Updates ? ? ?

:agree: What's going on with the thrash?

My apologies for my lack of updates in MY OWN build thread. Not much of a build thread afterall, eh? It's been a busy couple of months... and things have changed direction a bit.

A friend of mine purchased an original paint 1971 Camaro. It's pretty cool looking, so I told him I'd keep an eye out for an original paint body to put on my rebuilt chassis. At the end of April I saw a post by Keith (n2billet) about his new project "SwingSet". In the post he mentioned selling both Lucy his red '68 and Ethel his blue '68. I had seen pictures of Ethel from last year, and knew she had just the look I was going for. I contacted Keith, and even though he was out of town on business, the transaction was flawless. It couldn't have been any easier. At any rate, on May 19th, Ethel was in my driveway.

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_4991_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_4991.jpg)

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_4978_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_4978.jpg)

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_4975_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_4975.jpg)

So now I had another complete '68 SWB that I had to take apart... dang these projects get out of hand quick! Luckily my dad came into town on May 23rd, so I had some extra manpower and ambition to drive things along. With the help of a few friends we had Ethel mostly apart in one day. Had it not been for a cab mount bolt welded to the floor board, we would've had the cab off the first day. I set-up a web cam to take a pic every 30 seconds, and compiled the pics into a video.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8132437984470014080

So a couple days later (between weather and work), we had the cab on the frame. Now it was starting to look like something!

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/n501615092_549947_5367_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/n501615092_549947_5367.jpg)

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/n501615092_567857_2838_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/n501615092_567857_2838.jpg)

Next up was test firing the engine. This 350/TH350 combo had sat in my garage untouched for two years. We made a pre-oiler out of the old distributor, and while pressurizing the oil system, quickly discovered there was no oil pressure sending unit in the block. So right away she was a quart low! We stole the sending unit from the other engine, and finally got some oil flowing on the rocker arms. Looked pretty promising. We aligned the timing mark, stabbed the new distributor, took the carb off the other engine, and worked on wiring it up so we could test fire it. So finally, on June 8th, we rolled it out of the garage, filled the block with water (oh, you mean there's no temp sending unit in the cylinder head? Let's go steal that off the other engine too), and with a little spray bottle of gasoline tried to see if she'd start.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4568946237619644234

I couldn't believe it, it started right up! I looked at my dad and said, "We're not this good". He replied "Apparently we are!". So we ran it a few seconds and let it sit for a minute. Tried starting it again, and it ran again. Figuring the third time is the charm, we tried it one more time, and that's the one I shot the video on (with my cell phone). So, that was pretty encouraging. One less thing to *really* worry about.

Since then, my dad has gone back home to Tucson, and we've made just a little more progress. Sunday night we had finished up the wiring harness for the air ride switches, so we mocked up everything on the garage floor to see if all the components would work. Again, everything worked just as expected. So again, that was pretty encouraging.

Last night we took the bed off of Ethel's old frame, and set it on the rebuilt frame. It will most likely come off one more time before being bolted down, but I needed it in place to mount my compressor and air tank properly, and to measure for wheel backspacing. It was dark when we got done last night, so I just nabbed a pic with my cell phone this morning.

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/0619070728_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/0619070728.jpg)

So I'm not really expecting to drive her to the board meet, sorry guys but it's just not worth it to rush at this point. I'm pretty happy with the quality of the work I've done so far, and I'm not willing to sacrifice that just to run into problems on the road to Missouri. I will still be there, most likely in my S-10.

In other news, I will probably be re-doing Ethel's original frame so I can put her body back on it and have matching VIN #s. But that won't be for quite awhile!

So there you have it! Thanks for taking the time to read all that and catch up!

Amazing! I'm glad to see that Ethel went to a good home...

So tonight we swapped the axles between the frames, and I sprayed some paint on the radiator support. While the truck was outside I took some pics.

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_5404_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_5404.jpg)

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_5383_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_5383.jpg)

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_5386_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_5386.jpg)

In this pic, you can see all my air ride stuff.
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_5403_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_5403.jpg)

That's all for tonight. Work continues tomorrow!

