Intro from an old Assembly Plant guy

[redneckwheelman2]

i like the emblem in the steering wheel

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by redneckwheelman2

i like the emblem in the steering wheel

LOL! I do too; When I pulled the horn button apart to clean it the "bowtie" got messed up. I wanted a little custom touch to replace it and those Flowmaster stickers were exactly the right size (and the right colors!).

K

[Keith Seymore]

I didn't want you guys to think I was slackin'; I've been working on putting the new floor covering in.

Here's the dead stuff, coming out:









...and here's the new stuff going in. There was quite a bit of extra material on either side, and fore/aft, so I elected to position it based on the seat "humps" in the floor (and the seat attachments) and then trim the front portion to fit.

This was quite a bit thicker/heavier than the original mat, which I think is going to be good for durability but it makes it a little hard to work with (unless you can get it warm and to soften up).





I left it loose for a couple days, so that it could conform to the floor from the heat inside the cab (from sitting in the sun).

[Keith Seymore]

And now I'm in the process of nailing it down. Here it is with the old sill plates; I will install the new sill plates and door weatherstrip after I repaint the door openings. I also have a new shift boot coming (the one I purchased several months ago was deemed "too big"...).





I don't like being able to see that red "skunk stripe" or red across the top of the toe pan above the black mat; I'm going to hit that with a little semi gloss black to hide it. It will also get covered up a bit by the heater discharge vent (not installed in this photo).





K

[JohnC]

Looks good Keith. Man it's almost a brand new truck now. You are doing wonders to it's self esteem.

[menace121978]

ya she does look brand new! nice progress Keith!

[joe231]

Looks good Keith!

Maybe you can answer a question I have.
What exactly are the removable plugs in the sheet metal structure behind the cab corner there for? Is it a clean out? Are you supposed to pull the plug and clean the corner out from time to time? On our '66 there is a very similar plug in the front of the rocker panel, that if missing allows the rocker to fill up with dirt and rocks. Seems like a strange design

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by bumslie75

Wonder what he is going to do with the engine

Nothin. Seems to run good...

Originally Posted by joe231

Looks good Keith!

Maybe you can answer a question I have.
What exactly are the removable plugs in the sheet metal structure behind the cab corner there for? Is it a clean out? Are you supposed to pull the plug and clean the corner out from time to time? On our '66 there is a very similar plug in the front of the rocker panel, that if missing allows the rocker to fill up with dirt and rocks. Seems like a strange design

I think they were tooling access holes. Definitely not there so that you can remove them and clean the corner out.

I have wondered that myself: if it is a "sealed corner" then why do they rust out? Similarly why wouldn't they (ie, "we") have put a drain hole in there, so that you could flush them out?

I seriously debated drilling a hole in mine before I put it all together, so that I could rinse the corners out during the winter. In the end, I decided to leave it the way the factory made it, figuring I replaced the corners once - I could do it again if I had to...

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by bumslie75

Wonder what he is going to do with the engine

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Nothin. Seems to run good...

I guess that's not entirely true: I noticed the engine seemed to run "too cool", that is, the needle on the temp gage wouldn't come up to the first mark. Probably running about 140 degrees, and I was concerned that wasn't warm enough to burn all the condensate out of the motor oil plus - with winter coming - I'm going to want some heat in the cab!

So I did replace the thermostat with a new 180 deg stat; that seemed to help, as the needle is now coming up to the first mark on the gage. I'm wondering if that earlier stat (marked as a 180) had some problems.

K

[87Bob]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

I guess that's not entirely true: I noticed the engine seemed to run "too cool", that is, the needle on the temp gage wouldn't come up to the first mark. Probably running about 140 degrees, and I was concerned that wasn't warm enough to burn all the condensate out of the motor oil plus - with winter coming - I'm going to want some heat in the cab!

So I did replace the thermostat with a new 180 deg stat; that seemed to help, as the needle is now coming up to the first mark on the gage. I'm wondering if that earlier stat (marked as a 180) had some problems.

K

I had heard that there are some problems with sending units reading cold when actually the engine is running at the right temp. The best way to check I'm told is to use an infared gun and check the temp at the thermostat housing. Then you know if it is the sender or the thermostat. As the sender gets hot the resistance is supposed to fall that is why you can check the gage by shorting out the wire to ground and the gage should read full hot.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 87Bob

I had heard that there are some problems with sending units reading cold when actually the engine is running at the right temp. The best way to check I'm told is to use an infared gun and check the temp at the thermostat housing. Then you know if it is the sender or the thermostat. As the sender gets hot the resistance is supposed to fall that is why you can check the gage by shorting out the wire to ground and the gage should read full hot.

Thanks; I hadn't heard that. I will check it out (...although I have some degree of confidence it may have been the thermostat since changing it seems to have made a difference).

K

[dan76]

Originally Posted by 87Bob

. As the sender gets hot the resistance is supposed to fall that is why you can check the gage by shorting out the wire to ground and the gage should read full hot.

As I recall from HS physics, as an electrical component rises in temp, its' electrical resistance increases.

[Moostifer]

floor mat looks great!

btw... it's hard to drive without letting your feet touch the new mat!

[bumslie75]

Wonder what he is going to do with the engine

[joe231]

makes sense, thanks!

[3r!c84]

nice why didnt you just drop in a carpet?

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 3r!c84

nice why didnt you just drop in a carpet?

I prefer the vinyl (notice that's how I ordered it originally).

K

[Keith Seymore]

Had an opportunity to get outside and do a few things this (long) weekend -

Got the door opening painted on the RH side, and the new weatherstrip/door sill molding installed:

[Keith Seymore]

- also got the new shift boot installed:

[Keith Seymore]

...and I also made a little plate to cover the hole in the RH splash apron. I cut this out of an old piece of stainless steel I had laying around and painted it black.

K

[3r!c84]

come do my truck next Keith
ill be waiting

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 3r!c84

come do my truck next Keith
ill be waiting

...you'll be waiting for a while, too...

(LOL)!

[joe231]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

...and I also made a little plate to cover the hole in the RH splash apron. I cut this out of an old piece of stainless steel I had laying around and painted it black.

K

heck of an idea...I need to do that to both of my inners!
Nice work!!

[OLDIRON69]

What's the hole for in the door sill?

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by OLDIRON69

What's the hole for in the door sill?

Dealer rustproofing, I believe. They are located all the way around the door frame. I have to get one of those little black "cap plugs" to close the hole.

K