Conference napalm::musclecars

    Hey gary;
           I belive there are a few of us here at cxo.I own a 74 3/4 ton
    chevy,454 with a one ton rear axel,and the passing gear is locked out.
    so when you get to around 50mph. the peddal controlls the axels.it's
    still in primer I hope to paint it this spring,It also has 12 way
    power seats out of a 88 continental.The block came from a 69 Monti
    Carlo and was re built 50,000 miles ago all accel ignition,and holly
    750 carb.the only problem with it is the great 6 miles to a gallon!!!
    but I found 91 octane leaded here in woodland park.
    
    
    
    					Dave
    

There's one infrequent contributor to this file that seems
to have elevated the Muscletruck concept to an art form....

Harry you out there?

Tom 

	Hi,


	I currently own a 1988 Chevy Pickup 2WD with a 350 FI engine....
	I'm lowering the suspension on my truck and have several options.

	Front:  My first option is replacing the spindles with aftermarket
		ones.  This would achieve a two inch drop without having
		to change the springs or shocks.  I ultimately want to lower
		it three inches though.

		My second option would be an aftermarket lowered lower 
		control arm.  Price wise it is close enough to the spindles
		and the labor would be about the same.  I can still retain
		the stock shocks and spings, but the ground clearance would
		be two inches less.

		My third option would be a suspension kit.  This would include
		new coils for the front, new leafs for the rear, and four 
		shocks as the stock ones would be too long.   In addition
		to this kit I would need a front end kit.  I feel that this
		would stiffen the ride though.

	Rear:   My first option would be a shackle kit.

		My second is a Flip kit which would place the axle on top
		of the rear leafs.

		My third would be a leaf spring mounting kit which would
		replace the current mounting hardware.

		I think I am going to go with the lowered spindles for the
		front and replace the springs with aftermarket ones which
		will lower it an additional inch.  Aftermarket springs are
		available in 1, 2, or 3 inch height reductions.  My ride 
		shouldn't suffer too much.

		As far as the rear I am not sure yet.  Does anyone have 
		any suggestions or comments??????

    
    
    
    	Has anyone seen the magazine entitled "Truckin'"?????????????????
    	It is filled with aftermarket accesories and intersting "How to"
    	articles.  Well worth the three bucks or  so...................

    
     Hum ?
    
     Well, myu first option would have been not to buy a Chevy Truck, and 
    definately would have bought a  F O R D.  But you did good, it is an
    American Made Truck....
    
    
    
       HA HA HA HAHA !!!  Hey only Kiddin'...You want to drive a Chevy
    that's okay...Hey I did until the Blazer Rusted out BIG time, leaving
    me with a Motor, and 4 drums and axles.   hee hee hee
    
    
      If you are going to lower the truck , do it the right way and buy
    the Kit made for the Chevy , don't buy an aftermarket kit.  I believe
    Ranchero makes the best Kits available...expensive but well worth it,
    also GMC has a kit available too, or they should, because FORD
    has one available.
    
     The Trukin' Mag is good, I also subscribe to 4WD, Mustang Monthly,
    and SUPER FORDS !
    
     see Ya
    
    /Bob
     

    Hi Tom! Glad to see you finally made it home (for a while). ;-)
    It burns up more trails than roads but since you mentioned it...

    The ThunderTruck(tm) began life as a 1975 4WD GMC Jimmy. This is the
    last year they were made with tops that were completely removable.
    Beginning in 1976, only the rear section is removable. I bought it in
    Colorado Springs for $800 with no reverse in the tranny. I wasn't
    concerned about the tranny though as I already had a plan...

    First on the list of things to do was to beef the drivetrain. The Turbo
    350 was swapped for a Turbo 400 and a mongo New Process 205 gear
    driven, iron cased transfer case from a 1980 1-ton Chevy truck. I also
    got the driveshafts from the 1-ton and later had them cut to fit under
    the ThunderTruck(tm).

    Having spit teeth out of _several_ 12-bolt rear ends in the past, I
    decided to upgrade just a bit. A pair of axles from a 1974 GMC 3/4-ton
    truck were fitted next. This rear end sports a 10 and 1/2 inch ring
    gear, a 4-spider differential, and 3 support bearings for the pinion
    shaft similar to the setup in a Ford 9-inch rear. I HOPE that it will
    prove to be indestructible! ;-) The front axle is a Dana 44 with extra
    stout spindles for the 3/4-ton rating. All 4 corners also have an 8-lug
    wheel pattern now.

