Due to long shipping times and back orders on parts I really have nothing to add to the build thread except these wheels. A good friend of mine still owed me for some paint work I did so we squared up with these wheels from his 67 Chevelle SS. I'm hoping my shackles arrive before the weekend so I can hang the spring and front axle.
A little more progress. The front leafs are installed, the axle is hung. Still waiting to get my spindles back after they went out to have the king pun bushings reamed. And the short block of the engine build is done. Next it's onto port matching the heads and get the top end built.
I'm gong to be doing a weathered paint job on this truck so I figured since I was up at 5 am this morning, I might as well do a test panel. Using a rattle can blue that's close to the paint colour I'm using, I went to it. This is what the end result was
Great build thread. That photo of it sitting on the later model frame ought to pop up every time someone asks "Can I put my Task Force truck on a later frame". I'm liking your choice of color for it too.
I hear ya about the later model frame, it's just not a worthy swap. I went and bought a parts truck and used a stock chassis. Speaking of which, I have the front end mocked up so I could see how low this thing is going to sit with the mono leaf and dropped axle. Once the power train is dropped in, I'm expecting it to drop close to and inch. Right now, I have 5" from the floor to the bottom of the U bolts
Wow, this is a really great build, and it is going to be awesome when done... Great job, and keep us in pictures and progress FerShure !! Cheers....
I got a bit more done this morning. I removed the bed wood by grinding the tops off the carriage bolts. That old dry wood sure lights up in a hurry. I also removed the windshield so I could get a better look at what's underneath and found there to be only surface rust, NICE!!! Then I measured up and marked the location for the C notch I'll be doing later on this week. I decided to go ahead and paint one of the 3 clusters I have in the shop to see if I preferred the blue over the black face.
A bit of progress to add to the pile. I boxed and C notched the rear of the frame tonight and got the spindles installed up front.
Engine rebuild is done. Small block 350, 268 Comp Cam, roller rockers, port matched head and intake,Holley aluminum intake, 650 Edelbrock, and a GM HEI distributor. This will be mated up to a TH350 with a B&M shift kit in it and the rear end is a 3.08 from a 65 Chevelle
I am not going to shoot your build thread down,you've done nice job. But that notchjob caught my eye,it looks like a bit weak to me.I think it needs a bit more stuff above the notched area..
I've already started on the upper part of the notch. I'm building a 12" long 3" tall tapered arch to regain some strength.
A little bit of progress from tonight. Installed the steering box, pitman arm, drag link, steering arms and tie rod. We also put the caliper brackets on and checked all the clearances. I'm going to wait until after I heat up and bend the steering arm to install the brake rotors. IN the mean time I'll get the rear mono leafs and shackles installed and weld the mew saddle mounts on the Chevelle rear end.
What's the best way to get the pitman arm to sit further back on the shaft? Should I use a piece of pipe and pound it back onto the splines or can I torque it on with the nut and lock washer?
A small bit of progress to report. We had some time yesterday so we got the rear mono leafs installed and welded the saddles onto the 65 Chevelle axle. Now I have to rebuild the brakes, paint the housing and get it installed. I got a bit swamped with airbrush commissions and took a month off of working on the truck and make some money to buy more parts
I've been busy getting some paint jobs finished over the past month so I can free up some time and money on this build. This weekend we got a chance to get the front end assembled and torqued down. I installed the 6 degree caster shims, Bilstein nitro slammer shocks and the CPP 5 x 4.75 disc brake conversion kit. Once it was done I hung one of the Corvette ralleys from it to make sure the caliper had enough clearance, which it did. This week I'll be doing the rear axle seals, and rebuilding the wheel ends so I can prep the housing for new paint. My goal is to have this back as a rolling chassis in 2 weeks time. Then I have to install the brake lines, install the engine and tranny and then start piecing the body back together Here's a quick shot of this weekends work
I took a week off work to get some things done around the house and work on the truck. We hung the rear end, rebuilt the wheel ends, welded on the new rear shock mounts, mounted he rims and tires, installed the cab and are now mocking everything up for the engine and tranny mounts. There is some issues with fitting the HEI distributor and the triple pulley up front so I'm going to notch and then box in a section of the front cross member for some added clearance
Even as it sits I can tell it has a nice rake. Looks like you have reversed eye springs on the front, are you also using a dropped axle?
Yeah it's got a 3" dropped axle under it. I tossed the front clip and a door on it to test fit everything today. Then turned back to modifying my front cross member to accommodate the pulleys on the small block. We also got the engine and transmission mount location marked and drilled. Tomorrow I have to finish the work on the front crossmember and extend my rear shock mounts.
I had to add some length to my rear shock mounts, so I fabbed up my pieces and welded them up tonight. I also had some clearance issue up front so I made a little more room in the cross member Then took a rocker height measurement to see where it sits now and what it'll be once the rest of the truck is on the frame
A bit more work done. I was fitting the bed for tire clearance and will need to put a small tun on the inside, which I was expecting. SO I'll take a few measurements and start cutting
this coming weekend we'll be dropping the engine and tranny into it's permanent home. I ordered my Rebel wiring kit from Todd last week so it should be arriving later on this week or early next week. So on the docket for this week is finish up any loose ends on the chassis, grease the front end and the leaf spring pins, fill the rear diff and install the last of the hard brake lines. Then I'll mount the cab permanently and we'll drop the power plant into place. Then we can focus on fitting exhaust and getting everything wired and plumbed so we can fire this thing up. My latest goal is to have it ready to start within the next 3 weeks.
I haven't put any pictures up for a while so here's where we're at right now. The engine and transmission are now mounted in the frame, the wiring has been gutted from the cab to be replaced with a new Rebel wiring kit. I cleaned up and painted the inner fenders and then welded in a couple patches in the cab floor that the previous owner hacked up.
The Jalopy Journal
