LM4 LS swapped 78 Longbed

Discussion in '1976-1983 Build-Up/Project Threads' started by Markus Vandevender, Jan 7, 2020.

  1. Markus Vandevender

    Markus Vandevender Member

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    Drove three hours yesterday to pick these up for $150! 16x8 rears, 16x4 front, old school mid 80s cragar drag wheels. gotta find some rubber for them and get some shanked lug nuts. but im happy with them. The rears stick out the perfect amount. I have some Rally armor mudflaps for the rear ill be putting on, and im thinking about doing some rivet on flares from a 240 also.
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  2. Pearce

    Pearce Toyotaholic

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    Personally I would looking to tub it. It would fit the look of your build better. Give it the drag car stance.
     
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  3. jetas

    jetas Grand Toyotaholic

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    Those look good. The pizza cutters up front are a nice touch
     
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  4. Markus Vandevender

    Markus Vandevender Member

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    Ill probably tub it eventually, i actually kick myself in the ass, there was a shortened strange dana 60, 36in wms to wms that popped up for sale a few days after i put the explorer axle in. eventually im going to link and probably tube the rear frame. For now this will do though.
     
  5. Markus Vandevender

    Markus Vandevender Member

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    If anyone is looking for replacement springs, i just put these in, part number ACDELCO 45H0095. $60 shipped from rockauto. Theyre for a 77 ford pinto, theyre about .500 longer than stock springs but about 300lb less spring rate. They brought me up to about an inch from stock height and the pushing down the nose it feels soft like a caddy. The rear is still taller than the front but i think thats ok, because im going to run around a 275/40/16 rear so i need the room.
    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Markus Vandevender

    Markus Vandevender Member

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    Its been a few months since I was able to work on my truck, I moved about an hour away and Im just now getting settled in. My truck bed has been full of scrap metal and other shit for 2 months now :shrug: I finally got it cleaned out last night and got some new parts in the mail, Im replacing the S10 clutch master i was using with a Wilwood master and a McLeod braided line. Hopefully itll give me the little bit more push i need for this pressure plate. The S10 master was a 11/16 bore, 1.6in throw, this new one is a 13/16 bore at 1.2in throw. From what i hear itll bleed easier as well because there are no restrictions in the line. [​IMG]
     
  7. Markus Vandevender

    Markus Vandevender Member

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    So great news! The bolt patten on this master is the same bolt pattern as the factory clutch master. I had to trim the body bracing back a little bit to make the reservoir clear, but i wont have to make any modifications to the firewall at all. Im going to have to cut off the mounting nut on the fork that screws onto the rod off the master and weld on a 5/16 coupler nut onto it, one to give me an extra 1/4in on the shaft, and two so the fork will screw onto the new master. But everything looks like its going to be an easy install once i have everything i need.[​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  8. Markus Vandevender

    Markus Vandevender Member

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    I got everything installed today, for once, it all went flawlessly, bench bleeding only took about 30 mins. I got the old nut cut off and the new coupler nuts welded on, gave me enough distance to bring the pedal back to stock height. The thing shifts beautifully now. I gotta re-bleed my brakes, i think my adaptor fitting for the 8.8 didnt get tightened completely and it was leaking because i have no brakes now :doah:my new mityvac will be here tomorrow but its supposed to rain. Oh well. Im so close to driving it now. Need to mount the battery, get some tires and bleed the brakes. The list it short my friends.[​IMG]
     
  9. Markus Vandevender

    Markus Vandevender Member

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    So i ended up switching up what wheels im gonna use. The cragars were really nice, but it was near impossible to find the size tire i wanted for them, unless i wanted to buy brand new drag radials. so i ended up picking up some 15x7 Jeep turbine wheels for $50. gotta pressure wash them and polish them up a bit, but I think theyre gonna look great!
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
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  10. Justintheegreat

    Justintheegreat Member

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    i love pictures. dope build
     
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  11. Toyoterra

    Toyoterra Newbie

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    I really dig the wheels you currently have if you deciede to get rid of them I will gladly take them off your hands.
     
