[Project] spare parts

[MMXtended]

I bought this truck off of ebay for $800 just to have some fun with, and try some more serious mods. that I've never done before. I had a '92 S10 reg. cab a few years ago that had full ART suspension and air management. My step-son now has that truck. He recently bought all new air man. from SD, and I'm getting the old stuff off of it. That'll hold me til I can get new stuff, cause personally I didn't care for ART's valves when I was DDing that truck.

Here it is right after getting it home.


I had a good bit of parts left over from the 3 other 1st gens. that I've had. So I was able to do some work right off the bat with out spending any money.
First thing I did was mono leaf it and install the air-over-leaf bags that I had. I did buy u-bolts. I also had a smooth roll pan laying around, so I put that on too. Couldn't stand the front not being bagged so I bought the Dom. front kit and put it on.
Here it is bagged.



This truck will eventually get a 3-link and notch in the back, as funds permit.

Here's the roll pan installed.

As you first gen guys know, the tailgate has to be unbolted to be removed. I modified the right hinge to work like the late models so it just lifts off now. This tailgate is shot, but I can use the bracket on another tailgate. Sorry no pics of that.

I've been doing a LOT of reading on here, and I think my next mod. will be the control arm notch & pie cut. Now I'm not a pro welder, but I've done a lot of it, and I'm fully confident in my ability to do this. I'd also like to do a sfbd, but I'm taking it one step at a time, there's no hurry on this thing.

Progress will be slow, as I'm not a rich man for sure, and I'm also doing minor mods. to my wife's Colorado, plus the ZR2 that requires constant maintenance. lol

I forgot to mention how mechanically solid this truck is. I was prepared to have to do a good bit of repairs, but it already has a fair amount of new parts already. It has pretty new u-joints, brand new radiator, new wiper motor, battery, all the belts & rad. hoses, and surprisingly no oil leaks, which is crazy, when you consider it has 220k on it.

This site has proved to be a wealth of info so far, and I appreciate the chance to be a part of it.

[Golana]

nice score on the truck man! its really cool that you could just throw stuff at it right away hahaa! lookin good so far

pics of your tailgate mod? did you just cut the top/bottom of the outer cup so the smaller one can just lift/drop out?

[FsasNick93]

sounds like a good build. *subscribes*

[MMXtended]

Quote: Originally Posted by Golana

pics of your tailgate mod? did you just cut the top/bottom of the outer cup so the smaller one can just lift/drop out?

Yeah cut it on an angle so it has to be half open to come off. Welded flat pieces on the cuts to box it in. I'll get a pic tomorrow if you like.

[Golana]

Quote: Originally Posted by MMXtended

Yeah cut it on an angle so it has to be half open to come off. Welded flat pieces on the cuts to box it in. I'll get a pic tomorrow if you like.

sure bro, sounds awesome

[MMXtended]

Well here's the simple tailgate mod. I made to make it quicker to get the tailgate off and on.

[MMXtended]

A guy is going to give me some 2"x4" 1/4" thick scrap. Is this too thick to use to notch the back? Will I have trouble welding it together with the frame being much thinner? It's free, but I need to know if I should use it.

[OneLowSdime]

def. looks like a good project i might do somehting like that to my tailgate lol

[Merritj2417]

looks like a nice project man

[MMXtended]

Got some replacement parts for the front over the weekend. My junkyard buddy had a Blazer and let me get whatever I need off of it, still gotta go back and get some more stuff.

Set the fenders on so I could trim up the insides for clearance. Notice the Blazer 4x4 badge. haha.



I pulled the seats and mat out, so I could tackle the clutch master relocation & just generally clean up stuff, and found some pretty serious rust, that may be a deciding factor in whether I bd this thing or not. I was already thinking about it.

rusty flo...


That shit hurt my feelings.


When I was checking the "new" bumper for alignment(the old one took a hit) I noticed the welds on the frame horns were broke, only thing holding them, and the old bumper on, was the tight fit in the frame rails.
I'll be using the bolt on horns that I got with the Blazer bumper.

[greencactus3]

Quote: Originally Posted by MMXtended

A guy is going to give me some 2"x4" 1/4" thick scrap. Is this too thick to use to notch the back? Will I have trouble welding it together with the frame being much thinner? It's free, but I need to know if I should use it.

no, as long as your welder can deal with that thickness and you know how to weld, no issues.

[MMXtended]

I haven't given up on this thing, I just been gathering up parts. I have decided to go ahead and drop in a 350 that I've had, and going to put a 700r4 tranny. My junkyard buddy has been real good to me on parts, so far I've gotten the whole front sheet metal, windshield, and 2 doors with power windows. I'm still on the fence about the bd, but I'm definitely going to back-half it and tub it out for some big meats, and keep the air ride as well.

I've also been working on my step-son's truck, replacing all the air management. It has full ART suspension, tube LCA's & Air Bar. I put in a Viair 450, 5 gal 8 port tank, 1/2" fill & dumps, with 1/2" line, and a 10 switch box. All obtained from SD, great guys to deal with.

Here's some pics of his truck.






This truck has not been cut up at all and is just over an inch from laying frame, the tires hit the inner fenders.

[tolowinorlando]

well the rust is not that bad but it can be fixed

[MMXtended]

Well I've made a little more progress on getting this thing tore apart. I think about every bolt has fought me in getting them out, even broke some tools in the process. lol



Finally got the cab off, sucks working by yourself sometimes.




My cousin has a wreck full-size Chevy thats tubbed, and also has a few other goodies that I'll be able to use. I want to make sure I have all my suspension and at least the back tires wheel before I start cutting this thing up. I'm going to run a parallel 4 link, and haven't exactly desided how I want to do the bags, any input on that would be appreciated.

I'm also thinking about getting a new wiring harness, maybe from Painless, suggestions on that would be nice too.

Here's a rendering I did of what I hope it to turn out like, although the paint job isn't definite.



Unfortunetly progress will slow from here on while I gather up parts. This started out going to be a "traditional" bagged truck, funny how plans change, enough is never enough.

[layinrocker96]

nice truck,the black wheels look sweet. *subscribed*

[FCKNLOW]

sweet project man! i love the tailgate hinge idea....so it works like a 2nd gen tailgate then right?

[MMXtended]

Quote: Originally Posted by FCKNLOW

sweet project man! i love the tailgate hinge idea....so it works like a 2nd gen tailgate then right?

That's right, open it half way, and lift it off. Thanks.


Anybody got a suggestion on which Painless wire harness I should get? I'll being running a carbed 350, an e-fan, and a full set of aftermarket gauges.

[fluX]

Damn, looks pretty good so far dude. Definitely going to be checking this thread out more... as always, MORE PICS!! lol...