Lowretta the oddball 85 c10

[2ndroundko]

I thought about that as well and since I get a deal on steel tubing I probably will.

[woodboatwayne]

really like the progress you have shown on your project. I have a similar project with the same constraints (money). Big difference is mine is a ford (65 short and wide). I look forward to watching you and your project

[2ndroundko]

Started on the chassis mods to the rear that rob@nolimit recommended along with some additional bracing. I got this thing running last week so I should be cruising soon.


Welded the factory crossmember to make it stronger also going to add bracing to the new rear crossmember I will be installing


Cut the spring perches off and welded them back in with the shackle pointed down for better articulation.

[2ndroundko]

Anybody got any suggestions on tire size for 17x9 wheel.

[Mtrhd329]

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

This tire will stick great. Loves the heat, after a few runs wont get greasy like 71s. This size might seem a tad small but the sidewall wont flex. I run this tire on a 17x11 and it handles great

[2ndroundko]

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

This tire will stick great. Loves the heat, after a few runs wont get greasy like 71s. This size might seem a tad small but the sidewall wont flex. I run this tire on a 17x11 and it handles great

Thanks man, I was looking at these but was on the fence because of the overall tire height. but they look right on your truck. now to finish the frame mods and get the bed back on.

[2ndroundko]

finally done with frame mods and I must say I am impressed with what a couple changes can do.


rear crossmember welded in




welded up just needs paint now.


And the proof. Before the drivers wheel would still be on the ground with the passenger wheel 6-8 inches in the air!

[COPO-RAT]

VERY cool! I love squarebody trucks (own one myself). The transformation of this thing is awesome! Love the DIY attitude/approach. Not that I don't appreciate the high end pro built rides, but it's cool to see someone do what they can to make what they have better/more fun. Keep it up, will be following this progress.

Would love to hear what Rob suggested (PM me or post here).....I've picked his brain a fair amount myself.

[2ndroundko]

VERY cool! I love squarebody trucks (own one myself). The transformation of this thing is awesome! Love the DIY attitude/approach. Not that I don't appreciate the high end pro built rides, but it's cool to see someone do what they can to make what they have better/more fun. Keep it up, will be following this progress.

Would love to hear what Rob suggested (PM me or post here).....I've picked his brain a fair amount myself.

Thanks a lot, it can be kind of intimidating to post here with all the high end high$$ builds. I don't get a lot of replies/attention on my thread but if what I'm doing helps someone else then I needed to post it. The plan is to continue to drive the truck and build it better over time just gotta do it as my pocket allows. Here's what he posted in my other thread about rear leaf spring suspension tuning

cool lookin Square ya got Mtrhd. As to the OP, KO, a sway bar would help, but not a heavy bar. Look at a camaro rear bar, 3/4" to 7/8", '70 up to '92. Easy to find and fit. As for the springs, you want to go the other way. Soften them up to drop the spring rate. The key here is to 'Free' up the rear. Remove some of the short leafs so your down to the longest three or four leafs. Put Teflon spring liner between the leafs (Speedway or TCI). This may drop the truck some more - but that's OK, Another trick is to change the shackle position. This can be a big help for leaf suspended trucks. On a stock 'Truck' style leaf, the shackle runs from the frame mount UP to the spring. The spring then tries to PULL the shackle to a straight up position the more it is loaded. (Progressive rate) This works great for haulin hay, but not for haulin the mail. In a 'Car' style leaf set up, the shackle runs from the frame mount DOWN to the spring. The spring now tries to PUSH the shackle up, and in doing so, wants the spring to flex out to be longer so that the shackle can move up in an arc.(regressive rate). You can take your OE mounts, knock the rivits out, and flip them upside down on the chassis. Move them appx 1/2" forward on the frame, so that the shackle has a slight slope back to the spring eye (At loaded ride height) say 5* to 10*. this mod will raise the truck 1 1/2 to 2". some of that may be gained back with the spring mod. (or a small block if you want - I'm not a fan of blocks if you can avoid it.) These three changes could be done in a weekend for less than $100 bucks, and the difference would be huge. Please, try it and report back the improvements.

[LT1C1500]

Thanks a lot, it can be kind of intimidating to post here with all the high end high$$ builds. I don't get a lot of replies/attention on my thread but if what I'm doing helps someone else then I needed to post it. The plan is to continue to drive the truck and build it better over time just gotta do it as my pocket allows. Here's what he posted in my other thread about rear leaf spring suspension tuning

Don't be intimidated! All posts help here, even if you don't get replies! I did a write up on my motor swap on another website years ago, And every now and then I get people asking questions, thst was over 10 years ago!

I love what you are doing with a regular working mans budget! Keep it up. (And pics are totally necessary, as it's how I get my fix while I save money).

[kingcrunch]

I really like that approach on stiffening the frame!
Do you plan to add more tubing to the rest of the frame?

[2ndroundko]

I really like that approach on stiffening the frame!
Do you plan to add more tubing to the rest of the frame?

I was thinking about adding some more tubing under the cab but, I think it would prove futile with the level I'm building this truck to. I really just want it to be fun on the winding back roads and maybe hit an auto-x once or twice a year. This should be plenty with the rights shocks and front springs for street truck.

[Mtrhd329]

Its amazing what bracing will do. There is so much flex in these frames. You should check out robs thread called "make it handle" it spells out exactly where to put bracing

[2ndroundko]

Its amazing what bracing will do. There is so much flex in these frames. You should check out robs thread called "make it handle" it spells out exactly where to put bracing

Makes a huge difference! I read the make it handle thread a couple times hence the bracing between the leaf spring mounting locations. I wanted to help the problem without going full frame that's why I'm not doing anything under the cab. This is not a full race truck (yet) just a fun street truck.

[Guyt699]

Any new updates?

[2ndroundko]

Nothing major I got the bed back on and got registration on it. starting on the body work now I want to have it in primer at least by the end of next month. Im going to post some pics of the fiberglass dash Im working on when I get home.

[vintageracer]

This is ONE GREAT BUILD!

I like to see builds such as this in any style where the builder uses time, ability and effort (No Budget) versus Big Money, Best Parts and TV or Car Hobby famous labor doing the work.

It truly is AMAZING what a person CAN DO with a lotta time, ability, effort, hard work and little scrounging for parts to make up for the lack of a big budget.

Way To Go 2ndroundko!!!!

[2ndroundko]

This is ONE GREAT BUILD!

I like to see builds such as this in any style where the builder uses time, ability and effort (No Budget) versus Big Money, Best Parts and TV or Car Hobby famous labor doing the work.

It truly is AMAZING what a person CAN DO with a lotta time, ability, effort, hard work and little scrounging for parts to make up for the lack of a big budget.

Way To Go 2ndroundko!!!!

THANKS MAN!!! It seems like a lot of times the small budget build get no love for the lack of bling, those are my favorite builds though. Would i like to have a bigger budget to buy better parts? Absolutely but in the grand scheme of things I'd rather drive it than look at it on jack stands and cradles while saving for parts. Its an ugly duckling but I get tons of looks and compliments as is. As time and effort increase so does ability as well, I have learned a lot by just going for it and it feel great to be ale to say I built it.

[LT1C1500]

Have you upgraded the bushings yet? When I did that to my truck it made a huge difference. I used a kit from PST.

[2ndroundko]

Have you upgraded the bushings yet? When I did that to my truck it made a huge difference. I used a kit from PST.

yep I got poly shocks from prothane. makes a world of difference I need some decent shocks to help control the bounce.