To get started putting all this together, the bed needed to come off, the stock rear suspension had to be removed, and the crossmembers just in front and behind the rearend had to be taken out. With the truck up on jackstands and leveled, I soon had it stripped to just the cab sitting on the frame. Next, I cleaned and boxed the rear framerails, and with the bed back on, I found my rear axle centerline where the wheels looked best in the wheelwell at my projected ride height, which is a half-inch lower than when the frame sits on the rearend housing with 27-inch-tall tires. With all this coming together, it was four-link time. Patience, careful measuring, and planning are the most important things here-if you rush or fudge something, it'll show in the end. I want my truck to sit lower than most, which forced me to improvise a little on the thorough directions Fatman includes, but it worked. Next month, I'll weld everything up, step-notch the frame, finish the upper coilover mounts, and install the panhard/Z-bar, and it'll be a rolling chassis! Getting all the coinciding parts together, like having the finished rearend and brakes, helped avoid any possible problems down the road. All the companies involved have very helpful tech lines with professionals ready to help if you get stumped, so follow along, and we'll see you again next month!
 To some, my truck has looked...  To some, my truck has looked more like a big puzzle than progress in the last few months, but it's actually coming along well. I finally found a Styleside bed that I traded my Flareside bed for straight across. I had to have the bed before I put the Fatman kit in it to be sure the wheels were in the right spot in the wheelwells. I won't wax eloquent about disassembling the rear suspension. I put the truck on jackstands, removed all of it-along with the crossmembers just in front and behind the rearend-and began cleaning the frame so it'd be ready to be boxed. |  I made a template and traced...  I made a template and traced it onto a piece of 1/8-inch cold-rolled steel, fitted it into the gap, and tacked it in place. I'll finish welding it when the boxing plates are in to avoid warpage to the frame. |  To make way for the factory...  To make way for the factory shocks, there are these notches with a rolled edge in the bottom of the framerail just before the rearend. These need to be cut out and made flat to blend into the rest of the 'rail. |
 Next up was the task of making...  Next up was the task of making the boxing plates for each framerail. They wound up being about 50 inches long; Fatman recommends boxing at least 30 inches in front and 10 inches behind the rear axle centerline. I did this the same way I did the front of the frame (March '07 CT), clamping the 1/8-inch plate to the inside of the frame and scribing its shape into it, cutting it out, and trimming it to fit. Each side wound up being made out of three pieces I welded together before welding them to the frame to minimize warpage. |  I stretched the boxing plates...  I stretched the boxing plates back to where the frame narrows in front of the last crossmember and then up to just behind the cab. I'm planning on boxing the rest of the frame under the cab to meet up with the front of the frame, but not right now. Make sure to set the truck on good jackstands and level it from side to side, checking the front, middle, and back, and welding in steel stringers to help keep the frame in place. There's going to be a lot of heat going into it once it's all welded up, but just weld a few inches at a time and move around from the top to bottom and side to side letting it cool. |  The third member nuts get...  The third member nuts get torqued to 40 lb-ft. |