Restoring Rusty

[Gregski]

got to make some noise today, Welcome Me To The Neighborhood!!!

the door mat is there to deaden the pinging sound as I hammered away

[Gregski]

after we had the shape to "Good Enuff" it was time to plug the hole

card stock, scissors, and a sharpie, aka Tools of The Trade, hey that's how they do it on TV

I think this was 18 gauge sheet metal so I was a bit too much of a wimp to cut it with snips, so I used the angle grinder

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Gregski

after we had the shape to "Good Enuff" it was time to plug the hole

card stock, scissors, and a sharpie, aka Tools of The Trade, hey that's how they do it on TV
I think this was 18 gauge sheet metal so I was a bit too much of a wimp to cut it with snips, so I used the angle grinder

It's how it's done in the real world as well.

[Gregski]

don't let that big gap fool ya, the metal was just bent back a little, otherwise it fit like a glove

for some reason I started welding on the front side and then decided to finish it up from the back side

[Gregski]

for my first sheet metal patch that ain't bad, nothing a grinder can't make look good - but that's it for today, the wife has a headache!

[rusty76]

Greg I had thrushes on my heap and I actually liked them. They were actually mellow sounding to me. I liked them. How's the manual steering? I've wondering about it since you installed it and now that you have been daily it.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by rusty76

Greg I had thrushes on my heap and I actually liked them. They were actually mellow sounding to me. I liked them.

Thanks for the feedback, I like them too, but they may not be my final, final exhaust.

Originally Posted by rusty76

How's the manual steering? I've wondering about it since you installed it and now that you have been daily it.

Funny you ask it sucks, big time, the dumbest downgrade I have made to date, LOL. Power steering will be going back on as soon as I Dyno Test this Beast. Found this beauty at my buddy Al's place, I like the front mounting bracket on it, as I don't want to hang the power steering pump off the header again. I am not a fan of chrome but this seems like a quality piece, may be the nicest thing on the truck, when I do put it on hopefully next month.

[Johns66]

First of all awesome build, you give new meaning to the word perserverence.

My wife just asked me what are you reading now on that truck forum. I said same thing I was reading this morning.

I told her it's a truck thing, she told me she should have made me choose between the 66 mustang 90% done and the 66 chevy truck in pieces.

I told her if she made me choose I was going to miss her, just kidding I didn't say that out loud.....i did tell her I could have worse habits.

[LT7A]

Originally Posted by Johns66

First of all awesome build, you give new meaning to the word perserverence.

My wife just asked me what are you reading now on that truck forum. I said same thing I was reading this morning.

I told her it's a truck thing, she told me she should have made me choose between the 66 mustang 90% done and the 66 chevy truck in pieces.

I told her if she made me choose I was going to miss her, just kidding I didn't say that out loud.....i did tell her I could have worse habits.

Amen brother. Sometimes the ladies forget that there are things many guys do that are more expensive, destructive, and addictive than cars and trucks. What do I know, I'm not married. But I did have this exact conversation with a woman in a bar once: What do you think of a guy with more vehicles than he needs, a shop, tools, etc. And she said that she's been with men with much worse vices than that. And now we're married! No, I just said thank you, good call.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Johns66

First of all awesome build, you give new meaning to the word perserverence.

My wife just asked me what are you reading now on that truck forum. I said same thing I was reading this morning.

I told her it's a truck thing, she told me she should have made me choose between the 66 mustang 90% done and the 66 chevy truck in pieces.

I told her if she made me choose I was going to miss her, just kidding I didn't say that out loud.....i did tell her I could have worse habits.

thanks, hilarious story, I too had a Mustang, mine was a '68 and I chose the wife over it, I still regret it, jk

[Grumpus Monkus]

Thanks for the inspiring thread and job well done.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Grumpus Monkus

Thanks for the inspiring thread and job well done.

thank you so much for the kind words

[Gregski]

there was another 50% off sale at the local Pick n Pulls this weekend

all seats $15 bucks! hmmm - dog must hunt!

[Gregski]

hello beautiful, all you purists turn your heads

so could this 2002 Dodge Dakota have the perfect sexy black seats for Rusty?

had to borrow an 18mm from a wise ol' timmer who bronged metrics with him, where I've been only bringing my standard wrenches for them older GM trucks, thank you kind sir

[Gregski]

and $30 bucks later they was mine

what I like about these seats

• they are black
• they are cloth
• they are buckets or a bench
• the center console folds down
• they are fully manual and not automatic

[Gregski]

now my bench seat measures about 59" wide and these are only 49" wide, however these are not all one piece they are three separate pieces that slide/extend out some or can fully separate

I don't like how they squish the center console so much anyways so I was planning on separating them some and if you split the 10" difference 4 ways that's only 2.5" gaps on either side of the console, not bad

2.5" ~ PASSENGER SEAT ~ 2.5" ~ CONSOLE ~ 2.5" ~ DRIVER SEAT ~ 2.5"

[SkinnyG]

I parted out a Dakota at work a few months ago, and measured the seat to be a lot narrower than what I wanted.

I ~am~ considering buying three Sunfire/Cavalier buckets, and narrowing the center one (if need be), once the wreckers here have dried out from winter.

[daddyjeep]

I was riding in my buddy's '12 F150 and I was having bad thoughts about sneaking by his house and liberating his black leather seats for my crew cab. They were mighty comfortable.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by daddyjeep

I was riding in my buddy's '12 F150 and I was having bad thoughts about sneaking by his house and liberating his black leather seats for my crew cab. They were mighty comfortable.

ha ha, sounds like it would be the polite thing to do!

[Gregski]

here is my original bench seat compared to the Dakota setup, one thing to keep in mind is that I am not going to have my Dakota seats this wide, they don't need to go all the way to the edge especially if they are going to centered on the steering wheel for example

[Gregski]

and here's what the original bench seat brackets look like underneath

[Gregski]

so what's the goal here, why are we doing this? why not just get a seat cover?

well a seat cover is roughly $200 bucks these seats were $30

plus not only is the foam shot in my bench seat but the driver seat slants down to the driver door so bad I feel like I am getting scoliosis, I think the springs are completely shot

additionally I want to use the existing bolt holes and not masterdize the cab or the old seat brackets in case I ever wan to go back to a bench seat

[Gregski]

so at first I tried to go for the easy win and bolt the front bracket directly into the front bench seat hole, that was close, but the seat ended up being about 2" off center towards the middle of the vehicle, no go on that

[Gregski]

it was then that I realized it was time to make some metal shavings

it was time to drill out the rear factory brackets / mounts which was rivitted with these big headed nut rivet thingies, PIA to drill out, many a drill bits was broken in the process, yes cutting oil was used whilst drillin'

[Gregski]

so in order to use the existing bench seat bracket holes and utilize the seat belt ones, I had to get creative and fab up a adapter bracket, don't laugh, here we go