my flatfender build thread with a lot of pics

[1tonflattie]

for the drivetrain I'm running a 4.3 TBI, 700r4 auto, and an NP231C - all of which came from my s10

the 4.3 i rebuilt for my truck when I was a junior in high school which was 5 years ago now. I had it in my s10 maybe put 20k miles on it since then, it ran great and had a lot of power. the previous owner of the frame has it set up with engine mounts for a 4.3 which he ran for years, one of the reasons i bought it. down the road i might turbo charge it. ;D

the 700r4 is modified with a full manual shift reverse pattern (P-R-N-1-2-D-OD) with full engine braking valvebody from TCI which works excellent on and off road. i also plan on wiring it for manual torque converter lockup

the NP231C is very similar to the NP231J found in jeeps except it uses a 6 gear planetary instead of 3, bigger chain, and 27 spine input. I have the JB conversions standard length SYE with a NP 208 front output 4 bolt flange to a custom driveshaft made from a 1 ton chevy front driveshaft. I might go with the JB conversions Super Short SYE if i need to and put the standard length one in my cherokee

[1tonflattie]

my buddy showed me this today, mine should be very similar. It is a 51 with a 94 inch wheel base and 39" iroks.

I will probably have to copy the front tube work

[ltshaggy99]

you gonna put another bar over hood (the one that looks like a strut support thing) where the previous guy had it? I dont think the revolvers in that pic are as strong as yours haha.

[YeaItsCold]

You dont wanna bring it out to high 90's or 100??

[1tonflattie]

ltshaggy99 said:

you gonna put another bar over hood (the one that looks like a strut support thing) where the previous guy had it? I dont think the revolvers in that pic are as strong as yours haha.

not sure about the hood support yet, it looks to be too far back to be used as a shock mount but i do like the idea of the support, the previous owner said he had it there to protect the engine in the event of a rollover,

as far as revolver shackles, they came with the frame. i dont plan on using them even tho they have some beef. but i dont think i posed any pics or anything. who is this and how do you know about them?

[1tonflattie]

yeaitsslo said:

You dont wanna bring it out to high 90's or 100??

i was shooting for 94, looks like it is going to be about 96 right now. my old truck was 110" wb and it did awesome, but id like to try something new i guess. with leaf springs you can only go so long before you have way too much frame sticking out the front and back or you have to stretch the body to cover it. if i end up wanting more wheel base im going to 4 link the rear. probably do it down the read anyway becasue ive always wanted to build one, but right now i just want to get it done using what i have

[1tonflattie]

heres a pic of a flatfender from TTC a few years back. notice the hood and fender stretch. I don't like that look at all but thats my opinion, i think he did it to fit a big block.

also notice the 4 link in the rear. the axle centerline is even with the end of the frame. idea setup to gain maximum wheelbase without gaining frame. and no departure angle!

im using cherokee main leafs to build the springs in the rear. they are a good main because the center pin is offset pretty far to one end of the spring. that sets the axle far back without having to ad as much frame as you would with a centered center pin

[1tonflattie]

as far as an update for tonight, i didnt get as much done but still productive. I actually sat down and ate dinner end went out to the shop at like 730. started by doing some decorating :


the i took the covers off both my welding and plasma machines and cleaned them out thoroughly so they make it through this long project

i smoothed out some of my welds in the front section that i boxed in:


I cut out the inside of the frame where the front shackle hanger will be. this spot will be boxed in and then i will go over it again when i box the rest of the frame, the picture gives you a better idea. the picture also shows a cardboard template of the piece of 3/16s i need to cut to fit the spot.


finally i started the final crossmember work. i think some earlier pictures show what it looked like before, but i cut off the "lip" on both sides to make it more of a box shape and the cardboard templates show how it will look (will be fully boxed of course)



thats about it for tonight, the rest of the week might be slow, I'm out of oxygen and almost out of MIG gas so I gotta take a ride to tech air to get some more, maybe saturday or friday after work

[ltshaggy99]

i know about the revolvers because i know everything....
other than that it might be because I've seen them, its brett haha.
What bout the back of the tub, gonna comp cut the rear fender like that orange one?

[1tonflattie]

ltshaggy99 said:

i know about the revolvers because i know everything....
other than that it might be because I've seen them, its brett haha.
What bout the back of the tub, gonna comp cut the rear fender like that orange one?

haha right on, didnt even realize it was you

well i might as well let the cat out of the bag and show what my jeep looked like in its previos live, the tub is alrwady comp cut and comes with rock rash

[Wide-J]

I love flatfenders. Doesnt matter if its a 2A, 3B, whatever. I have the option of picking up a 53 Willys for free from my girlfriends uncle. It just sits so he said he'd give it away to anyone in the family (Im practically family, but he said I could take it). I hope to check it out soon and figure out if its junk or worth cutting up the YJ for.

[Dr. Thunder]

700r4 ftw. manual lock up is sweet, not toooooo useful but still cool to have

[1tonflattie]

88yj said:

I love flatfenders. Doesnt matter if its a 2A, 3B, whatever. I have the option of picking up a 53 Willys for free from my girlfriends uncle. It just sits so he said he'd give it away to anyone in the family (Im practically family, but he said I could take it). I hope to check it out soon and figure out if its junk or worth cutting up the YJ for.

the rollover pretty much was then of my truck, altho i did drive it with no glass for a while but it got old after a few cold november nights about a year ago. kinda have always wanted a jeep and it is great for wheeling because if you roll it there not too much damage if you have a good cage. i just wasnt into building another truck and rolling it, even with a good interior cage the windshield frame still gets messed up and i wasnt ready to do an exo cage. picking an antique jeep is nice. no bill of sale, no emission test, and probably a lot more lieniency from vehicle regulation enforcement. and a hell of a lot of character. just sucks the stock wheel base is so short. wheeling one stock with 32s is probably the most fun i have ever had behind the wheel tho

[1tonflattie]

drthunder032000 said:

700r4 ftw. manual lock up is sweet, not toooooo useful but still cool to have

probably the top choice automatic, except its a little on the long side. you have the tallest 1st gear and a nice overdrive. the manual shift valve body eliminates the throttle valve which is probably the biggest downside to this transmission.

lately i have been wheeling with my cherokee and really liking a clutch but again right now i want to get it going, i can always switch to a stick later

[1tonflattie]

and an update, got some more done on the frame last night. that arched crossmember is tacked in but i ran out of wire and was about out of gas so i called it a night and loaded my empty 75/25 and O2 bottles into the jeep.

today i got a new 12lb roll of .035 wire, new bottles of gas, a chuck key for this Snap On 1/2 chuck air that i found in my dads tool archives and some u bolts for the front axle at napa. should be a busy weekend.

I'm probably having a cookout Sunday afternoon and some jeep wrenching with some friends i wheel with. if anyone wants to stop by PM for directions