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Truck Build - Dd, Tow Rig And Fun!

47352 Views 244 Replies 68 Participants Last post by  Diesel Krazy, 
swalldog
Truck Build - Tow Rig/Street Cruzer

So i decided that i would start a thread about my truck and the crap that i'm trying to do to it for a few reasons:
-Get input from the cummins forum crew on how i can do things better/diffrent ect.
-share some things i have learned, mistakes i have made and ideas i have to maybe help other people and the diesel truck sport.
-help keep me motivated to get this project done.
i work as a diesel mechanic at a copper mine in utah and my schedule is a bit F*ed up. 4 days on 4 days off 12hr days 6 to 6. 2 weeks of days then 2 weeks of nights. the 4 days off is nice and i can get alot done, so the plan is when i'm on shift i can update this thread as to what i have gotten done over my weekend/days off.

So i got the truck 4 years ago this summer with the plan of it being a daily driver and a tow rig to take my jeep to moab. wanted to leave it stock for the most part because it would be my daily driver. well that dident really last to long, about 4 months i think untill the first mod. i've got this problem where i just cant leave anything alone. anyways here is whats done so far.

Whats been done:
2001 ex cab short bed silver 6 speed
turn over ball goose neck hich, spray in bed liner
5" top gun customz lift (which is stiff as a rock by the way)
255/70R 22.5 michelin XD2 on custom 8 lug wheels
ats arc flow intake and ats 3 piece exh. manifold
Edge drag comp
FASS 150/150
DDP 150 sticks
compound turbos (whc1 over a bht3b)
5" straight back exh.
SBC 3250 clutch
PSC high flow power steering pump
gauges, fuel psi, 2 boost and egt
thats all i can think of right now.

Now here is what i want to do:
-Hyd assist steering with a bigger steering fluid resivor
-steering box brace
-tie rod with over the road truck tie rod ends
-drag link to high steer arm with over the road truck tie rod ends
-build a new front axle which will consist of:
-14bolt center
-fabed steering knuckles with high steer arm
-full wheel spindles, bearings and locking hubs (maybe drive flanges)
-3rd gen front brakes
-air bags front and rear
-4 link rear end with track bar all with 3" ballistic fab joints
-new 4 link front end and track bar with longer arms and 3" ballistic fab joints
-move rear sway bar to the top of the axle
-build heavy duty sway bar links
-4.10 gears
-5" Exhaust brake
-move pass side battery back and build air box that will get air from the front bumper
-sport bumper front end
-HID head lights and fog lights

well there it is, subject to change at any time. chances are by the time you read this it already has. :hehe:
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swalldog
so i got my hyd assist working over the weekend/days off. my steering box started leaking realy bad so i figured it was time to pull it off for a rebuild and drill the ports for the hyd assist. the ram is an 8" stroke 1.5" bore and 5/8" shaft, worked out pretty sweet. its got plenty of force but is still small enough that the flow of the pump can keep up. i just put the ram in place of one of my steering stabilizers for now. i dont realy like hooking the ram to the tie rod because there is too many pivot points, i would rather have it hooked right to the steering knuckel.so when i put the new front axle in the ram will be mounted to the knuckel, up higher and the fitting will not be right there in the way of getting hit on stuff. also the spacer between the ram and the axle bracket is welded just to give it a bit more meat cuz its only 1/4" plate. so here is some pics.


box drilled and ready for fittings to be welded

fittings w threads machined off ready for weld

box all rebuilt, fittings welded on and caped off

ram installed in place of old stabilizer

rod end hooked to the tie rod
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pics of your truck please !!! i think i have a pic of it itss soooo sexy !
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swalldog
so i also built some new swaybar links. i took off my drop brackets on my swaybar to get ready to build a steering box brace. and then my links would not reach or work cuz thay have that bushing and shaft on top that goes through the sway bar. anyways i had some old currie anti-rock links off a jeep. one was bent so i had to straiten it out. also had to build an adapter to hook the rod end to the sway bar. kinda geto but they will work for now. after driving it it even seems a little tighter, bushings must have been more warn out than i thought. :lol4:


