This is my truck. Had no idea about the frame under the bed because the c notch was done by previous owner and from the angle I could see under the truck it’s hard to see in the inside of the frame. From the outside it looks pretty solid. Glad LT found it and is making it as structurally sound as possible.
Got a 1000 piece solder stick kit. I do a ton of wiring work on railroad vehicles and spend a lot of time soldering and heat shrinking. Can't use crimp connectors on these repairs and never would even if it was allowed. Thanks for the discount code! Saved me $32.00 on a $169.00 kit. Thanks again brother!
LT. I think you’re coming into your own. It’s starting to gel a bit on this end. The videos are flowing and progress is being made. I hope you’re not overloading yourself on a personal level. Love what you’re doing. Keep up all the everything. 👊🏻
Man this is one thing of many things that really enjoy about your channel, your attention to detail and making things right are second to none!! This is a great video and very nice work on making this right! Can't wait to see more LT!!
I appreciate you taking the time to fix that c-channel in the frame the right way! Not taking away from the other guy that did it. This truck will last a long time and wont come apart.
I learned that the expensive way at the junkyard I worked. I pitted a rare Lincoln Continental windshield cutting out front end parts of another vehicle with a cutoff saw.
About 12 years ago I was building a house on a street that had a newly renovated or newly built library. It had all new glass. One morning, a welding fabricator was on the roof edges grinding away. I had to get to the job, but I should have stopped to say something. I found out that all of the glass had to be replaced at a cost of several tens of thousands. Ouch!
Your attention and dedication to detail will take you far. Another shop would have ignored this, or just did the welds on the inside, without boxing the frame. From the looks of it, this was a DIY kit that was sold years ago. Part of the selling point was you didn't need to remove the bed, which is why it wasn't welded inside nor boxed. It also came with two templets to cut out the notch. Looks like they used the wrong one on the one side with all the extra missing metal. Luckly, the company that was selling these kits was sued out of exsistance because of how unsafe this design is. You can get away without boxing the frame, but you can't get away without fully welding inside and out.
This was a really cool upload... getting to see you fix someone else's repair. It's a sweet truck, and I'm looking forward to seeing you finish it out. Thanks for sharing this with us. I know you are up against it... running a business AND a TH-cam channel... AND taking care of the homestead and the family... It gets to be A LOT. Very glad you are finding time for all this, but I STILL hope you do some sort of grand re-opening thing...
I enjoy watching fab work, in this case, re-fab work. A high five to your sense of propriety for correcting the Less-Than-Stellar work previously done.
Glad to hear the business in moving. I'm sure the neighborhood and surrounding areas are glad that you opened up; a mechanic shop is a much needed business around any community. This stepside is indeed one of the best looking trucks I have seen and with the upgrades that you are doing is gonna be even better.
I've found three issues with those heatshrink/self soldering butt connectors. By the time it's hot enough to melt the solder the heatshrink is melting off the connector, the heat shrink is way too thin and offers insufficient abrasion and puncture protection, and there is no adhesive to ensure that it's actually water tight. I'll stick with good heat shrink tubing with adhesive placed over a proper solder joint.
Damn good job, my friend. It's good for the trucks owner that you actually care about your customers and not just how fast can I do this and the money that changes hands. Quality work and gettin' er done right is the only way to go. 👍🇺🇲✌️🇺🇲
First one of yours I've watched and I have to say I liked it a lot. What I find so refreshing is actually seeing some work done and the thinking behind that work. No lame jokes and catchphrases. Nice.
Many moons ago I did fabrication and machine work. Nice to see conscientious workmanship being done. There is allot of wonky crap being passed off on TH-cam now days. This fix was not one of them. Nice detail seeing that you removed the mill scale from the hot roll plate before attempting to weld it.
One thing I've learned from both the trades and now 10 years of doing this kinda stuff is that everyone thinks everyone else's work is just the most horrible pile of crap to ever leave a shot, I promise someone has opened up your work and said the same things you said about this. The most likely the customer could of driven the truck for 20 years like that and never had a problem.
Glad to see you're looking out for the customer LT. Cutting a frame, especially on a truck that is used like a truck, is dangerous unless the area is adequately braced. Can you image what would happen after a trip to Home Depot and a ride home over the railroad tracks??
@@jamiefehr2180 Yeah I have a 99 too. McGaughy's actually has two part numbers for their c-notch to compensate for that and RideTech makes a note of this in their 4-link installation instructions.
🚛💥👀 It's fascinating how hidden surprises can be lurking beneath the surface of our vehicles. The previous owner's frame modification on your truck's bed certainly caught you by surprise, and it's understandable that it's difficult to spot the inside of the frame from certain angles. Luckily, LT's expertise and attention to detail will ensure that your truck becomes structurally sound once again. It's important to address these issues and make the necessary repairs to ensure the long-term integrity of the vehicle.
I like the heat shrink connectors. But be careful not to put too much heat on the solder because it will melt the plastic. Once it flows get the heat off and just shrink the plastic.
I cut my frame in half to make it a short bed, I had my brother who was a certified welder weld it back together because of how important it was. I made sure everything was set up in advance and that he would do it.
I'm a retired ASE mechanic and I was taught never to use solder to make a connection, you must first make a strong mechanical connection "ie crimping twisting" and then use solder to hold the connection. I've been retired now for 15 yrs, has that changed?
I bought a 1965 C10 that has some cuts and welds on the frame. have to pull the entire drivetrain out. going to clearance/box a bit of the framerail in the front for a LS with Turbo Manifolds. PO had cut holes in the trailing arm crossmember to run the exhaust through, going to gusset them up. hopefully she will pass inspection after that.
