Harold's '48 S10 LS1 Build

[Tikal48]

I've been working on the console some more this weekend. I added the front bosses to the console for the super tweeters. The previous rear bosses that I made were a little bit too small, so I recast another set of larger ones. I will try to add those to the console tomorrow.

[Tikal48]

I made a bit of progress yesterday, but I was hoping to get the rear bosses attached and sanded out. At least I came close.

I'll have to finish this out after Easter. Last few shots before Lent.

[iowaboynca]

Originally Posted by Tikal48

I'll have to finish this out after Easter. Last few shots before Lent.

Did you give up working on your truck?

[Tikal48]

Yeah, that I did. Give up something you love, right?
It'll give me a chance to catch up on some of the home projects.

[ricott]

Great craftsmanship on a truck with a great story. Your console looks really good. What was the map light out of?

[Tikal48]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the encouraging words! The fiberglass work has definitely been a fun project, and I don't have to worry about it rusting . . .ha ha!

Ricott- The map light is from a 01-04 Hyundai XG350 xG300. I found more similar styles for Hyundai Genesis, Santa Fe and etc. on Ebay. I've had a heck of a time trying to find any aftermarket map lights. Especially anything that I liked. I liked that this one had the built in sun glass case.

[99 to Life]

nice work, seams like a job for patience.

[iowaboynca]

wow.

[Flysocal]

Man you do great work

[Advanced Design]

Very nice!

[Tikal48]

Well I managed to get through Lent without working on the truck. That was a bit tough, but I did get some yard work done.

I picked back up where I left off on the console. I wanted to at least get the first coats of primer on it before I moved on to something else. I was happy with the way the contours looked with the primer, but I do have plenty of areas that still need work.

I completely dissembled the map light and removed the old liner in the eye glass case. I was fighting trying to remove it, until I soaked it in Acetone. Then it came right off. I used a plastic paint on the map light console, and will re-line the glass case with felt.

[99 to Life]

welcome back, looking good.

[Tikal48]

I also started work on the seat risers. I wanted to raise the seats about 3". This should set them to a comfortable height.

[Tikal48]

Thanks 99, its good to be working on the truck again.

My original intent was to buy some purple heart wood for the bed wood, but in an attempt to defray a little cost, I've been doing some research on dying some oak. Here are a couple of test pieces that I did. This is using RIT dye. Has any one else here tried this?

I tried the first piece with a purple dye, but it came out looking more brown than purple. The next piece I stained first with a couple of coats of Fushia dye. I went over half of that test piece with the purple dye. That's closer to the color that I want.

[iowaboynca]

You are pretty much staining the wood but you're able to dial in the color more to your desire for a custom piece.

My only concern would be longevity, as i'm thinking about how dyed clothes can fade over time with use. But on the flipside, as i mentioned above, you've got a cost effective, custom piece that you can replicate in the future.

[Tikal48]

I've been doing a little more work on the hood. I finished roughing out the body work on the hood and around the vents. I have a little more finish work, but I need to do the repairs to the front bottom lip of the hood, and to clean the bottom side of the hood.

I also received my stainless wire mesh to go behind the vents. I made some frames to hold the wire mesh in place, and to give a neater appearance.

[99 to Life]

Nice touch, that will def help keep that engine bay cool

[Advanced Design]

Cool look well done!

[roushinator]

Nice Work!!

[Tikal48]

I started on the bottom lip of the hood. This was pretty thin in some areas, so I left about a 1/8" lip of the existing metal, and inserted the new pieces underneath. I did not want to burn over the edge. I welded the two lip pieces together in the middle, which was a mistake. I will split that tomorrow because the sides need to squeeze in a little.

I did a few repairs to the front latch bracket. I installed the replacement square nuts that I made and tack welded them in place. I hope to get the inside of the hood cleaned up tomorrow, where I can get it primed.

[99 to Life]

nice job, that area is a biaatch

[Tikal48]

I started cleaning the inside of the hood today, among other things. This had an undercoating that was a pain to remove. I've tried last summer with some of the useless strippers that they carry at Home Depot and Lowe's. Those didn't touch it. I found some of the good aircraft stripper at O'reilly's, and luckily it was a warm day. It still took about three coats of stripper.

Some of the areas under the paint and undercoat were rusted. I used some Phosphoric acid to clean the rust, and I have a couple of small areas that will be faster to sandblast. I should be able to get this finished up and primed tomorrow.

[Tikal48]

It's a shame to have to cut a new fender to correct a gap problem. The driver side fender had a weird bend where it joined the cowl. I tried straightening this as best I could, but it still had about a 1/8" gap in the middle. I split the fender and used a 1/8" metal rod to fill the gap. After welding it out, I used a little All Metal and block sanded it. I just received my new Devilbiss Finishline 4 FLG paint gun, so this gave me a chance to try it out. It was well worth the money.

[Tikal48]

My one big goal this weekend was to get the grille in and start work on fitting the lower grille support and the front section of my inner fender wells.

When I tried to install the grille, the front of my frame was hitting the vertical braces on the grille. Times like these makes me regret not putting a modern suspension under the old frame. I pulled off the two supports of the grille that were hitting the frame. I got the grille in with a bit of slotting and cussing, and not necessarily in that order. It seems that the holes in the fender did not line up with the holes in the radiator support.

[99 to Life]

nice work. yeah a lot of this stuff doesn't seem to "line" up. Sorry I missed but did you get repop front fenders? also putting the grille in usually sux a bit.