" Ladder " Frames That was a smart thing to do~ the ladder frames used in these trucks are very sturdy but -NOT- designed to take the twisting forces your romping stomping 400 HP V-ate is going to subject it to . Adding any sort of an X brace would help even more . BTW : GM said the frames on the GMC AD's were " rustless " ! isn't that a hoot . -Nate
It's O.K. Kevin ...I don't think anyone got upset . I certainly didn't and I dropped out of the Vintage Chevy Club Of America in 1974 or so , some guys who didn't ever drive thier StoveBolts tried to say something about my old '46 3100..... screw that . I used to judge vintage so I -do- know what ' restored ' means and no , it's not a sujective term . it has a specific meaning and there's a few folks here (certainly not me !) who take the time and GREAT effort to restore thier trucks so it is important to me not to lump all our modified , hot rodded or resto-rodded etc. vehicles in as anything is easier than a true restoration . -Nate (OBTW : stirring the turds once in a while is good for the rest of us)
Frame Thanks for the reinsurance nate. P.S. where should the X brace be placed? In the straight section of the frame? Thanks for the help.
That's where I plan to put mine. Not so much in the middle of the truck but a little more towards the back. I have no scientific proof behind it, but I figured the frame would get torqued on more towards the rear. So if anyone else knows then let us know where to put that X brace.
Frame Bracing I'm not a hot rodder nor a fabricator so I may not be the person to ask but I'd put it in the center of the frame as you're presumably goung to want to drive the truck and there's a _lot_ of lateral and twisting forces coming in through the front end too . I drive my mostly stock truck in the canyons a lot , and hard too (scares a lot of folks) and I can feel the frame flexing a bit just with my old 235 and Muncie 4 speed tranny so I'd think 400 HP and all the weight will make some serious frame flexing occur . Just a thunk , why not ask over on the Inliner's boards , lotsa good builders there . Remember to take LOTS of pix and keep this board appraised of your progressas these guys are very hand os and want to know how it goes...
You gotta remember I'm using an S-10 frame so I have more support up front. The older frame I don't know for sure, but Nate makes good sense to me.
How much does the cab, bolted to the frame, help with the flexing problem? Could someone actually twist the frame right out of the supports? K- Sorry Ken- didn't mean to use the "flexing" word... I feel you reaching for that 16ozer right now!
Very little actually , the AD cabs are a ' floating ' design , that was the primary sales pitch when they came out . that and finally , decent ventilation . -Nate
If it was my truck I wouldnt just box the centre of the chassis, for what it takes I would box the ends too, otherwise you will have flexing occuring over very short sections of chassis at the front and back, it could cause cracking of the chassis where the boxing ends. Just my 3 bobs worth ________ Granny Milf
Ken, I think that is a D300. About a 65 or so. Mine is a D300 68 so it is the same size as that one. I reckon they grow on you. I just thenk that the ADs have such good lines that every thing else suffers in comparison. By the way, mine D300 is a two tone, white and rust. I thnk the rust is what makes people change lanes when they see me coming. I like it. Gater
We used to have a whole fleet of 1970 & 1971 D500 dump trucks , they had 413 C.I. gas engines and 3 yard dump bodies , most had Allison slushbox trannies , some had 4 speeds maybe 5 had Clark 5 speed trannies , I'm talking about 1,200 trucks here all painted Forester Green ~ they were the best trucks ever ! (after any rusty , POC GM with a smoky , rattly 6 bangerthat is) I'm sure most of the guys over 40 remember Doge's butt ugly pickups from the 60's ? . great trucks but FUGLY to the extreme . I was going to lunch yesterday and saw a '65 D-100 stepside Barrio Bomber , it was painted Resale Red and had clearance lights , Landau handles (anyone remember those ?) running boards , bed rails and most pointedly , a black fabric top clued on the cab (I'm having brain farts and cannot remember the correct name for this)... Gotta LOVE those old W.P.C. products !
