I also had the driver seat and passenger seat in there. It was kind of cool to get to sit in it again. It's been so long.

 

[jimmyleetn]

Lots of other stuff took my time today. Got all of the front plates cut out of the flat stock. I got both of the driver side ones matched up. I should be able to finish the front plates tomorrow. I chickened out on doing a continuous bead. I was afraid of them warping since they fit so tight.

 

[gweber71]

Today was a slow day. I did get stuff done though. I took a detour from the roll cage and went ahead and got all the steering hooked back up and torqued down. Spent the rest of the day deciding how I wanted the roll cage to fit, at least the b pillar hoop. From there, I started working on the brackets. That step in the floor there is difficult because it is angled and tapered as it sweeps towards the back. I think I did a pretty good job, at least as good as I can do making that first plate. I got it lined up and then the kids got home but I know what I'm doing now so that makes me feel pretty good. I also had the driver seat and passenger seat in there. It was kind of cool to get to sit in it again. It's been so long.

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Looks great. What brand is the steering box?

 

[jimmyleetn]

Looks great. What brand is the steering box?

I'm not sure of the actual brand, I sent it off to be rebuilt by Red Head in Washington. I put just over 500 miles on it before this giant restoration began. It was worth every penny. So much better than stock (I have used brand new boxes before for comparison). I got them to custom coat it in that gray color. Usually they come gloss black with a red top, but I wanted something with a little flash of color since everything else underneath the truck is predominately black.

 

[jimmyleetn]

I've got a lot of hours in these four floor plates. I'm sure a seasoned fabricator could have cranked them out quicker and they probably would have had better tools, but I'm pretty happy with what I ended up with and I only screwed up one. Speaking of better tools, I'm pretty sure my drill press is a piece of junk. It's got like a 2.4 amp motor and it started laying down on me with that 3/8in bit about halfway into the second plate. Anyways, the passenger side is bolted in. I haven't drilled the holes yet into the floor for the driver side. Of course they'll have to come back out when I get ready to drill the holes for the 1-in shear pins, but I need to shorten the width of the hoop a little more and do some more measuring before that part. That'll be next week I guess.

 

[nvrenuf]

Those turned out great!

 

[jimmyleetn]

Those turned out great!

Thanks, your pictures and measurements you sent me of your floor plates have been invaluable.

 

[nvrenuf]

Glad I could help. I’m looking forward to the rest of the cage install.

 

[jimmyleetn]

Getting closer, I've had a lot of interruptions so it's been hard to get going. I've got one plate basically done. I've just got to weld a shear pin in. I have learned that my drill press is definitely wimpy. It was laying down when I was trying to drill 1-in holes. I did do one with a hole saw and it took probably 15min. I wound up having to go to the neighbors and use his. Waiting on some big boy drill bits now or I would have gotten more done today. I also spent some time sitting and thinking and scrolling Facebook marketplace looking for drill presses