Post your best budget mods! ($50 or less)

[63 & 64 Bowties]

OK, some threads have been done in the past on the topic, but I want to throw a new twist on it... this is for everyone, but more for the flat broke crowd.

Many of us have a holiday time-off coming up, and we might even get some quality truck tinkering time. Assuming you aren't doing booring crap like replacing the bolts that fell out of your fan clutch, you probably want to do upgrades, restoration, or simply, modifications.
But what's a broke SOB to do?

I'd like everyone to list favorite mods for under $50.
I've always said, one man's budget bolt on, is another man's budget. A very common area that this is true is when someone wants a simple 2 inch drop. Guys come out of the woodwork saying how 'affordable' drop spindles are... or drop springs. I haven't priced them for a few years, but I think they are 200-ish and 100-ish for those 'affordable' pieces. Chopping the spring is free, and despite common opinion, perfectly safe.
Now, lets set some ground rules for what is considered a $50 mod.
Obviously, a person with a pole barn packed with a lift, $25,000 worth of tools, a plasma cutter and 220volt miller MIG welder can get anything done. They have the tools to take junk metal and turn it into a one off treasure. Same with the guys who can paint like Chip Foose.
Lets keep this simple.
#1... 50 bucks is 50 bucks. Not 50 bucks plus this $300 piece "I had laying around" Now a $300 piece that you scored for $50 on Craigslist or at a flea market is fair game.
#2... Cheaper is always better.... free is best.
#3... Hand tools only. If you used air tools to make/modify something, then it is out. HOWEVER... if it could have been done with hand tools, then it's cool and it is back in.
#4... Lets keep it simple, something the average moron with little tallent (like me) can do.
#5... a quick overview, or a link to step by step instructions is best, so this thread doesn't become a 30 page thread that you have to sift through to find that trick you need.

With any luck, this will be a cool list of tips and tricks that we can refer to for years to come.

[TJ's Chevy]

Well I thought I would throw this in.....kick me out if anyone thinks the tools I used are unfair. Here it goes.....I bought a lokar throttle pedal for my truck...it was $50 for the pedal and cable....well come to find out I needed to buy a mount also so that it would mount on the fire wall right. Make a long story short....a mount costs $30 plus or minus for some dinky little 1 inch piece of chrome metal. Well since I didn't want to spend that much money on a darn mount I made one.....now a poor dude should at least have an electric drill and electric sawza right??? I mean c'mon if you don't have one!!! LOL! Anyhow...I had this 3/4 inch hunk of iron sitting on the shelf and thought...heck....if I just cut this into a square, drill two holes; I'll have a FREE mount! So I did....Didn't take any pictures prior to installation...but here is a picture of the install. Thanks and hope I stayed in the rules!!!

[VonDog]

Getting a new windshield and had to fix some rust issues soooo - $6.00 for sand paper, $6.00 for primer, $15.00 for 2 cans of spray paint and have a new dash!

[VonDog]

Primed!

[VonDog]

And painted!

[VonDog]

Get er done!

[mark 66]

dash turned out nice

[65Gregg]

Headlight relays have got to rank at the top of my cheap mod list.

[Rich 5150 69]

My front sway bar bought at a local thrift store, brand new, still had the part number tag on it, $9.00 plus tax, new bushing kit, cost fifteen, I`m always looking for bargins.

[losthope]

id have to say the headlight relays ,single to dual master swap(non power), and front sway bar and rear camero sway bar upgrade , swaybars can be picked up with all the bushings and brackets at pick-n-pull on half priced day for under $50 and are bolt in and can be done with all basic hand tools...i did all of the above in my non garage driveway!

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Best "mod" I did so far for under $50.00 is a can of Herculiner for the floorboard hump. I will do the rest of the floor soon.

I beat the dents out with a hammer, polished the rust off with a wire brush on a drill, and herculined with a brush. Touch up will be a snap. Feels great on the bare feet too!

[Rob Fisher]

