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Flat belly pan ideas and questions

3K views 14 replies 6 participants last post by  redpitbull44 
#1 · (Edited)
I have a regular cab, long bed 1988 F-250 4x4 with an EFI 460, ZFS542 5-speed, BW1356 t-case. The truck has a 3" body lift from the previous owner.
I will be swapping in a KP HP D60 front and 10.25" rear from a 1990 F-350, using the factory F-350 springs front and rear, with Sky's shackle flip/ shackle reversal setup, haven't decided on 3" or 5" yet, but this truck will be getting 38-40" tires on re-centered Humvee wheels. I want to keep this truck as low as possible with the largest tire possible, up to 40".

I have thought about doing a "drivetrain lift", I.E. raising the engine/tranny/t-case mounting points up to achieve a flat underside for the installation of a flat belly pan.
I have done searches for both clocking the 1356 UP, and the drivetrain lift. I don't really want to do either of the above.

What I am thinking is using some sort of spacer (like some 1" od .25" wall tubing in the shortest nescessary length) between the frame and the belly pan, or making a perimeter rail to stiffen the pan, as well as an x brace to accompany it, possibily making said perimeter rail tall enough to clear the bottom of the t-case. The pan would run the length of the lowest portion of the frame. Also, thanks to the body lift I can do psudo-boatsides w/ rock rails that tie into the frame.

Has anyone done anything like this, and if so, what is the best/ most durable way? What is the best way to bolt a pan up, while still being decently easy to remove? Also, is 3/16" steel plate thick enough, or too thick?

Empty weight is 5,060 lbs with 35" tires and aluminum wheels.

Thanks in advance for any input you guys may have. I can visualize this thing, but there's always a cleaner, better way out there.
 
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#3 ·
#5 · (Edited)
Kinda the same thing I thought. My eyes are way too important to me. Doc's Jeep is pretty sweet lookin' tho, ain't it?
 
#6 · (Edited)
I made three skids starting with the transfer case. It bolts to four tabs one on each corner that I welded under the frame. So it hangs down about 1 1/2". I run Klune-V Goliath and NP205 which is mounted to the t-case skid. I clocked the NP205 as high as I could without getting into the floor. I imagine you could clock up higher, flatter with the body lift but you will find the tranny cross member hangs down a bit anyway. I then made a skid for the oil pan and tranny. It bolts to the low hanging TTB cross member and the tranny cross member with tab I welded to the cross member. Next came a skid I bent and cut to fit in between the T-case and Tranny/oilpan skid. Four bolts to remove each skid but I can change the tranny and engine oils through the holes I drilled into that skid.









Ya that's some scrap 3/16" plate and poop pipe boat-sided it with the same materials:

 
#7 · (Edited)
NICE!!! This is what I'm lookin' for. Anybody else? Good lookin' rig btw.
 
#11 ·
Am I the only one to look at that and think, "Do you have to drop the lower links to pull that skid?"



Is that really one of your better ideas? :eek:
 
#10 ·
Cool, Great!!! Keep it coming. I like that build so far cheapthrill! looks like a mix of the two projects I have going.
 
#12 · (Edited)
In the grand scheme of things, taking the radius arms loose to drop the skid is not a big deal. If I have to pull the skid, I have bigger things to worry about.

Its an f250 2wd frame, 351W in stock location, c6 and a 205. The trans and tcase are moved up just enough to get flat with the frame and built a crossmember to support them. The skid does not hold the driveline up. Just the radius arms. And I can slid the skid out once the radius are dropped out of the brackets.
 
#13 ·
I know it won't really apply to me since I'm running a ZF and 1356 but how much did you have to move the Trans/ t-case up? what did you do, re-angle the motor mounts slightly, or what?
 
#15 ·
Gotcha. I don't know about the rest of you, but I try to get as much input as I can before I even start. I've spent hours out there looking at the underside of that truck (and several I've had in the past) from every angle, seeing how everything goes together and have a pretty good idea of whats gonna work. I'm gettin really excited because everything is starting to come together so that I can work on this thing and have a dedicated place for it. My new place has a garage that I have to wire up, which is good, because I can make it how I want it, I've got a concrete slab where the old garage was that I can park on and work on stuff when its nice out, and here shortly I'll be accumulating my OWN fab tools. No more getting permission from or making time at work to wrench on my junk.
 
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