# Let's Roll! The beginnings of my project!



## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

I got more pics of the donor taken this evening, and almost completely forgot I had a concert to go to tonight.

Heart, Journey and Cheap Trick. Not like these guys come around all that often.

I'll try to remember to post the pics this evening.


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## O'Zeeke (Mar 9, 2008)

Hi Tx dj, that looks like a great truck for your conversion. That concertsounds even better though!, good luck with your project


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Thanks, O'Zeeke.

The concert was fun, but of course I missed all of Cheap Trick and half of Heart, and then I was still pretty wore out from everything I did earlier in the day and I have to take the tow dolly back to U-haul and go to work early in the morning, so I split before Journey was to their encores... Man, is that new singer guy just a dead ringer vocally for the original singer. He's got a great stage presence too. Talk about a cinderella story... him and that new singer for Boston too. Makes me want to post vids on youtube of me singing various stuff just to see if I could become a rock star! 

Ok, back on topic... Pics, as promised...










































































More to come.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

More to come....


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Obviously this old truck has seen better days... and was not treated with much care in its previous life.

Hail damage, and major dents and dings on every body panel. The cab and doors are actually in pretty good shape, with some hail damage on the hood and one spot on the bottom of the passenger door frame. I took all this into consideration when buying the truck... I really don't care much for body work, but the good news is that the replacement body panels for this truck are really inexpensive. So inexpensive that simple replacement probably is cheaper than professional body work (and would look better than what I can do.)

I will do the body work on the cab and doors in the light spots they need it, but I will be buying new fenders, hood, bumpers, and a used bed unless I can find used panels in the same shape as new (or lightly dinged for half price or less).

The engine is a mess. Two things- the truck overheated, and warped the head and/or blown head gasket. Second, the bearing in the "accessory plate" that holds one of the idler pulleys for the serpentine belt system froze up, so that was removed as well. Not that any of that matters one iota for this project. 

The mirrors are busted, the drivers side mirror is held on with a bead of black RTV sealant along the front edge. That will take some clean-up. Luckily replacement mirrors on this truck are about $20-25 each for new parts.

The interior is a little rough, mostly just dirt. There's a switch plate or some such that's missing from the dash, the drivers side air vent deflector is missing, the corner of the ash tray facia is busted off, and the lower half of the steering column cover is missing. Probably 20 lbs of dirt in the interior, all that will come out and get cleaned up. A couple cracks on the dash, I'll probably just get one of those carpet dash pads to cover that up.

Last but not least, I think I'll not heed the K&N Filter warning... and that will just be discarded/ebayed. 

It feels good to be back on track for a project like this. It's been a while since I took on a good vehicle project, and this will be one that I should have no problems being proud of once it's done.

Next steps: Get a hoist, pull the engine, decide if I want to replace both fenders (passenger side is lightly dented, but one dent is on a bend/crease), source a replacement bed or decide if I want to do a "custom" bed like others have done on their S10's. Clean up the interior, clean up the engine bay, strip good parts off the engine that can be sold to add funds to the project budget. 

More to come...


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

Man, that truck is in a sorry shape. I know I'd pass it, but that's because I've never done body works and I know I'd get stuck on that part alone. 

Since I'm thinking of maybe picking an S-10 myself I have to ask, are the fenders screwed or velded into place? If they're screwed life's so much easier and maybe even I could replace them successfully. 

Keep posting pics! It's good to see step by step pictures of convertions, for everyone I see, the surer I get how to do it myself.


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## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

Hahaha! I had no idea I'd inspired you so much mate. You're very welcome and I'll certainly take you up on that beer when me & the missus make it up the the USA for a holiday in the future. 
I see you're in Dallas, Texas? That's good as I have a mate in Dallas and that city is on our tour plan. Our bathroom renovation comes first though so it may be many many many months.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Qer, I think you just scared me! I assumed that the fenders were bolt on, as is the case on most everything I've worked with in the past. I sure hope so! Very typical of Chevy to have bolt-on front fenders though. It is in pretty sorry shape, but alas that's what my budget requires. I'm going to make the best of it without going overboard, fixing the most severe items as best I can, preferably through replacement. I have some money set aside for the body work, and I won't be buying any EV components until I feel that the donor is in a condition to warrant beginning that portion of the conversion. Really that just means having the bed off and the engine bay cleaned out, though. 

KiwiEV, Yeah, I've been trying to get myself motivated for ages... you just happened to say the right words at the right time, just wish I'd seen that video a few months back when you posted it.  That is great to hear that Dallas is on the tour plans! There's an excellent pub just up the road from my house a ways (unlike most of Dallas, this "up the road" is just a few miles, rather than 10's of miles). And hey, getting the bathroom done in the new house is far more important than travel abroad... you have to live w/ the bathroom every day! Besides, I'd take any excuse I could get in order to have more time to get my truck finished before you guys were in town!


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

So, Qer, turns out I was right... Fenders are the bolt-on variety. *sigh of relief* I expected they would be, but man you scared me! 

Here's a few photos to update the progress. 


































Sorry those are so dark- I had run out of daylight by the time I cleaned up the parts and tools.

As you can see, the fenders are off, and even though the right side fender was not that badly damaged up on the top side of things, down at the rear of the wheel opening it was bent up pretty good. Hadn't noticed that along with the damage at the bottom of the door sill.

The inner fender is bent too from that damage, so I may try to hammer it back out, or I may just replace it along with the fenders.

Amazingly, I am able to see the main crossmember, and I can see most, if not all of the bolts that need to be removed to pull the engine. I tell you what, the intake manifold and exhaust manifolds were a bear. The intake manifold can't come off unless you pull most of the studs AND get the high pressure fuel line off the back of the fuel rail, which apparently requires a crows-foot wrench, which I do not have.  Since I don't care about the fuel system, I cut the line. 

The exhaust manifold lower bolt is absolutely impossible to get to with any tool I can imagine, though probably if I had a crows-foot wrench in the appropriate size, it would have worked. I ended up hack-sawing the mainfold-to-cat pipe so I could just lift the whole manifold and part of the pipe out and save myself the headache.

I got the rest of the accessories out of the way, and unfortunately twisted off the AC evaporator line behind the drier which unfortunately I hadn't realized the fitting was seized on the pipe until too late. 

There's a mess of wire in there, only about 1/10th of which will get used after conversion. I'm going to worry about it later, after the engine is out.

Nothing like a little progress each day to keep me feeling like I'm "winning the battle."

The truck does still need a lot more work inside and out to be a nice vehicle, but I'm still guestimating that (minus paint job) it will cost me about the same as a nicer truck, had I found one before it sold.

More to come...


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

TX_Dj, didn't mean to scare you, but my experience from Volvo is that older versions have the fenders bolt on but on later they saved money by velding. If the S-10 is screw on, it's just another argument for me to choose one too. 

For those hopelessly small places I've got myself one angle cutter (Is that the proper name? Check pic in attachment) that's 3" wide and driven by compressed air. Admittedly, there's still places where it can't reach, but that's where I use a, uh, it's usually called tiger saw in Sweden, not a clue what they're called over there. See next attached image. I love collecting tools. 

KiwiEV, for what it's worth, it's all your fault! I wouldn't be here reading and planning if it wasn't for you. Before I saw your site, EV's were more like "Oh, it'd be cool, but I don't know enough mechanics for it". Thanks to you I know I DO know enough, it's just a matter of getting started...


