I'm hoping I can start to squirt primer after we get back from Sturgis. That would make me very happy!!

Well, I got the new ignition pieces today from Brothers. And of course the first thing I did was to cut them up!!!! :eek:

Well, sorta. I bought the spacer and bezel for a 67 because I wanted a small, flush mounted bezel, nothing setting in a recessed hole (pic 1). Next, I chucked up the spacer in the lathe and took off the larger part of the spacer with the three notches that sets against the dash metal. I cut it back to a length that I determined before I started (pic 2). The purpose of this is to allow me to cut a 1-3/16" hole in a yet undecided location (might be on the dash, might be under the dash, might not be anywhere near the dash :crazy: ) and mount the switch flush in a flat piece of metal (pics 3 & 4). I haven't yet ruled out the possibility of making a new dash bezel out of an old glove box door. If I did that, I would mount it in the lower right corner of the "new" dash bezel.

I still need to cut a couple of small notches on the outer part of the spacer, and weld a couple of small pieces of 1/8" or 3/16" round bar to the backside of the metal so that it does not spin when I turn the key.

Never a wasted post in this thread :metal:

Well, not a whole lot of progress this weekend. I did get the hood, grill, lower grill splash guard, and the rear wheel well splash guards to the sandblasters on Saturday. Yesterday I mocked up the tilt column so I could install the Lokar shift cable setup. That was a *&#! Took some time, but I finally got it all installed and adjusted. Glad I did it now, cause I scratched the firewall and steering column up pretty bad! But it is done now, and it is adjusted, so when the truck is done it will go right together.

UPS came today and delivered some body tools I ordered from Eastwood, as well as the paint samples from Auto-Air Paints. I originally was going to paint it a dark blue, but fell in love with the truck I posted a few posts ago...light blue with a white top.

I'll get some pics of the shifter cable tonight and post them later.

I hope the pics come out OK, here is the sample bottle of color that I think I will be painting it....... at least until I change my mind again :D

Gonna be SWEET!!!

OK, here are the pics of the Lokar shift cable installed/mocked up. When I tear it all back down, I will trim the gold horseshoe adapter that is bolted to the OEM shifter arm since I only need the one hole. I will also cut off the original hole on the left side there, and TIG the Lokar bracket to the OEM shifter arm

Good call on the light blue and white, the other color would be sweet too though but the two tone is classy.

OK, got the third brake light from Ron Francis yesterday, and got it installed last night. Took awhile to make certain I had found the exact center! I forgot to take a picture of the layout marks, but got one right after I cut the hole. It took a little over an hour to tack weld in to be sure I didn't put too much heat into it.

Once welded in place, I had to open up the hole inside the cab where the dome lamp goes to be able to get the LED stick in there. The dome lamp still snaps in place nice and tight, and the bigger slot I cut is not visable at all. Got some mud on it last night, cut the first layer down, then put another layer on before calling it a night.

I like this mod, it's gonna look cool when painted!!!!! :metal:

A few more pics........

:metal:

That light looks VERY COOL!!! Great job!!!:gi: :gi: :metal:

:agree:

Nice work....I gotta get a welder and learn how this melting metal stuff works!!!

I guess I should post a little update of what I have got done lately....




Nuttin!!!!!!!

LOL, I thought I would have more time after getting back from Sturgis, but I guess I was lied to by someone!? Been working on a lot of house projects, installed a new fireplace, cuting and splitting firewood, painting, the usual "getting ready for winter" stuff. I also built this wood splitter, me and axes just don't get along!:

http://usera.imagecave.com/glock35ipsc/Splitter005-copy.jpg
http://usera.imagecave.com/glock35ipsc/Splitter002-copy.jpg


However, Powell72 and I have been working on an idea for rear disc brakes. I need to test-fit the template, and if everything looks good, I will have about 12 sets of brackets made up. A-527 Grade 50 steel, all laser cut, and set-up for 94-96 Impala rear disc calipers. These are simple calipers, and have no E-brake. Later I plan to have other brackets made that will accept Caprice calipers or Camaro calipers, both with integral E-brakes, as well as later Malibu/Monte Carlo/Chevelle calipers, and Caddy Seville calpiers with E-brakes.

