My weekend project

[gringoloco]

I'll let the pics do most of the talking. This was as easy as pie- maybe easier- I don't even know how to make pie Everything was a bolt-on. The only pain in the neck part were the (&@$#()@& RIVETS!!!

[paaw]

Nice job, wish i could get that much done in a weekend, is that a reqular blazer tank

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by paaw

Nice job, wish i could get that much done in a weekend, is that a reqular blazer tank

Thanks! Yep. Poly Blazer replacement tank. Bolts right in like it was meant to be...

[pissonNOS]

quick question about your notch, first off where did you get it CPP seems to be the cheapest ive found yet, and secondly seeing as you had a chance to look at this would it still be structurally sound if the part where the airbag bolts go thru was cut off?

[lolife99]

I see alot of nice parts there. How hard was it to locate the trailing arm crossmember? Did you us a stock one or the ECE version? Is this one getting the dropmember also? Again,... nice work.

[68C15]

Originally Posted by lolife99

I see alot of nice parts there. How hard was it to locate the trailing arm crossmember? Did you us a stock one or the ECE version? Is this one getting the dropmember also? Again,... nice work.

the trailing arm forward mounts will bolt right up to the center X member. no holes to drill or anything.

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by 68C15

the trailing arm forward mounts will bolt right up to the center X member. no holes to drill or anything.

Yepper. That would be a whole hell of a lot easier than what I had to do to replace the whole crossmember. It did not want to leave its home!

[Frizzle Fry]

You love those trailing arm conversions

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by pissonNOS

quick question about your notch, first off where did you get it CPP seems to be the cheapest ive found yet, and secondly seeing as you had a chance to look at this would it still be structurally sound if the part where the airbag bolts go thru was cut off?

It's a CPP I scored off a boardmember(67Fleet) with a group of other parts he was not using when he went lower. I also got the 1.5" blocks from him. CPP's are the cheapest I've seen, and if you call them, you can get it for $30 off- they run a perpetual "magazine ad special" advertising it for $99. Catalog price is $129...

As for cutting it off: The frame is already triple thick there before bolting in the notch, so you end up drilling through a inch of metal. I still would not chance it without welding/boxing it in. In that case, I would just build a custom notch out of pipe/plate.

Originally Posted by lolife99

I see alot of nice parts there. How hard was it to locate the trailing arm crossmember? Did you use a stock one or the ECE version? Is this one getting the dropmember also? Again,... nice work.

The parts are basically all stock stuff powdercoated, with the exception of the notch(CPP) and the panhard and shock relocators(ECE).

The leaf spring trucks already have the trailing arm crossmember in place, just no trailing arm brackets on it. I just pulled the old one and replaced it since a previous owner somewhere along the way took a cutting torch to the one on the truck. It's a stock piece I modified by cutting 4.5" holes in for exhaust routing. Just bolted it in place with grade 8 hardware.

There is some info in a few of my 4wd to 2wd Blazer conversion posts about locating the trailing arm crossmember in a chassis not originally equipped with t-arms. No Dropmember for this one- yet...

Originally Posted by Frizzle Fry

You love those trailing arm conversions

I do! Can you believe this is what I do for fun?

[project1968]

I am getting ready to do the same thing, except my truck is a coil spring truck so I have a few questions. How did you mount the air bags? did you have to fab some brackets or plates. Will the axle bottom out in the c-notch if you fully deflate the bags?

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by project1968

I am getting ready to do the same thing, except my truck is a coil spring truck so I have a few questions. How did you mount the air bags? did you have to fab some brackets or plates. Will the axle bottom out in the c-notch if you fully deflate the bags?

The bags are mounted with one long(4") bolt through the trailing arm and two bolts through the frame up top. No adapters required. You will need one hell of a large hole for the air fitting though...

The axle will bottom out in the notch. I am using button style 3/8" tall bumpstops so it won't clang if it hits.

[72BlckButy]

Man oh man... and I thought I got something accomplished this weekend. Looking good gringoloco! Is the front for next weekend?

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by 72BlckButy

Man oh man... and I thought I got something accomplished this weekend. Looking good gringoloco! Is the front for next weekend?

Still debating it. I have all the needed parts left over from my Blazer, but this is my DD, so I don't know if I want to ruin the reliability of my current front setup(alignment, etc.)

First thing I need to do is get the bed back on so I can route my exhaust. I plan on raising the floor 3", so it's not just a bolt-on deal...

[greasy68]

Damn man, over a weekend, You make the rest of us look bad. Did you have to weld on your axle to change over to the trailing arm perches? I have leaf springs and this is my next mod.

[project1968]

Thanks for the answers. Looks great so far. What kind of bags are you running. What about shocks?

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by greasy68

Damn man, over a weekend, You make the rest of us look bad. Did you have to weld on your axle to change over to the trailing arm perches? I have leaf springs and this is my next mod.

Thanks. It really was very easy- if not for cleaning/painting everything, it would have only taken a day...

I did not weld this one, I just swapped axles from a '73-up truck into a '70 housing- direct swap. I did, however, weld new perches on the rear I used in my Blazer conversion using the ECE pieces. They are very nice and worked perfectly.

Originally Posted by project1968

Thanks for the answers. Looks great so far. What kind of bags are you running. What about shocks?

