"Albert" -- 1949 AD, S10 Chassis

[99 to Life]

nice congrats. To me having the wiring hooked up is one of the best feelings, it really gives the vehicle life. Glad to see you aren't doubling that 40hr mark. Which can easily be done. That was just my bare minimum. Indicator lights always add time. I'v learned to make hubs under the dash for grounds and pwr. I always always wire in a kill switch under the seat.

[HUSSEY]

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

I'v learned to make hubs under the dash for grounds and pwr. I always always wire in a kill switch under the seat.

I did the exact same thing. I bought a four terminal junction block from Fastronix and hooked two and two together with a smashed piece of copper tubing. One of the terminal pairs is for powering the gauges, tach, and indicator lights that are ground switched (check engine and temp warning light). The other terminal pair is for gauge and tack lighting. The ground is simply a bolt and nut onto my brake bracket. Worked pretty well.

[HUSSEY]

I'm waiting in line at the DMV.** I might be taking a test drive soon...even if it's just down the road and back I want to be legit with insurance and tags.

I'm going to run this year of make plate. I hope the counter I get knows what they're* doing...last time I did this it took several people to figure out how to issue year of make plates. EDIT: The gal I had knew what was what, she had me out of there in five minutes.

[iowaboynca]

Good luck.

[joedoh]

sweet!

the tag office here has a text system so you dont have to wait in line. works great, except when you bought your neighbors car and had a lien release faxed to the tag office, and go three times because they say they havent gotten it, and have it faxed again every time, and you finally realize that they arent bothering to look at the OWNER NAMES on the lien release but intead only look at the LIENHOLDER NAMES, and since GMAC was bought by Ally bank, three times they "didnt have it yet, call and have it faxed again" turned into "oh here it is" with three copies when they finally looked at the owner name. so usually 2.5 hours in line turned into a week total and 2.5 hours driving back and forth.

YOM plates are registered as personal plates, if you are running them try to get BOTH plates because sometimes the one you find has a matching plate someone has already registered. last year I missed a 1949 kansas truck plate on ebay that was printed with the number upside down! man I wanted that one.

[Mbean]

Hussey,

I just want to say what a great build you have put together, and it really has helped me out with my 49 AD build. Congrats and I hope the test ride goes great.

I do need a little advice. I have found 3 Blazers and one Bravada in the local junk yard. The s10 forums are not helping. What rear would you get?

Thanks

[HUSSEY]

Originally Posted by Mbean

Hussey,

I just want to say what a great build you have put together, and it really has helped me out with my 49 AD build. Congrats and I hope the test ride goes great.

I do need a little advice. I have found 3 Blazers and one Bravada in the local junk yard. The s10 forums are not helping. What rear would you get?

Thanks

Thanks, I grabbed mine out of a Bravada but I don't think it would make any difference if it came out of a Bravada or Blazer, just check the production codes on the glove box door, as noted by DeanTX above. Here's a good listing of them:

http://www.sierragear.com/gm-rpo-axl...ation-codes-3/

FYI, mine was a GT4, which is a 3.73 gear and G80, which is the limited slip. I think a 3.73 gear is an all around good gear if you are running an overdrive transmission.

[99 to Life]

plate looks awesome. getting all the paper and tags is a great feeling. can be a pia sometimes to deal with. other times its cool. I luv when they fan out on the year you tell them. sometimes they ask me if I have any pictures of the trucks etc. last title I did they didn't even charge me the notary fee!!! its exciting getting these on the road for the first time.

[DeanTX]

Mbean there are codes to decifer to identify rear ends. Search posts by 99-to-Life I believe he posted them. First priority is getting a 4x4 rear as they are wider. Otherwise pick your ratio and a posi is also nice but not mandatory.

[rusty76]

Awesome build. Really great writing and pics. Thanks for taking the time to document all this. Its totally cool.