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## xrotaryguy (Jul 26, 2007)

So you didn't get it running first? I usually like to get my project vehicles running so that I can at least putter up and down the street a couple of times before tearing things apart. Driving around a little bit generally helps to identify problems that you would not otherwise know about. Some of those problems are best addressed while the truck is disassembled. Don't sweat the body work too much. 

There's so much information on line these days everyone can be a pro. Stud guns (my favorite body tool) seem to be pretty cheap these days too (thank you Harbor Freight). I think you've chosen a great EV donor. It has everything you need and the rest of the trouble is aesthetic. You can take care of the aesthetic after the conversion is done and you're saving money not buying gas. Heck, with all the gas money you'll save, you might just be able to pay a body guy to do it all for you


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Qer said:


> If the S-10 is screw on, it's just another argument for me to choose one too.


It's pretty typical of the american cars I've worked on to have the bolt-on body work, at least on the front clip. Some (most) cars don't have removable fenders without cutting them out and welding on new. I think it may have to do with the fact that our northern states, some of which salt their roads in the winter, have a lot of rust issues, and their safety inspections require replacement of seriously rusted body parts, so this helps people by making the pieces modular like that.



Qer said:


> For those hopelessly small places I've got myself one angle cutter (Is that the proper name? Check pic in attachment) that's 3" wide and driven by compressed air. Admittedly, there's still places where it can't reach, but that's where I use a, uh, it's usually called tiger saw in Sweden, not a clue what they're called over there. See next attached image. I love collecting tools.


Angle grinder is what we call the one that has the attachment wheel (grinder or cutter) at a 90 degree angle to the tool body, and and die grinder is what we call the kind like you showed. Most folks over here call that kind of saw a "Sawzall" as that is the trademark of Milwaukee tools version of what otherwise might be called a "reciprocating saw" over here. I like "tiger saw" though- that's a fun way to say it, because that tool will cut through things like a tiger tearing up its prey! 



Qer said:


> KiwiEV, for what it's worth, it's all your fault!


Yes, lets blame Gav, even though I was planning and building my first EV conversions back in the late 90's. It's all your fault, mate! And I'll be shaking your hand when it's done.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

xrotaryguy said:


> So you didn't get it running first? I usually like to get my project vehicles running so that I can at least putter up and down the street a couple of times before tearing things apart. Driving around a little bit generally helps to identify problems that you would not otherwise know about. Some of those problems are best addressed while the truck is disassembled. Don't sweat the body work too much.


No, but it was running just a few months ago, and the only problem it had according to the prior owner was that the fan bearing on the "accessory plate" had seized, and this contributed to an overheat, which they suspected caused the head to warp. I'm not entirely certain they were correct, because there appears not to be any water in the oil- but then again, it has sat for a few months, so likely the oil and water separated, and the water may be in the bottom of the oil pan. I don't know. They said it had a new clutch, and the slave and master cylinder for the clutch look like they are new, from what I can see. The driveshaft is also new. The brakes are in decent condition, without rust, so I know it hasn't sat for long. There is evidence in the glove box that it was running as recently as 2 months ago. It towed straight as best I could tell, though it does seem the shocks are shot.

I'm not terribly worried about it, as I can address any issues that crop up. 

As for the body work, well... I want something that I can win car shows with, or at least be considered for the trophy even if they have to come up with a new category for "Best of EVs" even if I'm the only EV at the show. As such, I'm going to go nuts on the body work and try and make it as perfect as possible. Given how inexpensive replacement fenders and hood are, it's a no brainer for me. I can buy 3 stud welders thru Harbor Freight for about the same as those 3 pieces will cost me, but I'll save hours and hours of sanding and grinding and welding and bondo-ing, etc. That's worth it to me to have fresh straight sheet metal up front where the truck needs to look the nicest. The hard part body-wise will be finding a decent replacement bed. If I can find one with half the severity on dents, it would be a better choice than this one. When I washed the truck after getting it home, it was obvious that the PO had tried to pull the dents themselves with a suction cup (the wash showed up little suction cup rings on the "bad side" of the bed) which if they were able to pull it, this means to get it any better from this point would require shrinking the metal, and I really don't want to fight to get a dolly up in the skin of the bed to do that.

Also, I am going to take the cab off so I can get to the whole frame so I can blast it and maybe even powder coat it... but more likely I'll settle for a "quality" rattle-can job. As it stands now it's covered in surface rust, and like I said, I want it to look cherry. I'm not going for super show truck quality chock full of chrome or gold plated pieces with mirrors underneath at the shows, but I do at least want it to look good if someone looks underneath, or when the hood is open or when the bed is tilted.


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

TX_Dj said:


> I think it may have to do with the fact that our northern states, some of which salt their roads in the winter, have a lot of rust issues, and their safety inspections require replacement of seriously rusted body parts, so this helps people by making the pieces modular like that.


I think it's some kind of american mind set. They unfortunately salt the roads over here too, still European cars have the fenders velded on. Pretty annoying.

Speaking body work with the risk of going OT (and apologizes for stealing your thread), our Chrysler is rusting bad 'round the rear wheels. Not rusted right through yet (as I can see) but the metal has gone pretty flaky and cracks when you push it. Any pointers to good (and simple!) instructions how to fix that? I'm afraid it'll take cutting away the bad metal and veld new in place, but I worry that it's beyond me and that I will do it so poorly that it'll begin to rust within a year again. 



TX_Dj said:


> Yes, lets blame Gav, even though I was planning and building my first EV conversions back in the late 90's. It's all your fault, mate! And I'll be shaking your hand when it's done.


Ditto, although I doubt he'll be visiting Sweden any time soon.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Qer said:


> Speaking body work with the risk of going OT (and apologizes for stealing your thread), our Chrysler is rusting bad 'round the rear wheels. Not rusted right through yet (as I can see) but the metal has gone pretty flaky and cracks when you push it. Any pointers to good (and simple!) instructions how to fix that? I'm afraid it'll take cutting away the bad metal and veld new in place, but I worry that it's beyond me and that I will do it so poorly that it'll begin to rust within a year again.


No worries. I'm no expert, for sure... but that sounds like a weld-in replacement scenario unless the holes are miniscule. You'd at least have to knock out the bad sections and file and sand until you get to good metal, and either bondo (if small holes, this can work w/ a fiberglass sheet behind it to provide support) or weld in a new piece of metal.

I don't have any experience really with rust-through... the only "rust" we get in texas is surface rust. Even 60 year old cars sitting out in a field typically just have a light surface rust.


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

TX_Dj said:


> I don't have any experience really with rust-through... the only "rust" we get in texas is surface rust. Even 60 year old cars sitting out in a field typically just have a light surface rust.


You lucky bastards. I'm getting pretty fed up with the rust. Most cars in Sweden die the rust death, not the worn out motor death...


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## e_canuck (May 8, 2008)

Sweeden is a lot like Canada then.

DP


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Yeah, it's a shame so many colder climate locales seem to utilize salt on their roads. It seems like such a waste to me, but then again the farthest north I've ever lived was Colorado Springs, and I believe they only used sand or other non-corrosive agents.

If I lived up north, I might be quite upset at having my car eaten alive every few years by rust.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

I think I may have hit a small snag here...

All the websites I've found claim this S10 has a GVWR of 4600-4900 lbs, depending on options (I guess there was an up-rated springs option or some such), but the title says 3900 lbs with a 2900 lbs curb weight. If we figure that the engine and exhaust and gas tank and such total up to a somewhat generous 500 lbs, and if it really weighed 2900 lbs, then that only gives me 1500 lbs to play with.

I'm sure, though, that if the door sticker disagrees with the title, then the door sticker takes precedence. It seems the curb weight is a general figure that was assigned at the time the title was created, and they put on the paperwork that it has a 1/2 ton payload capacity, and then 3900 lbs is deduced from those two numbers.

I'm not sure, but I'll have to see about getting that corrected or else my voltage and range overall will suffer to keep me within the "legal" weight.


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## e_canuck (May 8, 2008)

Hey TX, what my scheming brain heard is: "If I find a door with better diplomas, I will get what I really whant".

DP


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that if the door plate disagrees with the title but matches the VIN, it takes precedence regardless of anything the title says... and a photo of the plate would probably be plenty enough to correct the title. Probably just worrying needlessly, but y'know... don't want to get screwed later on in the conversion if I'm wrong.


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## Telco (Jun 28, 2008)

If it helps, my 87 ext cab 2WD with the 2.8 auto weighs in right at 3000lbs on the CAT scale. And, the 2.8 V6 is a damned heavy engine for its size, almost like it's a solid chunk of steel. 

All it takes to increase the weight it can carry is larger springs, the only difference between a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 ton Chevy fullsize where weight capacity is a concern is in the rear leaf springs, and perhaps the front springs. The frame changes between the 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks. At least, on the older ones this is how it was. Likely you'd just need to add a couple of leafs to increase the capacity. 

The other main concern with a heavier than stock vehicle is going to be brakes. Look at this message board and do a search for "b body brakes". The GM B-bodies had a front frame almost identical to the S10 pickups, but the B-bodies had a larger diameter disk brake setup along with better steering geometry. It's a common conversion to put the B-body brakes on the S10 pickup for better stopping ability. Everything else in the braking system is the same, just 1 inch larger brake rotors and larger calipers. The conversion requires changing the upper and lower A arms and a few other things, and the parts can be had at the salvage yard.

This is how far to the green side I've gone, when I bought the truck I intended on installing a V8 designed for power as much as fuel economy.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Let this be a warning to any vehicle in existence today. Don't cross Dj... He DOES know how to tear them apart.  










Still need to get a T50 or T55 of whatever it is that holds the bumper to the brackets, but at least now I have reasonably unobstructed access to the engine bay. The other inner fender will come off after I get the engine out, I want to pull the snake of wire that's under and behind the engine before I start cleaning up the engine bay and such. One good thing I can say about GM... they color-code all the electrical connectors for easy re-assembly. 

Also, while I was in there, I went ahead and converted to "Manual Power Steering" 










I did some research on a manual box, which is confirmed smaller and lighter, but discontinued in 1992, and rare because it fits early GM muscle cars that are looking to lighten their loads for the drag strip. I topped off the fluid before making the coupling, but I'm sure there's still some air in there. Nonetheless, it still steers very easily in this configuration, perhaps even easier than some manual steering cars I've owned. Then again, the front end is about 150 lbs or more lighter than stock at the moment with all that bodywork pulled out of the way. Can't wait to pull the engine, that'll have to wait for the weekend though. Not sure if I can get to it tomorrow.

Once the engine bay is clear of ICE and cleaned of cabling and such, I'm going to move to the interior of the truck and pull the seat and rubber flooring. Still uncertain if I will retain the bench or go for a pair of cheap surplus buckets. I'm favoring the latter because it will give the dog someplace to sit (between the seats) if I ever go someplace with the dog & a friend, not to mention I could put some sort of useful thing there. Also, I am not short, but tend to sit closer to the controls than some people do, so it would be helpful to let me retain my preferred seating position while giving a passenger the privilege of setting their own comfort. 

Oh, and also, I think I've decided to go ahead and pull the AC condenser from the front grillwork, and possibly relocate it elsewhere should I still decide to retain the AC (almost mandatory in TX) later in the project. I have a thought that I will mount some components in the bed, perhaps in a custom bed box that will be accessible below the bed cover, possibly the charger and some other items. Maybe that box can also house the condenser and compressor. Still unsure, but still quite positive I want to retain some AC for these 105F days like we've been having (with 50+% humidity).

Checked the data plate on the door jamb, Front GAWR 2000 lbs, Rear GAWR 2600 lbs = GVWR 4600 lbs. But it DOES say Max payload 1215/550 whatever that means.

One last note- I heard back from the local US Battery dealer, they can provide me with the US185HC 220 Ah 12v batteries, qty of 12 for about $2800 before taxes, with free delivery! That's cheaper than the Trojan T145 quote I got, which I'd have to drive over 60 miles round trip to pick up myself. Still unsure if I can fit that tall and wide of a battery in that quantity though.


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## jsmith20 (Aug 1, 2008)

Hey TXdj,

My friend and I live in and around Plano. We would love to meet up with you sometime and check out your progress. We plan on building our own EV Commuter but are just getting started and would love to be able to pick someone's brain about our ideas.

If interested shoot me an email

Thanks,

James


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

jsmith20 said:


> My friend and I live in and around Plano. [...] We plan on building our own EV Commuter but are just getting started and would love to be able to pick someone's brain about our ideas.


James, 

I shot ya a PM- would love to get together sometime and chat about EVs over some hot coffee or a frosty pint.


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## avn-tech (Jun 16, 2008)

Your powersteering bypass is what we used to do on muscle cars when the pumps went bad back in the 80's. It should work fine for a long time.

Good luck on your project, I am still looking for my donor veh (hoping an S-10, extra cab).


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Thanks, avn-tech. Good luck in your search!

Here's the update on tonight's progress on the preparation of what I'm starting to think less of as a "donor" and more of like a "carcass" vehicle. 

The truck has a smoke odor, which I'm sure is the same odor my cars had when I was still smoking... but didn't realize back then what I realize now that my nose works. 

I wasn't concerned by this when I decided to purchase the truck, because I knew I was going to tear it down and detail and replace anything that wasn't just the way I wanted it.

So, tonight I spent time *in* the truck, instead of under the hood and belly of the beast.

If you scroll back a few pages, you'll find the pics of my interior as it looked on day 1, but I'll summarize the yuck factor with one photo...










I really have never been a big fan of rubber floor mats. I decided before buying the truck that due to the smoke smell, I was going to gut some of the interior, and would replace the rubber mat with fresh carpet.

As such, I need to prep the cab for that eventual process, and what better time to clean the seat!

I'll give props to Gav for featuring the spray-it-with-a-hose-and-scrub-it-real-good method of seat cleaning. I've never tried it before, but I needed something heavy-duty to flush the smoke out of it.

First pass seems to have done a good job, I used Ajax orange power dishwashing liquid and a plastic bristle boat brush and a lot of elbow grease and high pressure water from the garden hose. (BTW in the picture below, that's not a stain on the headrest, it's where I squeezed it w/ my hand while moving the seat out of the way so I could work inside the cab.)

After an hour or two of drying, I gave it a sniff test and it's much better. Next round will try clothes washing liquid for some "fresh" fragrance, followed by fabreze once the water is all boiled out of it (should only take a day or two in the hot texas sun for that).