I finally found some weather-strip that seems to have solved my door closing problems. I did not want to use glue on, and I had tried a set of the push on that GMC Paul's sell for the 67 and up trucks and they did not work.
After contacting Precision and testing some sample profiles that they sent me, In desperation I pulled some off my wife's 2007 Honda Odyssey.(Please don't tell her) And it turns out that it is the best solution yet, not perfect but close.
Pros:
Push on and fits over the lip on my 64 GMC perfectly.
Very soft so compresses easily to form a tight seal.
I have Altman Easy latches and it closes great but I cant see why it would not work with stock latches.
Cheap, brand new off Hondapartscheap.com right around $50.00 for both sides, could probably find cheaper at auto wreckers.
Cons:
Has an inner flap that would need to be trimmed off, see photo of profile.
Would require 3 pieces total with about a 18" piece needed under the sill trim to go completely around door opening. Honda glues their joints and you can barley see the joint. No need for air gap or 45 degree joint.
Take a look at the photos attached.
P.S. I also pulled some off my daughters 2006 Honda Civic (Please don't tell her either) The civics front door weather-strip is a continuous loop with a glued joint from the factory, to my surprise it was exactly the right length, not close but exactly, the only down side is that in one spot there is a molded corner that is a tighter radius then any of the corners on the truck so it puckers a little bit. Not terrible and could be hidden down in one of the bottom corners. Again there is a inner flap that would have to be trimmed.

[Rob Fisher]

Here is a link to a video of my door closing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au8C2...ature=youtu.be

[markeb01]

That is very cool! Thanks for sharing.

[markeb01]

Originally Posted by Rob Fisher

I have Altman Easy latches and it closes great but I cant see why it would not work with stock latches.

Please advise how easy it was to install these latches. Were there any particular problems or difficulties. And one detail question - what is the length of the opening where the latch opens between the corner of the door and the removable metal upper door panel? Mine are upholstered and the distance needed for that opening could be critical.

Thanks for any feedback or input.

[gimmy 64]

doe's free work??? traded a short bed bed to delmo for a disc brake ,swaybar dropped spindled front end with dropped springs and dropped shocks. only took hand tools to install??????

[gimmy 64]

best thing done to this truck. swaybar and disc brake . truck drives like a new one.

[Rob Fisher]

The Altman latches where very easy to install, even thou their instructions are just OK. If you go to their website (Trique Mfg) you can download the instructions and see the pattern used for the cutout.
A drill and a cutoff wheel are pretty much it for required tools.
Lots of adjustment and fairly easy to get working well.

Your existing panel overlaps the new panel from Altman so you shouldn't have any issues.
They were a little expensive but one of the best mods I have done and reminded of it every time I close the door.
Check out the Honda weather-strip, another break through moment.

[slepysal]

a few budget mods that I have done in no particular order

1) Headlight relay upgrade 15.00
2) Dual master cylinder .fittings,and lines 35.00
3) Land Rover seats 50.00 (Craig's list)
4) Parking lights that are on with head lights .50
5) Electric power antenna 25.00
6) Tail gate chain removal free
Gate Latches for tail gate 15.00 ( home Depot)
Tail gate cables and pivot mounts 15.00 (pick and pull)
7) Steel heater hoses 15.00 (swap meet)
steel upper hose 5.00 (Craig's list)
8) Custom "bee hive" rear turn signal lenses 10.00
9) Rear Jeep springs 15.00
I have some other under 50 buck mods that I still need to do
Lokar gas pedal 25, Billet gauge insert 50.00 ,20 gal aluminum gas tank 50.00 ....

[Dillon Rock]

Uhh, the best one I did was a unity s-6 spotlight off of ebay for like $45.00 with all the mounting hardware. Also, a wiper motor and extra fusebox that had the clips I needed for adding my radio/cb installation (not anywahere close to 50 bucks for the two radions mind you) and the fusebox/wipermotor cost 30 bucks. Oversized mirrors for around 30 bucks too.

[AcampoDave]

2 sheets of 9 ft exterior plywood (longbed), split down the middle hidden by the bedstrip. Hardware store fasteners and Rustoleum paint.

[NEWFISHER]

88-99 chevy truck seat off craigslist or bone yard, blanket had laying around.hog ringed it to the seat so it doesn't move around.

[1320warrior]

Mine was a free mod! But I guess I can include the price of a red scuff pad at ~$2.00 just a little time getting the cluster out and some elbow grease.

[Mackie]

Home made a short throw for my T5 by milling a spacer out of a 3/4" thick piece of polyethelene I already had, then redrilled for the shifter pivot pin 3/4" higher up the shaft. Cost: virtually zero

Bench seat from Pick-A-Part. Cost: $37 (OK, so it's from an F-150)

Class 3 trailer hitch Cost: $10 It came from a Toyota pickup and I had to narrow it and fab frame brackets. It has the rearward bent tube so I can fit a spare tire, which is secured by a chain style spare tire winch that was free for the taking at the scrapyard. Sorry, pic is on another computer.

Volt and Oil Pressure gauges fit into the orig. panel by cutting windows that match the gas and temp gauges then RTV gluing the gauges to the backside. Cost $28

[TJ's Chevy]

Also I installed an Auto meter tach....price was $40 or under if I remember right! LOL! But I am SURE it wasn't $50!