I debated bothering with a build thread, but this website is boring lately , and if nothing else , it can serve as my own private personal parts wanted thread, cuz there's one or two things I'm missing.
Nothing too special, your basic extended cab 45ish thing from a ratfucked 40 tub with an as yet undetermined short box. 5' should be easy to get without too much trouble as there's about 4.5' of frame sticking out behind cab as it sits, so I'll probably aim for that.
I flip flopped about doing a stretched 40, because with limited wheelbase it's easier to get it looking proportionally right, and because the "car" plates would still be appropriate.
I still have the tags from my first ever cruiser, the '79 bj40 aka, Crackwhore. hence, cw 2.0...didn't think the pc police would approve of me spelling it out in the thread title...
As with most of my big decisions , they're preceded by me saying ****it, and just starting. Too much damn bodywork on a stretched tub. So, I may get flagged for an inspection one day for not having commercial plates, but whatever. I'll jump off that bridge when I get to it.
Haven't decided on what to use for a box yet. A 79 series box cut down would be awesome, but they all seem to be $$ and on the wrong coast or continent. So probably just some sort of ute tray with fold down sides. I can put that off for a long time tho. Trying to keep all doors open.
I was going to use two 40 frames to get the wheelbase, but I caved finally and bought a hx73 frame from keith. It's funny that the front two body mounts line up perfectly with the 40 series mounts. Just about 12" too far forward. I fudged that number down to about 7", by planning to move the front axle forward about 5". Still stays in the wheel arch of the frame that way, and every inch forward, is another inch out back to have more tray, and more cab/rear wheel separation. I'll probably use rear 60 springs all around with some flippage to get the extra wheelbase. Maybe something longer still in the rear if the proportions demand.
Anyways. A couple of the pics I have before I head outside to give myself tack weld flash burns.
Body sitting on there before moving mounts. Frame is mounted on my badass shop cart that could probably carry an entire cruiser. Makes life easy when you can pull it outside with minimal effort to sweep up underneath. Or push it outside under a tree when you're pissed off at it and don't want to look at it for a month or two.
Mounts off and clamped square so I can scribe around them in the new location.
Hammered out some new floor pans...I know. Shiney new metal. Aren't enough street signs near me to cover this much surface area.
I'll need to lift it up onto it's back again to do a bit more bracing and welding once I figure out where seat mounts need to go.
And one corner halfway there. I have some heavy ass aluminum checkerplate corners I can wrap around if these turn out looking like s***, but I figger I'll make an attempt at having them look ok before I resort to that. We'll see.
I'm neither fussy enough or patient enough for real bodywork. Think I'll make something for my press to form some ribs on the rear panel. It's narrow enough to fit through. The hammer method was ok for floor pans, but a tad barbaric.
I almost bought a bead roller, but the cheapness took hold, as it does when you probably only need a tool once and can get by with some barbarism.
Probably the usual drive train. 3b etc. If I can't find a decent 3b maybe something different like a merc or gawd forbid a cummins. We'll see what turns up over the next 6 months, but I have a line on a 3b, so that's where I'll start.
I have a set of 40 axles, but I'd like to find a FF for the ass end. 70 series is probably easiest but no rush. It can live on this cart until I start getting a drivetrain together. Once a diesel is in there I'll probably have to set it down on it's wheels to have some room underneath.
Nothing too special, your basic extended cab 45ish thing from a ratfucked 40 tub with an as yet undetermined short box. 5' should be easy to get without too much trouble as there's about 4.5' of frame sticking out behind cab as it sits, so I'll probably aim for that.
I flip flopped about doing a stretched 40, because with limited wheelbase it's easier to get it looking proportionally right, and because the "car" plates would still be appropriate.
I still have the tags from my first ever cruiser, the '79 bj40 aka, Crackwhore. hence, cw 2.0...didn't think the pc police would approve of me spelling it out in the thread title...
As with most of my big decisions , they're preceded by me saying ****it, and just starting. Too much damn bodywork on a stretched tub. So, I may get flagged for an inspection one day for not having commercial plates, but whatever. I'll jump off that bridge when I get to it.
Haven't decided on what to use for a box yet. A 79 series box cut down would be awesome, but they all seem to be $$ and on the wrong coast or continent. So probably just some sort of ute tray with fold down sides. I can put that off for a long time tho. Trying to keep all doors open.
I was going to use two 40 frames to get the wheelbase, but I caved finally and bought a hx73 frame from keith. It's funny that the front two body mounts line up perfectly with the 40 series mounts. Just about 12" too far forward. I fudged that number down to about 7", by planning to move the front axle forward about 5". Still stays in the wheel arch of the frame that way, and every inch forward, is another inch out back to have more tray, and more cab/rear wheel separation. I'll probably use rear 60 springs all around with some flippage to get the extra wheelbase. Maybe something longer still in the rear if the proportions demand.
Anyways. A couple of the pics I have before I head outside to give myself tack weld flash burns.
Body sitting on there before moving mounts. Frame is mounted on my badass shop cart that could probably carry an entire cruiser. Makes life easy when you can pull it outside with minimal effort to sweep up underneath. Or push it outside under a tree when you're pissed off at it and don't want to look at it for a month or two.
Mounts off and clamped square so I can scribe around them in the new location.
Hammered out some new floor pans...I know. Shiney new metal. Aren't enough street signs near me to cover this much surface area.
I'll need to lift it up onto it's back again to do a bit more bracing and welding once I figure out where seat mounts need to go.
And one corner halfway there. I have some heavy ass aluminum checkerplate corners I can wrap around if these turn out looking like s***, but I figger I'll make an attempt at having them look ok before I resort to that. We'll see.
I'm neither fussy enough or patient enough for real bodywork. Think I'll make something for my press to form some ribs on the rear panel. It's narrow enough to fit through. The hammer method was ok for floor pans, but a tad barbaric.
I almost bought a bead roller, but the cheapness took hold, as it does when you probably only need a tool once and can get by with some barbarism.
Probably the usual drive train. 3b etc. If I can't find a decent 3b maybe something different like a merc or gawd forbid a cummins. We'll see what turns up over the next 6 months, but I have a line on a 3b, so that's where I'll start.
I have a set of 40 axles, but I'd like to find a FF for the ass end. 70 series is probably easiest but no rush. It can live on this cart until I start getting a drivetrain together. Once a diesel is in there I'll probably have to set it down on it's wheels to have some room underneath.
45 axle would work too. Provided it's not bent and half rusted through. They didn't tend to have an easy go of it . 
