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UH OH the Sawzall might be coming out....

TruckNutzDude

TruckNutzDude

1/2 ton status
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Mar 31, 2003
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I am slowly starting to realize I will never use the back seat in my K5 again. For one, there isn't enough room for the tires to stuff without hitting the wheel wells so I need to move them inward, which will hit the rear seat. /forums/images/graemlins/doah.gif Then there's safety since I don't have a roll cage yet. Not to mention I haven't installed a new floor yet so my bed sides are just sitting on the new tail pan and floating across to the body. I also don't have heat and don't feel like hearing any moaning about being cold in the winter by anyone other than the person in the passanger seat. /forums/images/graemlins/whistling.gif So my idea is to take out the new tailpan and sell it since I only tack welded it on there. Skin the sides of the K5 body so that just the skins are left and add some kind of light weight frame for them to rest on so it looks like a full bodied K5 from the side. I also plan on adding a cage inside the cab and making a wall like a pickup cab behind the seats to keep mud from the tires from smacking me in the head. It's hard to explain, so here's a picture minus the bed sides.
today9.jpg


What do you guys think? Will I miss having it closed off or will I like being able to see my rear axle and tires going over things and being able to see out the non-existant tailgate when I back up. I think it sounds like a good idea but I'd hate to mess up and have to rebuild the entire rear section of my rig.. again. /forums/images/graemlins/doah.gif
 
If you do mud then I would clos everything off but if you do alot of crawling it would be better to see what each tire is doing. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
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If you do mud then I would clos everything off but if you do alot of crawling it would be better to see what each tire is doing. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

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Lots of mud. That's part of my problem, I don't need mud flinging into the cab and covering up the windshield from the inside /forums/images/graemlins/histerical.gif I was just brain storming a little bit more and I think I can leave enough room behind the front seats for some bucket seats for passangers and that will allow me to keep the front most portion of my inner wheel wells. That should keep most of the mud out of the cab and still allow me to ditch some of the back part of the body for visibility.

I really want to add some plexiglass or lexan floor sections so I can see what I'm driving over also... but that's another topic.
 
That was my original plan. Then I started looking at the arm rests on my seats and realized that it couldn't happen. I need to move the wheel wells in flush with the frame rails to clear my tires, even then, they might hit. /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif
 
The way I'd go at it is to build the cage first. Then hang the bedsides. Instead of walling off the rear of the remaining cab, I'd fab tubs out of plexiglas. Build a floor extension btwn the tubs and mount a third seat off the cage btwn the tubs. Consider one of the rear seats used in the rear of a Heep if it'll be short runs. For longer runs I'd look at the double wide seats offered by Beard etc. If cold rear passengers becomes an issue get one of the "Mojave Heaters" & put it back there.
 
MICAH, has alot of flex in his rear with the 56's and he has 42's, he had to take out his fender wells but he also put a jeep bench seat in there and it fits perfect, then just fab up some fender wells. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
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what if you tubbed the wheel wells?

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Thats what I'm planning.

If he does he can still fit a rear jeep seat. I've already measured it out. Or if he doesn't want a back seat, He could always put a truck cab on it. Then heat wouldn't be an issue. The cab would already be inclosed. Then just (tack) weld the K5 skins on to look like it sould. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif /forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif /forums/images/graemlins/whistling.gif /forums/images/graemlins/hack.gif /forums/images/graemlins/weld.gif
 
Dont know how it would do for visibility, but what about having 3 seats? instead of 2 buckets in the rear, just center 1 bucket, that way you can tub the wheel wells, not get pegged by mud, and still have atleast 3 seats? Then you could keep weight down by not having to make the cage as large, because it would only have to go around 3 seats instead of 4. . (Safety disclaimer, i have never built a cage, so dont know if that is a good idea of not)
 
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are those my old 44"s????

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That's not my truck, it's KidJethro's. (I think) And those are 42x15 swampers. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I have some pictures of your tires mounted on the truck but I've been too lazy to develope them and have them scanned. /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif They look really good on black wheels against a khaki paint job though /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif Thanks again for the tires Rich. /forums/images/graemlins/peace.gif
 
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MICAH, has alot of flex in his rear with the 56's and he has 42's, he had to take out his fender wells but he also put a jeep bench seat in there and it fits perfect, then just fab up some fender wells. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

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I've got 64" springs out back with 14" shocks and about 6" of lift to clear 44's... I think I may be in a little more trouble than him /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif But I did take out the sawzall yesterday and removed the floor and wheel wells, took off the tailgate and removed the new tailpan I installed a few months ago. My plan now is to make a sub-frame tied into the body mount bushings. The rear section will tie into the cab part of the K5 and I'll be running either a jeep seat or two plastic bucket seats. I will have a "family" style cage and all the seats will be mounted to them. The rear bed sides will be mounted to the cage and the back of the K5 will be tapered to the frame rails. I'll also be fabbing up some wheel wells and a floor to keep mud and rocks off the passangers and the back of my cranium. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
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