Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

I'm on for this ride, think it's gonna be really cool! Dunno about the tail lights in the gate but you're the one that has the big picture painted. Props man!

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

I looked at the wiper linkage on my 65 this weekend. It looks like if you have the linkage arms, and build your own rods, you can move the passenger side over.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Before I found the truck to start with I did this tail rendering using a pic from an ebay truck, maybe a members or former members truck, not sure. I liked the way the 3 light tail looked and on LA Freeways I'd really prefer brutally obvious taillights, which the GM trucks do not have, it's pretty easy for them to fade into your peripheral vision especially in stop and go traffic, while eating a burrito, texting, staring at the "How green is my Prius" display on your dash, checking your hair and reading a script at the same time. ...and I'm putting brakes on the truck that I know are far better than almost anyone that will ever be close behind me. The obvious fear of course is to avoid the fine line between a well executed customization that looks like it belongs and looking like the "Family Truckster" from National Lampoons "Vacation", and I do realize how fine a line this mod is to that.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

That was my thoughts, the cowl panel is, I think, the real issue more so than the linkage. Like I said earlier I'd like to extend the cowl induction hood into the cowl panel, and maybe just keep the vents in the scoop and smooth the outer areas like some of the C3 'Vettes had with their cowl induction hoods. It would be really cool to have the wipers hide behind the scoop stacked but I'm not sure that is possible with the sheer width of the windshield and the wide stance of the pivots.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

...also some updates, the brakes are all assembled and everything fits great, I did have to file a bit on the spindle where my outer spacers interfered, but it worked out. Seriously heavy duty, I won't be saving any weight there, the spindle, hub, rotor, caliper, center lug adapter all together has to weigh 80-100lbs easily per side. the front sway bar also arrived, drop shipped from Porterbuilt as did the Ridetech Select Coilovers. I'm concerned there in that the front springs are so much heavier than the rear, and it's just a wild guess at this point, but I'm hoping to be much closer to a 50/50 weight distribution when it's all said and done than these trucks typically are, we'll see. Anyway, there is a distinct possibility that I may try and respring the Ridetechs with dual rate Eibach springs at some point anyway.

The Pep Boys rebuild looking rack and pinion got shipped back and now in it's place I have a glorious Flaming River quick ratio rack. If this is an example of their products, I'll probably be doing one of their columns as opposed to the Ididit I was planning on, nice piece, pic attached.

Attachment 1127409

I should have taken pics before I stowed them away, but I also picked up a pair of Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade 3rd row seats. I've attached the ebay pic though. They are pretty cool, they are like individual buckets with each having a cup holder and a little cubby hole so that then they are together it's like a center console between them. They have the integral shoulder belts and I think they will adapt well to a Recaro like makeover to better match the fronts. I think my biggest issue there will be that I really want to use early style aircraft latch seat and shoulder belts in the front and adapting that to the back maybe tricky.

Attachment 1127412

I also packed up my space saver spare wheel before I took a pic of it but I found a new Cadillac XTS spare wheel, 4" wide and will clear the Corvette brakes. Also attached the ebay pic of it. I'll be getting a new center milled so that it will mount on the center lug. still trying to figure out where I'll put it, I may put it under the floor with a well in the top of the tank or maybe in the bed side behind the drivers seat with a suburban well grafted in there, just not sure there is room for a 28" diameter tire there. Another option is under the hood (it is going to be a straight 6) but I'd have to put it on the exhaust side of the engine, just not sure that is a good idea. I was going to go spareless but when I thought about it, being stuck with a flat with a hard to find tire size and a wheel arrangement that pretty much doesn't exist seemed too risky for me, maybe in the end it'll just get thrown in the back and taken out when I need the space.

Attachment 1127411

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

I think what is throwing off the aesthetics (IMHO) in the rendering you did is the repitition of the back-up lights. By shaving those you would clean-up the look. Just a thought. Otherwise, rock on! I'm enjoying the ride so far; very cool concept! Anxious for more and sub'd in to boot. :metal:

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

What are those from? I dig em & am looking to modify my seats with the something with more leg room. Do they fold forward? What's your seat belt plan?
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Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

They were sold aftermarket as Recaro Classic C, These particular ones are out of an early '80s Porsche 930 I was told, supposedly a $8-10K option at the time. These and similar power Recaros were used in Porsches, BMWs, Benzes, Bentleys, Rolls Royces and just about any Italian car whose make ends in an "i". Yes, they fold forward.

