Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

nice progress, colors look great.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Was your alternator already black or did they paint it? the paint on it looks nice and smooth.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Looking back at your AC, where did you mount your dryer?
Good choice on hiding your AC hoses under the inner fender

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

There have been a couple different alternators on the truck during the build, bit this final one is from Powermaster, and it came from the manufacturer with the black finish already added. I agree, it looks good!


Take a look at that same pic that shows the hoses going through the inner fender - the A/C drier is also located under there, towards the front of the truck. Lots of space in these wheel wells for all sorts of stuff!

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Great ideas on the hose routing. Thanks for the detail pictures.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

This truck is sweet, I have followed it from the start. It's going to Pop with that paint. I can't wait to see it finished.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Thanks for the update. We are finally moving on ours and your pics help. Great work!

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

................... Hiding in plain sight !!!

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Hey folks, another quick update here. Marvin is scheduled to head back to the paint shop tomorrow. The cab will get final prep for paint and get some color soon (finally!). Lots of small little details getting addressed before he changes locations. At this point, most of the engineering, fabrication, or just plain old figuring sh*t out is complete. Very excited for the next few weeks. Here are some pictures showing progress since last time.


Little by little, things keep getting added to the engine bay. Will show some details in the next couple pictures. It looks great, but definitely has more going on in there than I had originally imagined. Should still turn out looking pretty clean.
http://i.imgur.com/Z7hpaZ5.jpg


Couple things to note here. Had the intake re-done - the Edelbrock logo was ground off, as well as the mounting tabs for their MSD spark box that comes with it (that Marvin isn't using). Also smoothed the surface a bit before fresh paint. I think the results are pretty sharp - looks good, especially with the air cleaner sitting on top. You can also see the final coil wiring, upper radiator hose fitted, and the LS steam-vent tubing is mostly complete.
http://i.imgur.com/wQ98Jvm.jpg


Here's a better shot of the upper radiator hose that was fitted, and you can just barely see the short little nubbin that makes up the lower radiator hose. The water outlet/thermostat housing actually had to be trimmed down a couple inches to get it to fit properly. There's only about an inch of space between the thermostat housing outlet and the lower radiator outlet. Tight fit! The steam-vent tubing will be plumbed into an in-line fitting that will be installed halfway up the upper radiator hose. (using this part here http://jagsthatrun.com/Pages/Parts_Cooling_LSI-tee.html)
http://i.imgur.com/UzDLaKZ.jpg


Around back, you can (kinda) see that tubing has been plumbed from the rear of each valve cover up into the underside of the air cleaner for PCV purposes. The actual PCV valve was installed in the valley cover and is plumbed into the base of the throttle body.
http://i.imgur.com/ri5J6KW.jpg


Spark plug wiring turned out a little differently than I had originally been thinking. The pictures you often see of LS engines that are running headers will show wires coming off of each coil and running directly down to each spark plug, in between the header pipes. Couldn't get that to work here, so longer wires were made up and routed around and under the headers, similar to early 70s Corvettes. In fact, a wire routing bracket for one of those Corvettes was used here at the front of the head to get the wires where they needed to go.
http://i.imgur.com/fzKEhhX.jpg


Passenger side. Lighting isn't great, but I think you can see that with the valve cover's cover on, and the inner fender installed, this method of spark plug wiring works well and makes the wires almost disappear visually. Not a perfect comparison to the driver's side, though, because the wires on this side are routed towards the back of the engine. You may also be able to see that the oil and transmission dipsticks have been cut down, painted black, and are now nicely inconspicuous compared to previous pictures. I think I'll get the steel tubing on top of the engine painted all black, as well.
http://i.imgur.com/RBo7nRz.jpg

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Inside the cab, just a couple more small details. Had to figure out something for the parking brake mechanism. I didn't want to re-use the big clunky stock pedal mechanism. But I also didn't want a more modern pull-handle to be so easily visble - thought it might "stick out" visually. There wasn't enough space to mount it between the seat and the driver's door. This location works very well I think - mounted sideways in the seat riser under the driver's side of the bench seat. Cables pass through the floor under the seat to go back to the rear brakes.
http://i.imgur.com/k5LRUp5.jpg


