Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

The snow stopped for a few days but it has fired back up again!

I have not mounted mine yet but i was going to put it somewhere just under the bed floor. Maybe build a bracket that will hold it and bolt to bed cross member.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Thanks for the response, thats where i was going to mount it also. But, the directions say to keep it higher then the filler neck. So, im not sure

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

You could run the vent hose from the tank over to the original vent tube assembly on the drivers side and then connect the vent you got from tanksinc to one of the other tubes on the vent assembly. You could then plug off the remaining tube.

or

You could just run the vent hose from the tank up through the bed floor and into the space behind the interior panel then make a loop just higher than the fill tube and bring the hose back down through the bed floor and install the vent you got from tanksinc.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Thanks for the ideas, ill give it some thought

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

I do not have the ability to fix my door gaps like you.....well done!

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

I guess it is time for an update. It has been so damn cold here it is hard to get motivated to go out to the shop after work. I do have heat in my shop but i don't keep it heated when i am not working in it. It makes it hard to justify heating it up when it is -15 for just a few hours.

I cleaned up my gauge cluster with a new lens, bezel, 168 bulbs and put a volt meter from a square body in the place of the ammeter. I couldn't figure out how to wire the ammeter to make it work and i prefer a voltmeter anyways.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

I turned a rats nest of wires into something kind of presentable. I ended up mounting the ECM fuses next to the AAW fuse block.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Gauge cluster pictures.

I also ran the speaker wires and amp wires out to the kick panels.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

I mounted the fuses for the electric fans on the fender. I also wired up relays to power the head lights and mounted those fuses next to the fan fuses.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

I started the jimmy for the first time using the ignition switch! Almost everything worked.:lol: The heater fan won't work on high (I think it is the switch) and the wiper motor wouldn't work. I spent about two hours replacing the switch checking for power and messing around trying to figure out what was wrong. Come to find out i had the transmission linkage on backwards and it was binding against the cowl.:haha: Flipped it around and it works great.

I also bought a OBD2 blue tooth scanner on ebay for $12.00 and downloaded the free Torque app on my tablet. I only played with it for a couple of minutes but it seems to work pretty good and you can get way more info than i thought you would be able to get. I think i will buy the $5.00 App.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

I have been trying to get some stuff done while waiting for the weather to break. I cleaned up my grille and painted it twice. Like about everything on this project it seems that everything I do the first time is just for practice.:lol: The first time i painted it i cleaned it up, taped it off and used some SEM self etching primer and Trim Black paint. But, even after i gave it a few days to cure it seemed like the paint scratched off of the chrome surface of the grille really easy. So i used my cheap harbor freight blaster and blasted off the newly applied SEM paint. This left the grill with a nice surface profile for the paint to stick to. The second time, i tested in a couple of spots the Etching primer and the trim black paint and just the trim black paint. After i gave it a day to cure i felt that just the trim black paint adhered better to the grille than the primer and paint method. I then stripped off all of the tape and retaped it so i would have nice sharp edges and applied just the trim black paint. I think that it turned out pretty good. There are still a few small dings that i couldn't get out and the chrome is not the best But, i guess it beats buying a repop that costs $600, came from China and doesn't fit.

Before

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

During.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

After. Hung back on the wall where it will reside until it is time to install. Hopefully some time this summer.:metal:

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

I also cleaned up the center console. I spent a ton of hours stripping it with a small wire brush and lacquer thinner. I then fiber glassed some small cracks from the inside and painted it with some SEM flexible paint.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Finished product!

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

If your work holds up to some wear, I'd be really proud of it. Right now, from the pics, it looks really really good, both the console and the grill. In that pic of the grill on the wall I don't even see where that double ding is on the cross bar from the first attempt pics.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Thank you!

As for the durability of the paint on the console, i read a lot of reviews and the SEM stuff is apparently the way to go. But, time will tell.

I have a real crappy body hammer and dolly set that i got from Harbor Freight. I wrapped the dolly with a old leather TIG welding glove and used it on the face of the grille. I am not a body guy by any means but i feel that the trick is to not let the dolly bounce when you strike it with the hammer from the back side. I positioned the grille on my welding bench (1" thick plate) face down with the dolly between the grill and the bench and gave it a few well place hits. You can still tell that the dings are there if you get up close but it is way better than it was.

I am looking forward to seeing your build come together!

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

console came out awesome, looks like it was worth the time spent on stripping...thanks for the product info., i bought one off the board and the paint is chipping off. Looks like ill have to do it your way. You still have to paint the eyebrows? Right?

always enjoy reading about your build progress!

never knew which way the GMC logo was supposed to face...but, now that i look at it, guess it can only go on one way

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

x2

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Thank you!

The nice thing about it if you are painting it black is that after you strip it it is black so if i do scuff it up a bit you probably won't hardly notice.

