Vehicle molesting, boatsiding, front end narrowing, dovetail making...

[CyberSniper]

..redneck people just like me.

My last exam was Monday so I've been thinking up all sorts of crazy ideas since then because I don't have to go to work until Monday.

I have a 4" lifted rusty-as-hell 79K5 and a 87C10 with a smoked transmission. I think it'd be blingin' to put the C10 cab and TBI motor on the K5 frame. It'd be bedless and a wheeling rig. The idea is functional whether it be ugly or not. And street legal. I might not have enough money to go to school this summer so I might end up with a whole lot of free time (work is part-time).

While the two are 500 miles apart, I could gut the K5 and haul it where the C10 is. All I'd need to do is find a 700R4/NP208 for the K5, a spool for the 12 bolt, and some 36-38" rubber.

I think with careful attention to weight I can get the rig down to 3,000lbs give or take a couple hundred. Survival of the 10 bolt and 12 bolt won't be burdened with a lot of weight and I've seen GMCLegacy's heavy truck sit on a Dana 44 with 40" TSLs that took quite a bit of abuse.

My question is, has anyone done a redneck front end narrow job? I'm talking about bending the fenders right in front of the hood springs so you can retain the factory hood springs and hinges. You'd still be bending the front fenders in before the centerline of the axle. If you're slick, you could blend the cuts and welds with some elite brazing skills.

 

[CyberSniper]

Fifty hits and no one has said whether they've attempted to narrow the front so the factory hinges and springs can be retained...

 

[84gmcjimmy]

Not me /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

 

[CK5]

TJ didn't use the fatory hinges just some little ones from Home Depot, the hood is skinned and very light.

 

[CyberSniper]

Yeah, I spotted that one in the archives. I also found one that kept the factory hinges but scrapped the springs. The fenders were bent mid-fender just like what I was thinking about doing... but I want to keep the factory springs so my hood stays up by itself without running gas shocks.

 

[CK5]

Not sure you would want to do it mid fender, mainly because it's just to easy to wipe out the fender at the wide spot, see my example:

 

[CyberSniper]

There aren't many rocks around here... it's mostly trees. Usually once you get it past the tire it doesn't hit you until mid-box. My goal is to keep the hood springs... which are a little bit behind the centerline of the axle. I figure it might look a little better than having gaps at the doors. And if I start worrying about the fender behind the tire then I have to watch the door too...

 

[Resurrection_Joe]

Just don't run a clip, run a few pieces of threaded rod and some tube and go

 

[CK5]

[ QUOTE ]
I figure it might look a little better than having gaps at the doors.

[/ QUOTE ]
Doors?

 

[BadDog]

Well, I didn't bend the fenders or anything, seeing as how I don't have fenders or doors. But I did keep the factory hinges when I skinned and cut my hood. It's easy to do it with the late model hinges. The older style (mounted to the fenders) would be more troublesome and limiting that it would be worth IMO. However, the late cowl mounted hinges are easily retrofitted to the older cabs with a small amount of cutting (basically just 2 slots).

<Edit>
And as for molesting, I've never molested my truck! It was consensual! I swear! It WANTED it as much as I did!

 

[tomseviltwin]

Russ, I'm more worried about the age of your truck rather than whether it was consensual /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif