New Member - 72 Jimmy: Project Knuckledragger mountain commuter

[Sacramento70]

welcome to the board, lots of good info on here, great looking Jimmy you got there

[NTR72GMC]

If its the maaco on 300 w and just off 3300 s they are ok. Its true theirs not a lot of body shops that will touch these trucks in Utah but Russ's in sandy will but not for cheap. Where are you getting body panels from?

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by NTR72GMC

If its the maaco on 300 w and just off 3300 s they are ok. Its true theirs not a lot of body shops that will touch these trucks in Utah but Russ's in sandy will but not for cheap. Where are you getting body panels from?

That's my Maaco. For panels I just bought some inner and outer rockers and two bed patch panels from a board member that are originally from Classic Industries. For the remaining parts I was thinking Paul's GMC.

[vtblazer]

This pic makes it look like the body is sagging in the middle, I wish it was just the picture but I'm thinking all those years without the torsion boxes have taken their toll.

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by vtblazer

This pic makes it look like the body is sagging in the middle, I wish it was just the picture but I'm thinking all those years without the torsion boxes have taken their toll.

For sure the old girl is sagging a little but I'm hoping that a lot of that is due to HEAVILY corroded body mounts. The driver's side is pretty much non existent!

Matt

[vtblazer]

Sounds like your onto everything.

Time to start up another thread maybe...

[NTR72GMC]

Originally Posted by snowblind

That's my Maaco. For panels I just bought some inner and outer rockers and two bed patch panels from a board member that are originally from Classic Industries. For the remaining parts I was thinking Paul's GMC.

Cool I was just wondering that maaco likes to use a lot of cheap crappy made in Taiwan parts ( I know because I use to sell them ).

[DURRTY]

nice one, that top hatch looks pretty good too.

I bought mine to fix up as i drove it and i ended up putting about an entire mile on it before I got the idea to take it down to the frame...

[snowblind]

What up Durrty? Happy USMC birthday the other day.

I checked out your build threads and that's some pretty great work. My Jimmy's going to need a bunch of rocker and floor work next spring so I'ld love to get together and talk shop someday about your experiences.


Matt

Originally Posted by DURRTY

nice one, that top hatch looks pretty good too.

I bought mine to fix up as i drove it and i ended up putting about an entire mile on it before I got the idea to take it down to the frame...

[snowblind]

I did the body mounts last weekend. I went with poly mounts because they were readily available. GMCpauls said the rubber kits were back ordered until December.

All of the factory bolts except for the rad mounts were spot welded at the heads. I think this is normal and it wasn't too tough to grind the welds down but still a PITA if you don't have the right tools.

The instructions said to do the mounts one side at a time but I wanted to paint the mounts before installing so I jacked everything up at once. I just spanned the area where rocker boxes should be with wood and then jacked it up. Here's what a Jimmy looks like with a 33" titres, 3" spring lift and 6" body lift.





Here's some PITA photos. The first is what happens when you bottom out a lot when towing... The second one shows how much undercoating is on parts of the frame.





After I got all the old stuff removed I spent a few hours stripping undercoating and then I painted. Eventually I'll get the whole frame painted but for now I just did the mounting points and immediate vicinity. I used KBS coatings Rust Seal paint. It's a 3 step process like POR-15 that I heard a lot of good things about. I'm happy with the results so far.





I'll get some photos of the mounts installed soon.


Matt

[DURRTY]

I was thinking the same, I also may have some pieces and parts that you might want. If i can help out just ask i am not an expert like some guys around here but I learned allot here and A WHOLE lot on the drivers side LOL the passenger side has gone smooth and much faster. Leave the top on if possible until you get the floor and rocker area torn apart and done. Even if it is bad now it will make it worse taking it off, that is one thing I would change about mine. I took the top off and then tool the tub off the frame and that was the wrong thing to do. Live and learn though...

[chevy truck crazy]

Good looking blaze I think I saw that one on ksl before. Nice to see others reppin Utah good luck on you build keep us posted how it comes.

[snowblind]

I scored a pair of these on ebay. Seller said they came from a 2002 Chevy Silverado but I think these seats are the same throughout the Chevy/GMC truck/SUV range. I went with these due to the shoulder belt being included in the seat.

They have the full package of power adjustment options and hopefully heaters also but I don't know for sure on the heaters yet. Color is called "shale" and depending on the light looks everything from light beige to medium gray.



Here's a photo of the wiring connector for the passenger seat. I'm guessing the main power and ground are the big orange and black wires. I'm hoping that the other slightly smaller orange and blue/black wires power the seat heaters. Have any of you guys worked with these seats? I'll ask around in the "interiors" forum also.




Matt Crawley

[snowblind]

I test fit the driver's seat today at lunch. Whoever said these were "bolt-in" may have been exaggerating a little... I can't see how I could use any of factory holes without fabricating some adapter tabs/brackets.

Because every adjustment on these seats is power I can't even check seating position until I get them wired up. I'll put power to them tonight and try and move them into a position that will make the mounting easier.

I'm not sure how I'll mount the passenger seat. It doesn't look like it has any way to tilt forward so I may adapt it to work with some of the original forward tilt hardware. After I get the driver's mounted hopefully I'll have a clearer picture.


