zing the rear frame and running leafs??yay or nay?

well ive got some small rust spots in my frame near the rear of the cab right where your normally zing the frame and i wanna know if im running stock leafs and just some air shocks out back (maybe some 2 inch blocks too...all depends). can i z the frame instead of doing a small notch? cuz i have to do some plating to the frame anyways and figure if im there already maybe i can use this needed work to my advantage. the cabs bd 2.25inches and im running no bigger then 15inch rims if that helps and bags arnt an option. id like to but not gonna. im only thinking small z also. like an inch or so. any help would be great. thanks!

bump bump! i need some help you people! mikey?? i know you zed your B. someone...........

I'm confused, usually when Z'in a frame you Z the front. So that the side frame rails lay on the ground, instead of the front crossmember. I'd do the notch, there'd be a lot less work involved.

check out this build somewhere in the pages shows his zed back half and he lays out pretty well. so yes you can z the rear frame and not have to notch. if you ever plan on running bags id suggest a link set-up instead of the leafs.

if its a standard cab you wont have any issues with keeping your leafs. there is plenty of room between the cab and the leaf perches to do the Z. you could do a larger Z like 4 inches then you could actually run leafs without blocks. but keep in mind that when you do the frame like that, you will have to bd your bed.

for all that why not do a tube chassis from the back of the cab with a 4 link? It would look cleaner.

yeah it would look cleaner but itll be hid under the bed floor anyway so what does it matter.

all that work? the frame Z can be done in a day and if you throw in a few new cross members and take a little care it will look just as nice.


Mr.B22 what style of truck do you have? I had planned on Zing with leafs also, then decided to just start putting the air ride on. BUT if you have a cab plus you could incorporate the front spring hangers into the plates for the frame, and down the road you would have some mounts for the lower 4 link bars!

my truck is a rat. and im not EVER running bags or dont plan on it right now. its an ext cab and im not running a stock box either. its gonna be a very unique truck when finished.

the idea of back halfing the truck is cool but $$$ and that = a no go for me.

sweet idea about moving the front leaf hangers sleepy. does anyone know of a truck that the hangers would work better then the stock ones if i were to just relocate them??

thanks guys for all the info. my cars on its last leg so im really trying to get this b22 rat thing in a state to take pics. you whores will get your fill very soon.

ohh yea one thing... what should i do to keep the frame in line and all that when i cut the back end off??? whats the rules for prep and measuring when zing?? i see lots of pics of z'd frames but no step by steps.

bump bump for some more info on prep before i z the frame???? a step by step or something that shows how someone else did it in writing would be nice.