Project Git-R-Done: 68 Travelall 4x4 1100C Do-It-All-Rig

[VooDoo]

The never ending 1968 Travelall 4x4 Adventure Rig project continues after getting the body back on the lifted refurbished frame...



For all the details leading up to this point click HERE.

Here's the just of the project to date:

This project started life as a 1968 Travelall 1100C 4x4 parts truck with a bent frame (originally sold in 1969 and registered as such like some states did back then). It appeared that the Travelall somehow got airborne and came down hard nose first, bending the front of the frame up slightly. It was a “mickey-rig-lifted farm boy truck” with square tubing used on top of the front axle for lift and several welded together square tubing pieces making a huge rear block for lift in the rear. Clearly a quick and dirty make do with what you have lift. I can only imagine what kind of fun the prior owner probably had with it before it was parked as yard art. The good thing was all the parts were there with very low miles on the odometer that appeared to be original by the condition of the rest of the truck. I needed a rear bumper at the time, so I towed the whole Travelall home to its’ new yard art location. Over time I decided to make this round body Travelall my one and only Do-It-All-Rig and sell off the other Travelalls I had at the time (funny how they seem to multiple once you have one…).

Once that decision was made, further inspection found the steering box was ripped from the frame at some point and was mounted with an additional plate welded on. Needless to say the frame was not worth saving, so all the body mounting brackets were cut off and front half of the frame made into a rolling engine stand; while the back half was kept for the cross members, exhaust brackets and future measurements if needed.

A straight 1972 Travelall frame was used for the project. The two year frames are the same shape and width, but the 72 frame extends out longer in the rear. All the 72 body mounts were cut off and the 68 body mounts installed making detailed measurements on each. A couple of the middle bracket mounting holes happened to already be in the 72 frame, so those provided an accurate starting point for the rest. In addition, the rear of the 72 frame was cut off to the rear most trailer hitch mounting point to clear the back body and the rear top/side rail notched out to clear the tailgate hinge mounting supports. Surprisingly everything lined up correctly the day the body was dropped on making for a very happy celebration.

A complete GM Rough Country 4” lift kit was used. Custom extended front spring mounts were designed that incorporate dual trailer hitch receivers up front and 5” shackles placed in the 2wd location. In the rear 52” GM 4” lift springs were used without reversing the shackles and 2” blocks on custom axle perches. As it sits in the picture above the bottom of the side rocker panel welded seam is about 25” high behind the front wheel and 26” forward of the rear wheel. My hope was to end up with a true 4” lift using the GM kit with custom hangers up front and blocks in back. It is said GM 4” lift springs normally yield about 2” lift on a full size International with stock hangers. We will have to see how much it drops when the rest of the parts are installed and springs broken in…

The driveline selected is all IH at heart. A stock four-barreled IH 392V8 is bolted to an IH T-35 medium duty truck 5-speed manual transmission with 7:1 granny low and four more evenly spaced gears out to a 1:1 5th gear. A 12” clutch with 15-spring pressure plate mates the two “Big Red” beasts together. The original IH NP202 2:1 transfer case was retained for its’ stated strength and ease of keeping the original 68 selector linkage setup. A complete 2 into 1 stainless steel Magnaflow exhaust system was pieced together from various prefabricated pipes that starts with 2.5” off the stock exhaust manifolds into one 3” before the muffler, then out the driver’s rear side.

Four wheel disc brake GM axles complete the undercarriage. The front is a ¾ ton Heavy Duty Dana 44 and the rear a 1 ton Corporate 14-bolt 10.5” with a Detroit Locker. Both axles originated from a 1978 Chevy K20 pickup with 4.11 gears. Front D44 rotors and calipers were added to the 14B with the use of disc brake conversion brackets. An adjustable proportioning valve will allow front to rear disc brake pressure adjustment. A manual cable actuated E-brake is planned behind the T-35 using the large E-brake flange that normally holds a circular squeeze drum on medium duty trucks (that won’t fit under a Travelall body tunnel). The 17” wheels and 34.5” BFG All-Terrain tires are new car take-offs from a GM Hummer H2.

There you have it. An ongoing Do-It-All-Rig project that is at the halfway point with frame lifted and driveline basically complete. Enjoy the ride!

[guidolyons]

Lee-

One of my favorite projects on the board

I can't wait to see it all back together again "finished"

[VooDoo]

Thanks GuidoLyons I appreciate the motivation support!

Currently the rear axle shock mounts and spring perches are not welded on. It is also bolted in with U-bolts that are too short, but it holds everything together fine for towing. I need to set the pinion angle while tacking the spring perches and shock mounts in place before pulling the axle for welding.

Q1) Do you experienced folks think I can do this without the full weight of all the body parts and interior on the rig?

Had a local axle guy install the Detroit Locker and the pinion, but I know he didn’t have a shim kit at the time and I was in a hurry. He just reused the old shims that were on the pinion that came from a different axle. He claimed he is so experienced that he can adjust it by feel and it’s good . That may be so, but IMHO there seems to be a lot of slop in the yoke. He did it for me in exchange for the small gears that came out, so I was happy to get the Detroit Locker in and axle rolling at the time. I’ll check how much slop with a 360 degree gauge.

Q2) How many degree slop is acceptable when grabbing the yoke and twisting it back and forth?

Didn’t replace the seals or bearings when installing the disc brake conversion either. Thinking it’s time to go through it all one final time while it’s out.

