Thanks! Got a little done lately. Spring is hung and I got the steel for my kick. I'm gonna start that this weekend. I also think I decided not to channel it! We'll see when the chassis is done and I mock it all up again on the ground
Great looking truck. I am prepping to build my model A truck and builds like yours surely inspire me more. Did you shorten your bed any?
Mine was chopped 4" and channeled 3". All I have to say is get a steering column mocked up sitting in there along with a seat to make sure you can be comfortable. I'm 6'2" and it was not a comfy ride for me bunched up in there. Looked great but kind of like a sardine can with my legs bent up. That's my recommendation, mock up column and seat to make sure you can stand to drive it comfortably. It's looking good. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Haven't had an update in a little bit and I haven't gotten a lot done either haha I got my spring mounted and I put my cab on today. I'm trying to figure out where to get axles from now. Once I get them I can see if I'm going to step the rear a little or not. Going unchanneled and 5in or so chop
You know, rather than use wood to mount your bed, you can just as easily build a square tube sub frame for the back of the frame that will mount the bed and retain the new rear cross member. I don't have any pictures of my roadster pickup with the bed off, but that's how I did mine.
dig where this is going... no channel, chop and a nice length bed... 5" chop might lead to a crick in the neck if'n you're over 5'6, though... these pick-em-ups are pretty little inside
Seriously, my truck is a highboy with a 4" chop. If you're 4' 6" you can chop and channel all you want. If not you need more mock up before you commit to ANYTHING! You need to: BUILD A SEAT WITH THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE PEDALS IN. I can't stress how important this is. It will really make a difference. If you do like most of us and throw a milk crate in there in there (like most of us have) and have a seat and think, "what are these guys talking about, I've got tons of room!" You're in for a big surprise when the pedals are in. Things like, how far back towards the cab your ass is, the upward tilt of the front of the seat, the angle of the seat back, even an inch up, down or back in one of these cabs can make a huge difference. GET A COLUMN AND STEERING WHEEL IN IT. The column angle, size of the wheel and the column drop in relation to your knees when you're trying to operate the clutch and brake pedals is another thing you have to look at. If your knees hit the wheel it's going to need to be fixed now, maybe having to change where the steering box is located on the frame. There may only be one good place for it because of where the engine is sitting. Adjusting the drop length and wheel diameter will help by being able to move the column closer to the dash and getting the wheel away from your knees but not hitting the dash with your knuckles when turning. I have a 14" covico wheel and a stock length 39 drop. I've only been driving my truck since May. I'm on my 3rd seat. If you don't believe any of this now, you will eventually.
Hell yeah dude I really really appreciate this kinda imput. I've got a column and wheel I'm gonna mock up once I get my axles and set it on the ground and put my cab where I want it. I know what you mean about the seat too. I've only set up wood in the cab to get an idea and I know that's not quite enough so I need to start looking for a seat. I've also gotta get some pedals too, so I think that'll be my next thing after the chassis. I know for sure now I'm not going to channel it. Thanks again for the info. Isn't your cab chopped 5 inches?
No it's a 4" chop. Forgot to fix a typo in my build thread. Figuring out all that stuff will make it much nicer to drive. I just threw all that out there because it's stuff I ran into, which is why I'm on my third seat, lol. I used F1 pedals and they have been shortened (both the under floor and above floor sections) and tweaked 6 ways from Sunday. Make it comfortable and you'll be happy you did.
Yeah I really appreciate that kinda info! Thanks again man. I got my axles in so I set it up without the kick first and it had a little too much rake. I didn't really like the way it looked so I kicked the rear 3" like they did in the tardel book. This is what I ended up with. I think it looks pretty good. I might get a different spring for the front to bring it up some.
Looks cool, what size are the front tires? I think I like them better than mine. I assume the rears are 7.50x16? Same here. My kick up is 6". Aaron Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
It's looking really good and close too, maybe -1 out back or + 1 in front. But next time give us pic with a grill shell mocked and we'll really get jazzed up. Wyatt "Listen Mr... It ain't broke if I can't fix it"
+ 1' up in the front. the rear wheels look good in the fender support as it is now, I wouldnt mess with that. With 750's in back and 500/525's in front, on level ground in the shop, a digital level reads 3 degrees when set on the frame rail next to the engine. heres a pic before I raised the rear of mine: And after You can see it's almost exactly where yours is.
Yep the rears are 7.50x16 and the fronts are 4.50x16. Probably should have went with 5.25's up front but I can always later. Hows your truck coming along man? That's an awesome looking truck man! Yeah I'm thinking add an inch up front and it'll look good! Thanks for that comparison man! The top looks pretty level and the bottom looks spot on to me. I think if I add an inch up front like you said I'll be golden. Plus with the weight of the gas tank and battery the back will come down some. I'm actually going to throw an angle finder on mine tomorrow now that you said that!
Got a little done today. Just trying to decide on fishplates and if I want to grind all the welds down.
Awesome build, get it in good running order, break it in, then chop it to your needs. Enjoy it everytime you get a chance.
4 inch channel ,no chop ,stock steering colum ,stock gas tank, had to use 13 inch steering wheel and it's between my knees with my left knee jammed against door panel. I'm 5' 11" Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Jason, what size of a rearend are you using on your truck? And is that a stock pickup bed you have? Looks nice.
Chevy s 10 rear end, I'm running wide 5 rims. I cut the centers out and put them in 8 inch wide rims . Bed is stock size, I bought it from a place in Colorado. I had them roll the bead 3 inches back so I could center the tire with the bed. Do a search with my name whole build threads 6 years ago. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Nothing here recently. Bought a newer truck so I'm saving up money again to work on this thing haha maybe I'll do some little stuff this weekend.
Got a little done last night. Got my tie rod on and my trans adapter. Too bad I bought the wrong transmission haha. Does anyone have a good idea for a trans crossmember? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
^ Truth! Get everything in the interior; mock up the dash, pedals, steering position. Manipulate/modify those parts to make them comfortable, in line-of-sight, and within reach. Use blocks of wood/crates/plywood to simulate a seat pan and make sure you've got room to maneuver. Check and re-check. Then check some more. Not that my project equates directly to yours, but I went through 3 different columns, 5 or 6 seat heights, and half a dozen (or more) dash mockups before I found something comfortable. Tall guys can fit into small (or chopped/channeled) rigs; you just gotta finesse them a little more. The stance is absolutely killer, by the way. I wonder if a more mild 2 1/2" chop would look better proportion-wise. The bed gives it some length...I'd be worried that too hard of a chop would make it look 'squished'.
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