Br3w City's Project omgwtfbbq

[Dieselwrencher]

Nice new ride! It does look really clean for the type of winters your area sees.

[66Submarine]

Lots of in-cab sound going down the road, eh? Loud pipes ran out the steps directly behind the cab might have something to do with that...lol

[SKT]

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West Bend?

This is proof that firefighters maintain some clean and well serviced vehicles!

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[BR3W CITY]

Keep Grindin

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[BR3W CITY]

Chop Chop'n the frame

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[BR3W CITY]

I was catching up on some editing, and figured I'd do a lil dump of archived pics I have from some of the frame rebuild work, as well as some of the work going into the sound system on the Yukon.









More on the frame rebuild is in progress! I'll have NEW video on that coming soon! Just ordered up some new QA1's












The start of the box/amp rack build is done being edited...and its dropping TOMORROW! Over on Rev J HD (see sig!)

Use #REBUILDEVERYTHING on all of your rebuild projects and hit my social media for more.

[tinydb84]

What material size did you use for the new rails?

[BR3W CITY]

2x3 .120 wall

[BR3W CITY]

Building the sub box for the Yukon

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[BR3W CITY]

All purrty

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UPDATE
We made huge headway on the H8RDCPTR this weekend. I'm now running a pair of QA1 adjustable coilovers in the rear! Why? Because they match the front, are awesome...and fit the NEW FRAME we built in the rear! Yep, its pretty much done on the raw fab! We just need to finish the panhard setup, and add the small mountings for fuel tank, bed tabs etc. Should be ~40lbs lighter than the old setup.

[BR3W CITY]

I've got more pics and updates on the Yukon's audio upgrades in its own post now! Check it out here: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...72#post7758272

[BR3W CITY]

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[72MARIO]

Just gota say sweet yukon ! We have the chevy brother to your GMC and totally relate to finding a rot free truck up here in ontario Canada. Feel the same way about keeping it stock as its just such a nice truck from the factory.

Also wanted to say thanks as your post building the 66 sparked my interest in ls swapping my suburban. Also provided clarity as to how simple the swap can be.

Mario

[BR3W CITY]

Thanks Mario!


So I didn't want people thinking that I disappeared since progress on the '66 and the Yukon has been low key for the past month or so. I've just been grinding trying to wrap up other stuff, so the videos etc have been short or backlogged.

With that being said, here are some pics of whats happened on the '66 lately. We finally got the shock bridge installed and mounted up the rear QA1 coilover setup! The xmember for the panhard was also installed and centered, and the rearmost cross brace was welded in place.

We still need to cut the rear frame "horns" off to bed length, but we were leaving room to play with, since some other changes will modify the way the bed fits just a touch.

















Now I need to bear the cold and get the fuel cell bracing put in so I can drop the cell in place, mount the battery and reconnect all the wiring. Once thats done, its only the cosmetic stuff and sheetmetal on the bed to have that back and functional (bed floor too, but that was in-process before the wreck).

There WILL be video on much of this coming to my channel eventually. The garage is damn cold and I'm working a shiiiiiit ton during the holiday season. Gotta get that paper I suppose More is coming soon, and a ton more on the truck and the Yukon is coming through, just slowly throughout the winter.

[tinydb84]

Good to see you still at it.

[KenAdams]

Your youtube subscribers are waiting! Where are the videos?!!

[BR3W CITY]

Originally Posted by tinydb84

Good to see you still at it.

Originally Posted by KenAdams

Your youtube subscribers are waiting! Where are the videos?!!

I KNOW right?!? I've been working 55-70hrs a week for the last month, and will until almost Feb. I've got a unique situation at the moment with some pretty huge life changes (work, divorce, moving, rebuilding the truck) so things have gotten really backlogged.

I haven't forgotten about yall tho! I have a ton of pics and footage from the frame rebuild that just hasn't had time to be edited together. Originally I planned to make a few videos on the chassis, but it was going to end up being way too much about measuring and welding and got repetitive. Its now going to be supercut down a bunch into a single larger vid on the frame build, and then a bunch of smaller topical stuff after thats done.

I've also got another video of some updates and troubleshooting on the Yukon, and a product review (something I haven't done much of) which I'm hoping to get up.

Once my work slows down and winter drags, I'll have a bunch more stuff coming up including: the continuation of the bedfloor redesign from before, doing the MAPT conversion and tuning, my new suspension setup, the nitrous and more!!

