yeah I love the crap out of it. now even my wife is spoiled, when we order stuff that is "curbside delivery" usually I have to meet them with the flatbed and grunt it around, now I just go down the 200ft to the curb and unload it from the semi (then watch them turn around in the cul de sac, the smart ones back up the 1000 ft to the intersection!)
I got the bolts back through the body mounts and checked my engine move. worked out almost like I planned for it!
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
final measurement of the move: 8 3/4", fits perfectly.
I was getting stabbed in the side by what I THOUGHT was a broken hinge, I was kind of worked up about it actually because hinges on these AD are kind of a fickle thing. turns out it was only bent because they tried to remove it without taking out the 4th bolt. a little oil and it worked fine, I even got some oil on the cowl vent and it worked like butter too.
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
this truck, the odometer says 1354 miles or something like that. given the condition of everything I cant imagine there is 100k added to that, it really looks like a low mileage truck that got wrecked and parked.
this is a good time to talk about what is "level" on these trucks. my wife came out and asked why the back was sitting lower. well it wasnt. in fact the tires give it a rake to the front, but to prove it to her I put a bubble on the floor and then on the bottom of the frame.
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
the way the s10 frame gets wide and the cab tapers out as it goes back, looking from the side gives an illusion of leaning back, but it doesnt!
I cleaned off the firewall and started on the pedals. who says a guy cant learn? on the last 49 I built a big complicated steel box to mount the pedals to the original aluminum S10 mount. it worked, but it was a BEAR to build and fit and run wiring around etc. on the last two trucks I used the steel pedal mounts after cutting out the spotwelds on the firewall section. the 98-03 dont have any sheetmetal mounts on the firewall section though, so I will have to build them after getting the firewall section grafted in the right spot. still with me?
trimming the firewall I started slow instead of needing to build it back. worked great so far!
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
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Joe Doh, on Flickr
so thats the gas pedal mounted, and the brake booster mounted, now I just need the steel bracket to hold the column and the brake and I have an excellent plan for that. I did trim off the wiring pass through, but only for ease of work, I will put it back on in almost the same spot.
I tried to make it to automobilia this last weekend but the stellar heat all day and threat of rain kept me home. if it sounds like the excuses of a guy who killed himself all last week in the west exposure concrete refractory oven that is my driveway, so be it. haha.