I have been a member here for a couple months and have been doing some research for my 1970 swb c10 project. After i sold my chevelle i had the money to start it. A little info about the truck. About 15+ years ago my grandfather bought this truck and restored it. I was only 10 or so but fell in love with the truck. A few years after he restored it he gave it to my father as a gift for me when i get to the responsible age to drive. Somehow the truck wasn't ever used and it slowly got ruined. I got to drive it a little bit in high school but ended up buying a new car so the truck sat some more. Ended up being used as a storage compartment. A few years later my grandfather passed on. So this truck has alot of emotional attachments. Make a long story short i decided to fix the truck up because i didn't feel it was right for the truck to rought away. So here i am.

My goals for this truck a pretty high. The truck originally a stepside but is being changed to a fleetside. The motor is a 350 lt1 that i might keep. The suspension is being upgraded to Air Ride Technologies shockwaves for the front and back with a trianglated 4 link. There is tons more i am doing but i alread wrote 2 paragraphs so i will keep you informed as i get farther along.

Some more progress pics

Great pics. Good luck with this. How long did you plan for this?

Here is some pics of the frame i have built so far. I still have tons to do on it but it is starting to take shape. All those crossbraces are just temporary while i built the frame. I am going to weld on gussets, install the 4 link, build the front crossmember, and so on. Check it out and let me know what you think so far.

Nice pics, looks good for a project truck. No rust, the only thing Cali has going for it.

Last one for know. Tomorrow all the air ride stuff should get here so i am hoping that this weekend i can get the rear end installed and then start the front. I will keep posting pics as i progress

Southodisto- There is rust. It is on the cab floor and the bottom of the door panels. It isn't too bad. I will address that when i get to the cab. For now i would like to forget there is any. LOL

BSKLYERJ- i have been wanting to restore this truck for a long time but financially i couldn't afford it.

:) Well It Looks Pretty Darn Impressive So Far. Nice Work. It Looks Like More Of A Creation Than A Restoration. Verrry Verrry Nice. ;) John

I'll be watching this one. Looks like it's gonna be a great truck with a great heritage... Good luck and looks good so far.
Brandon

Very nice! That frame looks great, too!

I'm diggin it Gringo2!!!:metal: :metal:

Nice start, I'll be watching this one come together. Good luck!

I'm diggin it Gringo2!!!:metal: :metal:

Yeah, nice plates...

That was my grandfathers nickname when he worked at Diablo Canyon power plant. It has always stuck. Even though i might change the license plate i will always refer to the truck as Gringo. Anyways great name GringoLoco.

damn josh your kicking ass on that think look awsome. i wish i would have do a full frame. keep up the great work.
justin

That was my grandfathers nickname when he worked at Diablo Canyon power plant. It has always stuck. Even though i might change the license plate i will always refer to the truck as Gringo. Anyways great name GringoLoco.
I think Gringo is fitting...especially since the US is becoming mostly Mexican.
That's all we call each other while in Mexico...and when our mexican-american friends come up to the states.

Nice build so far - thanks for the thread - I look forward to keeping an eye on it.

Wow, you aren't messing around. Frame is looking great - keep us posted!!

Man looking good so far. Wish I had the time and tools to build a frame for my truck.

Thats some good work. Cant wait to see some more progress pics.

Some more stuff came today!:metal: This was my order from Air Ride Technologies. Trianglated 4 link, front and rear shockwaves, strong arms, and polished stainless wheel plates.

I'm definitely gonna be keeping my eye on this one.:D

which 4 link setup did you get?

Some more stuff came today!:metal: This was my order from Air Ride Technologies. Trianglated 4 link, front and rear shockwaves, strong arms, and polished stainless wheel plates. Is there a reason you went with the triangulated 4 link over a parallel 4 link?

Awesome project man. keep on with the good photos and all

|M|

Damn, looks like a great project!

Keep that original license plate around, that's cool too :D

Good luck and keep us posted for sure :cool:

Thanks everyone for the encouraging words. By then end of today i should have the 4 link installed. I had to make a special braket for the angled support pieces because the ones that come with the kit didn't fit. I also had to modify the lower brackets. I love my plasma because i would be hating life.;) I will post some pics when i get it done tonight.

N2TRUX - I bought all my stuff from Nathan Porterbuilt and originally i was going to go with a parallel 4 link but after talking to him he highly recommended me to go with the trianglated 4 link instead. He was saying that there is alot less movement with a trianglated vrs a parallel.

Kenneth - I bought the trianglated 4 link from Air Ride Technologies.

Frame is looking good. Did you make your own body mount brackets? I'm doing a very similar frame, but my backhalf will be different.

Yeah i made the body brackets. Are you doing a step notch back half?

Yea, a stepnotch. I want to try and keep as much bed depth as I can. The brackets look real nice...

That's lookin' like a really good start, to another 'hafta follow build'.

Did you and Nathan talk about doing a parallel 4 link with a Watts link? If so, any pros/cons come up about that set-up?

