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1994 Mitsubishi Mighty Max - Weekend Warrior: STK TRUK Edition Part 7: Narrow the Frame for Clearance (Part 1)Narrow The Frame For Clearance, Part One. From the April, 2008 issue of Mini Truckin' By Ernie Macias Photography by Ernie Macias, Steve Wilk
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While sitting in the shop one day, working on what was supposed to be a quick garage build, Steve told me the truck needed to be Z'd, and since we were going to be cutting the front frame clip off, we might as well narrow it a few inches to help stuff those 20-inch rims. Once the frame was stripped of the wires, brake lines, and the motor itself, it came out pretty quick and easy. Once it was out, Steve actually had it narrowed in less than 10 minutes, which was the easy part. Once the frame was narrowed, the motor mounts needed to be moved, in order to bolt the motor back in place. Also, in order to ensure we cleared the stock hood, we lowered the motor mounts. Check out what we did below.  1. We removed the motor and...  1. We removed the motor and all other obstacles, including the suspension, and cut the clip off. Steve built two tube slides out of 1-3/4-inch x .120 seamless tubing and 1-1/2-inch x .120 tubing lying around in the shop. These tubes would keep the frame square.  2. He then tacked the tubes...  2. He then tacked the tubes in the same spots on both sides of the frame.  3. Then, using 1-7/8-inch...  3. Then, using 1-7/8-inch masking tape, we marked our cuts to remove 2 inches from the center of the frame.  4. We then used our handy...  4. We then used our handy Sawzall and made our cuts on the outside of the tape.  5. We measured our framerails...  5. We measured our framerails before cutting, to double-check our measurement after we narrowed it 2 inches. Then, Steve double-checked the measurements before welding it together.  6. Once our measurements were...  6. Once our measurements were verified, the two halves were welded together, and then the tubing was removed.  7a. With our framerails welded...  7a. With our framerails welded back together, we moved onto our motor mounts. They needed to come down 1 inch to lower the motor to fit a stock hood, and then would need to move an inch towards our rails to accommodate for our narrowed clip.  7b.  7c.  8. After we cut the same amount...  8. After we cut the same amount out of the bottom, we prepped our piece to be welded back in. We pie-cut the bottom portion of our motor mount, so that it could be welded back into place. We placed our motor mount back into place and verified the fit.  9. Notice the difference in...  9. Notice the difference in our stock motor mount (on the right) and our modified motor mount (on the left).  10. Once both motor mounts...  10. Once both motor mounts were modified and tacked into place, we bolted them back onto our motor to check how they fit.  11. Wow, that's a close fit...  11. Wow, that's a close fit to the exhaust, but it shouldn't be a problem at all.  12. We knew we would need...  12. We knew we would need to modify our oil pan. Here, you can see the motor bolted up with our oil pan on the floor ready to be cut.  13. We then prepped our framerails...  13. We then prepped our framerails to be welded back into place. We narrowed our frame, but also Z'ed it 1 inch. Here, Steve took a 1/2-inch pie-cut out of the top of our framerail, then pounded it down, and welded it .  14. Here, he flared out the...  14. Here, he flared out the frame a 1/2 inch on the outside. This was then welded back to our frame under the cab, which we then flared to the inside.  15. Here's a shot of our modified...  15. Here's a shot of our modified clip. At this point, it was ready to be put back into place and measured.  16. This shows the pie-cut...  16. This shows the pie-cut made to the framerails under the cab.  17. Here, our framerails have...  17. Here, our framerails have been tacked back into place, and were ready for measurements. Also, notice that Steve cut the top portion of our frame and moved it up a 1/2 inch.  18. We then verified our measurements....  18. We then verified our measurements. There's the inch we were trying to achieve on our Z'd frame.  19. Here, you can see the...  19. Here, you can see the inside inch that we gained through narrowing the frame.  20. Before we sectioned the...  20. Before we sectioned the engine crossmember, we checked the angle with a degree finder. This helped to ensure proper caster.  21. Here, you can see how...  21. Here, you can see how our cuts will help the frame flow smoothly, like a stock framerail.  22. Steve made a template...  22. Steve made a template to plate the frame. Please note: do not cover the holes for the steering box and idler arm.  23. We then cut our 1/8-inch...  23. We then cut our 1/8-inch plate and welded it into place.  24. Next, we pie-cut the bottom...  24. Next, we pie-cut the bottom of the frame- rail a 1/2 inch.  25. Next, the bottom lip was...  25. Next, the bottom lip was hammered into place.  26. Here, you can see what...  26. Here, you can see what our bottom template looks like in place.  27. Just cap the top, and...  27. Just cap the top, and you're ready to go. Keep an eye out for next month's issue when we'll finish the steering, weld up the motor mounts, and relocate our new strut rods.
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Maximized - May 2013
Excuse me while I wipe the dust off of my keyboard *cough, cough*. There is an old saying that goes...
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