If you were working in my shop, I'd be inclined to inform that you still have a little bit of green showing. Not to put down your work or anything, but you committed a few things. For starters, its industry standard to never weld or drill on the leading edge (usually top and bottom of channel frames) as it will create a stress riser, leading to a crack/split in most areas. Frame tails are safe, as they only have pressure from one direction, not both sides. This is why beds USUALLY bolt through on the tails and bolt to a mount anywhere in the middle. The frame WILL, and is designed to flex as part of the suspension. It's designed to resist flex in several directions without positive blocking, which would attempt to stop the flex, resulting in added stress elsewhere, possibly a bend. What I've seen not pointed out is that the frame is supposed to have a "crumple" or redirection/absorption area, which is right there above the axle, so that load can be applied by the spring perches, and not directly over the crumple zone. What you missed by Seam welding everything is that the frame has extra wraps that should be left untouched, instead of just a bare 3 sided c. Those shouldn't receive welding near an open edge. They are there to allow holes and whatnot on the top plate. The inner boxing channel applies the same, but I think those "boxing" braces you added are probably just fine, since I dont see any directly adjacent flex points that would create a stress riser. Not sure if you are aware, but that round tube crossmember is the pivot point of the frame, for what it's worth. Every other brace is designed for more deflection type of flex, while that only has torsion. These are just things to consider when planning your work.... I know how absolutely tempting it is to seam weld everything, which I'm totally guilty of myself. If you take anything from this, always remember 1 very important thing: airplanes don't have squared windows or doors for a very good reason.
Warnings about the low temp shrink connectors. Few things: 1. Older tarnished wiring will not allow for a good solder joint. You have to brighten the copper, and by all means add your own flux; at this point you might as well do it properly, and use proper solder, and marine shrink. This way you can control the quality of the connection. 2. Lower temp solder. If you don't get a good bond, it will make heat, and melt away entirely, leaving exposed conductor. You can use imagination to count possible avenues of shorting. It's nice on the surface, but I recommend heat shrink seal CRIMP butt connectors over the solder type. It's safer. Great videos, but you should mentions the downsides. If you are taking the time to make a nice build, soldering with an iron is actually just as fast.
The Forney plasma cutter is a handy unit! It can be finicky, especially if you have moisture in the air lines and burn up those tips immediately 🤣 Awesome job on fixing up the frame notch ✌🏼
Yikes, That must be a 99-00 truck? The frame had some bulges on it that interfere with the notch. Looks like they just cut them out. I bought the Ride tech notch for mine that takes that bulge into account. I'm doing larger full step notches when I get around to the 4link kit.
My car is going for a paint touch-up tomorrow. There's nothing to do with this, but I'm excited. Bumpers, rocker panels, rims, plus airbrush retouching on the major panels. She's going to look beautiful. It's been a good year. Dude is authorized a 15% overage for extras. I'm comfortable based on his 35 year extraordinary reputation and brand new shop.
🚚💥👀 Wow, it's eye-opening to see the hidden surprises that can lurk beneath the surface of a vehicle. The previous owner's frame modification definitely caught you off guard, especially with the difficulty of spotting it from certain angles. It's fortunate that LT discovered it and is working diligently to reinforce the structural integrity. Keep up the great work in ensuring your truck is in top shape! 💪🔧🔩
Uncle Tony’s Garage does a lot of showing the creampuff flippers that are in circulation that rip the unassuming buyers off. He is Tony DeFeo who used to write for all of the mags and even raced a fuel Altered back in the day. I spent years fixing other people’s junk. I had to do a bunch of re- repairs on a 65 tri- power 4 speed GTO. He wanted a little more power, so I build him a 400 with 14 degree angle heads and an Edelbrock tri-power intake. It looked stock after it was done. It had a really good cam for it , it would wind to 5800, and sounded like a RAIV, the specs were replacement for it and with 3 inch pipes to the bumper and those voluptuous manifolds the owner found . Original number tri-power set. I had to put a tune on the Rochesters to get them right. I had to fill the air bleeds where someone had drilled them out and set the secondary linkage back to stock. I guess they were getting a sag when the secondary came in. It wanted more initial timing and that fixed it. My brother in law and I did it all. I looked all over for a 347/ 370 crank with the small mains 4 bolt and a spacer kit. They were steel and could be offset ground to 3.7 very close to stock and have perfect overlap. A 370 tri-power ran in NASCAR and Smokey Yunick liked the steel small main best and quit when they insisted on the 3 inch main. I ended up using the 3 inch one but used the 4 bolt mains. We took it out to seat the rings. Everyone has their own opinion on seating them, but with a moly top ring, mine and my brother in laws is a well built engine needs a good hard run . I did that on all of my FE Fords. Fire them up, rev them up and down and look for leaks, set the timing, back it out drive the snot out of it. Ive never had any issues in the 50 years building them. Never let them sit and idle or run at one speed. I d slow one down to 50 mph and floor it up to 90 kick it in N and avoid deceleration and put it back in gear, 40-70. for the first 1000 miles, change the oil cut the filter too off and check the pleats on the filter for metal. Usually some but not much. Anyway we had the owner and we did our usual 3:00 A M 50mph WOT to 130in high and the owner was scared to death lol. We pulled 3 times and by the third pull it went from perfect primary to honking 6V and it sounded like a Holley DP, smooth and so fast that the road narrowed down was the main sense. He took it and he was scared to death of it. He drove it like a granny, lol.
LT, I really do enjoy your videos. I appreciate your integrity and your value of nothing less than perfection. When I need to I am bringing my vehicles to you. When is a good time to visit?
