"Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion

[N2TRUX]

While Aaron's doing his thing on the cab Chris and I are moving forward with the bed. We decided it would be easier to install the wheel well molding with it upside down. As expected, we had to drill new holes and adjust the shape as we progressed.

[N2TRUX]

With the molding installed Chris and I turned our attention to the taillight buckets. I decided I wanted to protect the exposed area with undercoating. We prepped the surface and masked the exterior area.

[N2TRUX]

We sprayed undercoating inside the opening. We were able to cover quit a bit of area that's typical left unprotected.

[N2TRUX]

While Chris gathered parts and the corresponding bolts for what we plan to install tomorrow I worked on small parts.

The new grill needs a a cubic inch emblem and I dont have a nice one. I pulled the one from my mock up grill and set out to restore it. The original paint was badly faded and pitted. I stripped its clean then masked it off.

[N2TRUX]

With the masking done I layed down several light coats of satin black

[N2TRUX]

Unfortunately I had a big setback after removing the masking. The syringe I had loaded with red paint to fill the numbers stuck then let go and I blasted red paint everywhere.

After a complete meltdown I stripped all the paint off again and started over. I decided I couldn't end the evening defeated so I moved on to the next project.

[N2TRUX]

We had pulled a Silverado tailgate band from my stash in the attic. It was in mint used condition but needed a good cleaning.

I pulled the Chevrolet emblem off and cleaned then polished the surface. It's not perfect but it's darn close.

[N2TRUX]

While I had the emblem of I cleaned it thoroughly with glass cleaner and a toothbrush. The chrome polished up nicely but the black on the letters was a bit thin. I painted them with satin black and installed it back on the band

[Hammered 77]

Is undercoating under the taillight housing going to affect the grounding of the taillight?

Rick

[Greenlee]

Originally Posted by Hammered 77

Is undercoating under the taillight housing going to affect the grounding of the taillight?

Rick

I don’t know the answer, but weird stuff like that can happen with grounds. When I replaced the wood on my stepside bed I started having problems with the taillights. I was getting real frustrated with it. Finally, I added a ground strap from bed to frame and they’ve worked fine ever since then. I guess the new wood somehow interfered with the ground. So I guess even undercoating on the bottom of the bed floor could possible effect the ground.

[MrFinland]

Very nice work! Hardly can´t wait to see what it looks like ready. I've been dreaming about crewcab for a long time.

[LT7A]

Movin' along quick. Looks good.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Hammered 77

Is undercoating under the taillight housing going to affect the grounding of the taillight?
Rick

We anticipated that and masked over the spot where the ground goes.I will sand the area and use a star washer to ensure continuity.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by MrFinland

Very nice work! Hardly can´t wait to see what it looks like ready. I've been dreaming about crewcab for a long time.

I have had a crewcab as a daily driver since my 97 Silverado Centurion conversion. I have always loved the squarebody conversions and wanted one of my own. I decided after it was time, and I'm really excited about how its coming together.

Originally Posted by LT7A

Movin' along quick. Looks good.

[N2TRUX]

Today Chris and I loaded up our supplies and headed over to Homegrown Hotrods. Aaron and his crew and been working on parts prep all week and it was time to start assembling the results of their effort.

They had prepped and painted the rear inside of the cab as well as the dash.

[N2TRUX]

Aaron and I worked on hanging doors while Chris worked inside the cab. I recently closed a deal with Vibro Solutions to provide the sound deadner and thermal barrier system for Jake.

We wont have time to do the entire cab but we did want to do a panel to test it out. We were very pleased with the ease of installation due to the flexibility added by the grid pattern.

The design provides elasticity to the material and assists with alignment.

[N2TRUX]

Aaron and I got the doors hung and he did an initial alignment. Typical of GM doors, they will require lots of tweaking to get them fitting properly.

[N2TRUX]

Once all the doors were hung we worked on the fenders. One went on fairly easy and the other required a lot of adjustments.
After Lonestar Throwdown the panels will come off for proper adjustments before final prep and paint. Until then the minor discrepancies in fitment will have to suffice.

[aggie91]

Jake is shaping up nicely. I hate that we are going to miss LST this year, to many personnel issues this past year...

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by aggie91

Jake is shaping up nicely. I hate that we are going to miss LST this year, to many personnel issues this past year...

Thanks Karl. Sorry to hear you cant come. I looked forward to chatting with you.

[N2TRUX]

Aaron decided to keep Jake another day and block him down again. Meanwhile I'm chasing down small parts. I had lost track of the new rain gutters I had picked up so I tracked them down. The stainless was in excellent condition but the painted part was faded.

I scuffed them down and masked off the stainless. I hit them with primer and let them cure while I made a parts run.

When I got home I added the satin black. After a couple of coats the were left to dry.

[N2TRUX]

While out picking up parts for my tailgate I got a text from Aaron at Homegrown Hotrods. He and his crew put in a long day blocking and prepping the Tamco Paint They cut the Tamco HP 5311 High Build 2K to start the process then followed it with a coat of Tamco HP6003 to seal it up for now.

If you have never tried Tamco Paint you need to check it out. They are a small independently owned company that caters to the custom car culture. They offer premium quality paint products at a significantly lower cost.


Jake has a lot of flat panels to get straight but Aaron and his crew were up for the job. This will be how it rolls for Lonestar Throwdown.

[N2TRUX]

Heres a sneak peek of the new #vf527 from @americanracing built for #crewcab #jake
Full view coming soon

[808_67C10]

It is refreshing to see that you have multiple pictures with rattle can paint in this thread. At your level of building and the stage your trucks get photographed and shown, it makes me feel better about how my truck is built. Looks sick so far, can't wait to see the wheels.

[Wikid61]

Those wheels have a Venture Drag Mag mag of the '60s look.