Omodified's 1970 SWB Custom/10

[omodified]

BTW, I laughed about our silver being called "argent" because everybody here is convinced that is what it is called. Now, that may very well be the case, but every silver paint I can find says argent on it because that is the french word for silver. Red also said "rouge" and black said "noir". It was pretty consistent. So, I laugh because I really wonder if "argent" is the actual correct shade of silver for our many applications...

[omodified]

For months I have been looking daily on craigslist for a set of BFG 275/60/15's. I really didn't care if they were used or new, they just needed to be cheap. Well, I was starting to think that it was an impossible find. People here in Charlotte are posting WTB ads for them. But then this popped up in nearby Greenville, SC...



You better believe we drove down to SC right away. These things still have the stickers and nobbies on them! Unbelievable steal!!!

[3970010]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

Sorry to hear about the issues but some nice parts replacing the old ones!!! Really like the overflow container...I might have to copy you

I also like the overflow idea... Plan to do the same with my truck!
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[VA72C10]

Looking good! Engine bay and front end look great! Nice improvement!!!

[omodified]

Does anybody know what this is???



Here is a hint. It used to look like this...even with the engine running.



Well, I didn't know what the first pic was either until today. It's a working ammeter gauge! I saw where somebody was selling a new gauge here today and it got me thinking about mine not working (well I wasn't real sure if it did or not). So, I did my research here and found that I should check two inline fuses under the hood. I couldn't hardly get the housings to come apart. I ended up busting the fuses in the process. What was left of the fuses seemed to be welded in place. It took some patience to remove the carcasses but I got them out. I went up to Autozone and bought two new 4 amp mini fuses. Installed them with dielectric grease and EUREKA... a working ammeter gauge!

[omodified]

Made some progress over the last few days. I bought a used tailgate band from a board member with the intention of restoring it. As you can see, mine was a bit tattered...



Well, the one I received was in worse shape than mine so I set out to restore my original. First I straightened out the area that was bend up and nearly broken off. Then I hit it with 3M 3 minute epoxy. Next I stripped off the old wood grain tape with acetone.



Next, I stripped off the old black paint. This was a bit harder to do than the woodgrain, but the acetone works really well and did not mess up the finish underneath. I ended up with a nice new surface to work with.



I roughed up the new surface with scotchbrite and got to taping. I found a new spray paint from VHT called chassis and rollbar paint that I wanted to try out. It has epoxy mixed with the paint so there was no need for primer. It sprayed on really well. I went with 5 coats total. No runs and it sprayed really even. I polished up the old metal letters and attached them to the band with the 3 minute epoxy. Here is the finished product!



It looks just like a new one! I am super happy with all the money that saved. Now I have to do the rest of the trim to match!

[omodified]

Notice in the picture below, a wheel with no tire. I dismounted my old tires and took my wheels to be blasted. Time to take the wheels to the powdercoater for some fresh gloss black!

[omodified]

I ordered some new shocks today. I am super tired of hitting my head on the roof when I go over larger dips in the road. I pulled the old shocks off and they are junk. When I measured the available travels I only had 0.75" in the front and 1.25" in the back. After doing much research, I went with CPP house brand they have for a 3/5 drop. I have no idea how much my truck is actually dropped, but when I measure my shock lengths as they sit static on the truck, the 3/5 drop shock makes the most sense. I may go back an order the rear shock relocators and the super trac bar too. We'll see!

Here is the old front shock I took off...

[omodified]

I got the wheels back from the powder coater. I wasted no time getting the tires put on. I need some new trim rings, but here it is for now. What do you think? I like it so far!

[jeffg1010]

Tailgate band looks GREAT. I may need to try to find one for my Blazer.

And the wheels are looking good too.

[gcburdic]

This thing is turning out better and better everytime you work on it!!!

BTW...I see in your sig that you are board member #31,051.....but when I roll my mouse point over your user ID it shows you as #87,725....

[omodified]

Originally Posted by jeffg1010

Tailgate band looks GREAT. I may need to try to find one for my Blazer.

And the wheels are looking good too.

Thanks Jeff. Pretty soon I might feel comfortable enough to leave my neighborhood with it. LOL

Originally Posted by gcburdic

This thing is turning out better and better everytime you work on it!!!

BTW...I see in your sig that you are board member #31,051.....but when I roll my mouse point over your user ID it shows you as #87,725....

