When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I took care of the crossmember issue and will be making a stout transmission bracket. What you can't really make out in the picture is the 3"x4"x1/4" tube I used to brace the front to help replace the crossmember. I also moved the motor mounts up 1-1/2" and welded them solid.
This is how it sits as of tonight. From the ground to the top of chassis at the center of the hoops it measures 38-1/2". That will be ride height when it's done.
I had to pause for a minute earlier while we were setting the engine and snap this picture. The more you can involve the family the better!
Only one of them was readyish for the picture
None of them were happy when I said it had to come right back out! I just needed it in there for a reference before I started hacking everything else up. My wife and I reinstalled the engine at 10 this evening using a flashlight.... gotta love it
This is the low point of this story. 2wd rat rod. I know I'll never have time to take it and play with it in the mud since I work way too much. I'm going to stick with the 70 rear 4 link with air bags put the econoline front suspension back together, get a 2 wd C6 and have a tire boiling little ***** that I can drive on the road whenever I want.
I put it all back together as a 2wd truck using all the original parts. Then life got in the way and I sold her off. I didn't regret it because I had to do what I had to do at the time plus I was kind of burnt out. Better things usually wait after a sacrifice but I thought about it quite a bit. I had people asking me how it was going and if I was done yet. I had to deal with chronic back issues for 2 years before I went under the knife. The surgeon cut me open and screwed my spine together....
At this point the truck was gone. We bought my wife's 1972 K10 on 2.5 ton rockwells about a year later on 14.9/24s or 50" tires. It's a fun toy. Shortly after that I bought myself another truck. It's a 1969 C60 with a 427 and that has been my main focus.
2 years after I sold the ***** I got into contact with the guy who bought it, the stars aligned and I got my baby back!!! RECENT TIME NOW, ABOUT 8 MONTHS AGO.
My wife and I grabbed the trailer and made the 8 hour round trip to bring her home. She snapped this picture just after we loaded it up. Her baby and mine.
Remember that bed I said I hated. Well we made a 6 hour or so round trip out to Midwest ****** and got an original ****** bed. I got some spray in bed liner and went to work.
I started with tons and tons of sanding.
I think I put 4 coats on it.
I couldn't find an original ****** tailgate so I made this.
I had to remake a new fan shroud because I hacked the original one up trying to figure out why they were not flowing any decent amount of air. Well I had them hooked up as pusher fans and their puller fans. New shroud, flipped it around to the correct side and reversed the radiatir hoses and she's all set now.
Note the fuel cell... I threw it on there like that to get it out of the bed until I could get another one that fit under the bed how I wanted it to.
Up to this point she has always been sitting on the original E350 springs. Since I pulled so much weight off of the front end the wheels were bowed out toward the top. Just a few days ago I bought a set of air lift 2500 air bags for the front. Now she's air ride at all 4 corners, wheels are straight and it's sitting like it should now. I am not completely done with the bag install yet though, more welding to do.
Here she is as of 2 days ago on full air ride. One picture is with all 4 bags at 80 psi and the other is the bags with 0 psi. The last picture 0 psi also. I didn't mention it but I got the gray pieces from Midwest ******. They were all different colors and I sand blasted them and painted them. I also ditched the dually front rotors that it had and put srw rotors on the front with different rims and tires.
For those of you that are sharp you'll notice I had to extend the chassis to fit the new bed. Well I never was able to find a fuel cell that fit within the chassis... so I made one. It's just shy of 13 gallons.
After talking it over with my wife we've decided we need a small usable truck. So I've decided that instead of only having the ***** as a toy it will fill that spot also. I'll probably keep it an efi 460 for quite awhile. I do have a future plan for more power, just not now. I've been tossing around making it 4wd in the future also.
I also have a bumper in the works. It's about 80% complete and I will also be wedding a hitch to it. The hitch is actually in the same picture as the air bags in post #23. I'll upload pictures of it when it's done.
One last shot of the rear. The fuel cell is back in, lights are wired up for good, the hitch is solid now, trailer wiring is tucked up on the backside of the bumper. It's not a great picture so I tried to brighten it. Here's a short video of the running lights and blinkers. I did straighten them up after I made the video.
I've been at it still. I've done quite a bit of little things that I won't bore you with. Here's a short video of a walk around of how it sits currently.
This Hennessey Takes the Expedition Tremor's Off-Roading Capability to the Next Level
Slideshow: The VelociRaptor Expedition gains a lift, upgraded suspension, Brembo brakes, and trail-ready equipment while retaining the stock 440-horsepower EcoBoost V6.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