Yea, i have to paint the eyebrows still, but first i have to find a set. The passenger side one that came on my Jimmy was all bent up and the drivers side was a poor repop. I have been keeping my eye on the parts board for a nice original set but it seems they just don't come up that often.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Well it came out great...both. Yea I'm looking forward to mine coming together too, it looks like things are finally starting to happen now though. I guess I hadn't realised how much blackout accent there is on the '71-72s, mine being a '70 is just a wall of chrome up front, just a little bit of accent around the headlight doors and of coarse I've ditched the eyebrows and gone with a 67-68 hood which gets rid of the grill top crown moulding.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Dang, i used to have that stuff laying around, let me look and see whats up....

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

I decided that the Jimmy needed some tunes so i found these speakers on Amazon.com for $35.00 a set with free shipping! The same ones at Best Buy were $80.00 a set.

I first made a template of the kick panel area out of some card board and made the backs of the speaker enclosures out of 1/4" fiber board. I then cut some 1/2" MDF board for the speaker rings and laid them out on the board the best that i could trying top keep the both of them the same. Next, i stretched a t shirt over the molds and stapled it on the back side.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Next i brushed on some fiberglass resin to the t-shirt.

Then i added the fiberglass cloth and more resin, sanded the high spots after it cured and then brushed on another layer of resin.

When all of that cured, i sanded again and added filler to any low spots and then one last sand down.

They are now ready for raptor liner!

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

I made a bracket to relocate the dimmer switch and when the raptor liner cured i installed them.

I am not a big sound system person, but i want to hear a little bit of tunes cruising down the road with the top off!

I think they sound pretty good considering that they are just running off of the head unit and once i put two in the rear panels and a powered sub under the drivers seat i should be able to hear them going down the road.:metal:

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

I had to adjust the cowl to door gap on both sides.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

And the finished product!

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

nice work!

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Speaker kick panels came out nice, Thanks for sharing. Door gaps, cowl and Fender all look great.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Thanks guys!

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Wow it has been a while since i last updated, but i have been working on the jimmy between the normal spring chores like getting the bikes ready for summer!

I bought the body molding, laid it out and drilled all of the holes.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

After spending so much time lining the doors up i decided to drill and dowel the hinges so it would be easy to put them back in the exact same spot. I just drilled two 1/8" holes in each hinge and pillar and inserted a small piece of 1/8" welding wire in the hole and welded it in.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Luckily i have a place close to me that rents out a large blasting cabinet by the hour. So i took the day off of work and brought my fenders, doors, cowl and a box of misc. parts to blast.

I then dropped everything off at the painter and he epoxy primed it and is going to paint the inside of the fenders, inside of the doors and the jambs.

I also chemical stripped the hood. There was about 10 layers of paint on it and it took about the same number of applications of the stripper. I used to have a lot of fun with strippers this was definitely an exception.:lol:

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

I guess next on the agenda is the assembly when i get my doors and fenders back from the painter so i used the Eastwood metal blackening kit on a bunch of bolts. I blast all of the heads of the bolts first and it works pretty good. I just wonder how long they will keep looking good after it is on the road?

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Nice idea on the hinge alignment studs. Nice progress, wish i could say the same for me.
I hit a black layer when i was stripping body panels, and it was a sumb!tch to get off....
Trim looks great on there
Great dirt bike!

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Thanks!

I knew that if i took the doors off without some means to get them back in the same spot i would be kicking myself.

I thought blasting was bad, but the chemical stripper is way worse! I was just afraid that i would warp the hood if i tried to mechanically strip the hood.

I originally was not going to put the trim back on so i welded up all of the holes:dohh: but now i feel it would look naked without it.

I am going to try to ride my dirt bike more this summer. I used to race a couple GNCC's a year, but i would like to get in good enough shape to at least make the last one of the season in Crawfordsville IN. Got to have goals right?

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

I don't have a lot of progress to report but i did manage to order my shocks and install them. I also rebuilt my vent windows but it was not that exciting so i didn't take any pictures.

I guess you could say my project is in paint prison. My painter has been swamped so i am still waiting for my doors and fenders to get the jams painted. There is no way i will have this thing done this summer any ways, but i am still planning on having it done in the spring.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Since i have a little bit of down time from my Jimmy i decided to get out a future project that has been sitting in the weeds at my parents place for about a 20 years! I bought this 51 from my brother in-law when i was 16 and never really didn't anything to it. It supposedly ran when i bought it but never heard it with my own ears. I believe that it has a later model pressurized 235 in it with a 12V system. The plan for now is to get it home and see if i can get it running. I think it would be cool to beat around town in it like it sits until i get the Jimmy done.

When the Jimmy is done it will get stripped down and get independent front, and LS motor. Not sure if i want to make it nice or leave the patina.

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Here is my 51 after i gave it a bath!

Re: Project "It's a Jimmy Thing"
 

Nice, I like AD trucks. I use to have three burbs 48,49 , 52 and a 50 panel before I drifted over to 67-72 k5s and burbs. Id get it mechanically sound and drive it.