Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

That has to be the best looking temporary exhaust I have ever seen. Now it I can get Owen motivated to work on his interior all would be good. Hoping to have it mostly done on the interior for LST.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

The brake lines are complete! I wont say I hated doing it, but it was a valuable lesson in frustration. The hardest part was finding all the fittings I needed to make it work. Once those were located it was a matter of getting the bends tight enough to fit.

I learned a trick that help with the tight bends. I put a 1/2 drive extension in my bench vise to, the slid a deep socket with an extension over the fitting to use for a handle. I slowly pulled the line around the curve of the extension till I hade the bend that I needed. It took a couple of tries to perfect the technique, but it got my bends much tighter than a traditional tubing bender.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

I was fortunate that I had a few pieces from the previous system that could be used. Dont look too close, its far from perfect.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Last night I bleed the brake system and checked for leaks. Out of 16 new flares I only had one bad. Apparently I tightened it to much and it split. I replaced another one because I had stripped the head on the fitting trying to get it tight enough to seal.

I need to bleed it again and double check my work. Once I verify its all good i can clean up my mess and do paint touch ups. I feel its a little better than what I started with.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Looks great to me!

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

I think I saw this on one of those car shows on the tube... Instead of continuing to tighten until a leak stops you should loosen a half turn and tighten it again. Repeat this until it is good. I haven't done any brake lines in a while, but this method seems to make sense.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Especially w/stainless fittings.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Scoti you may be right. The flare that split was against a stainless fitting. Lesson learned. The other one was inside the frame so I had a bad angle trying to tighten it. I was able to stop the leak by tightening with a line wrench, but I rounded the head. I decided to cut and replace the fitting while I could get to it.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Late night at work so I found a small job to do. I'm ready to reassemble the accessories on the drivers side. I spent time polishing the alternator before it goes back on.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

After I cleaned the alternator assembly I had planned to do the same to the power steering pump bracket. I searched my shop looking everywhere and can t find it. I am perplexed but I need to move on.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

With the mystery unsolved I prepared the fender for undercoat. When I cut the inside of the fender for the Slosh Tubz, it allows access to the inside.

I carefully clean and scuff as far as I can , then wipe with brake cleaner. After masking the area thourghly I spray undercoat inside the fender.
It now has protection from the weather, and its much quieter as well.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

I had a nice surprise waiting on my porch this week. Derek at Precision Replacement Parts sent me a box filled with goodies. I can't wait to get in the cab and get started with the install.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Its been crazy the past few days. My desktop crashed and I had to have the mother board replaced. Since I run my company from my computer, I had to focus on getting it back in operation. That put me behind on my office work, so I haven't had any time to post.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

To recap where I left off, I had been searching for my power steering pump assembly. I had pulled it to gain access to the proportioning valve and set it aside to drip. I keep a box under my bench with a plastic liner for recycle items. I set it in the box with to drain, and apparently I never took it out. I cleaned my shop the next day and threw away some scrap parts. When I emptied the box a few days later, I totally forgaot the pump assembly was in there.

I have done some stupid things in my life. Most I can contribute to my youth or under the influence. Unfortunately I no longer have either of these as an excuse. This was just a stupid and costly mistake.

Another life lesson added to the list.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Now that I have played True Confession, lets get back to talking trucks. To finish out the drivers side inner fender area I needed to move the wiring. When I add the Slosh Panelz the wiring was going to be in my way. I cut, spliced, and rerouted accordingly. It will eventually be rerouted to the front of the core support, but for now its cleaner and out of the way.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Oh, no! All my good parts went missing because I sold them off before I knew I’d need them again...

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Awwwww dang! Is it safe to assume there was a whiskey tango foxtrot reference made? :no:
Well, if it's any consolation, I literally threw away about $200. I put the money in a empty med bottle so it was out of my sight. About a week or so later, I decided to clean out some stuff in the closet and the bottle turned out to be part of the toss....took a few days until I figured it out....took me a bit of time to get past that one!

