"Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion

[N2TRUX]

I spent the morning chasing down parts and picking up supplies. I grabbed a couple of cans of undercoating so I could finish my gas tank shields.
I laid down several light coats letting them cure a bit to ensure a good texture. After the undercoating dried I sealed it with light coats of satin black. After they cure overnight I will install the drivers side

[N2TRUX]

The front clip needs to be wrapped up and the Ridetech coilover system is on it's way. Consequently it was time to take Jake out for a spin around the driveway. This was the first time hes been drivable in months, so it felt good to be behind the wheel again.
I rinsed the dust off of the core support and backed him in place.

[N2TRUX]

Through the week I had managed to restore the headlight buckets. The adjuster required replacing as the plastic had become very brittle.
I researched and found Dorman # was a good replacement. The key to installing them without damage is run the adjusting screw in quite far to reduce spring tension, then pull the plastic base in to the hole.

[N2TRUX]

Once both headlight assemblies were installed I cleaned up the front side of the radiator. I have a new aluminum 4 core to install, but I'll wait till I have time to do the inside of the core support. The current cooling system has been updated recently and runs clean so I'll move on for now.

[N2TRUX]

My next project was the oil cooler. Since it's a factory option, I want to keep it. It needed to be mounted to the new core support. Before that could happen it needed a thorough clean up.

It appears to be seeping oil from one of the hoses. I'll verify and repair, but it had to be modified first.

The bottom bracket was utilized but the top needed to be replaced. I fabricated a new one from a scrap bracket I had saved.

[N2TRUX]

Last night I pulled the oil cooler assembly apart and painted all the pieces. This morning I reassembled the brackets and hung the cooler in it's new home.

* I'll add more pics later

[N2TRUX]

With the cooler finished Chris and I worked our way out installing parts as along the way. We added outer support brackets and installed a mock up grill. The lower valance was installed and aligned.

I pulled a bumper and brackets from storage and we attempted to align the bumper. Unfortunately the brackets were tweaked and that didnt end well. After a couple of attempts to adjust the brackets we decided to break for lunch.

[N2TRUX]

After lunch I decided to the bumper needed new brackets and it would have to wait. We backed Jake in the corner of the shop and started pulling the front suspension.

The Ridetech coilover system will arrive this week and we need to be ready.

[N2TRUX]

Chris and I got busy after lunch. We stripped the C20 suspension from under the front of Jake. We did the passenger side first. Both ball joints popped quickly so it didn't take long at all.

[N2TRUX]

Since the passenger side went quickly we moved to the drivers side. The ball joints fought us a bit, but Chris got wild with the hammer and the bottom finally popped.

[N2TRUX]

The last step was to remove the factory sway bar stands. They are riveted to the frame so the Snapon air chisel got called up for duty

[N2TRUX]

With the suspension tear down done, it was time to sweep up. We got the shop cleaned up and tools back in the box.
Chris helped me pull the front clip and load it on the trailer. I strapped the parts down and headed to Homegrown Hotrods. Aaron Boese is getting all the parts ready while I'm working on the cab. Our plan is to have all the large parts ready to hang once he gets the body in his shop.

[N2TRUX]

I had meetings this afternoon and finished the day mentally exhausted. I needed some stress relief that ended with me on top.

I decided to work on a couple of small projects to clear my head. I started by installing the gas tank shield. That went quickly and I loved the finished look

[N2TRUX]

Certain things really bug my OCD. One of them is bolts that are too long with the ends exposed.
A good example of that are the door hinge bolts for the rear doors. I couldn't resist cutting them off while they were easy to access.

Heres a shop life hack I use when cutting bolts short. I place a thin flat washer over the bolt as a sacrificial piece. This allows me to use a cut off wheel for quick cuts and not damage the surface below.

[N2TRUX]

I dont usually have so many mismatched parts to work with. In an effort to minimize the array of colors I felt compelled to work on an area that wont be accessible once we start hanging panels.
The side of the cowl will get paint at some point. For now I painted the area and finished with undercoating.

[Advanced Design]

The washer as a sacrificial piece is a good idea. Simple, and one that never dawned on me.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

The washer as a sacrificial piece is a good idea. Simple, and one that never dawned on me.

After slipping and leaving gouge marks once or twice I came up with this idea. Word of caution, those washers get really hot.

[N2TRUX]

Jake is a Silverado with almost no options. I think the 454 and two-tone paint are about it. I like modern amenities especially if they improve my driving experience and look good. Jake needed some updates in the option department.

With that in mind I decided a tilt column topped with a smaller steering wheel was in order. My buddy Donny is a great source for used parts. He had a tilt column that would be ideal for my upgrade.

Donny updated the internals and tightened the wobbly bolts.

[N2TRUX]

Eddie Motorsports has a line of Made in the USA billet steering wheels at a very affordable price. The 15" Vintage steering wheel looks very similar to a GM C10 wheel and would go perfectly with the look I was after. They are available with several options in finish and color.
I chose to keep it simple with black grip on a polished wheel. I'll make some changes later but first I'll mock it all up and ensure it works as intended.

[Hammered 77]

Ken I'm with you on the upgrades, I need to find a tilt unit for my 77. Like the wheel. Refresh my memory on how the gas tank shield is held in place.

Rick

[rustytruck50]

Enjoying the build & picking up lots of good tips!!!
Love the steering wheel...reminds me alot of the stock wheel that I had in the '72. Jake is optioned a bit like my '82, in that it was a Silverado, but was sparsely optioned. I'll have to find my SPID and post it. The only power option was steering...not even brakes.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Hammered 77

Ken I'm with you on the upgrades, I need to find a tilt unit for my 77. Like the wheel. Refresh my memory on how the gas tank shield is held in place.

Rick

Rick the front end of the shield slips over the lip on the tank. The rear goes back to the tank saddle support. There is a stud on that support that captures the end of the shield. Its a stretch to get the earlier shield to fit on the later tank, but it will fit.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by rustytruck50

Enjoying the build & picking up lots of good tips!!!
Love the steering wheel...reminds me alot of the stock wheel that I had in the '72. Jake is optioned a bit like my '82, in that it was a Silverado, but was sparsely optioned. I'll have to find my SPID and post it. The only power option was steering...not even brakes.

The steering wheel looks very much like the 67-72 factory wheel. Especially the matt black version. I plan to brush the spokes to match the dash and cover it with the same vinyl used on the seats.

[N2TRUX]

My Ridetech front suspension is here so it's time to get busy. Before I can install the new parts, I have some old parts that are in the way.

[N2TRUX]

Before I unpack the new parts, I need to clean up a few decades of grunge. The wire cup from Benchmark Abrasives was put to good use. I started with the toe boards, then worked my way along the frame.