I have some other things lined up to try to build as well; like new trailing arms, frenched antenna kits, automatic transmission crossmembers, filler pieces for stake pockets and side marker lights, as well as different stages of the rear disc brake kits. I guess when/if that happens, I will probably need to become a board vendor?

It's snowing right now, so maybe the outside chores will get delayed and I can hide in the shop for awhile!

Wow, I actually got time to work on the ol girl today! Of course, I had spent the entire day yesterday cleaning the shop just so I could find the truck!!

I started installing the fuel filler today. I got the filler door assembly from Hagen Street Rods. Anyhow, here are some pics of the install. It's obvious that I haven't turned on the TIG welder for some time. Need to get back into tigging form again.

Enjoy!

http://usera.imagecave.com/glock35ipsc/TRUCK/1.jpg
http://usera.imagecave.com/glock35ipsc/TRUCK/2.jpg
http://usera.imagecave.com/glock35ipsc/TRUCK/3.jpg
http://usera.imagecave.com/glock35ipsc/TRUCK/4.jpg
http://usera.imagecave.com/glock35ipsc/TRUCK/5.jpg

Nice. How did it feel cutting into that new bedside? Good news, I finally talked Howard out of that short fleet bed:metal: Now I can hang with the cool kids with shortbeds.

LOL, kewl!!!! We wooda let ya hang with us anyhow!

Ya know, I didn't even think about it when I went to chopping into it. I guess after 10 years at Vanworks and cutting the huge window openings in the van sides, I guess I am kind of hardened to it. :)

Man you have done some nice work there

progress? lol

Progress = very little :lol: There has been too much snow to work on the truck, we've been snowmobiling practially every weekend! That, and I have been working on my new CNC plasma cutting table when I have spare time.

Great progress, what do you plan to use for ac....stock or aftermarket?

Eric

I will be a Vintage Air system.

Hey bob if ya would post some good pics of the ac system when you do that step i am undecided what i am going to do. my bab is a noon ac cab also...

Eric

nice log splitter, guess that you don't handle to many large logs since it's 3 feet off the ground! i remember the days on the farm and rolling 200 lbs + tree trunks onto the ole splitter! I love my Natural Gas now!

Nice work on your truck too!

LOL, no, about the largest I bring home is only about 16" or so in diameter. I cut them into 16"-18" long pieces then split them. I had looked at other splitters, but could only see my back hurting from leaning over all day, so I made this one to a good waist high or so working height.

Whew, is this thing EVER gonna get done?? LOL, there is now light at the end of the tunnel!

The one big thing that has been holding me back is the hail dings in the roof. I HATE body work!!!! Well, a while back I sold one of my welders to a guy who has done body work for 20+ years. I made him a good deal on the welder, so he is going to fix my roof! As soon as I have it off the frame and back on the dolly, he will come over and get the roof smooth.

I have been putting it off for sooooo long now because of that stupid roof. Once the roof is fixed, there is just minor work left on the cab corners and rockers, and that will be easy. Then it's primer time baby!! And that can only mean one thing.....paint is next!!

What are you waiting for? Blow that thing apart!

LOL! Three words: CNC Plasma table! Just as soon as that thing can start cutting parts all by itself, it'll get blown apart way fast!

Ah yes, I did forget about that "small" project.:lol:

nice play, glock. the truck is gonna be beautiful we're all looking forward to its completion :)

I love the truck, the NO CORNERS CUT ANYWHERE is my kind of ride. You do great work. Mine is a play/work truck and under construction....one day I'll tear it down! :metal:

I always say there's 3 things a man needs in life to be happy: a good woman, a good truck, and sweet tea.

You mean there is another kind of tea other than sweet tea??!! Never heard of such a tea :crazy: :lol:

Thanks for the good words everyone! The CNC plasma is now churning out parts on its own, so after a THOROUGH cleaning of the shop, it's back to the truck. Of course, I will be adding a small addition to the shop to house the CNC table, but that shouldn't take too long....... famous last words!!

Love blue and white, can't wait to see her in color!!!

