3/4 Race - Shop Truck

I've had people at Walesboro tell me about this truck when I've been there with my GMC Sonoma (S10).

Maybe we'll cross paths sometime...I'd like to see this in person.

In reply to gsettle :
Yes, CSCC was my home region when I autoX'd frequently. I still get down there from time to time.

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Did a bit more, better mocking up today.
There is 3" of spacer behind the front wheels. That's kinda a lot, so, extended control arms are climbing the priority list.

In reply to gumby :

Nice!
What do you have for rear springs? I can't tell from the photos 

In reply to gsettle :

There will be coil overs like before, but taller.

Oh, this is going to be so much fun...

Somehow I skipped the part about street use. All the common phrases that jump to mind are quite crude, so I'll just say I approve. Anatomically. 
 
Keep up the shenanigans. 

In reply to gumby :

I didn't realize you were a Facebook friend til today  

In reply to gsettle :

Autocrossing a truck makes for a small world haha

Got some springs on the back, and detached the jack stands from the rear of the frame

Charging the battery so I can tool around the yard later maybe. There are some clearances that need attention.

Paperwork, windshield, and lights for street driving.

Front control arms, real bumpstops, and limit straps before it can be driven in anger.

Still pushing forward, updates got sidetracked by a rodent attacking my daily's wire harness.

Title transferred from IL to IN, same name. I am the only documented owner of this truck since 2002.
Polycarbonate windshield ordered, should be ready in late June.

I started the wiring project with a part/tool/supply order

I have plenty of old harness I could have robbed connectors from, but this is as good a time as any to level up and start crimping open barrel terminals instead of splicing pigtails everywhere

I scavenged a headlight harness from the mess. It has the sockets I need, and plenty of length to reach a good spot for the new Deutsch connection at the firewall.

Located the new fuse/relay box. There's still gonna be some splicing....baby steps.

The rear lights were already wired to a 4flat trailer plug behind the front bumper, so I pulled that back to the firewall as well. Then a fabrication side quest to mount the Kubota combo switch.
I don't have a 3D printer, nor software to create files for Send-Cut-Send, so I just hacked away at some ⅛" plate

Created a spacer from a slice of 2.5" exhaust pipe

And attached it to my steering support

All the components are now fixed in place, and a good chunk of the wiring too. Just gotta connect the dots.

gumby said:

Then a fabrication side quest to mount the Kubota combo switch.
I don't have a 3D printer, nor software to create files for Send-Cut-Send, so I just hacked away at some ⅛" plate

Hey, I resemble that remark! 

After a too busy month of May, I am back on this project. Unfortunately, I kinda left it in a heap

On the bright side, that huge box is my poly windshield. So awesome when a part arrives early!

The wiring is now completed, tested, wrapped and routed. First time in 20yrs this truck has had street legal lights and signals.

Now, onto the front suspension

Pulled the shock and mock-up coil out and cycled everything. Then, I pulled the other side completely apart to begin the task of control arm extension. When I have one side all tacked up and happy, it should be simple enough to copy over, and this way I still have a visual reference of what I started with.

Go go Gadget control arms!

In reply to gumby :

I love this project, it's so off the beaten path. I hope your springs and dampers are super soft so it has all the stadium super truck body motion in normal commuting.

gumby said:

Now, onto the front suspension

is that four wheel spacers stacked up?? 

jfryjfry said:

is that four wheel spacers stacked up?? 

Nope. On a Toyota spindle of this vintage the rotor is mounted on the backside of the hub flange so, what you see there is only three stacked spacers.

Stacking 4 wheel spacers would be ridiculous.

In reply to gumby :

Absolutely ridiculous. No one does 4. 

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

I hope your springs and dampers are super soft so it has all the stadium super truck body motion in normal commuting.

I spent a fair amount of time reading thru the Billavista coilover bible found on Pirate4x4, using his spring rate calculator, and talking with Nonack(GRM's resident stage rally guy) about shock valving. I want the truck capable, but also I'm not going into bypass shock territory. We'll see how active a cobbled together, mid-travel combo can be....

Tonight I managed getting an upper control arm tacked together, fitting both arms on the truck, and cycling things thru the range of shock travel again. Full droop is now achieved without locking out the balljoints.

In reply to gumby :

your stuff is always so pretty

Do you have a tube bender? Or is there a good source for bent tubes that I need to know about? I've been looking for similar bends for my upper control arms.

In reply to Shavarsh :

I have a bender, yup.
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Putting lots of hours into the truck, trying to be ready for an event this weekend.

• Broke the right front back down to finish weld, paint, and reassemble the upper arm.
• Built the left front upper arm, mirrored/flipped
• Painted LF upper arm
• Blew LF corner apart. Extended and painted the LF lower arm
• Assembled both corners worth of new suspension. Torqued and pinned all the things.
• Cycled the new parts with a wheel mounted to determine frame bump stop requirements
• Removed brake hoses to replicate, 3" longer
• Reattached the steering rack to the chassis
• Started machining the first, longer, tie rod sleeve

I talked to the shock guy who is re-valving the used circle-track units I bought for the rear. Should have them back tomorrow. I ordered frame bump stops and 3" tall micro-cellular shock bumpers today. I am staging these parts to engage progressively thru compression travel; each step increasing in spring rate.

And a HANS, in case I attempt to impersonate a lawn dart.

Beautiful work!

What is the event this weekend?

Very interested in how the first dirt voyage goes.

First dirt will be Sunday at a Tuff Truck event. It is being promoted by the brother of a friend, and I dunno how many entries he is gonna pull, but mine will be there to up the count even if I just drive around slow.

It is all together and survived the first trip around the block. There is a lot of optimizing needed, but it drives, kinda fast, and completely ridiculous. Just a few weeks ago it only had 3" ground clearance....

Make sure those front springs don't coil bind, looks like it might be tight.