That is a tear in the seat on the right side of the picture. I haven't decided yet to re-cover, or put a seat cover, or replace with some cheap bucket seats. I may build with this seat until I can come up with something better, so might as well clean it up. And if I don't use it in the truck, I'll likely build a stand for it and turn it into a shop bench.

Anyhow... out with the rubber mat, and an hour or so of scrubbing out caked on mud that had settled under the mat, and voila... if only the exterior of this truck looked as nice as most of the floorboard does...


















After all that mess (and the fact I cant get the mess at the back of the cab until I get the right size torx socket to take down the seatbelt anchors) I decided it was time to head over to hang out w/ friends, watch a movie and have a pint.

Tomorrow will find me at harbor freight picking up a few things I'll need to take care of the front end, and then back to the grind, pulling the bumper and engine, followed by more interior work.


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## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

Crikey Dj, that brings back all those memories of scrubbing metal floors and hosing seats on my Saturday nights...

How do you find the power steering now that it's looped? Is it still just as hard as it used to be with the engine off or has some of the strain been removed?


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

I figured it would!  

Y'know, I have been telling myself that I was going to make a video documentary like you did, but I find the preparations of the donor so tedious, and I'm so exhausted from a day at work, I just can't bring myself to appear on camera. (Plus I've been using the freebie T-shirts from my previous employer as work shirts, and I don't want to advertise for them on youtube!)

I think I'll just keep it a photo documentary until the donor is ready to start being converted, and then I'll probably bring out the video camera. 

As for the steering, I really didn't mess with it much before taking the pump out, but it was easy enough to steer with the engine off before, and seems the same if not just marginally easier now. I think if I understand correctly, this system uses the pump to draw vacuum on the steering box, and the steering box replenishes its fluid via gravity out of the pump's resevoir. If that's the case, then it probably is a little easier, because the steering box isn't trying to force fluid upward against a non-moving pump.

It's a pretty light weight vehicle as it sits now, so I reckon it must be a little deceiving, and will probably be harder to turn once the weight of the motor/batteries/etc are on the front axle. Time will tell.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

And so the saga continues.

I spent most of the day today either hunting for tools (my shop is a mess, and there are some tools that I never replaced after my divorce years and years ago for which I am just now finding a need to replace) or cursing at the engine in this truck.

At this point, if I were having to fix this ICE and put it back in, I would be off my rocker... I would have blown a head gasket of my own, for sure. This engine is packed in so close to everything, that everything has to be taken out of the way to get it out. Even the EGR assembly, which hooks to the back of the head by 6 8mm headed bolts that seem to be torqued to 5000 Nm each, two of which I had to get very creative in order to get enough torque on them- and that meaningless thing (in the scope of my conversion) had to come out so I'd have enough room to turn my wrench far enough on one of the 4 top engine-transmission bolts. Egads.

It was more of the "ok, why won't this... oh, i have to take off that first" like as if I was stuck in a never ending loop. Now that the ICE is out, I am hopeful there will be less of this circular crap-accino for the rest of the conversion.

And without further adieu... ICE, ICE Baby... (groan)


















And... No ICE? NO PROBLEM!!!! 









Next I'm going to pull the driveshaft and transmission, because this vehicle provides no front support for the transmission (without the engine) and it's going to need to come out eventually to be sent to the machinist when I get my motor in, plus with the paint work I plan to do on the frame, it will need to be out of the way anyhow. 

But for now I think I will go soak my weary bones in a nice warm bath and pop the top on a frosty one and call it a day.

Until next time!


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## rctous (Jun 18, 2008)

great start i believe the worst for you is over,,, getting the ICE out and everything claeaned is the hardest part I think. Please keep us posted on your progress and get your parts ordered soon, the wait can be for ever!

Brian


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Unfortunately the worst isn't over... This truck is getting tons of paint and body work too. That's the only part of the project that I'm truly dreading.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

In fact, just today I was talking to my father about all the items on the paint and body work that I want to do, and I started getting that feeling of becoming extremely overwhelmed. I'm not sure why- this isn't my first frame-off resto type project. It is, however, the first one that I've done with the vehicle sitting in the driveway and a garage so cluttered with junk and disorganization. I've always been a proponent of a clean organized shop, and I can't tell you guys how much it irks me that I've been so lazy in maintaining my garage since I moved into this house 4 years ago. There are still boxes of stuff in the garage that I never unpacked after moving in because I really didn't need them.

As such, for my own sanity, I think it's time I take a brief respite from the truck project and concentrate on getting my shop in order so I can move the truck out of the driveway before the neighbors get upset.  So... it may be next weekend by the time I have more updates on the truck. It all depends on how focused and motivated I can be on the garage clean-up, which honestly should have been completed before I even thought about beginning on the project.


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

TX_Dj said:


> As such, for my own sanity, I think it's time I take a brief respite from the truck project and concentrate on getting my shop in order so I can move the truck out of the driveway before the neighbors get upset.


I don't have neighbors to care about, but I feel the same. The garage has to get SOMEWHAT into shape before I even consider starting. With the shop in order things usually goes smoother. Also, my garage has always been a dark and gloomy place with only one lousy window. Now I've got a window that's 100x160 cm (that's, uh, 40x64 inches I think, ie pretty big) that will replace one of the doors (there used to be two doors to the garage by some obscure reason), at least when I get some time to do it. The door is gone (needed elsewhere), but the window is still waiting for me to put it in place.

I'll probably add at least one more window to get more light in, then the garage should be more cozy to work in. You just can't replace good sun light with electrical light...

I think the garage will be my autuum/winter-project.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

No pics of my truck this time around, but a little update nonetheless.

One side of my garage has been cleaned out of junk I was storing (which could be stored elsewhere in the house, given I only use one of my 3 bedrooms) and I managed to get most of my tools organized. The truck has found a cozy spot on that side of the garage, and is patiently awaiting my next steps.

I have also decided against sending the truck to a professional for the body work and paint work. I will replace the bed, fenders and hood with better ones taken from the boneyard or new if I can't find decent swap parts. I will then use the "Roll Your Car" method to paint the vehicle to a comparable shade of red using rustoleum "stopsrust" paint (the kind in a can) with mineral spirits as a thinner and a foam roller brush. I will apply somewhere between 3-10 coats with this method, wet sanding each layer with progressively finer grit, and end with a few coats of clear and buff it out to a magnificent shine. We're all about the DIY, right? 

Here's some pics to give examples of cars that have been painted with this method:


































See www.rollyourcar.com for more details.

Not too shabby, and the cost is under $50 not counting my time.


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

Wow! Impressive! And your timing is just amazing since I'll have to do paint jobs on the Voyager this winter before it rusts away completely.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

The most important tip I've seen on the roll-on paint jobs is that you only get out of it what you put into it. Since the supplies are cheap, that means if you want it to look like a million bucks, you have to put the sweat equity into it to make it look that way. Lots and lots of prep work, tons and tons of work at each coat, and loads and loads of polishing and buffing in the end.

In comparison, this is the same vehicle as the first two pics above, after prep and before paint...


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

Yeah, but since I'm mainly thinking of just repairing the paint job rather than painting the whole car, it means I don't have to remove lights, mirrors, mask windows etc etc etc. It increases the possibility that I actually get my a* moving with at least 500%.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Alright, here's today's update.

Today is Day 12 w/ the S10. 

