The Hillbilly Deluxe dually build

[aotte1]

Just a small addition to your great post for consideration. I use a 3M painters half mask when blasting, etc. It provides a lot more (needed) lung protection. Know it is uncomfortable, hot, and a general pain. Will post pic of what I use.
Thanks for all the great information on your truck.
Les

[Tx Firefighter]

I simply could not be any happier. It's as good as I'd hoped.









Scot, you had mentioned needing stock dually wheels. I'm your guy. They're stacked there on the bed. If you don't take them I'll wind up making grinder stands out of them or something.

[83GMCK2500]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I simply could not be any happier. It's as good as I'd hoped.

Truck YEAAAAAH! It does look great. Standing back and looking at it now, was it worth the wait?

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I simply could not be any happier. It's as good as I'd hoped.

Scot, you had mentioned needing stock dually wheels. I'm your guy. They're stacked there on the bed. If you don't take them I'll wind up making grinder stands out of them or something.

I'll take em brother. Let me know when & where.

[bigblock73]

Looks sweet Kevin!

[hardcore4life]

That truck looks awesome. What was the total overall drop for the front and rear?

[Tx Firefighter]

Thank you.

The truck is lowered about 2/2 drop. Rear is drop shackles and front is cut one coil from spring.

[Tx Firefighter]

Cell phone pics of the other side. Sorry for the scrap metal clutter around the shop clogging up the pictures.

[aotte1]

Super nice Alcoa wheels, are they new? Friend has the same wheels on his duallyed suburban 1984, BBC with 300K miles. I use them on my truck and trailer too. Have been using Alcoa cleaner, polish, sealer, which keeps them clean for a year, however, they stopped making it recently.
Les

[68Timber]

Perfect stance. Cool how the stainless fasteners around the filler neck show even at distance.

[willy41]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

Cell phone pics of the other side. Sorry for the scrap metal clutter around the shop clogging up the pictures.

I'm new here, but your threads are my guidebook on how I want to treat my truck.

Your wheels are a work of art and I know you did a lot of hand work getting them that way. I saw in an earlier post someone had a machine that would do a lot of work on wheels. With that in mind, please tell me why I would be totally crazy to try something like this:

Put the rear axle on jack stands and run the truck in gear, using the rear axle like a lathe. Use manual or machine tools to apply the restoration steps: sanding, polishing, buffing, and maybe even coating.

I have even further to go than you did, so I'm looking to minimize the elbow grease. Thanks in advance for your help and all your posts.

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by willy41

I'm new here, but your threads are my guidebook on how I want to treat my truck.

Your wheels are a work of art and I know you did a lot of hand work getting them that way. I saw in an earlier post someone had a machine that would do a lot of work on wheels. With that in mind, please tell me why I would be totally crazy to try something like this:

Put the rear axle on jack stands and run the truck in gear, using the rear axle like a lathe. Use manual or machine tools to apply the restoration steps: sanding, polishing, buffing, and maybe even coating.

I have even further to go than you did, so I'm looking to minimize the elbow grease. Thanks in advance for your help and all your posts.

Personally, I'd do it, and have done it. But I wouldn't openly recommend that method to anyone else. If I booger up a finger, I have to suffer for it. If someone else boogered up a finger on my advise, that would weigh on me.

If you do it, use some kind of a barrier between your finger and the wheel. Maybe one of those sanding sponges. At the least, a thick welding glove.

[darkhorse970]

Very nice "work truck"!

[rusty76]

Truck looks good dude.

[flashed]

WOW Tex ,that truck is sharp and I love those wheels ,I am going to be keeping an eye out for some of those for my 72 1 ton . As always you did good .

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by aotte1

Super nice Alcoa wheels, are they new? Friend has the same wheels on his duallyed suburban 1984, BBC with 300K miles. I use them on my truck and trailer too. Have been using Alcoa cleaner, polish, sealer, which keeps them clean for a year, however, they stopped making it recently.
Les

They're 1989 era Alcoas I bought off Craigslist. They were pretty horrible when I got them and required me to sand from 80 grit on a DA sander through 2000 grit before polishing.

Originally Posted by darkhorse970

Very nice "work truck"!

Thank you. That's a tall compliment coming from a guy who builds trucks the caliber you do.

Originally Posted by BRUISER

Perfect stance. Cool how the stainless fasteners around the filler neck show even at distance.

I think you guys like the stainless fasteners more than I do even.

Originally Posted by 83GMCK2500

Truck YEAAAAAH! It does look great. Standing back and looking at it now, was it worth the wait?

Certainly. I'm a patient guy though. I'm not a bit sorry about the work or expense.

Originally Posted by rusty76

Truck looks good dude.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by flashed

WOW Tex ,that truck is sharp and I love those wheels ,I am going to be keeping an eye out for some of those for my 72 1 ton . As always you did good .

I'm surprised the positive reaction these wheels are getting. It seems like you can't even get through the front door of this place anymore without using at least a dropmember and semi wheels. I figured I'd get a lot more blank stares for my choice of rolling stock.

Now, update and progress report.....

I like the stance. Please squint your eyes and disregard the extra wheels and junk stacked onto the bed. I'd have liked to have it a smidge lower, but my hands are tied as far as tire size. Remember I have no overdrive and currently 4.56 gears so I couldn't afford to run shorter tires which would allow deeper lowering. So, with the necessary tall tires, this is about as low as I could go.



So, I'm still waiting on two RockAuto deliveries. I've got brake line crush washers and front hub grease caps en route. Currently, the truck has no brakes. I just clamped the old brakes hoses shut with a couple of pairs of small vise grips to pinch them shut and cut them off short until I get the new crush washers. At that time, I'll install the new brake hoses and get them bled.