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Yeah, there were a few curse words spread about. It took me a while to accept that there was no way out but to buy all new. That really sucks considering I had planned to replace my current set up with a front runner style system.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Moving on with my progress, I coated one more section of the floor pan with undercoating. I love the clean fresh look and added protection from heat and noise.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

After a thorough cleaning on the drivers side of the motor, I moved over to the passenger side. I had previously undercoated inside the fender and front floor pan. With that dry i was able to focus on the motor. The A/C compressor was pulled and inspected. The brackets were polished and reassembled. I had a high pitched squeal coming from the compressor, so it will be replaced.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

ken.
your attention to detail is exceptional as well as your focus. I wait with baited breath to see what is up your sleeve each day.... LOL. I do have a few "general" questions for you though. you probably have covered this at some point (but just recently decided to try my hand at a "squarebody" :) Would you recommend a air suspension on a daily driver (around 20mi/day) or for maintanence a static drop suspension? i would be looking at around a 3-5 drop. i know opinions vary but i trust your knowledge & experience. thank you for the time & now.....

..... back to your regular scheduled entertainment.... :)

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

I truly appreciate your kind words of support.
If an air suspension is done properly there is no reason why it cant be used on a daily driver. Keep in mind almost every big rig, and motor home on the road use air springs.

Air suspension becomes unreliable when its installed improperly, or low quality components are used in the system. The bags and air lines must be DOT approved, and the valves must be bubble tight. Go with RideTech and you will never go wrong.

With that said, if your only looking at a 3/5 drop I would start with static drop. Use 3" front spindles unless your sticking with 15" wheels. Add a flip kit in the rear and your set. If you decide to add air later you still keep everything you have bought already.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Chris and I made a discovery this week. As long as i have owned this truck, i never knew it had once had a heater core seeping. Apparently the core had been replaced years ago, but no one fixed the mess it left behind.

While stripping out the cab in preperation for the ACC carpet kit from Brothers Truck Parts we ran across a crusty carpet pad hiding some rust. Chris removed the old carpet and pad, then stripped the pan to raw metal. Once clean, we coated it with Rust-Mort and let it do its job.

For those that are not familiar with Rust Mort, it is an acidic compound that converts rust to an insoluble black coating prior to applying body filler, primer or top coat. Once dried, it shpuld be treated with a sealer primer, followed by a top coat for protection.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

ken,
thank you for the response. my previous '72 had a static drop (2.5 -3") & it seemed to ride ok (a little "choppy"). i would for sure follow your advice & go with a name brand setup. i didn't think about the keeping components with static drop - good thought!;) I appreciate your valued input:smoke: again thank you for taking time to share your escapades with us fellow truck nuts & may the "truck gods" smile upon you this coming weekend!!:uhmk: :lol:

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

I have always used a 3" spindle and cut a coil off the stock one up front. I prefer this over aftermarket lowering springs as they tend to be too soft.
Recently I had a guy tell me he uses a C20 replacement spring cut down instead of a C10. He has done several trucks and loves the results.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

I received the Slosh Tubz fender filler panels this week. last night I had a chance to see if my template making was successful. Fortunately mike was able to decipher my intentions and straighten out my wobbly lines. I did have some minor adjustments to make, but the end result was a good fit.

Before installing the filler panels, I adjusted the firewall panel. I added temporary screws till we can get the final piece designed. It will be reverse bead rolled to give clearance for the factory blower fan protrusion. There will be a recessed area for the Restomod Air bulkhead as well.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Last night I got one step closer to finishing the passenger side Slosh Tubz filler panel install. I had failed to mark the cut out for the battery tray mounts on the template I sent Mike. That meant I had to cut slowly and carefully.
After making 99 adjustments, the battery tray is mounted. I'll make new templates with all the mods before these go in to full production

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

This week I received a nice surprise in my email. I had worked with Carter Hickman to design the wheels for Elwood. He put togther a digital image to give a visual of what they would look like on the truck. I think he nailed it on the design.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

hmmm... that rust mort is pretty cool , going to have to check that out

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

It does what its supposed to do. This is the third time I have used it for the same application. I use a wire wheel to get it clean as possible, then treat it with Rust Mort. It neutralizes the rust that remains, and I seal it with primer. Problem solved.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Yesterday I started the day with more Slosh Tubz panel work. The drivers side seemed like it would be easier, but of course it was not. I had to deal with several obstacles while taking it in and out a couple dozen times to get a good fit. Now that I have them trimmed down, I can make fresh templates for Mike. The next set should require much less trimming.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

I hate when you get to a point in a build that your skipping around rather than focusing on a task, then moving to the next. I'm waiting for parts to my power steering and a/c system, so I cant put them on yet.