The last few days I've cleaned out a bunch of junk from the garage so I had a place to put the ever-more-stripped-down truck so the neighbors don't complain. Yesterday I got the transmission out, and got the truck in the garage.

Today I got the bed off, and the last dregs of the fuel and emissions systems.










































And my first "surprise" on the truck... There are about 2 dozen little screw holes thru the back wall of the cab, apparently the kid who had this truck mounted some amplifiers or something back there. These are just a few.










Getting the bed off really was a snap. Of course I had to disconnect the fuel filler neck from the bed and gas tank, then get the tail light wiring out of the way, then 8 bolts removed, then I ran two 300 lbs test ratcheting tie down straps diagonally across the bed to each of the tie-down points inside the bed and set my engine crane to the 1/4 ton position for max reach and max lift. Of course it didn't quite reach to the center, so it tended to pull the bed backwards toward the crane and lifted the front end more, using the cylinder on the crane as a fulcrum point, but it worked. Scratched the paint but didn't dent the metal, so I think I can go ahead and use the same method to lay the new bed back on the frame when the time comes.

Exhausted, and smelling like gas... showered up, kicked back, and popped the top on a cool one.

Another day, another success. 

Next up, cab removal. I reckon i'm going to NEED a real hoist and A-frame for that one, and doubt the engine crane will be effective for that. Probably just get some surplus 4x4's and build a frame and use the 1 ton come-along for that. Still gotta get the brake systems disconnected and figure out some of the electrical disconnects first.


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

Looking good. Not much left of the car now.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

No kidding. I keep telling myself that if I only had double the budget I might just put a kit car body on the frame.  Not going to happen though, no matter how much cooler a '44 Willys Truck looks.


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## Koneko (Aug 6, 2008)

i am impressed ....


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Koneko said:


> i am impressed ....


Thank you sir... certainly more to come, though. This is all just prep work to make the truck look nice, though I'm at the phase where I will need to decide exactly which batteries I'm going to use, and where I'm going to put the ones in the rear so I can build the rear battery boxes.

I'm just absolutely exhausted today, so I'll take the day off... Still have to figure out how I'm going to get the cab off the frame- never done that before... have some ideas, but not rushing to get to it yet...


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Ok... so little progress... I took yesterday evening off because I was absolutely exhausted for some reason. I guess all the work I've been doing lately in this heat finally caught up with me.

I did spend some time last night trying the "pop dents with dry ice" methods of body repair, though I used some sort of 'air duster'. I noticed a small percentage improvement in some of the dents I tried this on, and no improvement in others. Though the two big dents on the drivers side fender (which I could not budge before) could be popped with a little pressure from the back side after I used the heat-cool cycle of this method of dent removal. It didn't take the dents out all the way, but it did get most of the dent out. As such, I will re-use this fender since it will only take a couple ounces of bondo to fill in the little inconsistencies that remain.

I've heard people get much better results with a block of dry ice, and since it's so cheap, I'm going to try that on all the other dings on the truck to see if I can minimize them as well so there is less bondo involved when that time comes around.

Went to the NTEAA meeting today, met Brian (Astronomer here at DIY) and my friend Ryan (not on the forums, but interested in EVs) there, as well as so many new faces that I have no idea who was who.

John had his Sparrow and Fiero there, Jared brought his Fiero as well, and Mike brought his E-Trailer (ICE Pusher) as well. There were also a few small electric scooters there as well, which disappointed me because I neglected to bring mine. I also could have brought my battery-powered mower, which would probably have got even less attention than the scooters did, but I just wasn't thinking. 

For the record, I've been E-mowing since 1999, not a drop of gas has been burned in my yards since then, and I've only had to replace the batteries once, though I'm coming up on my second replacement probably by next summer. The scooter used to be my commuter transportation when I worked downtown, I would scoot 2 miles to the train station, ride the train 20 miles, and then scoot from the station downtown to the office 3 miles away. It was great fun and people always asked me questions about it. One time I zipped past some folks sitting on a bench downtown and the guy jumped up and exclaimed WOW THATS COOL I WANT ONE! 

Good times. 

I'm still stuck trying to decide which method to pull the cab off the frame, as this is a little heavier construction and different configuration than pulling a VW off the pan. I may just wimp out and leave it there, and paint the frame under it as best I can. Pulling the cab will make some of the front-end suspension work easier, but I can probably survive otherwise. Most folks who pull S10 cabs are doing it so they can use the chassis for another body, and they typically drive a forklift's tines thru the door and lift it off that way. I'd rather not use that method.


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

TX_Dj said:


> Most folks who pull S10 cabs are doing it so they can use the chassis for another body, and they typically drive a forklift's tines thru the door and lift it off that way. I'd rather not use that method.


Gee, I can see how that would create some extra job later on.

Good work. We want more pictures though.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Qer said:


> Good work. We want more pictures though.


Certainly more of those to come. Not much has changed on the truck since I pulled the engine and transmission and bed and such, so more pics would just be filler 

Ordered the new bushings and frame/suspension paint stuff. About $480 all told. Now I have incentive to finish the suspension tear-down.

As I mentioned in previous posts, I'm not going to bother with total removal of the cab. I have decided instead that I will jack it up (since I have to get the body mounts out for the new ones I just ordered) and while it's up a little bit, I'll paint the frame parts that are otherwise inaccessible.

Should be fun. Now I need more jack stands. Hrmph!


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Ok, ok... I'll post a couple boring filler pics.

This is what I'm dealing with on the frame, and why I want to paint it.

We've seen this from the Bed-Off pics, but these are a little more detailed.

Rust... 

















Bushings & Rust...









It's just a light surface rust, but I want something that I'm about to spend at least $10k in conversion to look the part of a $10k+ vehicle and last as long as I'm going to want it to. It's worth it to me to spend the nearly $500 to treat and paint the frame and suspension, and replace all the old dilapidated rubber bushings with firmer urethane.

The top swaybar end-link bushing in the third photo is indicative of the condition of most of the bushings and other rubber bits on the frame and suspension.

Also putting in all new ball joints and tie rod ends and the like.

The speedy part of the project is over, now is the hard and slow part that will continue to be problematic for me to remain focused and motivated. As I get each step completed, though, it will really help me out on the focus and motivation though.


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## Carroll_1 (Dec 18, 2007)

Dj,

I haven't been on the forum for a while so this is the first time I've viewed your project. Man, you're really gettin after that thing! I had to chuckle when I was looking at your pics and I came across the pic of the gas tank and fuel system laying in a pile. I've got a pic that's almost identical. Ah, the memories.  

What are you planning on using to paint the frame? I used a rust treatment/sealer form Eastwood Company. Kind of pricy, but it worked pretty good. Just curious if you knew of any other or better products.

Looking forward to following your progress.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Thanks! 

Progress is a little slower now, I'm letting myself procrastinate a little bit. All I did tonight was pull the steering linkages out, and tomorrow I'll tackle pulling the knuckles off the joints. Once I have all the suspension off, I'll tackle the frame prep.

I was originally thinking about using POR15 on the frame, but I decided to try KBS Rust seal instead. I read some good reviews, and they're a little more economical than POR15. Not sure I'm going to like applying it, but it's gonna get done.

The new bushings should be here around the same time. 

All that ought to keep me plenty busy over the next month.


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## xrotaryguy (Jul 26, 2007)

Looks like you're having fun. 

That Corvair looks nice. The "roll your own" method sounds pretty bad though.

