Post your best budget mods! ($50 or less)

[bollybib]

My Chevrolet was a Custor

But then I bought this great glove box door emblem from Ironhorse in the parts board for five bucks and glued it on with silicone I already had.

This probably doesn't count as a mod, it's more of a fixit, but I'm such a stock guy this is the edge of the envelope for me haha.

[sleepertruck72]

Originally Posted by mrhino

replaced the straps with cables less then $20 at the parts store and 2 bolts from a dodge dakota in the salvage yard.

Mr. Rhino,

Me likey,

[Old Yeller 1970]

Replacing the lights in my instrument bezel with LED's. After installing them I could clearly see all the gauges at night for the first time ever. I bought white 5 bulb LED's off eBay for way less than $50. I tried some single bulb LED's but they weren't any brighter than the standard bulbs. The 5 bulb LED's are just right, IMO.

[Old Yeller 1970]

In the vein of clean up mods that save good parts from being replaced with expensive new parts, here's a little experiment I did cleaning up my visors. At the time I was living in Mis'sippi and my visors were nearly ruined by mildew. I experimented with several cleaning agents and you can see how bad they looked and how great they turned out below with some simple elbow grease and Gumout Carb cleaner.

[Roadmarks]

Please tell us more about the LEDs! I have seen no direct replacement for the push in dash light bulbs. What did you do?

Thanks!

[oldblue1968chevy]

Swaybar-15$ from my buddy then $25 or so for new moog bushings, then some paint i had laying around

power brakes-was on my parts truck, but you should pick one up for around $50 brackets and all

headlight relays-if i had to do it again i would get junkyard relays with nice sealed pigtails, but it really makes a difference in night driving $30 (relays,wire,misc connections, i had almost all of this in stock in my shop already)

cool thread i realy like it

[Old Yeller 1970]

Originally Posted by Roadmarks

Please tell us more about the LEDs! I have seen no direct replacement for the push in dash light bulbs. What did you do?

Thanks!

The bulbs I used are direct replacements for the wedge shaped 194's that originally came in our trucks. They are usually listed as 161, 168, 194 bulbs on eBay or where ever you can find them.

[oldblue1968chevy]

brake indicator mod

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=425922

[pritch]

This would be for the Panel and 'Burb guys, but here is an easy map/dome light.

Now for full disclosure, this part is off a F*rd (Pritch ducking rocks and flaming arrows)

I had a '88 F-150, but I'm sure this part would be under five bucks at any junkyard.

For some reason, there is a threaded hole just above the rear-view mirror on Panels and 'Burb's



I ran a wire up the pillar (high degree of difficulty, BTW) and it lays in the space above the windshield and roof-(another Panel/Burb thing)

I then drilled a hole in the light assy. and screwed it to the hole. This ruined the dome light section of the light assy, but with a little more finesse and smaller-headed screw, the dome light could be retained. Of course, this would require running a second wire.



The light assy. don't match the curves quite exactly, so I made a gasket out of a .89 cent mouse pad:



It works very well and looks pretty good too, IMHO.







Another thing I do-not a specific mod, but a cheap tool that works well. Whenever I need to hone something or clean up the inside of a small bore, like a master or wheel cylinder, or any number of things, I get a piece of steel wool and a drill bit several sizes smaller than the bore. I use a cordless drill for this, because they seem easier to control than corded drills, but I let the steel wool wind up on the drill bit, and then use that as a hone. It works very well.



Another thing I sometimes do, and I know I'll get flamed for it, but when I can't afford to have my valves properly ground, I will stick the valve in the hole, then chuck it up into a (this time corded) drill and put some valve lapping compound on the seat area and spin that valve as fast as it will go while pulling up on the drill, like trying to pull the valve through the head. You need to be careful not to get any compound up into the valve guide area, but I've done this many times and again, it works very well.

[bo-w]

well its not exactly a mod but im doing cap, rotor, plugs & wires tomorrow. best money spent is in maintaining the monster right lol.

[FLDBRED]

Awesome thread! I am already going to use some of these ideas.

[Hottrucks]

gotta throw out the zip tie plug wire holder...they work great and you can buy a bag for $5

also

Magic eraser works killer for cleaning vinyle

and

0000 steel wool is the best window cleaner also works on SS parts

[Roadmarks]

I think "Putter" has a dandy inside hood release if he'll post it! Pretty Please!

[Old Yeller 1970]

pritch, this is the second truck I've seen this week that has the ashtray converted to a cup holder. How is this done?

[lakeroadster]

Originally Posted by Old Yeller 1970

... this is the second truck I've seen this week that has the ashtray converted to a cup holder. How is this done?

Check out this link: Cupholder Conversion for Classic Chevrolet Trucks - Cups, Not Butts

[Old Yeller 1970]

Originally Posted by lakeroadster

Check out this link: Cupholder Conversion for Classic Chevrolet Trucks - Cups, Not Butts

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, after contacting Brother's I found out they no longer carry it because the supplier tripled the price. Looks like I'm SOL.

[wild4wheels]

Call me nuts, but I think that insert looks a lot like a rear seat cup holder out of a 96 Toyota 4Runner.

[oldblue1968chevy]

My dads toyota tundra cup holder looks alot similar..i really wanna steal it and put it in my c10 dimensions are nearly perfect!

[dfwright]

Great ideas! The only one I've done so far is adding a sway bar. This can be done for less than $50, with a sway bar and brackets from the junkyard, and new bushings

[Old Yeller 1970]

Originally Posted by wild4wheels

Call me nuts, but I think that insert looks a lot like a rear seat cup holder out of a 96 Toyota 4Runner.

Originally Posted by oldblue1968chevy

My dads toyota tundra cup holder looks alot similar..i really wanna steal it and put it in my c10 dimensions are nearly perfect!

So somebody swipe a Toyota cup holder and tell us how it works.

[Rob68c10]

One of the best $50 mods I did was switching to a one wire alternator. No more messing with a voltage regulator.

I got a SS 18 gallon boat tank and mounted it in my bed temporarily because the in-cab tank was full of nasty. Paid $10 for it.

[JORGIE95961]

Originally Posted by Rob68c10

One of the best $50 mods I did was switching to a one wire alternator. No more messing with a voltage regulator.

I got a SS 18 gallon boat tank and mounted it in my bed temporarily because the in-cab tank was full of nasty. Paid $10 for it.

i keep hearing about the one wire.. whats the difference between the one wire and the three wire.. aside from the obvious. lol i got rid of my regulator as well

[oldblue1968chevy]

Hmm..

My alternator is a "3" wire I assume (has 3 wires comming off). But only 1 wire goes anywhere?!!? lol

[Flint70step]

I got a lower alternator bracket to hide my alt down low and get a better angle for the belt(no more belt squeal).


Then I noticed when the motor was running the alt was moving back and forth a lot.The brackets themselves are kinda thin and there are only two bolts that mount the whole assembly to the block.A brace at the pivot point of the alt bracket would solve the movement problem.While in my shed looking for a piece of metal to bend into shape,I spied a wrench that looked to be about the right length.In the vise it went..BFH and some heat,little grinding and Viola!!


Now my alt is completely still while the motor is running and it looks cool too!Hows that for a budget mod

[oldblue1968chevy]

Ouch! A craftsmen? At least you can get a new one someday when you wanna LOL