Been taking a little break because my neck has been sore or something haha.... but I did manage to do a little photoshop work...
I don't care too much for the grill, looks like a chick with way too much lipstick and braces. But.......since it's not my truck you can tell me to f-off. LOL. Truck looks good though, chop, stance, everything is looking good.
I'm actually thinking about leaving the center bar out all together and kind of making it look like a slightly larger '53 chevy car grill surround with a floating grill. Who knows, it'll be a while before I start working on the grill...
Hey,I think it is way cool to build a AD and yeah it takes time and if funds are limited maybe even longer.I have built several and it seems like 2 years is a good time-table. Then again,scare up some Buddys and dig through thier junk a make um come help with the install.Check out my photos of my latest build.Good luck and keep your hood up>
I'm going to keep shooting for LSR, and if it's not ready than at least I'll have something to drive around this summer...
Am I the only ***hole that hates frenched headlights? They look horrible on just about everything, Especially AD's. Anyway, it is always good to have an expected "due date". It keeps you motivated, but if you don't reach that due date it can bum you out. You have to understand building a complete project is never what you expect on the "first" build. I was in the same situation as you, as are others. Money is one thing, time is another, motivation, know how and weather all factor in. You gotta stick and move. Just like boxing, work on something, if you get burnt out, move on to something else. I don't like lists, cause they will completely overwhelm you sometimes, but sometimes they are good, especially if you can check it all off. There is always something that will need done. I would suggest, as you were going to do. Work on that radiator and support, that will help you know how to fab up your front end which is really important. Once you get that done. Everything is in its right positions. Now you can work on metal work, such as floor boards etc. Or get the engine running, mounted, hook up the ******, driveshaft etc. I had worked on my engine before I started on my truck, didn't expect to do it that way, but that is just what happened. Its nice to hear it run. You got all kinds of work ahead of you, and the eargerness, I know will kill you if you let it get to you. You got to have faith and do it right, it will pan out. I mean it's like anything in life, it all pans out. It's not rocket science, there are plenty of these on the road. Every build is different. Big bonus, you got this truck for free, so you got a good start.
I like his grill, but I'd like to take it a few steps further in the kustom direction... but I may change my mind. I've been known to do that haha
I don't care for frenched headlights on AD's, but I was planning to build a caddy style eyebrow over the headlights with a body line going back down the fender. Thanks for the advice... I'm not going to make a list anymore, I think that's kinda what made me get discouraged in the first place. I have like 10 weeks left until LSR, so we'll just have to see what happens.
Great project. Not a huge fan of frenched headlights on anything. Look forward to the future pics. BC
Thanks man! Should have some updates soon... gonna try to work on running boards or radiator tonight if they have one at the local parts store.
Eyebrows are good. as for your radiator. Stock ones are about 27" high, so depending on how you make crossmember for it, that will determine how high you can go. Also the width is about 23" to be safe. I got a 55' belair aluminum rad from Champion Cooling. With fan it was 240 I think. So you might have to go with a specific size depending on how you fab up your support.
I'm going to use a '65 mustang radiator with an electric fan mounted on the the front to push air. It's quite narrow and works well with the s10 frame and steering box problem. I'm going to pick up a radiator and the fab pieces to mount to the side flanges, and then bridge them together over the framerails/steering box.
yeah a 65' mustang is 21' tall by 19 5/8 wide, so that would work. Make sure it will cool it though. The only thing I didn't like about the stang rad is the left side inlet. Anyway, once you get that fabbed up I would worry about the mechanics, then the body. JMO. Good luck
Well the biggest thing right now is mounting the bed and running boards is free and I don't have the funds for all the mechanical bits and pieces right now
bed is pretty easy, I did mine all by myself, running boards are the same deal. But with mine, I am bolting the mounts on instead of welding. The running boards will go back on once I am done with everything. I can't tell you how hard is it to get under mine with out those on, so that is why I left them off till very last. I was gonna mention that earlier, if money is the issue. Get the ol hammer and dollies out and do some metal work or find some s**** metal and make your own patch panels in the mean time.
I can afford to junkyard shop for things and buy metal, it's all the new parts that I don't have money for just yet. Soon, very soon!
I hear ya! Motor, no problem, Trans, no problem. Six dozen trips to the parts store is what empties your wallet and smokes the credit card.
Well I don't have or want a credit card and i'm just watching my cash flow cuz we are looking at houses so one day soon I will have a shop hopefully!
hey, it is a blessing to be able to have hobbies or livings off of such great history. I mean think of all those people out there that go to bed fearing for their life. While we got to worry about our next car part. I am in the same boat. I have debt I would be way out of if I didn't start building my 51', then proceed to buy parts for a whole other truck and then buy a 54' dump truck. This **** is addicting. But if you let it sit, it will just eat at you. You want to see a return on your money, but do things right. There are always corners you can cut over others. Prioritizing is a good thing. Again, you got this for free, so you have to let that motivate you. It could have easily gone to s**** or someone would have payed for it. Its a simple case of will and way here.
This hobby is definitely an addiction. I think about my truck and future hopeful builds pretty much all day while I'm at work. I'm thinking about my truck right now, but since it's in a carport in a crowded neighborhood so I can't exactly fire up the grinder too late...
Mustang radiator is a great fit. You can put a 16" fan on the front of it perfectly. I have a few pictures in my album of the radiator and the mounting brackets I fabbed up. I did step the bottom of the radiator forward just a bit to help clear the steering box. To keep things simple, I welded a couple of bolts on the front side of the brackets as studs to attach the fan to. I got lucky and a buddy had a barely used radiator that I picked up for $40, the 16" fan I got on ebay, I think it was $40 as well. I was even able to use the trans cooler in the bottom of the radiator.
That's pretty much what I was planning about the radiator and fan setup... And thanks man I can't wait for some firestone 6.70-15s!
Got my radiator support fabbed up and installed... It was easier than I expected. I'm once again pumped and ready to build some more!!! I'm back!
It feels great to get something done! The radiator support frame I built definitely helps to support the fenders/grill a lot, so it's kind of a double benefit from getting that done.
Looks pretty cool with the black spray on it. Shouldn't be too hard to stay motivated with that truck. There's lots of nice ones on here,for ideas. Keep 'em coming!!!
Yeah I don't know what I was thinking... I guess I looked at the list of things I had to finish before March 31st, and it just hit me. Oh well I'm back and ready to work now! Oh yeah, the little notch I cut from the sheetmetal above the radiator I tacked back in. I had originally cut it out to make clearance for the radiator cap, but with the new frame I won't need that cut so it'll be smooth again.
The Jalopy Journal
