What I Wish I Had Known Beforehand

There are a few things I wish I had known before I started building my truck. I wish I had known that it was going to take me almost 2 years, that it was going to cost around $15000, and that I was not ever going to imagine the amount of work that it would take me to finish it. Here are a few frame things I wish I had known I had to do before it was powdercoated.

These are 4 pictures of a notch another guy made to the passenger side of his frame in order to make space for the exhaust pipe to clear the frame and the cab. If I could do mine over, I would make a notch on the driver AND passenger side. I used 3" exhaust.

Next, I would definitely remove the pesky bumpstops from over the rear end. I used a cutting wheel, but I would recommend a cutting torch then a grinder to make the frame smooth. It was a big pain in the butt to do this with a wheel.

For the LT1 engines that came from F-Body cars, the A/C Compressor sits on the passenger side of the frame unless the engine is shimmed up. Since you want the engine as low as possible for good center of gravity, you should notch the frame where it hits! Also, when you notch the frame, give yourself a couple of inches in front and in back of the compressor so you have room to adjust your engine placement later!

Notice in the above pictures that I SHOULD have a little more clearance in front and back of the compressor.

I would also take off the driveshaft loop, if you had an extended cab, and also the spare tire hanger.

My personal recomendation here is to do a frame-off restoration. Plus, there are a couple more things I would recommend before getting any painting done. Smooth your firewall. Take out the ugly lip and seam that are there. Also, in order to make room for the big T56 transmission going through the tunnel, you must beat in the underside of your cab. Then you can smooth that too. I had to cut out the floorboard to make room for exhaust and my driveshaft too. That way, if you have the underside painted, it won't get all f'ed up when you cut it up. Also, have your exhaust hung. They are going to use your frame for hanging the pipes, so they have to cut holes in it with a torch. All this would screw up your powdercoating. I know it did mine!

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