Kechi 1949 3100 4.3 4L60e

[joedoh]

the oreillys bits last longer than others for sure! if I can get to the thread side and cut it that seems to work the best, but there are some torx you cant get to the backside, like the upper shoulder belts or on S10 the reel mount in the sidewall. Thats where the last one broke.

I dont like them either. I have taken apart about 12 98+ s10s and have broken at least one bit on every truck. once a guy was there buying the leather seats, I got out my grinder and put a fresh 40 grit flap disc in it and sanded the freaking head off. now when people want the seats and lowball me I tell them "sure if you pull them", most wont. haha

 

[joedoh]

got the column mount built and tacked

I test fit it enough to know I am heading the right direction but I need to cut the lower dash for the upper column mount to clear and this isnt the cab I am using. so I chopped out the firewall section in the 3 window and put it in the 5 window.

you can see I put the wiring pass through in as well. next I swapped cabs, got a head start on loading up the stuff to go a couple blocks east and put the cab on the trailer with the 53

and rolled it back in.

tomorrow I am going to old school lower it, cut a coil in the front and take out a leaf in the back. the coils are the Z85 coils which are the high rider extra duty, so I will probably need to go 1 1/2 coils, the rear springs are brand new also z85, and I dont plan to pull the overload but we will see, if it doesnt get low enough with the leaf pull I may.

 

[Torchie]

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Torchie

 

[Old Iron]

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[joedoh]

there is something I call the "joedoh rule", its like a more exact murphys law that instead of just saying something can go wrong, it is frequently the most annoying thing that could go wrong. so when I am taking something apart, I wont run into just a stuck bolt, I will find the very last bolt I am taking out is stuck, and it will be in the worst possible position.

such is the case here, the leaf bolt was stuck, and it was the one by the gas tank, so you cant swing a hammer on it.

I gave it one chance. I bought a cardboard freight air chisel and it laughed, so I bought a carbide bit and cut it. I had to bend the flange a bit to get the bolt out, but then I was able to pound it through with a 14mm and a spare bolt.

the leafs are recent JAI replacements, so its appropriate to mention that even if the bolt hadnt been stuck it would have been facing the wrong way and I would have needed to cut it (or pull the gas tank)

these are the highrider springs so I just pulled the center leaf. If you havent done it, its pretty easy, just c clamp the springs and pull the center bolt. remove the leaf you want and bolt it back together. the original center bolt didnt have enough threads so I picked up a cap head bolt. The package shows the details, and you have to gently sand the knurling off the head so the axle fits.

then I moved to the front. I hoped to save the shocks and sway bar end link but all the nuts were stuck. the balljoints all had MOOG on them though, replaced at the same time as the leafs about 10k ago. no in process pictures, I was planning to just get the shocks out tonight but kept at it. yesterday I had cut a full coil from my spare z85 coils and swapped them in.

all said and done, the front dropped an honest 2.5" and the rear 2", which should be a full 3" once the springs settle a bit.

I got my LED lenses for the 37 taillights in the mail and, of course, they were for 37 CAR which is slightly smaller. but I gutted the housing and waddayaknow they fit inside, meaning I could put the truck lens right over it.

I worried that they wouldnt be bright enough with essentially two lenses on them, so a test was made. I shouldnt have worried.

they are lightyears better than the bare bulb in the silver housing. I am pretty happy.

picked up a big order from bowtie bits and ordered even more stuff like carpet and headlights. I have a line on some wheels too!

 

[Burgerman]

The "Joedoh rule" is real. Agree with the most annoying factor. Like those 37 lights.
[cl

 

[Torchie]

The "Joedoh rule" is real. Agree with the most annoying factor. Like those 37 lights.
[cl

Indeed it is.
My version is that if you have 4 bolts to remove . 3 will come out and the 4th will strip or snap. [ddd.
Your'e really making progress. I guess you've done this before. [ddd [cl
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Torchie

 

[BillM]

Your progress is amazing, and I also like those taillights! Thanks again for posting.

 

[Old Iron]

Ingenuity will always prevail [cl
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[joedoh]

Torchie I should have named this one Penny, as in penny pincher. I have a friend who loves the trucks I build but is priced out every time I sell one, so he asked me to build a budget minded one that he could keep working on but didnt need stuff like a drop kit, or fancy gauges, or fancy wheels, or even interior. the seat is nice enough I will probably paint the dash and do matching carpet, and the chipboard headliners/door panels/kick panels are cheap enough.