Matt

[Big J]

I have 05 Silverado front seats and was able to use 1 factory hole on each side. I think, lol. I'll have to go back and look. They did fit nice though. As for the passenger side mine slid far enough forward for someone to crawl in the back. I'm not riding back there so I wasn't too worried about it, lol.

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by Big J

I have 05 Silverado front seats and was able to use 1 factory hole on each side. I think, lol. I'll have to go back and look. They did fit nice though. As for the passenger side mine slid far enough forward for someone to crawl in the back. I'm not riding back there so I wasn't too worried about it, lol.

Are your seats heated? If so let me know what color wires you have sticking out of the bottom of the passenger seat.

Good idea about the passenger seat slide forward. These seats seem to have a lot of forward adjustment and I won't need to mount the passenger seat as far back as the driver so hopefully there will be room.


Matt

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by snowblind

I test fit the driver's seat today at lunch. Whoever said these were "bolt-in" may have been exaggerating a little...

After you drill some holes, they bolt right in!

I'm watching this one because my Jimmy is in about the same condition or worse underneath. If you want to get rid of the leaf springs you are replacing, PM me. Was the top of the windshield frame in good shape?

[snowblind]

I did some more work on the driver's seat last night.

I'm a medium/large guy (6'1/215) so priorities for mounting the seats are decent leg room and a fairly low seat bottom so that my head doesn't stick above the windshield when the top is off. The leg room is determined by how far the seat will go back and the seat bottom height by how close to the floor you get the seat. Unfortunately when mounting these seats to a 72 Jimmy the two requirements are at odds with each other.

To get the seats lower you either need to modify the floor or modify the seat brackets. My seats currently have 1.5" of extra height below the rails courtesy of some mounting feet/brackets that I think I can get rid of. I'll need to check the seat operation first but hopefully they will work with a smaller/no mounting foot. I think that dropping the seats a bit is key to a decent look when the top is off.

For legroom... as the seat nears the end of it's rearward travel it extends past the back of the seat mounting brackets and bangs into the bottom of the rear bulkead. This problem is compounded by the shape of the seat rails, the little bulge at the bottom of the bulkhead and the fact that the side of the seat with the least room sticks out 4-6" further than the other due to the power tilt motors. To fix this you need to either raise the seat mounting (giving the rail more room to travel) or trim the seat rails. Since I don't want to go any higher I'll be trimming the rails.

I plan on making my own little brackets to adapt the new seat rails to the existing mounting holes in the floor and the take some steps to reinforce the floor for the added weight of the seats and lack of additional seat belt anchors.

FYI - the seats weigh roughly 80-100lbs each.


Matt

[blazin]

i just used some flat iron drilled the holes so i could use the factory mounts.. then welded the seats to the flat iron and painted the metal black....done!! works great i can still pull them if i needed to. o they are 2006 chevy leathers.
.

Because every adjustment on these seats is power I can't even check seating position until I get them wired up. I'll put power to them tonight and try and move them into a position that will make the mounting easier.

I'm not sure how I'll mount the passenger seat. It doesn't look like it has any way to tilt forward so I may adapt it to work with some of the original forward tilt hardware. After I get the driver's mounted hopefully I'll have a clearer picture.


Matt[/quote]

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by blazin

i just used some flat iron drilled the holes so i could use the factory mounts.. then welded the seats to the flat iron and painted the metal black....done!! works great i can still pull them if i needed to. o they are 2006 chevy leathers.

I wanted the seats as low to the floor as possible so I cut off the factory 02 brackets. Personally I don't feel comfortable with the factory mounts holding the seats + seatbelts + me in place during a wreck.

Originally Posted by blazin

I'm not sure how I'll mount the passenger seat. It doesn't look like it has any way to tilt forward so I may adapt it to work with some of the original forward tilt hardware. After I get the driver's mounted hopefully I'll have a clearer picture.

My passenger seat doesn't tilt but I welded the mounts as far backward as I could so it will move as far forward as possible. With the seat all the way forward there is enough room for kids and small people to squeeze though.

[NTR72GMC]

Looking good. Whats going on top of the silver stuff? (Paint, Spray on lining)

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by NTR72GMC

Looking good. Whats going on top of the silver stuff? (Paint, Spray on lining)

It is Chassis Saver sliver paint/primer. Chassis Saver is similar to POR-15 in that it is a moisture cure rust sealing paint but it is thicker and contains a bunch of flake aluminum so it dries more like a primer. Here's a link.

It can be sprayed but I put it on with a brush. Two coats deep into all the seams and then I seam sealed with 3M Automix 08308. I want to use the bed for various dirty projects in the summer so I'm also doing a bed liner. I have a roll on liner by the same company called Monstaliner.

[NTR72GMC]

Looks good! Did you do the tailgate as well?

[cvalcore]

man that bed liner looks great did you pick that up locally or did you order it.

[snowblind]

Originally Posted by cvalcore

man that bed liner looks great did you pick that up locally or did you order it.

I ordered it and had it shipped. It goes on thick and dries VERY hard. I wouldn't recommend putting it in a a truck with the top on though because the fumes are really bad...

Matt