Well i finally got to take some pics of the rear end. It is just tacked together but for the most part i think i am close to being done. I wanted to do something creative but yet still be able to be functionable. I mounted the shockwaves at a 21deg angle. I also had to make a custom bracket for the angled 4 link bars because i wasn't getting enough of an angle to mount them on the inside of the frame. There is practically no movement in a side to side movement. I think after it is all welded up there wont be any at all.:metal: The reason why only one side has gussets on them is because i wanted to see what it is going to look like when all done. I got excited:hm: . I also centered the wheel at dump instead of ride height. Anyways check it out and dont be worried to give me some constructive critism. It only makes the truck better! Now i have to tack the front suspension:whine: .

gonna c-notch it too???

Looking good dude. Nice setup

I'm sure he isnt going to c-notch it... He probably would have done that when building the frame to make it easier.

gonna c-notch it too???

I think the pics of the old and new frame side by side address this question the best. He built the new frame higher in the rear, this made his cab lower and allowed clearance for the axle (no notch).

I will certainately be keeping my eye on this one. I wish I had your talent. Great work.

Nice work. Keep us posted on the progress.

Thanks everyone! Yeah i am not going to notch it. I have been talking to Nathan Porterbuilt and he mentioned that with the airbags so far inward towards the pumpkin ( i think that what you call it) that it might feel a little sloppy. So after about a few days worth of work i will probably scrap it and move them outwards and hopefully mount them on the outside of the frame. It sucks because all the work i did using the plasma machine, grinding, dry fitting, then more grinding, drilling, and so on. I want to do it right so i don't have to fix anything else down the road. The way i keep mounting everything there won't be anything inside the frame:lol: . So probably sunday i will start relocating the shockwaves. Can you guys think of anything creative that i can do with the rear suspension? I wanted to be creative but it doesn't seem like i can think of anything. Thanks Josh

looks sweet so far!

looking awspome man . you should hold on to that frame for some one as those are always nice to have. Great work and that new frame looks sweet

Yeah I was going to keep the stock short frame because after i finish this truck i was going to find a long bed and swap the cab and fenders to the short frame and just purchase a new/used bed and make a rat rod truck! I should have the rear end done this weekend and i will take some pics.

josh

very VERY nice job on the frame and suspension so far. im going to making my long bed into a short bed, i hope my project goes as smooth as yours is. if you do a frame mod or in your case a whole new frame would you need to have a CHP to look it over to make sure that its safe before you get the registration? thats my only concern. how much movement do thoes bags have? about 5 or 6"?

Sweet job on the chassis!!!

Wow!!! Christmas came early. I'm drooling over the possibilities. I'll be watching this one. I was wondering why you chose the triangulated suspension over the parallel? Another question... what gauge square tube did you go with on your new frame?
:ww:

Looks sweet. One thing I noticed was the gussets you used on the upper link brackets. You might be better off making some out of 3/16" instead of using those stamped ones. How far are you from Modesto???

Later
Jr

Thanks everyone! Yeah i am not going to notch it. I have been talking to Nathan Porterbuilt and he mentioned that with the airbags so far inward towards the pumpkin ( i think that what you call it) that it might feel a little sloppy. So after about a few days worth of work i will probably scrap it and move them outwards and hopefully mount them on the outside of the frame. It sucks because all the work i did using the plasma machine, grinding, dry fitting, then more grinding, drilling, and so on. I want to do it right so i don't have to fix anything else down the road. The way i keep mounting everything there won't be anything inside the frame:lol: . So probably sunday i will start relocating the shockwaves. Can you guys think of anything creative that i can do with the rear suspension? I wanted to be creative but it doesn't seem like i can think of anything. Thanks Josh

I have a few ideas for the rear. PM me if your interested.

Jr

Wow!!! Christmas came early. I'm drooling over the possibilities. I'll be watching this one. I was wondering why you chose the triangulated suspension over the parallel? Another question... what gauge square tube did you go with on your new frame?
:ww:


I chose the triangulated 4 link because it really eliminates any side to side movement of the rear end. I was originally going to go with a parallel but after talking to Nathan with Porterbuilt street rods he highly recommended me to go with the triangulated 4 link because of the that. He does beautiful work and really know his stuff so i trusted his expertice. The frame is .120" wall with is 1/8. I originally bought a couple sticks of 3/16 but I talked to a couple different shops that build there own frames and they all recommended me to use the .120 and the .188 (3/16) is basically a waste of money. After actually building the frame i agree with them. The .188 would have been way to heavy and harder to work with. All of the brackets are made out of 3/16 or 1/4.

Josh

very VERY nice job on the frame and suspension so far. im going to making my long bed into a short bed, i hope my project goes as smooth as yours is. if you do a frame mod or in your case a whole new frame would you need to have a CHP to look it over to make sure that its safe before you get the registration? thats my only concern. how much movement do thoes bags have? about 5 or 6"?

I never even thought about having the CHP check the frame. I am thinking i wont say anything about the new frame:hm: . Maybe someone on here can chime in and enlighten the both of us. Regarding the shockwaves i believe i will get around 6" of travel or so. I will have to check. My planned ride height is 7 1/2" and when dumped i will be about 1" or so off the ground. I didn't want it to drag on the ground if i popped a bag or something. Also i was worried about having to low of ride height that i will rub fenders when i turn so i made it a little higher than the normal 5-6" ride height. Hopefully everything will work out.

