*** Update (w/ pics) 48 chevy pick 'em up truck

Flipper · June 24, 2007, 08:09:51 PM

I also ran brake lines this weekend.

That sucked on a mostly assembled truck.

Lines go back to the firewall and then down.

The proportioning valve is tucked under the drivers side fenderwell.

GPster · June 24, 2007, 08:37:44 PM

To me, that's a beautiful verticle weld on that body mount near the proportional valve. I would have had to lay the frame on it's side to evem get the pieces stuck together. That's another reason for the Jeepster frame swap, 80" of "top Hat" with no bottom. GPster

Flipper · July 03, 2007, 11:33:04 PM

I beat my dash into submission. Glovebox is gone and I fabbed a gauge panel.

I know the gauges aren't traditional.....but I have owned them for something like 18 years now and am going to use them.

My wood for the underbed area is attached

Tail lights are attached

jaybee · July 04, 2007, 01:58:31 PM

A couple of nice projects, thanks for sharing.

Flipper · July 15, 2007, 10:52:56 PM

Bed wood is finally cut and fitted

Made running board brackets

Got the radiator mounted. The old oil can is the overflow tank.

Flipper · July 23, 2007, 10:45:37 PM

Pictures from this weekend

Exhaust pipes and front bumper are installed

Electric fan is mounted and fan shroud fabbed up

And the @#$%^!*&^!!!! electric wiper conversion is complete. It took forever to get the wipers to smoothly wipe the entire glass and be timed evenly.

The flatbed works

Flipper · July 31, 2007, 01:34:26 AM

Didn't get it finished this weekend. :x Looks like i'm going to louisville as a spectator :x

But here are some pics that we took to send to the insurance guy.

Flipper · October 14, 2007, 10:37:31 PM

I finally cranked it!!!!!!

The big headers and big pipes sound killer. It idles about like a pro-stocker. A little on the loud side, but I'm gonna try it as is (well, maybe put turndowns on the mufflers).

Now I need a gas pedal so I can drive it.

Crosley.In.AZ · October 14, 2007, 11:46:17 PM

Kool!

:T)

Dirk35 · October 18, 2007, 01:45:48 AM

FYI, if you put turn-downs right out of the Mufflers, It will blow dust and grass clippings freaking EVERYWHERE! Having said that, a good 10 inches of pipe after the muffler will quiet it down a lot more that you realize. Ive learned both of these tidbits by trial and error.

Good looking truck by the way!

Flipper · October 18, 2007, 10:12:55 PM

Quote from: "Dirk35"FYI, if you put turn-downs right out of the Mufflers, It will blow dust and grass clippings freaking EVERYWHERE! Having said that, a good 10 inches of pipe after the muffler will quiet it down a lot more that you realize. Ive learned both of these tidbits by trial and error.

Good looking truck by the way!

Thanks for the info. I'll try straight extensions first.

kb426 · October 18, 2007, 11:51:52 PM

Good progress.

Flipper · October 29, 2007, 07:33:29 AM

Quote from: "Dirk35"FYI, if you put turn-downs right out of the Mufflers, It will blow dust and grass clippings freaking EVERYWHERE! Having said that, a good 10 inches of pipe after the muffler will quiet it down a lot more that you realize. Ive learned both of these tidbits by trial and error.

Good looking truck by the way!

I added the extensions this weekend and the results were amazing. It went from a Big Block set on kill to a health sounding small block.

Thanks for the tip.

Flipper · April 23, 2008, 07:33:15 PM

I finally thought to take some pictures of the painted dash

....and the second "dash" (ignition, headlight switch, wiper switch and dimmer are in the seat base)

Oh yeah, wiring is a pain in the butt!!!! I used an EZ harness. It would have been easier if I mounted the panel on the firewall....like they suggested, instead of under the seat. I had to "adjust" darn near every wire to make it work that way.

Flipper · July 14, 2008, 07:04:46 PM

Here are some updates on the truck....

I am using the old add-on turn signal swith that came with the truck...it was designed to use add-on turn signals instead of interupting the brake lights.

...my tail lights only have two filaments, but I need 3 circuits. I am happy with the look of the rear and didn't want to add seperate lights for the blinkers.

I am not 100% happy with my solution, but I added a couple of strips of LEDs inside each tail light housing....in the shape of a "< " on the driver side and a " > " on the passenger side.

....but the lenses distort the pattern and it kinda looks like a starburst semi-circle when they light up instead of an arrow.

I tried moving the LEDs closer to the lense....and I do get a better pattern on the turn signals, but also get an ugly shadow when I light up the filament for the brake lights (only about 2/3 of the tail light looks lit up).

My dad's idea for a fix is to glue little pieces of hose over each LED to tunnel the light up to the lense (so it just makes a dot instead of a startburst).

Here are pics of my turn signals.

With the lense removed. The arrow is made from 2 LED clearance lights from Wally-world.

These were the left overs from the clearance lights (some cutting required)

I made a bracket from a piece of jaguar XJS chrome (I recycle)

I re-used the OLD turn signal switch that was in the truck when I bought it (spray-bombed of course). The wires are pulled through a piece of un-shrunk heat-shrink tubing. Looks nice and it was * near free.

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