my little off road project

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ive been asking advice on welding to cast on this forum.  i figured some of you might appreciate the project that is getting the welded cast piece.  long story short, i am probably 25% done with a project i working on.  its a hobby and a passion, as well as something to spend time with my family with.  ive been building an s10 blazer into an off road toy.  currently the truck is in my garage, well just the frame to be specific.  we took the body off to do a better job with the fabrication.  anyways, to make the list short, its getting full width 3/4t axles, link suspension front and rear, and 38's.  i made a bunch of cool stuff for it
Reply:back to the chassishere are some pics of my setup:
Reply:i did a little cut and burn on my real estate.  now where there was once wedge bushings and panhard bar mounts and leaf perches, there is clean!anyways, i busted out the old sharpie and tape measure and started mapping out where everything was going.  my spring plates are about as wide as they can be on the axle, they are touching the welds for the inner c.  i did this so i can have room for my upper link tower on the drivers side next to the pumpkin.i soon realized that i still didnt have much room on the short side, so i made a executive decision to run the link tower partially on the cast pumpkin.  i did this so i would have good room to get good welds on all the components.this meant that i had to fit one of the link tower sides to the housing.  i used a piece of cardboard to make a template.here is the final shapehere it is fitted to the housing
Reply:i went ahead and started tacking things on to get a better idea of how it will all work together.you can see my caster and my pinion angle in the last pic, that is how it will be in the truck.  caster is dialed in at 6* and the pinion points up nicely.
Reply:Awesome work, looks like a 14 bolt and a 70s ford 44?HTP Invertig 201Lincoln Idealarc SP250Miller 180 AC StickBy farmall:They should have held the seagull closer to the work, squeezing evenly for best deposition.
Reply:Nice work DonahueIt's almost like watching an episode of "TRUCKS"  LOLLooks like your gonna have yourself one sweet Rock Crawler.Glenn
Reply:very nice!
Reply:This is a great thread!  I'm doing a similar thing to a jeep...although not quite links.  I'm going SOA with D44s on a YJ.  Keep it coming and good luck!MM175 MIGCutmaster 38 PlasmaCraftsman 30gal compressor4x6 HF bandsaw1hp HF floor drill pressRyobi Cutoff SawAssorted grindersNot enough time
Reply:cool looking project so are you going to stress relieve the cast after welding to it or add some extra bracing?
Reply:Originally Posted by fordmanAwesome work, looks like a 14 bolt and a 70s ford 44?
Reply:Originally Posted by CarrJETScool looking project so are you going to stress relieve the cast after welding to it or add some extra bracing?
Reply:nice! what are you cutting with?
Reply:Originally Posted by Donahuewhat do you mean?
Reply:that one i believe is steel.  the rear is iron
Reply:Originally Posted by WANNAWELDnice! what are you cutting with?
Reply:Originally Posted by Donahuethat one i believe is steel.  the rear is iron
Reply:Originally Posted by CarrJETSyeah, i looked again and realized it was the front and not the rear. shouldn't have any problems welding cast steel.
Reply:Darn nice job there, I like those custom pieces, they look like something you'd buy at 4WheelParts lol.Have a Jeep Cherokee?  Click Here!
Reply:That is a great looking project. Awesome!!And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:well, i decided to tackle the gear boxes tonight.  i needed to get my doubler in before i can figure out my rear pinion angle.  anyways...so i had a spare t5 ready to put in when i had the chance because my old one grinds a lot in 4th.  well, i broke it (the spare one) trying to put it in after inspecting my clutch.  i didnt have the angle quite right, and when i was trying to draw it in, i broke the pilot bearing portion off.  on top of that i also broke an ear off of the bell housing.the good news was my clutch as in good shape.anyways, i ended up slapping the old trans back in with a spare bell housing i luckily had.  then i went ahead and put the doubler in place.  i still need to clock it up more, but this gives me a good idea of the condition of the rear drive shaft.  it looks like it will be really short, about 26" from u-joint to u-joint.and finally, my rear shaft angles
Reply:cool post keep the pic's coming cant weight to see it doneChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder
Reply:Originally Posted by chopper5 cant weight to see it done
Reply:I really like your project! Cant wait for the more pictures!! How much more travel you will get with the new suspension system?My welds looks like Shi*! But hey it holds..http://www.engineandparts.com Sell and buy your tuner car for free! 1#quality site!
Reply:Originally Posted by Deamon::..  I really like your project! Cant wait for the more pictures!! How much more travel you will get with the new suspension system?
Reply:i had to clock the 241 up a bit to keep a flat belly.  the s10 drivetrain slopes down a lot as it goes to the rear.  but, this helps my driveline clearance so i am happy with it.my gear boxesthe belly clearancehow much i had to clock up the second caseDude clean up that dirty *** shop LOL looks good
Reply:yeah, 9" grinder+oxy torch+leaking atf=big mess
Reply:Nice nice fabwork, what you are doing right now was my #1 motivation to learn how to weld/fab, and the reason I got a job welding as well.  I can't wait to see the finished project.
Reply:yeah, this has been on hold recently. ive been distracted with starting a fab business of my own, so that is just sitting in the garage, wasting space at the moment.