I have not tried the roll your own method, and I don't know anyone who has. I have, however done LOTS of wet sanding and wet sanding an entire car is a monumental task. Wet sanding for a finish coat is even more daunting when the car's surface is not very very flat. Small surface imperfections will rub through without care. Also, you would still need to mask the car to keep paint off of the rubber, glass, handles, lights, etc.

Spraying a car is much easier and much faster. A spray gun is not hard to come by these days. I think I paid $50 or so for mine at Harbor Freight about 12 years ago and it works well enough. You also don't need a huge compressor to paint a car. I have been painting cars for years with a cheap 25 gal compressor. Also, paint is very affordable - probably less than the cost of doing things via the roll and sand method.

I HIGHLY recommend that you use a spray gun.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

I know Qer is out there suffering withdrawal without pics of my project. 

So, here ya go bud...

Been picking it apart little by little, this is what it looked like tonight.

Look ma, no knuckles! 


















My package from Summit Racing showed up today... chock full of red urethane goodness. No pics of the kit yet...


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

xrotaryguy said:


> I have, however done LOTS of wet sanding and wet sanding an entire car is a monumental task. Wet sanding for a finish coat is even more daunting when the car's surface is not very very flat. Small surface imperfections will rub through without care. Also, you would still need to mask the car to keep paint off of the rubber, glass, handles, lights, etc.


I tell you, the paint and body work is not something I'm looking forward to. I really don't like doing paint and body work, but at the same time, I don't like paying someone else to do something I can do myself.

Rubber, glass, handles, lights, etc, will be removed and/or masked appropriately regardless of which method gets used. All the body work will be done before painting begins, so there *shouldn't* be any imperfections, but I'm no pro...

The last car I had a hand in doing body work and prep for paint turned out quite nicely, but we just did the body and prep work and sent it to a shop for finishing. Now, I *may* just do that with this truck, but I don't know... so few people have tried the roll-your-own (there's only about 8 sites that I know of online showing pics) that it'd be nice to post another success story.. but would suck to pay extra to have a body shop tear it off and "do it right".

I'm NOT wanting to change the color, and they don't make a paint suitable for the roll-on method that matches the OEM... and I really don't savor the idea of rolling all the edges and crevasses and hard to reach spots so the vehicle is a consistent color everywhere... 

Painting the vehicle itself it far away from now... and frankly the other day I was just thinking I'll replace the bed, put it back together, convert it, and THEN take it to have the little bit of body work it would need at that point and shot with the OEM color... But that's far enough away I'm not making a solid decision yet.


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## ww321q (Mar 28, 2008)

Back in the early days of automobiles , it was common to have a brushed on finish . Several layers sanded between coats then buffed out . The sailboat I built has a rolled on finish . The paint is designed to be put on with a roller . It's not cheap though . It's called Interlux Brightsides . sold at places like West Marine . 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-biD-qij0w
Can't really see by the video but everyone that has seen the boat is amazed that the paint was rolled on . I have done 2 boats this way . J.W.


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

TX_Dj said:


> I know Qer is out there suffering withdrawal without pics of my project.


Mmm. Nice. Daily dose of hardware porn. 

Personally I'd be scared stiff of the time it'd take to get everything back in place again. Doesn't that worry you?


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Qer said:


> Mmm. Nice. Daily dose of hardware porn.
> 
> Personally I'd be scared stiff of the time it'd take to get everything back in place again. Doesn't that worry you?



LOL Hardware porn... greatness!

No worries here... as we say in TX... "Ain't my first rodeo!"

Actually, the only thing that ever bugs me when I put something back together is using the right fastners in the right places. Sometimes just cuz a bolt fits doesn't mean it's the right bolt for that location, and um... I've always had a bad habit of just yanking fasteners and dropping them in a bucket to sort out later.


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

TX_Dj said:


> I've always had a bad habit of just yanking fasteners and dropping them in a bucket to sort out later.


I hear you. I often dissect things putting all the screws, pins, nuts etc in a box or something, figuring I'll remember where they belong. Then it's time to eat or sleep and after that I often get side tracked for a few days and after that the game "Guess how it fit together" begins, usually you "win" a few bonus screws that you never can figure out where they belong. I have tons of those bonus screws.

Mostly they came from computers and electronic equipment but some come from cars where it didn't matter that much (dash board etc). I guess that if I ever strip down a car like you're doing I better mark things up more carefully...


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

I know I will have a surplus. There were already about 5 dozen bolts in the bucket when I got the truck... all of which came from the ICE...

I'll sort all the bolts into the same diameters and thread pitches before i put it all back together... that makes it easier, and if you have 40 of one length and 4 of another length, then you know that the 4 don't go into the 40 holes that are for similar use...

At the shop I used to work at, we had a 30 ft long shared workbench with a C-channel framework. The front beam was turned with the c-channel open to the work area for bolt storage and such. The whole channel was filled with assorted fasteners. If we needed something, it was a fair bet something in the channel would fit... finding it was another matter.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

My KBS Coatings shipment showed up tonight. Turns out it's 2 pints and one 8 oz on the rust seal. A quart covers a "full size frame" so I decided to break it up into half the frame per day, and the extra for suspension parts and the axle. 

Also got a gallon of "aqua kleen" and "rust blast' and ran a test spot at the front cross member. These are water-based degreaser and something that reacts with the rust and removes it. 

Check this out (there wasn't much rust on this part) but there was some.

This is is the "left" side, untouched.









This is the "right" side, with a half-a-damn single application of each of the two water-based chems:









This is both at the same time for comparison side by side.









I need a stiffer smaller brush to get into the corners and for the stubborn spots.

Other than that, we have no control arms or springs tonight.










Next moves:
- Press out old bushings
- Press out old ball joints
- Pull steering box
- Pull motor mounts
- Tear down the knuckles and inspect the bearings and seals, replace or repack as necessary
- Degrease and rust treat front suspension parts
- Degrease and rust treat front half of the frame
- Rust Seal (2 coats) and BlackTop (1 coat) front half of the frame and front suspension parts
- Press in new urethane bushings and ball joints
And so on...


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

No major visual progress tonight, got the steering box out and tied up the wiring out of the way and got busy with more degrease/rust prep.

I can't say enough good stuff about the AquaKleen degreaser by KBS Coatings. They say on the label that warm water is better when mixing it, and what I used tonight was left over from last night, and at room temp. I had to scrub a little harder tonight, but it still worked great, and no nasty fumes.

It does smell remarkably like tilex, and the RustBlast smells a lot like battery acid when it's working (leaves a coat of zinc oxide).

SHINY! 










The RustBlast doesn't work as good as I would hope, but it's needed to etch the metal which prepares it to receive the paint. And since the little bit that it can work (in this application) as a rust eater requires that I brush the scale and rust off the metal, I'll just degrease and brush everything and then do the rustblast when I'm ready to etch the whole section I intend to paint. No worries though - the RustSeal paint is designed to go right over the rust and keep it from getting any worse. Not that it's bad at all, I just want it to look nice for 10+ more years


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

OH! And Pops decided tonight the truck should be called "Short Circuit" because every time it sees me walk into the garage it shouts "NO DISASSEMBLE!!!" (see the 80's movie of the same name for the joke)

My friend Erik says it should be named "Plasma-naught"... 

Oh, good times!


