Project "My Happy Mess"

[litew8]

ty va

It doesn't look as shinny in these pictures (as it does in older pictures) because it's been sitting outdoor ever since I had finished it. But, yes, I removed the anodizing first with Easy-Off oven cleaner. Sprayed it on and let it sit for about 10 minutes, then rinsed. Having stubborn areas was expected, where the anodizing didn't lift easily, so extra sanding had to be done. And since spraying oven cleaner on aluminum itself is "bad" (discoloration can occur), I didn't reapply. There were a lot of scratches that took a while to sand down and remove also.

Starting with a rougher grit sandpaper and working your way up to finer (I used 3 or 4 different grits, 4,000 being the finest if I remember right), once you get to the really fine grit, it's super easy to get scratches (again, just from sanding). So it did take a while to get it to where it'd shine, without scratching (read patients ). Then once it's done, it's super easy to scuff/scratch it - if it hasn't been coated/protected (which mine hasn't been yet).

that explained it

[oldman3]

Fitman of fenders looks good, grill turned out great....Jim

[litew8]

ty Jim, now we take them all off. Can't fit the bedsides/tailgate etc... because we don't have the wood finished/here. I've got Key Parts AM bedsides from Top Banana, so I'm not too concerned with them, and they didn't come from the body shop.

Just an fyi, everyone - posting of all these pictures is more work than the truck!

[Dieselwrencher]

Wow, you're making great progress!

[litew8]

Thanksgiving Day Update -

Yesterday; painted some things, cut up original passneger side door and
installed the grille insert (which wasn't easy!).

This picture shows the aftermarket fender fitment issues before we took it
back and got the OEM fender. (top view) The arrows on the right show how
the fender begins to curve towards the outside, when it should do the opposite
(like OEM) and curve towards the inside (engine bay). This incorrect stamping
caused the rest of the front fender to mis-align and created the outer grille gap
that couldn't be corrected.




Next up, cutting the old door. We're cutting a long section off of the top
of the door on the old passenger side door because the new OEM replacement
I have, has a large dent in it. We're just going to swap out sheet metal instead
of using bondo ect... to try and fill it. There were tack welds that needed to be
drilled out also. Cuts made on each end also.
















When I painted the heater box, I noticed another factory marking on the
inside of the box. Not sure if it's an M or W.




Painted the blower motor and touched up the shroud -






And finally, we installed the new grille insert.

The odd thing here is, if we bolt down the top of the outer grill to the center brace
where the hood latch is, the top of the outer grill needs pulled outward, causing the alignment
to become off (not pictured here) - pulls away from the hood at an extreme. So we'll need
to ream out the holes on the brace and affix the outer grill. We're not sure why this is,
but just letting the outer grill sit like it wants (center) - it aligns very nice.

Picture of the outer grill NOT bolted to the top center brace.




We also got the thermal switch wired. Next up, connecting the power steering
return line to the pump, reinstalling the shroud and fan, some wiring for ignition
and torque converter. Easy stuff.

[VA72C10]

Nice progress!!!

[mightymouse]

truck is looking good .keep-on-truckin.

[Joah_from_Alber]

Nice to have as much heart as you have money

Cheers,

[litew8]

ty DW, VA, MM and Jim

Originally Posted by Joah_from_Alber

Nice to have as much heart as you have money

Cheers,

Not sure what you're implying with that comment Johah. Posting all this information takes time, and it's for others benefit - so that's a give rather than receive ideology requiring "heart" as you say. The brain is a terrible thing to waste.

Money - believe it or not, the labor I've put into this is saving me a ton. It's all in how you manage. This isn't a financial thread so I won't go into detail. I'll just say I'd rather fix this truck (which has survived 40 years of Iowa weather) than to purchase a new truck that would prob. only last one decade. A rather simple formula.

Cheers,

[Joah_from_Alber]

Maybe I'm a little envious, heh heh-- you're doing a fantastic job. Meanwhile I might as well be doing my project on the moon with regards to my location and resources.

You're right though that it is how you manage, or rather what you do with what you got. Your choreography with this thread is superb, I can tell that you are an artist at heart.

It's good to have money and to use it wisely! I commend your gentlemanly choice of project. Keep it up the good!

