Senior Project Build

[heavy71chevy]

Yea those are just some cheapy speaker boxes....probably put in cause of the one stock speaker setup aint bangin to say the least lol

[texanidiot25]

Just let the gas evaporate off the ground, the stuff is gone pretty fast. If you got it in the cab, same thing. In the carpet, let it air out in a safe place.

Sweet progress. Can't wait for the 6-point-OH

[LuckyHenriksen]

Thanks guys. More of this evenings progress pics coming soon. And I went back out there and the gas had already evaped, you were right.

[LuckyHenriksen]

All clean!!!! Kinda...



And why do PO's think filling things with spray foam is a good idea? Is there any way to get this stuff out?





And the tank is out!! Now we see what the original color was....



....Blue!!! A neat color, i would consider this for a repaint.





And I pulled up the carpet to find...... no rust!!!! The guy who rebuilt this before I got it has cleaned and coated the floor, it looks very nice.

[LuckyHenriksen]

But I did find rust.... =[ not very much though. Its right above the drivers side rocker, a few small holes.



And a few larger holes.....

[VA72C10]

Floor looks really good.

You can generally cut the foam with a razor blade and use a chisel to pop it out. Had an old farmhouse I helped my parents restore and the PO had put the stuff around all the trim in the laundry room and that's the best way we found to remove it.

[VA72C10]

Where's that one rust hole at? Also, not sure if you want to start poking around those rocker rust holes. Might find more than you want (ie. inner rocker issues)

Depends on how much you're wanting to do w/ the cab bodywork.

[LuckyHenriksen]

And now for the latest project......

I followed the FAQ write up by Shifty, (a very good write up) and filled the "gas hole" (hehe) without welding anything.

Started with a huge piece of scrap metal.....



And only needed to cut 5 inches off



After a few minutes on the bench grinder, some sanding, drilling, and a little paint later.....



And I ground off the numbers and stuff on the head of this carriage bolt with the Dremel, then cleaned it up with fine sand paper and "Heavy Metal" polish. Turned out nice I think.



And can't forget Habanero, my inspiration



Contd...

[LuckyHenriksen]

Drilled a hole in the gas cap and bolted it all together.









And there we go! Finished that project. Tomorrow night I pull out all the old fuel lines, and work on the engine bay some more. The seat will go back in soon. Oh and I weighed the empty gas tank, 35 pounds. We'll have to see how that compares to the FCG tank.

And can't forget the stash I found under the seat!

[VA72C10]

The fuel tank will probably save about 10 lbs or so, but the best thing is that it moves the weight right at the rear tires so it's a double benefit.

[LuckyHenriksen]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

Where's that one rust hole at? Also, not sure if you want to start poking around those rocker rust holes. Might find more than you want (ie. inner rocker issues)

Depends on how much you're wanting to do w/ the cab bodywork.

Alright, thanks, I will try the razor. I am kind of apprehensive, like you said, I don't want to know what is under that foam. The holes I found were in the channel where the door closes, where the carpet tucks in and the rubber seal is. I plan to wire wheel it, POR-15 it, and lay a thin skin of bondo (ghetto, I know) over it. I don't have the time/money/desire to do any major body work yet, even though my record of dings and dents is gaining lol. I like it that way though, I don't really mind if I bump it with a belt or scrape up the bed a bit. I am just worried about getting in back up and running, and running hard!!

[LuckyHenriksen]

Yes I see everything about that new gas tank as a benefit.

[kcjones]

I don't have any experience fixing truck cabs, but in a few other cars I've had, don't let rust repair freak you out. You DO want to find all that rust, you do want to cut out the cancer, and you CAN fix it. If you don't have a welder, here's what you can do for relatively cheap:

-Remove the carpet all together.
-Wire wheel top and bottom, like you said.
-Cut out the affected areas (at least 1/8" around any holes).
-For now, rattle can the areas with some rust paint, top and bottom.
-When you can afford the time and money, take it to a body shop.

...Do not ask them to turn your cab into a show truck's cab. Do not ask them to simply "repair" the rust. Do not ask them to primer, paint, or undercoat anything. Very specifically tell them to weld in new metal, smaller pieces the better, only to seal the holes you've cut. They don't even need to grind down the welds or paint, you can do all that (your POR-15 idea would be perfect after the new metal, it'll be all prepped and POR will seal it forever).

I bet for less that 15 hours worth of work (based on what I've seen in your pics), and less than $300 (cause you did all the prep work yourself), you can have peace of mind that you can drive the truck in whatever weather for a relatively long time without worrying about rust eating away the inners, corners, kick panels, etc.

Your idea would be fine, too, but you seem like the kinda guy gets everything done right.

All I'm sayin' is don't let it freak you out. Now LSx wiring harness...let that freak you out!

