The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build

[83GMCK2500]

Speedi-sleeve for the win!!! I had to put one on my balancer a couple years ago, bad groove...well preserved underside of my truck. I like that drive flange on there, that is a well designed part.

[rs74]

That is pretty cool. I had never seen that before. Thanks for putting it up.

[flashed]

Thats a new one for me too ,thanks Tex .

[Tx Firefighter]

Roy and Flashed, I'm glad you enjoyed the geek tech. They make Speedi-Sleeves for most any application where a seal rides on a machined surface. I found the part number for these on Pirate 4x4 then looked them up and ordered from Rockauto. They were 51 dollars for a pair of them delivered.

I've just been unmotivated today. But I can't sleep at night if I don't make some measurable progress so I chose an unpleasant task and dove in this afternoon for a few hours.

I'd showed pictures of my underbed conduit earlier. Today I finished all of that by bolting it to the bed structure, putting split loom on all the wires and running the wires through the conduit on both sides. I have all of the front bed and headache rack lights fully wired, soldered, heat shrunk, and loomed with the extra length hanging out at the back of the bed to be tied in to the rear bed harness.





I'd bought all of that split loom at Delcity when I ordered my wiring supplies. It worked out real well. A pair of wires gathered together in the split loom and then slid through the conduit makes a pretty bombproof setup. I won't worry about wiring issues ever again.

After looking at the pictures, I can see I need to pressure wash under my bed again. That scaly looking stuff is pretty much all mud. The bed only has a bit of superficial surface rust here and there. Certainly nothing to need addressing for another 30 years or so.

[Tx Firefighter]

Something else I just thought of when looking at the pictures.

In this picture, you can clearly see the difference between a dually and a cab and chassis truck. Mine is a cab and chassis truck and its drastically narrower than a normal dually. In the picture you can see that the rearend is so narrow that you can't fit your hand between the tire sidewall and the leaf springs. On a dually, you'd be closer to fitting your head in there than your hand.



So, you can see that even though they each have four rear wheels, one truck is like a foot and a half narrower than the other. I like skinny butts so I chose to build a C&C.

[Flatlandsurfer]

I spent the day reading this thread, between various calls for lunch and some card playing with my girls. I've enjoyed every minute of it and your attention to detail has inspired me to do the same with my build. I often get the "it's good enough" comment from people and need to shrug it off and do it like it's supposed to be done. Thanks for your continuing inspiration.

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by Flatlandsurfer

I spent the day reading this thread, between various calls for lunch and some card playing with my girls. I've enjoyed every minute of it and your attention to detail has inspired me to do the same with my build. I often get the "it's good enough" comment from people and need to shrug it off and do it like it's supposed to be done. Thanks for your continuing inspiration.

To me, its only "good enough" when I stand in the bathroom at night brushing my teeth and I can look myself in the mirror and say without a doubt that I couldn't have possibly done it any better than I did that day.

I'm sure there's plenty of folks say unflattering things about me behind my back over the way I do things. But, I sleep well at night knowing I gave it all I could on every step of a job.

The way I see it, you're the guy writing the checks (financially and blood, sweat, and tears) on your project. Therefore, the only person you have to please is yourself. I always said as soon as someone else starts paying for it, I will start to worry about their opinion.

[Flatlandsurfer]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

To me, its only "good enough" when I stand in the bathroom at night brushing my teeth and I can look myself in the mirror and say without a doubt that I couldn't have possibly done it any better than I did that day.

I'm sure there's plenty of folks say unflattering things about me behind my back over the way I do things. But, I sleep well at night knowing I gave it all I could on every step of a job.

The way I see it, you're the guy writing the checks (financially and blood, sweat, and tears) on your project. Therefore, the only person you have to please is yourself. I always said as soon as someone else starts paying for it, I will start to worry about their opinion.

That's a good at it... I will keep that in mind.

[Tx Firefighter]

Last update for the weekend.

My wife read through my build thread this evening. All 13 pages of it. She wanted to get an idea of how much work I've put into this truck. If you remember a few pages ago I mentioned her making me new decals. She had forgotten about her offer to do that for me.

So after she read this thread start to finish she went into the other room and got to work. .

