85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"

[N2TRUX]

It has been raining here all week. When the rain lets up the heat sets in and humidity goes through the roof. Consequently I have not been able to finish my American Racing steering wheel project.

I needed to fine tune the brushed finish, then prep and clear it. I consulted Chris Plump from American Racing and found out they use a ceramic based clear on the wheels for durability. I looked at several options and came up with a Rust-oleum semi gloss that fit my needs.

After a bit of touch up on my brush work, the parts were wiped with brake cleaner to ensure they were oil free. I gave everything a few coats of clear and let it bake in the sun. For reference, this is a moderate dry paint. It flashes quickly and goes a bit milky. Its ready for consecutive coats in a short time, but needs a few hours to totally cure for handling purposes.

While the clear was curing I worked on the wiring for the horn button. I removed the plastic insulators from the connectors and used shrink tube instead. All I need now is the connector that activates the horn. That didn't come with the kit so I'm trying to track one down locally.

Once the components were cured I assembled everything. I topped it off with the Napa red leather ring looking like the cherry on top of a fancy dessert. I slipped the package in place and admired the new look.
In the last pic you get a drivers perspective of the American Racing VF506 steering wheel framed by the Brothers Truck Parts brushed dash bezel. Look closely to the bottom right and the Kicker Audio KMC20 controller is visible.

[TKCR]

Damn that looks nice!! You do awesome work.

[rustytruck50]

Nailed it!

[moregrip]

yeah that steering wheel wrap looks pretty fantastic bro, great call!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by TKCR

Damn that looks nice!! You do awesome work.

Originally Posted by rustytruck50

Nailed it!

Originally Posted by moregrip

yeah that steering wheel wrap looks pretty fantastic bro, great call!

Thanks guys

[N2TRUX]

Saturday evening I finished rerouting the hood release cable. The original path out of the firewall that draped over the stock fender liner wouldn't work well with the Slosh Tubz. I found a larger hole nearby that would work but I needed a way to close the gap. I couldn't find a grommet the right size so I improvised. I used a panel plug and drilled it with a step bit to achieve the desired size.

I routed the cable along the brake hard lines and through the core support. I drilled a new hole close to the hood latch and added a grommet there as well. The cable is no longer draped across the fender liner and top of the core support. Simple, yet effective.

[N2TRUX]

Yesterday I sent Scarlett to my local repair shop to have the A/C system charged. I hate to open the system up, but its mandatory to gain access to the motor to properly detail everything.

While inside the cab we had added Silent Coat Sound Deadner, and foil seal to reduce noise and radiant heat. To promote maximum air flow the blower motor was replaced and all the vent tubs were resealed with fresh weather strip foam. This pushes as much air as possible through the new Brothers Truck Parts vent.

Under the hood, the accumulator, low side valve, and relay were all replaced. I used new green O rings to seal all of the connections before snugging them in place. I also replaced the seals at the compressor for good measure.

With everything new or reconditioned like new my buddy Robert at Today's Automotive purged the system and charged it with Freon and oil. The temps were over 100+ yesterday when I picked the truck up. On the short ride home the cab was already comfortable. I'm just going to roll my windows up and chill for now.

[rustytruck50]

That looks really nice and tidy....you're one of a very, very small handful of people able to make those items look like a million bucks without chrome and over the top glitz....

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by rustytruck50

That looks really nice and tidy....you're one of a very, very small handful of people able to make those items look like a million bucks without chrome and over the top glitz....

I'm very big on visualization. I squint my eyes and look at a component while visualizing what I want to highlight, contrast, or bend in. By slightly contrasting the smaller pieces your attention is drawn away from the big ugly parts.

[N2TRUX]

I just couldn't bring myself to hang those big ugly overlow tank and washer bottles back on the nicely painted Slosh Tubz. I considered mounting smaller ones on the back of the core support but that wasn't appealing either.

Instead I opted for a pair of stainless tanks that will eventually painted cast iron gray. I tried to locate one on each side of the radiator for symmetry, but its physically impossible on the passenger side. That left me with no choice but to mount them together on the drivers side.

Last night I worked on a mounting system since the brackets that came with them wouldnt work. I tried several options and settled for 1 1/4" square tube. To allow room to open the lids I had to move them apart abit so two pieces of stock were bolted together.

I still have to determine exactly how to mount this to the core support. Once a location is established I will had a pump and lines for the washer fluid behind the Slosh Tubz filler panel.