    A 1984 SVO Mustang donated a great pair of bucket seats, complete with
    air bladder lumbar supports. Rolling rubber is a set of 12.50x35x16.5
    BFG Mud-Terrains mounted on 9.75x16.5 American Racing slotted aluminum
    wheels. A 2.5 inch Rancho suspension kit and a bit (OK, a LOT) of
    fender trimming made room for the tires.

    A 1987 Corvette TPI 350 found its way under the hood, with the help of
    a cast of thousands and some expert fabrication and shop space donated
    by The Mad Weldor. The entire dual exhaust system is 314 and 316
    stainless steel, including the Borla mufflers.

    3 weeks after it was installed and debugged, I managed to suck part of
    a lake into the intake and grenaded the block. The gory details can be
    found in topic 454 in GENRAL::4WD. After a lengthy battle with MetPay,
    a cold winter with no garage in New England, the COD relocation to
    Texas, getting the new ranch built and coping with a 3 month sick leave
    for a bunged up arm, I'm finally getting to the point of being able to
    install the new powerplant. :-)

    Which brings us to the good stuff. Last fall I received a 383 short
    block from RHS with all the proper go-fast goodies. 4-bolt mains, ARP
    bolts and such, balanced rotating assembly, Keith Black hypereutectic
    pistons, etc. The pistons are dished to cope with the 58cc chambers of
    the '87 Corvette aluminum heads. The heads have been ported and
    matched, as have the intake manifold and plenum. They recently came
    back from the machine shop with a 3-angle valve job. Competition Cams
    supplied the bumpstick, to compliment the headwork and the TPI system.
    They say that I should be cranking around 385 ft/lbs with this setup.

    I just need to get motivated to finish assembling the engine and drop
    it in. Soon... I want to drive it to Colorado for a week of trail
    riding in August. :-)

    Harry

    After a week of wrenching here and there, the engine is finally
    installed in the ThunderTruck(tm). I started it Saturday and kept it
    revving for a while to break in the cam properly. It was running a bit
    on the hot side, but I think it's running a bit lean (The ECM's
    calibrated for 350 cubic inches, not 383) :-). Today I disconnected the
    vacuum line to the fuel pressure regulator. That brought the low vacuum
    pressure from around 35 psi to 40 or so. It's usually only 40 during
    full throttle. It did run cooler with the increased fuel pressure so I
    need to install an adjustable pressure regulator to get the pressure up
    all the time. I'm also going to talk to the folks at Hypertech and
    Lingenfelter racing to see about getting an eprom and calpack that is
    calibrated for the 383.
    
    I actually drove the ThunderTruck(tm) around the block under its own
    power Sunday afternoon! I can't beat on it for another 500 miles or so,
    but it feels strong. Just a few hundred minute details and it'll be
    ready to hit the highway! :-)
    
    Harry
    

Harry, they've repaired the 1320 foot dent in the track from the last time
you were at Epping, but they don't seem anxious for a repeat performance. Maybe
you should try a couple of passes at the Motorplex, instead. I hear it's
all concrete from start to finish :-).

Bruce

    Heck Bruce, Houston Raceway Park is much closer to home. Plus, the
    ThunderTruck(tm) has lost a few pounds to rust over the years. ;-)
    
    Harry
    

    Hot Damn....
    
    TMW

    Howdy Jim! The exhaust system still looks exactly the way it did the
    day it left the Fantasy Factory. Stainless is wonderful stuff! This 383
    is quite a bit louder than the 350 was though. It must be pushing the
    exhaust gases out hotter and faster than the stock 350 did. :-)
    
    Harry
    

    Well the 74 bit the dust the wife was comming home from Cripple Creek
    which is about 20 miles from home when "the oil pressure stopped"
    translation it dropped to zero.Soooooo! she drove it the rest of the
    way home. needless to say its toast now.So now I get to build another
    form of street rod . but i'll miss the beast.By the way the oil pump
    quit.454's do need that oil.
    
    			sad in a way
    			dave

    
    	Had a 1978 Dodge Ramcharger, picked it up in `87 only a year
    after it had been driven out from California.  Body was clean, a two
    tone SE, 440 ci, 727 auto, Chrysler 9.25 rear w/Dana 44 up front. 
    Fully carpeted, big buckets stock wagon wheels with 33's on it, total
    removable top.  This thing went pretty good for a stocker, hadda sell
    it got a job up here in Boxboro, Ma. and gas in a week was more than i
    would make in a week.  I'd like to locate another like it from the 
    southwest region of the country now that i have other vehicals.  
    
