Halfbreed - GMC Z71 + IH Extd Cab

[GmtGmt]

Amazing simply amazing build

[sparkydog]

Some new-to-the-truck GM factory carpet. I originally saved the carpet out of the 96 X-cab but because I changed how the floor blended into the IH rear cab wall the carpet didn't fit well. So I pulled this out of a Suburban which has a longer, flat floor. Everything fit well and I could then trim the rear end off to fit the contours of my floor in the rear. More pics of that area later. I still have a little more elbow grease to go to get the entire carpet clean. Whoever rode shotgun in the Burb spilled a lot of coffee. I also saved the piece I cut off the rear so that I can have the holes for the rear AC ducts patched in.

[sparkydog]

Now that there is carpet back in the truck Sparky has something to dig his toenails into so he can stay upright during a drive. As you can see he was really happy with the improvement!

[67ChevyRedneck]

Awwwwwwwwww...
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[Palf70Step]

[tecky11]

she looks damn good, is it done now? or ......

[nuke1]

Love those drives also with my dog

[ERASER5]

That's a dog gone cool pic.

[sparkydog]

If you all recall I am trying to finish the integration of the IH and GM cowl/wipers/HVAC sheetmetalfication. Next up on the punch list was to redo the mods to the IH defrost nozzles. On an earlier post I had altered their angle of dangle but used duct tape to seal them off. A member of the IH forum suggested that I should have used fiberglass and it has haunted me ever since. So here's some shots of me glassing up the nozzles and curing them in my oven when the wife wasn't paying attention. I also had to pour some filled resin inside their passageways in order to seal them off.

[sparkydog]

I also (finally) figured out a strategy for how to seal off the inner-most firewall and commenced to fab the patch panels, tack them in place and then seam seal. Some sections of the sealing had to be finger-splooged into place - hence the photos that look like the egg hatchery from Alien.

[sparkydog]

Patch metal for the cowl/firewall in the previous post courtesy of the ex-hood from the 96 GM Xcab.

While I was waiting for the seam seal to cure I wanted to check on the design of the rear bumper brackets. Since I live in SoCal I pretty much instinctively check for Black Widows when I pick something up that has been laying on the ground for awhile - like my rear bumper.

Even so I had a nice adrenalin rush when my brain tried to process the conflicting signals between an expected spider and an un-expected praying mantis. Not that they are dangerous - it's just that for a nano-second it came across as an extremely large, green-widow.

Later that evening the mantis was trying to hump my front tire.

[sparkydog]

Finally I started prepping the HVAC unit to go back into the cab for the last time (I hope). Here is a shot of how much gunk had built up inside after 6 years.

And since it was time-change day I was all wacked out and finished early. It was a textbook day in SoCal and I still can't get used to the nice weather so I had to take this pic and gloat a little.

[pickup67man]

Originally Posted by sparkydog

If you all recall I am trying to finish the integration of the IH and GM cowl/wipers/HVAC sheetmetalfication. Next up on the punch list was to redo the mods to the IH defrost nozzles. On an earlier post I had altered their angle of dangle but used duct tape to seal them off. A member of the IH forum suggested that I should have used fiberglass and it has haunted me ever since. So here's some shots of me glassing up the nozzles and curing them in my oven when the wife wasn't paying attention. I also had to pour some filled resin inside their passageways in order to seal them off.

Honey why does dinner taste funny tonight. Were you cooking car parts for lunch again.

By the way I'm in Washington and today was sunny and 65 degrees. Not bad for November.

[maxxxy]

Originally Posted by sparkydog

So here's some shots of me glassing up the nozzles and curing them in my oven when the wife wasn't paying attention.

Hahaha I cured some paint on some exhaust manifolds in my moms oven when she was out of the house. She got home just in time to see me pulling them out of the oven. Lets just say she wasn't too happy...
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[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by sparkydog

Later that evening the mantis was trying to hump my front tire.

So THAT'S how tires get those pregnant bubbles!

[ERASER5]

Me thinks sparkydog screemed like a little girl with a skinned knee!

[sparkydog]

These shots are while I was still working to integrate the HVAC gear. The final challenge was how to seal off around the defrost nozzles. This was the only remaining area where cold air from the cowl could infiltrate into the interior. I fabbed up some "blockage" plates and then used some foam.

After that I fabbed up a manifold for the air distribution box and connected the defrost hoses.

I will be using the GMC control panel for the HVAC but it will be hidden from view. I cleaved off the guts of the IH control panel. tack welded the knobs into fixed positions and will be running with this as a false control panel. I left one knob functional and hope to figure out how to use it has the release knob to reveal the hidden GMC controls.

[sparkydog]

I finished applying "FauxMat" to my cab. These are shots of the roof. One thing that I did during all of this was to go around on all of the larger flat sections and apply some extra layers so as to damp out the drum effect of these sections. It works real well. I just knocked on each section, added some material and knocked again. On the roof it took 3 layers because it was so large.

After that it was time to throw the dash back in, throw Sparky the dog in the rear of the cab, pick up one of the Daughters from college and drive to Oregon for Thanksgiving. Chalk up another 1200 miles on the truck!

[tecky11]

wow that looks slick as hell, great job wish i had the balls to do this. altho if you dont mind i would like som shots of how to you ran the HVAC thrru the IH dash

[Lippyp]

Originally Posted by pickup67man

Honey why does dinner taste funny tonight. Were you cooking car parts for lunch again.

:

This is why I've kept the old oven after our recent kitchen remodel. Its going in my garage so I can use it to powdercoat small parts etc.

[sparkydog]

Originally Posted by tecky11

wow that looks slick as hell, great job wish i had the balls to do this. altho if you dont mind i would like som shots of how to you ran the HVAC thrru the IH dash

I don't have any more photos beyond what you see in the this build. The top 2-3" of my firewall is IH the rest is GM. The shapes of the firewalls and the cowl walls don't match at all. The GM is squarish and the IH is curvy. If I had slid the IH cab rearwards so that the stock IH fenders were centered over the GM front spindles then then MAYBE the alignment of the dash/cowl/firewalls would have been a little better. The only thing that really needs to come through the upper firewall is the IH defrost nozzles and ducting.

[sparkydog]

Originally Posted by Lippyp

This is why I've kept the old oven after our recent kitchen remodel. Its going in my garage so I can use it to powdercoat small parts etc.

"I love the smell of roasting petro-chemicals in the morning."

[ERASER5]

Make that sock monkey come alive! Hook some fishing line from him to the glove box door, he will come to you as you open the box! A-la TRUNK MONKEY!

[sparkydog]

Originally Posted by ERASER5

Make that sock monkey come alive! Hook some fishing line from him to the glove box door, he will come to you as you open the box! A-la TRUNK MONKEY!

I'd settle for him helping out with carpool lane duty!

[sparkydog]

Pics 1&2 are of my conversion of the IH wiper arm ends over to more modern style so that I could use newer, better designed wiper blades. I could never figure out how to get those 60's style blades to release off the end of the arms back in the day and I still can't now!

While I was at this mod I increased the length of the arms by 1/2" and the blades by 2" to try and cover more useful windshield area. I may have to drop down 1" on the blade length after these wear out.

Pics 3-5 are of my new cover for the IH air inlet grille. My cousin in law did the grill area fill work and then I added the screw studs and the protective paint. I had to leave this as a removable cover for access to the wiper linkage rather than simply weld it in like many others do.

The cowl area is beginning to look a lot more cleaned up now. But I still have a ways to go before it is finished. Stay tuned!