Choices. Kinda like the bride that tries on too many gowns. Confused, but wants to look purdy.
Choices. Kinda like the bride that tries on too many gowns. Confused, but wants to look purdy.
Im going with the snap style.
All my fleetside beds had a c clamp arrangement to hold the snap rails to the bed rails via the lip on the underside. I don't know if theres a lip under the bedliner for the c clamp....
The red is growing on me. And then i don't have to paint jambs and underhood.
Aclso: gunk degreaser gel is doing a better than superclean to get the engine cleaned up.
A word of warning about those soft covers. Years ago we got to lap Kentucky speedway at a rather brisk Pace. In the group ahead of us a guy had a Ford lightning with a soft tonneau, it started flapping around a little and as they were exiting down pit Lane it whipped up throwing two bows up to the top of the track and started sliding down the track in front of me. I was coming off the corner with the throttle pinned at about 110 and had to make a hard right, directly towards the wall, to avoid running them over. That was kind of exciting. He said here had it snapped tight before his run and it started coming loose around 90. I don't really trust them after that.
True. And they can rip, and get holes. I prefer a tri fold cover, don't know if they make one for stepsides.
In reply to Dirtydog :
I have a tri fold soft tonneau on my ranger, I imagine they're available somewhere for the step side Silverado. No idea where mine came from, was on the truck when I picked it up.
In reply to RevRico :
It seems they hold up OK. How's yours doing?
In reply to Dirtydog :
Pretty good considering I don't know how old it is. The driver's side back corner looks a little bent, but it holds tight on the highway at 75mph and the plastic bed liner stayed dry this past month of rain snow rain.
Not sure if I'd trust it on a race track though, but I don't think my ranger could hit 100 falling out of a plane.
Haha. Well maybe. Terminal velocity i think is about a buck twenty.
Budget first:
previously was 84.98
new money:
GMT800 master: 18 pull a part
GMT800 master cap and adapter fitting: 17
flowmaster muffler and extended cab longbed catback: 30
dash bezel: 15
polk DB 8 inch sub: 37.99
battery cable stud: 4.99
used jeep grand cherokee steering box: 40
autodim/compass/temp mirrir and sensor from a youkon: 9
Now: 256.96
ok, so we fixed the brakes. Found the slider for the right front caliper stuck. Got that freed up. Then I went full ape E36 M3 and went with the GMT800 swap. In hindsight I should have just cut and flared the one line for the different fitting instead of using the adapter fitting. But hindsight is 20/20. it made an incredible difference in brake feel. Pedal takes a lot more leg, but is far more confidence inspiring. We also bled the brakes and ABS system a BUNCH.
20180218_150116 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
20180220_191656 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
we got the starter in at the same time. The issue was apparently that the heavy gauge wire from the solenoid to the starter motor itself had come loose. Si if I had found that previously I could have saved 50 bucks. But now I have a spare!
20180220_191719 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
while I had the truck up on stands, I changed the spacers front and rear. The front had wider spacers than the rear when I bought it. I had read that most drop spindles push the wheels out, so I decided to experiment. The change in spacers (1 ¼ and 1 ¾) front and rear made the wheels feel the wheelwells equally front and rear, and cured the rubbing up front. In the back, while I was there, I re-torqued everything with the flip kit, as well as made the saddles fit the axle a little tighter. This firmed the rear end up significantly, however it still sits about an inch lower than the front. I think either Jeremy was sold a 3/6 drop kit, or the leaves are junk. My moneys on the leaves. Ill have a free set in the next couple of weeks to test this theory.
When I went to the junkyard for the master cylinder, I was able to source a gray dash bezel that is MINT.
20180218_150136 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
I also picked up an exhaust. I would have just bought the muffler for 15 bucks, but broke my sawzall blade and didn't have a spare. Its a flowmaster of unknown series booger welded into an exhaust from an extended cab long bed. Looks pretty new. And for 30 bucks, I have plenty of spare pipe to work with. And new hangars.
20180218_150106 by Michael Crawford, on Flickr
lastly, I got my sub in. I try to practice what I preach, and I often preach about a good 8 inch being enough for the majority of systems. I've used the polk DB series before in the 8 inch, and with great success in hatchbacks. They only require .35 of airspace, which is about the smallest ive seen. So I built a .35 box out of scrap ¾ ply and 1x6 pine scraps. That then completely failed to fit under the passengers seat as I had planned. By about 3/8 of an inch was it too wide. Crap. Its behind the seat now waiting on me to get off my butt and run all my amp wiring and mount the amp (have a leftover punch 300.1, a bunch of 4 gauge cable, extra RCAs, etc. lots of leftovers. Ive also got some leftover alpine component speakers for the doors. Just a matter of getting around to it.) im kind of holding off on some of it until safe and reliable are handled. Interior is first on the upgrade/clean/tweak plan. But, safety first. A good stereo and nice interior aren't worth squat if it kills you.
That .35 sealed box? I've always liked the tight bass that a sealed box gives you.
That's great about the brakes, that seems like a nice upgrade for 30 dollars in parts. How do the hawk pads feel, now that every thing else is sorted?
I am a fan of the red, can't wait to see it after it's painted correctly. How do you plan to remove my shoddy plastidip?
The leaves may be lower than a regular truck's because it is a sport. Mind you it has lift shackles as well and it still sits really low. I never thought of that until now... I will be interested to see if different springs increase the ride height.
Saw this and totally thought of the current driveabeater
In reply to AngryCorvair :
Best Molly Hatchet song ever!
AngryCorvair said:
Saw this and totally thought of the current driveabeater
If you see a set of those wheels....
Never got into Molly hatchet much, but may have to try them again.
Not many of the originals left .....check wikipedia
Posted for the rim, not the song, but they're both pretty solid!
Put the Elky rims on this...you owe it to the elky......those swirly POS's are yu kiddin' me?
Those are Centerline Trigon wheels
Patrick said:Those are Centerline Trigon wheels
And you like cleaning rims in your spare time????
Never forget that I'm solidly in love with the 90s car building style. So piloshed sawblade looking billet wheels are my idea of a good time.
Stampie said:That .35 sealed box? I've always liked the tight bass that a sealed box gives you.
Yes. And i love tight bass. Not a fan of the boomy rattly ported sound. Im primarily a rock listener, but a good sealed box compliments almost every musical style.
In reply to pimpm3 :
Right now, plan is to find a chemical that will eat the plastidip, but not the plastics and rubber. Saturate the truck with said chemical, and hit it with a pressure washer at the coin op car wash. Dont want that mess in my driveway.....
the only way to make a cheap plastidip come off is to cover it with a E36 M3 load more plastidip so it's thick enough to peel off.
That i know of.
Dip Your car makes a solvent for plastidip I think?
In a turn of events that I didn't expect I am going to get to keep my billet wheels. Anybody know how polished aluminum wheels will look with red?
In reply to Mad_Ratel :
Depending on how tomorrow morning goes it may not be my problem. My buddy the body man that I took the El Camino to for the insurance fight that does high-end cars has decided he wants to buy the Salvage. We're negotiating what comes with it and a paint job for my new truck.
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