Let me know how that bumper install goes im looking to pick one up from him eventually

 

Hey, ....I smashed my finger with a 3lb sledge yest.! WE'RE CARNAGE BROTHERS, NOW! hahaha. Jk... anyway, hope it's healing up quick!

PS> Again.... LOVE that rig, and nice work, man! It's really coming along nicely!

 

Will do.. I contacted the guy who's going to do the welding for me and he said about two weeks.. He's pretty booked up from work from a local race that's coming up. He does a lot of circle track cars..

I'll be sure to document the process..

Scotty hooked me up with an additional frame support/crossmemeber to simplify installation on the 1st generation trucks for a small fee.. Should make the bumper easier to adapt to the different frame configuration on the earlier trucks. At least thats what I got out of the conversation we had while I was at his shop.

Anyhow.. I'll document and post up the pics once I get the truck into the shop to install the bumper and front crossmember.

 

Wow! I know the pain you suffered!! Did you have to get the nail burned through to relieve the pressure? That whole procedure freaked me out.. It's healing nicely.. still a bit tender and I think I'm going to lose the nail, but all is well enough for me to get back to wrenching.. Which is good enough for me.

Hopefully you make a speedy recovery as well! I wouldn't wish a smashed finger on anyone.. It HURTS!

Thank all of you for the kind words on the truck. I'm really happy with how it's progressing. Hopefully soon enough it'll be ready to travel cross-country and really get wheeled!

 

Well I'm out on the trails putting some miles on the gears.. Thought I'd put up a pic or two.









Hope you guys enjoy!

 

Yeah,.....lil drill work relieves it a lot! lol. yeah, it sux, hurts like hell, especially since I'ma chef, working with my hands all day. But yes, I'm already working on my rig, .....pulled the front diff today on my IFS... WEEEEEEEEE, that was fun! hahaha.

Love the pics, glad you're enjoying the new gears and other stuff's!

 

Hows your front shackle angle im looking to run OME front leafs and a rear add a leaf

 

I could get a pic for you.. But it's good to go on the front. I'm impressed with the front suspension considering I've still got the stock push/pull setup. I'll be going to HySteer here soon in addition to a aftermarket front spring hanger and the Addicted bumper.

I'm currently contemplating relocating the stock rear shackle mount forward on the frame to give the rear the proper angles but something is nagging at me.. Even though the rear shackles have flipped on my quite a few times when wheeling the truck pretty hard. OME makes a triangle shaped greaseable shackle that is designed to cure the flipping issue. They also offer a weld on kit to add to the stock shackle to keep it from flipping.

I just ask, why on earth would OME design a rear spring that required that? My shackles never flipped on my stock leafs.. Granted these have some more arch built into them which makes them sort-of shorter in a sense. It seems the rear end has some design flaws in the way OME sets it up. Here are some of my observations:

There may be a few other odds and ends, but those are some things I've noticed with the OME rear. I'm quite pleased with the front end however. Just wish they moved the axle forward an inch or so.. But I'll acomplish that by redrilling the spring perch when I go to HySteer.

 

noticed the silver behind your wheel...just curious if you are running Centramatic wheel balancers like me, IFS rear end or what?

looking forward to seeing the bumper on the truck

 

Actually I'm not.. I'd really like to try those things out though!!

I'm a little embarassed answering this, but for whatever reason the previous owner painted the right rear drum silver and left the drivers side alone (black). It's bugged me, but every time I have the wheels off I'm just itching to get them back on to go play in the rocks, I've never 'fixed' the issue..

I've got the stock '83 axles under the truck at this point. An IFS axle would solve the rubbing issue. I've got 4, 1.5" spacers, but haven't put them on as they'd cause me some problems up front with rubbing. Once I move the axle forward and get an extra .25" or so from the front hanger I'll try them and see how things go.

I'm excited to get that bumper on too! Need to email the fabricator..

 

A picture of the front shackle angle would be nice... And glad to here the OME has a good front set up

 

Here's the pic of the front shackle angle. Just for the sake of completeness, this is a "drivers side" spring on the passengers side. I wanted that extra 3/8"

 

Sweet truck bro! I got a 83 sr5 with a 4" pro comp lift on 35s w/ stock gears. I want to regear to 5.29 but I'm not sure how to go about it. Im on a tight budget but I also want a quality regear. How much should I expect to spend? Is it realistic to do the repair myself? Its my DD btw. Thanks!

 

Gears: $300-500
Set-up Kits: $200-300
Labor (to remove 3rds): $Free.99- couple hundred
Gear install/setup: $150-250ea

Above is based on my experience getting gears installed in my '83. I realize budget is often times the number one factor, but keep in mind you'll spend a LOT more down the road with a poor gear install/setup than paying a little extra up front and getting it done right.

What to take out of this? A: It's not cheap. B: Get it done right the first time and save your wallet and your headaches.

 

I was able to regear my 81 by using factory V6 4.88s for just over $300 front&rear

 

Thanks fot the pic much appretiated...
Also what is your frame to ground measurement just behind the front shackle?

 

I should add that when doing the gears it's the perfect time to service the axles/knuckles.

I went ahead and got all new bearings when I did mine. New knuckle bearings, front wheel bearings, and rear wheel bearings. All new seals too. Marlin and Trail-Gear both sell kits to rebuild the axles. Give them a call and see what works for you. I went with Marlin's stuff and have no complaints!

If you decide to (and you should! ) service the axles it's going to add 200-300 to the cost, but it's well worth it.

 

22.5"

(edit) I'm curious what you and others might think of that.. Is that what you expected?

 

Thanks again!

I hope to get some money saved up and get some OME front springs...

 

Sweet truck! Looks real nice. Great find.