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A low slung old chevy on rockwells... it can be done
- Thread starter jtk26
- Start date
Every year I put on a 4x4 contest only for full size rigs here in phoenix az. Its part of a club ran on arizonak5.com. In fact last year the contest was featured in Petersen's, which was actually a huge surprise. My rig was still being built so I didn't get into the article.
here is the link to the full article
The Arizona K5 Blazer Contest - 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine
we got a coverpage shot
anywho this year was the 3rd year in a row and had a great turnout. I did an offroad course and a hill climb. About 20 trucks came and competed, was a great time. We don't take it too seriously, mostly think its fun to compete against eachother. Here are a few pics.
here is the link to the full article
The Arizona K5 Blazer Contest - 4-Wheel & Off-Road Magazine
we got a coverpage shot
anywho this year was the 3rd year in a row and had a great turnout. I did an offroad course and a hill climb. About 20 trucks came and competed, was a great time. We don't take it too seriously, mostly think its fun to compete against eachother. Here are a few pics.
Well at this stage things came to a screetching hault on the Jimmy, mostly for the tow rig. I have a 2000 Suburban 2500 with an LQ4 6.0L.
Here is a pic of it and my trailer
It started to get a horrible knocking noise comming from around the torque converter. I dropped the TC cover and I could spin the converter by hand about 15-20*. So i obviously had to split the motor and trans and figure out why my flexplate broke. Seeing how my motor had 170k on it, and was running a bit weak, and I had several weeks with a light work load I decided I was going to rebuild it.
I pulled the motor without having to remove anything from the front clip except the hood. Radiator was still in.
I surprisingly drove on this broken flex plate for a long time, even towed with it.
and I believe this motor mount with no rubber left in it is the cause.
you know even though the mount was toast and probably had been for a while, there wasn't much noticeable vibration.
Here is a pic of it and my trailer
It started to get a horrible knocking noise comming from around the torque converter. I dropped the TC cover and I could spin the converter by hand about 15-20*. So i obviously had to split the motor and trans and figure out why my flexplate broke. Seeing how my motor had 170k on it, and was running a bit weak, and I had several weeks with a light work load I decided I was going to rebuild it.
I pulled the motor without having to remove anything from the front clip except the hood. Radiator was still in.
I surprisingly drove on this broken flex plate for a long time, even towed with it.
and I believe this motor mount with no rubber left in it is the cause.
you know even though the mount was toast and probably had been for a while, there wasn't much noticeable vibration.
So here comes the famous "while it's apart I should...." Originally the plan was to just rering the motor, fix anything that was broken, and put it back in, but there is something deep inside of me that just can't do that. I had to add at least some performance stuff.
Here is what I did:
New cold air intake
LS6 cam and valve springs
High volume oil pump
Custom PCM tune - I used 150tunes.com/waynehartwig here on pirate4x4
New lower 1800 rpm stall converter
Here is what I had to do:
Obviously new motor mounts, and flexplate, also a new timing set etc.
Have heads completely rebuilt. Almost all exhaust valve seats were pretty bad. The head surface also had to be decked about .008" each. Crank was a bit scratched so that had to be turned. And new cam bearings.
Pretty much everything else was in great shape, The cylinders were still within spec and could see crosshatching, no noticeable scratches so I rehoned them and slapped the motor together.
Motor buildin is probably my favorite thing to do when it comes to working on cars/trucks.
not to bad, but some wear
these knock sensors were rusted to piss, and I broke the stupid connections so I had to buy a new harness as well
the beginning of the parts spreading on the floor. I really need to build more tables for the garage
0328131814a_zpsf621f404.jpg Photo by kayjef | Photobucket
heads and crank back from the machine shop
rotating assembly in
valvetrain done
some fresh paint
I even painted the manifold heat shields, why... I don't know
Here is what I did:
New cold air intake
LS6 cam and valve springs
High volume oil pump
Custom PCM tune - I used 150tunes.com/waynehartwig here on pirate4x4
New lower 1800 rpm stall converter
Here is what I had to do:
Obviously new motor mounts, and flexplate, also a new timing set etc.
Have heads completely rebuilt. Almost all exhaust valve seats were pretty bad. The head surface also had to be decked about .008" each. Crank was a bit scratched so that had to be turned. And new cam bearings.
Pretty much everything else was in great shape, The cylinders were still within spec and could see crosshatching, no noticeable scratches so I rehoned them and slapped the motor together.
Motor buildin is probably my favorite thing to do when it comes to working on cars/trucks.
not to bad, but some wear
these knock sensors were rusted to piss, and I broke the stupid connections so I had to buy a new harness as well
the beginning of the parts spreading on the floor. I really need to build more tables for the garage
0328131814a_zpsf621f404.jpg Photo by kayjef | Photobucket
heads and crank back from the machine shop
rotating assembly in
valvetrain done
some fresh paint
I even painted the manifold heat shields, why... I don't know
dropped in with all the accessories. It's amazing how easy that dropped right in, the motor mount setup guides it right into place
most of the stuff hooked back up
and a picture of it pretty much done.
This motor build was pretty easy and very fun, there is lots of info on the net about ls motors and exactly how to build them. Infact I have a master rebuild manual if anyone wants me to post it.
Anyone who has any questions about the motor build let me know. I obviously left out a ton of crap.
most of the stuff hooked back up
and a picture of it pretty much done.
This motor build was pretty easy and very fun, there is lots of info on the net about ls motors and exactly how to build them. Infact I have a master rebuild manual if anyone wants me to post it.
Anyone who has any questions about the motor build let me know. I obviously left out a ton of crap.
some other somewhat interesting tidbits about the 6.0L LQ4 build.
Here is the gasket/rering set splayed out on my kitchen table. This was actually kind of hard to find surprisingly. Summitracing didn't even carry it. They had to special order it from felpro. A little weird considering I have read about tons of 6.0L builds.
I really love how nice all the gaskets are in these LS based motors. That's probably why they rarely leak.
And a pic of the LS6 cam. I personally chose this one because it had a similar lift/duration/lobe separation angle as most performance shop's custom grinds for max torque. Obviously I could have got bigger high end numbers with a steeper cam but I tow with it so I still wanted a strong bottom end from 2000-4500rpms.
Now that I have been driving the Burb a while I would say the motor gained about 70hp/tq with the new intake, cam, and tune. That's just a guess though.
Here is the gasket/rering set splayed out on my kitchen table. This was actually kind of hard to find surprisingly. Summitracing didn't even carry it. They had to special order it from felpro. A little weird considering I have read about tons of 6.0L builds.
I really love how nice all the gaskets are in these LS based motors. That's probably why they rarely leak.
And a pic of the LS6 cam. I personally chose this one because it had a similar lift/duration/lobe separation angle as most performance shop's custom grinds for max torque. Obviously I could have got bigger high end numbers with a steeper cam but I tow with it so I still wanted a strong bottom end from 2000-4500rpms.
Now that I have been driving the Burb a while I would say the motor gained about 70hp/tq with the new intake, cam, and tune. That's just a guess though.
Well, with the motor build done it just fired up and ran perfect from day 1. My only issue was a ground problem and that was because I didn't tighten a bolt down good enough
So then I was surfing craigslist, which I don't think any redneck should do, and I came across a guy parting out a 2001 8.1L silverado 2500hd. Once I figured out that he had the AAM 11.5" rearend with 4.11 gears and the eaton g80 locker in it, with a front axle to match all with only 100k miles on them I decided to pull it from his truck, and throw it in mine. I don't have many pictures except for these 2 of my old 3.73:1 9.5" sf 14 bolt and front 9.25" ifs diff.
So then I was surfing craigslist, which I don't think any redneck should do, and I came across a guy parting out a 2001 8.1L silverado 2500hd. Once I figured out that he had the AAM 11.5" rearend with 4.11 gears and the eaton g80 locker in it, with a front axle to match all with only 100k miles on them I decided to pull it from his truck, and throw it in mine. I don't have many pictures except for these 2 of my old 3.73:1 9.5" sf 14 bolt and front 9.25" ifs diff.