After I finished panel fitment I crawled under the truck and finished detailing the back side of the crossmember. With the lighting under the truck it was impossible to get a good pic so you'll have to imagine a freshly painted satin black crossmember.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

I had to run some service calls, so my work was disrupted. I got home in time to put another few hours in. I decided to detail the top of the cowl. It was layered in dust and dirty down in the vent area. I pulled the cowl seal and plastic grate. This allowed access for a thorough cleaning. i cleaned and painted inside the cowl vents, then reinstalled the plastic cover.
The cowl seal was cracking and the plastic clips were stripped. Fortunately I had recently received a box full of goodies from Precision Replacement Parts I had a fresh cowl seal, with shiny new clips. It fit perfectly and added the perfect touch to my detail work.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

With the final fitment of the Slosh Panelz completed, I pulled them out one last time. i had planned to do the bulk head install on the firewall panel, but time wont allow it. I made an early morning trip on Sunday to my painters shop. He had the Slosh Tubs painted and buffed for me, so a cross town trip was made for the swap.

Yuma did an amazing turn around job on the Tubz in a short time. Lets hope he can do the same on the filler panels.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

We stored the Tubz and set about getting more projects finished. Chris snuck away from his home flooring remodel to spend time on the RideTech RidePro X control box. The control module comes with plenty harness for those that need it. My valves are mounted under the cab, so I have a lot of excess to store.

We decided to create a storage box that fits in the cavity under the middle of the seat. This will give us a tidy way to hide the wires. This came with a few obstacles that we had to be creative with. There are several in line fuses that are part of the protection circuit. If they were stored in the box they would not be serviceable unless you removed the seat. We installed push button circuit breakers in place of the fusses that protrude through the front of the box.

The RidePro X is bluetooth capable and has a separate module for this feature. It has a port that needs access when pairing to a new device. To allow access, Chris cut an opening to expose the front of the module. This prevented us from having to remote mount the module, and eliminate the need for another exposed wire to run.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Chris finished up wiring the box and removed it for final assembly. We discussed options of covering or painting the box, but didnt have a plan just yet.

With the box out of the way, we removed the carpet too. It was time to install the Resto Mod Air Membrane. RestoMod developed a product that combines a layer of thermal protection on top of sound deadner material. They call it Membrane, and test results show it to be extremely effective.

The bottom layer of 2mm butyl is thin for sound damping, but when combined with 3mm of closed cell foam it not only reduces resonance, but provides a layer of thermal protection. The result is a very efficient product that goes beyond what most sound deadner materials are capable of.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Having used various brands of sound deadner in the past I was curious as to how the Membrane install would differ from those. I have used product that came in rolls and 12"x 12" sheats. The Membrane comes in a large 18"x31"sheets. Mine came in basic silver, but they now offer red or black if that matters.

The larger sheets have pros and cons. Its good for covering large areas quickly, but requires more cutting for irregular surfaces. Due to the thickness and density its not as pliable as plain butyl sheets, so there is a bit of a learning curve on how much you can stretch before a cut is necessary.

In summary, I really like the combination of two products in one sheet. Yes, it does take longer to install. I feel it adds an additional 30% labor time on the first use, but I have no doubt that could be reduced as you get a feel for the product.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Ken did you go up all the way by the firewall? I have this stuff too and look forward to putting it on.

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

I'm liking the "Slosh" products. Went to their site the other day! May have to add it to my list of items for my 78. Truck looks great. Mike

Re: "Elwood" the 77_remix
 

Yes sir. I started at the back of the cab to have a straight point of reference. I carried it all the way up the firewall and tucked it below the factory insulation. Chris discovered that its better to peel a small area of the paper backing till your sheet is in position. Once its laid down, its not coming back up.