My daily driver/beater : How I turned lemons in lemonade

[Tx Firefighter]

Soon brother. Soon.

I want to address the 4x4 for another few paychecks. I found a couple of little details to touch up, and I want to fix the AC on it. Then it will be stepside time.

I've got a serious list of stuff I'm gonna do to it. Its gonna get significantly lower, better engine, drastic change on the interior, probably paint and body work too. Its gonna be a very busy winter, but I will get it done, and I guarantee you I'll do some stuff different than most guys, and a couple of surprises in there too.

[Greenlee]

I remember when you hated this truck. Glad to see you have had a change of heart.

[Hankster]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

Soon brother. Soon.

I want to address the 4x4 for another few paychecks. I found a couple of little details to touch up, and I want to fix the AC on it. Then it will be stepside time.

I've got a serious list of stuff I'm gonna do to it. Its gonna get significantly lower, better engine, drastic change on the interior, probably paint and body work too. Its gonna be a very busy winter, but I will get it done, and I guarantee you I'll do some stuff different than most guys, and a couple of surprises in there too.

Sweet can't wait!

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by Greenlee

I remember when you hated this truck. Glad to see you have had a change of heart.

I still hate the truck. I'm just luke warm to square bodies in general. They're some of the poorer quality trucks GM built. I figure my overhaul this winter will have to address everything I hate about it.

But, the other day I was considering trading it to a guy for an S10.

Who knows.

[Greenlee]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I still hate the truck. I'm just luke warm to square bodies in general. They're some of the poorer quality trucks GM built. I figure my overhaul this winter will have to address everything I hate about it.

But, the other day I was considering trading it to a guy for an S10.

Who knows.

You have your priorities all out of wack! S10's are of the poorest quality truck GM ever made. Also, if you were going to build a 4x4 it should have been a square body (straight axle) and the late model truck should have been your lowered 2wd.

You know what they say about opinions... Everybody has one!

[Tx Firefighter]

The reason I want to build an S10 is because that's what my dad drove before he died. He left the truck to me and I was gonna build it, but I had to sell it in 2001 to pay for fire academy tuition. I've wanted to build one ever since.

A little white square body S10 with cowl hood, lowered on car rally wheels with fat tires underneath it. It's my vision. I need to build it before I lock up my tool box for the last time.

[TheBlueBomber]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I still hate the truck. I'm just luke warm to square bodies in general. They're some of the poorer quality trucks GM built. I figure my overhaul this winter will have to address everything I hate about it.

But, the other day I was considering trading it to a guy for an S10.

Who knows.

What would you say is poorer quality about these trucks?

[Tx Firefighter]

Body panel fitment. Doors, fenders, etc. It takes a real jedi to get one set up with proper gaps and everything sanitary. Remember, there was a time when GM was building these trucks that there were guys on the assembly lines having to use hammers to beat them into shape. Stacks of shims stuck here and there to get them lined up. Keith Seymore can verify this. I will say though, I do like the 81 and up front clips much better because they fit better and work well. The hoods line up well, they work well overall.

Mechanically, they are great trucks. Great suspension. Great steering. Great brakes. Common powertrain parts.

As far as the build goes, I'm waiting on Porterbuilt to call me back. I want to explore going down that road. We will see what they say. If not, I might just wind up sectioning the stock crossmember and using air bags.

[Jonboy]

I think it is just part of their charm.

I see lots of the newer trucks every day, and I think they are lower quality in general. Of course, they are the bulk of what we work on, so the numbers are skewed that way. The other thing for me is that as a crusty old man in training, I don't like anything new. I recently bought a new car- it's a 2005.

[Tx Firefighter]

Jon, that's probably what it is for me. I'm a mechanic. I think a pretty good mechanic. But, I'm not really that guy when it comes to fussing over panel fitment and such. It doesn't take too much time trying to adjust fitment before I lose interest and start dreaming of changing ball joints and fixing leaks.

[Jonboy]

Panel fitment hasn't been much to brag about until recently. When I got here in 2003, we were fixing a pretty large front end hit on a new Suburban. I thought the fit was horrible until I compared it to the ones on the lot. All of a sudden, it wasn't that bad.

[MalibuSSwagon]

I didn't fuss over panels on my C10 when I painted it last year either. All the panels were dent free and original GM factory installed, so I just scuffed it all up and shot the John Deere paint on it. None of the panels line up great, but it's not a show truck anyhow. It's my get stuff done truck.

[aggie91]

I agree the panel fitment is poor on these trucks, but that being said, for a driver if the door's main body line is even at the cab and the fender and it shuts well, then I am fine with it. If the gap around the edges is inconsistant but it funcitons correctly then I have no problems for a driver.

It takes A LOT of time and paitence for panel fitment to be spot on and consistant. Thats best left for a SHOW vehicle...IMO

[Tx Firefighter]

Well I'm fixing to order a Porterbuilt member today. I guess y'all can guess which direction this truck is going now.

[aggie91]

Oh Snap!

That is a BIG step in the other direction from your start on this one...Can't wait to see what else your going to do...

[Jonboy]

Daaaang!

[Tx Firefighter]

I just hope I can get the damn thing installed in some sort of reasonable time. I want to build the truck over the winter, hence ordering the crossmember right now to allow for lag time. But I don't want a drawn out project. I want to get it done. I can foresee me selling some stuff to get the funds to buy all the air junk for front and rear.

I talked to Travis at Properformance. He answered my hillbilly questions in a language I could understand. I'm ready as soon as he calls me back.

[Tx Firefighter]

Well Travis called me back and the Porterbuilt dropmember is on order. As long as it takes them to build these things, I don't expect too much to happen for a while. There's plenty of learning for me to do in the meantime anyway.

[rusty76]

Oh man......this is going to be fun.

[lolife99]

Congrats on ordering the Porterbuilt stuff!

[Hankster]

Congrats on ordering PB ! I want to order PB stuff for my 86 one day! Anyways can't wait to see it all together!

[aggie91]

Did you just order the dropmember and plan on using your stock control arms or did you go all out and get their a-arms too?

[68Timber]

Cool! Will you keep 15" wheels?

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I just hope I can get the damn thing installed in some sort of reasonable time. I want to build the truck over the winter, hence ordering the crossmember right now to allow for lag time. But I don't want a drawn out project. I want to get it done. I can foresee me selling some stuff to get the funds to buy all the air junk for front and rear.

I talked to Travis at Properformance. He answered my hillbilly questions in a language I could understand. I'm ready as soon as he calls me back.

You know..... assistance is in your hillbilly area as well.

[tune_1]

Looking forward to what you will do on this on. Like the work on the others.

Dwight