47-55.1 My 53 GMC 3/4 ton project

[dsraven]

good idea to leave the frustarting things and come back to them. do somethimg you know you can make forward progress on. inside cab looks great, what did you paint it with?
I think a lot of guys grab a pedal they lie from a donor and make it work. they usually have a hard pedal arm so if you plan to bend or drill it then maybe heat it up and let cool first and/or try a cobalt drill bit.
on the accel pedal, put the seat in and try it out for fit when sitting in the truck. nothing worse than a weird angle because you get a cramp in your leg on any trips with some seat time. get it in the right place and then wedge the bracket so you get full throttle with your carpet etc in place. its good to have a steering wheel in place as well, even if onlyn mocked up, just to get the feel of things.
keep posting your progress, doing great.

[8man]

The cab is looking good. I can sympathize with the bushing issue.

[Nima]

Thanks guys.
The interior paint is Duplicolor acrylic enamel gray spray can. I belive I have mentioned that I am not paint and body man and this is the first of its kind. Besides, I am spending all the money for this project on the drivetrain and suspension for now. I guess I still should sand and buff the paint though!
These past couple of days, I worked on gas filler hole. I think it came out decent. The contour matched well

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by Nima

Nest, I installed the brake booster and pedal mounting bracket. I also fiddled with gas pedal options and locations. It seems I have to cut and reposition the lower section of the pedal but first I need to find a brake pedal. Where do you buy these pedals? I have searched and came empty handed.

these guys have anything you'd ever need for pedals, pedal pads, and bolt-on adapters. the tech support i got was kind of meh, but they are better at sorting part numbers for ya.

https://www.johnnylawmotors.com/cata...pedal-pad-kits

[Nima]

Thank you for the pedal information.
I played around with brake booster installation while waiting for this tranny bushing (8 days late!, thanks Fedex!). The hydroboost is the same as what I have used in my Nova LS swap, from late 1990 chevy van. The brake booster is from 2009 chevy Silverado. They say that LS engine doesn't make as much vacuum for brake booster but then, if Chevy is putting this booster with their LS based truck engine, that should work. I think the hydroboost looks cooler, cleaner and for sure create more pressure but, I don't have power steering gear box so, I don't have to have power steering pump unless I use the hydroboost. So, brake booster is easier and less part which equated to less work and less cost. Decision, decisions!!

[6DoF]

if running a manual steering box ... i 110% vote for NOT hydro-boost. that's just adding systems that aren't needed. very not KISS. on the other hand i gives you an easier "upgrade" later.

if running manual steering, why not manual brakes!?!? sure they feel different and can take a little more foot, but they work just fine. for a classic ride i feel like manual steering/brakes adds so much to the character of the drive.

[Nima]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

if running manual steering, why not manual brakes!?!? sure they feel different and can take a little more foot, but they work just fine. for a classic ride i feel like manual steering/brakes adds so much to the character of the drive.

With bigger wheel and tires and added horse power with more modern engine/tranny compare with what the truck originally came with, I feel power brake has some advantages.
I am in total agreement with you when the whole setup is in stock form which this truck is far from.

[Nima]

While I am still waiting for tranny bushing to get here, I keep busy with the inside.
I thought to make something out of the original radio spot without damaging the original cover, just in case I needed in the future. These covers are expensive online!
Please ignore the cabinet door knobs! I didn't have anything at that size to cover those holes and the knobs fit great for now

[8man]

That works! Very nice.

[Nima]

Originally Posted by 8man

That works! Very nice.

Thanks

[Nima]

So, I got the transmission bushing in (finally Fedex!) but now I am inviolved with interior. Here is what is happening with pedals. First, I got the gas pedal where I want it and where it can be:

[Nima]

Then, I worked on the brake pedal. With this setup, I can move (adjust) the brake pedal higher/lower and to the left or right. Just in case it doesn't feel uncomfortable when all is done:

[Nima]

The final:

[Nima]

Okay, Happy New Year to everybody.
Back in business. I finally got the transmission case bushing and put things back together. I also revised my engine mount and crossmember utilizing CPP crossmember that I got. In addition, I got my American Shifter kit and tried to fiddle with it. Here are some pictures:

[Nima]

Engine and tranny are in, hopefully for good. I also used CCP tranny cross member. I used 3/16" plates to box the section of the frame which tranny cross member bolts on to create some additional support:

[Nima]

Headers: I have these LS swap headers for F-body chevy which seems work great for this project. Of course, it interferes with the steering box but my understanding is all headers or steering boxes need modifications to fit with these projects. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[8man]

I had to fiddle with the steering linkage to avoid headers.

Nice work.

[Nima]

So, I have been away from the forum for a little while but not away from the project. Been working on my $150 electric steering conversion project. The steering wheel get closer to the dash which is what I wanted to do anyways to create some more room with newer thicker seats.

[Nima]

So, to be able to get the steering column in the proper place, I had to remove the control module box to relocate it. In these Equinox/Saturn electric steering systems, the module is attached to the column.

[Nima]

So, I took the brake pedal bracket out to finalize the electric steering bracket:

[Nima]

I am using the steering shaft which I got with the unit. Since I have to move the steering box due to its interference with the headers, the shaft doesn't line up with the steering box directly:

[Nima]

So, the steering box has nice clearance with the headers but now I have to move the steering shaft access to the cab to the side of the stock location:

[Nima]

Next step is adapting the steering shaft to stock steering box. I used a grinder to form the proper shape on the steering box shaft:

[Nima]

Some more progress on the electric steering setup. I wanted to use my stock steering wheel. So, I cut the old and new and graft them together. At the end, to make the weld stronger, I welded a 1.5" long tube over the area:

[Nima]

Now, my stock steering wheel is on my new electric steering box: