"Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion

[N2TRUX]

I couldn't resist mounting the restored wheel in place. It may not look good sticking up in the air, but I won't get caught with out a spare now.

I do need to buy locking lugs to secure the wheels so I may pick up a set of chrome lug nuts while I'm at it

[LT7A]

The first cleaning and improvement job on any type of vehicle is always cool. Makes it better than when you got it and starts it to looking "yours". Yard looks great. You guys have a good Easter.

[rodstored-72]

ken,
yard looks great!!!! I do miss the St. Augustine grass being out here in the desert. I keep threatening to put some in the front though... most out here would think it was some kinda of anomoly cuz of the wide blades!! LOL!!! my time out there (Dallas) did teach me to keep a very clean edge & mow height (neighbors are always asking me to do theirs) LOL!!! Those mirrors are very cool!! If you let me I will use the same on my build when the time comes here shortly. Thanks again for the time on the thread & answering of the many questions we all have!!!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by LT7A

The first cleaning and improvement job on any type of vehicle is always cool.....

After I buy anything I give a thorough cleaning and inspection.
There are a few things I do like and some things I dont. I made a list of areas of concern as well. I have been checking things off the list and so far the pros are exceeding the cons.

Originally Posted by rodstored-72

ken,
yard looks great!!!! I do miss the St. Augustine grass being out here in the desert. I keep threatening to put some in the front though......Thanks again for the time on the thread & answering of the many questions we all have!!!

I love the lush feel of St. Augustine grass and I'm really happy its indigenous to this region.
I enjoy learning new things at every opportunity. I get the same pleasure from sharing what I have learned in Hope's it will benefit others.

[N2TRUX]

One of this disadvantages of dealing with a shop that's busy is it's easy to loose your place in line. Aaron at Homegrown Hotrods took in a couple of "quick fix" projects that turned in to the proverbial "can of worms". He suddenly realized Jake needed immediate attention and pushed him back to the front of the line

He refined a couple more panels and layed down a few coats of Tamco K2 sealer.

[N2TRUX]

He blocked the doors where he welded up the mirror mounting holes and started the process of getting everything flat.

[N2TRUX]

He roughed in the firewall and sprayed it with Tamco high build primer. It got a bit of blocking along with the hood and fenders. Once again Tamco K2 sealer was laid down to protect the progress.

[N2TRUX]

Jake is home in my shop again. He has an inch or two of shop dust everywhere and hes rolling on a set of ugly wheels, but hes home.

[N2TRUX]

The interior is still a shell with a set of borrowed seats. I have 11 days to make this presentable. Let's see how it goes

[N2TRUX]

I have seen several posts recently asking wheres the best place to buy seatbelts. As much as I like to support the aftermarket vendors, theres not a good source out there for seatbelts.
Yes I know of a few that sell or restore OEM belts them but they are really expensive.

In my experience your best option is to restore OEM sets. It's not "cheap" but what value do you put on your families safety?

Follow along as I show how I do it. It's a three stage process but the end result is well worth the effort.

Let's start by examining the plastic covers and function of the retractors. If the plastic is damaged theres not practical way to repair them, so I locate replacements. Jake's belts had bad housings so I reached out to my buddy Donny Clark for a replacement set.

[N2TRUX]

The set I got from Donny had plastic housings that were chalky from UV damage but still restorable. The retractors were a bit sluggish but they worked.

I drilled the pop rivet that holds the cover in place and exposed the retractor mechanism. I lubed them with Penetrol and started cleaning.

[N2TRUX]

The housings were cleaned inside and out. I used a a small wire brush with mild bristles to carefully remove dried layers of plastic. I gently work in a circular motion to prevent deep scratches in the housings

[N2TRUX]

I use a small wire wheel to clean surface rust from the mount tab, and Scotch Brite the rest. The exposed metal gets a quick layer of primer to seal it.

Yes, I used paper towels as masking paper. I didn't realize I was out of paper and tinfoil till I was past the point of no return. No it's not recommended, but it can work in a pinch where bleed through is not a concern

[N2TRUX]

While the primer was drying I worked on the center belts. The plastic housings were cracking so I need to trim them down. Since I'm using buckets and a console I wont need the center set.

After testing location on my TMI buckets I cut the plastice down accordingly.

[N2TRUX]

I sprayed the mounting tabs with satin black and went to work on the buckles. Fortunately these were stainless and chrome so the surface rust cleaned up fairly easy.
I used rubbing compound on the chrome. The plastic end of my wire brush worked as a scraper to remove stubborn spots without damaging the chrome. The remaining rust was polished away.
Scotch Brite recreated the brushed finish on the stainless buckle housings.

[N2TRUX]

With all the components cleaned, lubes, painted, and modified it's time for the next step.
I will drop these off with Jaimie Villalobos at Cypress Upholstery to have the webbing replaced. We found a color that will closely match my interior pieces.
Once hes done I will add texture to the housings where necessary and dye to match

[Low Elco]

Great lookin' cleanup work! Go Ken Go! Is Jake gonna stay flat, or is he gonna Get shiny one day?

[Crcrft78]

Out of curiosity, does the yellow or blue on the seatbelts stand for anything? DS or PS...?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Great lookin' cleanup work! Go Ken Go! Is Jake gonna stay flat, or is he gonna Get shiny one day?

Thanks. Hes come a long way, but we have so very far to go. That includes a lot of bodywork that needs to be done. Until then, he stay satin . Eventually he will have a glossy coat. I'll speculate that to be around next February.

Originally Posted by Crcrft78

Out of curiosity, does the yellow or blue on the seatbelts stand for anything? DS or PS...?

There is an L and R stamped on the brackets, but I'm not sure if the colors have a significance or not.

[N2TRUX]

I dropped the seatbelts and door panel inserts off at Cypress Upholstery for Jaime to work his magic.
While I was out, the weather shifted and a rain storm blew in. Consequently my plans to primer the plastic went away. The dye is really sensitive to humid conditions and I don't want to risk paint blush.

[N2TRUX]

In the interim I needed a project so I shifted my attention to the bumper I recently bought. I ran across a deal on a new but no longer needed rear bumper.

[N2TRUX]

I took a moment to mock up the license plate box. I had previously located a set of nuts and bolts for the box, light, and plate. I wanted to mount the assembly in place and check on bolt length.

I found a couple that needed trimming so I placed a flat washer over them a cut them with a cut off wheel.

[N2TRUX]

With the plate box and license plate mounted up I did a final check before tearing down for paint. I scuffed the powder coating with Scotch Brite and wiped it with brake cleaner before paint

[N2TRUX]

In the past I have painted the box bright silver. I decided to keep it satin black for now to tie in with the satin sheen on the truck. A couple of coats of Krylon and it was good to go.

[Wikid61]

The black will allow the tag's silver to stand out more, almost floating alone for a 3-D look. On a side note I see these 2x4's made into stands both of make shift work bench & under the truck's wheels. What are their lengths? Thank-you.