What bars did you end up going with? I am very please with the Tough Country bars i got.

 

Matt u really need a bigger garage

IMO stick w/the Cummins,
I had a V10 truck (wasn't impressed w/pulling or Mileage)
Hopefully I don't start a war

 

I got the PMF bars they were really highly liked when i was researching them a while ago, i was originally going to go with tough country but i saw so many people breaking them that it steered me away from them however that all happened around the same time so maybe it was a bad batch from the manufacturer.

Warren i am going to stay with the cummins like the idea too much and price wise its almost the same to get the cummins in as building a V10/V8.

Yes i need a bigger garage lol however now i can slide the truck left and right to make room with the wheel back on.

 

Not much of an update was busy pulling out bushes and doing wedding stuff all weekend however friday i made some good progress, i cleaned the garage so i can get to my tool box now and the bed is cleared off so i can finally work on it!

I got the two center braces out and my next goal is to remove the liners and remains of the center supports, the front one is going to be a PITA to remove and the rear one should be relatively easy. The bed floor is in surprisingly great shape compared to the supports, i thought it would be much worse with all that rot next to it. I am going to remove the inner fenders and probably create a brace between the middle supports to attach the liners to. I took a look at the replacement patches and they are already rusting again and i want to POR them however i cant with the metal inner fender there so it will be coming out and the plastic one will be fine in there alone.

Before:


After:


I also moved the Alison and 12V out of the corner to allow room to start working on them finally!

 

Just ordered my steel to replace the bed supports. below is what i ordered off Mcmaster Carr and from researching another thread on here.

(HxWxL in inches)
3x3x72 - $61
2.5x2.5x72 - $53.03
2x2x72 - $47.10
3.5x3.5x72 - $41.51 (ordered 2x one for bed and one for Ex tank support)

total: $244.15

I ordered all 6ft lengths because they only offered 1ft, 3ft, and 6ft increments so i will be cutting some off but no much on the front and rear, only about a foot and the middle on about 2 ft each.

Also i wanted to add a quick note that this will indeed sit the bed slightly low however with all the layers of POR i put on the frame i am anticipating it to be either just under or perfect just under can easily be fixed with some shims.

 

I got my Maghytec rear diff cover in last night, should have it installed this afternoon. This thing is really nice...i almost dont want to put it on the truck its so pretty lol.

 

Everything looks great! I love the Mag Hytec covers.... but I don't know if I could ever reason with the price. I'll probably switch to the 08 and newer style aluminum one when I do diff fluid/maybe put a posi in.

 

I really want one.... no make it two front and rear. lol. Maybe next summer as I spent all my money on my engine overhaul.

 

That is nice Matt. Did we decide if your doing gear swap or locker? may want to hold off on the cover so you don't have to do it twice.

 

That diff cover looks great. I hope to have one put on my 88 one day.


By the way Matt you realize the transmission and engine are suppose to be bolted together and in the truck. LOL Just messing with you. I have been watching your updates on the sidelines and love how the truck is progressing.
Trav

 

Crap...i knew something didn't look right lol.

Thanks guys, the jury is still out on the whole gear and true trac swap however i think it would still be a worthwhile investment. Is it advised to replace all the bearings while its out because that adds a pretty penny lol. I am going between teh 3.73's and 4.30 or 4.56 gears with 35's i have read so much that i think i overloaded and cannot decide because so many people have reasons to use both.

I want a front cover as well but i have not made it to that side of the truck yet lol.

Also i got the steel in for the bed supports this morning at work came one day shipping because we order from them all the time lol.

 

My brain is doing the same thing as yours is for the gears, (that will be next summer) except mine is between POR-15 and chassis saver. I know chassis saver is a little bit cheaper and is a 1 part setup with several thin coats in between along with a finish coat not to mention a lot of prep work to get the grease and junk off.

How are you liking the POR-15?

 

I love it honestly they are both pretty much the same this I just started with POR so now I stick with it to each their own. I've seen both work well.

 

I am a Chassis Saver guy/Monstaliner guy. I have been very happy with their products. And they are easy to get your hands on. My local Napa carries them.

Both would be great, but put the work into the prep. It is everything with the paints.

Why did you overhaul the engine Scott? Did it wear out on you?

 

Cool, thanks Monty and Wizkid. Prettey much flip the quarter; heads or tails... but it's in the prep that shows the paints quality. 10-4

I started all this because of an oil gasket leak. It started out as, lets try and do it inflame, then said to myself "you will be doing it again" so then decided to pull motor with just a loader and do the pan gasket without turning it upside down. Lost the loader to a job and had to get a stand then it all snowballed and I couldn't stop.