Driver on a budget.

[TchncnDen]

If you are going to do a lot of welding you can buy a receptacle for about $10 at HD it is basically the same as an elect dryer and be a lot safer.

I did use it that way but I was done in an hour and I was plenty careful around that thing. The extension I'm plugged into actually goes in the basement to my 30A dryer plug. For some unkown reason the spot welder has a 50A plug. I have a degree in electrical type things and I didn't even waste my time doing the math because there's no way a spot welder draws 50A. With that being said, I posted it as a joke and I hope no one takes me serious or even worse follows my lead. Be safe out there.

After the bondo comes more epoxy. There's a couple of minor imperfections to take care of before I put some surfacer on for blocking. It's going to stay in epoxy for a while though as I tackle some other parts of the project, such as getting it running.

[TchncnDen]

With this post we are current and up to date. I didn't get to this point nearly as methodical as the postings suggest. I usually have a couple of things going for various reasons, stip a panel, prime a panel, tinker with mechanicals, etc. Currently I'm working on prepping the interior for paint, painting the inside bed, painting the rear frame and getting the engine in.

To do an LSX swap a major hurdle is fuel delivery. There are several options

A) Buy a custom tank with electric pump for $1000+ NOPE
B) Buy a universal pump and hanger for $250 and modify it because it won't work with a 14" deep blazer tank. NOPE
3) Run an inline pump even though there are many problems of starvation because there is now way to mount the pump lower that the tank. NOPE
D) Buy a Walbro 255lph pump from craigslist and make your own hanger. WINNER!!

We have a ridiculously low budget here people. Regardless, I'm proud of how this one turned out.

[67cheby]

nice work on the pump !

[lynbarr]

That's my bro! He's awesome, ain't he? Subscribed.

[FrankieD]

It's got to be hard living in a neighborhood and trying to build something. You are doing a nice job. I like the Idea of doing it on a small budget I'll be taking notes. I get a lot of my stuff from craigslist and then sell parts there to reinvest.

[Meatman]

Fuel pump looks good, but what about the float and sender for your gauge?

[TchncnDen]

That's my bro! He's awesome, ain't he? Subscribed.

That really is my sister! It looks like she joined a classic truck forum.

Fuel pump looks good, but what about the float and sender for your gauge?

I don't have a sender yet because I don't know what gauge I'll be using. The factory sender hole is still available under the blue tape. The fuel pump is very close, but I should be able to orient the sender in a direction that won't interfere. Looking at the picture of the tank, the pump and sump sit to the left of the bolted on top plate. I did this so the sump would sit on a flat part of the tank and not on one of the strap seams. Everything from the midpoint of the top plate and to the right is wide open.

Also, I had to mount the pump on that side of the tank because I wanted to take advantage of the factory reliefs for the sending unit to run the fuel lines in. As it is, I may have to shim that side of the tank down 1/2" and/or route a pocket in the wood to keep the lines from hitting the bed wood. The fuel filler is too close to the frame on the other side to shim it any. I won't know the answer to that question until the bed is finished, but it's no big deal to shim.

[TchncnDen]

We had a cold rainy weekend so I had to stick to things I could do inside. First I shaved the gear indicator, painted and rebuilt the steering column. Then I welded and filled a patch for the rust in the header and filled some of the extra holes someone made in the dash.

[TchncnDen]

I had a little time left so I tackled something that wouldn't take to long. It took a little longer than I thought it would, but the side marker is hinged in preparation of a side fill tank.

[67c10rustbuket]

Looking good, I was doing steering column surgery at the exact same time, Isn't it fun. I like the tank filler mod too, I hacked the filler off my 97 parts truck thinking I may do that one also. but in the tail llight since I dont have side markers..

1Q- did the roll on prime give you that lumpy texture like painting a wall in the house or did it lay out smoother due to the thickness of the auto primer. And what type of roller did you use, the foamy one or the cheap fuzzy roller? thanks

[TchncnDen]

Looking good, I was doing steering column surgery at the exact same time, Isn't it fun.

