My Luxurious late model truck (not so much)

[imjeff]

Ditto! I may have used the phrase "if you can get that real clean I'll take you to town and buy you something purty." Wives love that!

[Low Elco]

Congrats! Sounds like a fun trip!

[Stoney]

Nice seat...I had that same seat in a 91 GMC ZZ1. When you look at it, the console will fold up and so will the bottom seat for storage. There was an option for a cooler with a drain through the cab, too.

[Tx Firefighter]

Good progress this afternoon. I couldn't find the proper bushing anywhere. Everybody ordered the right one from their source and they were all wrong. Finally in desperation, Standard Transmission sent me over to Phoenix Transmission. I walked in carrying my housing and told him what I needed. They have a shelf full of various old transfer case stuff and on the shelf was the bushing I need. The owner confirmed that bushing was impossible to find and he tried to order them in quantity for that reason. Five minutes later I was on my way home. They even pressed it in for me on their arbor press. He asked for five bucks. I gave him a 20 and was glad to do it. I'd have paid 15 for the bushing at Napa or OReilly anyway if they could have finally found one.



All finished up and ready to install.



The mail lady delivered my rear speakers today while I was gone out on the bushing hunt. I bought these as used on eBay but they were new in the box. The lady bought them and found out they wouldn't fit her car but couldn't find the receipt to return them. Much savings over buying from Crutchfield or someplace. Savings are good.



And in desperation for always wanting for decent sheetmetal screws I stopped by the hardware store. I have a big cup of various used sheetmetal screws that I've accumulated over the years, but it gets old pouring them all out and trying to find some that will work. New is good. Hey, I'm worth it right ?



Sorry about the upside down picture. My smart phone is obviously smarter than me.

The problem I ran into when installing them is that these speakers are fatter in the butt than the original GM speakers. They are 4x6, which is the correct size, but that fat butt wouldn't fit.



It hits right here on this little secondary lip.



I didn't have the heart to break out the die grinder or saw since I've worked so hard to get the carper so clean and pretty so I decided to take a different tact and built a tool. It's just a pice of scrap steel out of my junk pile. Notice the slot I cut into the tip of it.



You just go around the hole and bend the lip back.



It looks hack because the paint flaked off, but the edge is pretty much smooth and presentable looking.



Now my fat butt speakers fit right in.



I finished up by installing all of the interior trim and seat belts and coat hooks.



It's very bright outside so the pictures suck. I'll try to do better tonight when the sun goes down. Nothing ground breaking here, but compared to having bare metal on the entire interior, its a giant step forward. Hopefully the work and expense will pay off with a truck that quiet and pleasant to ride in.



I still need some interior goodies so I'm keeping my eyes open. After buying the seat, I'm gonna be flat busted of truck money till next payday. When I can recover from that, I'll try and find a pair of door panels and the two trim pieces that go above and below the rear window.

Remember my original door panels. Those cup holder thingies up top are covering a big hole in the panel. Plus the screws all around the perimeter. No way in hell are these going back into the truck.

[Thunderwagen]

Phoenix are great guys to work with. They built my 4l80E and had awesome customer service.

[rusty76]

I liked the rebuild on the transfer case and the interior is getting there. Killer.

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by Thunderwagen

Phoenix are great guys to work with. They built my 4l80E and had awesome customer service.

Agreed. They've built all my automatic trannys over the last 20 years. The prices are high but the quality is there. I never dreamed of going to them for transfer case parts though. I always thought of them as strictly auto tranny guys. I'm glad I was wrong.

[Palf70Step]

Kewl.

[flashed]

Moving right along and nice looking horse in the background .

[Tx Firefighter]

Craigslist adventure complete.

Its dingy, but this is one nice seat. Dingy I can fix.





Sorry, too much coffee.



Under the center section. Perfect for firearms or anything you want in a non obvious place.



I gave him an extra ten bucks for some miscellaneous stuff. Behind the seat compartment with jack and wheel changing tools.



Door rubbers. Both primary and the secondary ones that go along the top of the opening.



Installed.









Now, here is where I need input from any of you guys who speak woodwork. Valerie is slicking up the seat and getting it all cleaned and shipshape. I need to refinish this center console wood.



It's ugly. It's stained. Whatever clear coat was on it is coming off. I need to make it pretty again. I know zero about wood, stains, varnishes, etc.

Someone with wood saavy, please give me some clear and simple guidance to make this pretty again.

