{Project} Beandip's Daily Driver

[beandip]

yes upgrade that crappy factory wiring. since i work at night i enjoy it every day .


also i may pick up a quad 4 Throttle body sometime but its not on the top of my priority list.

[beandip]

Finally...page, im sure you guys are happy that you dont have to load all those pics again, i know i was tired of it....well....now for more pics!

tailgate was out to paint, had a little misunderstanding and they painted it "as is" with the rattle can primer on there and wasnt smooth at all and the paint had 180 grit scratches everywhere and was just horrible. after a week of waiting they redid the tailgate after talking to the manager, the guy who gave me the quote was new so he messed up... anyways im not going into it again here are the pics...

Smooth as glass.....kinda makes me want to get a rollpan but i kinda want the bumper there protecting the newly painted tailgate


They matched the paint alright i guess, in real life its hardly noticeable unless you look close. i just dropped off the tailgate so they had to use the inside of the tailgate to match the outside. only the outside is painted, the inside is not because i may get a spray in bed liner and its kinda pointless getting that painted just to cover it up again.

[beandip]

Ohh forgot, here is a pic of the newly upgraded headlight wiring with silverstars (not ultras).


Thats low beams too . when i switch to my high beams they seem yellow ...again the mod is well worth it.

[BlkS10Kid2002]

I cant wait to get my shaved gate... i love the look of them. Truck looks clean bro!

[01cherryreds10]

I don't know if it was posted Jon, but did you use different plugs to fit the 10 gauge wiring?

[unclejames1]

how much did those headlights set you back?

[beandip]

Quote: Originally Posted by 01cherryreds10

I don't know if it was posted Jon, but did you use different plugs to fit the 10 gauge wiring?

good question, no i didnt.

its kinda hard to explain but if you take the plug out and look down into it you see a hole on each side (where the prongs go in) well i think in the part closest to the middle on each prong hole you stick a paper clip or a small coder pin (dont stick it into where the prong goes but right beside it) and it releases a hook, similar to what holds the plug to the bulb, that type of clip thingy, well after you push a paper clip in there it releases the clip and the wire along with the prong end comes out of the plug. then you cut the old one off and re-solder the 10 gauge on there and bend the clip back and re-insert it and your done!.

I need to do a how-to for 98+, im sure you guys would love that because the only headlight rewire how-to on here is for the sealed beams and it would be nice to have a 98+ one.

Quote: Originally Posted by unclejames1

how much did those headlights set you back?

Silverstar bulbs go about $20 each, since you need 4 (2 for low, 2 for high beam) it comes around $80

[01cherryreds10]

That's a ton Jon I think I know what your talking about, once I get down drooling over the deals I got at the 'yard today I'll go outside and mess around with a couple spare plugs. Definately do a how-to if you don't then I will lol. I know how shitty headlight pics are so I'd almost have to bet the headlights look amazing in real life.

[beandip]

Quote: Originally Posted by 01cherryreds10

That's a ton Jon I think I know what your talking about, once I get down drooling over the deals I got at the 'yard today I'll go outside and mess around with a couple spare plugs. Definately do a how-to if you don't then I will lol. I know how shitty headlight pics are so I'd almost have to bet the headlights look amazing in real life.

ehh its really close to real life in the pic, the color is definitely there but the brightness is something to be seen. it really puts shame on everyone else's headlights in town.

you better not do a how-to , because i will make one first . just got alot of stuff going on now. right after i got my tailgate i ordered a Fi Q 15" so i cant wait until it gets here! also i know i will need to do the big 3 and i want to hide those power wires to give my system that ultra stealth look. *sigh* soo much to do.

[beandip]

check out what i have been working on for the past day or two.

