A “Master” FABRICATOR.. (1 Viewer)

[groundeater]

What ideas lurk in the mind of this man ? Only the “FABRICATOR” knows.....! Alan is the name, and fabricating is his game. Gazing deep inside his cranium, let us behold what he has done with my ‘67 FJ45 :

From this....

To THIS...!

An unconventional build to say the least, using a chopped 2006 Chevy Silverado chassis, & skillfully commingling the old with the new.

Chevy 5.3
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Who else could devise the infamous “Curmudgeon Crotch Saver” ....to fit where is doesn’t belong !

Using Bestop’s “TrekStep” a spring loaded mechanical, retractable step assist will be my salvation when crawling up into the cockpit. I was confident knowing full well that Alan could fab it to operate on ANYTHING that needed a step assist !

 

[groundeater]

The “Hood Assist” yet another handy feature, conjured up from the deep recesses of the mind of the......“FABRICATOR !”

Making life easier for an old curmudgeon’s such as myself !

Yet still another feature is the placement of an l.e.d. engine compartment auxiliary light moved to the interior, providing ample visibility & soft uplighting inside the cab.

Front Bib hinge, here displayed, was fabricated by Alan’s son...Tyrel, obviously a chip off the ‘ol block ! A important component in weight distribution after additional metal was added to widen the fenders to compensate for the additional 9 inches of width, that the Silverado chassis contributes to the build.

 

[groundeater]

The “Bullish bumper”... multi-faceted angle welds.

Distinct & one of a kind

Finished product ..

Rear bumper with exhaust “cut outs.” Job well done, one last final detail.....bring it home to Daddy !!
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Casa Grande STreeTrods a family owned business...
896 W. Gila Bend Hwy.
Casa Grande, Arizona 85122

 

[pistonpete]

More pics !! Holy cow !! SWEET !

 

[groundeater]

A fella must be careful, or that’s exactly what an object can turn into....! A HOLY COW !

Thank you, they did a fantastic job ! (more pics posted under “Sherman Williams Urelex Technology...” in Paint & Body forum)

 

[mmajsw]

Very nice job!

 

[retrofive]

Love this build so!

 

[groundeater]

Love this build so!

...thanks retrofive, my wife.. (who’s idea this ALL was..by the way) intended to help her sisters family out after the 2008 banking debacle. Their family “garage” business had taken quite a hit during those first years of the scam. I tried to tell my wife it would be a somewhat open checkbook if we committed to it !

She literally had no idea of what this might cost, but she insisted ( ) on doing it anyways !! I was still riding the rails (working) at the time so...you know the old saying...

“If momma ain’t happy, ain’t NOBODY HAPPY !”

So she forced MY HAND to have it built !!
Love it when a plan comes together !

 

[MoaByte]

Spectacular!!

 

[JayDoc]

That is beautiful. Where in Neb is his shop?

 

[groundeater]

That is beautiful. Where in Neb is his shop?

Thank you very much ! Their shop is in Casa Grande, Arizona.
Casa Grande Streetrods, is their name. They have an Internet site by the same name.

 

[groundeater]

GroundEater made it home May 28th, 2020 after a long 9 years of total transformation. Somewhere fairly late in the build l decided that the long box was kinda ugly....

This was the picture

that convinced me to chop, chop !!
...no regrets, we proceeded to lop off 7 inches. I was glad that even though it was a late decision, they were still able to pull it off.

 

[groundeater]

This’ll be a different thread than any other, because I wasn’t even there

!!

Over a foot off the 2006 Chevy Silverado frame...

...for me, seeing these photos for the first time from Arizona, things began to LK kinda interesting.

 

[groundeater]

Purchased in Grand Island, Nebraska in 1981 for $2350 never regretted it. They’re built tough, with heavy metal. Once parked next to a brand new Dodge pickup back when the new ram body style had just came out.

Big hail storm came through & trashed that Dodge, my Landcruiser stood tall...no visible damage.
____________________________
Late ‘80’s...here’s the only known pic of GroundEater in captivity !!

Circa 1992...

Fast forward to 2011...

 

[groundeater]

I think that it’s worth mentioning that the Chevy Silverado frame was approximately 9 inches wider than the Landcruiser frame was.

This required the fenders to be cut down the center and be widened with a 4 inch strip of metal.

...a few times things got scary,...it’s over all look, that is ! It went through an “ugly duckling” stage that made me uncomfortable. Here’s a few of those pics right here !!

..I thought to myself...”what have I done !?”

 

[MoaByte]

I think that it’s worth mentioning that the Chevy Silverado frame was approximately 9 inches wider than the Landcruiser frame was.

This required the fenders to be cut down the center and be widened with a 4 inch strip of metal.

That's a wild endeavor. It was worth it.

 

[TYM4FUN]

Man, I love this truck...

 

[groundeater]

Man, I love this truck...

...thank you very much friend, it’s been a long haul. Appreciate your support on this site.

 

[groundeater]

FENDER FLARES

Keeping things tidy and pleasant to the eye, the rear rounded fender
LK had to go, enter..Jeep’s 7 inch fender flares.

A Color scheme is important

A while after we had decided to use the Jeep flares, l came across Aquala’s metal fender flares...these will be called to duty later on with GroundEater 2.0 !

 

[groundeater]

SUSPENSION

4 1/2 inch lift