Thanks for the compliment Geoff. I did notice the board number thing. However, if you click on Member List up top, there are only 39843 results. So, apparently 73,419 have cancelled their memberships to date. So, 56,674 have moved their feet and lost their seat to me. Seems crazy that many people have left since 2010, but the math doesn't lie (unless my logic is incorrect). For arguement sake though, I will renounce my position as 31,051 and reclaim my place at 87,725.

[omodified]

The big brown truck brought me some ride control today.



Got all 4 installed and took her for a spin. It rides sooo much better, but I think the rear shocks are acting like a hinge. So, I went ahead and ordered CPP's rear shock relocator kit and a super trac bar kit. Also, my daughter talked me into taking it up to the local cruise in tonight. I still don't think it's ready for all that but she said if anybody had something bad to say, she would set them straight.

[jeffg1010]

Not to hijack, but which cruise in?!?

Originally Posted by omodified

The big brown truck brought me some ride control today.



Got all 4 installed and took her for a spin. It rides sooo much better, but I think the rear shocks are acting like a hinge. So, I went ahead and ordered CPP's rear shock relocator kit and a super trac bar kit. Also, my daughter talked me into taking it up to the local cruise in tonight. I still don't think it's ready for all that but she said if anybody had something bad to say, she would set them straight.

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[omodified]

Originally Posted by jeffg1010

Not to hijack, but which cruise in?!?



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Kat's Patch, if you can call that a cruise in...

[lolife99]

Keeps getting better.
You will like the rear shock relocators and track bar.

[omodified]

So, it's been killing me. I really want to know if my rear end has posi and what gear ratio it is. Considering this trucks history, I don't want to assume anything. I know I could do a burnout and count the stripes, but I am not to the point where I want to treat it like that(if I ever do get to that point). I also know that I can rotate the tire(s) and count driveshaft rotations, but that's guesswork. Since I am not sure when the diff fluid was last changed, I decided to go ahead change it. Of course this site was insightful on what fluids I would need. So I ended up buying a Felpro gasket and two quarts of the good stuff...





Time to dig in...

[omodified]

Update...

No posi-traction. Also, for documentation purposes, the gears are a 3.07 ratio. The fluid that came out seemed fairly new. I could see through it and it didn't smell too bad (at least I thought so). Gears all look good too. So, that's a plus.

[omodified]

I wanted this fluid exchange to be a quick turn around because I am leaving town for a bit. The plan was to clean up the diff cover and seal the new gasket to the cover for 24 hours. Then install and add fluids. Well, it didn't quite go that way...

So, the diff cover was really greasy and dirty as were the bolts. I also trashed the brake line clip during removal. I took all the parts to work intending to clean them in the parts washer. Well, the stupid parts washer was broken. So, I decided to go the brake cleaner route. Well, that got everything clean but it ruined the black finish. So, I had no choice but to go ahead a media blast it and throw the bolts in the trash. I got the cover home and sprayed it with five coats of that new roll bar paint. It looks a lot better! Now, the problem is that it has to dry and I have to leave town. I'll have to finish it up when I get back.

[omodified]

I have been gone for a few days now. My wife called today to tell me that it smells like something has died in the garage. I told her not to worry about it. I guess she doesn't like how my rear end smells...

[omodified]

I am back in town and I was greeted with a nice surprise...

.



The finish on the shock relocators is less than desirable. So, I'm gonna send them off to the powdercoater this week. So, Maybe I can install this stuff next weekend. I'm glad it's here anyways.

[omodified]

So I got the gasket sealed to the cover yesterday. Time to finish the rear end. My daughter decided to spend Father's Day helping me so we could take the truck out today. I picked up twelve stainless bolts yesterday to finish the job. Put a thin coat of gasket material on the diff and torqued everything to 20 ft lbs. I tried to use a few brake line clips that I had here but they were too small. So, I ordered a GM clip from EBAY. It was the closest thing I could find (1969/70 Camaro).



I'll have to install it when it gets here later this week.



Here is the finished product. I like it, but it sure makes the rest of the truck look bad. I guess that's what keeps us moving on to the next thing. I suppose the new track bar will help it look a little better back here.

[VA72C10]

Looking good! Nice progress!

[gcburdic]

Reading that you changed the rear gear fluid, brings back that wonderful smell!!! continuing to look good!!!

[Chvy2NV]

Truck is looking real good. Great way to spend Fathers Day. Congrats!!!
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