Working Man's Burbon

[CG]

Seats seats seats seats ... Lets see some more seats seats seats =)

[HO455]

Okay! Okay, I'm sorry! I've had some fastener issues to sort out.

The second row bottom seats had some rust on their frames which ruined some of the bolts. Fortunately although the threads in the frames were salvageable, five of the bolts were too rusted to use (Photo #1) and I did have 2 bolts that I twisted in two despite my best efforts. Being blind fasteners I had no way to get any heat on the nuts, even pentrating oil was almost impossible to get on the threads.

Anyway not only did I need some bolts, I also needed some of the flanged spacers that GM used to prevent the bolts from being threaded in to far and distorting the backs. Most spacers were deformed from the bolts being over torqued (Probably with a mis-adjusted air ratchet.) Some of them were less than half as long as they should have been.

My searches for another squarebody Burban at the u-pull-it yards didn't pay off. But I found some spacers that are used in cheap particleboard furniture that were almost perfect. I only had to drill the hole out. (See photo #2 the arrow shows a factory spacer with minor deforming, next to one of the furniture spacers.)

Next was to make the new bolt heads match the original bolt heads (It's an OCD thing you may not have to worry about. ) I chucked the replacement bolts up on the lathe and made a smooth, slight dome on the top of the bolt head. (Photo #3)

Once all of that was done I just needed a day when it wasn't raining. Which was yesterday!

I still need to remove the seat bottoms on both of the lower seats so I can loosen the bolts that hold them to the mounts. Hopefully then I can line them up better. Worst case I will have to take a grinder and slot the mounting holes. But I was happy with how they fit before so I'm guessing it is a tolerance stacking problem.

The only disappointing thing was the 503 green paint I got to paint the seat back latches isn't 503 but Detroit Diesel engine green. UHGG! You can kinda see it in the back of the last photo. Expensive paint that sprayed out really nice. Anyone putting a 471 in their truck need some paint?

And for CG's information the front seat is all the way back in the last photo.

Now I have the whole seat belt dilemma to get figured out.

[Beach-Burban]

Wow...that's a slick looking install! I totally get the "matching bolt head" thing...you did a great job with that as well!

Woody

[CG]

Today I'm 100 percent convinced I want to do the rear seat like yours now. I love it, and your upholstery looks awesome.

Course now I have to source a seat haha. I hate going to wrecking yards anymore, no Im not turning in my man card, just one of those things I did all the dang time when I was younger ... Over it haha.

[HO455]

Thanks everyone. It makes the 2 year wait worth it. I was just my luck to drop them off right before Covid took over.

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by HO455

Man, Big Brother is watching me! I swear I just barely posted that.

I looked at putting it under the dash thinking it would be slick and easy but, there just wasn't room without moving the whole cable towards the transmission. I decided that was going to be more work than running the wire to the transmission.

Then the whole adapter saga started with only half of it showing up and the other half back ordered.

It's so hard to feel like one is making progress these days.

I wanted to let you know that I found a bug in my TCC controller Arduino code that was messing up the speed reading. This is most likely why it wasn't working for you. I will send you a PM with a link for downloading the corrected version of code. Sorry about that!!

['68OrangeSunshine]

I like your seats. I had a set of Squarebody backseats ready for my '67 K/10 Suburban, but the rear floorpan was not deep enough for the seat back. Then that truck got totalled.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

I like your seats. I had a set of Squarebody backseats ready for my '67 K/10 Suburban, but the rear floorpan was not deep enough for the seat back. Then that truck got totalled.

Oh! How depressing! I always hate to hear that kind of news.
On the upside thank you for the kind words about the seats.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by HO455

Oh! How depressing! I always hate to hear that kind of news.
On the upside thank you for the kind words about the seats.

White Fang is still here. Now it's sort of a retirement project.
It was ''totalled'' on paper by Farmers after an engine bay fire. Body is fine.
With gas getting so high, I wasn't inclined to rebuild a BBC.
My Sub now has a Salvage Title which would require a complete overhaul.
With running trucks -- '68 C/10 Stepside and '71 GMC Jimmy -- I don't need a 3rd truck, especially with gas, insurance and maintenance.

Set up was: 454/TH350/NP205/12 Bolt 3.73 w/Auburn Posi.

The rear end was cannibalized into the Jimmy 12 years ago. The Stepside has the '67's horn button, hood letters ''E'', Voltage Regulator, and the hood latch, plus some odd signal lens screws.

