Starting to start starting a C4 conversion on my 84 SWB GMC

[aggie91]

Any progress is good. It is shaping up and looks good so far.

[Tagg33]

While I had the driver side opened up I had great access to weld in the throttle pedal bolts and I came up with a way to re-use the fuse block mount that used to be in the firewall. Now it is welded to the kick panel.

[Tagg33]

Finally got all the holes in my firewall welded up. I was able to create a sleeve for the steering column out of 2 1/8" tubing. On the inside of the firewall the steering column is clamped to the tubing too. To finish the firewall I still need to weld up the horizontal seam, but I'm getting close. My brother sort of borrowed my RE7 bags a month ago so now he is buying me another set. I should have everything I need to start mocking up the Dropmember soon. I'm planning to send out most of the DM parts for powder coating soon so the engine can go back in once the firewall is painted.

[Dinos63]

Duude sorry i mis the call saturday. Truck looks good maybe this saturday you can stop by

[Tagg33]

No problem Dino, let's talk Friday and see if Sat will work.

[smashingchuck]

Nice work. I know from first hand experience that working on that part of the firewall is a real PITA.

[Frizzle Fry]

I like the steering column pass-thru. I might have to use that. looks much better than a grommet.

[Tagg33]

Thanks guys for the comments. It is a lot of work especially since welding and metal work is new to me. I could not be happier with the column mount, it turned out just like I envisioned. I couldn't find a rubber grommet to buy anyways so I stuck with metal.

[Tagg33]

Here's a pic from the inside showing the column mount. Even though it was kind of a mistake making the hole in the firewall too big for the column it worked out really well to make this secondary ring so I could weld it all up. Having the larger hole and the ring allowed it all to slip together. You can see the hose clamp I used to clamp the column to the sleeve.

[Tagg33]

I cut the horizontal seam and welded it flush today. I started off with the idea to just cut 6 inches at a time and then tack it in. The middle of the firewall seam was the hardest and I cut too long of an area causing the upper and lower panels to lose some alignment, I drilled a hole and used a nut and bolt with washers to clamp it back flush. That and pushing real hard with a hammer handle got it all back perfect. It all worked out great in the end. Next I need to do a lot of grinding.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Looking goood...

[Tagg33]

My thread has been in the suspension section until now, but since pulling the engine for my Dropmember install caused me to finally work on the firewall and soon I'll be working on front and rear inner fenders, new bed interior, brakes, wheels, paint, etc. Here are a couple concept pics I made/choped. I'm definitely planning to have 22" wheels when I can afford it but I might go for some corvette wheels if the price is right and I find a set with decent rubber left on them. The first pic has IROC replicas. What do you think?

[tvblazer78]

Good jod on the F-wall.. Looks bad a$$!

[aggie91]

Your mods to the firewall are looking good.

For your concepts, I like the look of the wheels in the 3rd picture.

[71'tahoe]

#3 also..they look like the new american racing wheels..

[Tagg33]

#3 is actually 2006 Corvette wheels. I think the rears can be found as big as 19x11. But I still long for 22's.

[71'tahoe]

Ok I can see it now..Thats cool Yeah 22'' would look cool.

[flamingbig10]

it sure looked good as a pro street truck, but the work on the firewall is very nice, it makes mine look like trash

[Tagg33]

Thanks for the compliments, I sure have enjoyed working on the firewall. I need someone to buy my prostreet rear setup so I can afford to buy new stuff.

[menace121978]

awesome job man... i'll be starting my wall soon also!!

if i want to weld that seam smooth i have to cut along the edge? or can i just stitch it up and grind it smooth?

[Tagg33]

Originally Posted by menace121978

if i want to weld that seam smooth i have to cut along the edge? or can i just stitch it up and grind it smooth?

My brother originally thought we should just weld along the seam and it would smooth out enough but I was worried that it would leave a ridge. We are both very happy with how it turned out from cutting the seam. Just make sure you cut small sections and tack them back together flush. If you cut a long section of the seam the alignment of the seam can get away from you.

[LooseCannon]

IMO square bodies look best with a simple 5 spoke wheel so #3 gets my vote. Great work BTW!

[menace121978]

thanks for the help and advice Tagg33!!

[smashingchuck]

My vote is for billet 5 spokes. Are you keeping the graphics?

[Tagg33]

No, I'm not keeping the graphics. I do have an appreciation for the Candy colors in a nostalgic way but the look is very dated. This paint is from 1991 if you couldn't tell by the design. But it hasn't faded at all because the truck has always been garaged. The main color is red, some have said it looks orange in the pictures but it is red. I'm definitely keeping the truck red and possible 2-tone.