I think you know where I got the idea of shortening the frame. I had sent you a pm, never heard from you, Ernest

I had sent you a pm, never heard from you, Ernest

Doesn't suprise me, I have had a few members say they sent me PM's that I never received. Must have been when my inbox was full. Sorry.......:(

Not much of an update, but there has been some progress. The body work on the outside of the cab should be done by the end of the month, I'm having a friend help me with that.

I've been staring at the dash for awhile now everytime I go to the shop, and the smooth center is just losing it's appeal to me. So, I'm gonna redo the dash all the way across. It will be smoothed all the way across, with a billet dash insert and a matching glove box door (shape-wise). Here is what has been ordered so far:

http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/bsp-36225_w.jpg
http://daytonasp.com/ven/dolphin%20gauges/images/gray-silver-speed-mech.jpg
http://daytonasp.com/ven/dolphin%20gauges/images/gray-silver-fuel.jpghttp://daytonasp.com/ven/dolphin%20gauges/images/gray-silver-volt.jpg
http://daytonasp.com/ven/dolphin%20gauges/images/gray-silver-water.jpghttp://daytonasp.com/ven/dolphin%20gauges/images/gray-silver-oil.jpg

The first pic is the A/C control I was going to use from Vintage Air, and the second is the one I will be using now to complement the new dash panel.

Old one:
http://www.rocketindustries.com.au/images/brands/vintage%20air/VA47211-SHA.jpg

New one:
http://www.rocketindustries.com.au/images/brands/vintage%20air/VA48104-RHQ.jpg

Bob - I love the choices posted above for the dash - I always look forward to your progress :cool:

very nice...

Progress coming soon!!!! My body man buddy came over last night and looked everything over. At first, he was just going to fix the hail dings in the roof. But I told him I wanted him to look at the rest of the cab, as well as the rest of the truck. I replaced the cab corners, so there is a little work to be done there, and about a dozen door-ding sized dings in the cab. All the aftermarket metal is real good, but each door has one ding each, probably from shipping. The right bed side has a small ding right behind the wheel down low. The left bedside was perfect except for the fuel door I welded in, and I shaved the stake pockets.

All of the body work will be started on Saturday morning, and finished whenever he is done :lol: I still have the inside of the cab to complete (2nd new dash), weld up some old seat holes in the floor, and finish filling about 7 holes on the firewall. Once all that is done, then its time to prime everything and start blocking it all out. And that can only lead to one thing.............


PAINT!!!!!!!

Awesome!!!!

So if you guys are worth a crap you should be painting by Saturday afternoon?:hm:

:haha: :agree:

Very nice build! This is gonna be nice when it's finished. Great Job:metal:

Thanks Alex! Sorry I didn't make it Saturday, I'll have to explain it next time I talk to you. (and no, it didn't involve the wife in any way :lol:)

So if you guys are worth a crap you should be painting by Saturday afternoon?:hm:

I'm gonna take a guess right now and say that we probably aren't worth two craps!

I think I have a worthy goal in mind for having it finished. :haha: A goal that has the ability to change each month, with an ultimate finish date in October. The A&W in Eaton has a car show once a month. I'll start with trying to have it done by the August show. If that don't work, I'll shoot for the September show. If that don't work, then the October show will be a MUST!

:drama:

put some snow chains on and go for November or December

Body work starts tomorrow morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finished welding up the drivers side cab corner, fuel filler, stake pockets, and most of the firewall (fuse block bulkhead opening, clutch rod opening, and squirter holes) last night. I only have 4 small holes and the speedo cable hole left to fill and that is done. Done, that is, if I don't decide to fill the channel running along the top where the wire harness use to run.

Probably going to get the paint bought sometime next week. Still haven't nailed down a color yet, but I do have a few written down that I like from the chips at Finishmasters. I might buy a little bit of each and spray a few scrap pieces of body panels that I have laying around to make the final decision. About the only final decisions I have come to is that it will be one color (was kicking around light blue/white or dark blue/black), and it will be somewhat a darker blue.