A few things I learned about the axle swap:
1. The spring perch on the 11.5" is 1" taller so my rear sits higher
2. The upper shock mounts are in a slightly different place on the trucks from the burb's in the 2000's and I had to trim down the shock mounts a bit to fit the existing shocks.
3. The pinion yoke is exactly 2" closer to the tcase in the aam 11.5" so that's how much I had to trim the rear driveshaft
4. Most aam 11.5" use a 1415 ujoint instead of a 1410 joint.
the difference is the diameter of the 1415 is .010" smaller. They have the same cap diameter and size. My solution was I took a fine flap wheel on a grinder and shaved down the raised portions on the u joint caps. Carefully measuring 0.005" off of each cap on the 1410 joint. I definitely didn't want vibrations. And the material I removed is negligible as far as structural strength goes. And now that it is running it is smooth as butter, absolutely no vibrations.
5. The 3/4 ton brakes on the 9.5" sf 14 bolt in these years is the exact same e brake, caliper, pads, etc, except the rotor for the full floater aam 11.5" is not interchangeable because of the size of the offset from wms. So ultimately I had to use the original rotor on the donor axle which wasn't in as good as shape as the original one on the burban.
anywho, enough with my babbling
1. The spring perch on the 11.5" is 1" taller so my rear sits higher
2. The upper shock mounts are in a slightly different place on the trucks from the burb's in the 2000's and I had to trim down the shock mounts a bit to fit the existing shocks.
3. The pinion yoke is exactly 2" closer to the tcase in the aam 11.5" so that's how much I had to trim the rear driveshaft
4. Most aam 11.5" use a 1415 ujoint instead of a 1410 joint.
5. The 3/4 ton brakes on the 9.5" sf 14 bolt in these years is the exact same e brake, caliper, pads, etc, except the rotor for the full floater aam 11.5" is not interchangeable because of the size of the offset from wms. So ultimately I had to use the original rotor on the donor axle which wasn't in as good as shape as the original one on the burban.
anywho, enough with my babbling
Okay at this point I graduated med school and started residency in Washington state, so Me, the wife and the 2 kids towed this rig on the trailer 24hrs to washington. The burban towed great. It feels good to drive a rig across country that I built. Anywho, I have done a few things to the rig
braced up a few things, and actually did something for looks... fancy that. I thought this rig has gotten a little too hack job. Time to make it look a little better.
braced up a few things, and actually did something for looks... fancy that. I thought this rig has gotten a little too hack job. Time to make it look a little better.
I met up with a guy from here and nw-wheelers.com and went wheeling to elbe hills, wa. Lots of mud. More mud than I personally like but I guess I have to get used to it. Maybe I will get some boggers for my new tires...
Really both of us are new to washington and had no clue where we were going and where the good stuff was. Now we have a clue.
35's and this mud hole didn't mix, especially with that diagonal log in there
his rig
i am not really diggin this bug eye look, I want to get some sort of cat eye headlight and mount them wider with some tube around it.
i hate mud
we ran into this dude, pretty built bronco, he claimed it was the original bronco on monster garage in 2003 that jessie james and his team of monkeys built. After some research he wasn't lying. A pretty cool rig for sure
35's and this mud hole didn't mix, especially with that diagonal log in there
his rig
i am not really diggin this bug eye look, I want to get some sort of cat eye headlight and mount them wider with some tube around it.
i hate mud
we ran into this dude, pretty built bronco, he claimed it was the original bronco on monster garage in 2003 that jessie james and his team of monkeys built. After some research he wasn't lying. A pretty cool rig for sure
So now I know that my next upgrade is a winch. That's a must with the mud holes on the trails in this state. What I am thinking is putting a hitch ontop of my front bumper and getting a cradle with quick connect wiring. that way I can pull myself backward. And maybe I am a little crazy but I am thinking about putting hitches on top of my cages so I can flip myself backover with a flop on the side. Anyone think I am stupid? ... probably
went out wheelin for the 4th of july weekend. Had a good time. Ran a trail called busy wild at elbe hills. Was pretty fun. It realistically wasn't that difficult except for how narrow it is, and all the tight turns with roots/mud walls on each side. These trails get run so much muddy that over the years it becomes a big trench in some spot.