I don’t thing you can do a bigger notch on a step side bed without cutting into the bed rails and possibly the floor of the bed. I may be wrong but I’m still figuring my own truck out. 2002 gmc sierra regular cab step side same metallic pewter as in the video, just not any where as clean.
so a question on driveline angles. When I set the LT1 in my 37 PU, it doesn't have much rake, It's almost flat. Maybe 1 degree. Of course I'll match the pinion angle once I have some weight on the rear of the chassis. But my question is, is there an issue with the engine sitting basically flat.
If you don't have 2 or 3 degrees of u joint angle, the trunnions on the cross of the u joint do not move enough to cause the needles in the caps to rotate around inside the caps. The needles will flat spot and will cause brinelling of the trunnion diameters. Long story short, it will cause very short u joint life. I have worked in a driveshaft fabrication and repair shop years ago and was trained by an engineer that love to share stuff like that to anyone who was willing to listen.
I would like to see you try and stick weld. My best friend is a boilermaker. He always tells me to learn how to stick weld. He says it's not super hard to stick and you'll love it.. very strong on frames.
On that questionable frame notch, any chance they shortened a long bed frame? The weird cuts make me think the frame was shortened at some point, then the C-notch was an after thought.
That's a possibility 🤔, but why in God's green earth would you splice between the spring purches? You may shorten the wheel base, but now you need custom springs...😮😅😂😅
Down under here in New Zealand, we have to have such structural mods engineer certified and done by a certified welder. At first we grumbled about the rules, but when I see this, I see the sort of things we used to do when I was young and crazy, and which we staked our lives on out on the highway. The rules are good, and mods and rods here are well engineered today. It amazes me that what we'd call 'backyard' mods are still legal in the US.
Shade tree mechanic for life. Real men die without certified work haha! Nah, some states do have strict safety inspections and things like botched work is caught and the vehicle rejected for highway use. That said, don't move to Florida. In other news, kinda fascinating how we don't have such regulations as y'all Kiwis (friend Mick is from NZ) and we don't have vehicles falling to bits everywhere. I reckon we're doing alright without all the extra "certifiers". Cheers.
When you first started disassembly on the rear of the truck, I saw the truck moving on the lift, I was worried it was going to fall off since you didn't have any addition support on the front end.
The reason they cut the frame that way is because in 99-02 there was a different style of frame pieces by the diff the cut out they did used to have a 1/2in bump out...and in order for the notch to sit flat they would need to cut it no matter what....in this case when a customer has this type of frame I suggest the underbed notch on my website instead to avoid it breaking in the future
I have seen worse notches honestly. If I am working on a truck and I come across a bad notch, it’s getting fixed before it leave the shop. The worst I seen was some square tubing welded to just the top and the frame just hacked.
Your buddy was correct a chipping hammer does work when plasma cutting you can also use a chisel and a hammer. I've been down that road it's a lot quicker than a grinder. Also, like what I see you do nice clean work.
You actually want the axle .5° less of an angle because it dips during acceleration and use on a leaf spring suspension. Unless you have a 4 link the rear axle is under torque pressure when in gear that changes the angle vs rested angle.
You definitely get a like and a comment because you chose not to edit out the small filler piece getting dropped and fished out. Love the honesty as a DIY amateur.
The Dunning Kruger Effect is that someone thinks they know how, and believes what they are doing if fine, but doesn't know how ignorant they are, this is how you get frames so sloppy.
My mods on my 96 4.0 ranger include a triangle 4link setup my notches are box with 1/8in plate and are even thinner, but All my loaded suspension is before the notches included my bags on my lower links and shocks. The bed has a hard cap on it, and I don't have a hitch. The fuel tank is now a cell mounted on the front of the bed but centered the same width as the frame. I can honestly cut the frame at the notches, and it will still drive the same
Grinding: I have 63 years experience with this work.... In Australia, we use a Pferd 125mm (5" ) 1mm thick cutting disks... (best on the market) Take your 5" Makita (or equal grinder) and install 5 disks (3/16" thick (5mm) and use the for all grinding, cleaning, polishing, Always save the smaller disks and you will always find uses for them Do not use a single disk alone except when you want to cut something, but use 5 disks together when you want to grind anything, As you change disks, keep these in set, and re-use on smaller work..... With this, you can cut any slag, bur, knob with the edge, yet use the frat side to clean, polish or any thing you want with it.... Try it, you will like it
8:00 I might add try and reduce that to be as straight as pos, once worked on a lifted short wheel base jeep and each uni joint had a 30+ degree change... machine up some tapered shims on gearbox mounts and rear live axle mounts managed to get it down to half
Good job bro! I feel you went it comes to notched like this one you fixed and that’s why I didn’t go with a notch like that! 👍🏽 I went with a Reklez Monster Notch 💪🏽💪🏽💯
I could be wrong but I think that spot of the frame has some weird bulges that probably didn’t allow the notch to sit flat against the frame. Not saying it’s done right, just could see someone doing that to make it fit without spending time to smooth it down flat.
In UK any alteration to a vehicles chassis has to undergo an 'Individual Vehicle Approval' test, which involves an inspection by Vehicle and Operators Service Agency (VOSA) that would have highlighted such a dreadful modification. Also, such a 'C' notch would probably not have passed without considerable strengthening of the chassis to replace what was taken out.
Quick question LT... I wanna C-notch my old Chevy Express van and run air bags on it. I like the way your C-notch is kinda "low profile". Question is how strong is that type of C notch? Would that be sufficient on that heavy Express? Most C-notch set ups I see protrude above the top of the frame and with my Express, I don't really have that option without modifying the floor pan (it is a high top conversion van, passenger van)
I have noticed that you always square cut your frames when doing the "C" notch, where I have always been taught to z cut it. Have you found any bearing to the z cut being overkill and square cutting is structurally sound?
