GRIZZ’s English 2001 S10 Extra Cab 4.3 V6 Truck

[Grizz1963]

[quote author="@kevins" source="/post/2661562/thread" timestamp="1614077045"]They are going to look great, when is the big reveal?[/quote]


Well....


More pics later as a tease.


I actually was on the driveway at 07.00 today, before starting work.


Have fitted and photographed two on the truck.


Some new wheel nuts needed, and centre caps to be figured out as the front hub centres protrude by about 70mm or so.



And more importantly, before selling off the Cragars.........




A SERIOUS BURNOUT VIDEO NEEDS TO BE MADE.



I really wish I had someone with a drone camera to film overhead and then it could be turned into a very short, well edited video with two or three angles being filmed.



The tame stunt driver would have to be @pauly as he knows how to rip the assssss out of assphalt



Remember this???


Paul came to fetch a work bench, note all the furniture on the rear.


HOOLIGAN SUPREME


https://youtu.be/ucVmsET4BFw


Bonus.


https://youtu.be/G1YSoQ5r3_Y


And Pete in his C10


https://youtu.be/dHyB08wmJm8

[Palf70Step]

Your center caps look good on those wheels Rian! Once they are mounted I think you will have a super looking combo on the truck. I like the taller tires myself.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Your center caps look good on those wheels Rian! Once they are mounted I think you will have a super looking combo on the truck. I like the taller tires myself.

Thanks Bill.

I am a fan of comfort, and low profile tyres can be pretty uncomfortable



Ready or not.........

07.00 this morning I was out there, the night had been long, waiting to get up and test fit.



Couple of things became apparent, brakes have not worked for a while, pushing and pulling the truck around on the driveway.



Also, top and bottom control arms need to be serviced and greased, just like my 1966 C10 grease nipples everywhere.



And the turning circle may be impaired by wheels that are too wide, compared to OEM fitment rubber.



Then, on to the front and rear hubs.

Fronts now show why we have those huge Mexican hats as centre caps.

Needs around 60-70mm tall caps/cups up front, there is also space for a spigot ring, or for the cups to become captive from behind.

Maybe a spigot ring is not needed, but the wheel is sitting nice and loose.





Rears fit tight enough that it needed to be whacked to remove after the test fit.

So some flat cap will work here.



The truck also came with locking wheel nuts, something I dislike intensely, and I did not get the socket that unlocks it when I bought it.

Thankfully I managed to get both loose, one was quite loose, possibly finger tight.

So getting decent new nuts makes sense

[Grizz1963]

SILVER OR BLACK


Silver



Black


Choices.


Photoshop may help

Originally Posted by sparkplug

does this help?

[Palf70Step]

I prefer the silver myself, but the black is OK also.

[Just call me Sean]

I like the silver.

[Tx Firefighter]

Silver

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

I prefer the silver myself, but the black is OK also.

Originally Posted by Just call me Sean

I like the silver.

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

Silver

I am still in two minds, there are a few options at this point.





@forddan68 and @freshandminty are possibly along with a few others the guys to ask about this.......


Wheel protection.


One of my friends, Paul, off a bike forum suggested I consider protecting the wheels with the following product.

And Henry @rider51 suggested ceramic coating.

Now in my wildest dreams I never thought there was a way to protect the protection on the wheels, but there is a learning in every day.


What is the consensus here please





I was looking at some really manky wheels in Romford, supposedly from a Cobra (Replica?) that were Ex Jaguar to possibly run as winter wheels.


Seller reckons the tyres are good, I am not convinced.

I showed him the rears on the truck, even the central moulding stripe has not been run off, Nankangs, and yet, in my book, only good for destruction.





These do look pretty rubbish for £50.00 but could they be a chance worth taking @rider51 ?

Imagine them blasted, painted with Hammerite or some bronze type colour, winter wheels.






And finally, pics taken this morning.

These were removed again after the photoshoot, done for the pleasure of those of you who do take the time to write, click respond, share knowledge.





And the rear view.

Really happy so far.




Once I figure the wheel nuts, centre caps etc, we should be in business.


Next job.........???

[Just call me Sean]

Looking good. Those winter wheels are really old school.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Just call me Sean

Looking good. Those winter wheels are really old school.

Decided to pass on them, seller also did not reply to my questions.



Little jobs

Little jobs

All get done, eventually.

Some sooner than others.

This one is a pain in the butt, because of the amount of dismantling needed to get it done, not quote the same as popping a new toilet roll on, though I believe even that is a struggle for some.