OK here is a old pic of how the wheel wells looked like. nasty, dirty and plane out ugly. (except the guy in the pic with stunning good looks )




now here is how they look. i used a can of 3M rubberized undercoating on each side. i plan on doing the rest of the frame because i have spots where the GM undercoating had chipped off and now i have slight surface rust on that area.

i blasted the fender well with my pressure washer then roughed up the area with 180 grit sand paper and put a nice coat of the stuff on there. on the frame i sanded off the surface rust before i sprayed this stuff on there.





compared to the rest of the frame... the fender well area had most of the chipped undercoating because back when i first got the truck i power washed the frame in that area and little did i know it caused the undercoating to come off. when i do the rest of the frame most likely i will keep the GM stuff on there as an extra layer of protection. right now the rear fender wells are just as a test area before i go crazy with the stuff but i already tested the durability of the 3M undercoating with my pressure washer and it passed the test but i will wait for about a month or so before i do anything else and when i do the bed will come off and thats when i will completely clean up the back half of the truck.




close up of the texture.



Down here south we dont have any salt on the roads but just sand so im sure this is overkill but i plan on keeping the truck for well...50+ years. i dont think i will ever sell this truck for any price.

[AK49BWL]

Quote: Originally Posted by beandip

check out what i have been working on for the past day or two.

Down here south we dont have any salt on the roads but just sand so im sure this is overkill but i plan on keeping the truck for well...50+ years. i dont think i will ever sell this truck for any price.

sounds like my sentiments for my truck.

[slammedcavi]

You sir, have OCD..

[PurplDodge]

Quote: Originally Posted by beandip

up next is that damn valve cover. polishing it will be a PITA. I really dont feel like taking it off just to polish it but at the same time i really really want to. It depends on how much free time i have. i might just see if the throttle body will polish, if it does then thats going to be polished before the valve cover.

I polished mine, shure it looks like shit, but it looks better than it did before.



I should prolly make my own project thread

[beandip]

Quote: Originally Posted by slammedcavi

You sir, have OCD..

haha probably. i just dont like to half ass things and turn my truck into a hack like i have seen on here many times before.

but even though there is no salt down here i still want to keep the undercarriage pristine. kinda pointless on having a nice truck on the outside but underside it looks like shit and torn up.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ramin'S10

I polished mine, shure it looks like shit, but it looks better than it did before.



I should prolly make my own project thread

looks good but still needs some work on the computer and ac accumulator. i didnt exactly get mine perfect on the first try. it took 3 or 4 polishings to get mine to where it is now. but looks like you have swirls on there from the dremel or something, i cant tell the pic is too small.

[rockyroad217]

hey man just saw your tailgate, looks nice..i like it with the bumper on there, but what do i know?lol

[greatdane68]

I like it better with a rollpan, but to each his own.

[Merritt]

That rubberized undercoating stinks like ass don't it? Looks nice.

[beandip]

Quote: Originally Posted by greatdane68

I like it better with a rollpan, but to each his own.

well i would love a rollpan but this is my daily. i dont want someone to rear end me and totally **** up my rear end because i wanted "looks" then the truck is totaled because of it (i would still buy it back anyways). if it was a weekend truck maybe but not on a daily. i have seen way too many dimes on here rear ended with a rollpan and i know how that turns out.

Quote: Originally Posted by Merritj2417

That rubberized undercoating stinks like ass don't it? Looks nice.

you know what ass smells like?



haha j/k yeah it stinks.

Quote: Originally Posted by rockyroad217

hey man just saw your tailgate, looks nice..i like it with the bumper on there, but what do i know?lol

i know what...i want that tonneau cover but i may get a hard top depending on price.

[v8lonoma]

a nice set of irocs would look damn good on your truck bean.

[David12460]

Quote: Originally Posted by v8lonoma

a nice set of irocs would look damn good on your truck bean.

[rrray88sdime]

good job bean dip! i polished my ac condensor and started on my ecu, but then i realized in another few months the ac will be ditched and the ecu relocated so theres no point lol. but your truck looks good! keep it up

[beandip]

Quote: Originally Posted by v8lonoma

a nice set of irocs would look damn good on your truck bean.

yup, i still want yours though but these will do for now

so yeah update (to anyone that cares)

i traded my factory rims/tires (with less than 10K miles on them) for these rims/tires with about 35% tread left or so, either way it would last me more than a year.

guy i traded with is a good friend of mine but he is getting too old for rims (about to retire from his job too) and wants to sell his 98 s-10 sometime within a year or two so for him to buy new tires was pointless so thats why we traded.


