Caddy Light Install

[jrsmith_2010]

hey guys, yea i did it, well started it at least, i got the drives side done. this is an install WITHOUT buckets. i got 88-93 tail lights from a guy on FSC.com for 40 bucks. so i decided to put them in my 79 Silverado. well heres how it all went down! and did i mention im only 16?

after making a template for the lights and tracing them on both sides i used tape to make sure that they where strait, which they where so the process continued






then i cut them out. right about now i was thinking to myself, "Self, maybe this wasnt the best idea ive had, will i regret this halfway tho? well Self ur commited now! no turning back now!"


after ALOT of cutting, bending and breaking of the metal that prevented the tail light to go in, it finally fit half way in

[jrsmith_2010]

then FINALLY, after all this time (1.5 days ) i hooked up the lights to my trucks stock wiring harness and taped it all good. LET THERE BE LIGHT!!!
















then some with out the lights on, still needs to be sunk in some more for the chrome benzle, but nothin much. then to weld up the stock tail light spot

[jrsmith_2010]

tomorrow i should be able to start on the other side.

[smashingchuck]

Dude, seriously get busy with one of these on those bedsides.

[jrsmith_2010]

yea its not really that bad as the pics show it, i had to replace the upper wheel wells and fix the rust and its not 100% even, but its not that bad

[Cherub]

Once you shoot some color on it you will see how bad it is.

[jrsmith_2010]

yea there isnt no need to smooth it out when im just gonna be hackin into it even more, be a waste of time and money

[Rollinsqrbdy]

Great job smith i think its cool that ur only16 and outside doing something. Theirs alot of teens doing nothing but playing video games and being bums. Ur off to a good start and keep up the good work. Good luck

[jrsmith_2010]

yea man i hear ya, i havent played video games for what seems like forever! id rather freeze my ass off workin on a chevy, then be a bum all my life. thanks dude

[jrsmith_2010]

well i got the other side in, it is so cold up here in KS its about 5 degrees, but its in! i just gotta use an angle grinder to make it sink in more, i was gonna do it tonight, but its alot of noise

heres hows much room i had to work with


its in, but not completly yet till tomorrow, but not bad for an hour or so of work.










now these make it all worth it

[Walts_restoration]

No joke its cold. I think im going to a field for my next project.



Gonna wait for some of the snow to melt before i go hitch a trailer and inspect it.



Great job on the tail light install, i thought you were older than sixteen. Im 18, and im impressed with the job your doing, finish it up and make it look clean. Gonna have to bring it up to setumup jacks in lawrence for their carshow when it starts back up again.

[jrsmith_2010]

Originally Posted by Walts_restoration

No joke its cold. I think im going to a field for my next project.



Gonna wait for some of the snow to melt before i go hitch a trailer and inspect it.



Great job on the tail light install, i thought you were older than sixteen. Im 18, and im impressed with the job your doing, finish it up and make it look clean. Gonna have to bring it up to setumup jacks in lawrence for their carshow when it starts back up again.

thanks man
yea i wanna find another project after this one, sometime soon to have on the backburner. need to find one in a field

yea ill be there at set'em up jacks, ive always wanted to do that, loved to see all the old cars and trucks, hopefully by spring it will be done or close to it.

[Walts_restoration]

You ever see a gold 1980 camaro there? thats my baby. The truck i pictured is a shortbed 4x4, 70k mile 350 (supposedly) but has a blown np203 i believe (fulltime 4wd). Had a flatbed on it at one time, so hopefuly its not to butchered of a frame. Find a step side bed, lift it, make it a trial rig, and build it bigger as more breaks haha.

[jrsmith_2010]

i think i have seen that around there, it looks really familiar, looks good!

yea im lookin for a fullsize to bag, want another project!

[Walts_restoration]

did you bag your current truck? or is it just a static drop?

[jrsmith_2010]

its a static drop, 5/7, wish i would have bagged it tho

[Walts_restoration]

this truck still your daily? why not bag it?