[HUSSEY]

So its been a while since I've had a change to work on my truck. Last week my wife and I took the kiddos on vacation then as soon as we got home I had to go back to work and my wife which works as a nurse had multiple shifts in a row which puts me on the clock with the kids. I'm at about 90 percent done with my wiring and have been sitting around during lunch daydreaming about what all I want to get done in the next month. So far I have come up with the following list:

1. New Oil Pressure Sender
2. Knock Sensor Wiring, New Route, Fiberglass Loom
3. Rear Wheel Adapters, Install and Torque
4. Motor Mount Bolts and Nuts
5. Misc. Firewall and Floor Hole Plugs
6. Flush Coolant
7. Change Oil
8. Pre Test Drive Inspection, Torque Check
9. Test Drive
10. Calibrate Speedometer
11. Head Light and Fog Light Wiring From Relays
12. Install 2nd Alternator Output Wire
13. Install Front Cowl
14. Shorten Bench Seat Center Support
15. Install Bench Seat
16. Tachometer Wiring
17. Speedometer Lighting Wiring
18. Install Speaker Cover and Glove Box Door
19. Seat Belts
20. Cut Front Coils, Fix S10 Lean
21. Install Fog Lights
22. Replace Water Pump w/ Heater Hose Outlet
23. Rebuild Heater Box
24. Source Heater Box 12v Motor
25. Third Brake Light Flash Module
26. Neutral Safety Switch Wiring
27. Radio and Speaker Wiring
28. Install Coolant Overflow
29. Exhaust, Muffler to Out Back
30. Return Door Panels and Headliner
31. New One Piece Headliner
32. Cigarette Lighter Wiring
33. Paint and Install Door Panels
34. Bed Wood, Rough Saw, P-Treated, Smooth Oak???
35. Bed Wood Sides
36. Windshield Wipers, Vacuum or Electric?
37. Dome Light Wiring
38. Accessory Wiring
39. Determine P-Brake Setup, Purchase, Install

Man...sometimes it seems like it never ends. I like working on my truck but I'm getting really anxious being so close to a "driving state". At least one day this weekend is looking pretty open for garage time so I'm hoping I can reach a point to where I can do a couple of shakedown runs in the next week or two. More pics to come as I finish up the wiring.

[Zoomin]

36: go electric

I know what you mean, but I don't make lists like this. I don't know if it's because I'm not as organized as you, or I don't like getting depressed. I also never keep a running tab on what I've spent for the same reasons.

Hang in there, it won't be long before you're scratching number 9 off the list

[DeanTX]

Hussey I was scrounging Pick n Pull a while back looking for a Blazer rear wiper motor like a lot of guys use. No luck but I stared at an early 70s VW bug wiper set and it looked similar to the AD mechanically, so I bought it. Wish I had taken pics but i got the motor, bracket and arms. I cut the ends off the bracket and cut the arms and attached them to the truck wiper arms. The motor turns a bolt-on lever that the inner end of the arms are attached to.
The stock "sweep" of the lever was too long so I cut it down so that it was barely shorter than the truck end levers that turn the wiper pivot.

It's a two speed motor, so I run it with a simple "center off" 3 position toggle. Once I cut the bracket that holds the motor, the whole thing mounts standing up right behind the speaker cover, with room for speakers. Takes up less room than the Blazer motor set up, which is good if you plan to put in AC. Just another option to consider.

[99 to Life]

many of us have been in the exact state of mind you are in. I personally hate lists. I just keep it in my head on what needs done and I'm usually at the mercy of all the build killers, kids, fam, money, time, weather. I'd just bite the bullet and get electric wipers. I bought the pricey newport kit and I'v had to use them a million times. I also made my own wiper conversion and it was ok, needed some more time to play with it but just never did. as for the heater. again I'd just get a kit. I have little box style one that alot of places sell couple hundred bucks. I use it alot and its pretty decent. last truck I just got a cheaper heating unit and wired an on off switch. It was ok for the money. The good thing about those two units, you don't neeeed them to drive it!!! there is usually plenty of shaking down to do when its on the road.

[DeanTX]

What are the details on the one piece headliner ?
The few I've seen are a bit expensive.

[HUSSEY]

Ok...sounds like the vote is for electric wipers.

As far as the one piece headliner, Classic Parts sells one and yes it is a bit pricey, I think around $180. Reason I want one is that I'd like to eventually cover it to match my future interior. Still undecided if I want to go for it now or later.

[HUSSEY]

I got my gauges and tach installed. I went with a set of gauges from New Vintage, a bit pricey but I really liked the nostalgic look of them. I ended up buying the gauges well over a year ago from Summit when they had them on sale, 10 percent off, and long before I needed them. They come with a five year warranty so the early purchase didn’t make me too nervous.

