85 GMC Sierra "Scarlett"

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Desert1957

OK, how much longer before the the new shoes?

American Racing says 5-6 weeks build time.

[N2TRUX]

Last night I continued my search for wet spots. I started by pulling the cooling system and inspecting it's condition. The radiator looks clean inside, so a good flush should be all it needs.

Once that was removed I got a better view of the front of the motor. The alternator is fresh, so it's going to stay. The a/c compressor is an AC Delco and is dry at the seals so it's staying too.
The power steering pump has been growling due to low fluid. Everything is wet so I will check the lines and pump to determine what's the source of the leak.

Everything is bagged and tagged waiting for the clean up process.

[palposity]

What a beautiful truck! You do amazing work sir!

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by palposity

What a beautiful truck! You do amazing work sir!

Thanks for the kind words

[N2TRUX]

Countdown to Throwdown! When your bent over the core support stripping parts off the front of the block and you can't stop looking at the carburetor. How many things do you see that are wrong. Ignore the a/c compressor.

[N2TRUX]

Continuing on with stripping the front of the motor. I removed the rest of the a/c bracket and found some unique components to fit around the headers, and a few loose bolts. I pulled the alternator and related brackets, and discovered a patch of bare wires. From there I worked my way down to the water pump. Once again, some of the bolts were loose.

Whoever replaced the water pump must have thought snug was close enough. That will change as we clean, painted, and reassemble everything properly.

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

American Racing says 5-6 weeks build time.

I've heard that before......

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Continuing on with stripping the front of the motor. I removed the rest of the a/c bracket and found some unique components to fit around the headers, and a few loose bolts. I pulled the alternator and related brackets, and discovered a patch of bare wires. From there I worked my way down to the water pump. Once again, some of the bolts were loose.

Whoever replaced the water pump must have thought snug was close enough. That will change as we clean, painted, and reassemble everything properly.

You might as well just pull the engine and do an LS swap since you're already there.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

I've heard that before....You might as well just pull the engine and do an LS swap since you're already there.

You need to put that stick down and quite stirring up trouble. 😉

At this point I'm always encouragedown to pull the clip, it's only 8 more bolts. Then it's like "The clip is off, may as well pull the motor" followed by " why don't you do an LSX swap "
Trust me it's all I can do to restrain myself from all of the above. Then reality takes hold and I know that time and budget constraints won't permit any of that.

[N2TRUX]

Friday night is usually date night and with the holidays my wife and I haven't had any quality I me. She was kind enough to allow me to mock one side of the new carpeted panels I got in to replace the originals.

The previous owner told me the carpet kit came from LMC so I ordered the panels from them to ensure they would match. I later discovered LMC uses ACC brand carpet. Had I known that I would have bought through my buddy Chris Lucas at www.73-87chevytrucks.come

I prefer to buy from Chris when possible because he only sells product that he would actually use himself. He's not always the cheapest, but he is very competitive and you know your getting enthusiast approved products.

I made the mistake of using the old panels as a template to mark the new panels for holes. What I didn't realize was the original panels weren't on straight. I installed the new panels in the original holes on the door and they were way off. Unfortunately I was forced to drill some new holes in the doors to make it right.

I wasn't happy with the method required but the end result is a kick panel that's straight. I plan to dye the air vents to match, so I will paint and seal the old holes later.

I finished one side and called it done for the night. Momma had popcorn and a movie waiting.

[GAc10boy]

That interior looks great! Been steadily watching your extensive refresh of this truck and it's quite amazing. Nice wheel choice as well.

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

You need to put that stick down and quite stirring up trouble. ��

At this point I'm always encouragedown to pull the clip, it's only 8 more bolts. Then it's like "The clip is off, may as well pull the motor" followed by " why don't you do an LSX swap "
Trust me it's all I can do to restrain myself from all of the above. Then reality takes hold and I know that time and budget constraints won't permit any of that.

That's how my build went from fix a few oil leaks, buff the turd brown paint and lower it, to a full blown body off rebuild! I happens fast and before you know it you're tens of thousands of dollars deep.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by GAc10boy

That interior looks great! Been steadily watching your extensive refresh of this truck and it's quite amazing. Nice wheel choice as well.

Thank you sir. I appreciate your support.

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

That's how my build went from fix a few oil leaks, buff the turd brown paint and lower it, to a full blown body off rebuild! I happens fast and before you know it you're tens of thousands of dollars deep.

Yeah it snowballs quickly. With my OCD I have to take on small tasks and try to finish them. If not I get distracted and mentally blocked from finishing.

[N2TRUX]

Sometimes you have to do shop improvements so you can be more productive on your truck project. Today we installed a new Harbor Freight vacuum system to my blasting cabinet. I had originally used a 5hp shop vac and it worked well till it burnt up. It was extremely loud and got louder before it gave up so I don't miss it.
Be forewarned this unit is very heavy even before it gets filled with media. We mounted it to a piece of plywood so we could be sure to hit a stud with our anchors. It's not going anywhere.
I also took the opportunity to upgrad to black diamond media. Turns out the medium grit is too course for my system to flow well so I'm changing to fine. Hopefully hat will improve the flow.

[N2TRUX]

After we finished the blasting cabinet update we got the drivers side kick panel installed. Having an extra set of eyes and hands really helped. Chris adjusted the rear of window track and it works correctly again. Thanks to Chris Lucas at @7387chevytrucks for the advice.

Unfortunately I managed to scratch my freshly installed window tint. I'm going to dread calling my buddy Nelson to come fix it.