[LuckyHenriksen]

I try to do everything right the first time =] but have a little trouble sometimes hehe. That sounds like a good plan, plus I want to see if I can have my careless scrapes in the door repainted. A good friend of mine has a body shop so I will see what he thinks about it. Thanks for your input!

[texanidiot25]

Originally Posted by kcjones

I don't have any experience fixing truck cabs, but in a few other cars I've had, don't let rust repair freak you out. You DO want to find all that rust, you do want to cut out the cancer, and you CAN fix it. If you don't have a welder, here's what you can do for relatively cheap:

-Remove the carpet all together.
-Wire wheel top and bottom, like you said.
-Cut out the affected areas (at least 1/8" around any holes).
-For now, rattle can the areas with some rust paint, top and bottom.
-When you can afford the time and money, take it to a body shop.

...Do not ask them to turn your cab into a show truck's cab. Do not ask them to simply "repair" the rust. Do not ask them to primer, paint, or undercoat anything. Very specifically tell them to weld in new metal, smaller pieces the better, only to seal the holes you've cut. They don't even need to grind down the welds or paint, you can do all that (your POR-15 idea would be perfect after the new metal, it'll be all prepped and POR will seal it forever).

I bet for less that 15 hours worth of work (based on what I've seen in your pics), and less than $300 (cause you did all the prep work yourself), you can have peace of mind that you can drive the truck in whatever weather for a relatively long time without worrying about rust eating away the inners, corners, kick panels, etc.

Your idea would be fine, too, but you seem like the kinda guy gets everything done right.

All I'm sayin' is don't let it freak you out. Now LSx wiring harness...let that freak you out!

Problem is, if you cut out the rust on my truck, the cab would be half gone!

'specially it's a-pillar.

[Conundrum]

I really like the look of this truck.

[thirdstreettito]

Lookin good! The blue underneath is the same color as my 68!

[LuckyHenriksen]

Thanks guys

[LuckyHenriksen]

So tonight I pulled the rest of the old fuel line out, and started playing under the dash. The wiring is your usual rats nest of home-spliced stereo gear and extra stuff added. I have been trying to get the clutch pedal off for a long time now, and everyone says it should slide right off, but mine doesn't. It slides like it should till the last inch or so, and it hangs up on a bump in the firewall. I am considering my two best options at the moment:
A) BFH
B) Sawzall

And I would like your input/advice on what to do with my stereo. It worked when I bought the truck, and sounded really nice, but somewhere along the line something fried and it doesn't work now. The head unit lights up like it is getting power but only displays strange symbols that aren't even numbers or letters. Then it goes blank. Did I cook the HU? Is that possible? Here are my options, what do you guys think:
Keep Stereo

Pros-
Sounds good
Already installed
Nice MP3 head unit

Cons-
Sh*tty wiring
Possible fire?
Have to figure out how to make it work
Taking up valuable real estate

Remove Stereo

Pros-
Perfect spot to mount gauges
Cleans up under the dash
Gauges would look cool, and be easy to see
Remove weight (yes, very little)
It hasn't worked for a while, so I am used to driving without tunes

Cons-
Cruising isn't as fun without tunes

What would you do? And is there an easy way to fill the big holes in the door where the speakers went?


Heres the HU



Pretty clean install



And the nice wiring pile





And the nice 6x9's

[Gray Ghost]

I've got my 6x9's in the same place. I have a cure in case I remove them for another setup. I am going to make solid wood lower panels to cover the entire lower door. The other fix would be full length door panels like a 72 has.

I'd get a new head unit. No telling what happened with that rats nest in place.

I am going to build a custom dash with all the guages in a line above the centerline of the steering wheel. I hate the normal 67-72 dash plate. I have to work to see the lower ones....not good.

[gcburdic]

Hey Lucky,

I say definitley re-wire and keep the stereo...gotta have tunes to cruise man!!!...
Here's a pic of what I did....the PO cut this whole section out, so I decided to have the diamond plate cover made so I can put my gauges here....

[LuckyHenriksen]

Cool guys. Is there any way to tell if a head unit still works? I want to make sure it still functions if I decide to keep it

[texanidiot25]

If the head unit is getting 12v and comes on, but won't work, it's probably dead. Sony Xplodes are pretty good budget headunits IMO, and don't look like the control console for a space ship.


I'd also clean up the wiring while your in there.

[LuckyHenriksen]

Wow that xplode looks nice! I have an older model xplode in my Bronco, and it works nicely, but the new version is clean! And HD =]

[LuckyHenriksen]

I got the new cam in! A Comp Mutha Thumpr! Sounds wild. I can't wait to hear it. Yes I do realize that I am collecting alot of parts without even having an engine yet, but it will come!







And I got another free T shirt! But XL again. I will just have a collection of speed T shirts, and when I finally fit them, they will be collectable