Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

After getting the surface stripped. I removed the shift and tilt lever, then masked off the ignition switch and blinker stalk.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

After cleaning the surface I laid down lite coats of paint. Despite my effort to go slow, I still had some paint reaction. I'll let it cure overnight and try again

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

Its Friday night and I finished my day at a decent time. My wife fixed a great dinner and I headed out to the shop.
The Muscle Bar from Ridetech arrived so that was my first task for the evening. I unpacked the box and laid all the contents out.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

The bar installed rather quickly. Just like all the rest of the suspension, it takes longer to remove the stock parts than install the new ones.
I have found the easiest way to hang the bar is to get all of the mounting bolts started but left loose. Once everything is in place I secure the mounting brackets and work my way out.

With all the bolts tightened to specs I finish with the end links.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

With that task completed I moved on to the next. I sanded the column this morning to eliminate the fish eyes and repainted.

I ordered a blinker stalk replacement from Auto Zone and replaced the old one. I decided to give the shifter and tilt lever a brushed finished. This will complement the dash bezel and steering wheel.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

Another job done and time to pick up tools. Before I call it a night I unpacked another item I recently picked up.

I teamed with Vibro Solutions to supply the sound and thermal barrier for Jake. They offer a variety of options to reduce resonance and prevent heat transfer.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

I'm still undecided on what brakes I will eventually run on Jake. For now I'm going to keep the original D52 calipers and 1.25" rotors that were on Elwood before I upgraded to Wilwoods. The calipers were in excellent condition, and the pads were new. A few years ago I noted that the soft lines on the calipers were cracking so I updated them to braided stainless lines. The stainless lines use A/N fittings so the stock banjo bolts were removed.

When I reinstalled those calipers on Jake I replaced the soft lines. Unfortunately I could not find the original banjo bolts. The bolts in the C20 calipers were smaller, so that wasnt an option.

I didnt think it would be a big deal to find new bolts, but it has been an endeavor. No matter how I searched I came up with the same results. It shows the bolts to be Dorman #13940 which is a M10-1.5 X 22.8mm bolt. This is NOT the correct bolt for 73-79 HD brakes.


I finally found out the correct banjo bolt is a Dorman 13935 which is 7/16-20 X 7/8 In.
For point of reference I wanted to document the part numbers in the event someone may need this data in the future.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

After tracking down the banjo bolts I was able to finish putting the front brake system back together. I flared the line that I had cut and added a new fitting. I checked all my connections and filled the system with fluid.
It was time to put the wheels on and set Crewcab Jake on the ground

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

I jacked him up off the stands and slowly let Jake down. This process was invigorating as it slowly headed down. It didn't stop till it sat firmly on the jack.

I had to put blocks under the tire to get the jack free. It looks great but it's going to need some adjustments.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

So my first project for the day was to start dialing in the front suspension. Ridetech recommends starting with the bottom coil adjuster just touching the spring. With the weight of the crewcab and a 454 this wasnt even close.

I felt a more realistic starting position was to raise the spring up a 1/2" to see what that does.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

The clock is ticking and I need to get Jake running again so he can go to Homegrown Hotrods. Aaron is going to dial in the door jambs and start hanging panels this week.

To get the truck on the trailer I need the steering to work. We reinstalled the power steering lines then moved inside the cab. The restored tilt column was ready to go in but I wanted to prep the firewall first.

Chris removed the old column and all the factory insulation on the floor.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

I prepped the surface and cut pieces of 4 mil sound deadner and fit them in place. Eventually the entire firewall will be covered in 4 mil Vibro Solutions deadner then topped with a thermal barrier.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

With the sound deadner installed we hung the column loosely in place. Chris routed wires and plugged in all the connections. I focused on the shift linkage and steering shaft.

We tightened everything down and topped it off with a vintage steering wheel. Inevitably the Eddie Motorsports billet version will reside here.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

We are working on a last minute push to get Jake to Homegrown Hotrods. The core support is not stable enough for my liking so we want to put a fender on the passenger side.

This will keep the core support stable and the radiator away from the fan. It will also allow us to mount the battery tray properly.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

I decided we should prep and paint the back of the core support. Chris got started while I worked late. He sanded and prepped the surface and started painting.
Unfortunately the weather changed dramatically and the humidity went ballistic. I told Chris to walk away and let it blush.

