Allenfab’s 2008 5-lug SAS and LS swap

What I came up with for the bumper... definitely different than anything I have built before but I dig it. The top is going to get a plate except where the winch is so the clutch can be used. I completely forgot about recovery points so those will be added directly to that front crossmember. It will also get some light tabs after I decide what cheap ass lights I will be running. May add a small stinger, but I am undecided I'll look up some bumpers with them to see what they look like.

 

I still say you got to be one of the top fabricators and welders here‼️ I was kind of hoping you were just going to run bracing behind the OEM facia / bumper cut up. I absolutely LOVE the dimple die holes….
Crap I’m willing to drive from TX to you for an 304 stainless exhaust system then back home to AZ.
Your work because your welding is SO damn pretty….

 

The cool thing about this setup is that I can remove the new bumper, and the factory one will still bolt right up, if I ever felt it necessary.

I’m dreading doing my own exhaust. I priced out everything just from the header to the collector, and parts alone were over $300. I think after the collector, I’m just doing mild steel exhaust from collector to tailpipe

 

For sure, I do not do exhaust work on customers trucks, only on mine and even then I sometimes take it somewhere. I am far too old to be crawling around on the ground trying to design/fit/weld exhaust. If I had a lift... then yea I'd consider it, but I don't lol. On mine, I have to run the driver side exhaust under the bellhousing/in front of the trans pan, over to the passenger side because of the transfer case and front driveshaft existing. I am doing 2.5" off the headers and into a 3.5" collector, and then into whatever the quietest muffler I can find, and then ran out to a factory-looking tailpipe. I am dreading it

 

My apologies. It’s just that your MiG welding is so incredible and you said you TiG weld for a living so I could only imagine how the stacked dimes look. Again you have some real talent.
I was just giving you a playful hard time no hard feelings I hope.
I have only seen one other guy weld like you and he’s the head fabricator for Vaughn Gittin Jr.
I took (elective) welding class 3 times in high school but that was before they even had MiG welders in school.

 

No worries at all. I actually just started TIG welding thin stainless (sanitary piping) only a couple of weeks ago. It's essentially exhaust pipe so at least I will be getting some practice in before I start by exhaust . I'll have to take some pics of some of it that I have been welding

 

Even with a lift you will still hate it

 

Looks a little like the one you did for me. Haha.

 

Knocked out the bumper. I’ll add tabs for lights down the road when I figure out what I wanna run. Shackle mounts added to the main crossmember/bumper mounts.

I ordered the stuff to do my y-pipe… all 304 stainless that I spent too much on. Everything after the merge pipe will probably be carbon



Got the old t-case skid cleaned up and welded on the new transmission crossmember. It still needs a couple more things and then it’ll be pulled for final welding and paint



Bought an incredibly cheap Silverado intake off Amazon knowing that I was going to be hacking it up, but it fit pretty much how it needed to. I hate the filter so I’m buying a better one, and then I’ll make a half box around it to keep it dry

 

Can I ask a stupid question? Can I ask how much harder would it have been to do a Coil-over / front struts say like a Jeep? I just remember owning a 85 Jeep and no matter what springs and or shocks it road like crap. And talk about bump steer. Hit the brakes hard you be half in the lane next to you. Kind of let the wheel float in your hands.

 

It really wouldn't have been much harder to do links and coilovers, just more expensive and a little more time consuming. I did coilovers on my old tacoma so I already had it figured out, but wanted to do leafs for the hell of it.

New Jeeps still ride and handle like crap . Yea, those older Jeeps ride was pretty brutal, but they're light, ran a little more arched leafs with the spring under, and the shackles were on the front of the springs.... all those definitely negatively affected the ride quality and handling back then

 

Aloooooooot more expensive. The price of coilovers, and each and every link on its own

Hey Todd how close are you to being flat bellied?

 

I’ll have to grab a pic. It’s pretty flat. That t-case skid hangs down below the crossmember a tad but that’s it. The transmission skid will also have to hang down below the crossmember as well

 

This was $330 worth of shit and I still gotta buy at least two more pieces

I’m going to be cussing myself after this part of the build

 

Man that engine bay looks nice! Tidy and clean!

 

Driver side crossover pipe done. Not bad for a first timer. It’ll look better once I get that ugly color off the welds

 

@BassAckwards What do you think of those welds?

Jesus Christ I paid $1,000.00 in cash just labor for this exhaust system otherwise if I paid with plastic it was $1,174.00 and I purchased and supplied every bit of the material/s!
I.e. I purchased the high flow cat, piping, both mufflers, V-bands, bungs and solid bar for hanging.
Plus after 3k miles the 304 will be completely a dark brown.
Maybe you should consider building exhaust systems.

 

I mean, if I kept track of the hours I’ll have into the entire exhaust, I’ll have $1000 worth of my labor into it plus material, so that price might not be too unreasonable. And my labor is on the way low end of what people typically charge per hour.

A well-fit and welded exhaust is very time consuming to build

 

Crossing that off the checklist

 

Your welds are incredible‼️ If you change your mind about welding exhaust please let me know…

You know this is your fault! You keep showing off your incredible talent… I personally know the owner of this company, Paul. His guys weld exhaust headers and exhaust systems for a living and you put some of them to shame… And trust me I asked Paul many many times but he said he doesn’t do one off systems anymore…

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