I'm glad nothing happened, determining the liability if those "welds" failing caused an accident or worse a fatality would be tremendous, it could have come down to "Buyer Beware". Seeing that, my first thought was; I'd use 2" x 2" square tubing and doublers ("Overkill, prevents being killed" or "Enough is not enough, too much is just right").
hey man, I have a question id like to ask you about. Can I email you a picture of my 14 bolt differential? there is a bolt that seems to not be in place. the diff is out of a salvage yard and I dignity notice that one of the bearing cap bolts was missing.
Solder stick...sometimes they work sometimes they dont. I switched back to the crimp weatherproof style. Type of work I do I need good connections. Will often times solder my own and use heat shrink. To each his own.......
Agreed. I dont solder wiring on cars anymore. Uninsulated butt connectors, plus a proper ratcheting crimper (theyre like $30 on amazon) plus glue heatshrink makes a weatherproof connection that wont fail with vibration
This is absolutely the way to repair a frame. I used to have to repair rusted 60s car frames and you learn a lot from that. Spot welded box sections poorly drained and torque boxes you can rock and hear the water sloshing. Drill a hole and install a flap drain after flushing and go back 40 years later and it is like new. This is about safety boys and girls! It is so sad looking under a beautiful tri-5 that doesn’t look quite right and look under it and see strapping half welded all over the place. I have had to find frames and blast them seal and paint drill drains and put flaps in. Then take that body that has been on there for over 65 years breaking clip nuts and bolts rusted down to 1/8 inch. No biscuit left. Get the suspension removed and replaced every thing jigged and straight go to all 4 corners and weld the rails where they come together. Paint it and sit the body on new biscuits after new clip nuts and washers and nuts. Good hardware and use a square and level to bolt it down right. I have had to start the bolts and put a sand bag to get the body unwhopperjawed and let it sit and tighten it around over three to four days to get it to bolt down straight and level. It is done. Time to bill? I can guarantee that I don’t get half what that shiny 2 stage plastic looking paint made. But the owner on one I did came back with tears in his eyes after taking his wife for a Sunday drive. He said they drove on a scenic highway that used to be a chore to drive constantly steering, little squeaky spots hitting a bump. Dog tracked. He said the car drove itself like they used to, 60 mph and that 265 just purred along, no squeaks. They even had some romance that night. I had a big Ford Performance banner along the wall on my 2 man shop. He asked if I liked Fords. Mustangs ? Hell yes. He had me come by and in the barn was a 68 390 3 speed fastback that was all grungy, but the interior (black) had been removed and stored. Not a dent on it and no rust! He asked if I wanted it? I asked how much and he and his wife who had joined us, they looked at each other and he said, consider it a tip. He added that the engine and transmission had been changed and he thought it might be a 428 and a 4 speed. I was the one fighting tears then. Got it home and it was 428 3 rib block with crossbolted mains. Turned out to be well built with good parts. I didn’t even have to bore it and it had forged pistons. I’m blind now and all my street racing stuff is gone. 63 and really wishing I could do just one more. But fixing the frame is a deed well done.
This is my truck. Had no idea about the frame under the bed because the c notch was done by previous owner and from the angle I could see under the truck it’s hard to see in the inside of the frame. From the outside it looks pretty solid. Glad LT found it and is making it as structurally sound as possible.
Beautiful truck my guy
Thank you, sir!
Nice ride! Awesome you got LT on it too..
Nice truck, how do you like the headlights? Easy install? Quality?
Bruh people are obsessed with your headlights. I just wanna see the turbskis.
Got a 1000 piece solder stick kit. I do a ton of wiring work on railroad vehicles and spend a lot of time soldering and heat shrinking. Can't use crimp connectors on these repairs and never would even if it was allowed. Thanks for the discount code! Saved me $32.00 on a $169.00 kit.
Thanks again brother!
Your attention to detail is one of the reasons I love this channel and your work.
LT. I think you’re coming into your own. It’s starting to gel a bit on this end. The videos are flowing and progress is being made. I hope you’re not overloading yourself on a personal level. Love what you’re doing. Keep up all the everything. 👊🏻
Man this is one thing of many things that really enjoy about your channel, your attention to detail and making things right are second to none!! This is a great video and very nice work on making this right! Can't wait to see more LT!!
I appreciate you taking the time to fix that c-channel in the frame the right way! Not taking away from the other guy that did it. This truck will last a long time and wont come apart.
A lot of people aren't aware that grinding sparks will burn into glass. It's nice to see that you protected it.
I learned that the expensive way at the junkyard I worked. I pitted a rare Lincoln Continental windshield cutting out front end parts of another vehicle with a cutoff saw.
Yep, I did that to my kitchen window, that is behind my workbench, on the porch. Very rough glass now but not too noticeable.
About 12 years ago I was building a house on a street that had a newly renovated or newly built library. It had all new glass. One morning, a welding fabricator was on the roof edges grinding away. I had to get to the job, but I should have stopped to say something. I found out that all of the glass had to be replaced at a cost of several tens of thousands. Ouch!
Your attention and dedication to detail will take you far. Another shop would have ignored this, or just did the welds on the inside, without boxing the frame. From the looks of it, this was a DIY kit that was sold years ago. Part of the selling point was you didn't need to remove the bed, which is why it wasn't welded inside nor boxed. It also came with two templets to cut out the notch. Looks like they used the wrong one on the one side with all the extra missing metal. Luckly, the company that was selling these kits was sued out of exsistance because of how unsafe this design is. You can get away without boxing the frame, but you can't get away without fully welding inside and out.
