TA_C10: Stage 1

[TA_C10]

Update - MAF Sensor / Kick Vents

Got the MAF sensor wired up and tested. Idle seemed a little low at 500 but as I drove around it seemed to learn and it's been at 600 since.

I also got my kick panel vents rebuilt. Found replacement foam online, worked good. Won't install these until I get my little access panel doors/hinges made for door wiring.







Loomed up the wiring, tucked away.







Vents were easy. They were pristine on the insides after I drilled the rivets. Foam was shot. I just took them apart, cleaned them up, painted them, put them back together with new foam, rivets.

[1971Stepside]

Wow! Those vents look great. I started pulling wire yesterday...seems a little daunting. I'm gonna lean on you and Beaterku for help.

[TA_C10]

Originally Posted by 1971Stepside

Wow! Those vents look great. I started pulling wire yesterday...seems a little daunting. I'm gonna lean on you and Beaterku for help.

Sounds good man. I refer back to my notebook all the time. So glad I built my own wiring diagrams for everything. I would be lost without them. You just can't remember all those details, at least in my pea brain

These new wiring harnesses, the way they are labeled, really are super easy to work with. But. What they don't tell you, is have a plan first. I bought the 67-72 factory assembly manual and it just doesn't help because your doing everything completely fresh and new. So lay it out, bundle it for engine, cab, etc. Then install it in the truck, same way, bundled, laid out front to back, make sure you inventory it all first. And if your really thorough, pin the whole thing out first so you can be sure you have a good harness. And last, diagram everything. Especially anything custom your doing. Oh, and your crimping tool, make sure it's a good one. The AA harness instructions said their factory crimps don't need solder. But when you crimp manually with a hand tool, you should also solder so I did that. Peace of mind knowing they are all solid.

Let me know if you need anything. I am wiring up my cruise control currently and I am pretty much done until I get the bed on. Good luck brother.



.

[TA_C10]

Update - Bed Cross Sill(gas tank)

I finally got around to modifying my cross sill that goes over the gas tank. P.O. just simply cut out the center section and tossed it aside.... So I notched it 1.5" and capped it for strength. Funny thing is, the 1.5 inches I cut out was enough material to cap the top making this free except for mig wire... Lazy....

Worked out pretty good. Mocked it up as I went along making sure it would fit. Plenty of clearance. And because I have a long bed, I have those extra supports so this should be plenty of support for whatever I put in the bed.

It's pretty much 16awg steel, but I still had a slight curve when I was done welding. Not sure if heat was the issue or it was already like that. Nothing a little body weight couldn't solve. Straightened her right up after few bounces.

Already primed the cross sills with epoxy, so I just used some VHT roll bar and chassis paint on these.

[TA_C10]

I also got the rest of the cross sills scuffed and painted. When I went to test fit the bed side, I noticed the body lines were not matching up. I installed the cross sills with those aftermarket rubber pads. I saw on Mar-K website their instructions mention to use those. But looks like they are pushing my bed up too high so I may not be able to use them. Either that or I have to jack up my cab and shim the back.... I REALLY don't want to do that... Unless it's a must, or better off doing it that way... Those rubber pads are pretty thick.










Here is a pic of the rubber pads under the cross sills.

[TA_C10]

Mar-K instructions = http://www.mar-k.com/_assets/images/...nformation.pdf

.

[TA_C10]

Brown Truck dropped something off today. Can't get too excited, these are just a fix to a rubbin problem. And rubbin son, is a part of racin...

[TA_C10]

Update - Painting and New Wheels(sorta)

More bodywork and paint... There is only so much of this stuff you can post... Bed sides are now in high build primer. Last step before final paint.

The other news I have is my wheel/tire issue is fixed. After some research I pulled the trigger on 2 new front rims to correct the bowlegged/rubbing problem. Previous owner put 10" rims all the way around with 3.5" backspacing. Well that was fine when the truck was in the air. Now that it's down low, front tires stuck out 2" past the fender lips. I found replacement rims several places, ended up finding them cheapest at LMCTruck(didn't even know they sold wheels). These should work until I figure out what wheels/tire combo I want later down the road(Part of Phase II). I am leaning towards 17 or 18 inch rims. I think the 20s are fine and look good on these trucks but I want more tire but still get some wheel in there too. Proportions

So here is the final setup, no more bowlegged look, no more rubbing.

Front = 8" rims with 3.5" backspacing - 235/60R15 Cooper Cobra G/T
Front = 10" rims with 3.5" backspacing - 275/60R15 Cooper Cobra G/T

Pretty sure both are zero offset as well. Forgot to measure that...



Before pics of front wheels:







After pics:










And I am trying to decide which center caps I like best, my originals that came with the truck are shorter and more rugged truck looking vs the American Racing dome look.








Bed sides in 2k high build. I wrapped my complete garage in plastic this time which really made a huge difference in cleanup. And my little make-shift paint station in the entryway of house(wife loves it when I redneck the front yard )

[SCOTI]

I like the 8's. Def a better fit for your set-up.

[1971Stepside]

That new wheel set up looks much better. I like your original center caps as well.

[TA_C10]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

I like the 8's. Def a better fit for your set-up.

Thanks, they actually fit! And I'm surprised the 3.5" backspacing works, it's real close, but I have turned from left to right and in-between while flexing on uneven ramps and it doesn't rub so I'm happy with them.

Originally Posted by 1971Stepside

That new wheel set up looks much better. I like your original center caps as well.

I think I'm with you on this, plus I already have all 4 of those center caps so I wouldn't have to buy 2 more of the others.



