Another Copy/Paste build, Now with LS swap and new frame

Great looking truck. Looks like it serves you pretty well. I do have 2 questions for you.
1. Do you have any more pics of the slider install? I don't own a bender either and might steal some of your design.
2. When you installed your batteries behind the seat, did you vent them in any way. I'm looking to add a second battery and that location is starting to look like the best option for me due to engine bay room.
Thanks.

 

I didn't vent them but there are vents behind the seats to the outside so I'm not super worried. I don't think I have any other pics of the sliders man, sorry, that was a long time ago, been through a few phones since

 

I've done some searching previously about installing batteries behind the seat but haven;t seen anything about there being vents there. Good to know. Thanks.

 

There at least are on the access cabs. Maybe there's not in mine... I can't really remember to be honest. Never been a problem with the agms though @fasteddieyj

 

Vlog 1 of 3 from our recent trip down to baja!!!! I'll upload some pics from the trip when I have time!

 

Welp,

after holding onto the parts for my 63 swap for just shy of a year, I finally got her done. Still some tweaks to do with the bed cage to mount my shovel/hilift/spare again, but that will come. For now, she drives!!! It took me a while, but I was battling a lot of rust on the frame and everything else, as well as a lot of broken bolts and brackets.

Here's after just removing the bed


Removing everything



Working on getting the hangers tacked up in the right spots.



Playing around with the shock placement



Fully painted and rewired. Cleaned up all of the wiring and air lines, as well as made a new mount for the air tank and mounts for the rear of the bed cage.



Working on the bed cage. Goals were to keep as much bed space as possible, and still have the bed easily removable.



Bed cage all painted and installed!



And testing out the flex! I added 3" to the bump stops. I might take that down to 2.5" at some point, but the leafs are pretty much flat at full stuff right now. I was able to lift my rear wheel 20" off the ground with OME BP-51's and Dakars. Now I am over 32".



I learned a tonne doing this project! Super happy with the outcome. Still have some stuff to dial in, but it's pretty well finished! Now on to the front! I don't know exactly what I'm going to do there yet!

 

Here are some pics from my shake down run today:

 

All the flex!! Nice work dude, that bedcage is a work of art. Still working out the design for mine to run 2.5x16 King triples

 

Thanks man! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Now I just have to figure out some mounting stuff. A bit of a shame to grind the fresh paint off and weld on it again, but I needed to be able to drive my truck again, and still haven't quite figured out how I'm going to make it all work. I also want to cover the holes with some rubber or something so when I throw empty cans or something in the back, they don't fall out into the tire!

 

At ride height how much shock shaft is showing?

 

Around 6 or 7 inches with an empty bed

 

Nice, once I get my 16s that's what I'm going to shoot for. That bed cage and your set up turned out pretty killer the time you waited and researched and planned seemed to pay off really well!

 

Thanks man! The only thing I need to do now for the rear suspension is revalve the king's. They are a bit too stiff, so I'm not getting that Cadillac ride that I was looking forward to! Haha

Are you still planning on squeezing 16s under the bed? Will be tight! I put my axle shock mounts pretty high on the axle for extra clearance, but if you went low and did your 1" body lift, you might be able to do it. I don't use all 16" of stroke, but my travel would be limited with 14" shocks, so I guess it was worth it! Haha

 

How did I just find this thread!?

Mtb, sweet truck, camping! Also BC!!!!

you’re out exactly where I want to move to lol

 

Yeah mine are going under the bed. My lower mount right now is above the axle tube with 14s with 16s it'll be around the bottom of the tube with my calculations still lots of clearance. I've got something I want to try rotating the bearing housing on the DS so that I can push the lower mounts out more towards the backing plate. I am also going to make new lower mounts that have the shock eye running PP to the axle instead of perpendicular.
I need to reach out and see if there is a short body 18 and what the specs on that would be. I took everything apart and cycled where I would bump and strap it and it is close to 18". If it's not much longer than a collapsed 16 then I don't mind my lower shock mount hanging down a bit from the axle tube to get the flex that I know it can do.

 

Looking good bro

 

A @ChadsPride comment!!!! I feel legitimized now!

 

I don't post often to be fair. Lots of stuff I've done to this thing that I can't really be bothered to post anything about haha!

If you're ever up here, come say hi! I can show you the trails, either wheeling or biking!

 

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I been in here before but have never commented

 

for sure! I want to hit up whistler for my bachelor party but with everyone’s schedule it’s too tough.

nice build dude!!