This was a really cool upload... getting to see you fix someone else's repair. It's a sweet truck, and I'm looking forward to seeing you finish it out. Thanks for sharing this with us. I know you are up against it... running a business AND a TH-cam channel... AND taking care of the homestead and the family... It gets to be A LOT. Very glad you are finding time for all this, but I STILL hope you do some sort of grand re-opening thing...
I enjoy watching fab work, in this case, re-fab work. A high five to your sense of propriety for correcting the Less-Than-Stellar work previously done.
Glad to hear the business in moving. I'm sure the neighborhood and surrounding areas are glad that you opened up; a mechanic shop is a much needed business around any community. This stepside is indeed one of the best looking trucks I have seen and with the upgrades that you are doing is gonna be even better.
I've found three issues with those heatshrink/self soldering butt connectors. By the time it's hot enough to melt the solder the heatshrink is melting off the connector, the heat shrink is way too thin and offers insufficient abrasion and puncture protection, and there is no adhesive to ensure that it's actually water tight. I'll stick with good heat shrink tubing with adhesive placed over a proper solder joint.
I say one thing you will do a top notch ,high quality job on that truck!!
thanks a bunch!
Damn good job, my friend. It's good for the trucks owner that you actually care about your customers and not just how fast can I do this and the money that changes hands.
Quality work and gettin' er done right is the only way to go. 👍🇺🇲✌️🇺🇲
First one of yours I've watched and I have to say I liked it a lot. What I find so refreshing is actually seeing some work done and the thinking behind that work. No lame jokes and catchphrases. Nice.
Many moons ago I did fabrication and machine work. Nice to see conscientious workmanship being done. There is allot of wonky crap being passed off on TH-cam now days. This fix was not one of them. Nice detail seeing that you removed the mill scale from the hot roll plate before attempting to weld it.
"If you cant do it right, please dont do it at all" Thats the vibe i get from those "soldered" wire connections.
One thing I've learned from both the trades and now 10 years of doing this kinda stuff is that everyone thinks everyone else's work is just the most horrible pile of crap to ever leave a shot, I promise someone has opened up your work and said the same things you said about this. The most likely the customer could of driven the truck for 20 years like that and never had a problem.
The unnecessary cuts and lack of welds was poor craftsmanship period. Can't make excuses for that kind of work chief.
Isn't it amazing how something can be done half way and still hold together! This thing will be done right and even stronger than factory now!
Wow!!! What a doozy for sure. Nice work LT. Getting it back in good position feels nice.
Glad to see you're looking out for the customer LT. Cutting a frame, especially on a truck that is used like a truck, is dangerous unless the area is adequately braced. Can you image what would happen after a trip to Home Depot and a ride home over the railroad tracks??
The reason that Notch was cut like that is because some of those frames had a bulge in it that won’t let the c notch plate sit flat against the frame
You called it. To my knowledge belltech only one that has notch formed to clear the bulges
Ha! I mentioned that in the short that he posted as well. It is really rare for a 2000 to have the bulge but not impossible
@@shakenfake I know because mine had it, was so confused why I never see any other truck online with the same problem
@@jamiefehr2180 Yeah I have a 99 too. McGaughy's actually has two part numbers for their c-notch to compensate for that and RideTech makes a note of this in their 4-link installation instructions.
🚛💥👀 It's fascinating how hidden surprises can be lurking beneath the surface of our vehicles. The previous owner's frame modification on your truck's bed certainly caught you by surprise, and it's understandable that it's difficult to spot the inside of the frame from certain angles. Luckily, LT's expertise and attention to detail will ensure that your truck becomes structurally sound once again. It's important to address these issues and make the necessary repairs to ensure the long-term integrity of the vehicle.
I like the heat shrink connectors.
But be careful not to put too much heat on the solder because it will melt the plastic. Once it flows get the heat off and just shrink the plastic.
Chipping hammer ? We don't need no stinking chipping hammers....
I cut my frame in half to make it a short bed, I had my brother who was a certified welder weld it back together because of how important it was. I made sure everything was set up in advance and that he would do it.
Hey Lawrence, definitely pride in workmanship goes along way. Nice job!
I'm a retired ASE mechanic and I was taught never to use solder to make a connection, you must first make a strong mechanical connection "ie crimping twisting" and then use solder to hold the connection. I've been retired now for 15 yrs, has that changed?
I bought a 1965 C10 that has some cuts and welds on the frame. have to pull the entire drivetrain out. going to clearance/box a bit of the framerail in the front for a LS with Turbo Manifolds. PO had cut holes in the trailing arm crossmember to run the exhaust through, going to gusset them up. hopefully she will pass inspection after that.
LT im psyched for you working on cool projects again in your own shop! excellent video as always. thank you
If you were working in my shop, I'd be inclined to inform that you still have a little bit of green showing. Not to put down your work or anything, but you committed a few things. For starters, its industry standard to never weld or drill on the leading edge (usually top and bottom of channel frames) as it will create a stress riser, leading to a crack/split in most areas. Frame tails are safe, as they only have pressure from one direction, not both sides. This is why beds USUALLY bolt through on the tails and bolt to a mount anywhere in the middle. The frame WILL, and is designed to flex as part of the suspension. It's designed to resist flex in several directions without positive blocking, which would attempt to stop the flex, resulting in added stress elsewhere, possibly a bend. What I've seen not pointed out is that the frame is supposed to have a "crumple" or redirection/absorption area, which is right there above the axle, so that load can be applied by the spring perches, and not directly over the crumple zone. What you missed by Seam welding everything is that the frame has extra wraps that should be left untouched, instead of just a bare 3 sided c. Those shouldn't receive welding near an open edge. They are there to allow holes and whatnot on the top plate. The inner boxing channel applies the same, but I think those "boxing" braces you added are probably just fine, since I dont see any directly adjacent flex points that would create a stress riser. Not sure if you are aware, but that round tube crossmember is the pivot point of the frame, for what it's worth. Every other brace is designed for more deflection type of flex, while that only has torsion. These are just things to consider when planning your work.... I know how absolutely tempting it is to seam weld everything, which I'm totally guilty of myself. If you take anything from this, always remember 1 very important thing: airplanes don't have squared windows or doors for a very good reason.
