I installed door weatherstrip this weekend and what a PAIN! Wow, was that fun! After cleaning up the jambs of the old glue with an old screwdriver and small wire brush, I rinsed it off with water and did a quick squirt of brake cleaner (be careful and dont get any on the rest of the truck) to make sure it was really clean Next I unrolled the rubber and lined the ends up then flipped it around to find the center and marked it with a sharpie . I then put the center mark at the center moulding screw , so my ends would be at the bottom and I could center them when I trimmed them. I took masking tape and taped up the outside leading edge of the door and also the backside of the fender lip (that way if I got any glue there, it would come right off) I used 3M Weatherstrip adhesive and after covering about a 3 ft. area on both the door AND the rubber, I let them get tacky (go do the other side while the first is drying) . After lining my mark back up I stuck the 2 together and used some 2" masking tape to hold it in place I took my time and worked my way around until it went all the way around then took a razor blade and made my ends butt together in the center/bottom of the door! It's kind of time consuming, but it looks pretty good and it's one more thing out of the way! After that was done I rebuilt my 750 Holley and took one more thing off the checklist.
So that's why I didn't hear from you yesterday.......Man, a guy finally gets his #1 project back in the garage and he falls off the radar. It looks like the end product was worth the effort! Have you shut the doors yet? Just curious to see if it made a difference in the way they close. Did you ever get new window fuzzies? I got a bunch of yard stuff done, still got more to go, but I'm inching ever closer to finally getting back on my truck.
Now this is a hose trick I learned years ago and even though I had an idea of what I needed, I figured I'd show it. Take a piece of welding rod and bend it to the shape of how you want your radiator hose to go. Take the wire to the parts store and match it up. Mine were pretty simple, but you get the idea Got the hoses at NAPA and used part#7240 UPPER and #7694 LOWER. Had to cut to fit and they worked perfect!
My friend Alex and myself went on another wrecking yard mission and scored some of these lights that are on early to late 90's Chevy pickups and mounted on the inside passenger side fender. Whats really cool is they roll out and are around 17'-18' long! I took a piece 5 1/2"x6" steel drilled some holes and mounted it to the back of the front part of the hood A little cleanup of the light and paint on the steel and it will be perfect!
Yeah! Fired up the motor today and got the cam broke in! Was so awesome to finally hear that thing run! It's not much, but I put a short video on Youtube just to give you an idea of how it sounds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWfEjoR5ChQ It sounds waaaaay better in person!
Got some other stuff I'll put up shortly. It's finally getting closer to being done 'cuz I plan on taking it to Bonneville in August!!
August of which year? It is a lake out there right now and the locals don't expect it to clear up by Speedweek. If it does go off, see ya out there!
Seat Belts! I found some 3 point belts on Ebay for $80 and here's how I installed them. The first thing I did was drill a hole in the flat area between the quarter window and the door jamb. I went about halfway up (I sat in my Blazer and used that mount height from where I sit) and drilled my hole. Next I took the flat mounting plate they give you and drilled a hole in the end. The hole is to hook a piece of wire to and then lower it down from inside the top area (it fits perfect) until you see it in your drilled hole. It's a little work, but once you get the bolt about halfway in you can pull the wire out and tighten it up Now I used the back plate/rail area behind the seat to mount the retractable part of the seatbelt. Next I made a couple of mounts from 1 1/2" x .125" angle, drilled some holes and mounted these to the floor. I used another set of plates that I had (like I used in the door jamb) and used it under the floor to hold the bracket in place After I finish the carpet and seat, I'll paint the brackets and then it'll look finished.
Awesome, nice work as usual. I was thinking the other day about seat belts. I think what I am going to do is find some 00-06 GM truck seats, they have the seatbelt built into the seats.
Cool! No go on the antenea ball though... I asked where my little "collection" was and was met with a dumbfounded look - "You mean that old Clap?! Threw away!!!" Reminds me of Thomas Dolby "she's tidied up and I can't find anything!!!"
