Project "49 No Buck$"

[65Pickup]

Originally Posted by kustombrad

More little tricks![/IMG]

Incredible solutions, its always a good day when you post. Great idea for dash knobs.

[kustombrad]

Here's how I did my stereo head unit install. Sorry I didn't get pics of the actual piece I made, but here's the pattern I used. All the bends are 90 degrees and all my measurements are on the cardboard. The center area is 4" tall. I made it out of some 16 gauge aluminum I had laying around, scribed the stereo mount/bracket in the center to cut out with a small cutoff wheel and the painted it black. I then screwed it into the dash with some 10/32's and it's not going anywhere!

[kustombrad]

Now for the interior... I used some really cool sign plastic for the door panels and headliner that my friend Joe hooked me up with. This stuff bends and cuts great and I used a propane torch to heat it up for holding it's shape on the headliner! Alex and myself bounced around some cheap interior thoughts and he had a great idea about doing a race collage and using it for the headliner. Awesome idea, but how would it look with my mexican blanket colors idea I was thinking? So now LOTS more idea swapping about how we should we do it and how the 2 ideas will work together. I started collecting pics and put the whole collage thing together in Photoshop and tried to give it the old sepiatone (kinda beige and black instead of grey) look so it would have an vintage feel to it. Once I had it layed out how I thought it would work, my friend Joe printed it up on vehicle wrap vinyl. Here's how it came out... My friend Brian sewed up the seat with some brown vinyl and the blanket I gave him (it looks soooooo cool!) and Alex made the kick panels to finish it up! I scored some old Cal Custom door handles to really give it the vibe! I need to finish the carpet trim pieces at the door jambs and get some arm rests, but the interior is pretty much done!

[Purec4]

Gets better with every post, you got some really cool ideas.

[Indian113]

This Truck is SO NEAT!!!! I'd love to see it in person,if I ever get to California I gotta look you UP.

[Kim57]

It's really coming out nice. Looks like you'll have to have at the next Brothers truck show.
Kim

[OrrieG]

Interior put me over the top on the trampoline! What a great idea on the head liner and doors.

[ChuckDriver]

That's beyond COOL!

[jayman68]

Those ceiling and door panels are awesome!

[65Pickup]

Great choice, looks like a vintage malt shop.

[VA72C10]

WOW!!! That is so cool!!!

[Russell Ashley]

You keep coming up with great ideas. The good thing is that you have the means to pull them off after you think them up.

[chevyrestoguy]

That truck has turned out super. I've ridden in it, and it cruises down the road so nicely. The interior is comfortable, and with all the sound deadening in it, you can carry on a conversation like normal. And the stereo RIPS! It goes up to "35" on the dial, but it starts getting painful at "15", and it's crystal clear.

I've been there every step of the way on this truck, and it's truly a low-buck deal. There's some very clever engineering that was done using very accessable, inexpensive parts. A lot of horse-trading and junkyard scouring. Brad is a lot like me....we have caviar dreams on a baloney and cheese budget, so you have to put your thinking cap on to get the results you're looking for. Many issues can be solved very simply if just think them through and not be afraid to think "outside the box".

Low-buck builds are the most rewarding, no matter what the magazines say. I would love to see a "Low-Buck" sticky where we can share our ideas with each other instead of losing them in our build threads. There are some super-talented folks on this board who have come up with some amazing results with very little cash outlay.

[mknittle]

Originally Posted by kustombrad

Now for the interior... I used some really cool sign plastic for the door panels and headliner that my friend Joe hooked me up with. This stuff bends and cuts great and I used a propane torch to heat it up for holding it's shape on the headliner! Alex and myself bounced around some cheap interior thoughts and he had a great idea about doing a race collage and using it for the headliner. Awesome idea, but how would it look with my mexican blanket colors idea I was thinking? So now LOTS more idea swapping about how we should we do it and how the 2 ideas will work together. I started collecting pics and put the whole collage thing together in Photoshop and tried to give it the old sepiatone (kinda beige and black instead of grey) look so it would have an vintage feel to it. Once I had it layed out how I thought it would work, my friend Joe printed it up on vehicle wrap vinyl. Here's how it came out... My friend Brian sewed up the seat with some brown vinyl and the blanket I gave him (it looks soooooo cool!) and Alex made the kick panels to finish it up! I scored some old Cal Custom door handles to really give it the vibe! I need to finish the carpet trim pieces at the door jambs and get some arm rests, but the interior is pretty much done!

