Good thoughts on the ignition switch hole - I could really use a USB charging port and it should fit in there fine.
So I'm off this week and the big plan was to get an exhaust system installed. That meant mounting the bed which went well and then getting tires and wheels (just rollers) so I can get it on a trailer, which has been a giant pain. I sold the original chassis and got a new one from TCI and ended up with no wheels.
In past projects, it was always easy to find spares. I need a 5x4-3/4" bolt pattern on at least 15'' wheels and tires that hold air. I called all the local yards and they apparently have nothing that fits. Same for used tire/wheel shops. Same for Craigslist. Crap - so I hit the u-pull yards. There are acres of cars and what I discovered quickly is that despite them saying yes they have wheels and tires they all seem to immediately strip the rolling stock off. Anything aluminum that is really good might end up for sale in sets in the lobby, all else seem to go to recycle. The steel wheels are welded into jack stands to hold up the wrecks while they're stripped. So no luck.
Finally at my third or fourth yard I found an older big ass Caddy with wheels stuck back in a far corner. They were apparently still there because the lugs were rusted solid. After three trips there trying to get them off I finally rented a battery powered impact and with a ton of Liquid wrench they finally came loose. (Sidenote - the wrecking yard was Colorado Auto and Parts - (
http://coloradoautoandparts.com) home of the '39 Plymouth truck with the airplane engine. It was in the lobby - very cool!)
I get the wheels home and then tried one on the rear. Of course the tire (205's) hit the bedside so I have to trim that out just to get the tires on. I was going to tub it anyhow but that's a project I was saving for another day.
Questions:
- Why are 15" or larger 5 x 4-3/4" bolt pattern wheels so hard to find? What am I missing? I spent the better part of two days calling and searching through piles of wheels and walking junkyards and all i found is one set that doesn't even fit right and cost me $140. They were supposed to be $200 but they gave me a "deal" - still seems like way too much for old wheels and mismatched crappy tires.
- For my mini-tubs I'm planning to use trailer fenders from Tractor Supply - the 30" version (
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pro...l?cm_vc=-10005) - does that make sense? Their 32" fenders seem too big.
- I made a template and marked it on the bedside so the top of the tub will be just below the center bolt of the outer fender. This means the second cross sill from the front will lose it's mounting point at the bed side - see the pic. What do I do with this?
Then I tried a wheel on the front end and damn it if the hub isn't too big for the wheel center! What a royal pain. I have no idea where to find wheels that fit. I may just grind out the wheel hub hole but that's no fun either. So much for exhaust!