It goes against my core tenet to build one without rebuilding the front suspension or brakes, but this one has fresh brakes and recent suspension. I wish the shocks and sway bar end links would have come out easily, I gave them all liberal applications of penetrant and a good wire brushing/cleaning, but I had to cut them both. too bad too, they were heavy duty monotubes.

if he doesnt buy it I will blow apart the front end and order wheels and gauges. so if anyone reading is wondering why I am suddenly scrimping, that is why


got the cab pulled for finishing up the frame, trimmed the rear cab reinforcement so the bushings would fit. funny story, when I lined up the cab to check the mounts, the firewall hit the passenger valve cover, which didnt happen with the other cab. turns out I hadnt done the reinforcement trim on this one so the cab was rocked forward from that 3/4" extra height.

while I had it on its nose I did the cab corners. theses werent as bad as other trucks so I was able to do a quick trim of the patches then clamp them to the cab to cut both the patch and the cab at the same time.

the inners didnt need a lot of repair either.

everything lined up great. I didnt have a finished picture of the drivers side I guess, here is an in process picture though.

I am sure you noticed my humiliating mistake on the passenger side cut above, I missed a rust hole with my trim so I had to patch back in a second piece

I wanted to get that part done because its supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow, so I can do the frame finish work inside tomorrow. if it is sunny by some chance, I will tip the cab back and do the floor/kick work and the HVAC firewall chunk too.

 

[Burgerman]

Penny is a fine name. Budget build is cool Joe. Like the patch work.
[P

 

[Torchie]

Penny is a fine name. Budget build is cool Joe. Like the patch work.
[P

Agree with Burgerman. I wouldn't know how to build one if I had too many resources.[ddd
Glad to see your sheet metal tacks look just like mine.[ [ [
I may get some more done on mine as we are supposed to have lousy weather for the next few days and I see no point int moving it out to get snowed on.
[P [P [P
Torchie

 

[DozerII]

Great progress. [P[P[P

 

[Old Iron]

I've done the budget builds as have everyone else. Not a big deal but,usually end up with twice as much labor in them.
I sure am glad I never make a mis-cut [ddd
[P[P[P

 

[joedoh]

I have got the labor figured and as long as I dont have to replace any of the front end beyond the sway bar end links and shocks, I should do ok. not great, but ok. he is a good friend over the years, lots of good deals on both sides but he is a bit of a reseller, so I worry that if I sell it to him cheap he might just extract the extra value. its petty to think that way, I know, and I am ashamed of having it, but still thinking of having him give me "weight" on the sale, meaning if he sells it off in a certain period he has to either offer it back to me at the same price, or give me some percentage back of the profit.


I have gotten a lot more done but closing is tuesdaay and we just today finished all of our paperwork, so no time to resize pictures, all the cab is welded up and has the HVAC panel in the firewall, frame is all welded including the backs of the mounts and the shortened joint.

now we are waiting on word if the taxes got paid by the seller, if they didnt the tax man will be waiting outside to take a bite.

hopeful that I can get some work done this weekend.

 

[Torchie]

It's not being petty joedoh. It's just knowing whom your dealing with.
As I told OI one time.....
"It takes someone getting close to use a knife on you."
The only reason I took on the wooden boat project was because I'm not writing the checks and then hoping to get my fair share out of it. And that's for my Brother -in -law. Otherwise I work on my stuff only. I'm more then happy to help some but not if they are gong to make money off my back.
I'm sure you will figure it out.
Smooth sailing on your closing.
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Torchie

 

[Burgerman]

Closing Tuesday. Awesome Joe.
The good friend over the years vs bit of a reseller is difficult. Hope it works out and does not wear on ya in the mean time. I draw the line after I have been taken advantage of.

 

[Old Iron]

Torchie did say that to me and I've not forgotten it, thanks
I had this friend that would come down and drink a few beers and say hey I found a vehicle that I would love to have, would you help me with it.
I would and did a lot of work on them, around one a year pro bono, then he'd sell them making a tide profit.
This happened over a period of eight years till finally I'd had enough and not in a polite manner, told him to never cast a shadow on my property again from here on out.
Not sure if this is the one Torchie was referring to but, the one that comes to mind.

 

[Torchie]

I believe it was the nailhead engine rebuild where I mentioned the knife.OI.
I think we all like to think the best of our friends.I know I do, but I’m also aware of human nature[ddd
Torchie

 

[joakwin]

work looks good