Well, here's an exciting update to make. This will be the last major "build" update. This upcoming weekend, Marvin gets to go to his first car show in a very long time. Progress this last month has been happening at incredible speed, and even still this week parts are flying on faster than I can keep track of. After more than three and a half long and impatient years, Marvin is becoming whole once again, and that really puts a smile on my face. He's a good old truck. Hope to have some really nice pictures to share next week, but for now, here's (hopefully!) the last set of build pics...
Back in the body shop from the mechanical shop, some of the final assembly begins. Doors go on and glass goes in.
Hood too! Ran into an issue with the windshield rubber we ordered, so had to send to the interior shop with the windshield half-installed while waiting for a replacement.
Dash really taking shape. Guys at the body shop came up with a really nice way to cut down and flip a standard glovebox door and get it to fit in the slightly narrower opening where the speaker grille used to be. Was really important to me that we kept the "CHEVROLET" stamped lettering from the speaker grille part, so they found a way to get that done, too. I'm considering re-doing the rectangular bezels around the A/C vents in the lower valance - maybe either polishing them or painting them the same color as the gauge faces.
At this point, technically, mechanically, Marvin could make the trip under his own power, but we'll let him experience the "good life" for a little while longer. Off to the interior shop!
I cannot begin to say enough good things about the shop that handled the interior. They are a small crew, but every one of those guys has amazing talent. And they got things done FAST! I was really blown away by how they were able to take some ideas from me and turn them into something really special. Got some foam mocked up on the bench seat:
Carpet and floor mats look so good. Kept it simple and went with a more heavier-duty style carpet rather than something more plush. Marvin is still a truck, after all.
Mid-range speakers (5.5 inch) and an 8-inch subwoofer will be quite nicely tucked away behind the seat. (The tweeters will be in the kick panel area as discussed a few pages back) Really hemmed and hawed over the mid-range speaker placement. This isn't stellar for top audio quality, but should still sound ok. I just couldn't handle cutting holes in the doors and putting bulky pods in the kick panel area wouldn't have matched the rest of the interior look, I think.
(continued...)