They are Slam Specialties RE200 7" diameter. The shocks are some drop shocks I had laying around- I will swap to Monroe-Matics as soon as I get a good part# for the needed length.

[gringoloco]

Here's phase 1 of what I'm doing to provide a little room for the exhaust. Pay no attention to my bed floor- it's not all rust, some of it is dirt- except for the holes, they're dirty rust...

[BigSky71]

Nice job Gringoloco, but I agree you are making the rest of us look bad! I wish I had raised my bed floor before I sprayed in the bed liner, oh well I will on the next one.

[tdave00]

Do you think trailing arms are better than the leafs? I am looking at picking up a swb truck that has leafs, and I definitely want to lower it and notch the frame. I won't use it for hauling anything other than a small trailer occasionally. I would rather have a better ride. With that said should I ditch the leafs?

Nice looking job btw. I just wish I had something to tinker on right now.

[pyro883]

wish I could get that much done in a weekend.....maybe when I get home I can knock some good projects out

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by BigSky71

Nice job Gringoloco, but I agree you are making the rest of us look bad! I wish I had raised my bed floor before I sprayed in the bed liner, oh well I will on the next one.

Making you look bad? Hardly. In the time frame you finished your truck, I have accomplished exactly crap comparitively. Thanks for the compliment

Originally Posted by tdave00

Do you think trailing arms are better than the leafs? I am looking at picking up a swb truck that has leafs, and I definitely want to lower it and notch the frame. I won't use it for hauling anything other than a small trailer occasionally. I would rather have a better ride. With that said should I ditch the leafs?

Nice looking job btw. I just wish I had something to tinker on right now.

Thanks! You can make leaves work- I just have a thing for the trailing arms. Bags will offer a better ride though...

[gringoloco]

I created another mount at the middle support that normally rests on the framerails. I didn't feel like there was enough support there with just the wheeltubs to keep it from bowing. I just drilled a 3/8" hole through the flloor, support, and frame and notched the floor for the square head on the carriage bolt with my jigsaw.

To the untrained eye, it will appear factory- which is kinda what I'm going for with this floor raising. Hopefully, at first glance, even those 'in the know' won't spot it...

[gringoloco]

Are you just raising it 1"? I thought about doing a 1x3 rectangular tube frame, but decided that would be way too heavy.

My current idea is a little more "permanent". It involves cutting the bedside flanges off, turning them 180*, and reattaching them to the opposite bedside in the same position(albeit 3" higher) via plug welds- if that makes any sense. Same rules apply for the front panel.

The rear stake pocket posts will have to be shortened 3". It's either that, or take the corner out of the floor, but then you lose the 4 bolts at the rear crossmember that keep the sides from bowing in.

The tubs will need new holes drilled in the bedsides for the upper attachments, but bolt in the stock location on the floor.

It's only metal- right

Edit: The filler neck should not change. The tank and bedside will be in the same spacial relationship as before. I will need to figure out a new cover for the inside, as my Blazer filler cover won't fit anymore. Now I regret cutting the rear cross sill to fit it before...

[SCOTI]

Are you just raising it 1"? I thought about doing a 1x3 rectangular tube frame, but decided that would be way too heavy.

Nope.... 3" like you. I was going to get all fancy using the tubing to make a sub-frame but decided there wasn't much benefit for the work. My current plan is fairly simple: measure, cut, tack together, & drill some holes that match the bedfloor.

The rear stake pocket posts will have to be shortened 3". It's either that, or take the corner out of the floor, but then you lose the 4 bolts at the rear crossmember that keep the sides from bowing in.

Look @ a wood-floor truck. The rear floor @ the stake pocket is actually bolted together w/a simple 90° piece of metal. I was going to copy it, trim the floor as needed, & keep it simple.

The tubs will need new holes drilled in the bedsides for the upper attachments, but bolt in the stock location on the floor.

Yep, shave the small 1/8" lip on the tub & bolt it in like stock. I even have a lip I cut off an old tub as my template for where the new holes go.

The filler neck should not change. The tank and bedside will be in the same spacial relationship as before. I will need to figure out a new cover for the inside, as my Blazer filler cover won't fit anymore. Now I regret cutting the rear cross sill to fit it before...

I have my tank mounted but never made it to the filler neck portion because of other stuff that came first (mini-tubs, bed-floor patch-panels, big-brakes, Dropmember, wheels.....). I also notched the floor support for clearance but still need it since I raised my tank vs. stock (if you can call a blazer-tank in a truck 'stock'). My question was really directed @ the body 'puc' that's supposed to go directly in front of the filler neck. I'm trying to keep the fuel flow path as straight as possible.

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

My question was really directed @ the body 'puc' that's supposed to go directly in front of the filler neck. I'm trying to keep the fuel flow path as straight as possible.

Depends on where you mount your door(or something else?) on the bedside. I grafted in a door from an 88-98 truck- it sits behind the crossmember, so I moved the tank back as far as I could- it just clears.

I thought about mounting the tank to the under side of the top of the framerail "C", which is what I'm assuming you did, but it would cause my filler tube to run uphill. I also thought about using a 73-87 Blazer tank(they are much shallower below the framerail), but I don't think I can make it work- there simply isn't enough room for it while keeping some sort of rear crossmember or towing hitch. I may try what I have planned for my Blazer, which involves a Jeep Wrangler tank(uses the same sending unit as the 73-87 Blazer) -we'll see how it goes...