I REALLY wanted some irocs but personally i would rather buy a new engine before i buy rims/tires. at least these rims are in good condition and within the style that i wanted.

Tires are 245/45/17s. also the tire size allows me to drop another 1" up front but that will come later...







I need to go outside and get some good pics sometime but these will do for now.

next weeks project is to paint the caliper/drums and undercoat the front fender wells since the tires are a little smaller than the ones i had on before.

[Wicked Mayhem]

you could eaisly go another 2" with the drop.

[90blueS10]

Quote: Originally Posted by Wicked Mayhem

you could eaisly go another 2" with the drop.

i say 3

[beandip]

Quote: Originally Posted by Wicked Mayhem

you could eaisly go another 2" with the drop.

front already has a 2" drop now, but i want to drop it another inch to level things out. i may have to get that carrier bearing from SD if i want to go lower though. but....2 more inches does sound nice I would have to go another inch in the back as well though, and i need to get a bolt in mini notch.

carrier bearing is now 4" from the ground, it was fun scraping it around before (5" from the ground) but i bet its really fun now

[Wicked Mayhem]

you could go 5" up front.

i got a 6/7 on the blazer, and my tires are a hair taller than yours. engine crossmember is 2.25" off the ground. front of leaf springs are about the same distance hah

[greatdane68]

Beandip, those wheels look good. But I agree with you, Iroc's will look better.

[Merritt]

Nice!

[beandip]

Thanks for the input on the wheels everyone. i wasnt sure myself if i liked them but i guess they grew on me now. Its the strangest feeling walking up to my truck now, i cant belieive its mine when i stick the key in the hole . I can always sell them to get irocs though

Quote: Originally Posted by Wicked Mayhem

you could go 5" up front.

i got a 6/7 on the blazer, and my tires are a hair taller than yours. engine crossmember is 2.25" off the ground. front of leaf springs are about the same distance hah

yeah i would love a 5/6 or 6/7 drop but the roads around here will NOT allow that. if i get rid of the carrier bearing i may go another 2" all around and basically be right where the carrier bearing used to be but we shall see.

i might just try my luck with 1" drop springs again, they are cheap anyways so im not going to worry about it, i can always sell them if need be.

hopefully this time it will drop me 1" and not 2"....still havent figured out why 2 sets of springs did that. i will get DJM springs this time around, i dont think i will try belltech again after what happened last time.


so upcoming mods are

1. Undercoating the front fenderwells
2. painting the calipers (havent decided on the color) and drums(black)
3. billet grille
4. tonneau cover (soft maybe but i would rather have a hard top)
5. painting mirrors
6. painting door handles
7. etc....but at this point pretty much done on the outside unless i think of something else.

[Merritt]

Did you ever get that dent in the bed fixed, and are those dents I see in the passenger side door?

[beandip]

Quote: Originally Posted by Merritj2417

Did you ever get that dent in the bed fixed, and are those dents I see in the passenger side door?

no and yes

but those dents have always been on the truck since i got it. i want to get them fixed but paint costs $$$$ so i dont want to fix it now and have a half-primer truck. paint will be the last thing i worry about right now.

really besides those 2 dents i dont have anything else dent wise besides the usual scratches...etc.

since this is a daily driver i kind of dont want to get it painted but i know i will sooner or later.

also today i start undercoating the front fenderwells and cleaning up the back of the rims. pics to come later today.

[beandip]

alright i cleaned up the wheels really good, looks like someone never cleaned the backside of the wheel before, i had brake dust caked in there but i finally got it off. at least i have ceramic pads so i dont have to worry about brake dust.

but while doing that i was prepping the fenderwells to be undercoated. so enough of the talk here are some pics (you guys already know im a pic whore)


Here is the BEFORE shot of the fender, no flash. BTW the truck doesnt have rust its just the red clay around here stained the frame.


Same pic again but this time with flash to show more detail.


nasty right? and people can see this when you turn.

so now here it is again but this time with that 3M rubberized undercoating


and again with the flash, Much much better


pic showing the fenderwell outside.