I think she absolutely killed on these things. I couldn't be happier with them. And I'm not just saying that in case she reads this. Over the top good work.

Old...



The ones she made for me...



She's got that sign cutter stuff figured out.

[hgs_notes]

She did an excellent job on the stickers. Well done to you both.

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

She did an excellent job on the stickers. Well done to you both.

Thank you. I'll pass on the compliment to her.

You really got to be cool when using software and sign making equipment to copy a logo like this. I don't imagine Alcoa will sick their lawyers on us for cutting four decals, but some companies like Harley Davidson and Monster and Coca-Cola love to seek out and threaten folks for doing it. I figure they'd be flattered that I thought so much of their wheels that I'd dedicate the time and effort to restoring them. Its not like I'm sticking Alcoa decals on a set of cheaper Chinese Eagle Alloy brand copies and trying to pass them off as something they're not.

Again, thank you. I'll tell the wife she did good.

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Oh man. I wish I had the capability to do stickers like that.

[flashed]

Yes ,your wife is quite talented .

[GCncsuHD]

Very nice, it appears the new ones are die-cut decals rather than stickers like the old ones? Looks great!

[Tx Firefighter]

My wife's equipment is a big vinyl cutter and not a printer. She made the decals by cutting black, red, and blue decal parts and combined them. It's not ideal like a printed sticker, but we had to work with the limitations of our resources. And it just used a few square inches of various scrap vinyl so no money outlay.

[GCncsuHD]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

My wife's equipment is a big vinyl cutter and not a printer. She made the decals by cutting black, red, and blue decal parts and combined them. It's not ideal like a printed sticker, but we had to work with the limitations of our resources. And it just used a few square inches of various scrap vinyl so no money outlay.

That's what I was meaning by die-cut, I think that method is a nice subtle touch and looks better than the printed Alcoa sticker, though I'd imagine you would have to be more careful when polishing in the future, though replacements should be easy for you!

[Low Elco]

Stickers look killer!

That's my standard response to snotty comments (constructive criticism from experienced sources is welcomed and needed, but not snotty comments) " Did you write the check? Then you opinion doesn't really matter, does it?" I always say this pleasantly. I'm a people pleaser.

This is why I won't be a car show judge. I've had a couple offers recently, one quite flattering, but I spent several years QC'ing the end of the line at 40+ car a day auction and high end bodyshop and am literally trained to pick cars apart to the nth degree. who wants to be that kinda prick to someone's pride and joy? Sorry, you hit a nerve.

That being said, I greatly enjoy your builds and what you've been doing to the 'ol hay hauler here. Please continue and tell Momma she gots mad skillz!

[Zumo]

Yeah great job on the decals. The details always make the project just that much better.

[Tx Firefighter]

Yooz guys are very flattering with your comments. I appreciate each and every one of them.

I just got a voicemail from Arrow Plating. My parts are ready and the cost is 25 dollars. I'm stuck at work right now but I will pick them up tomorrow on my way home.

[83GMCK2500]

I cannot think of a better way to finish off those wheels. That looks amazing! I think her stickers look better than the factory ones, the factory ones have that square ridge around the border while her's are just there and perfect looking.

Between your hard work and her skill that truck is going to be great looking.

[joe231]

Kevin,
Just....wow!
Very nice work!!
I just read start to finish.
keep it up!

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by joe231

Kevin,
Just....wow!
Very nice work!!
I just read start to finish.
keep it up!

Joe Rutherford, I thought you'd been eaten by a bear. Haven't heard from you in a long time. Hope your better half and kids are doing well.

[joe231]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

Joe Rutherford, I thought you'd been eaten by a bear. Haven't heard from you in a long time. Hope your better half and kids are doing well.

Lol

It has been awhile!
Are you still on Facebook?
I lost you there

Everyone is good, thanks for asking!

[Tx Firefighter]

As promised, freshly plated lugnuts, wheel studs, diff cover bolts, brake backplate bolts, and axle bolts.

[bluex]

Wheels turned out killer. Thanks for the info on coating the housing. I might just do like you did an coat everything except the housing. I might just wind up painting it all due to cost though.