You should totally go xray it for them 😮
Warnings about the low temp shrink connectors. Few things: 1. Older tarnished wiring will not allow for a good solder joint. You have to brighten the copper, and by all means add your own flux; at this point you might as well do it properly, and use proper solder, and marine shrink. This way you can control the quality of the connection. 2. Lower temp solder. If you don't get a good bond, it will make heat, and melt away entirely, leaving exposed conductor. You can use imagination to count possible avenues of shorting. It's nice on the surface, but I recommend heat shrink seal CRIMP butt connectors over the solder type. It's safer. Great videos, but you should mentions the downsides. If you are taking the time to make a nice build, soldering with an iron is actually just as fast.
Awesome job LT, nice to see you doing it right.
Always watched you on Sunday morning and still enjoy watching you now excellent work. Great attention to detail.
Hey thanks a ton, I appreciate that!
Man O Man what a beautiful truck
"Do i look like the kind of guy that has a chipping hammer?" Had me rolling!
The Forney plasma cutter is a handy unit! It can be finicky, especially if you have moisture in the air lines and burn up those tips immediately 🤣
Awesome job on fixing up the frame notch ✌🏼
I like to see that LT is as concerned about safety as he is about performance.
Yikes, That must be a 99-00 truck? The frame had some bulges on it that interfere with the notch. Looks like they just cut them out. I bought the Ride tech notch for mine that takes that bulge into account. I'm doing larger full step notches when I get around to the 4link kit.
My car is going for a paint touch-up tomorrow. There's nothing to do with this, but I'm excited. Bumpers, rocker panels, rims, plus airbrush retouching on the major panels. She's going to look beautiful. It's been a good year. Dude is authorized a 15% overage for extras. I'm comfortable based on his 35 year extraordinary reputation and brand new shop.
I really enjoy the work flow videos! Keep up the excellent post😊
🚚💥👀 Wow, it's eye-opening to see the hidden surprises that can lurk beneath the surface of a vehicle. The previous owner's frame modification definitely caught you off guard, especially with the difficulty of spotting it from certain angles. It's fortunate that LT discovered it and is working diligently to reinforce the structural integrity. Keep up the great work in ensuring your truck is in top shape! 💪🔧🔩
Uncle Tony’s Garage does a lot of showing the creampuff flippers that are in circulation that rip the unassuming buyers off. He is Tony DeFeo who used to write for all of the mags and even raced a fuel Altered back in the day. I spent years fixing other people’s junk. I had to do a bunch of re- repairs on a 65 tri- power 4 speed GTO. He wanted a little more power, so I build him a 400 with 14 degree angle heads and an Edelbrock tri-power intake. It looked stock after it was done. It had a really good cam for it , it would wind to 5800, and sounded like a RAIV, the specs were replacement for it and with 3 inch pipes to the bumper and those voluptuous manifolds the owner found . Original number tri-power set. I had to put a tune on the Rochesters to get them right. I had to fill the air bleeds where someone had drilled them out and set the secondary linkage back to stock. I guess they were getting a sag when the secondary came in. It wanted more initial timing and that fixed it. My brother in law and I did it all. I looked all over for a 347/ 370 crank with the small mains 4 bolt and a spacer kit. They were steel and could be offset ground to 3.7 very close to stock and have perfect overlap. A 370 tri-power ran in NASCAR and Smokey Yunick liked the steel small main best and quit when they insisted on the 3 inch main. I ended up using the 3 inch one but used the 4 bolt mains. We took it out to seat the rings. Everyone has their own opinion on seating them, but with a moly top ring, mine and my brother in laws is a well built engine needs a good hard run . I did that on all of my FE Fords. Fire them up, rev them up and down and look for leaks, set the timing, back it out drive the snot out of it. Ive never had any issues in the 50 years building them. Never let them sit and idle or run at one speed. I d slow one down to 50 mph and floor it up to 90 kick it in N and avoid deceleration and put it back in gear, 40-70. for the first 1000 miles, change the oil cut the filter too off and check the pleats on the filter for metal. Usually some but not much. Anyway we had the owner and we did our usual 3:00 A M 50mph WOT to 130in high and the owner was scared to death lol. We pulled 3 times and by the third pull it went from perfect primary to honking 6V and it sounded like a Holley DP, smooth and so fast that the road narrowed down was the main sense. He took it and he was scared to death of it. He drove it like a granny, lol.
LT, I really do enjoy your videos. I appreciate your integrity and your value of nothing less than perfection. When I need to I am bringing my vehicles to you. When is a good time to visit?
I don’t thing you can do a bigger notch on a step side bed without cutting into the bed rails and possibly the floor of the bed. I may be wrong but I’m still figuring my own truck out. 2002 gmc sierra regular cab step side same metallic pewter as in the video, just not any where as clean.
Keep up the good work.. y'all are awesome
so a question on driveline angles. When I set the LT1 in my 37 PU, it doesn't have much rake, It's almost flat. Maybe 1 degree. Of course I'll match the pinion angle once I have some weight on the rear of the chassis. But my question is, is there an issue with the engine sitting basically flat.