I worked on the bedsides last night, got the high build sanded down to 120 grit. Just one more light pass with 220 and they are ready for sealer and paint. The rest of the panels aren't getting bodyworked except for wheel tubs. So I am hoping to have the bed, grill, and few other small parts in final paint by Sunday. It's gonna be tough because I don't have room, the bedsides take up almost all the space on my racks. And going between sealer and final paint constantly is both a little waste usually because of pot life, and also a time waste becuase of going back and forth. It's just easier to do all parts in sealer first, then all parts in paint last. All in one single pass each. If my air hose could reach the backyard I would hang everything in my tree......


You can see there are still a couple of low spots and high spots, but they are tiny. It's pretty decent actually and you'll never see them in my paint. And I've said it before, daily driver

[MDPotter]

Looking forward to seeing the bed on soon!

[TA_C10]

Originally Posted by MDPotter

Looking forward to seeing the bed on soon!

ME TOO!!!! I'm having a hard time staying motivated at this point... I'm plain wore out. 2.5 years this month.

.

[SkidmoreGarage]

You have been a big inspiration to keep me motivated. I do not find bodywork very joyful labor either, filled with mostly coming to terms with imperfections. Hang in there, momentum is critical when addressing the last 20%. Also, in aggregation, the minor issues you see now will disappear to the untrained eye upon completion. It is a daily driver. You can't tell the difference between a $3k paint job and a $20k paint job with a decent weekend's worth of bug guts and dust on it.

At a low point, I spiral into looking ahead and find that, if I'm not careful, this activity consumes my most productive time. This leads to slow progress, loss of prioritization, and a decrease in motivation.

I personally took a week off from bodywork and have done other small jobs. Cab mounts, wheel bearings, refreshed an axle that I may not even use, procured supplies, and did general shop clean up. I also reprioritized and got myself prepared for another big push forward.

[First c10]

Hey TA_C10
I read through the thread but cant see the pictures at work. I will read it this weekend at home so I can see/download the pictures.
Keep up the great work!!!

[TA_C10]

Originally Posted by SkidmoreGarage

You have been a big inspiration to keep me motivated. I do not find bodywork very joyful labor either, filled with mostly coming to terms with imperfections. Hang in there, momentum is critical when addressing the last 20%. Also, in aggregation, the minor issues you see now will disappear to the untrained eye upon completion. It is a daily driver. You can't tell the difference between a $3k paint job and a $20k paint job with a decent weekend's worth of bug guts and dust on it.

At a low point, I spiral into looking ahead and find that, if I'm not careful, this activity consumes my most productive time. This leads to slow progress, loss of prioritization, and a decrease in motivation.

I personally took a week off from bodywork and have done other small jobs. Cab mounts, wheel bearings, refreshed an axle that I may not even use, procured supplies, and did general shop clean up. I also reprioritized and got myself prepared for another big push forward.

Thanks for that, appreciated man.

Originally Posted by First c10

Hey TA_C10
I read through the thread but cant see the pictures at work. I will read it this weekend at home so I can see/download the pictures.
Keep up the great work!!!

Thanks!

[TA_C10]

Glove box door done. PO installed one of those ugly billet covers over the face and you have to drill holes through the original to install. The glove box door was in perfect shape before he did that, I don't understand dudes sometimes.... Welded up the holes, grind smooth, and body worked. Ready for paint.


Before:







Welded up:







Bodyworked:

[1971Stepside]

Welded up the holes, grind smooth, and body worked. Ready for paint.

Like watching a TV build you are so fast

I was working on my glove box door last night as well.

[TA_C10]

Originally Posted by 1971Stepside

Like watching a TV build you are so fast

I was working on my glove box door last night as well.

Hang tight, each night I am busting azz to get bed completed. This weekend paint. Next week will be install of bed.

[sprint_9]

Looking good, Im excited to see the bed on.

One thing I did when mounting my box was use different thicknesses of rubber for pads. I purchased a variety of 12x12 sheet rubber from Grainger on ebay, I used 1/16, 1/8, and 1/4. It worked pretty good having the variety to customize the fit and get good alignment.

[Scurry67]

Excellent job on the bodywork! Every time i check out your build I’m filled with envy with the pace you’re moving at. Keep it up. You’ll be on the road in no time!

[TA_C10]

Originally Posted by sprint_9

Looking good, Im excited to see the bed on.

One thing I did when mounting my box was use different thicknesses of rubber for pads. I purchased a variety of 12x12 sheet rubber from Grainger on ebay, I used 1/16, 1/8, and 1/4. It worked pretty good having the variety to customize the fit and get good alignment.

I will look into this, still trying to decide if I should use the pads or not... I am going to have to shim my cab no matter what.

Originally Posted by Scurry67

Excellent job on the bodywork! Every time i check out your build I’m filled with envy with the pace you’re moving at. Keep it up. You’ll be on the road in no time!

Thanks for the kind words, this is motivation for me to keep going.

[TA_C10]

Finished bodyworking the rear tubs last night. Ready for paint. And it's official, I no longer have fingerprints...

[First c10]

I just went through the build with pictures. Great job on the build Tom.
Great truck....you have done a great job.

[TA_C10]

Originally Posted by First c10

I just went through the build with pictures. Great job on the build Tom.
Great truck....you have done a great job.

Well thanks Scott, I feel my thread had too many pics, but when half the thread died it's easier to go through it now probably... Plus, the first half was pretty much all metal work anyways and that crap is boring


.