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swalldog
after posting that last pic i noticed that i'm missing a jam nut on the lower rod end. oops :doh:
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swalldog
12vpowwa said:
pics of your truck please !!! i think i have a pic of it itss soooo sexy !
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oh thanks man! :yourock: i need to take some more pics, this one is a little old. guess it looks the same except i dont have the crome steps on the sides anymore. the black pads fell off somewhere and every time it would rain they would be really slick so i took them off. :hehe: i've been thinking about taking the crome off the lower panels also but i'm scared how it will look under there :shock:


i'll see if i can get her cleaned up this weekend and take some more pics. :thumbsup:
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Drew92
Sounds like you have a good build ahead of ya. Good luck! :yourock:
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Gixxer_750
im digging those wheels and tires:thumbsup:dont think ive ever seen something like that on a cummins
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Gixxer_750
swalldog said:
oh thanks man! :yourock: i need to take some more pics, this one is a little old. guess it looks the same except i dont have the crome steps on the sides anymore. the black pads fell off somewhere and every time it would rain they would be really slick so i took them off. :hehe: i've been thinking about taking the crome off the lower panels also but i'm scared how it will look under there :shock:


i'll see if i can get her cleaned up this weekend and take some more pics. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
rhino line them:thumbsup:
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cmcz450
how did you get the stabilizer off? did you use a pickle n fork??? i tried the other day but it wouldnt budge?? pm me with your answer if you wouldnt mind thanks good luck with the build
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swalldog
Drew92 said:
Sounds like you have a good build ahead of ya. Good luck! :yourock:
Click to expand...
THANKS :thumbsup:

Gixxer_750 said:
im digging those wheels and tires:thumbsup:dont think ive ever seen something like that on a cummins
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THANKS, There a little on the heavy side but thats ok. they drive really nice, alot better that i would have thought.
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swalldog
02cumminsboy89 said:
how did you get the stabilizer off? did you use a pickle n fork??? i tried the other day but it wouldnt budge?? pm me with your answer if you wouldnt mind thanks good luck with the build
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pm sent. :thumbsup:
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swalldog
so an update: ive been working on getting some yard work done so havent spent as much time on the truck as i would like. last week i did get some new parts. :headbang: i got a header, it was new from a member on here and was just such a good deal that i could not pass it up. i also got a DANA 80 rear end. ive got a dana 80 already but this one had new 4.10 with a limited slip. it even still had the marking compound on the gears! :party018: the 80 is out of a '00 f450 or 550 is what i'm told. it was some sort of a fire truck. anyways its the small 10 lug so i'm just going to take the gears and lim-slip and install them in my axle. anyways all get some pics up of the new bling tonight! :party018:
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edcasey
swalldog;1853063 the 80 is out of a '00 f450 or 550 is what i'm told. it was some sort of a fire truck. anyways its the small 10 lug so i'm just going to take the gears and lim-slip and install them in my axle. anyways all get some pics up of the new bling tonight! :party018:[/quote said:
Hmm...Will that work? Doesn't the Ford Dana 80 have 37 spline 1.6 inch axles while your Dodge Dana 80 has 35 spline 1.5 inch axles?
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swalldog
edcasey said:
Hmm...Will that work? Doesn't the Ford Dana 80 have 37 spline 1.6 inch axles while your Dodge Dana 80 has 35 spline 1.5 inch axles?
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dude you are totally right! :doh: got home at like 2 in the morning last night and i had to pull one of the shafts out of my truck before i went to bed. and what do ya know 35 spline! :banghead: when i was pullin the shaft i thought forsure it was going to be 37 cuz it was pretty big but then right at the end where the splines start it necked down to 1.5 35 spline. :buttkick: so i guess its back to the drawing board with that one. just traided some jeep parts i had kickin around for the axle so i dont feel to bad. just thinking out loud here but i might try to make the whole axle work. i would really like to have the 37 spline 80 :headbang: its just as wide as my axle now and it has disc brakes on it only problem is its 10 lug. or what if by some chance the axle shafts are the same length i could swap the carrier, gears and shafts? i'm going to have to look in to this a bit more. :thumbsup:
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swalldog
header pics

well here are some pics of the new header. dident really need it cuz the ats manifold works awesome but i thought it was such a good deal i could not pass it up. and i have heard really good things about this header.
:party018::party018::party018::party018::party018:

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HI H.O. SILVER
Freakin sweet dude. I'll take one of those 80's off your hands! ha ha
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swalldog
well if i end up putting the 10 lug 80 in my truck i'll cut ya a deal on the 80 thats in my truck now. :thumbsup:
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HI H.O. SILVER
Nice! Dibbs ha ha. So that header will still work running your twins?
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terminaltsi
awesome build so far. wish i had the time and money to do the same...
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