Project "Sweet 16"

[Atommik]

Great deal on the box and parts!! You'll be driving yours long before me. I still have a fair amount of mechanical stuff to do to get it running and driving.

Looking good!!

[99 to Life]

great score and only 15 miles away, can't beat a local snag. anyway, from the looks of it if you lowered your bed a bit in the rear, it might make your wheels look better in there. Seems like the front end is some of the culprit from the one pic. Nice to have the bed, running boards and front fenders all on for moching up, but understand you didn't have them at the time. Moving leaf perches and cutting shaft for that little bit ahhhhh sux. But you'll figure it out. Great progress.

[skymangs]

Thanks Atommik. I'm through with he drawn out projects. I just want to crank em out and drive the wheels off em now!

Thanks 99, the pics are of the box "mocked up". I actually lowered the entire box 3/4" so the splash gaurds and running boards sat level and had the proper gap before I bolted it in.
the wheels are still about 1.5" too far back in the wells, no problem to fix that though, just more time and effort!

I'll have new pics hopefully tomorrow after I get the running board brackets made. Once that's done, and we move the rear end, we'll decide if, and how much to lower the rear end.

[JTRACEY]

Originally Posted by skymangs

Well, I just wanted to report that 4 months of patient searching has FINALY yeilded us our pickup box. A near perfect match. I found it on Craigslist, about 15 miles away from my house! We gave $600 for the box, fenders, tailgate, running boards, splash gaurds, driver side window, a nice working speedo, a good set of hood hinges, and running board brackets.

It looks like I'll have to move the rear end about 1.5" forward. I am hoping I have enough slip in the driveshaft to accomidate it. Otherwise I'll have to have it cut.

On the downside, we have officially busted our budget. We are at $3200 and some change. We still need about $200 in interior and misc. parts from Classicparts, some AC components, and a stereo. Looking like we'll wind up just north of $3500 by the time it's all said and done.

I'm hoping to be driving this beast in the next few weeks!

Well what a small world it is! I drove 60miles down to ernies house yesterday and bought the blue fenders he had, and the other set of running boards... I really wanted the red ones bcause I was not looking for one with the spare tire spot, but Im now happy to know it went to someone who wanted them because they were red...

I just read through your build, and the truck looks awesome!

[skymangs]

Originally Posted by JTRACEY

Well what a small world it is! I drove 60miles down to ernies house yesterday and bought the blue fenders he had, and the other set of running boards... I really wanted the red ones bcause I was not looking for one with the spare tire spot, but Im now happy to know it went to someone who wanted them because they were red...

I just read through your build, and the truck looks awesome!

I guess it really is a small world Ernie said he had 6 or 7 calls on the first day he posted those parts up! I was so thrilled that I found a red box and fenders, I was beginning to think it was never gonna happen. I wasted no time in getting there and giving him cash. Sorry to leave you with the spare tire divit, but I really needed red!

[JTRACEY]

Originally Posted by skymangs

I guess it really is a small world Ernie said he had 6 or 7 calls on the first day he posted those parts up! I was so thrilled that I found a red box and fenders, I was beginning to think it was never gonna happen. I wasted no time in getting there and giving him cash. Sorry to leave you with the spare tire divit, but I really needed red!

No hard feelings here, I needed some rears regardless if it had the spare tire divit... Did he tell you about the guy he knew that bought the 1500 Old Navy trucks?

[skymangs]

He certainly did. What a score! I coulda retired and just built them for a living!

[skymangs]

We've been slowly planning and drawing out ideas for door signage over the last few weeks. I intend to open my own shop when I retire, "Ole Sarge Customs" with an old Army buddy of mine. So we thought it prudent to incorporate that in his signage. He'res a pic of what we came up with. It will of course be Patina-ized.

[sparkydog]

I like the way you go about grafting new and old technology! Subscribed.

[99 to Life]

seen a few old navy trucks out east here. actually when I bought my 51' it came with extra fenders off of an old navy truck. So one guy bought 1500 trucks? thats alot of shipping if you ask me. but I'd love to own 1500 of these trucks. I got six now!!

[skymangs]

Thanks Sparkydog... Is that old IH iron in your profile pic? LOVE the old IH trucks!

yeah 99, he said that one guy bought them all, they had no drivelines (since they were display only, and has been making a mint off them since.

