Duramax in a Half Shell
- Thread starter TheBac
- Start date
Not much to report. Got the leaf springs cut out (five bolts were seized to their bushings) and the oem brackets taken off and the frame spot painted. Cut one rusted crossmember out, too.
Got some cheap replacement bushings for the springs, and have some Ebay lowering brackets and shackles I bought 3 years ago that Im going to use to hold the axle on for the time being. Will give me some idea on ride height.
Got some cheap replacement bushings for the springs, and have some Ebay lowering brackets and shackles I bought 3 years ago that Im going to use to hold the axle on for the time being. Will give me some idea on ride height.
Almost back to being a roller, but with 8 lugs instead of 6.
:woott:
Small steps.....
:woott:
Small steps.....
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New parts:
Thanks James. :thumb: They are very well made heims, like you said they would be. Just waiting on my brackets and coilover mounts. Got those from a guy in Phoenix area. I bet you'd know him (if I knew his name other than on Ebay :rofl
Planning on using two pieces of 2x3x.120 rectangle tubing for the bracket crossmembers. Found the drop-style one I needed at Chassisworks.
Going to buy the tubing from Alro.
Slowly but surely.
Thanks James. :thumb: They are very well made heims, like you said they would be. Just waiting on my brackets and coilover mounts. Got those from a guy in Phoenix area. I bet you'd know him (if I knew his name other than on Ebay :rofl
Planning on using two pieces of 2x3x.120 rectangle tubing for the bracket crossmembers. Found the drop-style one I needed at Chassisworks.
Going to buy the tubing from Alro.
Slowly but surely.
New parts:
Thanks James. :thumb: They are very well made heims, like you said they would be. Just waiting on my brackets and coilover mounts. Got those from a guy in Phoenix area. I bet you'd know him (if I knew his name other than on Ebay :rofl
Planning on using two pieces of 2x3x.120 rectangle tubing for the bracket crossmembers. Found the drop-style one I needed at Chassisworks.
Going to buy the tubing from Alro.
Slowly but surely.
Any time my friend! Long as it keeps your ass motivated on this project! Lol
Ruffstuffspecialties.com. Dan's stuff is the "best of the cheap". Very well made heims that hold up to abuse and will work well for the intended use. Only ones I like better are Kevlar lined FK heims but those are pricey. These are better than qa1, Midwestern, and those cheap tractor supply heims.
I have an 04 that started life as a 3/4 ton reg cab long bed that got shortened up for a shortbed! It's 2wd with caltracs and I'm currently building the motor, it weighed 5500 lbs with nothing really pulled off of it yet.. If doesn't have a hitch and has a roll pan in rear, I couldn't get it to hook but last time I ran it it was bone stock with a built trans and tunes and ran 13.00 at 107 and from a roll would walk on a 12.70 truck easy.. I can't post a pic on here but I have a bunch of pictures on Instagram it is Siskiyoudiesel if I get a chance I'll post a pic! It's in my profile picture.
I think I figured out my motor mounts, thanks to new guy lil_lb7. Have to do some testing to see if what I think is what will work. I am confident.
Have to do some testing to see if what I think is what will work. I am confident.
I think I figured out my motor mounts, thanks to new guy lil_lb7.
So are you going to do it or just talk about it
oke: :hug:
Actually, the Dmax mounts are cut and initally fitted, I just have to set the drivetrain onto the pads and see if Im right.
Drivers side fit just like I thought. :thumb:
Passenger side will need some more fab.
No adapters on the block, either.
Upper oil pan clears the rack and pinion by about 1/2" now. Lower pan is >just< above and behind the stamped X-member, maybe 1/32". That may change for the better once I fix the passenger mount.
Looks like I'll have to raise the body 2", though. Eh, there's always a downside, isn't there?
Passenger side will need some more fab.
No adapters on the block, either.
Upper oil pan clears the rack and pinion by about 1/2" now. Lower pan is >just< above and behind the stamped X-member, maybe 1/32". That may change for the better once I fix the passenger mount.
Looks like I'll have to raise the body 2", though. Eh, there's always a downside, isn't there?
First things first -- Please do not judge me by two motor mount pads. I did what I had to do.
Remember I needed two inches more clearance over the rack and the x-member? I was stumped as to what to do? Well, I found the clearance by literally piggy-backing the Dmax frame mounts onto the V6 frame mounts.
Ever wonder why the DS mount on a Dmax is curved on the bottom? Yeah, I did too. Guess what? That curve matches PERFECTLY the top of the V6 mount. Talk about odd. I had to cut the second bolt tabs of the Dmax mount off, cut the Dmax cross brace out, cut a clearance slot into the V6 "bump" so the Dmax mount would sit down flush, and then drill holes for the two outside motor mount bolts to fit into. So that took care of one side.
Passenger side was a lot more tricky. The V6 pass mount is a lot longer than a Dmax pass mount, so to fit the Dmax mount, I had to cut all the tabs off it (at the welds) to get it to sit flush on top of the V6 pad. I bolted the Dmax mount to the engine, set it down on the V6 pad, and tacked it into place. I then "rebuilt" the Dmax mount to fit and to give it back it's reinforcements.
I know, I know......they both look very rigged right now. :roflmao: But the engine sits right down on them and is level, just like it should be.
I will ask my fab guys to completely weld them tomorrow, and I can then cut off any unnecessary metal. After some grinding and paint, they may still look rigged, but at least they'll be done.
And I can still use my Merchant mounts now. I figured that keeping the V6 mounts intact would also act as crossbracing to give the Dmax mounts more strength as opposed to just welding four longer tabs onto the Dmax mounts.
As for engine clearance, I now have 3/4" over the rack and pinion, and the oil pan clears the stamped x-member by about 1/2" or so. Perfect.
The transmission lines up with the pinion, too (18.5" -- 20.5" frame rail - output shaft/pinion - framerail) So the drivetrain is square to the frame and the rear axle.
Why GM didnt maintain their old standards of keeping the frame pads for all engine/drivetrain variations the same thru all models like in the past just puzzles me.
Oh well, onto the next problem.
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You're gonna use Merchant Mounts and do something the engine was never designed to do, like stiffen the frame...
See the link below, caught a rash of shit about mine and what I thought they would do and the mounts did what I expected them to do......
http://www.duramaxdiesels.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71794
I just don't have the wherewithal to do a project like this anymore, want to see on the road soon...:thumb:
See the link below, caught a rash of shit about mine and what I thought they would do and the mounts did what I expected them to do......
http://www.duramaxdiesels.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71794
I just don't have the wherewithal to do a project like this anymore, want to see on the road soon...:thumb:
Ive run a set of those mounts since 2010. Never an issue. If there would've been a problem with them, it would've already shown up.
They were never designed to "stiffen the frame up" in the first place.
They were never designed to "stiffen the frame up" in the first place.
The Merchant mounts were designed to keep the engine in place under big power. With stock mounts and big power, the motor would torque over far enough it would rip the boots off the intercooler piping, and hit the hood. Or at least, that is what happened on my truck.
Once I put the MA mounts in, no more popped boots, and no more motor to hood contact.