    	Anyone in those regions have one or see one, appricate a yell. 
    Thanks.
    
    Dizzi

    ThunderTruck(tm) LIVES!!!! At 6:45 AM CDT today I fired the beast up,
    set the timing, and took a cruise around the neighborhood! Yeeehaaaa!
    (I'll bet the neighbors were pleased...)
    
    I'm damn embarrassed to say that I found the reason that it was running
    hot when I put it together last summer. The intake gaskets that I used
    had block offs for the rear water ports. I musta spaced out when I
    installed them. Sure enough, the FRONT water ports were blocked, except
    for one tiny bleed hole on each side. Water could just trickle past the
    thermostat. :-( It runs very cool now!
    
    Since I had to pull the injection and intake anyway, I decided to add a
    few more goodies while I had it apart. A set of Accel/Lingenfelter
    heavy breathing intake runners, an Accel/Lingenfelter adjustable fuel
    pressure regulator and 8 brand spanking new 28 lbs/hr injectors were
    added to the gold card account. The runners were the most disappointing
    aftermarket part that I've EVER had the displeasure of installing. It
    took about 3 hours of grinding and sanding to get them port matched.
    The instructions claim that they're "precision cast and machined".
    Bull$h!t!! These suckers interfered with the fuel rails (back off for a
    bit more grinding), some of the injectors (off again!), the PCV tubes
    (one more time!), and the connection for the throttle body heat (just
    bypassed it for now). All in all, I'd guess I spent close to 14 hours
    getting these things bolted up. What a nightmare! I was NOT a happy
    camper. I'm sure that Lingenfelters grandchilren will still be reeling
    from all the curses that I placed on his name. ;-)
    
    The engine still has less than 10 miles on it, so I can't beat on it
    yet, but it feels strong even at part throttle! I'll be out of state on
    vacation for the next week, but as soon as I get back I'll get it
    registered and hit the roads (and trails) for some benchmarking. :-)
    All-4-Fun week starts July 31, north of Rocky Mountain National Park in
    Colorado. If all goes well, I'll be driving the ThunderTruck(tm) up
    there from Houston for some serious off road action. The ultimate test....
    
    Harry
    

    What about a snorkle? :-) 

You figure on leaving a 1320 foot dent with that thing anytime soon?

:-)

Bruce

    Could happen... :-)
    
    I'd like to get it weighed sometime soon also. Even with mongo power,
    the power/weight ratio is probably obscene. All that 4WD stuff and a
    real frame adds up quick!
    
    Harry
    

    The ThunderTruck(tm) is running and almost all of the last minute
    details have been attended to. It got its 25 mile oil change last
    night. I'll be pulling out for Colorado on Wednesday morning!

    The new 383 is STRONG! It makes way more power than the 'vette engine
    did. The extra cubes, all the porting, the gnarly cam, etc all team up
    to make for one exciting ride! I can't imagine how it will run once I
    get a custom chip to more accurately manage things. I've jumped up from
    22 lbs/hr to 28 lbs/hr injectors. It runs fine, but the computer is
    programmed for the 22 lbs/hr injectors. This thing has balls! A full
    tilt boogie 1-2 shift from the Turbo 400 elicits a healthy bark from
    the 12.50x35 Mud-Terrains! Breakin' those monsters loose ain't no easy
    task!

    Yesterday found me tinting all the windows to keep heat gain to a
    minimum. (I'm an Authorized 3M Scotchtint Dealer). The a/c is going to
    need custom hoses to mate things up with the 'vette compressor. I hate
    to spend the money since I'll be changing things once again when I swap
    out the front sheet metal for later model parts. Next project... ;-)

    See ya on the trails!