[N2TRUX]

Yesterday we started on a neat addition to the build. The guys at @wamrods have designed a cool kit for 81-91 Squarebody trucks. In my quest to clean up under the hood Chris and I installed one of their kits.
The kit comes with everything needed to replace the stock hinges with gas struts, and very detailed directions. The install is very straightforward as long as you follow the instructions.
For more information contact Justin Wallace @wamrods

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Sometimes you have to do shop improvements so you can be more productive on your truck project. Today we installed a new Harbor Freight vacuum system to my blasting cabinet. I had originally used a 5hp shop vac and it worked well till it burnt up. It was extremely loud and got louder before it gave up so I don't miss it.
Be forewarned this unit is very heavy even before it gets filled with media. We mounted it to a piece of plywood so we could be sure to hit a stud with our anchors. It's not going anywhere.
I also took the opportunity to upgrad to black diamond media. Turns out the medium grit is too course for my system to flow well so I'm changing to fine. Hopefully hat will improve the flow.

You inspired me to get a blast cabinet. That, and I was just tired of the manual labor. The saying goes, "Work Smarter-Not Harder".

[lolife99]

Ken is the Wamrod strut kit required with your new wheel tubs?
Or is it just to change things up a little?

[rustytruck50]

Slick addition, but I'd miss the characteristic spring scrunching noise on the later square bodies :-)

[aggie91]

Changes are looking good on Scarlet. I started my own LST challenge over the holidays too. Hope to see you at LST with my project...

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by TKCR

You inspired me to get a blast cabinet. That, and I was just tired of the manual labor. The saying goes, "Work Smarter-Not Harder".

You will love it. Just make sure to get extra rolls of weather strip, then seal it with a fine line of silicone once its assembled. This vacuum is overkill, but the cheap shop vac I bought burnt up so I went big this time

Originally Posted by lolife99

Ken is the Wamrod strut kit required with your new wheel tubs? Or is it just to change things up a little?

No sir the WAM rods are not required. Im going to be running Slosh filler panels and wanted a cleaner look. We specifically designed the Mild Tubz to be compatible with stock components where possible. The 81-87 battery tray and over flow tank will not fit. Mike is working on a brace to make the 73-80 battery tray work. There are smaller overflow tanks that will tuck under the battery tray. We have to determine what fits best after he gets the design finished.

Originally Posted by rustytruck50

Slick addition, but I'd miss the characteristic spring scrunching noise on the later square bodies :-)

Not after you close the hood a couple of times. It goes up and down so smooth and quiet now.

Originally Posted by aggie91

Changes are looking good on Scarlet. I started my own LST challenge over the holidays too. Hope to see you at LST with my project...

Glad to see you get in the game buddy.

[N2TRUX]

Sunday Chris and I finished up small details on the WAM rod install then removed the hood. With it safely stored, it was time to get serious. We pulled the remaining fender liner and masked off the fenders to protect the paint.

I started stripping the top of the motor while Chris focused on wiring and vacuum lines. We took tons of pics, and bagged and tagged bolts and small parts. We tagged lines and hoses too. Its easy to remember where things go when they look the same as when you took them off. Once they are cleaned and painted not so much.

I worked my way down to the intake, sealing holes as I went. Chris got the firewall stripped fairly clean so we called it a day.

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

We specifically designed the Mild Tubz to be compatible with stock components where possible.

So you're in on the design with Mike? When will they be released? I've been holding out on ordering the slosh tubz until I see the mild tubz.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by UKNOWME

So you're in on the design with Mike? When will they be released? I've been holding out on ordering the slosh tubz until I see the mild tubz.

Actually Mike Losh, along with Eric Miller of Squarebody Specialist and I collaborated on the design. I have been talking to Mike Losh for a couple of years about doing a mild version of his Slosh Tub. He was concerned that there wasn't enough market demand to justify the expense of design and production.

Eric Miller and I had a lengthy conversation last year at LST and both agreed that the squarebody trend was growing strongly towards static dropped trucks on 22s or 22/24s. I sent Mike lots of pics and measurements from my 77 and my 85, and Eric shared his experience and knowledge gained while building Casper. Together we were able to convince Mike to take the leap of faith, and here we are. Lets hope he sells enough to justify his expense.

The plan is to have a set in time for me to debut them at LST on Scarlett along with his fender and core support filler panels. Once he gets them ready for production, he will start taking pre-sale orders. If you order now, and your going to LST he might be able to deliver them at the show.

[UKNOWME]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Actually Mike Losh, along with Eric Miller of Squarebody Specialist and I collaborated on the design. I have been talking to Mike Losh for a couple of years about doing a mild version of his Slosh Tub. He was concerned that there wasn't enough market demand to justify the expense of design and production.

Eric Miller and I had a lengthy conversation last year at LST and both agreed that the squarebody trend was growing strongly towards static dropped trucks on 22s or 22/24s. I sent Mike lots of pics and measurements from my 77 and my 85, and Eric shared his experience and knowledge gained while building Casper. Together we were able to convince Mike to take the leap of faith, and here we are. Lets hope he sells enough to justify his expense.

The plan is to have a set in time for me to debut them at LST on Scarlett along with his fender and core support filler panels. Once he gets them ready for production, he will start taking pre-sale orders. If you order now, and your going to LST he might be able to deliver them at the show.

I won't be at LST unless something crazy happens. Too much other stuff going on. I just need to see what they are going to look like first. The only reason I would consider them if to maintain my battery location. Aside from that I'm good with slosh tubz. BUT I need to get the ball rolling on whichever way I'm going to go because before we know it winter will be over and cruise/show season will be in full effect. Plus I have another truck I'm about to start building hopefully take to c10sinthepark.

[87max]

wow is all I can say, attention to detail at its finest. I went cheap with my blast cabinet dust collection, I installed a pc fan on the back after opening up the hole. I tapped the switch for power. I then made a blocking shield similar to whats on the back for over the 2" port & installed a vacuum cleaner bag there. I just got it done yesterday & ran it briefly seems to work well.