72 Cheyenne 400

[lrader99]

Well its been sitting for about a year now, time to get back started....For some reason I am only really motivated to do major restoration/body work during fall and winter. Once spring rolls around I got other toys that I want to play with. Tonight I moved my EV ranchero and my 71 camaro to get back in the hole where the C10 has been sitting...A lot of work for one person considering they are all pushers and the ranchero has no front suspension.

Anyway here is where I left off at.

had to fix both front and back cab corners, inner and outer rockers on both sides of the cab. the only thing I hate about the LWB is that I have 8 foot of wavy bedside. oui...ohwell me and the stud gun are friends and its almost completely straight. had to replace both rear lower bed sections. Originally this truck has a bed side box, the box was all twisted and smashed up.. I reglassed the box and fixed the door but the frame is toast. I need to find a partial bedside or something. The plan is to box the frame and x the back...install 1 ton front and rear suspension, inset the wheel wells to fit the dually and then build dually fenders, i think i would build my own... find a junk bedside and make flares, i like the modern flares how they taper instead of just being square.

so heres some pics...stay tuned this project is going to fly by I work real fast.

[lrader99]

Been a long time since I posted to this board. Lots has happened, I will try and post some segments of updates. First up is the headliner that I am building:

Built a jig to support the cab while on its roof. The jig sat around the perimeter of the driprail to prevent the middle of the roof being subjected to the entire weight of the cab. As you can see from the cab it is in a completely different state than the post above:


I then layered some mat and cloth to create a mold of the roof. The roof was stripped to mostly bare metal and 2 coats of wax were applied to the roof as a sort of mold release. I use an epoxy resin instead of a traditional fiberglass resin. This resin takes a little longer to cure but does not have the extremely catalytic reaction that fiberglass resin has. It doesn't hardly smell at all and it doesn't irritate my skin:


This is the back side of the mold once released from the cab. You can plainly see the ribs of the roof. These will come in handy relocating it as well as the finishing touches later on:


An overhead console from a 2012 Chrysler 300 is being used. The console is black and has a chrome trim ring that is similar in style to the chrome trim ring that would go around the factory headliner in these trucks.

The console was covered in a plastic material to protect it and then a very fine wire mesh was used to shape the desired contours wanted for the mold. Once the contours were formed the part was stapled to a piece of MDF to hold it in place and was covered with aluminum tape. The foil tape will aid as a mold release. Fiberglass wont stick to a nonporous surface:





The result is a molded piece that the console can snap into that will become part of the entire headliner assembly.


There are 15 wires run up through the A pillar and across the roof of my truck. wiring for (rear view mirror(electrochromatic, temp, compass, garage door), courtesy& map lights, Clearance light switch, cargo light switch, mic for bluetooth)

The mold was then set in the headliner and an expandable foam poured around it. The foam will allow the panel to be contoured to make one seamless fiberglass piece:






If you look at the yellow outline on the passenger side that is what the new sunvisors could potentially be shaped like. The yellow line closer to the middle is the original mounting point. The sunvisors will be 4.5" shorter than originally.

The back side of the headliner was trimmed and all the extra foam was removed as well as extra fiberglass where the two panels overlapped. This removes any extra weight out of the front panel and also allows the two panels to be joined from the inside as well as the outside making a stronger panel:


A pronounced rib design is being added in place of the original concave rib design in the roof. The ribs are being set from the edge and then every other rib. The middle section had this same wide spacing originally so it works out. The ribs are then tapered until they disappear back into the headliner.


it kind of looks like the tailgate of a nomad but the edges of the balsa wood will be knocked down and the ribs will become much more subtle. The headliner material being used is a german material used in BMW's its a square weave.

[lrader99]

I will post more pictures of this piece as it is finished.