Popular Post sluggy Posted April 1, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted April 1, 2017 I have been looking around for a while for a new work truck, wanted to go old school and update it to modern running gear and some creature comforts. I didnt have much of an idea but liked the look of older Chev trucks, did some reading and looking and got to this point. Truck will be in the country mid April, it is currently running a 327 and manual gearbox, and pretty much stock apart from that. Plan is to get it complied with existing running gear then modernise a wee bit. I have an LS3 and 6L80 trans and all associated wires and mechanical stuff in my warehouse now (cart before horse) and maybe a front end suspension transplant from a later truck and a diff with a lower ratio. this one will be either a 4.11 or 4.56 ish I believe, so a bit on the highside. While the intention wasn't to start/have another project, Im quite fizzed up about it. Going to keep it stock looking, no fancy wheels or any of that crap. Will get some hand painted signage on it, I want it to look like it was always there. 43 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sluggy Posted April 11, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted April 11, 2017 God Bless the Authorities. I was looking at a Fatman Fab IFS front end and emailed them. Here is the response.... Due to the excessive new testing requirements on welded and cast automobile parts by the Australian and New Zealand governments we have formally withdrawn from those markets and will not supply parts to those countries. They are now requiring aviation level fabrication techniques and non-destructive testing on all welded parts. Cast suspension parts regardless of quality or testing are no longer allowed on any basis, while forged parts are required to have documented individual testing done per each part. In addition, we are receiving requirements for detailed engineering analysis far in excess of normal practice and empirical testing as is currently done. These additional costs in addition to the additional shipping and Customs cost for you simply force us to this regrettable decision. We apologize for any inconvenience. Where are my cotton wool overalls. Im vewy vewy precious. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sluggy Posted June 5, 2017 Author Share Posted June 5, 2017 Soo nearly complied,has seat belts brakes all sorted, authorities blah blah. Ive been collecting a few bits, what has become blindingly clear to me is I have no time. So Im looking for someone to do some of this for me. Once its all complied, doing the LS swap, also all suspension, I will have a 78 front end and an 88 rear axle to chuck into it. Any suggestions around potential people to do some of the work would be great, preferably in aucks but can also road trip it. I have the loom all reworked so the ecu will sit inside the cab, and a 3 wire hook up to make the magic happen. also have an hptuners set up for post install getting going so not looking for an electrical genius, Im happy to get that side of it happening. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sluggy Posted July 27, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 27, 2017 Been daily driving for a couple of weeks now. Leads, plugs and a holley 600 worked mint on the old girl. Taken the tray off and sent it to autoblast to have all the chassis sealed up against the dreaded rust !! Got a mate machining up some boards for the bed, mounted fuel tank in the back and the front seat will be off to be re upholstered soon. Engine swap is happening end of September so anyone after a 327 give me a yell ! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sluggy Posted August 9, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted August 9, 2017 Autoblast that puppy. Happy chassis, happy life, just waiting on the timber for the deck. Found some nice swiss cheese in the floor, so have some patch panels in the shed to throw in in the next couple of weeks. Truck is ridiculously solid barring the floor. Also have the C10 front end to pick up later this week and another rear end. But I found some 3.38 gears for the stock rear end (currently 4.57) which will put it at about 1600 rpm at 100 ks in 6th when the LS and auto go in. So in the name of getting it done I might go down this route. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sluggy Posted August 11, 2017 Author Share Posted August 11, 2017 Got wood ? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sluggy Posted September 18, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 18, 2017 So pulled the front end off and engine and box out over the weekend. Gearbox/driveshaft fought me for a couple of hours before admitting defeat at the hands of a bigger hammer. Have taken all the extraneous crap off the LS and changed the sump so it will clear the crossmember, will need to hang the AC compressor and the alternator off the heads, rather than off the base of the block they are in the Holdons. Pretty much every conversion I have managed to find, the torsion bar front end has been pulled in favour of a later model, basically the crossmember the torsion bars attach to is in the way. Im going to test fit before the front end swap happens, Id really like to keep it how it is... Also have obtained a 12 bolt rear end, this is off to be rebuilt and an eaton posi chucked in it because 11's. I will be doing the bulk of the conversion myself, the front end swap (if I have too) is basically a bolt in barring one mounting hole. The front end I have is out of a 77, and fortunately it is a front cut so lots of measuring to get the steering geometry right. What I do need is someone to do the welding on trans crossmember, once I get to that point. Any suggestions would be great, also at what point should I get a certifier involved, Im not cutting it up, rear diff is a bolt in, may go to a one piece drive shaft... etc... If anyone wants the old exhaust, come and get it, no holes, not rusty, but I chopped it in half to get it out 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sluggy Posted September 24, 2017 Author Share Posted September 24, 2017 Made some progress. Engine/tranny will fit without changing the front end, so Im not changing it. Cut a notch in the crossmember to get the box in the hole. This truck was a manual so has the high hump trans tunnel, so no cab modifications required. Rear output from the trans is about 4" further back than the original. Did a bit more research, and I will chop out the entire crossmember as it isnt needed, and I think I need to get the trans output down from where it is. Its all just a mock up, hence the 1" sq thinwall spacer under the perch, but it looks like this will work, unless there is a reason why I shouldnt. The perch is out of a 77, and they are roughly 30mm deeper in the chassis rail, so spacer. The chances of finding a 62 perch is virtually nil, not many of these trucks were ordered with autos, and all the manuals use a horseshoe mount at the front of the engine and another mount at the rear of the bellhousing, no perches. The tranny mount in the photo is the original holden one, should be straight forward to adapt that to the frame with a bit of angle and some gussets. If anyone has anything to offer in the way of driveline geometry advice that would be cool. Ive been playing with transaxle based shit for toooo long, and Im an old dog to boot, cant train etc. Driveshaft is a two piece, so its set from the centre bearing to the rear axle, and I really shouldve got a measurement on the output of the old box before removal... duh... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sluggy Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 Turned left after doing a bit more reading. Made front mounts and a trans mount. Assuming I have all my measurements right, its in the middle, and I have about 1.3 degrees slope on the 1st section of driveshaft which is where it needs to be according to the interweb. Im swapping the rear end to a 12 bolt, so I can set up the pinion angle. Been pretty productive really ! All just tacked together at the moment. Everything is just sitting there in the photos, need to drill a few holes and bolt it all up. not 100% happy with the trans effort and may rejig it a bit yet. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sluggy Posted October 5, 2017 Author Share Posted October 5, 2017 Im Torn... The ratio in the current diff is 4.56:1 which is way to high, I can get a 3.14 for this which would be sweet, but, LSD's are virtually unobtanium for this year, and Id have to do a bit of a work around on parking brakes, cause theres no provision for these, it did have a drive shaft mounted drum..... So I can swap to a C10 diff (photo 2) throw an eaton tru track in there and do 11's. But the C10 diff looks sooo whimpy, the C20 is 8 stud, and manly, but single spinner... Thoughts ? Gratuitous outdoor shot because. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sluggy Posted October 23, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted October 23, 2017 Been pushing along... 5 lug rear end rebuilt with eaton tru track for 11's. Driveshaft rebuilt and balanced, although I screwed up the size on the last U joint. All the mounts are now fully completed and in, firewall painted with extreme rattle can goodness, fuel lines 90% there. Interior stripped out. Full week on it in a weeks time, hoping to smash out wiring and get the front end on. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sluggy Posted November 2, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted November 2, 2017 Been a good week, cleaned up the floor on the interior, painted it, dynamat (hate you). Then did final install on the engine, inlet manifold and wiring and the up high alt, and ac compressor brackets, just waiting on the power steering pump. My boy cleaned up the interior panels on the front end and resprayed them, and the front end is sitting back where it needs to be.... AC is halfway done, wiring is started, fuel lines 90%. Power on for the next three days and hopefully have most electrical stuff and some other rats and mice done. 