it is alive! Very much in a zip ties and bailing wire state but even with a super conservative tune and low boost it is pretty exciting.
edit for embed attempt.
it is alive! Very much in a zip ties and bailing wire state but even with a super conservative tune and low boost it is pretty exciting.
edit for embed attempt.
In reply to 759NRNG :
glad to hear this makes you smile. I would build flappers if this more permanent
No dude, put those 'downs' somewhere out the fenders .....behind the front tires down low.....and no FLAPS....wink
this is BADMAMMAJAMBER....BOSS....ROCK ON!!!!
You're doing good work.
Argh! It is broken.
but not in the I turned up the boost and now the motor is shot easily predicted manner. In fact I am still on 5lbs of boost and that part seems great.
I am getting some driveline vibrations. In a "holy E36 M3 that is going to explode" way. The problem is worse in neutral and with the clutch depressed. To investigate this unpleasantness I took the transmission out . 
the input shaft does have some play, but not nearly as much as I would expect based on the symptoms. Large chunks of metal were also not in the fluid. Hmmm... the trans to bellhousing bolts were a grab bag of SAE and metric. That's not ideal. So on to heli coils for all the fasteners. 
Also not sweet is the absence of one alignment dowel. Time for the redneck machine shop. 
Then
followed by:
cut to length with my parting tool:
and now it has two dowels: I apologize to any real machinists who see this. You are safe now. 
And yes it works great. There is definitely also some play in the front U-joint but I don't have a replacement yet so for now it is time for a workout. The exercise is T56 press. 1 set of 1 reps. For purposes of my health and safety this in cab support is rigged to support the tail shaft. 
to increase horsepower and motivation I also painted the newly fastener matching bell in red. 3,2,1 LIFT. 
okay need to put in some juices and a driveshaft and see if it is worse, better or same. Wish me luck.
Well. The test drive confirms that the driveline issue is still happening. I do feel good about pulling and replacing the transmission this afternoon since it resulted in several improvements. I don't think I mentioned it anywhere here but initially the trans cross member was installed all cockeyed using 2 factory frame holes and 2 drilled by the PO. I have since made sure that the tail shaft is actually centered. But it looks like my next step involves a drive shaft investigation. I was hoping to do some exhaust and general appearance projects but that can wait for now.
So today I moved the entire drivetrain back one position on the adjustable mounts since this is where it was with the catty-wampus crossmember (aka when it last didn't have a severe vibration issue). For whatever reason the mounts are built with a steel plate on the back that is a pain to keep from dropping on my face. A little MIG love and now they are one piece. 
test drive showed great improvement! The clunky vibration is still there but now it is less than 1/5 of what it was yesterday. This makes me happy since it looks like my transmission is working how it should. I suspect That the truck has some pretty appalling pinion angle going on right now and I want to address this in conjunction with u-joint replacement. Measuring is coming up soon.
Is it possible/advisable to flip the front mounts for the trailing arms? Just by eyeballing it it seems like that would help move the pinion angle in a favorable direction. anyone here done this?
Yes, you can flip the trailing arm mount. Yes, it changes pinion angle, but it also improves anti-squat (or returns the anti-squat on a lowered truck).
I flipped the mounts on my '61 Apache.
In reply to SkinnyG :
Sweet! Thanks and that thing is awesome. I was pretty sure that I read about you doing a crossmember flip for the anti-squat.
Some 67-72 folks flip the crossmember, which provides more driveshaft clearance up top for lowered ride heights.
My frame is totally different, and I'll have to make some more mods to the frame once I get my driveshaft.
I'm watching through your build, as it is certainly helpful. I'm trying to decide how I want to run the hotside on my single-turbo install.....
I decided to dig into the sheet metal screw rust repair in the cab floor. It looks kind of horrible, but I did already know that from my initial look. While the bed is still MIA it seems like a good time to put in the cab corners at least. 
Passenger side welded in. I am pretty okay with this so far and the part that is less than ideal is going to be covered by the bed someday. 
If nothing else it beats the heck out of the mesh and glue previous "repair"
I can't believe that it took me this long to find something so easy to spot and obvious. Embarrassing, but real life:
Trans crossmember is UPSIDE DOWN!!! WTF?
