Hi again, everybody!

I am still working on the truck, but also spending alot of time with the family. Thanks for the patience. I have some new pics of the rear bumper mounted and some finishing touches I added around the tailgate area. Tomorrow is a big build day so stay posted!

On another note, I've setup my server for pictures at my house and wanted to do a trial. I may still have to adjust things, so give it a few seconds to load the pic after you click on the link. I still may need to adjust the hard drive sleep times, simultaneous user #, etc. Let me know how it works, though!

Click below for a few pics. Some may be repeats of old. Thanks!

Test pic 1

Test pic 2

 

Pics came right up. Incredible truck ! Glad to hear that things are going well.

 

Today is a big build day, but I wanted to at least throw a few quick pics up of where I'm starting from today. Rear bumper install is completed. Today is the Tiregate fab! Wish me luck!


Rear bumper mounted (1)

Rear bumper mounted (2)

Rear bumper mounted (3)

Rear bumper mounted (4)

Rear bumper mounted (5)

Rear bumper mounted (6)

 

Looking great! You need a custom TX plate for that beast. www.myplates.com

 

GRRRRR work computer is a piece of pelosi. gonna have to wait til I get home to view pics

 

The pics are not loading for me

I get this

The connection has timed out

The server at 63.96.135.105 is taking too long to respond.

 

Sorry guys. My DSL service is down for repairs in our area. The server is running. Give it a try again later.

 

Cool. I'll check tomorrow. I love following this build

 

Looking great, man! Let's see some pics of the tire gate!

 

OK. My DSL is back up, so you should now be able to connect to my server. Tiregate pics will be up tomorrow!! It took alot of extra fab to adapt to my build. Definitely voided the warranty!! I guarantee though that my mounting method is stronger than anything they intended!

 

Every time I see the next batch of updated pics I just say WOW!!

Can't wait for the next set

 

So I kept pretty busy today. Concentrated on the tiregate fabrication. It took alot more thought and custom work to make it work, but it's basically there. Without getting too in depth, it involved narrowing the gate approx 2 inches, because of the thickness of the fiberglass and also the steel bed cage/frame I built and added on. NONE of the stock mounting locations could be used directly. They are used, however, but they firmly anchor my bed cage in place. Alot of the work today involved constructing new mounts, making sure they were uber-strong, and alot ensuring the alignment of SO many things...framerails, tailgate mounts, the rear bumper, the rear light assemblies...the list is endless. I have a huge pile of pre-cut shims used to mock up different part locations.

In addition, I have to constantly account for the anticipated thickness of the Line-X that will be sprayed on nearly everything in the very near future. Think about it...if you have 2 pieces of metal that will each be sprayed with 1/8" of Line-X, and then you plan on bolting them together, you have to anticipate 1/4" of separation between the actual parts when final assembly is done. As I mock things up, I have to shove dozens of spacers in between parts to pretend that the Line-X is on, and ensure things line up. It gets crazy at times.

Keep in mind that I haven't finish-welded this section or have final hardware installed. You will see a few hose clamps, odd washers, etc, that I threw on temporarily or to test ideas as I went, so no nit-picking! Trust me, the finished install will be much cleaner.

Oh, I also added a steel strip right along the edge of the taillights running vertically, just to clean up the look and hide from view some of the bolts and screws back there. You can see it on the last 2 pics below.

So, here are a few of the Tiregate fab pics. I have to be sure to let Noah help me actually place the gate into the brackets, so I won't post those until he helps me lift it tomorrow.

Post Mounting

Post mounting 2

More post fab

Cross brace cutting/notching

The little stuff that takes forever...

Fabbing stronger attachment points/nuts

Taping off sections to cut

Double-checking taping

The point of no return!

Guess this voids the warranty??

Frame mounted in place

Frame in place - and no, the hose clamps aren't staying!

 

I just gotta say that this build is awesome and you are a much more brave man than I...LOL. I'm glad to see that you're not getting into a rush and that you are taking your time with EVERY detail. It makes the project take longer, but makes the final product so much better. Keep up the great work...Suscribed!

 

Thanks for the kind words! Noah love seeing everyone's feedback! Ok, I like to see it, too

 

Doing a great job Doc. Keep it up!