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sluggy Posted November 7, 2017 Author Share Posted November 7, 2017 been "smashing" wiring. I hate it with a passion... ECU all done, front end all rewired, motor sorted, speedo digi to analog thing done... still to finish off the a/c, cruise control, shifter stuff, and the rear end - fuel pump, lights etc... Room is an issue under the dash... I went a bit loose with the shifter, its a pcs electronic deal. Still have no idea on where to mount it, was thinking of an art deco style goose neck attached to the dash, space odyssey kinda deal. Dog looks on with interest 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sluggy Posted November 15, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted November 15, 2017 Seat is sorted !! Big thanks to Midnight Upholstery, awesome work !! Been trying to start it, radiator is in, condensor for air con and the tranny fluid cooler. Had to strip and clean starter solenoid, turns over but no bang bang. Experiencing voltage drop killing ecu and fuel pump during cranking, will sort next week with help from Stu the electrical guru. To be fair the wiring has gotten a bit gnarly, loom, then ecu, then air con, cruise control, tranny shifter etc etc... not happy with my work... This weekend I will finish off brake lines, change front spindles and get discs on the front end. Got some closed foam underlay to whack over the top of the dynamat and carpet on the way.... closing in on it !! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sluggy Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 It Lives ! After a week of thinking and fucking around with wires, it starts. VATS hadnt been turned off in the ecu, so no sparky and no fuel. have a problem with the pedal not moving the throttle body, and TPS errors, will try another throttle body next week and see if that solves it, its a drive by wire deal. Wheels arrive in the country monday, working on timber decking in the tray this weekend. Spindle swap and disc brakes are on the front end. Used CPP C20 to C10 conversion spindles so was an easy swap. To do - radiator and hoses, power steering, re attach front end properly, tray and the back end, wheels, rear brakes, handbrake (keep forgetting to do something about this), exhaust... Maf sensor wasnt in front of throttle body hence death. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sluggy Posted November 27, 2017 Author Share Posted November 27, 2017 Monumental Fuck Up 101 - when ordering wheels, make sure PCD is correct... I screwed the pooch on this one, and now have a set of steel wheels that are 5 / 4.75 (and 5/4.5) instead of 5 / 5.00". These are std chev passenger fitment, detroit steel wheels, 20x8 and 20 x 9. 1/4" of doom... So options are find someone to sort this for me, or sell them and regroup.... Any suggestions welcome. Im pretty confident there is enough meat to weld / redrill - just finding the right person to do it. Pic is of the front of wheel, dimpled stud holes are the 4.75" ones. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sluggy Posted December 13, 2017 Author Share Posted December 13, 2017 Exhaust sorted, brakes need some love, bit more wiring, electric handbrake sort out, door seals and stereo and probably more.. hopefully get wheels back soon... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sluggy Posted December 16, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 16, 2017 And we are rolling, needs to go upwards 1/2” in the front (joys of torsion bars) and an alignment, stereo, handbrake and work out why the fan isnt flicking on. Wheels feel good, power steering way to light so have a shim kit on the way to sort this. Merry Christmas to me. Hoping Santa installs rear tray and the bajillion nuts and bolts that hold it down. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sluggy Posted December 17, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 17, 2017 Couple more photos of engine bay and interior. 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sluggy Posted January 4, 2018 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2018 I now have a working electric handbrake, aircon that blows cold - had to do a bit of a rewire of the fan... a gas gauge that reads right, and Ive worked out the WOT dead zone issue with the thing. Also resealed all the doors / windows / rattle free !! Washed original blanket and reinstalled. The WOT bit is due to a stupid gas tank that has a pick up at the front and no tube internally to the rear of the tank, so I will make up an adaptor fitting and see if that works, or do some kind of surge tank set up to alleviate the issue for ever. To do list is little - Rear deck (full day job Im thinking), sort out fuel issue... The End. Also need to install speakers on stereo and probably alarm it. Anyone on here do this ? Im seriously unmotivated towards the stereo. And the speedo stopped working just after the gas gauge started working. Its a sign I think. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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