Nice truck, Keith usually has nice stuff. Glad to see his truck stayed on the board. Too bad for his son though. He told me last year it was going to be for him~

looks like you were making good progress...i wish i was ging to the meet..but unless i come into some money,,its not gonna happen this year..maybe next year...anyway you got alot done trying to get there..do you think yuo will get it done this year..

Well, it won't be "done", but I"m hoping to have it on the road starting in July sometime. It'd be great to take it to the Goodguys show in Columbus on 14th and 15th, but I'm not sure if that will happen either.

Well, it won't be "done", but I"m hoping to have it on the road starting in July sometime. It'd be great to take it to the Goodguys show in Columbus on 14th and 15th, but I'm not sure if that will happen either.

Keep working ! :lol: I would like to see the old girl in Columbus....

Ok, today we got more wiring swapped over and she is now "turn key"! Also got the radiator support mounted, and fixed a leak in the air ride plumbing.

Still have to run a fuel line to the carb, cut a hole so I can fill the gas tank, and hook up the cooling system and the drivetrain is done except for the driveshaft (hopefully will have one next week!!).

Then it's the brake system, air ride compressor/tank/valves, and getting it to the shop for exhaust. Sheesh, seems so close... yet so far!!!

Alvin
what are u gonna do with the side trim of the ole girl?

I'm running the side trim! I've got some used & abused pieces to fill-in where I'm missing pieces currently, I just have to get some clips to put them on. I've wanted the 67-68 side trim for a long time now!

Awesome progress Alvin...:metal:

Well I'm not gonna make it. I was getting a little burned out after two months of working on this thing 4 or 5 hours every night after work. Then I hit a couple snags that I hadn't anticipated. I'm taking a break for right now. I'll do some little things and try to figure out what parts I need to order to get rid of the snags.

I've also watched my bank account dwindle all year, and it needs a break too :lol:

So, I'll keep updating this thread even though I didn't reach my goal. Another month or so and she should be on the road!

Sucks that your truck isn't going to be finished. Are you going to the meet anyhow?

Yup, although I'll probably be heading back Sunday instead of Monday now. I had planned to take my time driving out Friday and driving back Monday because of it being my freshly completed old truck. Since it will just be my '02 S-10, I'll push it a little and make my way back on Sunday.

Cool! See ya there!

Bringing this back TTT so it can be moved to the project thread board.

Also, I'm FINALLY getting back to working on it after nearly 3 months of avoiding it.

Hurry up and update us bro !!!

How ya been ???

Been doing pretty good, just got burned out on this project, and had some other things crop up in life, but now I'm back at it, and I think I'm more enthused now than ever before. We'll see how things go before the snow flies, hopefully it will move under it's own power.

looks good. I think I now know what drag wheels I'm going to get...pro stars! They look good!

Thanks!

Yesterday and today was spent re-doping air fittings and checking for leaks. Also replaced the rear bumpstops with some taller ones to keep the axle from hitting the bed floor.

Found some trim rings in the garage that look great on my black steelies. Shame I only have 3 of 'em ;)

No pics today, my camera's battery was dead.

Okay, I hung some sheetmetal back on the front end to clear up some space in the garage. Although it looks a lot closer to being completed, in reality I haven't done much of anything!

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/frontclipon_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/frontclipon.jpg)

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/passside_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/passside.jpg)

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/hoodon_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/hoodon.jpg)

Pulled Ethel out today so I could sort out the garage in anticipation of winter.

Aired up:
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8084_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8084.jpg)

Aired out:
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8123_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8123.jpg)

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8128_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8128.jpg)

Ethel next to her cousin who we pieced together this afternoon:
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8126_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8126.jpg)

Hey man, nice to see that you've done a little something... lol

What bags did you run, cuz you don't have much travel ???

I ran firestone 2600's all the way around. It's not aired up all the way in the pics, just what is needed to get it up the hill and out of the garage.

Yeah, I've done something on it. It sucks how life gets in the way so much lately.

Cool

Yeah, I know that
I've got so many things going on all at once right now, I can't wait till I get some stuff finished & get to work on my toys

I'm really close to getting my bug on the road, but every time I start working on it something needs my attention more !!!

lookin good

Now things are getting exciting! I bought wheels (17" grey center American Racing Torqlite) today and pick them up tomorrow. Hopefully I can get the tires (255/50 and 275/60) mounted tomorrow too. At any rate, pics coming this weekend!