    Harry

    re Thundertruck (tm)
    And to think it was born in the Fantasy Factory...so to speak....
    
    :-)
    
    TMW

After a lot of searching I have aquired the truck of my dreams.  This truck is 
little rough!!!  

It is a 1959 chevy Apache 31 pickup, Short bed fleetside.  It has a 350 that is 
backed by a turbo 400.  But It will needs a new rear end and some work on
updating the front end.  

My question is.  Has anyone worked on and modified the front suspension of 
a truck like this.  I would like to go to a disc brake set up.  


Jason 
CSC32::J_STEPHENSON

    Jason,
    One of the cleanest ways to do the front, on an older pickup, is to use
    a Aspin/Volare torsion bar frontends. The later models had the bars
    acrossed the front under the rad. I'm sure someone in here can give you
    the correct years. I have installed a couple of them under pickups for
    customers and they worked out well even with a heavy Buick motor. One
    thing about the torsion bar front is that you can adjust the height of
    the truck.
    
    Another way to clean up the front is to use a Camaro/Pontiac front
    section. I have installed a couple of these also, but not under pick-up
    trucks. With these you would be keeping the whole thing GM, and get
    your disc brakes also.
    
    Thirdly, I'm sure there is companies that can supply you with a disc
    brake conversion for the 59 as is.....
    
    There are many choices out there, some are time and money consuming and
    others are trick.....
    
    
    TMW....Jim
                                                         

'76 - '80 Aspen/Volare

You get the whole steering geometry including the power steering box 
(undisturbed) when you use one of these.

Mount it under the frame to get a stock-height look.

Mount it "in" the frame to get a down in the weeds look.  (You indent the 
crossmember into the bottom of the truck frame.)

They're held in by four bolts that pass through rubber vibration isolators. 
 The upper control arm mount is bolted to the crossmember with four bolts 
on each side.

To get them out:

Remove the engine (the engine is mounted to the crossmember)

Raise the vehicle and place jack stands under it just behind the firewall 
where the subframe levels out.

Back off on the torsion bar adjusters so that you can easily raise the 
control arms.

Remove the four bolts on each side that attach the support for the upper 
control arm and swing the control arms away from the frame.

Remove the steering shaft bolts to separate the steering wheel from the box

Disconnect the two brake lines.

Support the crossmember with a floor jack.

Remove the four bolts securing the crossmember to the unibody.

Lower the crossmember to the ground, replace the 8 bolts holding the upper 
control arm supports, crank up the torsion bar adjusters a bit (to lift the 
crossmember off the jack) and roll it out on the tires.

It takes about 1/2 hour to drop one out this way.  There's one sitting in my 
yard right now that came out in less time but I had an air wrench.  BTW, 
Harry, it's out of your old Aspen.

With the front wheels on them, they roll around a bone yard real easy.

    re: .21 and .22
    
    Thanks for the info. on the Aspen/Volare front ends.  I think I will
    look into that option first.  
    
    My first question on that is.  Will this bolt to the orginal frame or
    will need to cut the old one off and weld in the dodge front snub?
    
    Jason 

    Jason,
    Most likely you will have to have it fitted and welded into place.
    
    TMW

You can, either, fabricate bracketry to bolt in under the existing frame by 
using the 4 mounting holes and the rubber insulators or you can contour the 
bottom of the frame and weld the crossmember right into the frame.

The former will provide a relatively tall stance while the latter will give 
the truck a much lower stance because the frame will become part of the 
crossmember instead of sitting on top of it.

You don't want to cut the frame off the front of the truck.  The MoPar 
crossmember is really just that  --  a crossmember.

    Thanks for all of the info.   I guess that will keep me busy for 
    the winter.  
     
    Thanks again Jason 

This plate is on the front of my nephews lowered 1982 S10 2WD pickup.

	Fear the Heartbeat ( with the approriate Chevy logo etc)

In the case of this truck there is good reason.

	Under the hood lurks a 4 bolt 350 with a mild cam and a quadrajet.

My brother and I took it for a spin last week...
DEFINITELY gets the adrenilin flowing!!!

	I'm not sure what's going on with Pennsylvania and emissions testing,
but I don't see any way this bad boy passes.

	Another fellow down near Pittsburgh is finishing an S10 that has
a 396 in it.

		Dave