[muddindog]

Well I have been pondering on starting a build thread for a while now and i'm just getting around to actually doing it. What I started with was a 75 k20 with a tired motor and a junk set of 33's. I drove the truck to high school about 4 years ago and it set for almost 2 years before being brought home. It was full of trash and had lots of holes from the Indiana winters.

Specs
Tired 350/350/203
14 bolt
Dana 44 mismatched hubs 1 internal hub, 1 external hub
Rear Drums
Wiring mess
Dump bed
Snow plow

This will mostly be a trail truck, occasional play in the mud and towed where ever it goes


This is a picture of it as it was when I was in high school. nothing special, just a stock truck on 33's with a snowplow and a dump bed.

This is a picture with the bed removed and right before work really begins

The first thing I done to it after removing the bed and dump bed stuff was build a 203 twin shifter, I wanted to be able to get into 2 wheel low. I have a part time kit in my 203

Found a set of 39.5x15x15 tsl's on craigslist cheap. I didn't have a set of 15" wheels, so new wheels were in need. so i bought a set of 15x 10 eaton steel wheels.

 

[muddindog]

I started to take my fenders off one night to start an engine swap and do my 52" front spring swap and 64" rear and I noticed that the firewall on my truck looked like swiss cheese so i took it off. I cut the rockers out and added 2x6 tube for the rockers and cut the floors out and built new ones. I am actually still working on the cab. Here is the start of what i done.

I also yanked all the dash and stock wiring out of the truck. It will all be ran with a new fuse box that i got from 12voltguy and a much of toggle switches

the heater holes will all be filled in also for the use of a smaller self contained unit that came out of a tractor.

the front end had been hit on my truck so i couldnt move the front spring hanger like most do so I got a 3"x5" piece of square tubing and notched my frame and welded it in. it needs extra gusseting but im not gonna add them until i figure out my front bumper. the spring bracket is a diy4x spring hanger with the beveled end cut off. it is fully welded and plug welded on the bottom.

rear shackle hanger with no weight on it after moving it

the springs have diy4x bushings and the fush has a offroad design bushing with a half inch bolt

 

[muddindog]

Here is the old tired 350 that i removed and what was left of the wiring mess that was around it. It looks a little nasty.

I added some 64" rear springs to the rear and cut a hole through the shackle and flip it just for mock up purposes! I dont have a picture of that but we all know what it lookes like.

I Painted the frame, springs and axles and rolled it out of the garage. That is pretty up to date other than when i painted all the stuff to the truck i added skys crossover steering on the truck. I orded it with a bent draglink but it was hitting my crossmember so i took it to a buddy and he made me a straight one at his work and it looks like it is gonna clear just fine.

 

[wingnuts514]

I thought the purpose of the bent draglink was that it helps clear the crossmember. How does the straight clear better?

 

[muddindog]

I thought that bent draglink was to make the angle better on the tre's. Either way I have a lot more room between it and the engine crossmember. I plan to make a new engine crossmember sometime, my current one has a crack in it.

 

[wingnuts514]

Good to know, I'm not running much lift so I imagine I could just build a straight vs buying a bent draglink.

 

[muddindog]

I actually think that when I ordered it from sky that I had to choose between a bent and straight draglink.

 

[muddindog]

After I rolled the frame I went to put the motor in the truck but i had a problem with the motor mounts, they were too tall for the mounts.

The motor mounts that were originally in the truck got sold with the previous motor.:homer: So a call to a friend and I was set up with what I needed. The new mounts worked, so I got the motor and transmission and tcase bolted up. Also got the 2wd steering box installed again this time with a diy4x hydro cap and a tapped top cap.

Havent decided on the valve covers off so i just threw some on

Also got some new parts for the build.

15 gallon Jaz fuel cell with sending unit

Aluminum radiator 130 bucks shipped to the door.

Bought these gauges and accidently ordered a oil temp gauge instead of a oil pressure gauge

Also I a set of diy4x shackle flips and a diy4x pinion guard to install on the truck. That pretty much brings this build to its current state. Ready to take on opinions and flame suit on

 

[muddindog]

Here is a video of the first start of the motor without being timed or the carb adjusted. http://youtu.be/TdFojwqVb1s

edit- cant figure out how to add the video to this page

 

[BigHossBlazer]

All those gauges and no tranny gauge?

 

[muddindog]

I have been actually been debating on getting one. I am prolley goin to order one up for it though, but who actually runs a tranny gauge that isnt using their truck to pull all the time?

 

[sjracer]

I have been actually been debating on getting one. I am prolley goin to order one up for it though, but who actually runs a tranny gauge that isnt using their truck to pull all the time?

i like the build. IMO loose the clock, it's overkill if you have a stereo. the rest is starting to come out pretty nice. what is the diy4x tapped top cap? never seen that one, got any more pics?

 

[muddindog]

I just took the top cap to the steering box off of mine and sent it to them to tap. It was cheaper to send it to them and pay them 10 bucks then to buy a pipe tap for it.

Edit- the clock was just kinda cool, easier to reset it then to change time on a radio everytime I shut the battery off.

 

[Ford rules]

I run a tranny temp guage your prollay gonna want one just my opinion.

 

[muddindog]

Has your tranny ever got to the point where you had to let it cool down? If I did get one at what temp would it be overheating?

 

[geo in a K5]

Has your tranny ever got to the point where you had to let it cool down? If I did get one at what temp would it be overheating?

Yes you want one and I consider 220 + to be overheating for a trans, back when I had an automatic mine liked to run at 180 till something in the trans blew and it started overheating

 

[muddindog]

Wonder if i can just use that oil temp gauge that I accidently bought in the tranny instead of the motor. I'll have to look and see if there is an adaptor that will work in it.

 

[Twinturbo496]

pretty lame so far.

 

[muddindog]

Not everyones build can be super cool like yours. Wish I had the money to replace the turbo on my diesel, let alone get a couple for my toy.

 

[Twinturbo496]

I got the turbos for free off a couple 5.9 cummins from a forklift engines.

It isn't how much money a person has, it is all in how you spend it, or more importantly, how you save it...