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k5 Tragdor Build

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Discussion starter · #63 ·
got my radiator and fan in today. Flattened out the top of the core support with a hammer and drilled some holes in a dual fan setup/shroud and bolted it to the normal radiator clamps. the new radiator (4 core) is shorter so I cut up some rubber strips and it seems to hold nice and tight. the shroud/fan is held close to the radiator by a ratchet strap up and around the core support. the fan is sealed pretty tightly against the radiator and draws air through it and blows towards the engine.

I also routed the heater core line so that it has a constant flow to it from the motor. should work like a mini engine cooler. it gets a bit chilly up here in AK. It is just minor hoses and plugs from here on out to get the motor finished.

the blazer will be moved out of the garage shortly and I will start leveling the rear end, maybe with welded blocks.. .. and traction bars to boot.

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#64 ·
You really need to come over and let me give some lessons in fabrication. I like your idea on the build but your execution could be alot better. in two hours I could have you welding and prepping better.
 
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#65 ·
ffdustyw said:
You really need to come over and let me give some lessons in fabrication. I like your idea on the build but your execution could be alot better. in two hours I could have you welding and prepping better.
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AK Petey...take Dusty up on this offer! If for nothing other than to check his stuff out up close, it'll be worth your time. Heck...I'd take Dusty up on the offer if I lived closer.

Don't get me wrong on this, I'm liking the build.......but a little more prep work up front can make for a much cleaner finished product. You won't be sorry!
 
Discussion starter · #66 ·
i shall take you up on that offer Dusty. I am rushed for time here to get it sealed up and "ready to crank over" before this week is up. I will be interning, going to class, writing lengthy graduate level papers and working full time here in a week. I am also working out of my parents garage which they told me to get it out before snow fall. so yes, I am rushing . I will have to come back and redo or tweak a few things. Maybe even start over on my narrowed front. next summer if it doesnt hold up... scratch that I will be redoing a lot of the front clip work. Probably grab another front clip, heck maybe even tube it up. There is one thing I dont rush, and that is the mechanical stuff. (except for the radiator mount in this case)

Dusty when are you free? I currently have evenings and Tuesdays and Wednesdays off.
 
Discussion starter · #67 · (Edited)
One thing I noticed is that once I started "hacking" away without much prep, the project just started looking worse. in all, it works for now, and thats what I am going to have to settle for. Chevy front clips are a dime a dozen up here, should make for a quick fix next spring, or winter project if I can claim a spot in the garage again.

stuck the power steering cooler on the radiator today. spent about an hour or so running around town trying to find fittings for the tranny radiator lines and nobody could really help except Ak rubber and Rigging. They actually took a wild guess and got it right. I will be picking up the correct plugs for my cooler lines tomorrow, or, actually I think I might go for two complete (one piece) arctic rated send and return line for my TH400 to my radiator. Ill just have to pull the current fittings off. (it is currently a two piece of hard line, barb, and hose with clamps) -courtesy of a local shop up here . it worked for when I used it, but its not right. :shaking:

Also got the RAM assist up with the cooler. heater hose lines are in. put my distributor on too, but the thing didnt have the coil plug! so I need to find a new one at schmucks, I usually keep save all my receipts but I cannot find this particular one for some reason. :mad3:

again thanks for the critiques

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neat little kit from PSC
 
Discussion starter · #68 ·
Installed:
MSD ignition coil in, cap, rotor, wires (reinstalled again). Need to get some spark plug cable separators to line up the cables/organize em. Got my tranny coolant lines back and installed. These are huge, and long. might not even need to cool fluid down in the radiator now :shaking: (pics in a day or so)

This thing is ready to role outside and sit for the winter. I will work on it as I can. probably doing minor things to it as temperatures allow. Still need to take driveline measurements. I am kinda hesitant on getting drivelines made just yet yet because I think I want a doubler, but I havent wheeled it yet to determine if that is what I want.

This is my first engine I have put together myself (besides the rebuild from Ports Machine shop- who did the rebuild) and I am frankly a bit nervous to crank it over. There are tons of little tricks I learned along the way, but I am sure there are tons of tricks and methods I have not come across yet. I think I need to have someone or a shop look it over and make sure I did not do anything that will cause a major failure.
 
