I don't care what anyone tells you, if your laying frame and body dropped, you will NOT clear your hood (with a weber carb, and stock oil cap) with only 1 inch drop mounts. I am will around a 1/4 to 1/2 from laying true rocker and I don't even clear the hood! We body dropped mine as low as possible to not cut the floor. I have plans of having a sheet metal floor built to clear everything as one piece, no choppy raised up tranny tunnel or anything.

 

Thanks for the advice. So 1 1/2" dropped mounts with trimmed supports under the hood, maybe? I don't want to go too low with my oil pan.

 

I completely missed that this was in the newer bodystyle forum. It very well may work since you are more than likely fuel injected though I did see a truck this body style carbed and 4 spd this weekend.

 

I still have some time to figure out the motor mounts so it's no problem. Funny you just saw a carbeurated '89. Nobody ever even believes me when I tell em. Mine is the '89 standard cab shortbed 4 spd carbeurated model. Crazy huh? There's not a lot of them, but they are out there. Apparently it's even ok for CA. The ECM has a "Calif." designation printed on it.

 

if i remember right you need to modify the oil pan as well to get the drop to keep it under the stock hood. it should be do-able. there was that doored yota in minitruckin a month or so ago. isn't that a stock hood? i believe they modified the valve cover on it.

 

Location of first cut for frame z?

OK, so here is where I am thinking about making the cut.

I am going to cut down the side of this tube nearest the cab and raise the front section of the frame rails 1 1/4".

That tube is only tentatively tacked in place. It could be moved if needed. I wanted to get confirmation before I setup the other side then I will lay out the cuts at the front of the frame. They need to be cut loose first anyway to allow the frame to rise up the 1 1/4".

 

are you going to put on four legs and cut it, then slide some 1 1/4" under the legs? it looks like a pretty good spot. is 1 1/4" all you need?

 

That's what I'm asking you! I was just going by what you were saying before that I needed to go 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" and I just picked the lower to avoid possible complications but if you think I should go 1 1/2" then I am all for it.

About the four legs thing, I was going to tack a leg on the other side like the one in the picture then put two stock toyota jacks under the other ends so I can square up the cuts on the frame for rewelding. Yes I would block up 1 1/2" or whatever amount is needed on the two tacked on posts. I think this is basically what was described in that write up you posted the link to last night, except they used scissor jacks and I am using these stock toyota jacks. I have hydrualic jacks too, but I think the precise adjustment was what was important about the scissor jacks so these toyota jacks should work pretty well I think. I will be using two hydrualic floor jacks as well to get everything in position. Or did you mean four legs right by this cut, one on either side of each frame rail? I think they actually did that in the write up but it seems like overkill. Maybe Iam underestimating the wieght of the engine/tranny now that I think about it. Maybe I should do tube son both sides of the framerails.

 

thanks for including lots of pics. I got no ideas about bd-ing let alone Z-ing the frame. Post more pics of the Z when your done and good luck on the build. One of the sickest ways to do a truck. That and a chop top

 

No problem! I am glad you are following along. I will post up a bunch of pics. Also check out the pics posted earlier in this thread by still2hi. He had some really good pics of the z on his frame (although I still wonder how his lower radiator hose hooks up).

So I am starting to get a really itchy finger on the trigger of my sawzall, if you know what I'm saying...

I added a couple more tubes on the front of the frame to mark where I want to cut it and just to give me some registry for hieght. I put the jacks under the frame and aded a couple more jackstands to support the rear half of the frame. It's getting close to frame cutting time.

 

OK, I took the plunge and cut the frame rails. Cutting down the tube guides worked great.

I found that cutting the frame rails was way easier than cutting out the floor pan, at least for me. The back part of the cab was not so bad, but the front part was pretty tedious trying not to hit brake lines or the speedo cable or anything important.

This part went really good. Having the two stock toyota jacks worked really well. I did one side halfway up (about 3/4") and went to the other side and went up the full 1 1/2", then went back to the first side and went up the other 3/4". Seemed to work really well. Moving the section with the motor mounts up was really smooth.

After I got it tacked together I took off the support tubes on the cab side and welded the face of each frame rail. I am calling it quits for the night. So far I have been at it for two days and I haven't yet reached my goal for the first day, so I guess I would have to say it is more than twice as difficult as I expected. I guess it must get easier with practice.

 

you cut out that piece with the brake assembly and raised it up?

So its like this now. ___/----\_____

Cool

 

Yep. Tomorrow I just have to move a few more brake lines out of the way and I think I am about ready to drop the body and the front part of the frame. Then I can plate both the sections with the z in them. You'll see. It will make more sense when I post pictures of the process. Basically it will be more like this (ignore the periods):

.....______
.../...........\___
_/

Right now it looks like what you described but the front part is going to drop another 2 1/4" with the body. This part is all pretty exciting but I am too burnt out to keep working on it tonight.

 

lookin great! what i meant about 4 tubes is just like you did. 2 in front and 2 in rear, so you can just put some 1.5" stock under each leg. as far as 1.25-1.5" it changes on a case by case basis. no trucks are identical.

 

what kinda bd are you doing? the one where you cut the body along the frame rails and then weld it to the frame rails?

 

I see. Once I got it all set up I couldn't wait to get cutting on the thing so I just made the call and went with 1.5" I figured another 1/4" couldn't screw anything up too bad. I don't want to get it done and find out it wont lay frame. The four posts were very helpful for getting the height right. There was no need for another tube sandwiching the frame rails, a single tube worked fine.

 

yep, won't hurt anything going a little extra.


and josh, the drop your describing is a channel, but you don't weld the body to the frame you weld in a u-shaped piece.

 

This type of body drop is referred to as a traditional body drop.

I cut the whole floor pan of the cab loose as well as a 2.25" strip from the firewall and back wall of the cab. When the body is dropped these gaps will close up and I will weld the body back together.

There will be gaps on the firewall and inside the door openings that will have to be plated up. There are also two body mounts at the front of the truck that have to come down the 2.25 inches too so that's why it's going to get z'd more tomorrow.

 

hahah. maybe as i watch your progress ill understand more. Thanks for the info though man

 

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot, thank you!!! I couldn't have done it without your help! I was gonna wait til the end for the thank yous but you and still2hi have both been immensely helpful. You have been helping me prepare for this for weeks and if it weren't for still2hi I would have got it all done and found I still needed to z my frame, so thank you! Both of you guys!