Hey Valleycustom i sent you a pm!

One more thing. I sent on of my wheels to the powdercoater and he was hoping to have the one wheel done by tomorrow! I am praying that it is going to be done. I can't wait to see it.

Josh

Well i got a little more done this last week. I build the tranny tunnel and braced up some of the frame. I also started fabing up the rear suspension. I am going with a canitilever setup because of a couple things. One is I think it looks sweet, and two is that it gives me a couple more inches in lift for the rear which is always a good thing. I am waiting on a few parts so i can finish fabing all the brackets so i thought i would post some pics in the mean time. Hopefully next week probably near the end of the week i should get the front crossmember from Nathan Porter and all the parts so i can finish the rear suspension. I also went with Nathans dropmember so that should speed up the process alot. I am hoping to have a rolling chassis by the end of the month:metal: . Check it out and let me know how i am doing so far.

Josh

A couple more.

:cool:

Sweet job! I really enjoy watching your progress.

I have learned so much from this site Krue so i just payed the $25 to support the site. I don't know why i didn't do it sooner.:crazy: Oh' well at least i finally did it!!!!:metal:

Josh

Looking really good abadsvt!

looks great:metal:

Quick note on the CHP checking your frame. My experience is that if it was bought out of state and you are trying to transfer the title CHP or the DMV has to do a VIN verification and an inspection. The other situation where they would want to see it is if it has been "Non-op" for a while and you are trying to register it as a drivable vehicle. It looks like you're pretty far along, but I would have gotten the truck running/driving and tried to register it first before you did the frame swap. I know people that have run into this problem and it's a real pain. If they do notice the frame is swapped they will make you register it as a new construction or street rod and make you register it as a 2007 ( or whatever year you try and register it in). I would do some research before you went any further. I'm not saying this is fact, and it may not apply in your situation, but these are problems my friends and I have run into. Then again, as many of us have found out, it all depends on which DMV clerk you get and what kind of mood he/she is in!!!

Here's some pics of the custom Dropmember for Josh's (ABADSVT) chassis. This one is a complete weld-in piece and will be sporting the 'new' lower control arm mounting caps.

Sweet Job Nathan! I love all the way you built it! It looks sweet and I also love how much weld surface there is between the dropmember and the frame. I also love the new lower mounts for the lower control arms! I can't wait till i get it! I will have a rollin chassis soon:metal: :metal: :metal: . Now i just need to find a wrecked corvette and take the motor, trans, brakes from it! Thanks again Nathan and great job!

Damn nice job! I cant wait till i get a dropmember from Nathan. :metal:

Damn dude you are going to have 10 grand in a rolling chassis by the time you are done.

You lucky bastard! Man, that is tight! Can't wait to see it installed.

Have to post again. That front crossmember is rididculous looking it is so cool!!!!!!!!

Great chassis, can't wait to see it complete. You are giving me a lot of ideas for my next truck.

Looking REAL GOOD! If you get bored with it I can send you my truck to work on.

Thanks everyone for the encouraging words! I am hoping to have it completed by end of March or first of April. I have a few more things to do on the rear suspension then when the dropmember gets here i am dying to get it installed!!! I sent my wheels to be powdercoated about a week ago and last wednesday. I guess when they were sandblasting some of the chrome on the rear wheels it ripped off a large piece of chrome. So i get a phone call from the people who i ordered my wheels from and told me that my powdercoater just ordered 2 new wheels for me. I couldn't believe it. Right after that i got a phone call from the powdercoater and told me what happened. I thought it was great customer relations for them to order a set of wheels right away. I am having just the centers powdercoated which leaves a chrome lip. That was what pealed off. I should get them this week hopefully! Anyways everyone i will post lots of pics when i get more done!

Josh

too cool:metal: :gi:

Wow... and I was thinking that fabin up a couple of rear crossmembers and a shackle flip on mine was looking cool till I saw this.. Nice work.
Are you going to add some sort of bracing at the weld joints along your rails?

Yes i am going to weld on some gussets on all the weld joints. I am just waiting to get the cab back on and make sure everything lines up nice before i weld them on. Don't want to screw myself:crazy:. I am also going to be fabing up some extra supports for the 4 braces so they are nice and strong.

killer work man, i fullly plann on a one off frame for my next build. i look forward to following this thread and taking notes. thanks for the insperation and ideas.
ondrew

Your truck is coming along nicely, keep up the good work...

how much for a exact frame like yours with only body mounts.

Josh-
Here's the pic you needed.

Amazing fab skills guys, I will be watching closely!

Thanks Nathan! That pic helps out ALOT!!!! I am going to start installing it tonight!

Well i finally got the rear suspension done. I still have to do some more welding but it is ALIVE!!!:metal: It was hard because of all the things i had to consider when designing it but finally i got it done and best of all it works perfectly! I believe that i get about 10" of lift (i haven't taken an accurate measure yet). Here are some pics of it. Thanks for looking!

Josh

Here is a couple more of it fully lifted up.