  12. Perkolator

    Perkolator Toyotaholic

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    Dang only $50 for those Jeep wheels? They’re the same ones I paid $100 for and been slowly cleaning up to paint pretty much exactly the way yours are (minus the black ring) I’ve looked for more sets for a spare and to get less scratched up ones but no dice
     
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  13. Markus Vandevender

    Markus Vandevender Member

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    I think im going to keep them for now, I think im gonna do some all-terrains on these jeep wheels for more of a rally fitment, and keep my eye out for some hot rodder selling some used 16in drag tires. I might sell in the future but idk.

    Yeah some guy had them on his Cherokee and swapped for 17s, I got 5 of them to boot. I gotta pressure wash them a little and scotchbrite some areas. but they look pretty good for how much i paid lol.
     
  14. Perkolator

    Perkolator Toyotaholic

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    Dang and you got 5 of them!? Hell of a deal IMO.
    Curious to see what AT tires you pick for your truck. One reason I haven't put new tires on my truck is I too like the aesthetic of aggressive tires on a lowered truck - but I can't really find aggressive street tires in small diameters that'd fit lowered trucks, everything is like ~27" tall or more. Winter tires is pretty much the only option I've seen aside from super expensive rally tires.
    I did find this white Hilux on Reddit that is sporting some General Grabber AT2s, but they're fairly big rubber and won't really work once I go lower https://imgur.com/RHlubzT - those are 27x8.5-r14
     
  15. Markus Vandevender

    Markus Vandevender Member

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    Thats about the size i was going for. I tried 31s on this weekend and they didnt come close to fitting at stock height haha. You might be able to go on a VW beetle forum and see what theyre running though, i know alot of them run more aggressive tires in smaller sizes. I know a guy that races vws, but he has the clearance to run the larger 26-27in tires.
     
  16. Perkolator

    Perkolator Toyotaholic

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    Haha, funny you mention the VWs - my first car was a 67 Bug and I grew up in SoCal admiring all the Baja Bugs and Ghias - probably where I acquired the liking for this style.
    I've been looking at the tires that people run on Reddit's r/battlecar and r/battlewagon - but most of them are running those 27"+ tires - even on a Miata!
     
  17. Markus Vandevender

    Markus Vandevender Member

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    Yeah my buddy has a miata with 27s on it. the work he had to do to get them to fit was a bit jenky, but hey, it works hahah. I mean shit depending on what youre doing with the truck, you could always run polaris tires
     
  18. Markus Vandevender

    Markus Vandevender Member

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    Well im almost ready to drive it at this point. Been fairly broke the last few months. But i got rubber for the new wheels, bought a set of 30x9.5x15 grabber at2s. i managed to get one on the wheel myself for mockup. havent aired it up yet, but jacked up the suspension to ride height, and it looks like its gonna clear everything pretty well. might have to bang in the pinch welds a bit haha. Im gonna throw some 1in wheel spacers on the front too, so i can match my track width from the rear, and get the 1/2-20 studs all the way around. I think this things gonna be mean on the dirt track [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
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  19. Markus Vandevender

    Markus Vandevender Member

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    So I've been looking into lifting the front end of my truck to be able to clear the all terrains better, I've messed around with putting a larger spring in there but the only way I can find is to find something so stiff theres barely any uptravel.

    I know Subaru guys run them all the time, but has anyone on here done any type of subframe spacers for these years of trucks? I'm not worried about finding some to buy, I can make my own, but more the safety of the whole deal.
     
  20. jetas

    jetas Grand Toyotaholic

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    I dont think anyone here has done it BUT i cant see it being very difficult as its a solid mount from subframe to chassis. Brake/fuel/clutch/e-brake lines, wiring and steering are guna be the issue.

    but its definitely the best way to go up without sacrificing ride quality
     

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