Leaf springs and because of the Bronco fuel cell I'm using.

 

I couldn't find what fuel tank you are using. Could you please let me know from where you got it,
Thanks

 

^^ The tank is from No Limit Engineering.

So over the last few days I finished up the stainless exhaust. I made up some mounts to support it. To mount the exhaust I'm copying the mounts from Stainless Works. They are nice, but expensive and they are universal, so I'd have to modify them anyway. I have specific locations I want the mounts so I made my own. These are the blue snappers I'll use to insulate vibration. They are high temp. I'll also use weld on nuts from all star to mount to the frame.




Then with the exhaust temporary supported I measured and made my rear hangers. They will be two piece with a lower portion that will weld to the pipe, and an upper drop down that will mount t on the frame. I drilled out some 1/8" stainless stock with a hole saw on the drill press.





Then I end up with these pieces. One is for each side.





Then I bend them into shape. In don't have a brake. A trick I learned is to cut grooves in the part, then fold it. Because stainless is non magnetic its just harder to try and fiddle with little parts and weld them up. I use this trick for lots of stuff. You end up with am open corner that is easy to weld up. Just have to account for the metal thickness on the bends. The little arrows on the piece are reminders for me what side to cut on. The line scratched with a razor blade is the one I'll follow.








I did the same with the drop down strut. I wanted to stiffen up the flat stock so I bent it into a u shape. Then welded the open corner. The weld looks a little weird because I did it in little sections so I didn't warp it and turn it into a banana. My exhaust tips will be close to the tank and frame, so I want it fairly stiff.





Here is the finished part after I ground down the welds and cleaned it up a little.







Then I drilled out the frame for the the weld nuts and tacked them in place.





The rear mounts look like this on the frame.





Then I made a pair of mounts for the rear crossmember in a similar manner.





Then I pulled out the exhaust and fully welded it. Then reinstalled. With everything checked, double checked and then checked again I tacked the mounts to the exhaust. I'll add one more set of mounts to my transmission crossmember after I make it. I did also cut in the stainless flex joints in the H-Pipe. The exhaust is mounted fairly rigid, so it will need some room to flex.

One more thing is done and it feels good to check it off the list.












Edit* I should mention that SS is nasty stuff to weld so if anyone reads this and decides to try it, definitely do it in an open environment with a fan and a respirator. I have a little pancake half mask that fits under my welding helmet.

 

Beautiful job Nick, I can't wait to see what you do next..

 

X2 on this. Nick, your skills are amazing.

 

Very nice work. It will be interesting to see how those mounts work out. As the exhaust heats up it will expand and need some room to move along it's length. As the front is fixed by the engine it will tend to grow to the rear of the truck. From what I've seen in the past on my projects the exhaust can grow as much as 1/4" over the 6 or 7 feet to the rear of the vehicle. I'm not sure your mounts will allow it to expand that much without binding up and overloading the mounts. Perhaps the bellows coupling at the front will take care of it. I don't know. Worth thinking about.

 

Definitely always a highlight to read and see the progress on your build Nick, just amazing work!

 

Thanks guys



I did think about that. The rear most mounts are fairly solid to keep my tail pipes where I want them. For the mounts on the crossmember I used a longer shoulder bolt. The bolt is screwed into the weld nuts until tight and leaves the shoulder for the grommets to ride on. That will allow them to slide on the shoulder as the exhaust heats up and cools down. They just support the weight. When I do the final assembly I think I'll just use a stainless shoulder bolt, screw it in tight and cut the head off, then I can just slide the grommets over the smooth studs. I'll later add some mounts right behind the flex joints to also support weight in a similar manner. The flex joints will definitely absorb any twisting, and expansion and contraction. That's why they are there.

 

Really liking your workmanship Nick. Great looking truck.

 

That's great, I hope it works the way you intended. Always lots to learn on these projects and I really appreciate you sharing in such detail.

 

Spectacular work! Your garage looks like it belongs on a TV show!

 

Nicholas, what size are the bed to frame bolts. I'm boxing my frame and need to weld the nuts inside. I saw where you welded yours in. I don't have any of the ones that I took out. I had to cut them all to get them out, then threw them away without thinking about it. Your build looks great by the way. Very nicely done.
Thanks. David

 

Will you be running a frame mount or firewall mount master cylinder/brake booster?

 

I really can't say for sure. The PO did some jerry rigging on it. The bed and any attachment would have been better put together with Elmer's glue . No idea what was originally there. I welded in 1/2" nuts.

 

I'll be using a reverse mount Wildwood Super Pedal for the brake and clutch master cylinders. The master cylinders will be under the dash, the reservoirs are remote mount and I will probably mount to the firewall engine side. No booster.