Rico F. - 1954 3600 Long bed S10/LS conversion

[skymangs]

here's the passenger side Bear Claw install.

[skymangs]

Here's the rust found behind the passenger side lower door weatherstrip and the repair.

[skymangs]

Here's the modifications I made to the brake pedal assembly. I chose to use one from a 93 and older S10 because they fit better.

[skymangs]

Here we have the brake booster getting installed, and the new tilt steering column installation. This build will use a stock steering wheel, and I've finally figured out how to re-design the stock horn button to make it compatible with the new steering column.

[skymangs]

Here's the finished steering column install, and the electronic throttle pedal

[skymangs]

The first pic is my Gen II Compac mock up case. the following two show the placement of the AC evaporator. Once that was decided on, I completely stripped the cab, and sent it on to my Painter to prep and paint all the insides in the 2 tone silver and charcoal combo. Once the cab was gone, the rest of the body came back off, and work on the suspension began. This truck had the entire front end re-built, adding 2" drop spindles, and eventually 4" drop blocks in the rear.

[skymangs]

The first three are finishing up the suspension and frame paint. the last two are the cab bodywork in progress over at Bart's.

[skymangs]

The first pic shows the shift linkage from the Lokar to the 4L60E. Second is showing the mounting location of the stock Denso AC compressor. I did have to clearance the cross-member slightly to have enough clearance for engine torque movement. Last 2 are of the painted interior, back from Bart's shop.

[skymangs]

The first pic is my solution for getting around the stock in tank fuel pump. I substitute a 3/8 piece of fuel line the same length as the pump. I weld a washer to the bottom so that the original fuel sock can be pressed over it.

the following pics are the fuel pump mounting and prepping the driveline for initial startup

[skymangs]

The next step was to build some exhaust for this beast. The headers came with collectors, but all the piping had to be made. I started by welding O2 sensor bungs to the 45 degree down pipes, then started constructing 2.25" exhaust for a dual in/dual out muffler.

[skymangs]

Here's the exhaust finished up back to the muffler... Ready for test run!

[skymangs]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v...type=3&theater

Here's a link to the run video of it's initial start up.

[skymangs]

Once I knew that it ran well, it was time to mount the cab back on for the last time, start installing the rear glass, finish up the floors/kickpanels, and pull the 2wd rear end in preparation for the new 4x4 rear diff. I did discover that both the rear spring shackles were broken and would need to be repaired.

[skymangs]

The first pic is my repair of the spring shackle, second is the artillery wheels fresh back from the paint shop (Same dark charcoal as the interior), and the remaining show the new rear end installed.

[skymangs]

rear glass installed, floor and trans tunnel finished up, and the last one shows the only visible portion of the engine harness, and where it goes through the firewall. This will be covered with wiring loom later.

[skymangs]

First 2 pics are of the modified S10 fuel filler neck. I've cut and welded it in three places to get it to curve up and meet the bed floor inside the bedside. The plan is to use and old DX oil can as a cover for the filler neck.

The interior is back, and looks GREAT! Another outstanding interior from Ron's Auto Trim in Warsaw....

[skymangs]

Next was the body harness installation and the Vintage air. The harness is a 21 circuit EZ harness, since it will have power locks, AC, etc. The AC control panel is a billet piece, designed for the Gen II system. I made the panel to hold it. The owner will modify his own glove box liner at a later date.

[skymangs]

The owner asked me to replace the vent glass and weatherstrip. Of course the pivots broke on the first turn. I fixed them with 5/16 threaded rod by taper cutting and double pass welding the threaded rod to the remnants of the stud.

[skymangs]

While I did replace the fuel gauge with a new 12 volt one, it seems no one offers it in a 0-90 ohm gauge. Only 0-30 ohm, so I was left with a problem. My solution was to buy a universal 0-30 ohm sender, remove the s10's wiring plug and sending unit, and attach the new sender to the bottom of the locking plate. I also had to weld a small tab on the lock plate to ground the sender. The other pics are wiring continued...

[skymangs]

Mark's Mobile Glass arrived to install the new tinted/shaded windshield. The last 2 are the double borgeson joint setup I made to get the steering shaft to clear the header. It is stabilized by a 3/4" adjustable heim joint

[skymangs]

This is the rust repair on the rear edge of the passenger front fender. Somewhat of a challenge with the multiple curves.

[skymangs]

Rust repair to the front edge of the passenger fender

[skymangs]

This is the front edge of the drivers fender being repaired. Last shot is the hood and front end being final aligned, and mounted for the last time.

[skymangs]

installing the LED turn signal indicators and some more wiring

[skymangs]

Here is the Custom auto sound kick panel and stereo installation. If you notice, the quad gauge has moved to the other side. I had to move it, since we've set this to run on the stock mechanical gauges. The temp gauge capillary was too short to reach the passenger side head by about 4"... moving it to the passenger hole gave me just enough to get the probe into the temperature port.