Project: Modify everything, even the aftermarket parts to fit...

A lot of people just get someone with really small hands to reach down into the frame and put on a nut onto the bolt.  Child labor would be ideal in this situation.

i did this with a shitton of patience.
never want to take it off again.

Yeah, I really don't mind drilling and tapping and spending a couple bucks on bolts to have 1/2-13 grade 8 flange head bolts holding my swaybar in. I really don't want it going anywhere unexpectedly, and I'm probably going to end up with an iron headed V8 in there to begin with, then start swapping out whatever I can afford, when I can afford it, to get alum heads and intake, and eventually build an aluminum shortblock to swap in. SBC stuff is still cheap enough I can go that route without costing a fortune and still popular enough I can sell everything I take off. And iron headed SBC means some extra nose weight, so I'm going to be torturing that front bar for a while.

Still didn't get the other two swaybar bolts swapped out, but I pulled the stock fuel filter and instaled a see through filter just below my fuel pressure guage and tuned the fuel pressure a little bit. Because it's been gettig so cold it seems to like about 10.5psi right now. I also test-fit my rear swaybar, and am going to get the material to make the frame brackets in about an hour. That will hopefully make a substantial difference. I finally got the headliner pulled so it would quite dropping yellow dust on me all the damn time. Next up after the swaybar is going to be exhaust. whatever the previous owner did for it is just terrible, and loud and drones horribly on the highway. I'm going to just drop a magnaflow in place of the Cat.

Still didn't get the other two swaybar bolts swapped out, but I pulled the stock fuel filter and instaled a see through filter just below my fuel pressure guage and tuned the fuel pressure a little bit. Because it's been gettig so cold it seems to like about 10.5psi right now. I also test-fit my rear swaybar, and am going to get the material to make the frame brackets in about an hour. That will hopefully make a substantial difference. I finally got the headliner pulled so it would quite dropping yellow dust on me all the damn time. Next up after the swaybar is going to be exhaust. whatever the previous owner did for it is just terrible, and loud and drones horribly on the highway. I'm going to just drop a magnaflow in place of the Cat.

your going to run 2 mufflers?  or is there none on it now?

I like the sound of my flowmaster 40 series on my 2.2.  loud enough that people know it's not stock, but not so loud people point and laugh at the guy with a ricer truck. lol

The muffler on there now is essentially non-existant, it's some ultra-cheap glasspack that sounds completely hollow from knocking on it. I'm guessing there is virtually nothing inside. So I'm going to put a magnaflow in place of the cat and cut the exhaust just in front of the current muffler, remove the entire over-axle section and just dump it out the side in front of the rear tire. I was debating leaving the rear section in for now, but for the minimal extra cost, I think I'll just do the whole kit-n-kaboodle at once.

Had a bit of a scare on the way home on wednessday. Was getting on the freeway in rush hour, tried to stop for the light on the on-ramp and just didn't stop. Popped it in neutral, pointed it to the shoulder and slowly pushed the parking brake in to stop myself. Pumped the brakes a few times and they did pump up and come back. Right as I got it off the side and stopped with hazards on, about 40 people came from behind me. Had I left work 30 seconds to a minute later, I would have been in the middle of or behind that mess and hit someone with no warning. Was able to nurse it home, being excessively careful. Popped the hood and the master cylinder was more or less completely dry. I really think I was able to compress magic in my front brakes the last couple of stops.

Going over the truck I found a small but significant leak in the passenger rear wheel cylinder that was the cause. And it all just snowballed from there. Replaced both of the wheel cylinders, had to pick up a 1-1/8" 12-point socket in order to pop the clips on that hold the wheel cylinders in place. And I couldn't find my drum wrench, so I picked on up while I was out for a measly $8 with a lifetime warranty, but it was crap and I barely ended up using it at all. Got it all back together finally and found that the rears are a real bitch and a half to bleed because of how recessed the bleeder valves are into the wheel cylinder. Need to find a set of speed bleeders that fit. Looks like 5/16-32, but if anyone know for sure I'd be thrilled to hear from you. Also found that there are two sizes of wheel cylinder available. Standard on power brakes is 3/4" bore, but there are cylinders available for manual brakes that are 7/8", but they didn't have any other wise I would have gotten them, increased pressure would be nice in the back there, my fronts lock first by a big enough margin I haven't heard the backs lock yet.