:c2::metal:

lookin good.

Cant wait untill the pics arrive...

Wouldn't you know it, the wheels didn't come in today. Hopefully they show up tomorrow, otherwise it will be next week before I have any pics.

Sucks, good luck!

Well, it appears American Racing is not going to produce the Torqlite wheels next year. This played havoc with the ordering system at the business I purchased them from, so they have to key the order manually (the part no. was already removed from the system). But they did change it so they ship directly to my house now. I will supposedly have them on Monday... we'll see.

I looked at those at Jegs a week ago. They look much better in person than they do in the catalog. Jegs seems to have a habit of putting wheels in their catalog that never get produced though. I've still never seen a Weld Rodlite II.

Yeah, I found some pics on ebay that really sold me on them. And I couldn't beat them for the price... as long as they show up ok!

Well I got one of my brake calipers back together and mounted on the truck. It looks pretty good, but I have my doubts about how well it will hold up. Gotta buy a couple parts to get the other caliper done.

Also, a pic of my 17" tires all lonely, waiting on the wheels to show up :hm:

And, ordered from Summit tonight:

- two 255/60/15 BFGoodrich Radial T/As (I will be using my two best 275/60's on the rear steel wheels)
- lug nuts for the steel wheels
- bolts for the aluminum water pump pulley
- thermostat switch for the electric fan

*edit* As a side note, it's not my fault I didn't make much progress this past month. After fighting a fever for a couple weeks, I was diagnosed with mono on Thanksgiving and have been out of commission since then. I am finally returning to work Monday and can't wait to get some spare energy to throw at this truck.

No wheels today. I'll give them till tomorrow, then I'm paying them another visit.. possibly to get my money back!

Mono:confused: What you been kissin on?
Progress is still looking good! What is your best guess at completion?

Kevin
LFD Inc.

Really not sure where I got the mono. Coulda been from kissing, but I'm not one to talk about that ;)

I'm making a little progress here and there. Wish it was warmer so I could pull it outside where I really have room to work.

I've guessed on completion dates before and been way off, but I've also never been this close before. Depending on weather, health, and cash flow I could see driving it on the first dry day in the spring.

Things to do:


Brake System
Finish rebuild of pass. side front caliper
Rebuild and install rear Camaro calipers (Found a set I'm trying to buy, these aren't required)
Install booster, master cyl, prop valve




Drivetrain
Cooling system
Radiator
Electric Fan (The Jeep Grand Cherokee fan mod)

Belts & misc. hoses, wiring, and plumbing (aka fuel line from pump to carb)
Shift linkage (Lokar cable linkage)
Tranny cooler (Gotta bend lines to the radiator)
Driveshaft (From a local place)
Exhaust (No ideas yet)
Cut hole in bed floor to access fuel filler (kind of important)




Air Ride System
Mount compressor, tank, and valves
Plumb compressor system
Hook up gauge and switches (wiring harnesses already completed)
Check for leaks!!!




General
Double-check all torque values
Random interior junk... I just want to drive it!



So yeah, a long ways to go, but I think it's possible to work through it at a decent pace.

Now take that list down to Kinko's (californias version of a copy store) and get it blown up to life size and post it on the shop wall. This way you can check it off as you go and add what you forgot in the empty space.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

No wheels today.

Called them AGAIN.

"We had to have somebody at corporate in California enter the part number back into the system so we could place the order. You should have them Wednesday or Thursday."

If I don't have my wheels on Friday, I'm asking for my money back.

On a brighter note I did get my stuff from Summit. So at least the steel wheels will be ready to go.

Lots of ice storms to deal with if they are coming from the west coast...

Got a message from them today. Not good news.

I have more bad news. Our rep called us and said the reason they killed that part number is the center caps do not fit on about 75% of the rims. Our rep said they are very sorry about this.

Oh man.. that sucks! But wait!

Do you like any other american racing rims? We can do them instead for no price difference. Even if they normaly cost more. Call or email and let me know.

So I went to American Racing's website and found some wheels that were still "off the shelf" and not custom built but still had the same size and backspacing as the wheels I originally purchased. I saved the information from the site (part no., name, specs) and sent them a message back that I would accept those as a replacement.

