I forgot to add that the section of frame I cut off weighed 100 pounds with the old shackle flip brackets and receiver hitch.Scrap metal is up in price . . . Just sayin
CK5
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'89 R3500 Crew Cab 2wd to 4wd conversion & beyond
- Thread starter mrk5
- Start date
Started out with 2wd TBI350 with SM465 to current 4wd with 454, 700r4, NP241
Do you know what the cab to centerline of rear axle measurement will be after you do this?
It's gonna be sweet! With the bed being totally fabbed you can get a great shock position for the rear springs. When I had my soft leaves I always wished I could fit a 2.5" shock. I'm of the opinion the 2.0 is just not enough shock. Just food for though when fabbing up your shock mounts and maybe leaving enough room for a bigger shock in the future.
Wow, PavementSucks still exists?
Looks like 33" to 34".
Yeah, I definitely want to shoot for vertical placement. I've been looking at 2.5" shocks for a while. I feel like from looks alone, 2.0 shocks seem too dinky. After all the rear stuff is settled, I really want to redo my front shock setup and would like to go 2.5" there too.
Unfortunately all of the current shock bushing sleeves are corroded to the bolts. Again I blame this on the crap they put on the roads in the winter. I'm definitely using more anti-seize than I used to, but I doubt I put any on the shock bolts thru the sleeves. They haven't been on the truck that long; 5 years tops.
I kinda just stole that. I put it on there so people know that I don't have a big lifted truck to look cool on the street. Funny thing is I get the most comments from that sticker. Not people that know the website, but just like the idea behind it.
Is there such a thing as too much pinion angle?
I don't feel like I'm there, but more just curious I suppose.
When I get the rear driveshaft done, I'm going to base it off the pinion angle. My shaft has a CV at the support bearing.
I'll locate the support bearing so that the pinion is pointed at the flange for the CV like you would if it was the transmission output on a 1-piece drive shaft.
I think my pinion question is more linked to driveshaft angles and lengths. I don't want the axle half of the driveshaft to be too short/steep.
I need to do more reading on this, just kinda thinking "out loud".
I don't feel like I'm there, but more just curious I suppose.
When I get the rear driveshaft done, I'm going to base it off the pinion angle. My shaft has a CV at the support bearing.
I'll locate the support bearing so that the pinion is pointed at the flange for the CV like you would if it was the transmission output on a 1-piece drive shaft.
I think my pinion question is more linked to driveshaft angles and lengths. I don't want the axle half of the driveshaft to be too short/steep.
I need to do more reading on this, just kinda thinking "out loud".
I know it's more money but it might be time to go to a one piece rear shaft.
Mine is higher than that. Not had any issues on mine but I do run a little more oil in it.
But I'd think more about going with a single shaft with a cv at the t-case. If only to eliminate the complexity of a two piece shaft and not as extreme tilt to the pinion angle. The length looks like it will fall between a standard K5 shaft and a reg cab short box shaft.
But I'd think more about going with a single shaft with a cv at the t-case. If only to eliminate the complexity of a two piece shaft and not as extreme tilt to the pinion angle. The length looks like it will fall between a standard K5 shaft and a reg cab short box shaft.
A 1-piece shaft would still be longer than what's required on a long bed regular cab; the new wheelbase will be a 12-14" longer. I agree it would be simpler and potentially run smoother on the highway, but I'm really concerned about trail damage.
That is the length I'm thinking of for the axle part of the 2-piece shaft. So the other half of the 2-piece shaft would be the difference in wheel base between mine and the shortbed regular cab pickup. In theory that's about 27".
I think the 2 pc set up with a rear short rear shaft for clearance is pretty cool. The truck in this video is like that, you can’t hardly see the rear shaft much less drag it on something. (I can’t easily find a pic so you just get a cool video to watch)
That video is like a slow motion burnout.
I like the 2 piece shaft because it gives me the option to change things up. With a 1 piece you're stuck with where the tcase output is. I can move the flange at the center support up or down as well as closer to or further away from the rear axle.
Motivation....135.5" wheelbase.
I think I would have thought more seriously about keeping the factory bed sides if mine was in better shape. But I also like the idea of being able to rub the bed on trees and rocks and not worry about messing it up.
I wonder what he did for a fuel tank.
I'm guessing it's in the bed under the toolbox.
I know its not apples to apples, but my dovetail has been huge. Being able to rub past the cab, or potentially clear, is insanely helpful.
Just put Brodozer tires and wheels on it and then it would seem like you had narrowed the entire body and you would have no body rub issues at all. You would just need to stick to the two lane fire roads from now on.
My plan is to leave the rear tires sticking out just an inch or so they can scrub past things too and not even touch the bed.
I feel the same way about not having a topper. I could not get away with as much if I had a suburban. Many times I thought to myself I was glad I didn't have a top to worry about.
There's a lot of glass to worry about back there. Tight spots where the body leans in a turn get puckery.
Great work here. I love how this is coming together.
David