Went around to the front to bleed them finally today and broke one of the bleeders off in the caliper, so I had to drill and tap it for a new bleeder. Got speed bleeders for the front as well since I needed on new one anyway. In looking around while up there though I found that I needed new pads already, so I replaced those with the AutoZone Lifetime warranty ceramic pads. I've used them several times and for a DD it just doesn't get better, especially with a lifetime warranty. Finally, just about ready to get everything back together I noticed some pretty considerable dry rot on the lines, so I went ahead and replaced them while I had everything apart anyway. A freaking $10 wheel cylinder turned into about $130 in parts to re-do most of the brake system. Had I known so much was going to go wrong, I would have not bothered with the stock brakes and given Ed Miller a call and hit a couple junk yard, but it was piece-mealed all together in four or fiver stages. At least now I know for sure I'm not going to have any problems with the brake system, so I can push off the disk conversion for the rear for a while.

I did test fit my 1LE brakes while I had the rear apart a few days ago, and I know for sure that they will fit beneath my current 15" wheels, so I don't have to worry about waiting for new wheels to get the rear brake conversion done, I can do them any time. I am however planning on waiting, and getting the engine taken care of first and foremost, as it is burning more and more oil as time goes on.

glad to hear you got it stopped safely.  hitting the pedal and having nothing there is a scary feeling.

Whew, one and a half long, surprising hot days of work behind me. The interior from behind the front seats back is gone, for good. The rear seat may make an appearance, since it's not as heavy as I thought it would be. Though the stupid flap for covering the gap behind the seat when folded down was 10lbs, without the spring or hardware. Everything back there was heavier than I expected. I'd say I pulled an easy 200lbs out including the seat. Where before I had to work a little bit to get a rear tire spinning, my passenger 235 lets go a little too easily now.

I did run into some wiring difficulties, of course. The harness for the rear runs across the floor to just under the rear seat, then to the side, and along the inner fender on the drivers side to the rear, then splits into three directions, one for the rear interior light, one for the drivers side rear lights and one for the passenger lights and fuel pump and license plate light. That last section runs along the floor, splitting about mid floor to drop through the floor for the license light and fuel pump, the rest continuing on over to the passenger side. This simply would no longer suffice.

The full harness was run between the inner and outer rear quarter to the back where it split, the drivers side light harness was all internal to that gap, with the exception of the ground, which will now allow me to pull the harness out of that void should I need to. I was then able to run the passenger lights up the C-pillar, across the roof in a channel and down the other C-pillar to the lights. This required an extention, I added in about 18 inches, but apparently only needed about 13-14". The license light and fuel pump wiring I ran down the fender, out a new hole I drilled to utilize the stock rubber grommet, extended and back over into place.

Now it's just clean everything up, which with those stupid gummy crap covers they've got on stuff is going to take a while, and she'll be ready for bedliner basically to the B-pillar.

I did find out while testing the rear lights that my back-up light switch in the column is about half dead too, so with that, not being able to shift into first, the constant rattle when stopped in gear, the broken wiper\turn signal switch and whatever else is wrong that I don't know about yet, I think a new column will be in the works. Probably not till after the exhaust though. Which will come right after the bedliner, which should be ready to get laid down next week. I want to make sure I get it prepped and the surface rust neutralized and primed properly.

Don't you believe in pics?

I have a lot of reading to do.

My camera is missing since I moved, I could take them with my phone if you all really want pics that bad.

yes, we DO really want pics that bad.

i like to see other guys stuff. especially when theyre going at it like you are.

Pics are good for three reasons:
1) Some things are hard to explain
2) Get/ give ideas
3) helps the tards with ADD, like me, stay interested.

I finally get to order some parts again! Busy season at work is here finally so I'm getting some comission over the next three checks, should be on the order of $300, so steering is getting sorted and that will pay for my bedcoating.

The weather here went from winter to summer all too quickly, so afternoons are 90+ already. Pictures thusly will probably be tuesday at the earliest.

Got my idler arm in today finally. Came in a box marked pro-forged, and the bag says made in taiwan, so it's either a russian component or an american component. I should be able to get it on the truck tomorrow afternoon, hopefully that helps with some of the slop, and it'll give me a chance to pull the stocker apart and see about making a custom bushed version for everyone. That's only been on the list since before this version of this forum was opened, lol.

My new front valance, should be getting shipped out later today. Brand new in box supposedly. The fog light opening should make for great brake-duct openings.

I also got quoted out a pair of pieces of 6061 solid 1" hex 15.5" long for tie rods, came out pretty cheap so I may use that instead of the swedged steel tubes I had been planning. Any objections to 1" solid 6061 for tie rods? Might consider turning off the flats all but about an inch in the center too.

It's Picture Day! This is my truck as-is this morning.

Nice man it's great to see what I've been reading about all this time. I'm curious to see how the front valance looks. I was thinking about doing that but as a cai instead.

IT DOES EXIST!

Holy Crap!