I also have another set of the netted headrests that will be going on the Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade seats in the rear, I'll need to redo the frame a bit as the stock rears have headrest post internal supports that are too small a diameter and too close together. The rears will get reupholstered to match the fronts in style. I'd also really like to leather cover and edge stitch most of the exposed plastic on the rears, I just don't know how possible that is. I have shoulder belt loop brackets that attach to the Recaro front headrests that came out of a Trans Am Indy pace car.

As far as belts, the plan at the moment is to put the shoulder belts for the front seats into the side panels, probably right above the front end of the wheel houses so they are there when the truck is topless and enough of an angle to be safe, the guide loops will help make that work. I will probably go with early aircraft style lift latch belts from seatbelt solutions, and will need to send in the back seatbelt sets to be re-buckled to match.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

So a few updates, the frame has been blasted and de-riveted and is now just 2 rails with body mounts ready for the new suspension. The body tub is completely stripped, and will be mounted on it's temp wheels this weekend (a Harbor Freight folding utility trailer and trailer dolly). I picked up a Hotchkis adjustable rear swaybar to round out the suspension components as well as a Scott's Hotrods remote reservoir master cylinder cap. The Hydroboost master should be ready to ship this week or the beginning of next and at that time I'll get the remote reservoir bottles and proportioning valve ordered from Wilwood. Once I solidify ship dates from Porterbuilt, I will order the B&M trans and the Moser 9". Oh and the fenders will be going to the blaster, probably this week and then to the body shop to graft in the Trans Am extractors, followed by the tailgate (for my crazy taillight mod) and the cowl to smooth and relocate the passenger wiper post to the mystery left hole.

My discard pile is getting pretty small now. The original engine, trans and transfer case is on it's way to being dropped into a Jeep Cherokee. The seats into a Blazer, the suspension into a Jimmy, the tank, mirrors, heater, steering column into various pickups.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

I've been kind of a slack on my updates to this thread, mostly because most of the recent progress is being done in various shops and not by me. Most of the body is now at the sand blaster (though not the tub itself). The tub has been mounted on it's transport dolly (which is really a Harbor Freight fold up trailer). I've received the hydroboost, CPP master, Scotts Hotrods remote reservoir cover for the master, the Wilwood remote reservoirs, Wilwood portioning valve, Heidts Hotrods pressure relief valve (2 actually I also bought Wasted Incomes unused one) and washer and radiator overflow bottles from Classic Heartbeat.

The hydroboost accumulator interferes with the Scotts under floor bracket and is at the machine shop to resolve that issue, requires milling a clearance cutout in both the main pedal assembly and the C channel bracket that it bolts to so that the accumulator can sit recessed into the frame rail. I bought the proportioning valve with the bracket which I wont be able to use because it would make my brake lines significantly hang down below my frame, a bad idea, so I will need to fabricate a bracket to lay the valve on it's side under the master cylinder. This is really the only way to have the valve below the master and provide clearance. I will also have 3 residual pressure check valves in there. All in all I will have 8 fluid carrying lines all coming out of the underfloor brake doohickey and all this has to fit in a space about the size of a loaf of bread.

I pulled my oil pan off the straight 6, which had been tweaked and mildly damaged from the accident the Envoy it came out of was in. The front differential is actually bolted to the pan and the shafts run through the sump. When I pulled it off the rail was cracked so had to ebay another. Now that new pan is also at the machine shop being sliced leaving just the AC compressor mount, bell housing skirt and 1 3/4" of the top of the pan so it can be converted from a weird 4x4 front sump to a road racing style rear sump using a modified Canyon inline 5 cylinder oil pickup.

My Porterbuilt mild dropmember showed up Monday along with the control arms (which are and inch wider than usual), front tube crossmember, trans crossmember, trailing arms and crossmember and unfortunately a lot of stuff for the rear that is wrong and will be going back to Porterbuilt like bolt in notches for a cinch waisted 2wd frame, and the associated crossmembers for that frame. Porterbuilt also forgot to ship the ball joints (I'll be using the larger 73-87 ones with 73-87 CPP modular drop spindles).