If you don't have 2 or 3 degrees of u joint angle, the trunnions on the cross of the u joint do not move enough to cause the needles in the caps to rotate around inside the caps. The needles will flat spot and will cause brinelling of the trunnion diameters. Long story short, it will cause very short u joint life. I have worked in a driveshaft fabrication and repair shop years ago and was trained by an engineer that love to share stuff like that to anyone who was willing to listen.
man, you’re page is just growing and growing. it’s so cool to see
I would like to see you try and stick weld. My best friend is a boilermaker. He always tells me to learn how to stick weld. He says it's not super hard to stick and you'll love it.. very strong on frames.
As always, great video LT!!!
On that questionable frame notch, any chance they shortened a long bed frame? The weird cuts make me think the frame was shortened at some point, then the C-notch was an after thought.
That's a possibility 🤔, but why in God's green earth would you splice between the spring purches? You may shorten the wheel base, but now you need custom springs...😮😅😂😅
Down under here in New Zealand, we have to have such structural mods engineer certified and done by a certified welder. At first we grumbled about the rules, but when I see this, I see the sort of things we used to do when I was young and crazy, and which we staked our lives on out on the highway. The rules are good, and mods and rods here are well engineered today. It amazes me that what we'd call 'backyard' mods are still legal in the US.
Shade tree mechanic for life. Real men die without certified work haha! Nah, some states do have strict safety inspections and things like botched work is caught and the vehicle rejected for highway use. That said, don't move to Florida.
In other news, kinda fascinating how we don't have such regulations as y'all Kiwis (friend Mick is from NZ) and we don't have vehicles falling to bits everywhere. I reckon we're doing alright without all the extra "certifiers". Cheers.
When you first started disassembly on the rear of the truck, I saw the truck moving on the lift, I was worried it was going to fall off since you didn't have any addition support on the front end.
The reason they cut the frame that way is because in 99-02 there was a different style of frame pieces by the diff the cut out they did used to have a 1/2in bump out...and in order for the notch to sit flat they would need to cut it no matter what....in this case when a customer has this type of frame I suggest the underbed notch on my website instead to avoid it breaking in the future
They also did not weld the inner C PLATES From the inside and that will cause a future brake if it's not welded
I have seen worse notches honestly. If I am working on a truck and I come across a bad notch, it’s getting fixed before it leave the shop. The worst I seen was some square tubing welded to just the top and the frame just hacked.
Your buddy was correct a chipping hammer does work when plasma cutting you can also use a chisel and a hammer. I've been down that road it's a lot quicker than a grinder. Also, like what I see you do nice clean work.
Love the new shop man. Feeks like home.
No Regerts! 😊 awesome work LT
You actually want the axle .5° less of an angle because it dips during acceleration and use on a leaf spring suspension. Unless you have a 4 link the rear axle is under torque pressure when in gear that changes the angle vs rested angle.
So I did an electric fan swap on an 2002 silverado but now my ac is freezing up any idea why and how to fix it.
You definitely get a like and a comment because you chose not to edit out the small filler piece getting dropped and fished out. Love the honesty as a DIY amateur.
The Dunning Kruger Effect is that someone thinks they know how, and believes what they are doing if fine, but doesn't know how ignorant they are, this is how you get frames so sloppy.
My mods on my 96 4.0 ranger include a triangle 4link setup my notches are box with 1/8in plate and are even thinner, but
All my loaded suspension is before the notches included my bags on my lower links and shocks. The bed has a hard cap on it, and I don't have a hitch.
The fuel tank is now a cell mounted on the front of the bed but centered the same width as the frame. I can honestly cut the frame at the notches, and it will still drive the same
Hey what welder are you using thanks !?
Grinding: I have 63 years experience with this work.... In Australia, we use a Pferd 125mm (5" ) 1mm thick cutting disks... (best on the market)
Take your 5" Makita (or equal grinder) and install 5 disks (3/16" thick (5mm) and use the for all grinding, cleaning, polishing,
Always save the smaller disks and you will always find uses for them
Do not use a single disk alone except when you want to cut something, but use 5 disks together when you want to grind anything,
As you change disks, keep these in set, and re-use on smaller work.....
With this, you can cut any slag, bur, knob with the edge, yet use the frat side to clean, polish or any thing you want with it.... Try it, you will like it
When i see something i don’t like on a project i just kinda like put it back together and act like i didn’t
8:00 I might add try and reduce that to be as straight as pos, once worked on a lifted short wheel base jeep and each uni joint had a 30+ degree change... machine up some tapered shims on gearbox mounts and rear live axle mounts managed to get it down to half
Ideally match the OEM Angles, cos they change under load
Really cant wait to do the same set up on my 02 extended cab!
Content like this is so good
Good job bro! I feel you went it comes to notched like this one you fixed and that’s why I didn’t go with a notch like that! 👍🏽 I went with a Reklez Monster Notch 💪🏽💪🏽💯
I could be wrong but I think that spot of the frame has some weird bulges that probably didn’t allow the notch to sit flat against the frame. Not saying it’s done right, just could see someone doing that to make it fit without spending time to smooth it down flat.
LT huge difference… good job being honest with the owner. Unsafe the way it was.
proud of you man
What's the problem, I always use Oklahoma shaped cuts when I'm cutting a frame. (hits crack pipe)
Curious what flap wheels do you find work well and last fairly long?
The Dewalt 40 grit ones from Lowe’s are what I use, they last Ok
@@LawrenceTolman thanks . Have not tried them so will give them a try soon.