[BR3W CITY]

She was a bad b!tch

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[BR3W CITY]

Weird weather in WI means no snowmobiling, but always too damn cold for hot rods....so, just race motorcycles on the ice!

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[BR3W CITY]

50mph on the floor is actually quicker than its seems....

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[BR3W CITY]

Alright folks, I'm forcing spring into my brain so the good **** can get started early this year. My body hates the cold, but I'm gonna do my best to keep pushing.

Thankfully, I was able to find a local dude who came up with a set of fenders for me. Its getting harder these days to find OG sheetmetal, and I just can't get myself to buy repro stuff if I know there are at least a few OG fenders alive. These don't have the '66 reverse light popouts in them, but I think I'm ok with that for the rebuild. Things can't always stay 100% the same can they? I guess we get in that mindset as classic enthusiasts...that ability to freeze and restore a moment in time. But much like going with LS, and now some guys new-LT, things progress, and change can be good.

So, I grabbed this pair, and they seem to be in pretty damn serviceable condition (especially for what I paid).




The dude also has a donor '64 that they came off of. He's selling the truck whole for parts if anyone is interested. Its fairly solid, but does have rust in the lower front 1/4s and a few spots. He's a decent dude, has a few projects kicking around. I told him I'd ask around if anyone was looking for a decent carcass up here in WI.




He also took me into his other garage to show me his projects. Pretty cool stuff. This first one was built as a pro-street type build back in the day. Huge channel, widened fenders (when it had big tires), home built fuel cell etc from the old times. I put up a few more pics in another thread.



So, with that we can hopefully slowly start getting back out into the garage and making some progress. I need to decide exactly how much of my bedsides can be salvaged, and start that, or buy new ones. We'll put some work into these and hopefully get get a great set of solid-OG-steel rears out of it. My goal is aiming it towards the "heavy iron" type of classes at drag week and similar. The semi-backhalf puts me in grey area on most classes, but i love being all steel. These classes allow me to go balls out on my engine and drivetrain, but stay a heavy Chevy, the way I think it should be.

The steps are still saved, so with the bedsides figured out, we can get a bed back on her. I'm also in talks with a couple guys who think they can pull that major dent on the cab, so I'm optimistic for that.

Anyway, a positive update of truck-related news was due!

[BR3W CITY]

Heading the right direction! Updates and more.

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[BR3W CITY]

One of the LED foglights on the #REBUILDEVERYTHING Yukon died after only a few months, but the mfg replaced it under warranty, so I figured it was time to come back and take a look at the lights, and the install.

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[BR3W CITY]

I owe you guys some non-video content once in a while, and since not everyone checks the "Paint and Bodywork" section, I'll repost it here.

#REBUILDEVERYTHING 2005 Yukon Grill Upgrade - GrillCraft Sport Grill

I decided to finally get around to making some cosmetic upgrades to the #REBUILDEVERYTHING Yukon. (if you don't know why its called that, check out Rev J HD). Up to that point, the only changes to the appearance of her had been the deep tint, and the retrofit of the LED foglights (LINK).

One of the biggest changes I wanted to make was to the front grill. In general, I actually think the stock front on these gen trucks/SUV's is pretty appealing...but that doesn't mean it wasn't worth changing for the better!

Here's the stock grill shell and center section on the 2005 Yukon (the Denali has a different shell entirely, and they do NOT swap). Pretty decent, but the horizontal bars are very plasticy in appearance, and the oversized GMC logo is starting to lose bond with its backing.





There are a few replacement options, but in general your limited to 3 main choices; you can replace the grill center section, the whole grill shell and grill center together, or swap the whole thing out for something like the Denali with all the lights etc. I didn't WANT the Denali stuff, and its added expense anyway. Replacing the whole grill shell is a quick solution and doesn't require any modding, since the new grill comes pre-mounted into a shell...but the added cost (plus shipping of a large item!) was deterrent, and it killed any fun in making a video and writeup.

So obviously, I opted for the first option; install a new grill center section (henceforth, grill). This means modding the existing grill shell and grill permanently, but I was up for that.

I had to make a choice on WHICH grill I was going to install. There are billet options which were popular for a while, but not what I wanted. A few Denali-style grills, a few novelty (skulls bro) ones as well, but none fit the profile I wanted. I finally found the GrillCraft Sport grill, and while not the cheapest thing around at ~$160 for the grill, it fit what I wanted.




