Dug's 1959 Fleetside

[dug224]

Originally Posted by dsraven

Hey dugg,since you have that whizzie pressure bleeder, maybe try bleeding at each line fitting, starting at the master cyl and working down from there. You may find that you could simply disconnect a system line at a time and delete the antilock module easily at the same time by using line connector fittings. That may bring your pedal height up to spec. Also, is it the original pedal etc? If not the geometry/length of pedal arm may be the reason you dont meet spec. If you get a rock hard pedal upon brake application, with engine off, then you likely dont have air in the system. Check that the pedal stroke length is reasonable with ample room between the pedal and the floor at full application, check that the pushrod is adjusted for proper clearance at the master cyl.then.

Dennis: Thanks for the brainstorm! The good news is that I took the truck for a spin and the pedal travel is about 3 inches +/- 1/4" which is well within spec. Got it up to speed and it stopped really quickly and straight. After a few more stomps, I managed to lock one wheel up, however, I could not tell which one it was. Pedal is, in fact, rock hard when the engine is off. It is the original pedal which, after this exercise, I intend to cut and move closer to the floor so I don't have to lift my foot so far off the gas to press the brake. The brake/gas pedal arrangement may have been good for the Envoy with the factory sitting position more upright. As low as I have the seats, it is a bit awkward. You guys doing the extended cab version of this shouldn't have this problem. Since the whizzie brake bleeder is so easy to use, I may bleed it one more time. Thanks again for the input. dug

[Kim57]

Nice seat.
Hope you get the brakes worked out.
I'm still not exactly sure how I'm going to do the seat belts in mine yet.
Kim

[dug224]

Originally Posted by Kim57

Nice seat.
Hope you get the brakes worked out.
I'm still not exactly sure how I'm going to do the seat belts in mine yet.
Kim

Thanks. Working on the seat belts is a bit like raising kids. You don't know how well you've done until it's too late. Frankly, I like how they look. If I was a purist and doing a restoration, the shoulder belts may offend me. The safest way would be the 4 point harness tethered to a hoop that runs just below the back window. Out of site and more structurally sound but too much for what I intend to use the truck for. dug

[Kim57]

Belt install is looking good.
Kim

[dsraven]

dugg, looks like you have the seat belts figured out. just wondering if you beefed up the plate under the floor to spread the weight in case it is needed.
looks good.

[dug224]

Originally Posted by dsraven

dugg, looks like you have the seat belts figured out. just wondering if you beefed up the plate under the floor to spread the weight in case it is needed.
looks good.

Yes. I failed to include these shots. Since I had to slide the bracket back into the cab corner I had to round the backer plate edge. Backer plate is a bit small but I figured by the time I welded it in and picked up the vertical cab corner sheet metal with the weld, it would suffice. May put an additional piece vertical under the cab for support. All this will happen when the cab is off the truck and tipped up so I can weld it. Last shot I had to use the passenger side. Forgot to photo the driver side.

[RockinKees]

Nice instal on the belts, give me ideas.
I have only the shoulder brackets in, was easy, but then I have a small window
Have to figure out the middle brackets, how have you done these?

[dug224]

Originally Posted by RockinKees

Nice instal on the belts, give me ideas.
I have only the shoulder brackets in, was easy, but then I have a small window
Have to figure out the middle brackets, how have you done these?

By middle I assume you mean the female end that the shoulder belt plugs into. If so, that end is attached to my seat. Here is an old shot from 2013.

[RockinKees]

Yep, that's what I refering to.
I have a benchseat so that's another story.
But I assume you've made the bottom bolts quite sturdy
Comes down to the same strengthening. Thanks for the info and pic!!

[dug224]

More minor progress. Fabricated and tacked in center bed support brackets.

Moved brake pedal by removing 1.75" of horizontal portion of the brake arm. Brake pedal is now 1" above the gas pedal. Without the pedal pad in place, the top of pedal is 7-5/8" above horizontal cab floor and about 7" from the forward angled cab floor. It was amazing how uncomfortable reaching for the brake pedal was with it being 2.75" above the gas pedal. I have to assume the less upright seating position made the factory Envoy setup not work.

[dsraven]

just looking at the accel pedal, will it be an acute angle for your foot? it looks kinda high off the floor. not critisising, just asking how it feels. do you have to hold your foot up so you don't go full throttle as you relax a bit while driving? I had a car like that one, a v8 vega, and I ended up changing the angles because my shins got cramped up on trips from holding my foot off the gas pedal. looks like there is lots to work with if you do need to adjust things later for some reason.

[dug224]

Originally Posted by dsraven

just looking at the accel pedal, will it be an acute angle for your foot? it looks kinda high off the floor. not critisising, just asking how it feels. do you have to hold your foot up so you don't go full throttle as you relax a bit while driving? I had a car like that one, a v8 vega, and I ended up changing the angles because my shins got cramped up on trips from holding my foot off the gas pedal. looks like there is lots to work with if you do need to adjust things later for some reason.