This little trick I learned from a friend of mine who did a lot race car prep. Put a jackstand (or something kinda heavy) at all 4 corners. Now I used 1/16" nylon rope/twine tied it to the stands and then set the height where the string is going though the rear axle and front spindle centerline Slide it as close as you can get it to the body without touching. Now take a straightedge and measure the leading (front) edge of the back wheel and then measure the back edge. Slide the stand until the string is dead even square on the wheel. Do BOTH sides the same way! DON'T MOVE THE STANDS! Now your string is a perfect 90 degrees with the rearend! Make sure your steering wheel is where you want it and then check your measurement same way on the front wheel. Adjust your tie-rods or cross link until the front wheels are perfect with the string. Once it's even on BOTH sides, you've now squared the front and rear together! I'll still take it and get the alignment done (caster/camber) but this will give you a really good idea of where you're at!
YES!! I was looking to find a away to get it in the ball park, kinda like a bore sight for sighting in a scope. This is great, appreciate the tip....
Great Build.. I love what has been done to your truck.. do you happen to have any pics of your finished off center arm rest/cup holder??? i love that idea it's great.. Also the place where you are putting your stereo is the exact same place i want to put mine but couldnt find a good hinge. i was thinking of using a extra set of glove box hinges.
Alternator mount... Took a stock, late model mount I had laying around and decided to clean it up a bit. Used masking tape to mark where I'd cut then put it on to see how it will look (it's bare metal in the pic) Hey, I'm still doing cheap and simple!
This little deal was just to make driving a bit easier. Anyone with AC on a carburated vehicle knows it can be kind of a pain. It idles high when the AC is off or dies when it's on and the idle is set too low. I grabbed an idle solenoid off an '81 Malibu with a Quadrajet trimmed the bracket to fit around the accelerator pump and bolted it to the carb stud When I finish wiring the truck, this will be inline with the AC system. When the AC is turned on, the solenoid will push the throttle just enough to raise the idle (easily adjustable) so the engine won't die. Pretty inexpensive (nearly free!) and it works well!
You worked I played! Lookin good... Sorry you didn't make L.A.R.S. and we didn't make it your way.... Next time for sure.
Didn't want anyone to think I've been slacking, but I actually have been getting stuff done! Put new window channel, rubber and felt (what a major pain!), rebuilt and painted the factory heater (I'll show pics after it's striped) and finished my AC and power steering mounts! I've been busy on it! Sunday, Alex came over and started laying out the wiring (I hate electrical and he's THE man!!) and I will say it'll be way nice! I took the old windshields out to put new glass and rubber in and finished up the striping on the dash now that I could get my hand up there! I then decided to have a little fun... I bought a little Tiki guy, cut the base off of him and put him on a surfboard made out of 16 gauge steel and some bondo. I then shaped an old striping brush drenched in catalyzed clear, painted the surfboard, glued the brush on to my little guy and TA DA.... Surfer Tiki Striper! When the truck is finished, he will be the final touch!
Buy the tool from Speedway and do the caster/camber your self. Two trips to the alignment shop will pay for the tool. Plus, most shops cant do a lowered or bagged car worth a crap. I have one and it works great! http://www.speedwaymotors.com/search-caster.html<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
Now it's getting to the time consuming parts! Doing the wiring at the moment and trying to hide everything! My friend Alex had a great idea for hiding the wiring in the intake area, so I fabbed up 2 looms out of some bar stock and a cut in half 40"x3/8" fuel line. I'll put black shrink wrap over the wires so the colors don't jump out so much. The only other wires you see, is where these come out of the lower toe board from the interior and that's only if you really look for them. I also brought the hot wire for the coil from inside the cab, so the engine compartment is very clean. That ugly HEI is going away soon too! Cleaned up the heater, blasted and painted it then threw some lines on it. I think I need to add some blue and green to tie in with the dash
The Jalopy Journal