(I've requested the admin edit my alias to Joah fr Alberta and once this is done (or not) I will post a thread that will make you smile.)

Cheers,

[Dieselwrencher]

I can't see the issue with him spending his money where he wants and fixing up an old truck. Look around on this board, he isn't alone. Litew8, I'm right there with you. I'd rather dump $20k into an old pick up, know what I have, build it the way I want it, and have no payment in the end. Keep up the great work!

[litew8]

Joah needs to take his envy and art elsewhere. DR, thanks for the support, but you're off mark in your estimate, and in all honesty, I don't want to have this conversation with either of you.

[hgs_notes]

I've had that same fitment problem with the repro fenders I had, which was why I worked hard to find OEM parts that just needed some massaging. I've seen more than a few of these trucks at shows with that gap on the grill surround. I traded my repro fenders for a 72 parts blazer, even up. Best deal ever.

Overall looking real good though. Doing something almost everyday does really add up and it's how I tried to do my build.

[Joah_from_Alber]

Originally Posted by litew8

Joah needs to take his envy and art elsewhere. DR, thanks for the support, but you're off mark in your estimate, and in all honesty, I don't want to have this conversation with either of you.

Ah the humility,

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by litew8

Joah needs to take his envy and art elsewhere. DR, thanks for the support, but you're off mark in your estimate, and in all honesty, I don't want to have this conversation with either of you.

I wasn't saying you have $20k in your truck. READ what I typed. Geesh.

[litew8]

ty hgs

Day after Thanksgiving Day Update -

Got a few more things done today.

Not sure how the electric fan mod is going to react in the real world, so I
reinforced it with additional grommets, washers and lock nut on the
backside. If the fitting ever were to come loose (especially when I do a huge
burnout in front of The Fixer's house), this mod will help ensure
it stays in place. Rubber grommets on both front/back sides, against shroud.

Edit: Topside pics of black headed bolt are actually old pics, they were replaced
w/new, longer bolts.










Original heater core cleaned up. Was previously flushed; was clear.




Made another trip to the hardware store. Was looking for something to fill
the holes on the heater box, where the lines exit. What would make a
decent seal?

Pipe insulation seemed like a good choice, and interestingly/surprisingly
enough - it's the same color as the heater box, an exact match.
I didn't want to mess with caulk or putty etc... for this. The core pressed
in, the insulation smashes tight for a nice seal. Looks even better in person!

Smallest piece I could find -




Gorilla tape used to hold cut pieces in place.














3M Strip-Calk used for the channel around the core area (installation not shown) -




Old/new blower motor seals. Used an adhesive to affix.













Fan relay wiring, clips I found for harnessing wires to frame, and zip ties -










P.S. Eventually I'm going to run a batch job to re-size all photos smaller.

Also, when the domain account goes away, so will all the pics.

[hgs_notes]

If I'm right, that is a taurus fan and is a 2 speed unit. Interested in how you wired it up because I have one for my Jimmy. Kind of wanted to try and use both speeds with 2 relays, but would either need 2 temp switches (the first would have to cut out at the same start point as the second switch) or a switch with dual set points (not sure of availability). Or I'd just have to pick a speed and go with a normal switch set up.

[litew8]

Jeep Grand Cherokee (2001 if I remember right) fan (mopar # CBG4F250) w/Jegs relay kit (p/n 555-10560). The fan is one speed, two wires. As far as I know, this specific (fan) mod (a variation) originated on these forums (search another cheap electric fan build!). I cut the connector off the end of the fan and soldered (soldering is the preferred/best method for the joining of wires) directly, wrapped in electrical tape twice, recovered using fan's wire sheathing, then covered with cheap plastic loom.

[hgs_notes]

My bad

[litew8]

Not a bad. There were other fan mods I saw. Yours being one. The other was using a MarkVIII (with our shrouds). I tried to keep it as simple as possible. I did buy a connector to replace the fan's original connector I cut off - but what I bought turned out being a smaller gauge wire, so I opted to just wire directly (Jegs wires were the same gauge as the fan's wires). The downside, if I ever go to replace the fan, shroud or radiator - I'll need to cut the wires. I'll prob. add a connector at a later date, by the frame where the wires route.

