41DegreesSouth Build Thread

[dammitmitchell]

wow.....

[jimbug]

looks like fun... I wanna see more!

[Billhilly]

Nuther month goes by!
Finally strung together a couple of days on the truck and made some progress. Back end is getting close now. Got the rear sway bar done. New top (and bottom) shock mounts (to fit the looong shocks in). Moved the bump stops out of the way and put in an extra cross member for when the rear bags go in (extra cross support). Everything now painted up (badly) and reassembled. Moving ever so slowly on.... now finish rear brake lines, e brake cables. Driveshaft hoop, and brace up steering box, then core support in and etc. I can't wait for the gratuitous rolling chassis shot now!
Shame life (and finances) keep interupting.

[dammitmitchell]

youve been buy .. ya gotta take more pictures man.. hehehehe

[Billhilly]

Pics don't really tell the story. Hard to see all whats going on, but you are right I should take more as I go along. A few more showing some of the detail.
Need to get some paint for the rims and get the tyres on.
Maybe tomorrow.

[1985-GMC]

Cool project, Keep up the good work!

[Billhilly]

Thanks 1985-GMC, I'm trying to keep up the good work but life keeps interupting! Work has been really busy all winter. Great for cash flow, not so great for my GMC! Hoping to get back at it soon. School holidays for two weeks now, kids seem to take up all my 'spare' time. Go figure.

[nuke1]

Sure is looking good so far, and you live in a place i have always wanted to visit, heard it is just gorgeous there!

[Billhilly]

So.... I have been trying to get back at it. Trying to get the rolling chassis completely done so I don't have to go back and 'finish' things after I move onto the cab/body.
I have now finished pretty much everything from the back bumper up to the pulleys (which I am working on). I will make a tow hitch and finish the brake lines on the diff when I get it on the hoist. But the rear disc deal is finally finished with new rear cables. Wind up spare tyre is done. The (right hand drive) steering box is in and a final wheel alignment done off the rims so I have the tyres on now.
Pretty much I have pulleys to finalise and shim up. Rad support needs fan shroud (see below), tranny cooler and condensor mounted up. Then transmission cooler lines, power steer lines to plumb up. Sort the front driveshaft, and front hubs and I'll be dangerously close to rolling it out into the sunlight again!

So a few weeks ago I planned and folded up a fan shroud. I was literally doing the last fold and I looked at it and thought 'that don't look right!'. I was right, it was wrong! Had cut the plate right, then laid it out the wrong way round so it ended up too narrow, and too tall!
By the time I got another piece of plate last weekend (that ended up being a heavier gauge), then where I was buying from ran out of the lighter stuff, I ended up buying myself a whole sheet and finally got er done yesterday. What do you think? I have combined the top cover thing with the shround itself. Takes the weight off the rad, can be removed independant of the rad. Well it'll do the job!

Here is were I'm up to.

[dammitmitchell]

DAYM SEXY BRO!

hey can we get some additional info on that anti swaybar set up?
it looks great!...

[Billhilly]

Thanks Mitchell.
Sway bar are from Speedway Engineering. 1 1/4" up front, 1" in the rear, and I used their 30degree steel arms. As I've said before, trying to get my 3/4 ton leaf sprung truck to ride as good as possible. Will be a daily driver, and still hope to make a slide in camper one day!

[Billhilly]

Some of making the front bar. Just 2" pipe, then I made up urethane bushs to match.

[1985-GMC]

Everything looks great, I'm jealous.

[dammitmitchell]

dang... i realllly wish you and i were in teh same country i'd pay for that no problem.. my fab skills arent that good

[Billhilly]

Yeah that 7500 miles is a real drag some days. Specially when I need parts!

[Billhilly]

Still haven't finished up front. Waiting on the right pulleys, plumbing issues and my aircon guy.
So today was cut the cab day! Well, you have to start somewhere right? Practised on the origonal (rusty) cab. Fine tuned things a little and started this morning. Woohoo! Just cut it up! I kind of get the feeling that this will be the easiest bit of the process. But I've started right!

[1985-GMC]

Looking good, I cant wait to see it done!

[smokinstang70]

Can you give me some info on the sway bars??? thats awesome!!!!

[Billhilly]

Sway bar are from Speedway Engineering. Just their Standard Solid Bars. 1 1/4" up front, 1" in the rear, and I used their 30 degree steel arms. Just made up the tubes to mount them in (rolls of the tounge kinda easy!) and got my lathe guy to turn up the appropriate urathane bushs (I used red). I can give you the lengths of the bars if you need that info. Not saying it's perfect, but worked for what I wanted, along with fitting in with the complications of swapping the steering over as well.

[VA72C10]

cool build

[ripdog28]

Looking sweet man, keep it up. cant wait till your driving this bad boy.

[Billhilly]

Thanks for the comments guys. Well I had a pretty good day truck wise. Had two jobs come in (slowed me down, but pays the bills) and have just got back inside. As well as the firewall, I managed to get the dash and glovebox cut out, swapped over and tacked back in so I'm pretty happy. Did things a bit different than when I practised on the old cab and it went ok. When you first look at the dash, you think, no problem to swap that over. Not quite that simple! Pic's as requested.

[Billhilly]

Got a couple of night shifts in this week. Have got the firewall all patched up. Learnt that the fuse box is staying on the left side, with all the dash wiring extending over to the right side. Got the Old Air underdash box position sorted out. Everything tacked up, but will leave the final welding until I make some 'legs' and roll the cab over. Next is inside firewall, finish up brake pedal bracing, and make support frame up for Old Air.
A couple of pictures including smoothing out where the park brake was because my firewall wiring plugs will be further over than stock because of the A/C.

[1985-GMC]

Looks good, are you going to make a parking brake assembly from scratch?

[VA72C10]

nice work! looking good!