As soon as my ball joints show up I'll mock up the front end, verify measurements (should be 75" tire sidewall to tire sidewall) so I can order my Moser 9" to be the same finished width. I'll be ordering a 31 spline Moser with C-10 mounts, a Wavetrac diff, an aluminum carrier, aluminum pinion support, Ford Torino drum brake ends (what my 13" Z51 Corvette rear disk, caliper and parking brakes are made to fit).

All very complicated.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Ka-ching!

That's a lot of custom fab work and definitely high end for a top flight build. I was just happy to get mine all the same color and to drive reliably. This thing is so many steps beyond what I ever considered. Love watching builds that show me how far a person can really take a vehicle beyond what it was originally intended for.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Looking forward to pics of the braking system. I really appreciate a clean hydraulic install. Got your tube benders and flaring tools handy? This is gonna be a cool ride!

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Thanks for the encouragement, I'll be getting a Mastercool Hydraulic flaring kit next week along with the 37 degree AN dies, and I'm leaning towards Imperial Benders. I've decided to do most everything in double annealed stainless hardlines and keep braided to a minimum, so I've decided I need to become a master at bending and flaring, we'll see how that goes:lol:.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

There's a couple schools of thought on bending. I was taught to use centerline and bend radius while a lot of other people use the "take up" method. I'd bet that Imperial bender will come with an instruction sheet based on the centerline method. I've got ACAD my shop PC and use that to sketch up the goofy bends. My -4 bender is from Aeroquip and the rotating handle is also on a swivel, which is nice!

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

The ball joints for the Porterbuilt drop member got here today, so this weekend I'll be able to finally mock up the front end to get a final measurements for the Moser 9". My power steering pump is at Lee's Power Steering getting beefed up to run the Hydroboost and rack, and being fitted with an slick custom aluminum reservoir with individual returns on it so I don't have any tees in the hydraulic lines once it's all put together.

I also need to order the transmission, which I'll be using a new 4L70-E which supposedly will handle more torque than most mild aftermarket rebuilds and cost about the same or even a little less so why not, right? I've read so many iffy reviews about just about every trans rebuilder out there, and the only ones that seem to have more good than bad reviews or the usual TCI, B&M and Hughes all of which are all pricey even for a mild trans.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

OK, where were we? Oh right, so here's the completed Trans Amified fenders:
Attachment 1219913Attachment 1219914
As well as a big pile of blasted panels:
Attachment 1219915
(Frame rails and body are blasted as well)

Transmission is being sorted out, have decided to do a 6 speed 4L80E so I'm having a 4L80E case modified (milling off the bellhousing so I can put my 4L60E straight 6 bellhousing on it).

I've also gotten my Ferd 9" from Moser. Aluminum 3rd Member, 5" wider than a stock rearend, Wavetrac diff, all very exciting.

Things are starting to move again so I should be updating this thread more frequently.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Glad to see an update here! Fenders look great!

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Thanks for the feedback, I really like how they turned out. All the body curves seemed to line up really well.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Some how I missed this one, so I read it all today. And I will admit that my minion alarm did go off a few times. That may be what I like about this build. Different. Just courious about the hydro boost. I would think that the electric power booster (Caddy type) would fit in a tighter place than the hydro. But then it is easy to spend someone elses money. :lol:

Oh yea, BEDO BEDO BEDO BEDO..... :uhmk:

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Well the master is a cast iron Corvette master (well actually a CPP Corvette master), and that works with the hydroboost. I'm going to be using a Scotts Hotrods cover for the master and adding Wilwood remote (additional) reservoirs. The Scotts cover has the provisions for the remotes. My brakes should hold about a liter of brake fluid about double what a typical Corvette would hold. Electric assist seems kind of like new age voodoo to me, probably isn't and lots of things on my project will seem like new age voodoo to most of the members on this forum. Maybe the 'Vette master could be made to work with the Caddy electric booster, I'm not sure but there is lots of resources for hydroboost so that's what I went with.