Happy coincedence! In the late 80's I worked at a chevy dealer. You could start any GM product from that era almost as fast with a screwdriver as you could with a key. As a result we would get at least one theft recovery a week. Rebuilding the steering column paid 8 hours. The first one took 8 hours, the second about 4 and every one after that an hour and a half. There was only one other guy in the shop that would do mechanical so we loved em!

I like the tank filler mod too, I hacked the filler off my 97 parts truck thinking I may do that one also. but in the tail llight since I dont have side markers..

I thought about using the taillight too. There would be more room for a gas nozzle. I didn't go that route because the rear stake pocket is the only real support on the back of the bed and I didn't want to lose any stability as I will still be using this as a truck. I'm sure it could be braced up, or if you're not using to haul it shouldn't be needed, but the side marker was easier for me. I'm sure there will be plenty of room for gas. That's one big marker.

1Q- did the roll on prime give you that lumpy texture like painting a wall in the house or did it lay out smoother due to the thickness of the auto primer. And what type of roller did you use, the foamy one or the cheap fuzzy roller? thanks

Hey, that's two questions! I used the tip and roll method where you follow the roller with a brush. You can see streaks from the solvent in the marker pictures, but they're just that - solvent. It is a nearly smooth surface. As a test I left the window frame on the door as roller only and the tip and roll method much, much better. I started with a foam roller and switched to a regular 3/8" nap roller. I don't think it was any worse and it was a little easier. I was using a 4" roller and just cut down a full size roller cover to fit, that's 2fer1. Do a search on youtube for tip and roll painting, I think you'll be impressed. I did a lot of research on this and the boat guys rate the best paint jobs as tip and roll, then spray, then roller only. Yep, tip and roll rates higher than spray.

[TchncnDen]

I got a bit done this week. Painted the back of the frame the inside of the bed and the interior. I was starting to worry that I might be making this too nice to want to use as a daily driver when it's finished. At least the inside of the bed doesn't have that effect.

[gearys 5600]

Lookin good..

[FrankieD]

Did you use rustolem on it? Looks like it was sprayed on.

[VA72C10]

Looking very nice! Going to make a Very nice driver!

[Fatkid1983]

Damn I wished I had your body work skills, looking great!
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[TchncnDen]

Lookin good..

Looking very nice! Going to make a Very nice driver!

Thanks!!

Did you use rustolem on it? Looks like it was sprayed on.

Yep, it's rustoleum. I buy it in the quart cans and spray it through a gun, that doesn't break my Home Depot rule. The smell is no worse than the rattle cans, but it's cheaper, goes farther and lays down better on large areas. When I read your first reply to my use of rustoleum I chalked it up to one of three things. Either you had poor preparation, there's a compatability problem with por15, or the "real" rustoleum isn't available in your area. Well I looked at your thread and it definately wasn't poor preparation, nice job, and I can't really comment on the por15 compatability. What I did notice is that between the time I bought my first can on this project and the second can the selection at the store fell by about 75% and the can has a new look and no longer says oil based. That could be a bad sign. When I painted the bike gas was splashed often during fill ups and I never had a problem with that or on any other vehicles I've used it on. I hope that's still the case.

Damn I wished I had your body work skills, looking great!

I'm sure you could pull it off, it just takes time. There is plenty of advice and examples on this site anyone can follow. It just takes a little longer if you've never done it before. Oh, and thanks for the compliment.

[FrankieD]

[QUOTE=TchncnDen;5332242]Thanks!!



Yep, it's rustoleum. I buy it in the quart cans and spray it through a gun, that doesn't break my Home Depot rule. The smell is no worse than the rattle cans, but it's cheaper, goes farther and lays down better on large areas. When I read your first reply to my use of rustoleum I chalked it up to one of three things. Either you had poor preparation, there's a compatability problem with por15, or the "real" rustoleum isn't available in your area. Well I looked at your thread and it definately wasn't poor preparation, nice job, and I can't really comment on the por15 compatability. What I did notice is that between the time I bought my first can on this project and the second can the selection at the store fell by about 75% and the can has a new look and no longer says oil based. That could be a bad sign. When I painted the bike gas was splashed often during fill ups and I never had a problem with that or on any other vehicles I've used it on. I hope that's still the case.