The grill itself is a medium-thick wire mesh, with an added reinforcing "hoop" on the perimeter which also houses the mounting tabs. It comes in a few color options, but I chose mine in a black finish. Its thick coating with a decent gloss, and seems evenly applied to the mesh and the hoop. There is a small (1.5"x1") GrillCraft badge in the lower right, which does appear removable with a few clips on the backside. The mounting hardware, instructions, and a sticker (gotta have that for the toolbox right?) also come in the packaging.




First things first, I had to pop to hood and gain access to the top plastic cowl. Its held on with 7 of these little 2-piece trims clips. I'm pretty sure there is a special tool for it, but I just use a long-neck screwdriver that I bent in a vice (surprisingly usable all around tool). The center section just pops up, relieving pressure on the perimeter of the clip and allowing the rest to come out after. Sometimes the clip wants to come out in separate pieces. Its till reusable if you don't bust the crap out of it.







When the little cowl/cover is off, you can see the top two 1/4-turn locking fasteners. Undo them, as well as the two lower 1/4-turn fasteners which are tucked on the bottom left and bottom right of the grill shell.




Then pull out the 10mm bolt holding the grill shell to the core support.





The only thing still holding the grill shell to the truck are a pair of spring-clips, one on the outermost "Wing" of each end of the grill shell. Pull straight out from behind the headlight (pulling on the grill shell of course, not the light) and the clips should pop out, allowing that end of the grill to swing free. Be a bit careful, since the clips like to pop outward and can easily scratch the front edge/surface of the front fender (ask me how i know )



With that the grill should be free. Take a moment to revel in the un-sexiness of the frontend sans any grill shell.



I laid the grill face down on something soft. I'm keeping the outer edges chrome for now, so I want to retain as much of that finish on visible surfaces as possible. The grill is plastic with that chrome-wrap stuff that modern manufacturers love to use, and its pretty much impossible to "fix" the chrome if you tear it.

The inner grill is (unfortunately) all one piece, so I needed to mark its perimeter so I can cut out those inner ribs. I want to keep the cuts as even as possible, since this will also become the mounting point for the new grill.





Cutting out the center isn't actually hard, but its imperative to get as clean of a cut as you can. Any remaining imperfections need to be cleared up.
I used: a hacksaw blade dismounted from a frame, my body saw, a small chisel/blade edge, a few files for cleanup, and some sandpaper to clear any edges.
I started with the blade and the hacksaw, getting enough of a channel started on the right lines, so I can come back with the air body saw and chew out the line I actually wanted. Smooth travel speed makes the cut easier,and don't use any petrolium lubricants since it can soften the plastic. Just try to keep the plastic chips/ribbons from sitting in the hole, as they are hot and can partially refill the hole.









For fun I just tossed the cleaned up grill up on the nose for a second, to see how things are looking.


Installing the new grill is fairly fairly straight forward now that all the modification has been done. The GrillCraft unit I got came with a small hardware bag, which contains the mounting screws and a sheetmetal retainer for each.
I supported the shell face down, and set the grill in from the back. I lined up each mounting tab where I liked it, then marked and drilled each of the holes (not pictured).

After that I installed each of the mounting screws through the grill shell, and into the grill mounting tabs and into the retainer. They install from the outside-in, and the sheetmetal retainer securely pinches the mounting tabs against the frame of the grill shell.







The last step is reattaching the grill, and is simply a reverse order of the initial removal steps. (spring clips, 1/4-turns, 10mm bolt, cowl and clips).

The end result is IMO pretty hard to argue with. The new grill has a much more powerful look. The recessed grill center fits the overall shape of the truck much better, and loses the plastic and somewhat protuberant nose.







What do yall think? I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out for a few hours worth of work. You could probably knock it out in an hour or two if ya weren't trying to shoot the whole thing on camera.

I'm not sure if I'll keep the grill shell chrome in the longterm, but I like it for now (black is tempting). And I KNOW that I need to paint a few behind-the-grill elements black, as in just he right light you can discern them a little bit.

I'll have the full video of the install coming over on Rev J HD in the coming weeks, so def check that out if you guys get a chance.

[BR3W CITY]

One of the few times when I said "video will be up soon" and it actually is!

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