I have a 292 L6 core, an SM465/T221 core, a thrashed 1971 12 Bolt 3.73 Eaton Posi diff, and a partial Dana 44 front axle. Truck was originally rigged as 283/SM420/T221-?/12-Bolt open 3.73 -- I think. PO progressively up-gunned the motors... 283, 350, 454. And went automatic.

[Average Joe]

Holy frijoles Batman! Your seats look incredible! Beautiful install as well!

To clarify more on my seat combo, I have 2004 Silverado seats in the front with the ‘86 rear. With this setup I’m a lil more forward with the rear seat folded flat. Having a 30” inseam it’s totally doable. Anyone taller may feel a bit cramped. YMMV

[HO455]

Thanks Joe. They are comfortable too!
And as always I appreciate the kind words.

Not much else to report on, I put new front tires on 2 weeks ago and I've been driving around town searching for new fabric to replace the current fabric on the door panels, which should be the next project once the weather gets drier.

The WMB is currently dirtier than it's ever been since I started driving it. It's either raining or freezing out. And just to complicate thngs I had Covid last month and my mother's apartment was flooded when the pipes in the ceiling froze and we had to move her into my sister's house and since have been working to dry her belongings out locate a new place for her to live.

The odometer now shows 40k miles since I got the truck.
Oh and I installed a clock in the WMB. My dad had a similar one in his K20 back in the day.

And thank you to everyone who comes here and looks around. I'm finding it hard wrap my mind around the fact there has been 160,000 visits here.

[HO455]

The new clock!

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by HO455

The new clock!

... .. Well, at least it is easy to read.

LockDoc

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by HO455

The new clock!

Classic clean look. Reflection of a simpler, more elegant era.

[3757chevy]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

... .. Well, at least it is easy to read.

LockDoc

DUH! but it's not digital.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by 3757chevy

DUH! but it's not digital.

And it doesn't have military time readout on it...

LockDoc
.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

And it doesn't have military time readout on it...

LockDoc
.

Whaddya mean it doesn't?
It clearly indicates 14:29.
If it were 02:29 it would be dark,
and you'd only see the lumimous hands.

[3757chevy]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

Whaddya mean it doesn't?
It clearly indicates 14:29.
If it were 02:29 it would be dark,
and you'd only see the lumimous hands.

Good point. or... is it a luminous face?

[3757chevy]

Any way, The seats look great.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

... .. Well, at least it is easy to read.

LockDoc

And the installation went as planned with no additional can of worms to sort through.

[HO455]

[QUOTE='68OrangeSunshine;9176318]
Whaddya mean it doesn't?
It clearly indicates 14:29.
If it were 02:29 it would be dark,
and you'd only see the lumimous hands.[/QUOTE

Having spent most of my adult life working in the marine industry my brain is hard wired to the 24 clock. So for me what 68OrangeSunshine says is what I see . Correct with the exception of the luminous dial. I have to turn the dome light on sometimes.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by 3757chevy

Any way, The seats look great.

Thank you, sir. Kind words like that make it worth the all the work.

['68OrangeSunshine]

[quote=HO455;9177262]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

Whaddya mean it doesn't?
It clearly indicates 14:29.
If it were 02:29 it would be dark,
and you'd only see the lumimous hands.[/QUOTE

Having spent most of my adult life working in the marine industry my brain is hard wired to the 24 clock. So for me what 68OrangeSunshine says is what I see . Correct with the exception of the luminous dial. I have to turn the dome light on sometimes.

I needed a 4th couplet to my Burma Shave quatrain.
The image of luminous hands was poetic license.

[CG]

I think the watch is a neat period addition. I think if I ever actually get a truck on the road again Im gonna get one, but its going to be a Timex ... Keeps a licking and keeps on ticking.

And like the metric system, military time seems just out of my pea brain.

['68OrangeSunshine]

I don't think a watch would stay in that position very long the way I drive and use the sun visors.
In Arizona we have an active and agressive Sun.
I often use the sunvisors against the glare of direct sun at or around Sunrise or Sunset.
Even in winter.
I pull it straight down if heading E/W into the sunlight or flip it 90* paralleling the window, N/S.
Southbound, going Downtown in the morning -- breaking dawn in my eyes -- and Northbound, against the setting Sun in the late afternoon.

A watch on a twist-o-flex type band might get flung off, and possibly fly out the window.