i think my truck is annorexic!

[golddigger79]

LOL well i did the unthinkable today and comitted my truck to full tilt mud truck project status.

here are some pics of before and after.

before he cut: note those are not going to be the tires i'm running on it. those are just to roll it around on.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/Vyzin/misc003.jpg


heres is after the cut :eek::thumbsup:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/Vyzin/misc009.jpg


from the back:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/Vyzin/misc011.jpg

[Mahamotorworks]

It is a big step. It will look good when it is all done.

MAHA

[golddigger79]

thanks for the encouragement, i need it. i called my bud up who has helped a lot in this project all excited and told him what i did. all i heard from his end of the phone was a groan so i dont think he was on the same boat as me LOL. once i get it caged it shoul be lookin pretty killer with a bikini top made for it....um just how hard is it to make a bikini top? LOL

i ended up pissing myself off a bit though. when i flipped it off the side i guess i must have missedthe tiniest bit of metal in my cut 'cause when i fllipped it off the **** thing smacked into the side of the truck REAL hard and pulled out the sheetmetal a bit on that side plus if you look in the pic from the back it knocked the metal all out of alignment (just look at the passenger side rear taillight in relation to the rest of the truck. its negligable but i hate it when the little stuff bites u in the butt) so i will take some ratchet straps tommorrow and see if i can pull it back in line.

next up, first thing tomorrow i clamp it up and start the weldin. gotta make some caps for near the doors and out back near where the tailgat was. good thing i got plenty of spare sheet metal i can scanvange from the roof heh heh. then once that is done hopefully this monday i will be set to sray it down with some raptor bedliner in OD green of course:cool:

on a side note anybody got soome good sites to buy fabrication parts from? i am relocating the shocks and need to buy some mounting tabs for them.

[Gambler68]

ahh it'll all line up once you get a cage in. Put in a side to side bar.

Spyder Customs sells cool little stuff if you have coin. Otherwise the same stuff just plainer is available all over. Look at the ads in the back of JP or Petersons Off Road, tons of fab parts vendors.

[sportsidedan]

you should use the top to make the first hard-toped wag around. make some special fixalation points so it's easy to put back ou again...

for the rest it looks ok, just in urgent need of tires!

[golddigger79]

anybody know of a good tubing bender for under $100? i see northern tool has one of the "armstrong" models for $100 thatit says comes with dies up to 3" my only question would t be robust enought to use for making my rollcage? i am wanting to use 2"-2 1/4" .125 tubing (regular tubing not the DOM) that should be an okay size and thickness of pipe to use huh?



also on a complete side bender i just found these photos and still couldn't believe how much differance a little elbow grease made on my rims with some steel wool. i was cleanin them up to try and sell them and the 35" toyo MTs i had so i could go buy the 3/4 truck for its axles. anyway here it is.

before:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/Vyzin/other044.jpg


and after:cool: not bad for a measly ten minutes with some fine steel wool!
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/Vyzin/other045.jpg

[Dirtball]

Rusty's Offroad (www.rustysoffroad.com (http://www.rustysoffroad.com)) has a section called "builder parts" that might have what you need.

[jeeping1974]

I LOVE IT! i was going to cut the top of the cab off on mine but i think that i might leave the windshield now after seeing yours. love the color too. :thumbsup:

[golddigger79]

I LOVE IT! i was going to cut the top of the cab off on mine but i think that i might leave the windshield now after seeing yours. love the color too. :thumbsup:

thanks guys i appreciate the comments. i got some more work done on it today. the side rails are turning out nicely. once i get the side rails skim coated and finish sanded i i think it might look like it came with out a top. i also have to fill in a huge square hole i cut in the driver side rear tailskin i had cut out for a recessed fuel filler with flip open door i wanted to graft on. but sine i'm oing propane i need to backplat it and seal it off. also gonna hack the front flares off and weld up the inner fender wells on the rear.

gonna be LOTS of cutting, welding, grinding tommorrow. i post pics later tommorrow for ya guys

[jeeping1974]

where did you get the hood scoop from? can ya take a pic of it? i've got one that looks like it but is a little smaller.

[outagas]

Hey,have you fished Rye Patch out that way?Was thinking about making the trip this spring.

[golddigger79]

actually to be honest i'm not much of a fisherman. most of the places i hear people are fishing is usually, southfork, wildhorse, lamoille lake. sorry man.:o actually last i heard a few of the lakes around here had an algae growth explosion and was literally choking the fish to death for lack of oxygen. population is starting to recover though.

now if you wanna know about some good trails out my way thats a different story.

[Dmntxn77]

anybody know of a good tubing bender for under $100? i see northern tool has one of the "armstrong" models for $100 thatit says comes with dies up to 3" my only question would t be robust enought to use for making my rollcage? i am wanting to use 2"-2 1/4" .125 tubing (regular tubing not the DOM) that should be an okay size and thickness of pipe to use huh?




You need to understand that there is a difference between tube and pipe. You will not find a tube bender for anywhere close to $100.. Those are pipe benders. It is said that a pipe bender will crimp tube.. I bought a 12 ton pipe bender to see how well/poor it bends tube, but havent gotten around to it yet. If you want an actual tube bender, google Model 3..

[Tad]

You need to understand that there is a difference between tube and pipe. You will not find a tube bender for anywhere close to $100.. Those are pipe benders. It is said that a pipe bender will crimp tube.. I bought a 12 ton pipe bender to see how well/poor it bends tube, but havent gotten around to it yet. If you want an actual tube bender, google Model 3..
This would be correct.
Pipe benders crush tube and do not do that great a job on pipe either.
If you don't have a tube bender, one you can borrow, or a buddy that do a few bends for you it may be simpler and cheaper to design the cage with minimal bends and have an exhaust shop do the few bends you need.

That being said I made the same error when I cut my top also.
I should have tacked in place some bracing to hold the factory position, the whole thing shifted about 1".
If you are going to keep your doors spend the time there and make sure they will shut properly. There's not much square on these things so it's more of a feel and sound thing. By using the numbers, making it square and then welding I pretty much guaranteed my rear doors will never close well again.
Although my fronts work pretty good so a two door may be more rigid to start with.

It looks great to me :thumbsup:

[Tobynine9]

More Pics!!

[golddigger79]

where did you get the hood scoop from? can ya take a pic of it? i've got one that looks like it but is a little smaller.

actually hhere are a few pics of me putting the hood scoop on. (what is a project if you document it for posterity righ?)

but first here is the scoop itself on summit's website:
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=SUM%2D470800&N=700+400304+115&autoview=sku


now some more pic whoring:D

the hood with the hole i cut out for the scoop
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/Vyzin/DSC00201.jpg

pic of scoop on hood
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/Vyzin/DSC00203.jpg

another pic a a different angle
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/Vyzin/DSC00202.jpg

once i get the whole truck bedlinered i am thinking i will sink some hex head sheet metal screws around the perimiter of the scoop so it doesn't end up getting torn off too easily. should give it a bit of a tough industrial look too