"Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion

[rustytruck50]

Nice!!! I just happened to notice some of their stuff in our glass shop a few days ago. I hadn't ever heard of them until you were getting Scarlett outfitted with new weatherstrips.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by 4x4chase

Subbed for motivation

Thanks for joining in.

[N2TRUX]

I love it when I get progress pics. Yuma my painter sent me pics of two doors that are in primer. The rear door was from a Suburban that had your typical 90s conversion stripes on it. The door was clean, but the stripes were chalky. The front door had original paint, and a few dings. Now both doors are smooth, and ready to be sanded down for a coat of filler primer.

[Palf70Step]

Nice!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Nice!

Thanks Bill. I'm trying to make it nice. This ones going to be a bit more of a challenge than the others.

[N2TRUX]

I went by the body shop yesterday to check on Jake. There was good and bad news to be reported. The bad news is Yuma tore a ligament in his right arm and may have to have a procedure to repair it. That may cause a delay in progress that eliminates the possibility of a sneak peek at C10s in the Park

He also found a bit more rust hiding under the seal when they pulled the windshield. Fortunately its minor, and can be easily repaired. The rust in the rear jamb has already been cut out, surface prepped, and replaced. This will get the same treatment, but wont require any cutting.

On the bright side, the drivers side doors are stripped and primed. They are ready to be blocked then sprayed with high build primer before being hung for alignment.

[Palf70Step]

Sorry to hear about your friend's arm. Doors look good.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Sorry to hear about your friend's arm. Doors look good.

It has potential to be a big set back. His doctor says 6 to 8 weeks recovery time. That puts lot of pressure on late in the game, so I'm considering my options.

[N2TRUX]

Still no word on my painters status, but I'm not going to let it hold me back. I delivered 8 new hinge pins and 4 new strike posts to the shop. Harris the body tech will be hanging the doors this week and I want all new pins and posts.

For point of referrence, I used Dorman #38400 pin kits, and Dorman #38420 for the strike post. Autozone had a decent price, but all the stores only keep two in stock. I had to order from the warehouse but they were here in a day.

[N2TRUX]

After a in depth look at my bed, I have decided it may be cost effective to replace it with one that requires less work. We evaluated the hours to restore it to show quality and decided to pursue a replacement.

I am looking for a rust free short bed. It must be dual tank with gas doors. I prefer original paint so I know whats there. If you know of one within reasonable driving distance to the Hosuton, Texas area let me know.

[N2TRUX]

I may be getting a break with my painters situation. He went to the doctor and they decided to try electrode-shock therapy. They stuckk several needles in the damaged areas and pulsed it with an electric pulse to promote healing. I told him i could do the same thing for a lot less money with a puddle of water and my mig welder.

The doc says he comes back this week for another cat scan. We will know then what the next step is.

[N2TRUX]

I got a message last week from an internet buddy. he knew i was looking for a replacement bed for Jake. He went by a local bodyshop and they had one that might be of interest. He sent several pictures of what appeared to be a very nice dual tank short bed. It was covered in shop dust, but looked great from what I could see.

[N2TRUX]

He gave me the shop owners number, and I gave him a call. I asked for pics of the bed floor and tailgate. He sent a few more pics and confirmed that the bed floor was in excellent condition. The tailgate was an 81-87 style, but I dont mind have a spare

The good news was the bed was exactly what I was looking for. The bad news was he knew what it was worth. I agreed to his price, and made arrangements to meet him Saturday morning.

[N2TRUX]

After a couple of months of searching I discovered that pristine dual tank short beds are indeed hard to come by. Most are pretty beat up and apparently some sellers dont understand what "no rust" means. I was excited to finally locate a bed it would require minimal prep for paint. I was also curious as to why it was available.

I asked what the story was and the shop owner shared the details. The truck was a low mileage 87 Silverado. The "custom conversion" paint was sun baked but the truck was a solid Texas truck. One corner of the cab had some damage that required welding to repair. A spark from the welding got under the carpet and went unnoticed till it was too late. The fire smoldered for a while before being discovered, and destroyed the cab and the project.

Its unfortunate that someones project was totaled, but I was blessed to find a donor bed for Crewcab Jake.

[Palf70Step]

Very nice find Ken.

[rustytruck50]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Its unfortunate that someones project was totaled, but I was blessed to find a donor bed for Crewcab Jake.

Very true...the up side is it's going to a worthy recipient.

[JohnJ@RideTech]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Thanks for joining in guys. Unfortunately those sweet mudflaps were no longer with the truck when I bought it. Trust me, I asked. I may have to find a pair just to keep y'all happy.

I would suggest the Trucker Girl mud flaps..but not the skinny one. Throw that thick girl on there. This truck was designed to haul a little weight

[rustytruck50]

Any new developments with Jake? Or is Elwood stealing some of the limelight?

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by rustytruck50

Any new developments with Jake? Or is Elwood stealing some of the limelight?

Currently Jake is in paint jail. I spoke with my painter yesterday and he is having electrical issues at his shop. His primary and secondary compressors were fried last week. He ordered parts to repair, but has to wait for the landlord to get an electrician out before he can get back in operation.

Meanwhile, I'm thrashing on Elwood getting ready for c10s in the Park.

[rustytruck50]

Wow...isn't that usually the way things go?!
Maybe that turned into a good thing...you can give Elwood full attention to get ready for C10s in the Park

[N2TRUX]

I went by the body shop yesterday. They are finally making some progress on Jake. If things go right, the cab will be in primer today. The doors will be hung once the primer has cured and been sanded.

[N2TRUX]

Its been a while, but slowly things are moving forward. The cab is now in high build primer and the doors will be hung soon. Once the doors are hung I can pick it up.

[rustytruck50]

Great news!!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by rustytruck50

Great news!!

No kidding. It made me smile for sure.

[N2TRUX]

I got another batch of pics last night. They got all of the doors hung with the new bushings, and hinge pins. They will install the latches and do a basic alignment next.

Its small progress in the big picture, but I'll take what I can get for now.