I didnt do the UCA but i did clean it off after i took this pic. I also already know how this rubberized undercoating will stand up since did the back fenderwells 2 months ago and it still looks nice.

now when i park i can keep the wheel turned and not be ashamed of the nastiness of the fenderwells.

also decided to clean my truck up for the first time since it snowed.

so more pics . im not photographer but i experimented a little bit with different angles.

[Tanner.]

Hell Yes!! It's looking great man.

[Merritt]

Your fenderwells turned out nice, and the truck looks so much better with rims!

[apruitt88]

looks good so far man

[beandip]

Alright, decided today is the day i painted my calipers/drums. i painted the drums black and the calipers silver, i have no red on my truck besides the GMC logo so i didnt think red would go with the rest of the truck so i decided to do silver.

Drums, kinda hard to see though. (thats the point lol)

Caliper


another angle.


and a little closer.

[01cherryreds10]

*Sigh* I wish the snow near me went away. It's like 20° outside and I have so many things I want to do to the truck...

Great progress on yours!

[Woody22]

my buddie has those same wheels. looks good man.

[beandip]

another small update but i went to a pick and pull salvage yard and manage to find these, the ONLY Envoy in the yard that has 200+ s10/blazers, i even found a 5 speed blazer console but sadly the wreck that the blazer was in ruined it .


not bad for $15.

[Driveway Kustoms]

niice, ive been looking for them too

[samandjen1]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ramin'S10

I polished mine, shure it looks like shit, but it looks better than it did before.



I should prolly make my own project thread

Its a start for the valve cover polishing.

I'll post pics of mine should be done by Monday 3/2/09 so far I have 4 hours into prepping it for final polishing.

[bza]

looks real good man.

[samandjen1]

Finished my 2.2 cover today
Before:


After:


More pics here -> http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f105/p...-cover-391557/

[beandip]

looks good man

posted in your thread

[90blueS10]

Looks really good bean, needs AT LEAST a 2 inch drop in the front though

I like the envoy handles, and i enjoy the little updates

How much does a can of the rubberized under coating set you back?

[beandip]

Quote: Originally Posted by 90blueS10

Looks really good bean, needs AT LEAST a 2 inch drop in the front though


How much does a can of the rubberized under coating set you back?

nah if i do a 2" drop up front it would then be a 4/4 drop and then i would have to drop the back more. i am getting my DJM 1" drop springs in tomorrow and im thinking the fact i have an .ext cab might give me the full 1" drop even though they are for a v6 truck. i say this because i did 1" drop 4cyl belltech coils and they dropped me 2" on two different sets! same effect of a v6 truck using 4 cyl coils.
i mean if i installed them wrong then it would raise the truck...
im thinking the weight of a v6 reg cab s10 vs a 2.2 .ext cab s10 might be close. if not whatever it drops it .5 to .75"

Tomorrow we shall see and i'm hoping for the best

a can of 3M rubberized undercoating sets you back about $6 a can from walmart, cheap stuff since i only used 1.5 cans for both front fenderwells.

[fire84rescue]

Wish I had the patience to go in depth as you do. Looks great!

[beandip]

UPDATE!!



Alright i finally got the truck down more to earth.

pics of the progress 1" DJM v6 springs were used

Click here to find out why--->http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f12/dr...piracy-392208/






My way of aligning the LCA bolts




After all that i got new tires and an alignment while i was at it, weird thing was the drop springs didnt change the camber? well anyways it was only a 1" drop but here are some current pics on how she sits now at 3/4 but technically its a 4/5 with the tires.





Yokohama S-Drive . damn these were worth it












I still cant believe its my truck when i walk up to it from a parking lot though its coming all together soo fast. the extra 1" makes a huge difference in looks. now im 3.5" off the ground now but no problem, next task is to get the SD carrier bearing so then i would be back up to 4.75" off the ground. Of course i'll keep you updated.

[Driveway Kustoms]

feel free to send me your tailgate...or truck (minus motor)

[kzeliminator]

have you thought about a coating for the bed or a cover? looks great by the way