[N2TRUX]

Saturday Chris dropped by and we did maintenance on his daily driver. We did a front brake job and rotated the tires. Time to get back on Scarlett.

We still had some details inside the cab to wrap up. The glove box door latch was loose so we found a YouTube video and got that repaired. Final fitment on the a.c. ducts got the seals under the dash as tight as possible. I had ordered a horn wire kit and now the horn is back in business.

[N2TRUX]

With the interior finally done it was time to move back under the hood. We located a spot for the washer/overflow tanks and measured for mounting holes.

I drilled and tapped the square stock to mount them on the Slosh Tubz filler panel. With this accomplished I reinstalled the panel and checked for clearance.

[N2TRUX]

Its been a busy week at work so my days start early and end late. Heres a little job I manged to squeeze in. The hood latch had never been painted and had a bit of surface rust on it. With the installation of the WAM Rods, the latch was right in my line of site so it needed some attention.

As usual I ran it through the blasting cabinet and wiped it down with brake cleaner. It got a few coats of VHT Cast Iron and a added polished stainless button heads for detail.

[rustytruck50]

Nice!!!

[st1]

Really NICE!!! I like those tanks. Quality work again.
Posted via Mobile Device

[j carter]

Hey n2trux I just bought an 87 Silverado it's bright red it needs repainting do you think doing that color scheme u have would hurt resell value in the future I really like that scheme

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by j carter

Hey n2trux I just bought an 87 Silverado it's bright red it needs repainting do you think doing that color scheme u have would hurt resell value in the future I really like that scheme

The two tone combo on Scarlett was on option. Currently two tone truck are more popular than single color, but that could change. Since it is a factory option it shouldn't hurt resale value especially if you use correct colors. Scarlet has the correct red, but the secondary color is GM "warm nickle" which is not correct for this year but is a GM color.

[j carter]

Thanks and prayers for your family

[UKNOWME]

Ken, I hope you and your family are doing ok during the hurricane.

[85/Silverado]

We know your in the area of the bad rain, we hope you and yours have left the area and are safe. I hope Scarlett weathers the storm also.
Good Luck,,,,,
If you need anything don't hesitate to ask.

[TKCR]

Ken, I see your very close to this Tropical Storm, if not in the middle of it. I hope you and your family are safe, that includes Scarlett. Give us an update as soon as you can, stay safe!!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by rustytruck50

Nice!!!

Originally Posted by st1

Really NICE!!! I like those tanks. Quality work again.
Posted via Mobile Device

Thanks guys. I tried to finish it but ran out of supplies. Everything is closed near me so it may be a while.

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

Ken, I hope you and your family are doing ok during the hurricane.

Originally Posted by 85/Silverado

We know your in the area of the bad rain, we hope you and yours have left the area and are safe. I hope Scarlett weathers the storm also.
Good Luck,,,,, If you need anything don't hesitate to ask.

Originally Posted by TKCR

Ken, I see your very close to this Tropical Storm, if not in the middle of it. I hope you and your family are safe, that includes Scarlett. Give us an update as soon as you can, stay safe!!

I appreciate your kind words and prayers. I am blessed that our house sits high with and we stayed dry. The tornadoes you saw on the news were very close, but no damage here.
My biggest concern is the uncertainty of loss of equipment and revenue. I know we have some losses. I dont know how bad yet.

[N2TRUX]

Since the wussies at Auto Zone freaked out over a tornado siting and closed I couldn't get supplies to finish my tank project. Fortunately I did have materials to work on the Slosh Tubz. We ran out of time before LST so I did not finish the under side. Let me be clear that they do not require this process, its just someting I wanted to do.

I masked the top side to protect the paint taking care to cover any holes. The fiberglass is fairly smooth with just a few nibs sticking through the gel coat. I wanted to knock those down and sand the resin enough to get some bite. One of my mentors once said "shiny ain't sticky son". If you dont speak fluent farm boy, what he meant was a shiny surface doesn't promote good adhesion.

After masking the Mild Tubz I used an 80 grit disc to scuff the entire surface. I sanded at an angle from both sides to create a cross hatch , then blew them clean. I followed that with a wipe down of Scotch Brite and brake cleaner.

I loaded up my schutz gun with rubberized undercoating and adjusted the air pressure to get a nice splatter pattern. I coated each on twice followed by a light splatter coat for a nice finish. These were set to cure and will be installed later this week.

[rustytruck50]

Be safe...hope all is good as possible

[LT7A]

If I read your post right you will be dealing with some storm losses with your business. I hope that all goes well as it can.