So Rob sent me these bits.



And the battery tray, though a lot better than mine, still needed work.

Rough as a badgers bum.



So I thought about it.

Wire wheel, or blast it, except my blasting cabinet is 80 miles from here with Craig as he is cleaning small bits for his sons Mk1 Golf Rabbit Cabriolet

So plan B ?

Take a chance and run down to the industrial estate to Kerbed Wheels to ask Thomas how much t do it. “Leave it here, come back tomorrow” was his reply.

So yesterday at about 4.30 I ran down there again to find he had blasted it for me, Cost? No charge, because he had done it after they shut down shop on Wednesday evening.

Pleased with that.

Loads of pitting from all the rust, I guess the are cheaply made parts and are also exposed to weather and having a concave shape, water may stay there a bit longer and drive the rusting process. Add to that, cheap mass produced paint, and you certainly have a recipe for disaster in the long term.


Result.



By the time I got home it was 5.30 so I decided to get the etch primer out and my heat gun.

Warmed the piece up, primed it one side, dried it and turned over, repeat.



Then on to three coats of satin black, again lighter than usual, but dried with help inbetween.

First coat down.



And then three coats later, it looks glossy, is actually dry, but it is a high impact wheel paint, so surprised me with the final finish.

The pitting is very obvious now as well, but does not bother me, as it is an improvement, and will be going down under the battery.

As an add in, I will add some strips of rubber (maybe old inner tube material) to absorb some of the movement when the battery is bolted down.



Little jobs indeed.

[Palf70Step]

Nice work on the battery holder Rian. Between quality of parts and the ooozing of batteries, they do get pitted . Luckily the battery hides most of it.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Nice work on the battery holder Rian. Between quality of parts and the ooozing of batteries, they do get pitted . Luckily the battery hides most of it.

I suspect they are very much bargain/budget parts.

Great advice from @jamesd1972 to add a coat of underbody protection in stead of a lump of rubber thats liable to hold water in place and promote rust.

So during a work meeting, I went and painted it quickly.



While doing another little job today, I also crawled under the truck to take a look at the exhaust system.

Seems we have a lot more Magnaflow stainless parts under the truck.

Someone in the past spent a lot of money on this truck.

I guess I am also doing the same, spending chunks of money on seeing it right as my long list of fixes continues to grow,



I continue to be pleased with the truck and what it is proving to be.

The extras and upgraded parts on the truck when added up are approaching 60% of the price I paid, crazy man maths.

[Grizz1963]

More haste, less progress.

I wanted to do the side glass windows tint today.

FAIL FAIL FAIL.......

I was not patient enough to wait for Saturday till Sally could help me by holding the films one side.

So I cut a piece to size



Then I laid it out on the film on the outside of the door, remembering to place it so that once cut to shape, it could be stuck to the inside of the glass.



Then proceeded to removing the backing film, and using water (should have been soapy water) to place it, out in the sunshine with a very gentle breeze.......

Guess what.....??

Massive failure here. As the wind twisted it, alongside static pulling it about.

So I removed it.

Laying what was left of it, once removed, on the counter top, in order to copy it.





Thought I could copy a second one, then called over the hedge for Mickey to come hold one side........

And cut a copy of the failed item.

BUGGGERRRRRRRRR !!!


Cut it about 8mm short.


Close up.





So I removed and binned number two


So the outcome of the window tinting was good though, and this is the before ad after pcs.


Soon to be corrected.










Ordered some more film tonight after work, £10.99 wasted on education I guess.


Maybe I can fit the battery tray and radiator cowl over the weekend.


Little jobs we said.

[Palf70Step]

You have probably done way more than me, but I was taught to and also remove the inside door panel (card I think you folks call them) before I do the tint. Gives me room to get it below the door wiper. I have never had much luck getting them on correctly the first time and the big issue I seem to always have bugs between the film and glass.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

You have probably done way more than me, but I was taught to and also remove the inside door panel (card I think you folks call them) before I do the tint. Gives me room to get it below the door wiper. I have never had much luck getting them on correctly the first time and the big issue I seem to always have bugs between the film and glass.

I am amazed that I failed twice.

But it happens.

Next time, 4 hands, and spray the film as well, stops it stu]Viking to itself.



2004 Chevy Silverado truck came in for a gas tank strap to Dennis’ body shop





Looking good.

Hardly abused.



And of course, bed off to repair said straps.