After just a couple minutes they sent this response:

Great done. They will leave today. He said 100% sure that is a good part number so no problems.

Let's hope it actually happens this time!

Now here's the kicker: I originally purchased the Torqlite wheels because I could not afford the grey-center Torq-thrusts (CL205s) I wanted. It was a way to get a similar look without the expense. However, the "replacement" wheels I found on American Racing's site are Torq-thrust Originals. They are grey-center with a machined lip! And I'm getting them for the same price!

Like I said before, let's hope it actually happens this time!

Aw yes........I've experience American Racing problems....lost my patience at 13 weeks!!!

What you are getting is exactly what I was waiting for and still wish I would've got, though I'm happy with the Vintecs.

Sounds like you'll get em cuz they were on the shelf......Besides getting color on mine, gettin wheels was the most exciting part!

I had problems with american racing too theyre website and catalouge dont match so when i got my wheels they had a different back spacing than the website said but the same part number. That and they had to custom make them because they dont sell enough to keep them on hand. Glad it worked out for you.

Yeah, I looked at a few different sites and they all listed the same specs for the part no.

These are not CL205s but Series 309 Torq-thrust Originals which have the "A" shaped spokes different from Torq-thrust IIs and CL205s. I know they all pretty much look the same, but I'm happy to have the "A" shaped spokes and the machined lip. I don't want to have to polish anything.

God, I hope they get this right...

Well here we go. They were delivered at 12:35 this afternoon.

Found this when I got home:
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8311_sized.jpg

Outta the box:
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8312_sized.jpg

And a bunch of other shots:
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8314_sized.jpg
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8317_sized.jpg
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8318_sized.jpg
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8322_sized.jpg
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8324_sized.jpg
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8326_sized.jpg

I'm very satisfied. I'm also quite tempted to do whatever it takes to get the tires mounted tomorrow... hrmm.

Ive allways loved those wheels, dident realize they redesigned them for disc brakes. The originals were flat on the back so they had to come out with the torq thrust d's d meaning disc brakes. The straight spokes look alot better than the curved ones imo.

Put a wheel upside-down on a towel on the floor, spray the rim with soapy water, lay the tire on top and start jumping on it. They'll go right on. Try it on a junk wheel first to get the feel for it.

Take the inside of the valve stem out and hit it with a shot of air from your compressor to seat the bead.

Good to see you makin' progress. The wheels look awesome Adam. You'd better take those nice new rims and tires to someone good so they don't nick those purdy wheels. I know how ya feel now, I bought a bunch a new parts Saturday and got sick Sunday. So now all those parts are just sittin' and waitin'. Being sick Sucks! :waah:

7T2 thanks for the advice on the hubcaps in the other thread. I found some on eBay and they fit great!

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8348_sized.jpg

Also took your advice on trying to mount tires at home. Decided to start with the new front tires for my steel wheels. The learning curve is a little steep, but once you figure it out they do go right on. Not sure I have the guts to try it on my 17s though!

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8344_sized.jpg
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8352_sized.jpg
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8349_sized.jpg

They don't rub on the fenders now when it's aired out.
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8343_sized.jpg

255/60/15 BFGoodrich Radial T/A's on 15x7 steel wheels. I think the backspacing is 4.25".

Next step is to dismount the 275/60s off my cragars and put them on the other steel wheels.

It can be tricky mounting your tires, but nowhere near as tricky as de-mounting them, especially custom rims.

If you take them somewhere, make sure it's somewhere that has experience in mounting custom rims. I just had a tire mounting experience with Wal-Mart that ate up at least 8 hours of my life, and in the end I ended up with stick-on weights ON THE FRONT of one of my aluminum rims! The rims were pretty messed up anyway or I would have thrown a fit, but in the end I just wanted to be done with it.

As long as you have a nice clean solid surface to set the wheel on there's not much you can do to damage it if you mount the tires from the back. Personally I think there's more chance for damage if you take them somewhere than if you're careful and do them yourself. Taking them off is a different story. You almost need to have expensive professional equipment to do that.

Yeah, I was thinking about running up to Wal-mart tomorrow morning and letting them do the work dismounting the 275s. Then I'll mount them whenever I get around to it.