Close-up view of the mechanism and mounting. This is a pretty standard aftermarket 'street rod hardware' type parking brake handle.
http://i.imgur.com/GNyMPqM.jpg


View from the front. The seat riser itself will be painted the deep red body color, and the parking brake handle will be painted to match. With the upholstered seat installed, you might not even notice that the handle is there unless you knew it was there, which is definitely the goal!
http://i.imgur.com/xxLrHiD.jpg


Was able to use the stock brackets on the frame for routing and supporting the parking brake cables. These brackets are so cool, I think - just had to keep them on the truck.
http://i.imgur.com/UocZdRB.jpg


I really hemmed and hawed over speaker placement. Unfortunately, the rear-cab-corner speaker brackets I got from another forum member won't quite work for this build. I found out that the seat would not recline fully with them installed. I'm 6'4", so I'm going to need all the recline I can get in this cab. I know a lot of folks are pretty opposed to cutting cab sheet metal in order to mount speakers, and I definitely wrestled with that myself. Kinda limited for options though, especially because I didn't want to use free-standing kickpanel "pods" for the front speakers. So, the tweeter speakers will get mounted in the stock sheetmetal location shown here, while the 5.25" midrange speakers will get mounted up under the dash, pointed down and slightly forward. Small subwoofer will go behind the seat in a box.
http://i.imgur.com/E3PSlR6.jpg


These recessed cups were fabricated to house the tweeters. The inside of the cup is lined with some acoustic foam, and the cups are mounted with a gasket for seal against vibration and outside air/elements.
http://i.imgur.com/5YLfCnH.jpg


Here's the driver's side tweeter installed. The recessed nature of the cup will allow these small speakers to go mostly unnoticed, I hope, once the dark brown carpet is installed in this area.
http://i.imgur.com/kpkUtms.jpg


And that's all for today. When it gets down to things like speaker mounting, its almost enough to allow myself to imagine driving Marvin again. Lots more to do before that, though, so I'd better keep my daydreaming in check. More updates soon!

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Beautiful work, going to be sweet when finished...Jim

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Following

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

I'm curious how far they stuck out to interfere with your seat. I was contemplating getting those. I have seen his sale thread.

Your truck is looking too good now. It's putting mine to shame. :) I'll be looking for it at the shows next year (assuming they don't get it wrapped up in time for this year).

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

What length is your steering column?

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

You know, the interference with the speaker brackets was not too bad - I probably only lost the last inch of recline with them installed. Maybe more though once the seat frame has upholstery on it. I think the main issue was that my seat frame is about as wide as can possibly fit in the cab, so it was making contact with the brackets. A slightly narrower seat frame would clear and recline all the way no problem. While there's been talk that Marvin could be ready before the Back to the 50s show the weekend of June 20, I've also got a baby girl due June 15 so spending the weekend at the show this year may be a tall order! :lol: Any chance you'll have your truck in the Gopher State show in April? That's always a fun show to visit at the end of a long winter.

You know, I actually don't know the specific measured length of the column. Its a retrofit column from Ididit that they make specifically for the 47-53 trucks. Part # 1130651010.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Thanks!

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

A quick addition to yesterday's update. The UPS man came today and brought something fun. The completed steering wheel is back from CON2R with all the painted parts assembled. To be honest, I was a little unsure when i first got the unpainted parts from CON2R. The loose pieces of ABS plastic didn't feel very... substantial. But now that they've been painted and fully assembled onto the metal frame, I have no concerns. The steering wheel is hefty, solid, and sturdy. Its a quality part. And with the paint, I think it looks stunning. Way back, I had originally wanted to find a way to modify the stock wheel to fit the Ididit column, but I just didn't find the options I was looking for. The difference between the hub diameter of the stock wheel and modern column is significant. This steering wheel still keeps the simple "t-spoke" styling of the stock wheel and I don't think will look out of place in the cab. Its surprisingly difficult to take a picture of something with shiny paint in a well lit room!

