So, my friend Steve and I, as well as a few friends who happened to stop by, have all been diligently working on STK TRUK. And lately, we've been jumping all over the truck trying to get it done one piece at a time. One day, I'll rip stuff apart. The next day, Steve will work on the front end. And another day, we'll work on the back end, and so on. But regardless, we're getting it done.
What we're going to show you today is how we notched the rear of the truck. It might have been easier just to buy a kit, but we decided that a homemade notch would be way cooler for this homemade Mitsu. In reality, if we had just stuck to the notch, we could have finished this in about 3 hours. But it took us a few days because of jumping from project to project. Anyways, this could be considered a one-day job.
Stay tuned for the next issue, where we will do a five-lug conversion on the truck with the help of Max Fish, from Bio Kustumz.
1. We started by tearing apart...
1. We started by tearing apart the complete back half of this truck. We removed the gas tank, shocks, leaf springs, crossmembers, rear end, drive shaft, and whatever else got in our way. You don't have to go crazy just for the notch, but since we were going to four-link, and relocate most of the things, we ripped it all apart.
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4. We used a torch to remove...
4. We used a torch to remove the old leaf- spring perches, shock mounts, and the center crossmember.
5. Before we did anything...
5. Before we did anything else, I ground down and smoothed out our work area after torching. This was wise, not only because it looks better, but because we planned to weld in some of these areas later...and I hate grinding.
6. Here, we measured from...
6. Here, we measured from the back cab wall to the center of the axle. Steve then moved the mark a 1/4-inch forward to compensate for when the axle swings forward.
7. Here, we measured from...
7. Here, we measured from the ground to the bottom of the frame to figure out the height of our notch. Steve used a simple formula which goes as follows: Ground plus 1/2 overall tire height, plus 1/2 of the axle diameter, plus 1/2-inch for clearance, plus 1/8-inch for bottom notch plate equals the bottom of the notch. Our calculations looked like this for example:14-inches + 13.5-inches + 1.5-inches + .5-inches + 1/8-inch plate =29 5/8-inches to the bottom of the notch. This was running a 27-inch tire with a 3-inch rear end.
8. Always verify your measurements....
8. Always verify your measurements. Here, Steve was marking the side of the frame to re-check his measurements.
9. By using cardboard, we...
9. By using cardboard, we traced the frame where our notch would go, and then we'll draw our pattern for our notch on it, as well.
10. Steve drew out our notch,...
10. Steve drew out our notch, making sure the top of the notch was at least 4-inches wide to clear our axle. He drew the notch to a size of 2 3/4-inches, because later we'll be adding a top and bottom piece that will be an 1/8-inch to make our notch an even 3-inches. By using a special tool-known as a spray can-he rounded out the corners. We also kept the sides of our notch at 3-inches to give it a uniformed look with our frame.
11. Here, we used a socket...
11. Here, we used a socket to round out our inner edge. Don't you just love garage technology?
12. Next, we took our pattern...
12. Next, we took our pattern and traced it onto some 3/16-inch steel.