2002 2500HD - Solid Axle Tow Rig

Once I finally managed to get away from work, I pulled the coilovers back off and jacked the axle up to the frame to see where the bumpstops needed to go. I got those welded on, changed the u joint in the front driveshaft, knocked all the wheel studs back in the hub bearings, and then painted the frame/buckets. From here on out it's just a bunch of bolting stuff together :D

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Annnnd...boom!

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Don't be fooled....it's not done just yet. I still have to bleed the brakes, bleed the power steering, tighten all of the suspension nuts/bolts, set the toe, check the caster, put the inner fenders/mudflaps back on, mount the coilover reservoirs, and replace the lower transmission line that got knicked by the sawzall. It sat on its own weight though and I adjusted the coilovers to get it level front to back.

The bottom of the bed measures 38", so it's nowhere near too tall for a gooseneck and the top of the cab is 78". Not bad!

The rear wheel spacers are supposed to ship soon. The H2s have 5" of backspacing and I'm glad of it, definitely wouldn't want them to stick out any further than they do now. They also have about 1/8" clearance around the calipers, but everything in the front suspension has minimal clearance...why not the rims too?!
 
I'm not far from being done...gotta bleed the brakes and a few other odds and ends.
 
Took it on its maiden voyage. Damn, it rides and drives awesome! I need to try and bleed the power steering a little better and probably bleed the brakes again, but it does stop and turn fairly well as it is. Somehow, I managed to find a new transmission cooler line this morning, so once I had that it was game on and I knew I was going to finish it up today. During the replacement of the line I did notice that one of the fittings on the bottom of the transmission cooler is dripping some fluid...so gotta take care of that soon.

Hopefully, tomorrow it'll get an alignment and then a MUCH needed wash and wax.

Also, can NOT wait to get new tires. These ride fine and balanced fine, but they look like ass! I was really considering getting some 17x9 Raceline Defenders or maybe Avengers, but the H2s do look pretty damn good... gotta trim that front bumper though!
 

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Croatan_Kid said:
Took it on its maiden voyage. Damn, it rides and drives awesome! I need to try and bleed the power steering a little better and probably bleed the brakes again, but it does stop and turn fairly well as it is. Somehow, I managed to find a new transmission cooler line this morning, so once I had that it was game on and I knew I was going to finish it up today. During the replacement of the line I did notice that one of the fittings on the bottom of the transmission cooler is dripping some fluid...so gotta take care of that soon.

Hopefully, tomorrow it'll get an alignment and then a MUCH needed wash and wax.

Also, can NOT wait to get new tires. These ride fine and balanced fine, but they look like ass! I was really considering getting some 17x9 Raceline Defenders or maybe Avengers, but the H2s do look pretty damn good... gotta trim that front bumper though!
Click to expand...
Nice work and build. It's a shame Chevy won't build a straight axle truck like this anymore....

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As good as this axle fits in there and clears everything, it's almost like it belongs there anyway. I've caught some flack from people about how much work this is/was and how much it costs and all that..."can't you just buy the truck you want?" Uhh...no, that's why I'm building it! This is my second solid axle in my personal collection, but probably my fourth one that I've done. Besides, if anybody made perfect vehicles I wouldn't have had to put a Cummins and NV4500 in my CUCV :D
 
I really wonder what the price point is between producing a straight axle compared to IFS. Was it a ride quality concern that made them switch? One would think that the R&D, retooling, xyz to shift to IFS from live axle on the assembly of these trucks would have been an expensive one ?? And also the durability factor. Obviously if you were to remove the coil overs from the equation and do a simple coil/shock set up like ford or dodge would it make the production cost be reasonable?? Just random questions I guess. But either way it looks great!!
 
Not sure...I never thought the IFS rode all that great.
 
It's just in their design...they're supposed to just barely rest on the bump stops. I'm amazed it took them so long to do away with torsion bars.
 
I'm pretty happy with it. Put almost 100 miles on it this weekend. Need to crack the PS lines at the box and see if there's some air and maybe try to bleed the brakes again. Oh, and mess with the ABS sensors. My ABS light stays on. I'm probably going to put the GM sensors in the Ford hubs and plug them in like stock and see if that works. If not, I need to put the scanner on it and go in the BCM and change the tire size.

I'm thinking since the Ford uses a 60 tooth and GM uses a 55 tooth that it thinks the front is spinning way faster than the rear and it only allows but so much variance before it throws the light. I'm thinking if I tell it the front tires are smaller then it won't trip out. It's weird because the front ABS is controlled through the BCM and the rear is through the PCM which reads the VSS off the tailshaft.

We'll see what I can do. I hate having dash lights on! I also need to figure out how to bypass the old front diff shift actuator..if you unplug it, the transfer case won't shift to 4wd. The steering box brace has a provision to hold it, but I don't see that as a long term fix.
 
For whatever reason, the draglink and panhard bar are trying to make love...hopefully I don't have to wind up cutting the mount off the frame and moving it. The biggest issue is with a hard left turn. The grease fitting would drag the panhard bar and it actually gouged it. I may even clearance grind the panhard since it's solid and it won't take much to make them clear.

I also tightened up the coilovers a little and brought the front about 1/4" higher than the rear. I know it will settle some more, so hopefully it'll be just about right.

I think the next thing will be decide if I want to lose the mudflaps and then tape up the corners of the front bumper, draw a line, and trim it.

Since it's been a while with no pictures....

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I did that yesterday, but that's just how close they are together. I have another spot where the two bars rub together.
 
I can't decide what size tire I want to run...285/70-17s would be fine, but my original idea was to run a 295/70-17. Not sure what to do. If I go 295, I'll probably have to ditch the nice WeatherTech mudflaps, which I don't really want to do.

I also don't know what actual tire I want. I thought I had narrowed it down to the Cooper ST Maxx, but I've also been looking at the General Grabber X3, Mickey Thompson MTZ, or even the ATZ.
 
Croatan_Kid said:
I can't decide what size tire I want to run...285/70-17s would be fine, but my original idea was to run a 295/70-17. Not sure what to do. If I go 295, I'll probably have to ditch the nice WeatherTech mudflaps, which I don't really want to do.

I also don't know what actual tire I want. I thought I had narrowed it down to the Cooper ST Maxx, but I've also been looking at the General Grabber X3, Mickey Thompson MTZ, or even the ATZ.
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285 75 R17 ???


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Common sizes are easier to get, you have more choices, and they're cheaper. That's why I chose those two sizes. There's not much price difference between the 285/70 and the 295/70 either.
 
I'm not sure how to "loose" the mudflaps. I could loosen them or possibly lose them...

I also don't want to run 35s and MTZs in that size are over 300 a tire.
 
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