found one

[ryanroo]

Some steps in the right direction today

tranny in, and tailhousing modified for round pattern 205, or lomax. i guess i am comitted now


what do ya know, we happen to have a lomax for a project, and i borrowed it so i can make the crossmember/skid accurately


looking at the frame rails level across the bottom. barely any hang down. not sure if i am gonna push up the t-case and modify the floor, or if i am going to live with the < 2" of lost clearance.


some other random shots



on the rack, derby car underneath


another derby car 715 shot parked in over/under fashion

hopefully there will be crossmember progress in the next few days. derby is this weekend, so that is getting priority righ now
Ryan

[brute4c]

Is that Drew with the hat on backwards???

Nice pics and nice work!!

[ryanroo]

That it is. his step son is driving the derby car, so we have been doing alot of after hours work to it lately
Thanks
ryan

[bluesman2a]

I *REALLY* like your tubework for the engine mount... super-clean... Looking forward to the x-member and other tube-work.

[ryanroo]

thank you sir for the compliment. still mulling the crossmember over in my head. havent decided what my attack will be just yet. i think i am ok with the transfer hanging down a little, but i may just make it be a flat bottom.
Ryan

[ryanroo]

some more small steps

i fabbed up the tabs and bushing tubes for the belly pan/crossmember. tomorrow i will bend some tube and likely stare at it some more with the same confused look i have been for the last few days






ryan

[ryanroo]

So i filed the bushing tubes idea in the circular file cabinet and with the help of my buddy drew bouncing ideas back and forth this idea came and i went with it.

sleeved the frame and fishplated it




added these little peices that like to slice scalp skin open


a tube copes in as seen, and they are bolted on via the washer welded on the inside of the tube. done this way so the entire thing will be rigid, and still be removable.


the tubes run along the frame for about 3 feet. they also follow the contour of the frame


overall of the side tube


fake transfer case for front driveline location


front drive mocked up with the cross tube in


ryan

[ryanroo]

last one

the square tube is 2" the 1.75 DOM is just a fuzz lower than that. maybe .1875

[randyscycle]

Love it!!!!

Were it me, I'd just build a Heavy Duty skid plate and leave the transfer down like it is. Not much worse than what the factory did with the crossmembers below the frame.....

[fng]

Wow, I just got caught up on this thread. That has to be one of the nicest, cleanest, well thought out mod/install I've ever seen. That easily rivals anything on Saturday morning TV like "Truckin'" and the like.
That drivetrain bracketry will be bulletproof! You oughta' call JP magazine and get them to do a story on it after you're done.
After I built Frankenstein and all was said and done I always felt like the engine mounts I used were just a little flimsy. I used the spicer plate method and orig. frame horns, boy nothing like this one.
Just tell us tho' that when all the cutting and grinding is done you're going to sand blast the whole thing and shoot it with some space age tech polytitanium-based-hermetically sealed ceramic coating kind of stuff or siomething really cool like that to make the truck last another 40 years.
You sir are an artist!!!!