http://i.imgur.com/Imi16UI.jpg

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

WOW, nice piece...Jim

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Congratulations on the baby. I just had a little girl too. She is almost 7 months and slowed my progress down on my truck but she is worth it. Is this your first kid? I hope to go to the gopher state show but there is no way my truck will be there. I am currently building the motor. so far all I have done is the suspension. Its a slow process.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

TorchLight,
Your truck is going to be very nice. Liking the build.
I like the mounting of the electrical under the seat and I'm changing plans to do similar thing with a Glide engineering seat.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Hi everyone-

Quick little update here. Marvin is back at the body shop and probably more assembled than he's ever been since the day he got taken apart. He'll still have to come all apart again for paint, of course, but this is for final fit check on all sheetmetal, panel gaps, etc. Stopped by the shop today for a walkaround and identified a few more things to address before paint, but it is getting real close.


Looking like a truck again!
http://i.imgur.com/1D89SIx.jpg


I think the headlight bezels are looking great. Having these a little deeper than the stock stainless rings allows the headlight to sit down inside the ring a little better. Using the stock rings, sometimes the headlights could look 'bugged out' a little bit, as they'd protrude completely past the outer edge of the ring. These will be chromed, and a little bit of filler will be used to build up the fender to meet the lip off the new bezels. But the bezels will still remain a separate, detachable piece, rather than becoming 'one' with the fender.
http://i.imgur.com/1vzSlI2.jpg


Tail end, looking sharp, with running boards on. Rear bumper has been stripped and ready to go back out for re-chrome, once we get the license plate mounting solved. Rear axle/wheels need to move back just a little bit - too far forward right now.
http://i.imgur.com/Vb3DxE8.jpg


The boards are just laying in there loose, but they look great all mocked up! The hold-down strips use hidden fasteners, and they will be painted body color rather than being left polished.
http://i.imgur.com/B9KV8GO.jpg


The oval in the center of the valve covers used to say "Billet Specialties." I think they look better this way!
http://i.imgur.com/XmQauMP.jpg


Hope to have more to share soon!

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

luv the valve covers

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Made a stop by the shop this morning to drop off a couple things. A few quick pictures here:


Marvin was only back together again for a fleeting moment. Coming back apart! Had to take the whole front end off to get the headers off. All the exhaust is now fully welded up and out at the platers for jet hot ceramic coating.
http://i.imgur.com/J2zaOVr.jpg


Side mirrors mounted. Not stock, but I really like the look of these "fatties" mirrors from Hagan Street Rods. The glass mirror surface has a convex shape, giving you a much wider field of view than a flat surface. This is important because Marvin is a 3-window cab, which means the mother of all blind spots !
http://i.imgur.com/QUv9wnG.jpg


Custom fuel tank mounted up and in place. Might have to change the way the fuel lines come in, because they are going to be about impossible to connect when the bed is on. The tank looks great - I love the way it is shaped to fit snug right up into the stock rear crossmember. Just over 18 gallons, and you can't see it at all from the rear of the truck - back bumper covers it completely. This will get painted black after the mockup of the filler neck gets completed.
http://i.imgur.com/zaZ8Xk3.jpg


More pics next week!

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Really nice! Who made the tank?

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

The guys at the metal shop who have had Marvin since the beginning made the tank, and they did an amazing job! It's gonna work great with the side filler through the drivers side rear fender.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Did you make the headlight rings? They look great.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Started with some merc headlight trim rings:

(http://www.butchscoolstuff.com/52-me...gs-85-pr-6900/)

Cut em down a little bit, smoothed the back edge, and added some mounting tabs. Now they just need some chrome! :D

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Thanks for the link. I may have to steal this idea from you. Very cool build.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Killer build, nice truck and Marvin for your ryde is a kool name.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

nice build. offers great ideas.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Maybe I missed it , but one of my favorite parts is that you kept the foot starter! How'd that happen? I want to do the same thing in my truck when I update my transmission and I had ideas but you have it figured out!