Well, the body work got finished up last night. The guy did a great job! Now, as soon as I get my back healed up (don't ask :haha:) I need to finish up the dash and firewall, then I can get it in primer and start blocking it out. I'll get some pics up real soon.

Well, this weekend I got most of the cab seam sealed, finished welding the last few remaining holes on the firewall, layed down the skim coat then sanded it, touched up a few spots with Metal Glaze. Then I got the template for the new dash made. Also got the outside of the bed completely sanded, but I need to get the inside sanded before I prime it.

Also bent up a few left over pieces of conduit to make some stands to sand the fenders and doors. I need to pick up some small chain to finish them today.

I ordered another tailgate from GMCPauls last week, I just didn't like the way this one fit. I do have another use for the one I have, so I'll put it aside for now.

Also decided to use the hood off of my 68 4wd project. It has a PERFECT front clip, no rust and no dings what-so-ever! I kinda hate to seperate the hood from the rest of it, but this one is just too straight to let it sit outside much longer!

I need to get some newer pics up, just as soon as I find my camera! The saw the kiddos with it this weekend, no telling where it is right now! :banghead:

getting closer to that stuff called....PAINT!!!

I love the sound of that....... PAINT

Hmmm, color looks good too!

How's all the blocking coming along Bob? Can you post us some pics of the stands that you made for your fenders and doors?......................Bamm

ttt, to be moved to the Projects section.

FINALLY, some major progress!!!

This is one of those things that I knew was going to take a lot of time, and I just haven't had it lately. So, last night I got the kids to sleep and headed out to the shop at 8PM. Finished this and cleaned up the shop at about 3 this morning. Yawn.........

Several posts back I showed the Dolphin gauges and the billet dash insert I was going to use. When I got them, I noticed that if the speedometer was placed flat in the dash, I wasn't able to see the upper part of it. The 60 and 80 was completely covered by the bezel. So I needed to fab a build-out that would angle the gauges up towards me.

It wasn't easy, but it turned out pretty good. In fact, I never had to scrap anything and start over! Maybe I do my best work in the early hours of the morning??? :lol:

I cut out the center section (the 2nd attempt) with the idea of using one solid piece all the way across the dash. I had also cut out the bumps where the light switch and wiper switch went. I had made a template and bolted it up to the dash a long time ago, and it has been hanging there ever since!

So I got the big piece cut out and tacked it over the original dash. I drilled holes and plug welded it along the inside of the old dash insert and the glove box opening.

I didn't get any pics of the fabrication of this part since my wife had the camera at work. Basically, I started out by tracing the billet bezel onto poster board. I then traced around that outline and added an extra 1/8". For the face I used some thicker 14 gauge since the bezel will be mounting to that, I wanted it thick enough to keep the bezel pulled tight to the face of it. I cut it out and cleaned up the edges to match it exactly to the template.

I then used some 18 gauge and started tacking it from the inside to the face. I'll call this part the "stand off." For the radius on the ends I used a can that was the same diameter. For the bend around the speedo, I used a piece of pipe that was the exact size needed, 4.5". As I tacked the radiused parts I bent the metal around by hand and helped it along with a body hammer. On each side of the speedo on the top and bottom, I clamped a piece of 1/8" x 1" flat bar and hammered the metal around it so it straightened it out again for the long runs on the top and bottom.

The really tricky part was getting the stand off cut so that it sat flush to the new dash, and at the right angle. There was no science to this, it was all guess work. But once I had the angle right, I laid it on the welding table and took a Sharpy pen and laid it on another piece of 1/8" flat bar to get the right heigth and traced all the way around it. I then cut just outside that line with the plasma cutter and cleaned up the cut with the grinder.

I fit on the dash perfectly, and the angle was right on. I set the new dash pad in place before going any further to be sure I had enough clearance. It was good to go there.

Next was to level it on the dash and mark around the inside so I could cut that out. Then it was put back up on the dash and tacked from the inside.

Now I need to clamp the bezel in the mill and drill 4 holes on the back side and get a bottoming tap.

Then comes another tricky part, getting the filler in there nice and smooth and sanding it out!

That looks good glock! Can't wait to see the finished look of that dash!

