Picked a '54 4100 (the orange one) up a month or so ago in ND and finally got some steel rounded up to get started last night. Before I get started I wanna show y'all my '48 4100 (the green one) that I built this past spring which took a couple months, I'm sure there will be a few that will not like the big wheels and independent suspension, but it was all stuff i had laying around my shop, so it's definitely hot roddin' as it should be. This one will be more of a driver and simple, that tunnel rammed 383 in the green one with a th350 and 4.4 gears isnt really much of a long hauler, although its more than willing. Now this is what I did last night. smple drawing to get some ideas (there are a few actually) cut some 2"X4" then welded it up going to try to make this one a little different than the usual s-10 or mustang II/9" way of doing advance design trucks that i see all the time. I hope some of you guys can appreciate all the work that went into the '48 too. I also would appreciate some constructive criticism since this is the first time building a 4 bar ch***is.
With that much engine setback, it should handle like a roller skate! 4 bars are easy. Just remember that parallel means exactly that. if it gets off by even a little amount, Fountians of poop await You.
kick *** on the constructive criticism!!! i truly appreciate it, im not one of those guys that gives a **** what everyone thinks at a car show or anywhere really, but it does mean something here. that said, whats r&p? thanks on the kegs! they were fun to empty too! that truck gets more attention than you could imagine/expect. the best is these over done restored muscle car dip****s, or the overly polished boyd wannabees that get so pissed off when i pull in to their events and steel all their thunder 10-20 gawkers at a time. or even better when their hot women that are way outta their league tell them that my truck is their favorite at the show even more so than their #'s matching ls6 chevelle. ****in' loved that one. my shop is ok/have everything i need, mig,tig,plasma,oxy-acetylene,three lifts,blast cabinet,ch***is dyno,sheet metal shop next door. it would be much better if i could get some decent help, been doing performance & fab for almost ten years on my own and never had a decent guy, alot of drunks and lazy ****s though. i figured the 4-bar had to be perfectly paralel, so my speed square and tape will be tuned in today. i defiitely will be doing some air horns since the air ride already has the tank and compressor. i plan to plate up all the joints inside and out, there's still a lot of ch***is to go yet. last night i put the lower frame end mounts in for the four bar front and rear and set the motor/trans in. its looking' pretty bad ***. i have @ 9-10 hours to spend on it today so the 4-bar should be done and motor/trans mounted by the time you hear from me again. heres one more pic of the '48 from the goodguys show right before we left, thought you guys might my mud flap ****s. my sheet metal guy neighbor does sculpture work too.
i was told by a few that i couldn't run a rack & pinion with a solid axle unless the rack was mounted to the axle, so i was going to use a traditional steering box. hot rodz r us- after another day of plasma cutting & welding (motor/trans/drive shaft are in) i was thinking of only plating the frame joints on the inside to keep the outside clean. what do ya think? not that its that big of a deal but it crossed my mind. wasn't gonna post any pics tonight but i couldn't resist, i actually quit for the day because my mig ran out of wire... did the top rear four bar fronts first today then did the front upper rear mounts, guess the cat's outta the bag on my motor trans now so here's that, i acquired a mid '90's ('95/6?) caprice awhile back for nothin' as a complete running car. it was actually pretty nice. a met blue ls with leather, digital gauges, pretty clean, etc. but i already have a caprice wagon from the same era (a '93) that i prefer the lines of. i think the caprice four doors just don't look right, so i parted it out. i have a pair of aluminum heads from a mid '90's lt1 'vette that my machine shop guy says we can put right on this motor too, so that should work out alright. trans mount, this will get some plasma cut windows or drilled holes, for detail, i was just in a hurry/excited to get everything mounted up today so that will be done later.
You were told wrong. Mine is. A lot more are. You need a tangible reason to do it, or not, but not necessarily what somebody else tells you............... That said, I like the way you are doing it, from what I can see from here. . .
You MIGHT be able to get by plating just one side, but if it were mine, I would plate both. Better be safe then sorry, and not leave a weak spot. As long as that frame is, it's got to be flexing somewhere with no X in the middle.
Its not so much that you can't, its just a bad idea. The bump steer would be deadly. One of my brothers bought a truck with rack and pinion on the axle, and finally decided he'd have better steering if he converted it back to a traditional steering box because of the various issues making it safe and reliable. I think you've made the right choice. I love your trucks! Makes me think I should put the keyboard away and go work on mine.
thanks on the engine. i thought it would be a good choice since i wanted to move it back so far under the cab. its the lowest v8 engine i know of. i think im gonna try to find a power steering box that i can use in here, any ideas? thanks on the compliments on my creativity! i really try to do things differently than everyone else wherever possible. i think im gonna plate both sides, there's really no reason i cant do it, the frame will be mostly covered anyway, not that that should sway my progress. there will be a k member along the trans, from that cross member forward, and more angled 2x4 from the lower part of the frame to the front & rear uppers. i also need to get creative on the motor mounts today since i picked up 12.5 lbs of wire this morning.
Truck doesn't look like a '54 but other than that, it rocks! We're doing an S10 one and have decided today to put the second one on a stock frame. Now that I see what you are up to, 2 x 4 tubing isn't THAT expensive! Maybe I'll have to make a third one as well! Keep up the good work. I'm subscribing to this thread!
i have heard that before, i think its because chevy did not update their big (4100) trucks as often as their 31 & 3600's. the ***le definitely says '54 though, and i bought it from a guy that purchased it almost new in '56. ran outta gas for the mig today : ( its always something isn't it...
I figured that as well. It could be an early date code. A perfect car example is the '53 Chevy business coupe. It uses the '52 roof on the '53 body. Pretty unique, no one can find that back trim. The whole line WAS updated for '54 (I've got 5) but like you said, probably not in time. Cheaper to buy the windshield for that one anyway! We're hosed because it is freight only and they want $99-125 to ship the stupid thing. Your flat gl*** can be made up town! Time for a bigger tank! At least it is only one. I ran out of Oxy 2 weeks ago and Act this week! I KNEW I should have filled them at the same time! Keep on truckin!
hey man you got some good lookin stuff going on here... even more inspiration for me to start my ch***is! if you dont mind... would you share some dimensions with me? i have a 54 that i am building, but don't have the original frame. just looking for some widths, lengths, etc. thanks! keep up the good work... i will be waiting for updates!
Man, I lust after those real magnesium wheels (green truck)! Be prepared to replace that opti-spark if the front of the engine gets wet Keep us posted!
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