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Hello everyone, just a few pictures to share today. Progress has been a bit slower as of late. Maybe not fair to say slower, but rather that a lot of things being worked on don't really show up that well in pictures. There's been a ton of sheet metal massaging going on to get things to fit just right. As you all know, the sheet metal didn't even fit that great right from the factory! Just the hood to finish up now, and hoping to see some paint prep on the cab soon. In the meantime, here are a few pictures:


Here you can see the work completed on the passenger side for the fit of the running board, running board ;skirt,' and bedside. Wanted this to all go together a little more clean than it was right from the factory, but nothing too radical. I think it turned out as a very nice look.
http://i.imgur.com/6szp19d.jpg


Here's a close-up view of the same. Still looks a bit gnarly, but once it is finished and painted, it should be pretty smooth! The bottom edge of the bedside stake pocket is extended down to match the curve of the running board skirt, and the bedside itself has been extended to close up the gap between the bed and the cab.
http://i.imgur.com/inOIKUd.jpg


Here's a driver's side view at a different angle. You can also see there's a filler piece welded to the top of the box front panel to fill in the gap between the box and the cab a bit better.
http://i.imgur.com/CcYTxPk.jpg


Close up view of the top filler piece. This cleans up this area quite a bit, I think, without looking too wild.
http://i.imgur.com/0PSnfhC.jpg


Rear bumper still needs chrome, but have license plate mounting all fabbed up, including the license plate guard off of a 49 chevy car. I think its a really cool piece! Also, as might be evident from the plate, I'll be moving to Iowa soon! So I'd better have a proper plate. Iowa lets you run a vintage plate as long as it is from the same year as your vehicle and you keep a set of "real" plates in the cab to show to law enforcement officers upon request.
http://i.imgur.com/PYs93Mv.jpg


Finally, the rebuilt gauges are just about done. I stopped by the other day to pick them up but they juuuuuuust weren't quite done yet. The turn signal LEDs still need to be installed and the gauges need final calibration. I will pick them up for good in a few more days. But I couldn't help taking pictures because these things are absolutely gorgeous. These are the original gauges that have been completely redone by a talented shop here in town. The gauge face color is the same as my wheels (pic below), and the center sections and lettering are done in the same red color that Marvin will be painted. Speedometer was converted to electronic, and the fuel/water/oil gauges were updated to work with the more modern sending units. The battery ammeter was removed and a 70-degree sweep tachometer was put in its place. Simple, but will at least give a rough idea of where the RPMs are. The gauges are beautifully backlit with LEDs. On the gauge on the left in this picture, you can see the four small round holes for LED indicators - turn signals, headlights on, and high-beam indicator. I am so impatient to see these installed in the dash!
http://i.imgur.com/HP2qECK.jpg


'Matching' wheels.
http://i.imgur.com/ZnaUcRo.jpg


And another shot of the gauges, this time with the steering wheel in the picture. I couldn't resist.
http://i.imgur.com/aSKx22X.jpg


Might be a little while until my next picture update, but should have a lot more progress to report at that time. Can't wait!

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

I agree - keeping the foot starter button was important to me because it is such a cool, fun feature of the original trucks. This was done by utilizing a floor-mount 12-volt starter switch that (I believe) is commonly found on older types of tractor equipment. It still goes through the floor slightly, so all the wiring is in the engine compartment side of the firewall, but it is essentially just a momentary electric switch, rather than a mechanical linkage approach like the original. Can't wait to try it once the engine is ready to run!

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Everything looking super, nice job...Jim

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Really nice detail work Torchlight. Those details will really set Marvin apart from the crowd.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Like they've said, looking fantastic!

Where in Iowa are you moving to?

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Pella - going to embrace my 1/8 dutch heritage (haha)!

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Nice area (though I'm sure you already know if you've committed to a move). I do my part to keep their local economy strong here.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

Dutch eh? I'm 1/2. I have relatives that live in Iowa that I've met 2 or 3 times. No idea where they are located though.

Re: Marvin (1953 3100)
 

very nice work. diggin the speedo conversion. I'm doing the same thing. Just did one for the tach. what electric speedo did you use as a donor?