Looks great! the armrest/drink holder is cool.
where did you get the sign plastic? It looks like a good way to go for backing on upholstered panels.

[solidaxel]

My bets aer on one of the truck magazines picking this truck up and doing a article on it.

Way to go Brad, B*%C^EN TRUCK !!

[panelrodder81]

Originally Posted by kustombrad

Now for the interior... I used some really cool sign plastic for the door panels and headliner

Is the material you used Styreen?

I have some of this left over from a sign project I did. But I found it really hard to cut as the heat from the cutting tool more melted its way through than cut. The edges were really nasty when I was done. Ended up using something else for the project. I would be interesting in knowing what the material was and how you cut it.

-Panelrodder

[kustombrad]

It could be some sort of styrene, he called it PVC. Its 1/8" thick and flexes like Lexan. I cut it with plastic holder, slide out breakaway blades. I kept the blade short so if I slipped I wouldn't lose a finger! Used a straightedge and took my time and it would cut through in 2 or 3 passes! It was fairly simple if you take your time. It drills really nice too. For the speaker holes I drew the circle with a compass and just freehand cut it.
Posted via Mobile Device

[panelrodder81]

Originally Posted by kustombrad

It could be some sort of styrene, he called it PVC. Its 1/8" thick and flexes like Lexan. I cut it with plastic holder, slide out breakaway blades. I kept the blade short so if I slipped I wouldn't lose a finger! Used a straightedge and took my time and it would cut through in 2 or 3 passes! It was fairly simple if you take your time. It drills really nice too. For the speaker holes I drew the circle with a compass and just freehand cut it.
Posted via Mobile Device

Thanks for the info. I will have to check my local sign shop for some of the material. I'm sure they will have something similar at very least. I am using some thin abs plastic panels for my panel truck's interior side panels but that was mostly because they were cheap and 4'x8' sheets. But this stuff looks like it would be great for the headliner and misc. other panels like you have used. Thanks for sharing!

-Panelrodder

[Delmo]

Love it bro. Gotta have cup holders, nice touch.

[kustombrad]

I kind of left something out on accident for those of you who decide to do the guitar knob thing. You want to find the knobs that have a set screw and don't just slide on. The hole on the back of the knob is 6mm and most of the switch shafts are too small to just tighten up to. When I was looking for my wiper delay setup out of a early-mid 80's Ford truck, I found this cool little insert to hold the factory knob in place. I looked around to find 3 more (it's only on the trucks and ONLY the wiper knob) then I cut the little top loop off and it fits perfectly onto the switches and inside the guitar knob!

[kustombrad]

My rearview mirror took a little thought. The one in it when I found the truck was cool but really ghosted/hazy and rattled. I'd kept a mirror from a vehicle I'd had forever and when I got rid of it and really wanted to use it (was late 80's stuff, but oh well!) I welded a 5/16" washer over the hole someone had drilled in the windshield center piece to space up the piece going on top I then cut out a piece of sheet metal to mimic the size of the bracket that glues to the windshield on later cars and tacked it through the hole in the back. Once that was painted and installed, the mirror slid over and I tightened it down!

[solidaxel]

I wish you would have thought of that before I had mine chromed !!!!

That would have solved my rear view mirrow problem!

[kustombrad]

Figured I'd show how my engine compartment looks all done!

[Kabwe]

Looking good as always.

[Kim57]

Looking good, I like the fins.
Kim