jeebus @ mmw
+1y
Edited: 1/18/2009 8:49:23 AM by Chopped Mazda
Edited: 12/7/2008 5:44:59 PM by Chopped Mazda
Edited: 11/22/2008 8:05:12 AM by Chopped Mazda
as some of you know, i sold my project S-10 a couple months ago, to persue something alittle more practical for me at the moment. I decided to bag my 2003 Ram Quad cab. Ive been working on it for 5 weekends now, and im hoping to have it wrapped up soon. Im just building this one in my home garage on my weekend time. When i finish it up, im going to start another full frame build mini. Here what ive gotten done so far. Bare bones, just got the bed off, and the front sheet metal off. pulled the gas tank out today, and got the fuel pump removed. Also pulled the shocks and some other stuff needing to move out of the way. Next weekend, im going to weld the notch in, and remove the rear spare tire holder. allright. end of weekend two. I got the rear end notched, and cut out the spare tire holder and ground all of the surrounding area down, so that i can get ready to put the fuel cell in. took the rear suspension apart also, and threw the leafs and shit in the garbage. Also, got the entire vehicle on jack stands and tore the front end apart alittle more. Next weekend i hope to mount the fuel cell, and the x-member for the valves and compressor. As well as fully take apart the front suspension and start making tube arms for it. This weeked i didnt get a whole bunch done, I didnt get to work on it on saturday, because of some prior plans, (wife needed me to help lay new flooring in her computer room, while my computer room still lays in shambles haha) and then sunday, i spent a good part of the day changing all my light bulbs out, because a few went bad. Got the axle up at fully layed out position, so i can set my bag mounts up. I cut out the stock x-member that was in my way. I was hoping not to have to, but it hit, so i cut it out to make room for the new one. Got the fuel cell mounted, and the stock pump back inside of it. Still have to do the final mounting arrangments on it. I did manage to get pretty much every measurment for every piece i need to finish the rear. I cut a big ole chunk of cardboard off of a box, and started drawing a ton of shit out, but i think i have everything ready to go! During this week, i hope to: -Get my lower link bars cut and welded up. -Get the front x-member made for the upper bar mounts -Get my bracketry cut at the water-jet place -Get the steel i need to finish the fuel cell mount, which will also double as my compressor mount. -Get my tanks all plumbed up, and the fittings i need installed. Then, next weekend, i hope i get to install most of that stuff. The rear should be starting to get finished up really soon. Then im gonna go full time on the front, which also, shouldnt be too bad, i have most of the stuff i need. not an eventfull weekend, but here are some pics: ok, this has probably been the most productive weekend yet. Got a TON of shit done that needed to be done.....but at the same time, this was deffinentally the worst weekend yet. Lets start off with the bad. Saturday, i was workin along in the garage and was using my die grinder when all of a sudden... BOOOM, i could feel the noise in my chest it was that loud.... my compressor decided to blow up, leaving itself useless and un-repairable. The piston shot out of the side of the compressor, and the line that goes from the compressor to the tank must have gotten hit from something when it exploded because it got mangled and fucked up. that was shitty, but i figured the worst was past me for the weekend.....nope. about 2pm i went to go use my drill press...and ofcource i cant find the fucking chuck key for it.....so i decide to use my corded drill do do the job....nope, missing the chuck key to that also......yea, pretty much fucked. So, here i am its 3pm, and i currently cant use the following : air tools, plama cutter, drill press, drill. So i figured, fuck it, ill just do some of the welding i was putting off for the last week........nope cant do that either, out of fucking gas for the welder....completely out. So, i go visit my brother at TSC, he exchanges my tank for a full one, and gives me two new chuck keys for my drill and drill press, and sets me up with a compressor that i will pickup next week. Sunday, i had to do all this shit the old fassion way. I cut all my brackets with a cut off wheel and a grinder, had to tighten all the bolts with a pair of wrenches, i did have my trusty drill back in action, so i was happy about that. All in all, the weekend ended up being pretty productive for me. I hung the lower link bars. Welded in the bag mounts, and welded in a x-member with a driveshaft hoop, that will double as the forward bar mounts also. Tacked in all my link mounts. I drilled and mounted the fuel cell, and welded in the angle iron infront of the fuel cell, which will double as my compressor mounts, and a secondary backup gas tank strap mount. I had to weld in a plate on the frame rail ware the bag mount is located, there was a big fuckin hole thare from stock, and most people just dont weld in that place, but i think that alittle unsafe.....so i welded in a plate, to the frame, then welded in the bag mounts and gussets. The rear bags are RE-8, 1/2" ports. i also added a pic of my new welder, 210 amps of welding power!. I had some trouble with it the first week i had it, but got that all taken care of, now i love it. I couldnt ask for anything better in the price range! busy weekend. underestimated how long it would take me to cut out all that fucking stock bullshit spring pocket and bump stop and shit. I tought it was all single layer, but turns out , its all double layer, with welds everyware. regardless, i got both sides cleared out to a flat bare frame rail, and i also cut off my upper control arm mounts and tacked in my new uca tabs to raise them up 3" welde in the rear mount to my fuel cell, if you look closley, you will see the holes drilled in it for the straps that will run under the tank, and attatch to the front x-member, that along with the six 1/2 bolts on each end should be enough to hold it in place Not many pics, i was just busy, didnt think about it really. Im also attatching some sneak pics of my new upper control arms i just drew up in autocad, should have them complete this week. .875" flat plate, with a uni-joint. Also a rendered pic of my gussets im cutting this week also. Letme know what you think about the arms. Ive been waiting to do this for arms for a while now, and weve been kicking around the idea at the shop of making a line of arms that are all cut from flat plate with custom designs and what not in them. Im guinni-piggin it up, and trying them on my truck first. This weekends update: Got all my gussets and raised UCA mounts all welded in and ready to go. Before i left work on friday, riche bent me up some upper bars, and i got those welded up and installed also. also, did the final welding on the axle tabs and 2.3 tabs. Started mounting the compressors with all the nylon hardware, and am hoping to beable to get the new air tanks and get that in place next weekend. Its looking like my time frame is still pretty accurate, hopefully i will be rolling this thing in mid april. Not a whole lot left to do, just the time consuming wireing , valve plumbing, and all that shit Pictures of my control arms cut, and getting ready to weld up!