And almost as bad as the other guy who put it on this way; I put it BACK wrong also. At least twice. Is my brain asleep at the wheel or what? Kind of weird how much it killed ground clearance HANGING DOWN UNDER THE FRAME. Wow. Keeping myself humble.
In reply to GoLucky :
May I call you A-A-Ron? 
In reply to AngryCorvair :
Yes. Because I done messed up. It is really not that out of character though, I screw up all the time.
On my '77 C10, I have the rubber trans mount shimmed about 1.5" higher than factory, to try to reduce driveline vibrations. You cannot get your finger between the transmission case and the floor.
The trans was originally somewhere close to 5° down, and with the flip kit in the back, the driveshaft sat at 0° - and that's too much operating angle for a u-joint (you want it 1-3°).
On my '61 C10, the engine was positioned to clear the crossmember, and the trans mount was placed as high as I could without touching, and got a 2.7° angle, which still places the trans u-joint about 3/4" higher that the pinion u-joint (even at a 7"/9" drop), so the angles should be awesome.
(My B13 Sentra taught me about suspension, my '77 C10 taught me about driveline vibration).
In reply to GoLucky :
we all do, at one time or another. like the time i bought a new Fender American Standard Stratocaster, red with white pickguard (matched my '72 monte carlo), then had to sell it 6 months later to pay for a new TH350 because i bolted the converter to the flexplate and then mated the trans to it. had to force it the last 1/2" with the bellhousing to engine bolts. as long as you do nice work in between the A-A-Ron moments, and it appears you do, then its all good.
SkinnyG said:...at a 7"/9" drop...
smiling so hard right now
Well look at that; more parts put together wrong. 
The zerk fitting in this u-joint fouls on the yoke. It allows not much levels of angle and is hopefully going to make things much nicer when it isn't hitting. Does not hit when it is facing the other way. 
hopefully I can get a test drive in before the snow gets deep again.
But deep snow is more fun.....
Great job on the truck and writing this build thread. Keep up the good work. Oh, and I love the burnout vid.
In reply to SkinnyG :
I'm not sure I'd make it out of the driveway. No bed is like the inverse of sandbags over the axle.
In reply to rico750sxi_2 :
Thanks. I hope that there will be more tire smoke in the future.
Okay so this morning I installed the driveshaft and this time I had the rear wheels off of the ground to get a feel for how everything was spinning. Wouldn't you know it; there was one spot where I could feel a bind. Sure enough the grease fitting on the rear u-joint was also hitting. I bashed everything apart and spun it around and then it spun free 360 degrees. Optimistic test drive followed with passenger door absent but alas, the knocking sound from the driveline is still present.
On the bright side:
1) I have fixed some of the other issues that would have certainly been problematic down the line anyway.
2) I have not ever rebuilt a transmission and have always thought that it would be cool to do so.
3) I have been drawn to the front shift conversion and if everything comes apart anyway it seems like that would be a great upgrade
4) I Would also consider an AR5 transmission swap and already have a bellhousing set aside.
My exercise for this evening consisted of a T56 negative press and a deadlift and carry of the same. Not light. Patent not pending safety ratchet strap engaged to allow me to wiggle out and unlatch. The trick is to hold the free end of the tie down so when you pop it loose it doesn't smash down violently. 
and then it comes out nice and easy on the creeper
I even made myself some installation notes so that hopefully I can get the crossmember back in properly (I'm trying AngryCorvair)
Just a quick unpaid fan rant: I bought this tool and I love it. My cordless quiver is all Kobalt and I am quite happy with them. They do not make a cordless ratchet though and I have been hesitant on getting another system of batteries, chargers tools etc. This Husky was under $60 and has the battery integrated and comes with a wall charger. So far it has saved me so much time and 1/8th turn aggravations that it has in my mind paid for itself. Rant over. 
this is my stopping point tonight. I look forward to the exploration of this fantastic piece of manual transmission goodness. 
Ahem, this is the original, one and only Big Red. I was so relieved that your thread went away from the red Chevy.
Just kidding to the other Big Red a few pages back.
Great thread thanks!
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