[jrsmith_2010]

no its not be daily for the winter, i got a 92 extended cab for that. well my dad didnt want me to cause my bro has a bagged 92 grand am and its been nothin but a hassle, so i settled for a 5/7, so i need to bag one before graduation

[SnS C10]

its not how you fit the lights in, its how well you finish them. Lets see you weld everything up and not use all of that bondo you keep using. In my opinion all you are doing is just tacking in a few spots, burning through 75 percent, and throwing down enough bondo to make it look like a solid piece. You are hacking up what seems like a perfectly good truck which is fine, but come on man, do it the right way. weld it solid, do the body work solid, and you will get much more respect. What if you sell this truck one day and the next owner takes it to bare metal for a repaint and see the welding job you did? i Dont think he would think you a very good welder or patient 16 year old who seems to love his chevy. improve on it everytime you work on it, dont just hack it up like you said you will do rather than sanding and painting to make it look perfect, just my opinion

[jrsmith_2010]

ok first of all i dont use bondo to fill in, and i only do that because where i welded in the other pics was not very thick and it was warping, so instead of continueing to weld and warp it more, i just filled it, and its not ever that much after its sanded down, its only enought to fill and smooth. so yea i used filler, so what? better than having a warped truck.

Please don't use inappropriate language....with any creative spelling.

[LONGHAIR]

Come on Shaun23a11en, give the kid a break....he is trying. Trial and error does take a few errors, and figuring out how to do better next time is what learning is all about.

Maybe a bit more research would have been helpful, but the effort is definately there, especially in the freezing cold.

jrsmith, my advice....take it or leave it.

Build yourself a "can" that encloses the light. Just trace out the shape of the trim ring, just slightly larger than the outer edge, onto a piece of cardboard. Cut this out and use it as a form for the "tube". Cut yourself a piece of metal a few inches wide and long enough to wrap around the cut-out shape. Weld it so that it makes a complete loop. Take your tin snips and cut two lines about 3/4 of an inch apart to form a "tab" that you can bend down into the ring at the top and bottom. These will become the mounting surfaces for the original screw mounts.
Now fit this entire unit into the back of the truck. Sink it deep enough so that when you trim it to the shape of the bed corner, the chrome trim ring is still slightly below the surface. After it is tacked in place, trim the excess and finish welding.
It is far easier to make the "can" seperate from the truck and then attach it than it would be to try to "fill-in" after you have the light mounted.

This is essentially "frenching" or "tunneling" it is just that you are adapting a different light at the same time. The following link is similar to what I am trying to convey. It is different in that it is a simple round light on a flat surface, but the concept is the same. http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/...nch/index.html

[michael bagby]

Originally Posted by jrsmith_2010

ok first of all i dont use bondo to fill in, and i only do that because where i welded in the other pics was not very thick and it was warping, so instead of continueing to weld and warp it more, i just filled it, and its not ever that much after its sanded down, its only enought to fill and smooth. so yea i used filler, so what? better than having a warped truck.

Please don't use inappropriate language....with any creative spelling.

if the panel is warping you may have heat to high or concentrating in one area 2 long do one spot weld @ a time on diffrent parts of panel until fully welded

[73chevyman]

jr so what are you going to do about the top part pf the lights that gap looks like about 1/2 to 3/4 to fill

[Walts_restoration]

hes 16, hes learning guys. im 18, i know where hes coming from. You forget, we all have to start somewhere, you guys might of been a 16 year old trying to make your truck your truck in a freezing garage at one point. Give him your wisdom, like what longhiar did, dont criticize him for not being perfect, youve got to start somewhere.

[SnS C10]

i have been there and done it the wrong way before, im only 24 years old. Bottom line he is 16, learn beyond your years, take your time and do it as thouroughly as you can, otherwise your doing fine. dont make your ride your practice piece, get some used sheet metal and perfect it there. thats what i did anyway and it helped a lot. use your ride as a show piece for your skills, thats all im saying