56 pontiac 4x4 Project coming soon

gfbgreaser289 said:
this thing looks sick man. have you put any thought into pushing the front axle forward with a 56" spring swap??? i think that would make it look alot better. nice job on not hacking it together with a 20" body lift.
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More info on that spring swap? ideally we would like to push it forward but as it is it still clears it fine so we haven't looked into anything just thinking it'd be too much work for us that its worth. But if its simple and cheap we could consider it.
We had found these ~1" blocks that push the axle forward or back we were thinking about but not sure how safe they'd be. But honestly for now we're not too worried about it, at least until its up and driving around.

And i agree, prowlers look sweet with out their bumper. It was at the same shop as our rig getting a 6.1L SRT8 hemi put in it and is freaking bad ass. I think its all done now and just getting paint.
 
whatever you do, DO NOT put a block in the front. check out diy4x.com. they have whats called a b52 kit. you'll see on there website how easy it is to do the swap. the rivets that hold your front leaf spring hangers on right under your radiator core support, cut those out and move them forward (there are holes already there). then you'll use 52/56 factory rear springs up front. it will give you almost 5 inches of lift and push the axle forward about 2-3 inches. should look perfect then. if you look and search on pirate4x4.com in the chevy section you should find plenty of right ups about it. some of the guys who have done the swap actually use 2wd ford f150 rear springs up front 57" long. they are a lil soft so get some good shocks. http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=351438&highlight=ford+56+springse center pin is not centered so it will move it about 4 inches forward. heres a quick right up to help.
 
gfbgreaser289 said:
whatever you do, DO NOT put a block in the front.........
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Pretty sure he is talking about "zero rate add-a-leafs" They bolt in to the leaf pack.....perfectly safe. It gives you 1" of lift and is similar results as redrilling you center pin.
 
gfbgreaser289 said:
whatever you do, DO NOT put a block in the front. check out diy4x.com. they have whats called a b52 kit. you'll see on there website how easy it is to do the swap. the rivets that hold your front leaf spring hangers on right under your radiator core support, cut those out and move them forward (there are holes already there). then you'll use 52/56 factory rear springs up front. it will give you almost 5 inches of lift and push the axle forward about 2-3 inches. should look perfect then. if you look and search on pirate4x4.com in the chevy section you should find plenty of right ups about it. some of the guys who have done the swap actually use 2wd ford f150 rear springs up front 57" long. they are a lil soft so get some good shocks. http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=351438&highlight=ford+56+springse center pin is not centered so it will move it about 4 inches forward. heres a quick right up to help.
Click to expand...
Wow gives 5" lift too! definitely dont think we'll be doing that, its got so much clearance up front already as it is and we dont want it any higher at all. Honestly we probably wont touch the front end for a while because it works as it is and the wheel wells are so huge there is nothing for the tire to really even hit anyways, it just looks slightly short.
 
Also, for a long over due update... IT RUNS!!!
finally got around to getting the video up. If it's not too cold hopefully we'll take her around the block tomorrow.
here's the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q1o64Ebiys

and a view from another camera on the 2nd crank on different camera

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuSpxtqzLzg

That first start up was the very first attempt to start that motor since June when we bought it, it was cold and all we did was pour a small amount of gas into the carb and it fired Immediately! Gotta love a good old chevy motor!!
 
Big update, my dad had been sick all last year and finally good enough to work on it and in the past month we got it running, almost all the wiring hooked up and drove it around the block. For now the wiring was just done to get it running and my dad is waiting on some new relays and good wires and other stuff to re do it after it all works and make it look neat. But the charging system works, fan, and all the lights, next we are putting in a temp, oil pressure and amp gauge then we are going to start body work on it soon too and hopefully have it on the road for good in a month or two.

ai182.photobucket.com_albums_x267_bjharding_2007_DSCN0299.jpg


Heres a vid of it driving...ignore the commentary please, I don't get my dad sometimes.

ai182.photobucket.com_albums_x267_bjharding_2007_th_DSCN0301.jpg
 
Well it is about time to update the status. Many delays due to personal, family, job, etc. Back on track converting the old generator electrical system to modern alternator, plus fabricating a brake light switch bracket, creating new lights in the bumper bullets to replace the dinged up aluminum cups that used to be there. Rebuilt carb, put in swich to control electric fan. Installing this week a set of water temp, oil pressure gauges, and an oil pressure idiot light.
 
Got the turn signals and headlights to work, and put lights in the big bumper bullets, also called Dagmars. The dual exhaust has a nice deep mellow sound. Next is repairing the body from the damage done by the lift that removed the body from the old frame, mostly the rocker panels. Then pull off all that chrome, and start the prep for a new paint job.

P.S., to "ihaterice" above, you said "ignore the commentary" in the video. Well as the man who has invested many thousands of $$ and hundreds of hours so far, you better not ignore the man.. But that is OK, I don't understand "ihaterice" sometimes either, but we get along.
 
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