I have a lot into the brakes on this build, more than is sane perhaps, but I'm pretty content in the quality of the parts and think I've done about the best I could come up with and still have it easily servicable down the road. Most everything breakable is available from multiple vendors and most should even be easily available in the used market for decades, and this is why I did the route I did.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

I should also dig out my power steering pump that Lee's did for me, it's a pretty cool piece. They redid the pressure output for me and did a custom aluminum reservoir instead of the original plastic one that these engines use.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

I'd like to see that if you haven't already posted it up!

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Thanks for the explanation. Now waiting for more pics for the minions. :uhmk:

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Yea, I kinda slacked there for a while on taking pics of the parts as they came in, then came Chistmas and the girlfriend insisted I put my toys away, so we had room for a Christmas tree...women. :crazy: There was also that transition period here when posting pics was kind of a pain, anyway...

My brake pedal/master cylinder assembly is still at the machine shop, and I need to get over there and pick it up, I'm sure it's ready, it's been there for several months along with my oil pan. I have everything for the brakes other than the hardlines, but I have all the tooling to make those, I bought the Coolermaster hydraulic flaring tool and *all* the dies, only the real tool geeks will know what that is, but I give it a Cool Tool Factor of 9 and a half.

So a side note on the pan, one of the problems posed by using this engine is the front sump. The original Trailblazer installation has the front axle going *through* the oil pan and the sump in probably the worst position it can possibly be right where the engine cross member is. The machine shop has sliced all but the top 2 inches off the cast aluminum pan leaving the rail, the AC compressor mount and the transmission dirt skirt in place. Again I assume it's done, it's hanging out at the machinists with the brake pedal.

I was going to have a pan fabbed up, until I discovered eMachine shop and Front Panel Express, where I can CAD up stuff and just get a custom part in the mail, there are things I love about our modern age. Also a friend of mine just got a 3D printer so that will make some other things easier as well. Of course all these are different CAD programs as the 2 online places use each their own propretary CAD programs and the 3D printer needs Solid Works files, and I do my initial layouts in Adobe Illustrator with a CAD plugin, Miniony enough for you? I know learning all these CAD programs is making my brain hurt.

...Oh, there was a point, oh yea so now the plan changed from fabbing up a new sump to simply having a plate machined (ala mailorder) for the bottom of the cut off pan that can be welded on and has a flange on the bottom for a Fiat 500 sump. Wait what? ...So the original Fiat 500 is a 2 cylinder engine with a pan flange just about the right size for the 4.2 I6 and there is a surprising number of choices from stock 3.5 litre to 6 and a half. Most are baffled and finned and the larger mushroomed sumps are way cooler than anything I'd ever be able to fab up or pretty much anyone could.

Attachment 1220363

Right now the priority is to get a mockup transmission together and then the chassis can get done as a full roller with engine and drive train. The transmission shop is getting me a 4L80E core so we can gut it and mill the bellhousing off. Also need to mill the outer edge of the pump plate and make the adapter ring for bolting the 4.2 specific 4L60E bell housing to it. Here is a 4L80E that has had this done and the bell replaced with a Reid bellhousing, same deal:

Attachment 1220377

I'm ordering all the mounts today, Energy Suspension body and trans mounts, and Hinson C6 Corvette motor mounts which are just a drop on hockey puck style mount which should work well with the 4.2 the lower perch then just needs to be a platform with a hole in it.

Attachment 1220374

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Oh, here is my engine from another angle so you can get an idea why those mounts will make it easy:

Attachment 1220386

Those threaded bosses in the lower left in the pic are where the AC compressor mounts, that is one of the reasons I had to retain the top 2 inches of the pan, you can also see the hole where the front Trailblazer axel went and the horrible placement of the sump.

This angle shows the integrated dirt skirt for the trans bellhousing and the location of the starter that makes a simple adapter plate on the front of the trans a messy solution. No room for a starter snout, so it would need to be a custom starter, a custom lower bell cover, blah blah blah. Milling off the bell and making an adapter ring is really a cleaner and easier solution in the end.

Attachment 1220389

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Very cool project!

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

x2.:metal:

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

absolutely love the build!I like the fact that you are keeping a I-6 in it as well,some very cool ideas on the build,keep up the good work!ps if youre interested in selling your old grill I would be really interested in it

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Thanks, and um, what? Sell the Jimmy? I'd lose my ass on it at this stage, well probably at any stage. Once we have a collapse of the economy followed by run away inflation maybe then it will be worth what I'm putting into it. Nah, it's being built for me with the idea that It'll be around longer than me, unless we go at the same time :burnout:

You want a barn find condition '91 Suburban?