Do y'all put any kinda coating in the inside of the frame?
The song “Dangerous” (Depeche Mode) came to mind when I saw that C-Notch.
Nice work LT as usual.
In UK any alteration to a vehicles chassis has to undergo an 'Individual Vehicle Approval' test, which involves an inspection by Vehicle and Operators Service Agency (VOSA) that would have highlighted such a dreadful modification. Also, such a 'C' notch would probably not have passed without considerable strengthening of the chassis to replace what was taken out.
2:22 so thats what those loops are for 😂
These videos are gonna make me go and buy one of those teucks
you should do it!
You're gonna want to find one sooner than later!
Quick question LT... I wanna C-notch my old Chevy Express van and run air bags on it. I like the way your C-notch is kinda "low profile". Question is how strong is that type of C notch? Would that be sufficient on that heavy Express? Most C-notch set ups I see protrude above the top of the frame and with my Express, I don't really have that option without modifying the floor pan (it is a high top conversion van, passenger van)
I have a 2000 long bed 4.8 extended cab. I haven’t seen another one around. Thinking of what to do to get it some more power… 4.Great is necessary
Depends on if you want more low end torque or high end rev HP,
I have noticed that you always square cut your frames when doing the "C" notch, where I have always been taught to z cut it. Have you found any bearing to the z cut being overkill and square cutting is structurally sound?
Great job. Clean fix.
I'm glad nothing happened, determining the liability if those "welds" failing caused an accident or worse a fatality would be tremendous, it could have come down to "Buyer Beware".
Seeing that, my first thought was; I'd use 2" x 2" square tubing and doublers ("Overkill, prevents being killed" or "Enough is not enough, too much is just right").
hey man, I have a question id like to ask you about. Can I email you a picture of my 14 bolt differential? there is a bolt that seems to not be in place. the diff is out of a salvage yard and I dignity notice that one of the bearing cap bolts was missing.
sure, send it to tolmanperformance@gmail.com
Thanks man, I definitely will!!!
@@LawrenceTolman I got that email out to you tonight. Thanks man!
Question: Isn't the weld harder than the metal so when the frame flexes, couldn't that crack the weld?
Most general purpose welding wire is mild steel. It isn't any harder or more brittle than the steel that the frame is made from.
@@countryjoe3551 Bullsh!t
Solder stick...sometimes they work sometimes they dont. I switched back to the crimp weatherproof style. Type of work I do I need good connections. Will often times solder my own and use heat shrink.
To each his own.......
Agreed. I dont solder wiring on cars anymore. Uninsulated butt connectors, plus a proper ratcheting crimper (theyre like $30 on amazon) plus glue heatshrink makes a weatherproof connection that wont fail with vibration
Plasma cutter is a life changer. I love my cheapo unit. Can plug it into 110 or 220. And on 220 it really jams. Even though the thick stuff.
How’s the feet with the sparks through the tennis shoes
I love GMT-800 stepside trucks, but I just can't seem to find one in my area for a while
You do nice work , like it 💪
You do very nice work you should be proud of it.
Nice work !
💯
Very cool , love the plasma cutting attire shorts and running shoes lol
surprisingly doesn't hurt as much as when a weld drops onto my toes through the tennis shoes lol...
@@LawrenceTolman yuppers. When I was a young man. That's what happened to me. Right through my shoes. I was dancing away
Beautiful truck!
Integrity matters. I've fixed plumbing, electrical, and carpentry jobs that were complete garbage...and I'm an IT guy.
Agreed, no regerts
awesome work looks great now ....
This is absolutely the way to repair a frame. I used to have to repair rusted 60s car frames and you learn a lot from that. Spot welded box sections poorly drained and torque boxes you can rock and hear the water sloshing. Drill a hole and install a flap drain after flushing and go back 40 years later and it is like new. This is about safety boys and girls! It is so sad looking under a beautiful tri-5 that doesn’t look quite right and look under it and see strapping half welded all over the place. I have had to find frames and blast them seal and paint drill drains and put flaps in. Then take that body that has been on there for over 65 years breaking clip nuts and bolts rusted down to 1/8 inch. No biscuit left. Get the suspension removed and replaced every thing jigged and straight go to all 4 corners and weld the rails where they come together. Paint it and sit the body on new biscuits after new clip nuts and washers and nuts. Good hardware and use a square and level to bolt it down right. I have had to start the bolts and put a sand bag to get the body unwhopperjawed and let it sit and tighten it around over three to four days to get it to bolt down straight and level. It is done. Time to bill? I can guarantee that I don’t get half what that shiny 2 stage plastic looking paint made. But the owner on one I did came back with tears in his eyes after taking his wife for a Sunday drive. He said they drove on a scenic highway that used to be a chore to drive constantly steering, little squeaky spots hitting a bump. Dog tracked. He said the car drove itself like they used to, 60 mph and that 265 just purred along, no squeaks. They even had some romance that night. I had a big Ford Performance banner along the wall on my 2 man shop. He asked if I liked Fords. Mustangs ? Hell yes. He had me come by and in the barn was a 68 390 3 speed fastback that was all grungy, but the interior (black) had been removed and stored. Not a dent on it and no rust! He asked if I wanted it? I asked how much and he and his wife who had joined us, they looked at each other and he said, consider it a tip. He added that the engine and transmission had been changed and he thought it might be a 428 and a 4 speed. I was the one fighting tears then. Got it home and it was 428 3 rib block with crossbolted mains. Turned out to be well built with good parts. I didn’t even have to bore it and it had forged pistons. I’m blind now and all my street racing stuff is gone. 63 and really wishing I could do just one more. But fixing the frame is a deed well done.