Today I also bit the bullet and ordered new Moog steering parts. That's four new tie rod ends and two new adjuster sleeves. When they arrive I'll install them along with my new idler arm and will have all brand new stuff on the front. Remember I just got done with ball joints and shocks. It will be 100 percent and ready for alignment at that time.

On the rear, I still have to take two of the old stock wheels, bust them down, powdercoat, and install the last two new tires to have fresh inside duals. I also need to swap the rearend out at that time. I also have new shocks to install then. I did run into a significant snag today with regards to the rearend swap. The park brake cables are completely different between the two rear ends. I'm gonna wind up busting it all apart and swapping the 88 model backing plates and cables onto the 80 model rearend. I just hope my new brake parts will interchange. I still haven't had the heart to research that yet. I'm afraid I'm gonna be stuck with a pile of brand new parts that won't work. We shall see.

I also need to put on my big boy pants and just order 32 new lugnut covers to complete the wheel and tire phase.

[83GMCK2500]

On the rear, I still have to take two of the old stock wheels, bust them down, powdercoat, and install the last two new tires to have fresh inside duals. I also need to swap the rearend out at that time. I also have new shocks to install then. I did run into a significant snag today with regards to the rearend swap. The park brake cables are completely different between the two rear ends. I'm gonna wind up busting it all apart and swapping the 88 model backing plates and cables onto the 80 model rearend. I just hope my new brake parts will interchange. I still haven't had the heart to research that yet. I'm afraid I'm gonna be stuck with a pile of brand new parts that won't work. We shall see.

I also need to put on my big boy pants and just order 32 new lugnut covers to complete the wheel and tire phase.

Crap! I forgot about that. After 84 or so the parking brakes went from the divided along each framerail style to combined on the driver with the passenger side cable facing out the rear of the backing plate. You might be able to get away with drilling the correct cable hole in the restored passenger backing plate, giving the parking brake hardware (out of the 88 axle) the same treatment that the other stuff got and swapping it over. I had a similar snafu on my truck, but I worked in a wrecking yard and was able to grab the couple different parts.

[GCncsuHD]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I also need to put on my big boy pants and just order 32 new lugnut covers to complete the wheel and tire phase.

Come on, you know you wanna

[Zane M]

I love the new stance.

[darkhorse970]

Stance is dead on, and it's a truck thats still able to be utilized for its intended purpose.

If I could muster about half of your shop work ethic, I might eventually finish some stuff! Great work Kevin!

[eldogg]

You nailed the stance! I love the Alcoa's. I think I'm gonna have to have a set now. $$$$ We have the five hole's on the DSE dually. You doing a killer job on the truck. I think we could all learn some work ethic from you.......

[Low Elco]

Stance is perfect. Great looking work, as usual. Have you run up to see if your super-groovy new fuel system fills good yet? Gonna look great with a round of hay on the back!

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by eldogg

You nailed the stance! I love the Alcoa's. I think I'm gonna have to have a set now. $$$$ We have the five hole's on the DSE dually. You doing a killer job on the truck. I think we could all learn some work ethic from you.......

I learned a lot of work eithic from two very influential men in my life, an old German boss and my father in law. Neither knew the concept of compromise, no matter how small and seemingly unimportant the job.

Originally Posted by GCncsuHD

Come on, you know you wanna

I don't know of any spiked covers that fit these 1 1/16 hex lug nuts.

Originally Posted by SCOTI

I'll take em brother. Let me know when & where.

I can bring them to the fire station in Hurst some day if it makes it convenient for you. It's about 50 miles closer than where I live. I still need to bust down one pair to use for my inners. Then when I get them installed, I'll have four left over tires/wheels for you.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Stance is perfect. Great looking work, as usual. Have you run up to see if your super-groovy new fuel system fills good yet? Gonna look great with a round of hay on the back!

I dumped five gallons out of a can which worked very well. I'm optimistic that it will do as well at the pump. The truck is currently uninsured so I don't drive it unnecessarily until I get it squared away.

Today's update is very anti-climatic. I didn't have a lot of time so I decided to just focus on finishing the fuel filler.

First off, I trimmed and re shaped the section that sits below the bed to better mimic the outer shape of the filler bezel. Then, I fired up the welder and welded and sanded until it is pretty much seamless. I'm not gonna go buy body filler (mine is all dried up) and get too mental on this deal. It looks much better according to Valerie.









Made up a bonding strap.







I'm waiting on Rockauto order of brake hose crush washers, tie rod ends, and tie rod adjuster sleeves. It's probably gonna be next payday before I can afford to do the rearend swap. I'm gonna wind up having new u bolts made so that will take a few bucks. Who knows what I'll find when I drop the driveshaft to do the swap either (concerning u joints). Plus I'll need rear diff oil. All that adds up.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I can bring them to the fire station in Hurst some day if it makes it convenient for you. It's about 50 miles closer than where I live. I still need to bust down one pair to use for my inners. Then when I get them installed, I'll have four left over tires/wheels for you.

Yes sir. Just let me know a Sat/Sun when you get things swapped as you want them & I'll drive out to the station like before. The Mrs was correct.... the 'revised' filler area is better.

[squaredaway]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I dumped five gallons out of a can which worked very well. I'm optimistic that it will do as well at the pump. The truck is currently uninsured so I don't drive it unnecessarily until I get it squared away.

Somebody call me??? j/k

Great build as usual, Keith. I am watching this, but miss the Ayer's Garage Facebook page with all of the powdercoating shots! Has the 78 sold?