Cuda Kid
Member
Finally got most of the major body work done. The previous owner did his best to cover up how much was wrong. My homemade rotisserie is the best thing since sliced bread though.Would never try something like this again with or without it. Spent hours removing rust inside the frame and rocker panels. Good tool to remove rust from inside frames and rocker panels? A flexible steel cable with some 1/2 inch nuts attached on one end works good. Spin it with a drill and it'll chew up some rust inside there. Then some of Eastwoods internal frame coating using their 2 foot long hose with a nozzle on the end to get down inside.
So the least expensive route to putting as wide a tire as possible on the rear took some time. Looked at all the options. Four links ,whole rear frame halfs. I have more time than money though. The stock E body rear end was to wide as most of you know. An A body rearend is the best width but they are hard to find a mucho $$. Watched a few You Tube videos on the subject. Then got out the sawzall and welder and narrowed the E body one by 2 inches on each end. Bought A body axles from Yukon with the 4.5 bolt circle for $319. Next a 3inch spring location kit from Summit for $129. Didn't like the idea of cutting out the whole frame for the front spring mounts though. So as you can see from the pics I moved them in 6 inchs so the frame is really only notched for the front mounts The outside of the frame is still there and the boxes are welded to that. Seems a little stronger to me that way. During my mockup the Hoosier pro-street 31x12.50x15 tires on 10inch wide wheels with 4.5 inch backspace fit just right. I already had the wheels and tires so the best thing was just to make them fit. Then cut out the inner wheel wells and move them right up against the frame. No fender lip bending needed and I got my big meats to fit inside the wheel wells just the way I like em. The rear spring perch mounts I had to build out of 2x3 box tube. Probably can't see in but they are connected together on the ends under the bumper area by 2x2 box tube run crosswise. All welded together it's pretty strong and rigid. Grind down some welds coat it all with Chassis Saver and call it good.
Ignore the loose fuel line showing in my pics as it's final routing is yet to be determined. The EFI fuel regulator/filter is mounted in the cross brace in front of the fuel tank and may get moved by the time I'm done. Just about ready to get it off the rotisserie and start adapting in the 5.7 Hemi you see in the background.
So the least expensive route to putting as wide a tire as possible on the rear took some time. Looked at all the options. Four links ,whole rear frame halfs. I have more time than money though. The stock E body rear end was to wide as most of you know. An A body rearend is the best width but they are hard to find a mucho $$. Watched a few You Tube videos on the subject. Then got out the sawzall and welder and narrowed the E body one by 2 inches on each end. Bought A body axles from Yukon with the 4.5 bolt circle for $319. Next a 3inch spring location kit from Summit for $129. Didn't like the idea of cutting out the whole frame for the front spring mounts though. So as you can see from the pics I moved them in 6 inchs so the frame is really only notched for the front mounts The outside of the frame is still there and the boxes are welded to that. Seems a little stronger to me that way. During my mockup the Hoosier pro-street 31x12.50x15 tires on 10inch wide wheels with 4.5 inch backspace fit just right. I already had the wheels and tires so the best thing was just to make them fit. Then cut out the inner wheel wells and move them right up against the frame. No fender lip bending needed and I got my big meats to fit inside the wheel wells just the way I like em. The rear spring perch mounts I had to build out of 2x3 box tube. Probably can't see in but they are connected together on the ends under the bumper area by 2x2 box tube run crosswise. All welded together it's pretty strong and rigid. Grind down some welds coat it all with Chassis Saver and call it good.
Ignore the loose fuel line showing in my pics as it's final routing is yet to be determined. The EFI fuel regulator/filter is mounted in the cross brace in front of the fuel tank and may get moved by the time I'm done. Just about ready to get it off the rotisserie and start adapting in the 5.7 Hemi you see in the background.
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