Not sure you can tell in the above, the relay is mounted underneath the battery tray (The Fixer). I didn't have any black wire for the ground to the fan, so I used the leftover purple wire. Not that it really matters, it goes to the negative post on the battery and is obvious.

[msh7462]

Subscribed

[litew8]

Houston, we have power Got electricity flowing.
Is it normal for an inline resistor to get super hot?
Seeing smoke when turning the ignition key is progress

[litew8]

Saturday/Sunday/Monday Progress -

Slowly, we're getting it done.
Wired up the coil the other day with what appeared to be a faulty
inline ballast resistor. (You can see the (white) top of it on the other side of the
power brake booster.) In part because it puffed smoke, but also because the
backside wasn't sealed. We've since exchanged it and installed a new one with
better characteristics.




Story time...

We also needed to begin rewiring the harness to accommodate the new
alternator. Ran 8awg wire, replacing the 10awg previously used. Since
this SI alternator is internally regulated, we have no use/need for the
factory voltage regulator (black box) that mounts to the radiator support
near the horn(s) (2 horns if Custom Deluxe and up I believe).

I tore off the old harness tape/wrap. It was old and brittle in a lot of
places due to age. I need to replace it at some point so I decided to pick
up some black electrical tape at the local hardware store. This trip turned
out to be cost effective. I wanted to get electrical tape that was wide...
the wider the better.

The electrical dept. didn't have anything I'd like to purchase, but was told
to check out another department and they may have something else. So I
went to check it out. I get there and notice they have a label on the shelf that says
there should be 1" electrical tape for $.80, but all that was stocked
above were (3 pack) 3/4" electrical Duck tape brand for $2.80 each.

I ask a representative nearby if she could check her computer systems to
see if they did actually have a 1" role available in the store. She came back
and said "Yes, we should have 26 roles". Hmmm, I really would like 1" wide
tape. She calls the manager over and asks him. Before even looking, he says
"Yes, these are them." and grabs one of the 3 pack 3/4"; I quickly correct
him and pointed out that it's 3/4", not 1". Before he could get a word in
edgewise, I say - "So, you'll sell me the 3 pack 3/4" for $.80 ea. (regular
price is $2.80) - since you are saying it's right? (Yes, I'm taking advantage
of his naivete, sue me ) He agrees, and I again quickly say "Okay, I'll
take 4 packs. I'd rather have the 1" though." I grab 4 3 packs of 7mil
electrical tape (12 rolls total) and head to checkout.

All it cost me was $2.40 total.
Plenty enough to re-tape all my wires, and have lots left over for future use.




Some pictures of cleaning up the wires. Made a quick illustration of
how (I think) the rewiring is suppose to be to accommodate the new SI
alternator (internal regulator).




The cluster of wires wrapped to the left in the above
picture is where the factory "junction" is. This is where everything
ties in together and power is distributed (to cab, lights, horns, etc...).



Mine is a 3 wire setup, not 1 wire.
Although the alternator can wire either way.

Ran 8awg from the alternator BAT terminal to the "junction".
Ran 8awg from the "junction" to the Battery (aka Charge wire - it runs up and along
the loom on top of the radiator support next to the radiator).

The above is fairly new to me, please correct me if I've
missed a step or if something isn't right! The F/L are still connected at the
alternator as it was factory. I read it is important to retain the "Remote Field sensing"
wire to the "junction" for a more accurate reading rather than jumping the wire to the BAT
terminal on the alternator.



Pics for the Pit Boss.
This is a picture puzzle for him to figure out.

[litew8]

Getting really close now!

The Fixer had some wrap, so instead of using electrical tape
to wrap all the wires, I went with his stuff. He said it was used to wrap industrial
underground water pipe. It resembles the factory wrap a lot. It is stretchy and doesn't
have adhesive, but it does bond to itself nicely.






Got some (free) electrical conductive grease to put on contacts, etc...
This will prevent corrosion from forming and maintain good connections.
I used it on everything. Connectors to the cab, light plugs, spark plugs,
distributor, coil, battery, alternator, etc... Anything that has an
electrical current and susceptible to elements.

Reading material
More material

[Dieselwrencher]

Nice work on your harness clean up.