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## xrotaryguy (Jul 26, 2007)

Whoa! that Rust Blast stuff is amazing! Thanks for the heads up on that. I wonder how it would work on the bed of my Corvair. Is that stuff taking off the paint too? Looks like it. The bed of the Vair is way rustier than your frame. Hmmm... Their site gives instructions for how to apply to a "heavily rusted" area. That's a good sign.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

I'm more impressed with the AquaKleen degreaser than the RustBlast... Have only tried small areas w/ the Rust Blast, as it's the etch for the RustSeal paint.

Degreased and wire brushed the front half of the frame, will RustBlast tonight, and if there is still time, I may even paint.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Don't rain on my parade, mother nature!

Well, that's exactly what she's doing... all the tropical storm activity is resulting in free lawn watering for me and others in the area. 

The front half of the frame is prepped and ready to go, but humidity is above the recommended threshold for the frame paint, so I'm on hold. *sigh*

Taking the opportunity to catch up on organizing the rest of the shop. Sifted thru the ever growing pile of take-off parts from the truck, and tossed a lot of stuff that will not be reused and is not worth selling. Moved my jetski away from the workbench, now I can reach the bench without tripping over everything, and I cleaned the bench. Still have other things to clean up and organize over there as well, such as a few old boxes of junk stored under the bench... but at least I can get to the bench for the small parts work I'm going to need to do soon.

No pics, the garage is still too messy for me to feel right showing it all, and the truck still looks more or less the same, just a little cleaner and a little shinier on the frame... use your imagination.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

*HOORAY PROGRESS!!!*



So, I got a much later start today than I had hoped, due to a miscommunication with some friends who needed to borrow my truck to pick up a new bed for their toddler. Otherwise I may have started on this before 1pm...

Today, she got some shiny black paint. 

This is just the first coat of KBS Rust Seal. There are two coats at this stage, and one coat of KBS BlackTop.

Before:









After:

































I love it when a plan comes together. 

Some questions I've anticipated, so I'll answer them now:

1) Why do I still see rust in the frame?

Well, I'm no magician... I'm brushing on the paint, not spraying it on, so it doesn't go thru the holes. Also, very difficult to prep an area ya can't reach. Suffice to say, the inside will still look rusty, but it's just a light surface rust, nothing cancerous. In fact, with the exception of transplanted vehicles, we don't even know what cancerous rust IS here in TX. 

2) Why didn't you paint back any further on the right side (from the photo perspective)?

If you notice the left side (photo perspective) just under the front of the cab is a bracket with a big hole in it similar to those at the front of the frame. That's the cab mount. The cab is jacked up on the passenger side so I can reach all of the frame underneath it (and change out the bushings). Until I can jack the other side, I can't prep the top of the frame behind that brake line keeper you see near where I stopped painting, so I'm not going to contaminate my paint... instead I'll finish all 3 coats in this configuration, allowing it to dry completely and reassemble the cab mount bushings with the new urethane parts before I set it back down and then repeat on the other side.

Things I'm thankful for at the moment...

1) nitrile gloves
2) painting respirators
3) KBS COATINGS!!!!!


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## Qer (May 7, 2008)

3) Those light blue thingies are some kind of plugs to avoid the black stuff to get into places where you obviously don't want it. But why don't you want it to go into those places?


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## rctous (Jun 18, 2008)

lookin good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Qer,

The blue tape is covering the clips that hold the wiring harness to the chassis. I don't feel like replacing them, since they're still serviceable, and you can't remove them without breaking them. The other bits are the captive bolts for the upper control arm crossbar, and since this paint dries hard as steel, I don't want to get any on the threads.

Brian,
Thanks for the kudos.  It's nice to finally have some real progress other than disassembly.

Oh... also... on the second coat, I had accidentally poured more paint than I needed, and since once poured it can't be stored for re-use (it starts hardening as soon as it comes in contact with air) I went nuts pouring it into the spots with the exposed rust inside the frame, and it actually looks a lot better thru those holes now. I couldn't get all the spots that show thru, but there's about 5" thru the front frame holes that is coated now.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Little update here...

Let me just start by saying KBS Coatings is a great company to deal with. They have their head on straight when it comes to customer service.

A few nights ago, I went to apply the top coat to the frame... and was horrified by the result. Like I told KBS when I contacted them about it, it took what had been looking like a semi-pro job and turned it into something that looked like a kindergarten kid's finger-painting experiment.

They were very up-front and honest with me, admitting that they had just discovered that the top coat was not working well in a brush-on application unless it was thinned 5-10%. They went on to say that they had already got in touch with the factory to ensure that more thinner would be added to the cans, to resolve the problem in the future.

Additionally, since I voiced a concern that it would take less time for me to strip back to metal and apply 2 coats of the base coat than it would for me to block sand everything back to the smooth finish it used to be, they sent me a free replacement pint of the base coat AND a free 8oz bottle of their preferred thinner so that if I should decide to try the top coat again, I could thin my stock by the suggested amount before I tried.

Wow. Try to get that level of service from POR15, and I bet you'd have different results.

So, I'm a little miffed that I'll have to do all this work over again, but really it's not much trouble. A few hours in the grand scheme of things, and I'll be right back where I was before I put the top coat on. I'm just glad I learned this when only half the frame was painted, instead of the whole frame.

I'm still recommending KBS products- but also recommending that before you start, call their tech support line to make sure that everything you plan to do falls in line with their current best practices, because they apparently knew this should be thinned a bit more than it is out of the can for a brushed application, but the can label only said it needed to be thinned for sprayed application.

It's a little set-back, but I can live with it, and won't be nearly as upset stripping and repainting as I would have been if I'd meticulously sanded the frame and re-applied the top coat with the same result!


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Time for another update... been busy with other things, so I haven't had much time to catch you guys up on my progress.

It took a little longer than I had anticipated to strip the frame back to bare metal, but I got it done. That KBS RustBlast is *TOUGH STUFF!!!*

Some places it came off relatively easily, and in other places it became part of the metal.

Once I got it stripped down as best I could, I went ahead and re-did the degrease and rustblast stages, first to remove any latent oils that I couldn't see which would prevent adhesion, and the second to put the same zinc oxide down that really helps etch the RustSeal paint into the metal so well.

Two coats of paint are back on, though I missed a few spots, so I will have to go back and do a few touch ups. I'm not going back with the top coat. I really like the satin "OEM Finish" of the base coat.

The control arms are torn down, and mostly degreased. I still have a little work left to do on them, and hope to get back to work on them tonight. The Ball Joints are out, as are the bushings. Once they're degreased and I have a chance to brush down some of the surface rust, I'll be ready to RustBlast etch and lay down two coats of RustSeal base coat to make the parts look like brand new again. 

The new ball joints are on order from Summit Racing. I picked some special AFCO "Low Friction" joints. These joints are precision machined to tight tolerances for the best performance, while reducing internal friction within the joint. Whereas a "stock joint" requires as much as 50 lbs of force to cause the joint to pivot in its socket, the AFCO low-friction joints require only 1-2 lbs to do the same. When you consider your joints are twisting every time you steer the car, and there are 4 at play, this means there could be as much as 200 lbs of resistance added to the turning of the steering knuckles, vs. the AFCO joints contributing 4-8 lbs of resistance. Since I'm going with manual steering, I figure every bit helps and the whole set only cost about $40 more than a set of stock joints.