case in point, kevin's rig
hello door dent
since it still shuts, and window still works, I don't care, I actually kind of like it better dented.
ran into these two hacked up yota's. That front one got f*&^ up. In one hole he broke his right front birfield, rear driveshaft, and sheered off both perches from the rear axle housing from some horrendous axle wrap. Maybe it was from the 63" rear springs, 40's, and a 350 sbc with no wrap bar and shizzy weld.
hard to see but look at his rear diff
case in point, kevin's rig
hello door dent
since it still shuts, and window still works, I don't care, I actually kind of like it better dented.
ran into these two hacked up yota's. That front one got f*&^ up. In one hole he broke his right front birfield, rear driveshaft, and sheered off both perches from the rear axle housing from some horrendous axle wrap. Maybe it was from the 63" rear springs, 40's, and a 350 sbc with no wrap bar and shizzy weld.
hard to see but look at his rear diff
and getting the winch setup. I decided to go with a cradle and dual hitches front and rear. It fits what I want to do with my budget. Also will have this thing adaptable to the front and rear of my tow rig and my flatbet trailer.
Obviously the cons of running a winch cradle is you have to lug it around, find somewhere to store it, and it generally is flapping in the wind for rocks to hit it. So I build my front hitch to have that thing as tucked up as possible. I don't think it's too bad. And it will be up pretty high when I am enventually running a 46" tire or something like that. Anyways here are some pics of it tacked in
some recovery stuff
braced it up a little bit
still don't have a winch yet, maybe next paycheck
and my little storage idea. It is about 9 inches from the back passengers, and my placement will make a lot more sense when I throw a few more tubes behind the back seat
Obviously the cons of running a winch cradle is you have to lug it around, find somewhere to store it, and it generally is flapping in the wind for rocks to hit it. So I build my front hitch to have that thing as tucked up as possible. I don't think it's too bad. And it will be up pretty high when I am enventually running a 46" tire or something like that. Anyways here are some pics of it tacked in
some recovery stuff
braced it up a little bit
still don't have a winch yet, maybe next paycheck
and my little storage idea. It is about 9 inches from the back passengers, and my placement will make a lot more sense when I throw a few more tubes behind the back seat
I bought a winch
Engo E10000s. A cheaper winch but has good reviews and excellent customer service. And for $350 to my door I had to get it. It even came with this carbon fiber look which I think is pretty cool.
I got 2 quick disconnects from rough country and wired them both to the top posts of the optima. They aren't quite organized yet with zipties so it looks pretty messy.
To attach the quick disconnect to the solenoid I had to open up the solenoid pack, and I noticed that the molded in nut to the housing pulled out and the solenoids were free floating in there. I bolted them down to some extra nuts allready in the housing.
fits in there nice and snug
Engo E10000s. A cheaper winch but has good reviews and excellent customer service. And for $350 to my door I had to get it. It even came with this carbon fiber look which I think is pretty cool.
I got 2 quick disconnects from rough country and wired them both to the top posts of the optima. They aren't quite organized yet with zipties so it looks pretty messy.
To attach the quick disconnect to the solenoid I had to open up the solenoid pack, and I noticed that the molded in nut to the housing pulled out and the solenoids were free floating in there. I bolted them down to some extra nuts allready in the housing.
fits in there nice and snug
I have read a couple threads of the engo winch needing a couple screws in the housing for the motor to be tightened out of the box. Mine were pretty tight, didn't need much tightening.
Also heard people say it's a loud winch, and I would concur. Pretty loud but is freespools as good as any winch I've messed with. Is really easy to pull the cable out.
I replaced that annoying hook is a d ring. I like using those better.
Also anyone who has issues with how close it is to the middle back passenger's head, I always have a car seat there because soon I will have 3 kids all under 4 years old, and they always come wheeling with me.
Also heard people say it's a loud winch, and I would concur. Pretty loud but is freespools as good as any winch I've messed with. Is really easy to pull the cable out.
I replaced that annoying hook is a d ring. I like using those better.
Also anyone who has issues with how close it is to the middle back passenger's head, I always have a car seat there because soon I will have 3 kids all under 4 years old, and they always come wheeling with me.