[xpickup]

skymangs, good score on the parts. It looks great. That is great if you only have $3500 into it. Keep up the great work. When we would go into OLD Navy I would always look at the truck instead of the cloths. The one near us was a basket case. They just filled everything. The best part of it was the new chrome parts that they put on it.

Shannon

[skymangs]

Thanks xpickup, So I got the box finished up last night, bolted it down once we were happy with it's placement and height. Re-located the rear end (temporarily) and cut down/modified the stock running board brackets and installed them. I also put the 3" lowering block kit in the rear. Below are pics of the finalized ride height and box placement.

Tomorrow I'll pick up some new spring locating bolts, and take everything apart to drill the new ones in the springs. Has anyone heard about masonary bits drilling springs better than regular steel bits? I had heard that somewhere, but forgot the source. If it's true, you guys gotta know!

The front is 5.25" off the ground, the rear is 7" off the ground. I think it looks KILLER with the new stance!

[Atommik]

Stance looks great!! Makes me think I should get some drop spindles and lowering blocks!!

Great job!

[JRANGER]

looks great!

[skymangs]

Thanks all

[JTRACEY]

I have heard about masonry bits in the past as well being used on hardend steel... If I remember correctly the problem they had was keeping the bit cool enough... Im the stubborn bastard that goes through 3 bits and cuss myself after that, I just wasted $20+....

Quick question... Do your running boards hang below your frame? I finally got to the point tonight that it is time to put my cab on and figure out how high I need to make my mounts. I really like the way you made your mounts to accept factory s10 bushings. I think in the long run doing them this way will save me a lot of time and frustration...

[skymangs]

That was the idea when I decided to re-use the S10 bushings. I already had them, and they were in good shape. Why not re-use?

The Running boards are almost even with the bottom of the frame. Maybe 1/4" lower. One could use some C channel or 1.25" 11 ga. square tube to make brackets. I am modifying the original ones to use them. I needed to shorten the height, and shorten the length of the long ones. I only have 4 brackets (2 long/2 short), so I'm going to have to make the rear ones.

[99 to Life]

looking good, as for masonry bits, I don't see them drilling through steel, could be wrong but I would just get a titanium bit. Hobo freights suck by the way.

[skymangs]

Yeah, masonary bits didn't work out at all...

I used titanium Dewalts, and it took over an hour per side. Chewed up a few bits. Thank God for drill doctor!

[99 to Life]

dewalts are usually good. too bad you couldnt just have a machine shop blast right through it. Them bits are pricey too. I'd suggest going in 3 stages small, middle and to final size. Blasting a 3/8 or whatever hole at once is a pain on some stuff.

[skymangs]

Yup, that's what I did. started with 1/4, then 5/16, then 3/8. took FOREVER!

[skymangs]

Here's the completed fold down speaker grill, with the stereo and wiper switch behind it. Sorry, everythings dusty on the dash right now. progressing nicely, We're hoping to start driving it in the next several weeks!

[99 to Life]

looking great. hopefully your wipers work good cause it would be a pain reaching over there to turn them off and on. My wipers have two speeds and I constantly have to turn them off then on, but my switch is right by my ignition.

I'm working on a dash as we speak, I think I'm gonna hinge the delete plate for my air ride switches or whatever else. Might go the speaker hinge too, very convenient looking. So you just have a magnet to hold it up? I thought it would be cool to incorporate a push style magnet.

Also remember the name of a company called blair tools, they'd prolly have a bit you'd need. Heard they were good by expensive. They make bits that drill out rivets and all that.

[skymangs]

Originally Posted by skymangs

got the cab on the S10 chassis, blocked up at what I think is the correct height. 3.5 inches off the frame, plus 3/4" for the S10 body mount in the rear, and 4.25" plus 3/4" for S10 body mount in the front. Had to trim a little for the trans.

JTRACY, here is the exact height of my body mount brackets (from a previous post). If you look back you can also find the exact measurement from the back of the cab to the center of the second stock S10 bed mount from the front (we had to remove the front bed/cab mounts for cab clearance) using a short cab/long box S10 frame.

Hope that helps.