The fuel gauge in the quad set comes from the factory for a sender that ranges from 240 to 33 ohms. I sent the quad gauge back to New Vintage, awesome customer service by the way, and had them put in a different fuel gauge compatible with a sender that ranges from 0 to 90 ohms, for a fee of course. I figured I would rather do that and use the fuel sending / pump unit in my S10 tank than monkey around with cutting a hole in my tank and installing a 240 to 33 ohm sender.

And for the tach, I had to have one of these Bosch tach’s when I saw they were making reproductions of the old half sweep Sun tach…I think it will fit well with the interior of the truck. I don’t know if I’m digging the green light of it though, I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.

For reference, the New Vintage gauges are a little brighter than they seem in the pic.

[Robert Andrew]

Originally Posted by HUSSEY

I got my gauges and tach installed. I went with a set of gauges from New Vintage, a bit pricey but I really liked the nostalgic look of them. I ended up buying the gauges well over a year ago from Summit when they had them on sale, 10 percent off, and long before I needed them. They come with a five year warranty so the early purchase didn’t make me too nervous.

The fuel gauge in the quad set comes from the factory for a sender that ranges from 240 to 33 ohms. I sent the quad gauge back to New Vintage, awesome customer service by the way, and had them put in a different fuel gauge compatible with a sender that ranges from 0 to 90 ohms, for a fee of course. I figured I would rather do that and use the fuel sending / pump unit in my S10 tank than monkey around with cutting a hole in my tank and installing a 240 to 33 ohm sender.

And for the tach, I had to have one of these Bosch tach’s when I saw they were making reproductions of the old half sweep Sun tach…I think it will fit well with the interior of the truck. I don’t know if I’m digging the green light of it though, I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.

For reference, the New Vintage gauges are a little brighter than they seem in the pic.

That guy sitting in the chair in your garage doesn't look well. I think he needs to see a doctor. His eyes are kind of glassy looking.

[HUSSEY]

Originally Posted by Robert Andrew

That guy sitting in the chair in your garage doesn't look well. I think he needs to see a doctor. His eyes are kind of glassy looking.

Back story to that, it's a medical training dummy. My wife went to St. Luke's College of Nursing and one day she was helping clean out a storage room and they were going to throw it out. She brought it home thinking it may be worth something. Turns out it dates back to pre-war and they've been listed on eBay for $500+. Of course that's as far as it went and now it just sits in that chair keeping me company. I should probably get him/her a hat or something.

[Robert Andrew]

Originally Posted by HUSSEY

Back story to that, it's a medical training dummy. My wife went to St. Luke's College of Nursing and one day she was helping clean out a storage room and they were going to throw it out. She brought it home thinking it may be worth something. Turns out it dates back to pre-war and they've been listed on eBay for $500+. Of course that's as far as it went and now it just sits in that chair keeping me company. I should probably get him/her a hat or something.

That's funny. I noticed the hospital gown. A good hat would set it off:-)

[99 to Life]

looks good, wish they'd just make them "look" stock. That way I don't have to do anymore conversions!!! I don't like the fonts or needles on most gauges. then you add the lighting. jeeesh so many options. I think the green will grow on you.

[HUSSEY]

Originally Posted by 99 to Life

looks good, wish they'd just make them "look" stock. That way I don't have to do anymore conversions!!! I don't like the fonts or needles on most gauges. then you add the lighting. jeeesh so many options. I think the green will grow on you.

How did you go about converting your gauges?

I think the New Vintage is about as "Vintage" looking as they come, other than the originals. Classic Instruments makes some nice gauges but they still don't look much like the original, if that's what you're looking for.

I've never messed around with aftermarket gauges before but the New Vintage gauges are nice. They come with OEM grade pigtails that connect to the back of the units.

My only gripe is the 140 mph speedometer. They used to make it in 120 mph which I would prefer. It's funny how they put the top speed on the speedometer much higher that what you realistically need. The most ridiculous one I've seen is on my wife's Honda Odyssey which has a top speed of 160 mph!

[99 to Life]

The conversion I did was autometer conversion. I'm using nv3500 manual trans with electric sending. I had to program the speedo. Speedo was 140$ plus my time in figuring it out. The tach was just a cheap sunpro, works great. It is rarely rarely ever done this way, but man I just love the stock look. The speedo would light up green in the trip meter section. I didn't mind it. I also had to drill a hole through the glass for the reseter button. I have video of them in action on youtube.

[joedoh]

man that looks good henry, I had forgotten. way to take the time!

[HUSSEY]

Originally Posted by joedoh

man that looks good henry, i had forgotten. Way to take the time!

+1