My Z'ed 81

[tommyd241]

Awesome!

[made2drag]

Originally Posted by bagged81

UPDATE: I am so close I can smell it!

So I have finally tacked the wiring. I got the column and ignition soldered up and everything appears to be working. Last night I dumied up the guage cluster and all seems to be working with it too so I will solder it up some time this week.

Next I think I am going to tackle the air ride stuff. This time around I am going to mout the tanks, compressor, and solenoids together in the be so it will be easier to access them.

After that, I am going to finish putting the engine bay back together and ready for cranking. I do need to get some kind of exhaust together since I have it in an apartment complex.

In the meantime, I will be tightening up some bolt and getting the interior back in it.

I am also doing some routine maintenance on the motor since its been awhile that it has been on the road.

well?.....i've been waiting a year and a half.....still no updates?

[87cdime]

Not sure who the last message was directed to lol I have made some progress on my 86 just slow goin...
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[made2drag]

Originally Posted by 87cdime

Not sure who the last message was directed to lol I have made some progress on my 86 just slow goin...
Posted via Mobile Device

bagged 81

[bagged81]

Originally Posted by made2drag

well?.....i've been waiting a year and a half.....still no updates?

You and I have have both been waiting for updates then, haha. It is amazing how life happens and your goals/priorities change direction. Since I have taken my truck apart to Z it, I have been married and had three children. The truck is located about 35 minutes away at my parents because I do not have a garage. I get to work on it a few times a month but part of that time is spent visiting or helping my dad do stuff.

All that being said, I am happy to report that I acutally drove it down the driveway for the first time since 2006 or so. My next step is to take it down the road which will hopefully be this next weekend. When you cut a truck in half and weld it back together, you kind of have to make sure all your i's are dotted and t's are crossed before the maiden trip.

I still need to button up some wiring, install front bumper and rear roll pan, and work out any kinks. Oh, I also have to register it again.

[Leedogg]

Good to hear that at least it hasn't been forgotten.

[edflores]

Any pics of the firewall/ floor mods? How close was your distributor? Did you have to cut out more then the trans tunnel?

[bagged81]

FINALLY took it for a spin on the road this weekend! It did great! I do not have my gauges on the inside just yet so I was having to guess at my ride height which was sort of stressfull. The is going to take some getting used to being this low. I still have some wiring to button up, interior to put back in, and bugs to work out.

Something I did not foresee is the need for a larger amp alternator. I am running two 450 compressor and they pull 42 amps which my stock alt does not like. I pulled it out of the garage one night to tinker and had the headlights on, but when I turned the comp's on the truck nearly died from the electrical pull. I turned them off and it was fine. So, I am only using one comp until I figure something out.

[bagged81]

Originally Posted by edflores

Any pics of the firewall/ floor mods? How close was your distributor? Did you have to cut out more then the trans tunnel?

I only have the one good photo of the trans hump cut. I basically moved straight up 3" or 4", and I came back with some sheet metal and filled it all in.

The distrubutor is super close and I cannot use that plastic ring that popped on all the plugs on the cap. There is one boot that touches the firewall. I did my best to beat a dent to make room but the motor and cab were already in place when I realized that I needed more room.

When I raised the trans hump up to make room for the trans, I marked where it needed to be then cut the firewall to match. I tried to leave about 1" between the bellhousing and firewall. I did struggle with my trans dipstick. The tube had to bent more and ended up breaking the stick because the bends in the tube were so tight. Still trying to remedy this too.

I basically had to do a lot more trimming and encouraging than expected. Looking back, I wish I had kept a list of everything that I had to do to make this all work. Looks good sitting in the driveway though!! lol

My other hurdle was turning radius. I had to trim WAY more than I wanted to of the inner finder lips and am not completely happy with how it turned out, but it is too late now. For me, it was a serious pain in the butt that my truck was already painted becuase I tried to be extra carefull with cutting, welding and such.

[edflores]

I used a braided didstick tube. I did not have to

Originally Posted by bagged81

I only have the one good photo of the trans hump cut. I basically moved straight up 3" or 4", and I came back with some sheet metal and filled it all in.

The distrubutor is super close and I cannot use that plastic ring that popped on all the plugs on the cap. There is one boot that touches the firewall. I did my best to beat a dent to make room but the motor and cab were already in place when I realized that I needed more room.

When I raised the trans hump up to make room for the trans, I marked where it needed to be then cut the firewall to match. I tried to leave about 1" between the bellhousing and firewall. I did struggle with my trans dipstick. The tube had to bent more and ended up breaking the stick because the bends in the tube were so tight. Still trying to remedy this too.

I basically had to do a lot more trimming and encouraging than expected. Looking back, I wish I had kept a list of everything that I had to do to make this all work. Looks good sitting in the driveway though!! lol

My other hurdle was turning radius. I had to trim WAY more than I wanted to of the inner finder lips and am not completely happy with how it turned out, but it is too late now. For me, it was a serious pain in the butt that my truck was already painted becuase I tried to be extra carefull with cutting, welding and such.

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[edflores]

I had a lot of room by the distributor. I raised the trans a little to tilt the motor slightly
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[bagged81]

I had a CS130 110 amp alternator built this past week so I am hoping this will solve my need for more power. I also ordered some airline so I will be able to move my guages into the cab. That will be super convenient.

I will have to look into the braided trans dipstick. It was also suggested to shorten the tube and dipstick which I need to explore as well.

One thing I am not fond of is the need for a hood prop since I cannot use the factory hood springs. When I get to some money and after heater/defroster, I will try and get some hidden hinges.

[edflores]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-CHEVY-700...#ht_3613wt_951

[bagged81]

Yes! That is what I need. Thanks.

[bagged81]

Couple other photos.

[made2drag]

dude, thats an awesome truck...one of my favorites now!

[bagged81]

Originally Posted by made2drag

dude, thats an awesome truck...one of my favorites now!

Thanks!

[Slave1]

Excellent work, you inspired me with mine, ive also done a large z at the front as I am going to be running 22" wheels. what heater system will you be getting for your truck?

[bagged81]

Still thinking about a heater/defroster. I have kicked around either building one with the OEM components or buy an electric system from JCWhitney or similar.

[96twodoor]

Nice truck man , glad you stuck with it when the project stalled out .

[bagged81]

Thanks 96twodoor. I know it will be nice to get to drive it on a routine basis.

I had a real productive weekend working on it. The guages are now installed inside and their lighting wired up. I also replace the power steering pressure hose which started leaking recently.

When I wired up the tail lights originally, I kept the rear wiring harness but had issues with the tail light not working. The stop and turn worked just fine. I ended up cutting all the old stuff wiring out and started from scratch. All my rear lights work now.