Hey everybody, Im back! Wilson is back on track, at least for nowI know its been awhile and I apologize, life has just been so busy as im sure you are all aware. I recently have just been laid off as a Heavy Duty Mechanic due to Covid-19 which kind of puts a damper on life, but were doing the best we can with what we've got. On the plus side, I had purchased a ton of parts over the past 6 months or so since my last update and I got to working on the truck right away!
Im really hoping the stars align and I will have this truck driveable for November so I can drive to SEMA (If it doesn't get cancelled). I'm not going to show my truck, I've just always wanted to go, and what better way then to make it an adventure in my new rig.
So my goal for this truck is still to have something thats oldschool in design but with some more modern upgrades that we have all grown to love. Ultimatley I want the truck to ride better, handle better, more horsepower and torque for towing and smiles, better stopping, more comfortable interior and longer range. I think i am still fairly on point with this build and my vision. While I have straggled away a little bit thinking about turbos and superchargers and 40's I have ultimatley come back to my reality, that money needs to be saved for a Four Wheel Camper!
So suspension wise I am running a 52" Front spring conversion from the folks at Diy4x. This stuff is very good quality, 1/4" think steel mounting brackets ad shackles. You can tell its engineered to take a beating. My intention is not to beat on the truck, however its good to know that the parts im using will stand up to a zombie apocalypse. With those spring hangers I had Off Road Design build me a set of custom front leaf springs with 4" of lift, I must say I have never had the opportunity to order custom springs thatare spec'd for my application and taking into consideration how i will be using the truck, the weight of the motor any accessories etc.. Truly a custom setup that should work very well for what im after. Did i mention I ordered these springs with kevlar bushings? Im curious how these bushings will hold up over time up here in Canada. I assume they will be great! I'm running Bilstein 5165 Reservoir Shocks in the factory mounting locations to avoid having to cut into my stock wheel liners. However the original hardware was only 3/8", I bumped up the hardware to 7/16" for some added beef. I knew I wanted to run a pyramid style poly bumpstop, but i did not like how they sat on the original bumpstop mounting pad on the frame, so i designed my own bracket for them and had them cut and welded by a local fabrication shop and powdercoated black. Not that I like to toot my own horn, but I think they turned out spectacular! "toot toot".
Steering was up next.. keeping in mind i wanted something to drive tighter, modern and responsive I opted to go with a custom box from my local steering shop. It's a 2WD 73-87 box so I can utilize crossover steering, it has a tighter ratio worm gear which eliminates an entire turn lock to lock and the valving has been upgraded for a firmer feel so you don't get that ridiculously light power steering feel from the 70s. Im running a crossover high steer system from NWF that included high steer knuckles and 4 bolt raised billet steering arms. The tie rods are all 1-Ton and the actual tie rod and drag link are 1.25" DOM. Its a substantial upgrade to say the least. To add to the rigidity of the steering system I added an ORD Steering Box Brace, this will help with any deflection of the frame or twisting of the box with the large tires. Im running a Bilstein 5100 steering stabilizer that i mounted to a PSC tube clamp on the tie rod, and i again couldnt find anything i liked to mount the stabilizer on the axle end so i designed my own bracket and had it CNC'd and powdercoated. This should be a great combo for steering and handling, its simple, proven and lateral which should provide lots of positive steering input and decrease any negative feedback.
Brakes were next on the list, again I realized that single piston calipers are not the best to be stopping a 37" tall tire. I found a good deal on a set of Wilwood Calipers and pads on Amazon surprisingly. They mounted directly to the factory caliper mounts and utilize stock style rotors. I replaced the rotors with a good quality replacement from my local parts supplier and thats that. I will be running stainless braided hoses as well once I get to that point. I also realized that I wasnt a van of the vaccum brake system on this application and I wanted something with higher pressure and more consistent volume so I opted for a hydroboost system that I pulled out of a wrecked 2012 GMC Ambulance. I got the booster, master and lines for free! It sure is nice to get something for free once in awhile! I will update the braking system more once I get the system installed.
Oh right, I almost forgot about the motor! lol. So i originally had a Gen3 6.0 LS from a 2005 GMC 2500 farm truck and it turns out that motor was a bit of a crud master. It was going to cost me way more than my budget would allow to rebuild it so I made the decision to search for another motor, hopefully cleaner and in better condition. I managed to part out the old motor and make my money back, turns out theres nobody selling used parts for these things up here so they went pretty fast. I stumbled across a 2012 GMC Ambulance that was in fantastic condition, was recently taken out of comission as the transmission failed and the truck was old enough that the city went ahead and replaced the unit with a brand new one as oppsed to repairng the transmission. Lucky for me, this van was in literal mint condition otherwise. I was absolutely stunned by how clean it and maintained it was. I made a deal with the owner and a few days later we pulled the cab and I took the motor, trans and hydroboost system home. Its a 6.0 L96 which is a Gen4 engine with Variable Valve Timing. It definitley didnt take me long to start tearing into it and cleaning it up. Needless to say im a little OCD and I have a problem looking past things that I know should be repaired, cleaned or upgraded. So after a couple hours tinkering i had the cylinder heads off the engine and disassembled. basically right down to the short block. Everything looks great, so im just going to give it a good clean, delete the VVT with a new camshaft and off we go. I currently have these parts on order, I will update with more information once those come in!
Anyways I hope you guys don't fall asleep with all that babbling, off to the pictures! Did i mention I can't wait to have this thing on the road?!! You are all keeping my motivation at peak performance and wallet at an all time low
I love watching your build threads and adventures, especially during these crazy timeswere having.
Hopefully you all enjoy the update and stay safe out there!
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