Discussion starter · #70 · (Edited)
havent worked on this in a week. its hard to see lots of work not rewarded at the end of the summer. need drivelines made anyway to break motor in and my 01 dodge has taken ALL of my funds. (rear driveline and tires)

contemplating on ditching my internship early today to go and level out the rear on this thing.

Having a saggy bottom is driving me nuts.
 
Discussion starter · #71 ·
the rear spring perches were a bit wide. cut the welds out and moved the perches inward. pretty easy job. The springs sit straight now and I wont have to worry about turning my springs into "S" shaped springs.
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I had a little more time on my hands (before and after work) and moved the rear shackles down about 2 inches and welded them back to the frame. it gave me a little lift in the rear. I think I will make some longer shackles and get another inch or two if I can get it on level ground to see if it needs to come up.

I also did some more hacking at the sheet metal.
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it seems that it always rains when I work on this thing outside. and on top of that its getting dark at night like the rest of the lower 48. productive but frustrating day.
 
Discussion starter · #73 ·
long time no update. My dads house burned down about a month and a half ago. lost a lot of tools in the process. I ended up buying a 14k flat deck trailer during the winter and now working on the buggy on the trailer in the trailer park.. .. .. :shaking:
so ...
blah. yeah update. kinda.
started tearing out the front axle today. going to put a different housing underneath so that I have better clearance underneath and less weight.
contemplating on removing the springs in lieu of 52 inch lift springs (rear 52's give you 4 inches, plus another 4" due to the arch of the bend) this would give me 8 inches in the front. I want to keep it low, but I am going to be having to deal with my ag tires rubbing up on my steering box and hydro lines. to match the rear I plan on robbing the rar 6 inch arched springs off my 85 short bed. I have a shackle flip in the rear of my blazer that I can bolt that up to and that should give me about 9 inches of lift in the rear. I can move the shackle ORD hangar where I need it to make it level.

but for now I am going to leave the 56" springs as they are....and see if I can resolve the rubbing of tires on my lines and steering box by redoing the front clip dove nose job which would prompt me to cut the necessary sheet metal correctly and I have all summer to do it. no rushing this time. oh, and I would be keeping the inner fenders so the tires had something to slide on besides my gear box and hydro lines.

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Discussion starter · #75 ·
so I bought a chevy housing last winter.. . or so i thought. I paid someone to have the detroit set up in it and I cant fit the passenger side driveshaft in as far as it needs to go. wtf.

I measured from the inner most part of the C to the detroit and got about 13.75"
As far as I know there are not any differences in chevy dana 60 axles, and I really hope I wasnt shafted with modified axle someone wanted to sell and take off their hands. The shaft needs to go into the housing about 1 more inch. I am fairly pissed at this moment.
 
Discussion starter · #76 ·
turns out the dana 60 i bought is not what I thought it was. I believe it is a dodge dana 60, unless someone shortened it. The dodge dana 60 is about 2 inches shorter on the pass. side. I found that both chevy and dodge 60s have the same driver side tube length. but their passenger sides are not the same.


so in conclusion, I got hosed. but not completely.
I am hoping that I can still use this setup.In order to do that I need to:
1. I will just need to get some wheel spacers to push out the wheels to bring them away from the leaf springs.
On my other build (DP Rammit) -my dodge , I just put some 2 inch wheel spacers on.
NOT a big deal to take them off when I am ready to do my ford dana 60 swap with it.
2. When I am ready to mount it up on the blazer I will need to move the driver side spring perch in .5 inches.

3. The biggest hurdle at the moment is to see if I can get RCV to swap me out the inner shaft on the passenger side.
 
#78 ·
Hey man, I am glad to hear RCV will trade that out. I was wondering how that went. Working nights gives me less time to call people... Always busy when I get on shift. Keep me in the loop.
 
Discussion starter · #80 ·
high steer setup is retainable. I had to shorten the tie rod because of the axle being a little shorter:
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Old Rubber back on. I may lift the front up higher. I have another 52 inch spring option I can forsee some clearance issues. bumpstops have crossed my mind too. also I put tubes in the two front tires which are inflatable from the access bung. I also have a valve stem to fill the air around the tube if the tube fails. I would like to weld a nut on the top of the bung cap to make it easier to remove via wrench:
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Pinion angle
looks pretty good to me!
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ak_petey
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