The lunch box

[The Ohioian]

Getting interior started first is kind of backwards but I guess that starting the thread is what is important

I’m building an 84 step side slots 4 speed the only thing left is paint. My wife wants to call it Cali co (black tan speckled grayish color patina truck) when one puts a stick in the floor best not have a bench seat in the way of grab in hold of 2nd and fourth gears. Looking in to seat looks as if 1000 dollars is a good budget to start with. That’s to much money for daddy’s hot rod. And I need to ride this thing.

I went out to the shop and cut my bench seat down and stitch up me a bucket want to be. It worked out. So here we go!!!!

I bought a junk seat from one ton Stan.

[The Ohioian]

I grew up in the 80s with books and a lunch box in my back pack. My lunch box was dukes of hazard and when I was running from the neighborhood bullies that lunch box would come around and hit me in my elbows funny bone. That sound is what my bed sounds like.

[The Ohioian]

Slice that foam away best way you can take your time and be clean! If your budget allows buy some new fabric on the web but keep the old for a pattern around the back corners and edges

[The Ohioian]

Make sure that you get all the hardware I always grab the nuts and bolts get things lined up with the center and level

[TKCR]

Welcome! From Ohio myself, not too far from Dayton.
That looks good so far what you have done on the seats

[The Ohioian]

Cut off the ends keep some springs and that wire. Use a new saw blade an older blade will only make the cut wider and more to fill.

[The Ohioian]

Originally Posted by TKCR

Welcome! From Ohio myself, not too far from Dayton.
That looks good so far what you have done on the seats

Thanks been lurking awhile seen you around. Remember we are not building pianos. And it’s ok if it’s not perfect.

[The Ohioian]

I can’t talk enough about test fitting. Imagine your butt driving down the road. Get it in the center, you don’t want your wife jumping in saying why is the glove compartment over there.

[The Ohioian]

Finish cutting up the back. measurements are hard it’s best to trimulate crazy angles use the foam edges corners and round. Weld that up best you can. Before I invested in welding I would cut out little brackets of tube and sheet metal screw the frame together hose clamps worked also.

[The Ohioian]

Little off subject eye candy. My wife’s father took care of these all his life. Thanks!

[The Ohioian]

Test fit maybe a little to much but it goes with the saying cut once measure twice. Drill out new holes and make up a small little piece to get it to the floor driver seat has one you can see over there.

[The Ohioian]

I’ll try not to talk like a how to video but I’m trying to remember how this stuff went down. The foam from the back rest was reapplied to the wire grid. And I sat the driver side curve next to the seat foam that got the chop. I would much rather had an old electric turkey carving knife. But legitimus works great with long sweeping strokes.

[TKCR]

Too bad you didn’t have a seat back, where the foam just flips over the back. It sure would have been easier than the one that’s formed around the frame, like yours. I could have helped with some of these parts. I restore bench seats, so I have a lot of frames and could have donated some foam. I have thrown out a lot, because it was bad on one side or the other.

[The Ohioian]

I thought I started a build thread apparently ten years of watching people post in the wrong area don’t teach me. The first seat I built was a bench out of a ranger came with the truck. I found a leather love seat in a ally ripped the leather off and hand stitched it on with button tuft to take up the extra material. My wife thought it was good and she gave the ok to buy a machine. That was sometime in the first four years of the engine swap. It was never Comfortable (fords sit different) I am still learning to use my machines and I need to buy a welt foot for the piping.

The whole process took two bench seats and one of the covers I did not have enough material to finish the passenger. But this whole project has been to prove to my wonderful wife that I can build and manage my own truck.

As I’ve been lurking for years I have seen projects come and get great parts and disappear with never in my opinion getting finished. I have enjoyed this forum and am proud to be a part of it and this will be a journey for me.

[The Ohioian]

Originally Posted by TKCR

Too bad you didn’t have a seat back, where the foam just flips over the back. It sure would have been easier than the one that’s formed around the frame, like yours. I could have helped with some of these parts. I restore bench seats, so I have a lot of frames and could have donated some foam. I have thrown out a lot, because it was bad on one side or the other.

One ton Stan said he never see anything different. Foam over the back whodathuk.

[The Ohioian]

Here’s what it looks like now while we decide what materials to use. I don’t like the feel of the passenger seat I did not carve it out like the driver. But maybe I just like driver seats never been much for riding shotgun

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by The Ohioian

One ton Stan said he never see anything different. Foam over the back whodathuk.

These are the only photos I could find on my phone. These 2 photos are the same, I just tried to zoom in on the specific seat back foam. On the picture where I zoomed in, the very bottom seat back is the one where the foam is formed around the frame. The one on top of that, is just the seat back frame, without the foam, which takes the foam that flips over the back. The next one is the same, the seat back frame with the foam that flips over the back. I like these a lot better than the one that is formed around the frame.

[The Ohioian]

Our truck has a mobile home 350 out of a van type with fresh heads sold the 400 tranny for the price I paid for the combo. To keep the cost low I used an older Saginaw with a mechanical bell crank (my hot rod club said it couldn’t be done) I have two just in case one breaks don’t think it will. With all 85 hp coming out of that 70s 350. The mission is a canyon carver/ garden wagon still a lot of work to go but it’s running. Four years build time(maybe five) and right at about four thousand dollars. So keep on with the get on and stick to the program.

[The Ohioian]

Here’s that button tuff. It’s in the trash but it was a learning experience.

[The Ohioian]

This truck is a true step side with a straight six the crazy integrated head and intake.( I feel like I have seen them in propane forklifts.)I drove it almost fifty miles home in a rain with my beautiful wife praying we make it. It wouldn’t even go 60 and if it had an up hill grade I was whipping it like a mule. My back hurt so bad. From the ranger seat not even attached leaning forward with those high headrests. Goofy.

[The Ohioian]

These photos are from a Craigslist add when I had given up and was ready to sellout. Don’t do it if that’s in your mind. Even this spring the thought had crossed my mind I had a leak in the transmission over and over I would fill it and leak out in a pan. Turned out it was the slip yoke with a weep hole in it. Automatic transmissions have weep holes and manuals don’t??? Why I still do not know maybe one needs to tell the guy making the drive shaft what kind of tranny is in the truck.
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[The Ohioian]

So the insurance company thinks I’m driving a straight six/ automatic. I had ripped out that air pump before I quit driving it. I swear that it was faster.
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[The Ohioian]

I like the 84 grill much better than the 86 that’s on it
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[The Ohioian]

Scored a parts truck, man it was nice. The bed had never been used. It was my father in laws he loved it. Only had 54,000 on the ticker wreaked about every 10,000 or so had a dog trot to it and 305 / auto with this crazy rear end 255 I got the build sheet 600lb payload on the sticker ( I’m not a good speller or number guy don’t hold me to it.

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by The Ohioian

Scored a parts truck, man it was nice. The bed had never been used. It was my father in laws he loved it. Only had 54,000 on the ticker wreaked about every 10,000 or so had a dog trot to it and 305 / auto with this crazy rear end 255 I got the build sheet 600lb payload on the sticker ( I’m not a good speller or number guy don’t hold me to it.

That is nice. What are you plans for it?