I got home a couple of hours later and the front had blown through. I was able to get paint on the battery tray but the core support blew up on me.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

The harder I tried to save what Chris had done the worse things got. In the end I had to strip the bottom area and start over. There was some rough texture at the bottom that needed a few coats of filler primer so I laid them on and walked away

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

The other side was a bit more cooperative. I was able to build the color without it blushing but I had to go really slow.

Between coats I worked on adjusting the coilover shocks.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

This morning I prepped and painted the passenger side of the core support. CZhris is on his way over to help me hang a fender so it needs to be ready to go.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

We got a fender hung this morning. This is just temporary so we could mount the battery tray.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

Ride height looks pretty good from that angle with the front fender mounted.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

nice!!

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

I like the stance & the orange fender, even though I know red is the plan :cool:

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

I consulted Johnny M from Ridetech and he suggested a preload setting to get started. He feels we will eventually e d up changing springs due to the additional weight of the cab and 454/th400 combo. We wont know anything until all of the weight is added.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

Thanks so much. The fender is just a loaner to get the truck moved. My fenders are at Homegrown Hotrods in primer.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

So tonight did not go according to plan. My intentions were to get home early enough to get the brakes bled and load Jake on the trailer. My job decided it had other ideas and I had to work late.

Once I finally got home and Jake decided he wasnt going anywhere. I tried to start the truck and it wouldn't turn over. The battery had been charging all day so I "assumed" it was a ground issue.

After verifying my grounds were good I determined the battery wasnt holding a charge.
Chris is bringing a battery in the morning so we can load it up then.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

So, what do you do when your frustrated and need a distraction? I look for a task that I can complete in the allotted time available.

I decided to work on the back wall of the cab. I plan to paint it with Tamco epoxy sealer.
I wanted to prep the surface and have it ready to spray. It wasn't planned for tonight, but I did get another task accomplished

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

Chris came over this morning and we pulled the battery out of his truck. Either the battery in Jake died or my charger is flaking out.

We bled the brakes and loaded the crewcab on the trailer. I sent Aaron a text and let him know we were headed his way. After an obligatory stop at Buccees for gas and a breakfast burrito we were on our way.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

After unloading the truck and parts, we loaded the bed on the trailer. While Aaron props the cab and hangs the sheetmetal Chris and I are going to focus on the bottom of the bed.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

This afternoon I went by the car wash to pressure wash the bottom of the bed. After removing several layers of dirt and grease I headed back to my shop.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

I used a cut off wheel to cut the bolts that protrude in the tub. I cleaned the ends with with my Benchmark flapper disc, followed by a nylon bristle cup to clean the surface.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

With both sides cleaned up I backed the trailer in my shop and masked the exterior surface. I loaded up the shutz gun with undercoating. I played with the line pressure to get a good pattern and laid down a couple of coats.

Once I got the edges cut in I let it set a bit. I worked to fill in the middle and build a thick layer in the impact areas.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

That is some NICE texture on the undercoating. I always enjoy seeing your work!

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

It is inspiring to see the hard work that is going in to your build. While boring and meticulous, it pays off in the finished product.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

Thanks. It takes some playing with line pressure and distance from the surface to get a good texture. I have found that increasing the distance improves the splatter.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

I try to break it down in to small tasks that can be accomplished in an evening. This allow s me to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of a work session.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

You have the gift of making something look like it was fully blown apart. Excellent detail work.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

With the wheel tubs finished it was time to tackle the bed floor. The good news is the bed is completely rust free. The bad news is it once lived down a dirt road. It was going to take more than pressure washing to get beyond the sandy residue.

I considered my options and decided the most effective way to prep the surface without exposing raw metal was my Benchmark Abrasives nylon bristle cup. I fired up the DeWalt and spent a couple of hours of quality time with the bed floor.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

It's a bit tedious but the effort paid off. I stripped all of the loose dirt, old undercoat, and surface rust down to clean metal.

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

With the bed floor clean I gave it a thorough wipe down with brake cleaner and blew it dry. I got a fresh Scotch Brite pad and worked the inner bed sides. I went as far up the side of the bed as possible then wiped it clean as well

Re: "Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
 

I masked the exterior so I could spray from the outside as well as the inside