QUOTE]

My problem was a leaking PS hose the oil ran down the cross member and laid under the timing cover over the winter and a small drip from the portioning valve but brake fluid will eat any paint.

The new paint is why I said look for a store that doesn't turn the paint as fast I was told that they are not going to make oil base paints any more but can sell what they have in stock
I have one that is a small ACE but mainly sells to industrial and contractors. At work I have a 100k Generator I painted about 5yrs ago with it and it is still a glossy black

[droy014]

I have a question. When you mix your Rustoleum, what do you thin it with, and what is your mix ratio?:

[TchncnDen]

Originally Posted by ta2ed

Have you ever used the waterborne primer? I have a couple times it did ok but it wasn't anything to write home about
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I have used it only a couple of times myself. Only when I had trouble with things lifting underneath and that was probably in the late 80's. I remember it was hard as a rock, I don't know that I would use it on bare metal, being waterborne and all.

Originally Posted by ta2ed

According to that diagram, you're right there isn't 1. What year is the motor and what did it come out of? I can hit shop key for another schematic and see If it shows anything different
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I replied to your PM, thanks. My donor is a 2004 5.3 if you could send a schematic to the email I sent you.

Originally Posted by droy014

I have a question. When you mix your Rustoleum, what do you thin it with, and what is your mix ratio?:

I use mineral spirits to thin and I don't have a specific ratio. It doesn't take much though, maybe 25%. I would never mix real paint without measuring, I hope no one else does either.

[TchncnDen]

Originally Posted by ta2ed

According to that diagram, you're right there isn't 1. What year is the motor and what did it come out of? I can hit shop key for another schematic and see If it shows anything different
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I forgot to mention it was out of a Suburban, a 2004 5.3 Suburban.

Originally Posted by Tinkermc

get busy get yourself through this so you can start driving this nice truck, not many people will see it in the garage and the fun begins with the engine running, hope this motovation helps

Thanks Tinker, that's the kick in the butt I need! I just picked up my color today, my current total is $7138.38. The only other big expense I can think of is exhaust but I'm sure all the little nickel and dime things are going to push me into the 8's. Oh well, I tried. I'll post my spreadsheet when I'm finished if anyone is interested.

[aric70chev]

I like your style I paintedmyu whole truck with rustoleum from home depot it sprays nice I am on a short budget also poor people got poor ways looking real good man

[TchncnDen]

I had to get some paint on the back of the cab before I put the box back on, remember I'm only going to rent a booth once. I was going to be lazy and not do any repairs because you couldn't see back there anyway. My conscience got the best of me and I had to strip, straighten and epoxy everything outside of the ribs. Then I painted it in a way that would be easy to mask before final paint.

[TchncnDen]

I wanted to run the fuel lines today. I had to know where to run them so I lifted the motor into its approximate location so I could get a mark. I really liked the floor space this created in the garage and I saw that a little cut here and a little drill there was all I needed so I just went ahead and mounted the motor, sweet! I was working alone and I didn't have any trouble when I lifted it in place for the mockup. Then when I went for the final install I broke the knock sensor, dang! I still have to run the fuel lines, but that's ok.

When I bought the motor it was at this wierd place with just a bunch of little fenced off areas people were renting for storage, work or whatever, all dirt too. Well I told them I'd take it and asked how they were going to get it in my truck. They went to borrow a lift and I went to the bank and we met back the next day. The guy came out threw down a sheet of plywood for the lift and cut a seatbelt out of another car to tie around the manifolds. I thought holy crap, if they drop this from four feet up I'm not paying! Well, they got it in my truck no problem. When I got home I unloaded it the same way and that's all I've used since. Those suckers are strong!

Another funny thing while there was that I asked what they did. They told me everything but mostly bodywork. I told them I needed the gas pedal and a couple other things from the truck and they told me to go ahead. When I pulled out a rack of Mac sockets they were so impressed it was funny. Wow, you must be some kind of pro.

I also checked the mounting of the truck AC compressor that supposedly can't be used. It looks like it will work with just a little trimming of the bracket so I'm going to use it. I also like how its mounted almost out of sight. I also mounted the bed so I could get it out of the driveway.

[67cheby]

Looking good
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