Everbody is doing it... '49 GMC 100 Build

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You'll want holes in the frame regardless to let water drain and dirt/mud out, so maybe just place those strategically so you can access a nut/bolt.

Well, I agree and will leave some of the existing holes along the bottom of the frame rails. As for dirt/mud, it better be very minimal as this will be a hot rod/sreet machine.

So, for now, I have decided to fully box the frame rails and weld nuts in side where I know they will be needed. I figure I can always add access holes later if necessary.

Starting with the nuts, I bought some grade 8 flange nuts and a tapered button head. This makes for easy centering of the nut in the existing hole.

 

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The button head is just for welding and this shows the rear 4 bar brackets mocked up.

 

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The next item of business is filling the miscellaneous holes along the frame rails that won't be used. For this, I bought a couple different sizes of round bar to be welded, cut off and ground smooth. This picture is just to give an idea. Obviously there will be some prep work prior to welding. From there, I will continue welding the rest of the nuts on the inner side, figure out what I'm doing for corrosion protection and weld the boxing plates on.

 

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Holes plugged, nuts welded on, a coat of primer and paint and boxing plates tacked in place. Still some finish welding needs to be done. I didn't get too fancy on paint inside the frame rails. They were in really good shape and will never rust out from the inside in my lifetime. I masked the edges and know more will bake off from welding. I figure most of it will remain protected and I will probably run another coat in there with one of those spray cans with the flexible tube and 360° nozzle before all is said and done.

 

[Greg]

Nice work, should last a long time and tighten up the ride significantly!

 

[JeeperG]

So we're cruising our trucks together this summer?

 

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So we're cruising our trucks together this summer?

🤣🤣🤣

Cruise yours over here for motivation. I can't wait to see it on the road!

 

[JeeperG]

🤣🤣🤣

Cruise yours over here for motivation. I can't wait to see it on the road!

Only road it's gonna see for awhile is the road between the garage and the trailer?

 

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With the boxing mostly complete, (still a small section behind the rear axle) it was suspension Saturday...
This kit is set up with ViKing double adjustable coilovers all the way around.

 

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Thanks to @Diesel_Zuk I have a set of rollers for the project.

 

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Then, it was on to the rear. 4 bar with panhard here. I've been into crawlers for too long and keep doubting the size of the links. I have to remind myself I don't need the same articulation and won't be dragging them over rocks.

 

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I don't think the rear is going to ride as nice with my home made coilovers. 😉 The rears are on backorder but this allowed me to mock things up. The shafts are cut to length and i didn't get that far last night. I have 3.55 gears, a limited slip and sourced some disc brake hardware off a 2000 Explorer that will bolt on to the 9" housing. I still need to set up the gears, but wanted to throw the 3rd member in, just for fun.

 

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Threw the cab on and bolted on a fender to check placement of the front crossmember and make sure I was happy with how the wheel fit with the fenders before making it permanent. Looked good to me. This should be very close to ride height. The wheel and tire combination will definitely change, but it was kind of fun to get an idea of the stance. Now to blow it all back apart...

 

[DAA]

You know how, when you are driving some vehicles, and the driver in the next lane is texting and drifting out of their lane towards you and you are actually hoping they run into you? Maybe even nudging a bit to the outside edge of your lane? That front fender is giving me that vibe. And I dig it.

- DAA

 

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Small progress this week. I test fit the power steering rack an noticed the boots just barely rubbed the frame. I don't think they would ever touch with normal driving. It may only be a problem if it were on air bags, aired all the way out. I decided to address it now, anyway.
Cut a notch out of the bottom of the frame, just in front of the IFS crossmember. I had the frame upside-down in these pictures.

 

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Had some 6" pipe that I cut to fit, ground clean and welded in place.

 

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Frame flipped back over and notch complete.

 

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While I was at it, the power rack also contacted the front factory crossmember so I decided to trim that down. The original engine used the crossmember as the front mount and the radiator mount.
I trimmed out the old motor mount section but left the radiator mounting holes. This cleaned up the front considerably and gave a lot more room for the steering rack.

 

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OK, been a while. I took a break from the truck while doing the engine swap on the Jeep. Then a trip to Sand Hollow, yard work, etc... Anyway, I was having a struggle coming up with how I wanted to put some cross bracing back in the frame to help stiffen it up. I ran across a picture of Heidt's chassis and figured I could replicate it. With help from a friend with a tube bender and a little fine tuning from @I Lean , this is what I came up with.

 

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Tonight I did a little drivetrain mock up. This will give a little pperspective. I had a Flowmaster sitting around so I checked for fitment.