Not really sure what part of the geometry makes it uncomfortable but it is less acute and way better with the brake pedal where it is now. The ball of my foot is on the brake pedal so I'm not sure that the height off of the floor is playing a roll. That extra cab you will be getting will help a bunch with leg room and pedal orientation. I'm just under 6' tall and the regular cab is a bit tight. I will have cruise control so long trips should not be an issue.

Bed sides have been with the blaster for a few weeks. They got covered up and some equipment broke so I went to the back burner. Not having them here has forced me to do other things I did not feel like doing...like the brakes. I'm sure he will have them to me in the next couple of weeks.

[Nut Case]

Dug. Three Dog Night on your wall. Assume, Seen this group more times than I can count. The seat belt application is fan-damtastic going to use on my build as soon as I get started. Good work, thanks for sharing.

Nut Case

[dug224]

Originally Posted by Nut Case

Dug. Three Dog Night on your wall. Assume, Seen this group more times than I can count. The seat belt application is fan-damtastic going to use on my build as soon as I get started. Good work, thanks for sharing.

Nut Case

NC: Funny you noticed the apparent Three Dog Night album cover hanging on the wall. It actually says "Three Dug Night" and was produced by The1Ted that some know as Ted Zeppelin. I sold him the NAPCO suspension out from under my truck and we got to talking about his nick name. Next thing I know, he masterfully produced this wall art. And for those who think I destroyed a real NAPCO, I didn't. The truck was put together pretty badly from many different trucks so I decided to head off in the late model direction. As you can see, rebuilding this kind of stuff is definitely more in The1Ted's wheelhouse than mine. I need to check in on him. His build thread:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=529546&page=3

dug

[the1ted]

Hey 'Three Dug Night! I'm still alive-been slowed by knee problems, they want to replace them-not in a hurry to do that! Good to hear from you.

[Kim57]

Nice looking bed parts.
Cool kids.
Kim

[RockinKees]

Bed parts are really nice!
I was a bit worried on how you would blent the new and old bed together, but it came out great!

I think you've got your grand kids hooked on old Chevy Trucks

[dug224]

As I await the sheet metal pieces I am having bent to attach the bed sides, I decided to go ahead and hang the front bumper. Also sent the hood and doors to the blaster since they did not play a role in hanging bedsides.

On a couple of jack stands, I screwed some 2x4's together so I had a solid platform from which to adjust the bumper's position. From my dumpster diving inventory, I used a large piece of angle to create the brackets at the bumper. Welded a couple of small angle irons together to create the horizontal "C" channel structure and used a fairly thick piece of plate metal as the vertical attachment to the frame. Tacked the verticals to the frame temporarily. Once I have the front clip off, I will drill and bolt the verticals into place so they can be removed in the future and cut the bottom of the plat off flush with the horizontal piece. The toughest part was establishing and maintaining the location of the bumper relative to the truck front to to back, horizontally, vertically and, finally, the "rotationally" (side view). I managed to bump it a lot so I go pretty good and resetting the location. Before I weld the horizontal to the vertical, I'll stare it for a few more hours and remeasure to make sure its as close as I can get it. At it's closest point at the front of the fender, the bumper is about 1/4" from the fender. The factory edge is pretty terrible. Had it been a painted bumper, I would have ground a curve into the top of the bumper so it followed the curve of the fender. Last thing I'll do is build the outriggers to pick up the single holes near the ends of the bumper.

[dug224]

...some more appealing shots.

One final detail, to get the vertical plate to fit flat against the side of the frame rail, I had to cut the sway bar bracket portion that was on the side of the rail and reweld to the bottom of rail. See last two photos.

[dsraven]

Hey dugg, nice job. You will be driving it soon. Im jealous.

[ChuckDriver]

Looks nice, is it upside down?

[Kim57]

Looks good.
They do fit better upside down.
Kim

[dug224]

Thanks gents for the input. ChuckDriver put us to work this morning with his comment. I called my buddy Jim over and we studied the "right side up" version (photo 1). It was touch and go for a bit and "right side up" was winning. After a bolt hole location discussion, the realization that the short face of the bumper (to my eye) belongs on top and the fact that the rear bumper was going to be flipped, we came back to the "upside down" version. The bumper definitely fits better "right side up" against the valence and it does not help my choice as beat up as my valence currently is. I went ahead boxed the end of the horizontals, finished the diagonals and reinstalled it. Will measure it a few hundred more time and do the final tacking to the verticals. Whew!

[ChuckDriver]

Hey sorry, didn't mean to cause you extra work!!

[dug224]

Originally Posted by ChuckDriver

Hey sorry, didn't mean to cause you extra work!!

Many many times I've been so close to something I could not see the obvious. This was extra "play" and we enjoyed the exercise. Frankly, this is what this site is all about. Thanks dug