There's a guy at work that's big into motorcycles and has a shop set up where he works on other people's bikes all the time. Apparently his tire changing equipment will work for automotive stuff too, so he's offered to mount the 17's for me when he has a free evening. I figure that way I can be involved in the process and keep a close eye on everything.

Again, thanks! I appreciate your help.

Ok, ran over to Sam's Club today and had a couple of buddies switch the 275/60's off the Street-stars and onto the steelies.

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8359_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8359.jpg)
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8360_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8360.jpg)

I'm really hoping the guy at work will be able to mount the 17s tomorrow night, as my week seems to just keep getting busier.

looks good just like that Alvin! But I can't wait to see the 17's on there.

I'm digging the 15" steelies on it, although the TT's are going to look good on there as well.

looks good just like that Alvin! But I can't wait to see the 17's on there.

I'm digging the 15" steelies on it, although the TT's are going to look good on there as well.

Thanks guys, I really can't wait to see the 17's on there, although I know the tires will rub on the bedside. :dohh: I guess it might come down to cutting some metal out. We'll see.

desertrat: I was in your area back in October. My girlfriend and I drove through Pahrump on our way back to Henderson from Death Valley. What a great part of the country! Pahrump looked very nice (although people drove awfully fast on the stretch of road heading out of town, is that normal?).

http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8363_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8363.jpg)
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8364_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8364.jpg)
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8375_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8375.jpg)
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8376_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8376.jpg)
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8377_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8377.jpg)
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8379_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8379.jpg)
http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8381_sized.jpg (http://newt0.com/simplegal/galleries/Ethel/IMG_8381.jpg)

SWEET! I bet you're happier than a pig in sh!t right now.

Man that looks good! I sure would like to have all that trim off the front of your cab along with those rims...my address is......lol looking good.

SWEET! I bet you're happier than a pig in sh!t right now.

Yeah, pretty much. I've got to align the bed to make sure (it's not bolted down yet), but it comes down much further in the back than I thought it would without rubbing. And the front, just couldn't look better! :)

Man that looks good! I sure would like to have all that trim off the front of your cab along with those rims...my address is......lol looking good.

Thanks! Yeah, that trim is staying right where it is for now. I've got some pieces to complete the bedside, but thats just not a priority right now.

Looks good. Perfect stance!

I was just messin man, I am talking to someone about some trim at the moment. I have all the trim for the bed but not the cab.

Are you going to keep it that color. If so, I like it.

I was just messin man, I am talking to someone about some trim at the moment. I have all the trim for the bed but not the cab.

Are you going to keep it that color. If so, I like it.

Oh I know, I wasn't trying to come across as a jerk.

I do like the light blue. My original dream was to paint the truck Mini Cooper Electric Blue (2002 or so color), but this original light blue is definitely growing on me.

The grey spokes look GOOD!

Looks fantastic with those new rims...I may have to copy you. Need to read through your build thread first to see what you've done suspension wise to be sure they will work on my truck.

YO! There is some strange looking dude leaning on your truck ... :D

I like it! Where are the rear discs?

Sweet Bro !!!

Sweet! Looks AWESOME!!:D

Sweet!!! :metal:

Looks fantastic with those new rims...I may have to copy you. Need to read through your build thread first to see what you've done suspension wise to be sure they will work on my truck.

Thanks! The suspension is just drop spindles, air ride, bolt-in c-notch. I think I will be looking for a 71-72 axle (I'm fairly certain my axle is '68 width) to gain a little more clearance between the sidewall of the rear tires and the bedside.

Where are the rear discs?

Well I'm still waiting on the calipers to show up (hopefully today), then I have to rebuild them and it hasn't been the best weather to paint in lately (:waah:). I definitely want to run the rear discs, now that I can see the drums in all their glory.

And thanks to everyone for the compliments. I am VERY happy with how it looks, and I could not possibly be any more motivated to get her on the road. Once I got those wheels bolted up last night all I could say was "I want to drive it".

I think I will be looking for a 71-72 axle (I'm fairly certain my axle is '68 width) to gain a little more clearance between the sidewall of the rear tires and the bedside.


Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but you do know the later rears are longer/wider right?