Gater, I think you're right! That Power Wagon has got to be somewhere between 64-66, i'm thinking. Dad was stationed at Offutt AFB for the last time from 66-69 and moonlighted at that body shop for extra money and so that he'd have a good place to work on his cars during those nasty Nebraska winters. That truck was a "rollover" that they made a call on one winter night and the guy walked on it. Dad and George, the owner, decided that it was better than the existing wrecker George had and fixed it up. The roof of the cab was skewed at a 45 degree to the cab and by the end of the project it looked like that picture. I've carried that picture around with me for almost 40 years now. Dad used to bribe me to get my homework done by calling me at home and telling me that if I got it done before he got home, i could go hang with the guys at the bodyshop that evening! Worked like a charm. They even let me go on a couple runs. To me, that's a beautiful Dodge.
I have to admit, there is a soft spot in my heart for anything that runs forever no matter HOW ugly it is. Power Wagons, old Toyota Land Cruisers and Land Rovers. These are MACHINES. A difference from mere transportation. I worked in my family's print shop for many years. It was old school die-stamping engraving type printing. Feed each sheet of paper in by hand. REAL old school. Big place with lots of presses. I was one of the best operators in the shop and my favorite press was over 100 years old and just a monster it was so big AND UGLY. It was a MACHINE and it was designed to last for many, many years. Like I said, I have a soft spot for things that run forever. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Ain't that right, mister GMC? Andy
Andy, you're a genius! Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder! Having grown up, and i use the term "grow up" loosely, in the late 50's, 60's thru the present, i've seen some pretty ugly cars, some awesome cars, etc, etc. But, if you attach memories to them, even a 1959 Biscayne Chevy station wagon, copper and white is the most beautiful car you'll ever see because it brings back at least one memorable time in your life. Point in fact, "1963, my sister is 11, i'm 9, we're in our PJ's at the drive-in in Omaha, Nebraska, in the back of a '59 Chevy station wagon watching "The Longest Day" with John Wayne and a cast of thousands. Mom and dad are spellbound by the movie, sis and I are sound asleep in the back! My favorite movie of all time!
Who? ME??? What did I say? I love my GMC- Really, I do! (Anyone have a chevy grill they're not using?) JUST KIDDING!
did somebody say TOYOTA??!! I love those old land cruisers! i just never thought i'd hear anybody on this forum mention the "t" word!! ha! jon
You guys are sooo lucky having families in the trades and fathers , uncles etc. who'd let you hang out as kids ~ all I ever heard was " STOP playing with the old junk ! your interest in old cars etc. will never do any good , it's a waste of time " and on and on and..... Sheesh Of course I screwed up by keeping my son close by since birth , I'd hoped he'd grow up and become a College man but no , he's a mechanic and racecar driver....... As far as Toylettas , gotta be more than just me who likes the Stout pickup plus of course those mid 60's RT series Coronas & Corollas 43's and so on with tiny engines and turn signal horn rigs , goofy styling that look like the car is leaning back , slushbox trannies that were actually GM Power Glides under license , shrunken to fit , not a good job there as if you enguaged reverse whilst the car was rolling forward , it'd instantly snap the reverse band leaving you to have to push the car backwards..... By the way ~ the InLine 6 banger Toyota put in the Land Cruisers ? it IS in fact a 235 engine no matter what other ignorant StoveBolters will tell you ~ it was a big news item in the trades in 1963 when GM sold the design rights to Toyota.... You just go pop the hood on any pre '71 Land Crusier and tell me what-you- think ~ it's obvious , not an Urban Myth .
I've known that the Toyota six was sold to them by Chevy way back when, but I didn't know until NOW that it was the 235. Makes sense doesn't it? Best six cylinder that Chevy ever made (according to Nate) sold to and slapped into a Land Cruiser that runs forever. Go figure. Andy
Foot In My Mouth Again Actually , I think maybe the 261 is better than a 235 , I don't have one yet so I dunno....