Thank you.

[lolife99]

Kevin,... have you ever thought about painting the wood?
Maybe the seat color with some flat clear.
Personally I have never been a fan of the wood stuff.
But if you could make it blend into the seat color,... I think it would be cool.

Otherwise,... get the clear off with stripper or progressive grits of sanding.
Start with 80 grit then 120 grit,... etc.
I use Minwax stain products.
Pic a stain color you like. (looks like Golden Oak in the pics)
Let dry 8 hours or overnight.
Then topcoat with a Minwax finish.
Maybe an outdoor polyurethane to help with UV rays.

I would still think about painting it,... even if it was black. Ha.

[Tx Firefighter]

I think painting it would be scope creep I'd have to open the wallet up for paint and clears and all that. I'm liking your Minwax idea. I've got the wood stuff off and in my car. Tomorrow on my way to the fire station I can pick up some sandpaper and stain and try to get it stained while on duty tomorrow. I still have a partial can of Minwax Spar Urethane that I used on the bed boards of my 63. Hoping I can keep the cash outlay in check.

Say I start with 80 grit, where should I top out, like 320 or something ? Then stain from there ?

[lolife99]

320 would be fine.
I use an electric palm sander,... but an air sander would work too.
You can finish off hand sanding to get out aall the "swirls" that the electric sander would leave.
You don't have to get off all the stain,... just the clear.
So it should come off fairly easily.
Apply your new stain with a foam brush or a rag.
Wipe off the excess with a clean dry rag and let it dry.

I usually spray the clear because I have a buddy that has all of this stuff in his cabinet shop.
But you can brush it on just as easily.
Apply as many coats as it recommends on the can.
You may have to sand the clear between coats to knock off and bumps or nubs in the clear.
If you have the patience to do bed wood,... this will be easy for you.

[Tx Firefighter]

Thanks Keith. Those were the details I need. I have a little Dewalt electric DA sander that uses the Velcro type sandpaper. I was hoping I could machine sand a bulk of the old clear off. I'll machine sand it up through 220 odd grit and go with hand sanding from there on.

[tommyd241]

Coming along nicely!

[Tx Firefighter]

I let the boss choose the color from Minwax's website last night and stopped at the store on the way to work this morning and picked up the stain.



So first thing I checked out my engine and did the obligatory paperwork and we all went up to the coffee shop for breakfast. Then afterwards I used the table under the shade tree behind the fire station to get to work.



After this stain has an 8 hour drying time I'll try to get the first coat of clear on it.



It's looking like its gonna be a great day at work.

[Zane M]

Looks really nice.
Sounds like a benefit of your job-as long as everything is taken care of, you have the ability to do a little extra work of your own.

[lolife99]

Great color!
I've been out of the cabinet building business for a few years,... so I've never even heard of the color "Gunstock",... but I like it!

[Tx Firefighter]

Its funny how stuff works. I was just cruising some Facebook garage sale pages and ran across a similar seat to mine. Its different obviously, but for sure made by the same company. It looks like my seat is missing two upholder inserts. That would explain the adhesive and dark rings around the holes.

The guys wants 250 for the seat in the pictures. I don't like it near as much as I do mine.

[flashed]

That looks good ,I like the color ,cant wait to see it all installed .

[flashed]

I have seen those inserts before ,may have been at a boad supply when I was looking for cup holder ideas for mine .

[lolife99]

I wonder if these would fit?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RV-CAMPER-MO...#ht_2798wt_846

[Tx Firefighter]

I was just comparing the pictures of my seat and the for sale seat I posted above. It makes me realize how beat down my little arm rest inserts are. Mine are squished down about an inch compared to those. Plus, even though Valerie got them super clean, there is noticeable fading going on. I'm thinking about hitting the upholstery supply and buy a chunk of foam and some fabric to redo mine.

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by lolife99

I wonder if these would fit?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RV-CAMPER-MO...#ht_2798wt_846

Ooooo weeee. That's some hurtful money they're asking. I might just go au natural on my cup holders if that's the going rate.

I guess I could research the original makers of the seat.





My arm rests are beat and faded. I'm maybe gonna address that before putting them back in.

[83GMCK2500]

Wood components are lookin' goooood. Funny, I was looking at them thinking that if they didn't have the notch for a cup handle it looks like a guy could take a stainless pass through center cap for an 8-lug and slip it in there, trim, roll the edge, voila.