Q3) Is there a complete 14B kit available for a reasonable price that includes the whole works: seals, bearings, shims, etc…?

Seriously considering this Ballistic 14B Axle Shave Kit to gain an additional 2” of ground clearance and get rid of the 14B “plow” affect:

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/...it_p_1728.html



“Includes a differential cover CNC laser cut and CNC Press formed from 3/8" steel plate and 5/8" thick billet bottom block, with a 1/2" thick bottom armor plate. Gain an additional 2 inches of ground clearance from stock. Bottom bolts are countersunk for extra bolt protection. Kits adds an additional bolt to the ring pattern to increase strength and resist leakage. For best fitment, machine the bottom of the housing. Ring gear must be machined for proper fitment. Includes weld on skull logo and hardware. Welded and Machined flat for a great fit.”

Since the axle will be coming out, it seems like a good time to get it all done and make sure the pinion is shimmed properly. The machine work will have to be farmed out, but I can get all the welding done by family/friends.

Q4) Can anyone recommend a capable machine shop in Orange County, CA for slicing the housing and turning the ring gear?

Q5) Has anyone here done this upgrade to gain 2” of additional ground clearance along with a bullet proof cover? Is it worth the time, effort and money?

[DNL]

Very nice progress! What have you done or are you going to do for a drag link? I am curious how you will solve the GM axle to IH pitman arm mismatch. Again, outstanding work and great documentation!!

Dave

[guidolyons]

Lee, unless you are doing serious rock crawling, the shave isn't worth the effort IMHO.

You can gain ~3/4"-1" by cutting off the lip and grinding smooth, no custom ring gear, only cost you 2 cut off wheels and flap disc. I smoothed mine down to the edge of the bottom bolt, trimmed cover to match. A nice smooth bottom will slide over obstacles easier and keep you from getting hung up.

I have a Ruff Stuff diff cover on my 14BFF and D60. Great products, prices, and quick service.

My last transaction (D60 high steer arms) with Ballistic left quite a bit to be desired. After many delays, wrong/missing parts, I finally got them but it was a pain in the *****.

[VooDoo]

Originally Posted by DNL

Very nice progress! What have you done or are you going to do for a drag link? I am curious how you will solve the GM axle to IH pitman arm mismatch. Again, outstanding work and great documentation!!

Dave

So far I've installed the 4"-6" lift Rough Country knockle arm that came with the lift kit. It accepts the standard GM 3/4 ton tie rod end. The likely solution for the IH steering arm will be to ream it out a matching standard GM tie rod tappered hole, then have a custom drag link made that accepts the threaded end of the standard 3/4 ton GM tie rod end. It will probably be shaped like this one BigMookied had made for his 6" GM spring lifted square body:



His appears to have custom tie rod ends, while I will be using matching GM tie rod ends on the drag link and the long bar that ties the R&L knockles together.

A steering box and pump clean, paint and install will be the next piece to go on. At that time I will review my notes as to any available GM steering arms that mount right onto the IH Saginaw (I believe used on GM as well) steering box before investing in a reamer or machine work. I will post a part number if I locate a bolt-on.

If anyone already has a bolt-on GM steering arm part number for a 72 IH Travelall 4x4 steering box please post up. Thanks!

[VooDoo]

Originally Posted by guidolyons

Lee, unless you are doing serious rock crawling, the shave isn't worth the effort IMHO.

You can gain ~3/4"-1" by cutting off the lip and grinding smooth, no custom ring gear, only cost you 2 cut off wheels and flap disc. I smoothed mine down to the edge of the bottom bolt, trimmed cover to match. A nice smooth bottom will slide over obstacles easier and keep you from getting hung up.

I have a Ruff Stuff diff cover on my 14BFF and D60. Great products, prices, and quick service.

My last transaction (D60 high steer arms) with Ballistic left quite a bit to be desired. After many delays, wrong/missing parts, I finally got them but it was a pain in the *****.

You may be right. I didn't know you could get an 1" just by trimming the housing. I'll have to take a closer look at the hang-down. Good covers appear to be about $100 with some "weld your own" at about half that. It would save about $150-$200 plus machine work (cost?) if I just go with a nice cover and some trimmming...

I've used both Ballistic and Ruff Stuff with great success; no issues here with either.

Anyone have thoughts on setting the pinion angle with the weight as is and the acceptable yoke slop degree?

[VooDoo]

I haven’t been to “ColoradoK5” in a while. You can get 1/2”-1” extra ground clearance just by shaving a 14B:

http://coloradok5.com/shaved14bolt.shtml



“Looking for more ground clearance from your 14-bolt axle? I think we all know the answer to that question. The strength and relative low-cost of this axle has made it a favorite among many off-roaders for years but at a price, that price is ground clearance. With that being said, ground clearance can still be improved a bit by simply grinding (shaving) down the lower lip anywhere from a 1/2" - 1" depending on how ambitious you are.”

[guidolyons]

Here's a few pics from when I did mine. It's a little easier out of the truck, but you can do it laying on your back in the driveway, too

I wasn't too aggressive, just down to the bottom bolt head, got about ~3/4" of clearance and now it's nice and smooth. (pics taken pre-Ruff Stuff diff cover)

[mtnmotocross]

I know on my Dana 44 the backlash was to be less than .011 measured at the ring gear with a magnetic dial indicator. Your build looks great.