05 LLY into 99 RCSB 1500

[thunder550]

Not much to update yet, driven it about 650 miles back and forth to work. Ride quality sucks, lots of shakes and rattles. I'm going to pull the overload spring and install a set of Caltracs to prevent axle wrap, have the wheels rebalanced, and install 4* shims to bring the pinion angle up a bit. Hopefully that will cure it.

Truck goes into the glass shop tomorrow for a new windshield and a solid tinted/heated rear window, then to the tint shop Saturday morning to do the front side windows. I'll take some updated pics after that's done.

 

[thunder550]

Bye bye parts truck! :hello:

 

[OregonDMAX]

Oh wait I needed something off it

No I kid, thats kinda sad though to see another Chevy off the road. But at least you made a better one out of it.

 

[thunder550]

Yeah it was sad to see it get smooshed, at least the heart and soul will live on :thumb:

I just loaded in a 40hp tune from a member over on DP, that woke it up quite a bit. Can't wait for a built trans so I can really start to crank it up! :woott:

 

[thunder550]

Got the bumper raised today, thanks to Cornell for sending me pics of his in progress.

Before:

Frame horns and lower mounting bracket needed to be removed to allow the bumper to lift upwards.

Cutting off the frame horns:

Brackets cut and painted:

I used washers and a bolt on each side to lift the bumper. Ended up raising it about 1.25 inches. The driver's side had to come up an extra 1/8" or so to line up correctly with the lights. I think the radiator support might be tweaked up a little on the driver's side, that's the side that took the impact on the donor truck. Not a big deal.

After:

Sides line up pretty well with the fenders

Tow hooks still fit too, just sit a little lower than normal

 

[Cornell]

Bumper looks great! Fitment is awesome.

And that's nice the tow hooks still fit on yours. On mine they don't with the 2500 frame because the bumper comes up 2 1/4"- 2 1/2" I'm sure if I wanted I could rig the tow hooks up but I've never used them.

Truck looks great

 

[thunder550]

I wonder if you could use half ton hooks and turn them upside down? You'd have to put a longer bolt with some kind of spacer through the bottom. Not sure if it would work, but it's a thought....

 

[OregonDMAX]

That's an idea there, I've wanted to raise the bumper on mine but I use the hooks. Might have to steal my dads tow hooks of his half ton.

BTW loving that new avatar pic.

 

[thunder550]

Got my updated title in the mail today, I'm all legal and stuff now! Woohoo!! Also got my CalTracs finished, shims, and new driveshafts put in.

Removed overload springs and put in 4 degree shims to correct pinion angles.

New 5" aluminum driveshaft. Pinion angle is just about perfect!

It needs a bath!

 

[04D_MAX]

looks awesome:thumb:

 

[thunder550]

Thanks!


Nothing too special, but here's a quick video I took on a test drive after finishing working tonight.

 

[arneson]

Man i love the way yours turned out. Exactly how id like mine to be if i had one. Looks killer.

 

[thunder550]

Thank you!

What do you guys think of these angles? I know ideally everything would be flat to keep from bending tie rods, I'm hoping slightly negative will be ok since some of the weight will transfer to the rear when launching.

 

[TheBac]

You'll be ok. What's leaking on the inboard CV?

 

[thunder550]

The inner CV boot has a small hole in it, grease is leaking out.

 

[thunder550]

At Bandimere right now. Got 4 runs in early.
14.999 @ 90.49, 2.153 60'
15.431 @ 90.18, 2.457 60'
14.718 @ 90.81, 1.956 60'
14.720 @ 90.64, 1.967 60'

Times got slightly better after I learned to brake stall a little longer...

 

[TheBac]

Chris, did you have any luck with figuring out converting the front suspension to 2500? I saw your thread on PT.net, and was intrigued by the pics and ideas by Duntov that were posted.
I was trying to figure out the problem of moving the upper arms to get the ball joints situated correctly, and wondered if a lowering arm (like those by DJM) would work in that application? I figure the Cognito's he used were more stock-replacement or for lifted trucks, which is going the opposite direction. What do you think?

Congrats on getting the truck finished.

 

[SmokeShow]

What level of tune did you run? 4wd launches or 2wd? When are you building the trans? :happy2:

 

[thunder550]

Best run of the night came after it cooled down a bit, and I removed the tailgate and spare tire:

Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwDRpzGsYJE

R/T .091
60' 1.909
330' 5.881
1/8 9.211
MPH 74.40
1000' 12.092
ET 14.538
MPH 92.31

I'll be interested to see what effect going from 4.10's to 3.42's would have, and also switching to lighter wheels and tires. These 20's are heavy!

 

[thunder550]

Chris, did you have any luck with figuring out converting the front suspension to 2500? I saw your thread on PT.net, and was intrigued by the pics and ideas by Duntov that were posted.
I was trying to figure out the problem of moving the upper arms to get the ball joints situated correctly, and wondered if a lowering arm (like those by DJM) would work in that application? I figure the Cognito's he used were more stock-replacement or for lifted trucks, which is going the opposite direction. What do you think?

Congrats on getting the truck finished.

I never was able to find much on that. After I decided that I'd try to make the 8.6 rear end work, I pretty much stopped looking too

Honestly I have no idea about suspension, I have a very basic understanding of the geometries but that's about it. It would make sense though, if a 1500 lift arm works, that a lowering arm would as well. The geometries should be the same, it's just a matter of where the spindle is located in it's arc of travel. At least it sounds good in my head anyway :spit:

What level of tune did you run? 4wd launches or 2wd? When are you building the trans? :happy2:

I'm running this tune from the repository here on the site:

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/local_links.php?action=ratelink&linkid=127&catid=7&lpage=1

It's supposed to be a 40hp tow tune. Still feels a little weak up top, gears should help that. 4wd launches, brake stalling up to about 2300 RPM (pedal was floored). I don't think there was a lot of boost on launch, I could feel a good kick in the pants as it ramped up after I got moving a little bit.

Built trans will probably be a winter project...we have a baby on the way, trying not to spend ALL of our money!! :woott:I have to be careful....my only excuse for not looking at performance mods right now is that the trans won't hold. Once I get rid of that excuse, I'm not sure if I'll be able to restrain myself! :roflmao: