CopyKat's Copy Cat B4

[410Fortune]

Nice!!! Hows the spare tire holder doing with a big ol tire?
Mine finally drove me so nuts, cracked the gate, craked the metal welds, that I took it off that was with a 33", 35" = no way jose! I dont plan to have much of a tailgate so I am not sure where my spare will end up just yet

 

[CopyKat]

Don't know this will be the first time the truck will rock the stock tire carrier. I don't have the bracket on the hatch. Not sure where I am going to mount it just yet. That is the next thing on the list is to get the tire carrier squared away. The spare is a 33x9.5 on a steel wheel. It doesn't weight that much. It's also low enough I can muscle it up without problems.

The backing plate actually contacts the top tube of the bumper. I should be able to come up with a run up block for it and have the bumper carry alot of the load.

I'll just have to stare at it for a while and I'll think of something.

 

[CopyKat]

Got the latches all figured out.

Upper. Made a new bracket as I didn't have the factory one.

Lower latch

Mechanism

Done!!:icon_hornsup:

 

[CopyKat]

Just had to take some pictures to be a picture *****.

 

[410Fortune]

ppppppppppppppppppppfffffffffffftt

go ahead, I love pictures! Looks great, how does it feel to know you built it?

the 84-85 BII had a two bolt tire carrier bracket (tailgate) like you built, the 88+ had 3 bolts, the bracket is about 10" taller ...something to consider, the fiberglass right below your window will rip, not from the weight but from the bouncing of the spare, even stock spares do this over time

 

[CopyKat]

The weight of the carrier is carried on the bumper. I just used the upper latch to stabilize the carrier as the top wobbled a bit more than I liked. My bracket was always a 2 bolt type. Unless the hatch had been replaced at one time before I got it. I know the truck had been repainted several times.

 

[410Fortune]

yup, just watch the fiberglass for cracks, I am sure you are aware from seeing them in the yards.....its not the weight its the shaking and bouncing, the bumper moves one way, the body moves the other (frame vs body flex)... over time the fiberglass cracks.. the 3 bolt bracket was added with a much larger backing plate inside the gate, the 88+ model hatches have much smaller rips in the fiberglass LOL

also that is a very clever solution and lever you came up with... I may be stealing that! if I still have a hatch! LOL

 

[CopyKat]

yup, just watch the fiberglass for cracks, I am sure you are aware from seeing them in the yards.....its not the weight its the shaking and bouncing, the bumper moves one way, the body moves the other (frame vs body flex)... over time the fiberglass cracks.. the 3 bolt bracket was added with a much larger backing plate inside the gate, the 88+ model hatches have much smaller rips in the fiberglass LOL

also that is a very clever solution and lever you came up with... I may be stealing that! if I still have a hatch! LOL

I think I remember seeing that. The third bolt is about 3" down from the bottom one.

I put a nice big backing plate in mine. I had to make that too.

Hey now, don't go all getting excited about my latch. I'm the Copykat here!:

 

[CopyKat]

Engine has been burning oil big time.

Tracked the oil leak into the exhaust housing of the turbo. Running for 15 min I have an oil spot about 3" in diameter on the ground.

It also developed a stumble the other day also. So I started doing some checking and pulled the plugs they looked a bit on the white side so I know it was running a bit lean. Got to #4 cyl and it wasn't like the others. it was wet with a slight green tint. I think I've blown the headgasket, on the drivers side.

Turbo will be pulled off an I'll be going back to my original plan of putting the 95 heads on the 91 block with the headers.

Not selling the turbo stuff as it will go on a project truck rather than one I need as a Daily driver.

 

[CopyKat]

So here is an update. The truck isn't boosted any more. I blew a head gasket and likely have a warped head. So I pulled the 95TM heads i had off the shelf and ported the exhaust port along with the headers.

I pulled the turbo off and am running the 95TM heads on the 91 block. (10:1 compression) So no turbo for this motor.

Just finished designing rear shackle bracekts and getting them made and installed. This was to level out the truck as it was a bit low in the back. 2" drop bracket.

Old setup.

Bracket.

Welded

Installed

 

[CopyKat]

Put some 35's on it. Went out wheeling in the rocks and there was no rubbing at all.

 

[CopyKat]

Here are some new shots. I was measureing for placement of my limit straps.

 

[410Fortune]

nice front droop! U joints binding yet? Looks great! Once you go 35 youll never go back LOL

 

[CopyKat]

nice front droop! U joints binding yet? Looks great! Once you go 35 youll never go back LOL

I did have to go back. I just borrowed the 35's. Looking to buy them before the fall.

There is no binding whatsoever on the front axles. The axle shafts have been clearanced for more movement and everything else reworked to accomodate the travel.

Same things will be applied to the D44 TTB sitting on my garage floor.:

 

[CopyKat]

Once you go 35 youll never go back LOL

I did have to go back. I just borrowed the 35's. Looking to buy them before the fall.

So I ended up buying the 35's. No going back now.:

 

[410Fortune]

lol i Kept my 33's for a while, when it was my DD I would swap 33's for M-F then to 35's for wheeling trips on the weekends, what a PITA that was.......with the 35's it wouldnt fit in my garage (this is in CA, it fits fine in my new house) so I would come home from wheeling, usually late at night, tired, and simply airdown to 8 psi so it would fit in the garage hahahahaha

Now with 33's it just looks funny, I still have to put 33's on every two years for stupid CO emissions, they wont test anything over 33's...even though RV's and big rigs with like 40" tall tires get a sniffer test with no Dyno.. AND the same emissions place tested my rig with 35's on it just 3 years ago....dumbass emissions nazi's

So did you ditch the turbo setup completely?

 

[CopyKat]

So did you ditch the turbo setup completely?

No emmissions here here so the 35's are staying on. The turbo has not been forgotten. I just need to find another good 91-94 4.0L. Once I have that I'll put the 95 pistons in the 9X block to lower compression to about 9:1.

All the parts are sitting in my garage still. Including the header wrap for the down and up tube and the turbo rebuild kit.

 

[CopyKat]

So I've had the epoxy primer for a bit now. So it's been modivation to get the body work done. Well today I picked up the paint. (Like the Viper Blue) So now I have even more pressure to get going on the body work. Just need to pick up the gallon of White lightning, and the resin catalyst, to finish laying up the wheel well area of the fenders.

I've got the white paint and the hardener for it.

Time to get moving on this.

 

[CopyKat]

Here are some updated Pictures.

 

[CopyKat]

Finally got around to putting some color on the truck.