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

think he is just interested in the grille

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Yep:)

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

Oh, damn I guess I misread that. I actually have 2 grills but plans for both, I have a '67 grill that will get welded to a roll pan and powder coated body color. And eventually the Chrome grill will get modified for my recessed rally lighting, rechromed and well another one of my goofy ideas, and riveted to another roll pan with a stretched '67 Camaro bumper mounted where the grill and pan seam is. Will probably keep the coated pan/grill assembly as spare body work given it won't exactly be an off the shelf piece at that point. Initially I'm going to do it without the lights just to get things going. BTW the plan is to do a pan on the back too and it will also get a stretched Camaro bumper, but again to get it going it'll just be roll pans front and rear. Once the Camaro bumpers are there the pans will finish off the body lines below the bumpers and provide support for the front air dam, will probably also have the little Camaro bumper guards as well to frame the plates.

Kind of an aside to that, I'm ordering punches and dimple dies for, not only the pan but also to break up some of the captive double wall stuff going on in the body. I plan on doing a row of dimpled holes, maybe 2-2 1/2" diameter on the underside of the front roll pan so the air that gets diverted by the air dam gets directed through the roll pan and into the radiator. May do brake ducts too, haven't decided yet.

Since I'm planing on powdercoating the whole body I plan on punching and dimpling the new floor ends under the door sile plates, as well as between the rockers and the torque boxes and maybe even a small row of 1"- 1 1/2" dimples on the bottom of the rockers inverted so they provide ventilation and drainage. This solves a couple problems, first lets those areas get powdercoated once things are assembled, and gets rid of the moisture retention that has killed all our rockers.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

OK, stuff going on, feels like progress, we'll see...

Body is blasted now, and the damage from the iron termites is now known. The blast is a pretty aggressive garnet blast so if there was going to be blow through this'll do it.

She's a colorless tub now:
Attachment 1226280

Here's the blow through on the windshield frame:
Attachment 1226281
Attachment 1226282

And The corners are, well bad and gone:
Attachment 1226283
Attachment 1226284

Some reconstruction there, obviously. Unlike the factory the patches will be sealed though, I'll probably also use sealed bottom rivnuts also. I'm not sure yet if the damage merits cut and replace around the gasket area, or maybe it'll just get leaded or actually unleaded. Eastwood has some leadfree lead that flows at a higher temp than traditional lead that will hold up to the powdercoat curing oven and I'll need to lead the seams anyway. I wasn't expecting all that caulking there.

Continued....

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

As expected, everything under the rockers is kinda toast. A & B pillars gone at the bottom.

Rocker horrors:
Attachment 1226286
Attachment 1226288
Attachment 1226289

...and some floor blow through, fortunately it's basically isolated to a easy to fab flat patch.
Attachment 1226287

I already have rockers, floor ends, pillar patches so I think I'm all good in this area. Those Jimmy/Blazer specific areas seem pretty solid nothing into the quarters at all. I am going to punch and dimple the floor ends (under where the sile plates go and the "wall" between the floor ends and the torque boxes) I am also going to do the same on the top of the rocker panels and cover it with a threshhold plate. I may punch the bottom of the rockers too, and a few higher in the pillars, we'll see, the point to this is so that it gets powder coated on the inside of these areas as well as providing ventilation and drainage. This trucks days of driving through the mud are over, but that doesn't mean it won't still get wet in there once in a while. Besides by the time I'm done punching and flaring holes in the body, I'll probably shed a fair few pounds and make the body more ridgid in the process.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

..On the other side of things, the frame is finally being built! Whoo Hoo!!!

