My 86 build

[yrik]

Your seat turned out great! Hopefully I can get mine to a point were I can have you do up a seat for it. Keep it up!

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by yrik

Your seat turned out great! Hopefully I can get mine to a point were I can have you do up a seat for it. Keep it up!

Thank You, I would be happy to do a seat for you. It will get there, you have made a lot of progress already.

[TKCR]

Not much to report on Big Red. Been so busy doing seats and seatbelts, I haven’t even had a chance to get her out to stretch her legs. She’s all tucked away, snug as a bug in the garage.
This is an older photo, it has those ugly 20” wheels on it. But this is how she gets covered up for the winter.

[Joetown Parrothead]

Your truck is amazing….

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by Joetown Parrothead

Your truck is amazing….

Thank you! I need to get her out more than I do.

[TKCR]

Big Red finally got out of the garage for a short spell. Although she got a new battery a couple years ago, and I had the battery disconnected over the winter, she had no crank. Got her going with Battery Tender engine start. Took her for a short little drive to my friends house. Since we are having a large garage sale, Big Red was being kicked out of the garage.
I noticed that I was losing battery voltage while driving. So I came to conclusion that my alternator must be going out. When I got to my friends house and parked in the garage, I smelled gas. I also have a small leak where some of the rubber hoses were replaced a few years ago.
So it looks as though Big Red will have to get flat bedded to get fixed up, as soon as this garage sale is over with.
On a good note, this was the first time of taking her out since I restored my BenchSeat. It was quite comfy!

[rodstored-72]

tk, nice... still a great looking truck! you should be able to get it out more often now that the weather should be better.

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by rodstored-72

tk, nice... still a great looking truck! you should be able to get it out more often now that the weather should be better.

Thank you, yes the weather is better now. My problem is, I can ever find the time. But I’m making myself make the time, lol. I have too. I really do enjoy doing the seats and seatbelts for people, but I need to make time for me also.

[TKCR]

She’s on her way to the shop to get some minor things taken care off.
New alternator
Fix the small fuel leak
Get the Carburetor adjusted.
Fix the small oil leak. I replaced the oil pan seal a few years ago, so thinking maybe the bolts need retightened.

[TKCR]

My good friend Jeff, took care of Big Red! Got her all fixed up and she runs like a dream.

[Rich84]

That's good news. Now get out and drive her. Hated seeing her on a wrecker.

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by Rich84

That's good news. Now get out and drive her. Hated seeing her on a wrecker.

Yeah I hated that too, when they loaded her up. But it wasn’t worth taking the risk of driving it to shop, since it was in the next town. The fuel was leaking over top of the exhaust pipe. And then alternator was draining the battery while driving it. So I didn’t want to risk it just conking out on me, or more serious, catching fire.
Yes, I plan on driving it more!

[TKCR]

Driving it home from the shop, and got a little surprise under the hood. Kept hearing a rattle upfront, not always. Got it home and popped the hood. Looks like a few tools were left behind. Found these laying on the grill/radiator cover. That’s was an easy rattle fix, lol.

[TKCR]

Back when I restored my seatbelts, one thing I didn’t have, was the new stuff I use on the seatbelts I restore now. That would be New Emblems, New Buckle Covers and New LapBelt Latches. So today my seatbelts got that additional upgrade. Not that there was anything wrong with the old stuff, other than the normal scuffs & scratches.

[TKCR]

Took Big Red and got some paint correction and UndrDog treatment. My my my, I can’t believe my own eyes! The color is so much brilliant now. He got out a few surface scratches and a lot of sand marks & white spots in the paint. I am beyond impressed!

[Warrens69GMC]

nice.

[rodstored-72]

WOW!!! very nice... ...and bright!

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by Warrens69GMC

nice.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by rodstored-72

WOW!!! very nice... ...and bright!

Yes! It really did make the color pop. I noticed it from the road, before I even got down the driveway.

[TKCR]

The town where I live had it 21st Annual Hot Summer Nights Cruise In. My brother came up with his Honda Civic. There were 385 cars in attendance. We all congregate at the Fairgrounds for registration. Then the parade starts from there into Downtown, which is all blocked off for us to park. It was a beautiful evening and had an awesome turnout.

[rgunlock]

Looks like it showed real well!

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by rgunlock

Looks like it showed real well!

Thank you, it did, but not enough to win anything
We still had fun. Ran into a lot of friends from work. Since being retired, we don’t get see everyone as much. I don’t miss Honda, but I do miss some of the people.

[Rich84]

No special flashers required??

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by Rich84

No special flashers required??

So far, no. I checked the blinkers and they were working fine, they were not flashing fast.

[TKCR]

I also ordered the LED Bulbs for the bumper lights. Fiqured I might as well since I’m doing the other lights.
The headlights themselves, I was missing the harness adapters. In the video for how to install the lights, he specifically says the adapters are included in the kit with the harness. Well it wasn’t, so now I need to wait on those to get here.
Video for the headlight installation
https://youtu.be/rX1lMox7kWQ

[TKCR]

Still haven’t gotten to the headlights yet. I got the adapters and then when I finally got around to installing them, I was missing the connectors. So I got those ordered and they were delivered today. So the plan is to get the lights in this weekend!

Another little project that came about suddenly. I bought a set of seatbelts on eBay to clean and restore. But when they arrived, they were way better than I expected. These things are almost perfect. I have a nice set in Big Red now, but these are BETTER! They only needed some very minor cleaning and a little rust removal from the mounts. I also lubed the mechanisms. So I’ll be swapping these into the truck. I already have NOS center belts, so I’ll leave those.
Here’s a few pics of the belts I bought, before & after