Anyone looking for a 5.3 LS with only 144k miles on it.

[Just call me Sean]

What's the problem? It looks level.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Just call me Sean

What's the problem? It looks level.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Absolutely

[Grizz1963]

Some days start good.

Today started a lot earlier than I wanted, but hey ho...... sleep when we are dead ehhh.



So had breakfast then drew the truck down to the shop.



Battery out.

Wonder why these trays rust so badly.......?

Water access is easy from the front.

And putting a rubber mat under the battery, not ideal I would think.



Holes and probably more out of sight.



Old n new(er)



Battery back in.

Then removed the radiator cowl.

Old vs Replacement



While in there, I also noticed the new radiator that I had been told by the lady who owned the truck before, had been fitted.



I also dismantled the underside of the dash to look at the fog light switch..... completely broken, possibly kicked at some point.

So I just put it all back together. I will fix it another day.

It was time to head out to the shops for food etc.

Silly grin, and a distinct difference in response since I cleaned up the air filter and breathing system.

Headed home, Sally chuckled and said I looked really happy, which I was.

I have to keep reminding myself not to drive like an idiot, but it feels and sounds so nice.

She somehow sneaked a pic in while I was driving.





It was a good day.

[Grizz1963]

Rubbish, Misty and chilly outside today.

So what can I do to keep busy?

Not a lot as mostly I want to be outside.

So I used a cut off 2 liter milk bottle and some oven degreaser, followed by boiling water, then neat dishwashing soap on a brush and cleaned every wheel nut and cap individually, 20 nuts, 11 caps.

Rinsed them all with more boiling water, followed by a further wash and boiling water rinse for the nuts to ensure they were oil and grease free.

Grubby as can be.



First wash and rinse.



Second wash and boiling water rinse.

Dried.



Then fetched some foam] from the garage, sliced a couple of slots deeply into it and fitted the nuts in order to protect the external threads.



Painted a few light coats of satin black.

Happy with the result.




So I hear a few ask me why ??

Simply put, to fool the eye.

There are only 11 of these wheel nut/centre cap retaining cap screws right now, so visually it should look better if they are all black, than some anodised gold or silvery from damage.

Much effort, but another small visual gain.

PS. Not fitting new wheels till the Poorboys wheel wax from Amazon has been delivered and applied to the wheels while they are off the truck.


Time for another drive now.

[Palf70Step]

Nice. Not sure about you folks over there, but I got in the habit of putting a dab of anti-seize in the nuts before I put them on. All our humidity and all makes them rust up pretty quick in the threads. It sure helped in Japan with all the snow and slush crap too. Keep on trucking with er Rian, she is good!

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Nice. Not sure about you folks over there, but I got in the habit of putting a dab of anti-seize in the nuts before I put them on. All our humidity and all makes them rust up pretty quick in the threads. It sure helped in Japan with all the snow and slush crap too. Keep on trucking with er Rian, she is good!

Great advice Bill. Thank you.

Yes the truck is coming together bit by bit.

[Tx Firefighter]

Grizz, I was faced with some shabby looking plastic lugnut caps myself a few weeks ago. I wound up buying these and I couldn't be happier.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

Grizz, I was faced with some shabby looking plastic lugnut caps myself a few weeks ago. I wound up buying these and I couldn't be happier.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

Thanks for the lead.

Do they screw on and keep the centre caps fixed?

[Grizz1963]

My SKY internet and WiFi was down for 24 hrs, and where I live, my mobile signal is 2 bars on 3G and intermittently 1 bar of 4G

So a struggle to work from home.

However, by 08.00 I got onto this.........





Then late afternoon, well, just after 4.00pm I got out the Poorboys wheel wax.

The stuff is sooo frugal.

You hardly use any.

I did both the fronts and rears of the wheels.






Once it dries, after 10 plus minutes, you buff it all off with a micro fibre cloth.





Hard to believe it makes a difference, and I tried to feel if it felt any smoother, no idea.

But happy to believe that it will aid maintenance.



Once I was done, looking at how little of this stuff I had used, and that is on both sides, I was amazed at just how frugal it is.

At £14.00 delivered for the tub, I suspect one could expect to do another 50 wheels or more.



Another step closer to fitting.

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by Grizz1963

Thanks for the lead.

Do they screw on and keep the centre caps fixed?

Yes. They are copies of the GM lugnut covers. They screw onto the outside of the dual threaded lugnuts and retain the center cap.