The load that went to the fabricator:
Attachment 1226300

Next load is brakes, wheels, coil overs. Hopefully it'll be a roller in couple, few weeks after lot's and lots of delays. The guy doing the chassis has a nice big, well huge, steel topped fab table to layout the frame on. Nice flat plate steel top, perfed and threaded in a grid every couple inches, I'm pretty stoked about this. Delmo was who I thought was going to do it, but he is so entrenched in doing frame draggers, well we talked it over and this guy, TJ, is probably better suited to this sort of thing. He's a former protege of Del who set out on his own. Oh, reminds me, he needs frame dimensions so need to attach these:
Attachment 1226310
Attachment 1226311

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

So I'm going through a renewed push on this project after a long stall, so some updates. The frame is at the fabricators on the fabrication table some issues there which I'm not going to get into here, but with a roller in sight I'm getting ready to stage the rest of it all.

Engine/Trans:

The Weber DCOE pattern Jenvey throttle bodies are on their way from England. The Oil pan has been cut and the Fiat 500 sump has been ordered from Italy. My machinist is making up a new bottom plate for the cut pan with a machined in flange for the bolt on Fiat sump. Will still need to modify a pickup but that is a matter of just using an inline 5 cyl pickup and extending it 100mm since it's basically the same engine with a cyl missing, but setup for a rear sump.

Need to check with my transmission guy, about progress on the sliced 4L80E case, if nothing there, at this point I'll just order a pre sliced case from TCI with their pump plate adapter ring and just have it machined to fit my 4L60E bellhousing.

Will be ordering the PCS controller and 6 speed valve body kit, maybe even this week, along with the re-ratioed 1st and 2nd planetaries from PATC. I'm still considering ordering their tail shaft and housing as well that shrinks the 4L80E overall length and spline to the same as a 4L60E so in the future, in a pinch, I could throw in a 4L60/65/70E without changing anything. Seems kind of expensive for what it is though at $600 for a tailshaft and a casting, is the insurance of swapability worth that?

Still need to make a final determination on the AEM ECU, I will be going with a Series 2 intended as a drop in for a Honda V6 as it has the most features and is actually as cheap or cheaper than most of the alternatives. Will do 6 smart coils, 12 injectors, VVT, launch control, ping sensors, and lots and lots of General Purpose I/O. Very programmable.

Will be ordering a Kooks stainless header today intended for the Trailblazer the engine was originally installed in and an X-Force Varex electronically controllable muffler (all 3" from collector back) which I plan on controlling from one of the I/O leads of the ECU along with a switch to an alternate fuel map for the open exhaust mode. May hold off just a bit on the muffler, as it is available as a round or oval pattern, and with all that is going on in the suspension with trailing arms I'm not sure which fits better and where. I'm doing side exit exhaust so muffler needs to happen before the rear axle, tricky.

I've also gotten a design from Ron Davis for the radiator which is backwards from they typical small block radiator with high sides and low sides reversed left and right. They gave me a design for an aluminum radiator with shrouds and shallow electric fans that looks really nice and is a drop in to the 67-72 core support. To go with it I'll be doing an aluminum cross flow evaporator for the AC which I may anodize black to give me depth behind the lights in the grill, the evaporator not the radiator.

Control:

I also decided to just go for it on the paddle shifter and ordered up a Twist Machine Shrifter, what a pretty piece that is, along with a Nardi steering wheel. I'm getting it black anodised. Once I have wheel and shifter in hand and brackets under the seats I can determine what tilt column length to order from Flaming River.

I'll be using a B&M Quick Silver on the floor for P-R-N-D-L(s) for basic auto gear select, more for the solid feel of it, I probably really only need a Lokar to do the job but when I've seen the Lokar it just doesn't have that same feeling to it, kinda weak even with new detents in the trans. The B&M feels more like big machiney.

Been looking for a good hand brake lever, something not so minimalist as the Lokar. Both the shifter and brake will get leather wrapped pieces to continue the feel with the wheel and seats. What I'm leaning to at this point is a lever from a late model Jeep Wrangler which seems generic and adaptable enough and is just simply a lever, mount and indicator switch and not some thing so built into it's surroundings that it makes it difficult to adapt. Surpisingly the nicest of the aftermarket hand levers are hydraulic, never even considered such a thing, obviously a drifters thing I guess.

Body work:

Looking for a panel beater to finish up my body work, I think I found one, I've used him before, he did the wheel well stretch on my '91 Suburban years ago. I've gotten all my dimple dies and punches to prep the rockers, which I'm going to perferate so when they powdercoat the body it gets coated inside the rockers. Will probably do door bottoms, and A and B pillars as well.

