5.2.21 MORE METAL FAB

My metal fab guy is awesome. He has the underside front frame rail notches worked out on both sides and they look awesome. This is all a fallout of my decision to "pancake" my crossmeber 1.5" and relocate my cross-member an inch forward. 

All this in return for a mere inch and a half of additional ground clearance, and wheels that are located exactly in the middle of the front wheel wells. 

We mocked up the suspension and had to do a little more cutting into the underside of the passenger frame to clear the 1.5" raised and 1.0" forwarded tie rod mount on the front passenger-side frame rail. 

I'm keeping all the stock geometry. With my pancaked C-member, raised and forwarded (1.5"/1.0") we did the same with the steering box, the Pitman arm, and the tie rod mount on the passenger side frame. 

I'll gain an inch and a half of ground clearance and my airbags will do the rest of the work. 

It's tedious work but fascinating to do at the same time. Watching a skilled fabricator work is a real treat. My fab guy used two circular pieces of metal to fabricate new inner frame supports and added gussets to strengthen the lower frame where material was removed. 

Because the relocated upper tie-rod support hole fell right at the top corner of the frame, we channeled a seat on the top edge of the frame, cut a grade-8 bolt's head off, ground on one side of the threaded headless bolt flat and welded it perpendicularly along on the top of the frame, then welded it in, checking our clearances throughout the linkage's full sweep of motion. 

Another good day in the garage. 

Fabrication work still to do: 

1. Assemble the front end fenders and radiator cross member and nose of the truck and mount it in ideal alignment so that we can align the hood and tack weld the aftermarket supports with the underside of the hood. 
2. Mount the new rear bumper mounts my fab guy fabricated, and mount the front bumper and tuck it in just as nicely as we did the rear. 
3. Mount front bumper and plan for tucking the front bumper as tidily as the rear.
4. Roll all fender lips (if needed).

Very excited to be mnearing the finishline on my Burb's mild fabrications.