No pics this time around, but if everything goes like I hope it will (it's raining again, so maybe not, thanks Ike) then MAYBE this weekend I can get the suspension back together and have the front wheels back on the ground! Wishful thinking, perhaps, but I'm trying for it.

Oh, and tonight the passenger side of the cab will come down to rest on its new polyurethane body mounts.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Goodness... has it really been nearly 2 weeks since my last update? Egad.

I've been a little slow-going, as I'm short on funds lately and have been sidelined by getting my Scooter Challenge entry ready to go for the NTEAA November Scooter Challenge.

However, as of this moment (no pics, sorry) the truck is half sitting on its new body mounts (passenger side) and the front suspension bushings are in place and the arms have been test-fit back to the frame to make sure I didn't bend them up during the process of putting in the new bushings.

I still need to get all my new steering linkages (will have to wait until next month unless I go over budget and put some on credit). and still need to clean up and/or re-paint my original sway bar.

The springs have been painted (primer + flat black rattle can) and hopefully that will be durable enough, though I doubt it. 

This week I should be able to get the bushing ends lubed and fitted, get the springs back in, get the ball joints put in, etc. By the time I can get the new steering linkages, I should be done rebuilding the spindles, and will be able to get the front end back on the ground.

Once that's done, it'll be time to turn the truck around in the shop, which means it will be time to tear down the rear suspension and get the frame and suspension/axle parts stripped, de-rusted, and painted to match the front.

More pics to come, once I figure out how the heck the shop keeps getting itself dirty... I swear, if I just left it alone, it would be cluttered with junk and dust...


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## slurryguy (Dec 16, 2008)

If nobody else is going to ask, I guess I will. 

How's this project doing? No updates since September? What's up with that? 
Is TX_Dj just a strange freak that wants to tease people and leave them hanging? Man... when women do that, they get a reputation, and find it hard to get dates!!! 

Maybe this is one of those times where members of the forum need offer up their powers of motivation and encouragment to get TX_Dj working on his truck again... or if he has been, get him posting some updates.

This project is far too interesting to allow this thread to go dormant without a groundswell of support from everyone to help get things rolling again.

Maybe if enough of us rattle his cage, we'll see what progress he's made?


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## DIYguy (Sep 18, 2008)

ya, come on TX_DJ, over 1100 posts and u only got the front clip off?  I think u gotta stop spendin money on groceries and get that project off BDC.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Well, I reckon we're lucky I even saw this post got updated. 

I've been on hiatus for winter, at least on the project, to pay down some debts and to get some daylight to work on the project, as my schedule is not compatible with wintertime sunlight. That leaves me with the weekends, and so everything that takes priority over the EV which would normally be done in the evening while there's sunlight during summertime gets pushed to the weekends, and then I am so wore out I don't feel like doing much with the truck. 

I'll be back on track with it soon though... like my garage entry implies, I expect this project to take quite a bit of time, pay-as-I-go, and not a quick build. 

And DIY, I've gone quite a bit further than just getting the front clip off. Do you have any idea how many hours I invested just prepping and painting the frame? (And then doing it all over again because I wasn't pleased with the first results?) 

As it stands right now, half of the frame is completely finished with the prep and paint, the other half will still have to wait after I get the suspension put back together on the front. There's new body pucks on the passenger side, and all new bushings in the control arms, and new low-friction ball joints on the control arms too. All the new steering linkage parts are here, and my used manual steering box has been here waiting for me to install it for a couple months. I even got new springs too, because I don't know how many miles this truck really has (older than 10 yrs, it's odometer exempt in TX, and it doesn't have the original instrument cluster) and so I didn't want to take any risks of the added weight on the front end. Besides, they were only $70 with shipping, and I had a $50 gift certificate from Summit for a customer service nightmare I had, so that made new springs $10 each. 

More will come, but I still need to clear my bench, clean the shop, get rid of the jetski (anyone want a 170 hp 2-man jetski that does 70+ mph? for sale, reasonable price!) to make more room to work, and then I need to rebuild the spindles with new bearings, races, discs, and calipers, and then the front end is ready to go back together.


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## DIYguy (Sep 18, 2008)

TX_Dj said:


> And DIY, I've gone quite a bit further than just getting the front clip off. Do you have any idea how many hours I invested just prepping and painting the frame? (And then doing it all over again because I wasn't pleased with the first results?)


Actually, I do have an idea. you're the one who tipped me off on the KBS Rust Seal paint (best tip I've had for a long while!) I've been doing my truck in dribs and drabs. I have to deal mostly with rust instead of hot-melt-wax though. It's a tough ride. This paint is bullet proof though. At one point, after I rebuilt my brake caliper, I realized I hadn't broken the bleeder loose. I put a wrench on it... no go and I mean a line wrench. I had already wire wheeled off the rust, treated and painted the thing and didn't want to mess up the paint job. Oh well, no choice. I heated it up with small MAPP torch till I could break the bleeder free. Guess what, the paint didn't even change colour! No flaking, bubbling nothing! I'm not saying it was red hot...but it was hot enough to free that bleeder screw. Amazing stuff. 

OK, I now I wanna know how you got the five stars.... what am I missin here???


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

At the top of each page of each post, at the header bar of the first post is a section to rate the post. Some folks gave me 5 stars, so the topic shows 5 stars. 

The KBS paint is awesome, isn't it?

I think I mentioned before, I put it on, and like I told you in PMs DIYguy, I went to put the top coat on (the blacktop or whatever they called it) and it was HORRIBLE. I had to strip it to get it right again, just with the base coat. And man.. THAT was a tough effort. I tried using aircraft remover, it barely phases this stuff. I tried using a wire brush, that didn't cut the mustard either. I finally had to use one of those abrasive power wheels, you know the thing it looks like a big large-cell foam or scotchbrite sort of thing, the wheels don't last long, but that's the only thing that simply makes the stuff vanish. AND, it also took out more of the underlying rust that was still there before I put the base coat on (the kbs instructions actually say the paint bonds quite well to surface rust) but it left an even better surface texture and the re-do of the paint was WAY better than the original application.

Yeah, to say I'm a fan of the KBS RustSeal paint is an understatement.


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## DIYguy (Sep 18, 2008)

I did try the "scotch brite wheel" thing...but you're right, they don't last long at all. I found the best thing is to get an angle grinder with a couple of different wire wheels. The two I foung to be the best were the knotted cup brush and the straight knotted wire wheel. They dig right through the rust. You'll need a mask though if doing it inside as it really messes up the air. I got crap for all the dust that settled in the garage. I may have to paint it again after this job... Wish I had a shop.


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## TX_Dj (Jul 25, 2008)

Long overdue update...

I let my laziness and procrastination get me to the very last minute...

I took nearly 400 days off from the truck project because of [insert any excuse here].

December 2009 I had to prep to move, and as you may imagine, it's darn near impossible to move a vehicle that has no front suspension.

New springs, new spindles, new brake rotors/calipers/pads, new ball joints, and all new steering parts and joints went in place for the move.


























































You can see how dusty that cherry paint on the frame got after sitting so long. Sorry, no pics apparently with the steering bits installed... And since it's moved, all the progress it's seen is getting all four paws up on "vehicle dollies" so I can easily move it around the shop. I would have been started on finishing the frame paint and rear suspension work by now, except my buddy's car has been in my shop over 4 months while we sort out what to do about his DOHC Subaru engine skipping timing. I told him we should convert to electric, but he doesn't have the money.


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