Grill; I will likely be selling off my '67 painted and '70 chrome grill as I've decided the '71-72 grill may fit my needs more. I plan on cutting out the horizonal bars for my crazy lighting and the early grills are difficult to do that with because the vertical bars and horizonal bars are in the same plane and form a center point where they meet in the center. The '71-72 grills have the horizonals recessed from center so I can cut them out and patch where they were. It also has a bit of a Pontiac look to it once done, Here is a Photoshop concept I did of it using a pic of a members truck as a donor image: Attachment 1245976
Also note the sectioned and stretched '67 Camaro bumpers to hide the seam between the chromed grill and the painted roll pan. Roll pan will also be punched and dimpled to direct airflow from the air dam. The grill will be powder coated over the chrome in the recesses.

Will also order pans this week, probably Mar-K, and a smooth cowl panel from Scotts. I have soem '69 Grand Prix door handle cutouts I'll be using in the doors to smooth the handles in the doors, and already have reproduction handles to go with them. The Grand Prix handles are flush and you press on the end to pop them out. Again more Pontiac touches, hey I figure GMCs were sold along side Poniacs on the same lot most of the time.

I will also be frenching in Shelby Cobra aluminum popup gas fillers, and decided I may as well just put one on either side for balance, that way I never have to remember which side my filler is on. :lol: With my side exit exhaust I'm planing on doing a full width tank in the back that extends past the frame rails, I'm figuring I could get somewhere between 32 and 38 gallons back there and still keep good ground clearence. Since the frame is there the top of the tank will be essentiall split into 3 cavities and I will need to run some sort of breather system between them so that filling from either side cavity will fill all 3.

Bed will be lined with aircraft seat grid (also known as L-rail) and leveled out with sheet HDPE (the stuff they make from recylced milk jugs and use as a substitute for wood in park benches and decking), it's available in colors, I'll just be using black. The aircraft seat grid will let me snap in various "stuff" like bed cross bracing, the rear seats, a bulk head, a retractable hard tonneau cover mechanism, chocks for the bikes, tie downs, etc, etc, etc. It'll also give the bed a planked look, but sort of a high tech version in black and black powdercoated track.

Electrical-electronics:

I'm leaning towards an all breaker marine type system for the electrical buried into a dash to bed center console along with all the controllers and electronics housed in there and of course the e-brake and floor shifter.

I'll be doing a custom gauge pod, which is a whole other thing unto itself, with custom faced gauges from Speedhut. I don't really care for any of the aftermarket indicator options I've found or the cheesey LCD odometers in most of the aftermarket electronic speedometers so I'll be using a small Dakota Digital all in one dealy that is intended for motorcycles that provides a vacuum flourecent odometer along with turn signal indicators, high beam, digital speed, graphical tach, caluclated gear position based on RPM vs MPH, trip odometer and some idiot lights. This will be positioned into the cluster along with a bevy of traditional analog gauges, with kind of Ford GT40 inspired faces. There will also be a small color LCD panel in the middle.

To get things going, the Dakota Digital motorcycle panel does enough to function as the work in progress cluster. The rest will come later when I do the finishing in the interior. Like I said it's a whole project unto itself.

The seats have little compressors in them for lumbar bladder inflation, they're 30 years old and one is dead and the other weak, so I'm planning on bypassing them and just running a small frame mounted compressor to do the job for both seats as well as hopefully provide on board air for tire inflation and just not carry a spare, since there is no real place to put one that isn't in the way. Just carry a plug kit instead. There is aftermarket wireless tire pressure sensors, and as much as I hate to break beads on tires that have never even hit the road yet, I'll probably go ahead and get those installed.

Anyway, probably more than enough for now, I'll post parts pics as they come in, and frame and panel progress pics as it gets done.

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

We'll looks like you have a plan set. Looking forward to what you are going to do to your truck!

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

The attachement for the 71/72 grille doesn't seem to work. I would be interested to see what your plans are.... "crazy lighting"

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

I wouldn't let me edit my original post, but this is my concept render:

Attachment 1248650

Re: Project Madera: A Jimmy GT
 

That's a lot of figgerin out you've done! This is going to be a fun build to watch. Keep the updates coming!