Project TLC

[Splatmaster527]

Well after well over 200,000 Miles and 9 brutally salty and wet Ohio winters my girl has started to show her age. Loose steering, some rust, electrical gremlins here and there, Rust, loose ball joints, RUST, and a bit more RUST!!
So yesterday I decided it was time to bight the bullet and do some much needed work on the underside.
Whats the best way to work on the underside of a truck? Make the underside the top side of course!!!

So after a bunch of bolts, some hoses, a few wires, a handful of cables, a couple of hi-lift jacks, a few trips to Lowes for more cinder blocks and some hairy moments of sketchy support systems. I ended up with this!!

So for all of you who think you need a lift and a ton of equipment to do a job like this quickly... Sorry but you are wrong.
I think the whole job probably used maybe 4 wrenches a flathead screwdriver, and a pair of needle nose.

 

[Pachanga02]

Nice job and be careful

 

[LuSe4]

Wow! Holy cow!

 

[CEN2MENTAL95]

great start....just it begs the question....is this all worth it?

 

[dropmech]

Two words. Good luck.

 

[Splatmaster527]

great start....just it begs the question....is this all worth it?

I guess for me keeping the truck is more of a sentimental thing so keeping this one in the best of shape while I can is certainly worth it to me. Not to mention, being in college I am not exactly looking to go buy a new truck any time soon.

 

[JochenWoern]

Well after well over 200,000 Miles and 9 brutally salty and wet Ohio winters my girl has started to show her age. Loose steering, some rust, electrical gremlins here and there, Rust, loose ball joints, RUST, and a bit more RUST!!
So yesterday I decided it was time to bight the bullet and do some much needed work on the underside.
Whats the best way to work on the underside of a truck? Make the underside the top side of course!!!

So after a bunch of bolts, some hoses, a few wires, a handful of cables, a couple of hi-lift jacks, a few trips to Lowes for more cinder blocks and some hairy moments of sketchy support systems. I ended up with this!!

So for all of you who think you need a lift and a ton of equipment to do a job like this quickly... Sorry but you are wrong.
I think the whole job probably used maybe 4 wrenches a flathead screwdriver, and a pair of needle nose.

NOT digging your VERY unsafe "sketchy support systems"

DO NOT GET KILLED!

 

[Riff Raff]

****!!!!

be careful bro

 

[Splatmaster527]

The sketchyness was when I was jacking it up... its solid as a rock now!
And anyway most of the work is on the frame. I wont be spending much time under the body while its up on the beams. And if I do ill have blocks next to me so if it did happen to fall I wont get crushed.

 

[aldrichg9]

Meh...
Looks better than some of the super-sketch stuff I've done.

Good luck bro!

 

[JochenWoern]

The sketchyness was when I was jacking it up... its solid as a rock now!
And anyway most of the work is on the frame. I wont be spending much time under the body while its up on the beams. And if I do ill have blocks next to me so if it did happen to fall I wont get crushed.

Now that sounds sooooo much safer, ..................... N O T !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Splatmaster527]

Now that sounds sooooo much safer, ..................... N O T !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously what do you want me to do? Go buy a $4000 Garage lift which would essentially be doing exactly what I have done right here for $50 just because it would be somehow safer?

 

[JochenWoern]

Seriously what do you want me to do? Go buy a $4000 Garage lift which would essentially be doing exactly what I have done right here for $50 just because it would be somehow safer?

I do not WANT you to do ANYTHING, I just want you to be safe and not get hurt. Life is too short and way more worth then 4K.

Just play it safe, ............... SERIOUS!

 

[cb450r]

Wow what a project, Keep us posted on the progress and possible tips or tricks. And I'll mirror everyone else's concerns.. BE CAREFUL!

 

[Splatmaster527]

Wow what a project, Keep us posted on the progress and possible tips or tricks. And I'll mirror everyone else's concerns.. BE CAREFUL!

Yeah 90% of the work is on the frame which is perfectly safe. Anyhow I will probably try to take more photos as it goes back together and make a thread in the Tech section with details.

 

[alc5m]

that actually looks like a pretty legit set up, not sure what size boards you have across there, but i would hope its a beefy size, but i've seen people do some stuff like this before but dont stack the blocks right (as you have, alternating them) and coming out looking way sketchier than this, i think that looks solid as hell for the cost and how he did it

 

[Gzes]

nice work but looks redneck lol. yea show us how to put it back together when you are done and yea i wouldnt worry to much about it being sketchy ive done more sketchy things... lol

 

[Splatmaster527]

Yeah those are tripled up 2x8s on each beam so they are pretty beefy supports. Sure its not the prettiest thing in the driveway but its only for a week or so.

 

[Splatmaster527]

Got some stuff done today and yesterday, frame is painted and I did all new hard brake lines today. All new rubber lines come in at Napa in the morning. Lower control arms come in from rock auto tomorrow so I can put those along with upper control arms, tie rods and ends, sway bar links, and sway bar bushings in tomorrow.

Heres a pic of the brake line progress...

Hoping to paint the underside of the body and get the two halves back together tomorrow but we will see how long everything else takes.

 

[1Agerry]

wow man that's awesome!