1 1/2 ton flatbed chevy

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a coupla 2x4's

under each front wheel during the whole build..trimming fenders, doors, grill, etc..get everything level.. then pull the 2x4's and I've got a nice rake that is even with bed, cab and front end..

my test drive was rough so need to trim a little more all around
 

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driving her

For last week, ironing out things..latest is shudder when hitting rough patches of road..continue afterwards until I brake.. checked bearing, has upgraded anti-sway bar and new shocks all round...hmmmm
 
Does you steering wheel go back and forth? If so, you may need a stabilizer/dampner on the steering gear. Ever see one of those lifted way up high trucks with the sideways shocks in the front? That's what that shock thing is.

Just found a pic. I circled them in red.

 
no bolts

thanks for the input, I drive lots of 4 wheel drives so I know..replaced by bronco's

Upon inspection I noticed my daughter's boyfriend forgot to put in top bolts/nuts on the rear shocks... that's why I do these mostly myself..gotta do a lot of work to remove the bed now cause there's no clearance..we'll see if that does the fix..unfortunately all the other "help" I rec'd I had to redo too..oh well he's young
 
I try

to do something I haven't seen..so thanks for saying unique, I appreciate that.. I'll post more pics soon..I need the flat bed to be more interesting
 
Better the parking lot, than while going down the road.
Could that have been some of the "shuddering" problem?
Great build.
Torchie.
 
unbelieveable story

Torchie, I had been running 70 a few minutes earlier with no problems, as I got closer to work there was a loud pop (I thought a rock hit the cab), then about a block from the parking lot I felt what I thought was the detroit locker acting up, then pull in, some weird motion and as I pulled into the spot she went down..I thought I'd broke a leaf spring.. couldn't believe it, wheel was jammed up in the cutout of the bed and drum was on bottom of rim..no lugnuts anywhere.. got a floor jack from auto shop nearby, pulled 3 lugs from other wheels to get home..only damage is some grooves cut into wheel, not bad either..like I said its hard to believe

I bought the donor from a kid a few months back..I did all kinds of maintenance but never removed/checked the rear wheels.. I checked the other rear wheel and the torque was so low I could easily remove them with a socket wrench

Bought lugnuts, all's torqued and still have vibration.. I might need that damper after all

BE SAFE OUT THERE...AND CHECK OTHER PEOPLE'S WORK!!
 
My OCD was acting up so I rotated your pics, and made them bigger... Moving the hood and fenders up makes for a cool look.

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A lot of guys just put the wheels on loose when building or whatever, it sounds like that's what the guy you got the donor from did. That's a good reminder to all of us to not assume something is tight. If you don't remember if you checked it, check it again. Glad you got off lucky! I'm wondering if something was bent when your wheel came off, causing your vibration? Did it have one before?
 

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nice job 440!! I appreciate it

I bought this truck from a kid who put way too much into and he wasn't a mechanic.. he was making a drag truck.. before I pulled the cab, bed, front end of the 88 S10 I repaired a good bit of electrical problems ( rewired it actually), did some suspension work on front end, including repacking the bearings.. so the fronts were and still are torqued.. since the rear was breaking well, tires good, balanced, I didn't remove the rear wheels or check them..I put in new shocks...

Yes the vibration was there before the build but wasn't bad... with the lighter body it's a good bit worse.. only othr changes since bought suspension wise are 4 new shocks, 1 1/2 anti-sway bar

Hey man fix all my pics!! I can't seem to do

I'm thinking of getting a 48 tudor and doing a similar style with the body 5 inches lower than the front clip while stuffing it a coupe inches under the hood.. my 47 IH truck has the same treatment

Let's call it a Millwood Chop!! hahahahahahah
 
It sounds like you've got a driveline vibration caused by driveshaft alignment issues. You may want to look at your angles and may need shims to correct things.

What drivetrain are you running? Looks like a SBC? Is the rear end and front end of the chassis lowered at all? If you have blocks in the back you might need shims to correct the angles.


As for the pictures, here's what you need to do:

1. Open the picture to view it large.
2. Right click on the image, and select "Copy Image URL"
3. In your reply screen, click the little picture above the reply box, and when the text box comes up press CTRL and V to paste the link in the box. Press okay, and the image will be entered into your message. It's easier if you do this with a couple tabs open.

Just a hint/peeve, you might want to stop using the Title box for every post and just enter your info in the larger reply box.
 
It's a 350/350 with detroit locker and low gears..it only shudders when I hit rough patches of road (which is about a dozen times on my regular commute)..this weekend I'm going to try to isolate it to either front or rear causing it..I channel rather than lower but the kid did put 14's on front and 15's on rear..during the build I made no changes but the shocks and roll bar.. but the body/bed is lighter..oh I did cut about 15" off the frame..I'm sure when the 350 conversion was done that stiffer springs were put in the front..I think the fix will either be a steering dampner or modifying the front springs

thanks for the pic tutorial

bill
 
Cool build! Here's a thought on your pictures being rotated when you post them. That used to happen to me when I'd take pictures with my iPhone and had the phone vertical. As soon as I started turning the phone horizontal and taking all my pics when I upload them here they come out the right way. Just a thought.

-Chris
 
It's a 350/350 with detroit locker and low gears..it only shudders when I hit rough patches of road (which is about a dozen times on my regular commute)..this weekend I'm going to try to isolate it to either front or rear causing it..I channel rather than lower but the kid did put 14's on front and 15's on rear..during the build I made no changes but the shocks and roll bar.. but the body/bed is lighter..oh I did cut about 15" off the frame..I'm sure when the 350 conversion was done that stiffer springs were put in the front..I think the fix will either be a steering dampner or modifying the front springs

thanks for the pic tutorial

bill

Why do you say that stiffer springs were installed?

Can you feel this "shudder" in the steering wheel or in the body (seat of your pants)? That should tell you whether it's a steering/front end issue, or a rear-end/driveline issue.
 

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