I realized last week how much I've neglected the forum over the last couple of weeks and made a promise to myself to post an update by the end of the weekend, so here goes...
For the last couple of weeks I've been going through the wiring under the hood and in the cab and fixing all the half-ass splices. I replaced a lot of the terminal ends with some factory replacements I found at a local auto parts store, had to buy the special crimpers and all that stuff.
I finished rebuilding my heater box and installed it on the firewall along with all the new grommets, weatherstripping for the fenders, and new core support mounting set.
Sorry for all the crap pics, it was getting dark and I was in a hurry.
Last weekend I decided to try to tackle the exhaust. I bought (2) 2.5" U bends and a 10' section of 2.5" pipe and a couple hangers and u-bolts and came up with this...
I read a lot of posts discussing running the exhaust on the outside of the frame rails and decided to go that route. Next weekend I plan to install (2) 40 series Flowmasters and run the pipes out the side, just in front of the rear tires.
Out of everything I've done in the last couple of weeks, I think this is the coolest. Maybe because this old gas tank brought back a lot of old memories.
When I was 14, my dad brought home my first car on a rollback. My dad was a plumber and traded a new toilet, and the cost to install, for a '65 Ford Falcon. My dad's first car was also a '65 Ford Falcon, so we were both excited about the project. I busted my butt on that car for over a year. It was a rust bucket, but we replaced all the brakes and did a few things to the engine to make it reliable. Just before I turned 16, my dad bought me a Jeep and sold the car. I think he was afraid something that old wasn't the right choice for a brand new driver. You know, no power brakes, no seat belts, the list goes on...
At some point, we decided to buy a new fuel tank for it. When my dad sold it, we had not installed the tank and he decided to keep it and sell it. The guy that bought the car wasn't interested in the tank, he just bought it to use the body panels.
Two weeks ago, I was reading through the forum and found where a few guys were using the same gas tank in their trucks for rear mount. That same night, my dad called me and said, "Hey, I bet you'll never believe this, but I found that old gas tank for the Falcon in the back of my shop when I was cleaning it out today. It doesn't have any rust on it, so I decided to put it on Craigslist and see if anyone was interested." I told my dad about how I was just looking at Falcon tanks online for my truck and he told me he would bring it down with him when he came this weekend.
I spent this afternoon installing the gas tank, modifying the stock Falcon fuel sender to match the C10's fuel gauge, and running fuel lines. I guess I won't complain about my parents keeping old stuff from now on, hehe.
Oh, and notice my trailing arms still have not been swapped for the new ones I built, grrrrr. I have been waiting on the front pivots to arrive for over a month it seems. On back order everywhere!! Summit is supposed to ship this week, I'll keep my fingers crossed.