That's some some nice fab work!

fab work looks good, keep up the pics so we can see it completed

WOW!!! You got real serious in the wee hours, didn't cha!!! It is going to look fantasic!

Alex

Thanks guys!

Alex - It's strange enough that I am up past 11 or 12, let alone 3am while working on the truck. The really :crazy: part is I even took the time to put tools away and clean everything up, then come in and shower!

Been sitting here staring at these pictures, and now I'm wondering if I should cut that sucker out and flip it around and sink them into the dash?

Hmmmm :crazy::drama:

wow what a great thread truck looks amazing

You should put the steering coulum back in and see what it looks like together before you french it in. I would like to see it together to give you an opinion. Great fab work by the way. Its gonna look good either way.

Yeah, I need to put the column in anyhow to make sure I have that cut-out right. I think I will just leave it. I get to looking at things way to much sometimes and the little gears in my head start turning.....

Also, I think the last of the major fabrication is done! Last night I got the cover made for the fuel filler on the inside of the bed. I cut out poster board templates and taped them together to be sure I had the fit right, then traced the template out onto the sheetmetal. Cut it out with the nibbler and cleaned up the edges with a file, then bend it up in the brake. Nothing fancy, just a nice clean cover.

I didn't bring the camera home last night, so I'll get some pics tonight and post them tomorrow.

man that looks sweet can't wait to see it with the steering column in! Nice craftsmanship!

Thanks ColoradoK5!

Here are the pics of the fuel filler cover I made last night. I still need to weld in the tabs that this will bolt to. I was going to weld it to the bedside, but IO want to be able to remove it in case I ever need to service the inner parts of the filler. I will probably use some stainless button head cap screws.

Very nice, a whole bunch cleaner than the one I did.

LOL Bill, one of my lucky "first tries!"

Well, OK, it's my second luck first try. ColoradoK5 and 68chevy68, your wish is granted! I put the brake assembly in, then buttoned up the steering column. The first pic is with the wheel one click up from being all the way down. The second is with the wheel inline with the shaft. The third shows my first "lucky" spot. Just by chance, the angle at the bottom of the build-out and the steering column match almost perfectly! Woo-hoo!!!!!

I like the fact that I can see all of the gauges through the steering wheel with hardly any obstructions. :metal:

wow that looks really good!!!!

:metal:

I say good work and I would go with that one. I have been thinking of my dash and can't come up with anything. My skill levels still in the works.

LOL Bill, one of my lucky "first tries!"
I like the fact that I can see all of the gauges through the steering wheel with hardly any obstructions. :metal:

Looks awesome! :metal:

I wish I had shaved my dash when the truck was apart... I will be stripping my interior and shaving at least the center section of my dash when the winter comes and my truck is hibernating ;)

Hmmm, I could swear I posted a couple more pics just a couple hours ago. I guess I'm slipping a little bit, or maybe I'm just going :m6:

Anywho, I took another pic of the dash with the pad on. I think its gonna look sweet just like it is.

I also FINALLY tweaked the filler neck on the gas tank. It's been clamped to the frame for about a year and a half now. No wonder I couldn't find the rest of my Vice Grips. Sorry son, Daddy had them all along!

The filler neck was at about a 45* angle, and I wanted to angle it down and slightly back. Otherwise the filler tube would be mashed under the bed floor wood. Didn;t take much, but it made a huge difference.

Man that dash looks bitchin. Great Work.
-Lance

Thanks everyone!

I went to ChevyDude's shop today to shorten his LWB frame into a shorty :metal: While I was doing that, he sprayed my front and rear inner fenders with GatorHyde bedliner. They turned out awesome! This truck will have to travel on 1.5 miles of gravel road to get to the pavement, and 1.5 miles back home, so this will insure that they won't become full of rock dings and in turn chip the paint on the inside.

Fantastic job Alex!

And just for the heck of it, here are a few more pics of where I currently am. I just need to tack in the new metal under the dash, do all the seam sealer, and it's ready for primer.

I like the dash. Very clean. I couldn't see the fuel door (some of your pic links are broken), but it looks like a Hagan from the back side. Nice piece if so.

Wow, you've been busy!

Lookin good :metal: