Body work on my '86

[JoeR Jr]

Nice job, I put rear quarters on my 83 K5 the other weekend. Had some free time myself.

Cool. I bet they require a lot of cutting and fitting.
Joe

 

[JoeR Jr]

Got the mirrors on it a couple of days ago. Had to drill the holes for them. I have to admit that it took a bit of nerve to drill holes in the panels I just fixed, but it had to be done. I measured a few other squares before I did mine. Also, I had ordered the mirrors from LMC but they left a big gap behind them, and it was just too much for me. Luckily a buddy of mine came across a nice set in the bone yard, so that's what on there.
Here's a pic of the paint on the door. I went with Deep Ocean Blue Metallic off a 2017 Silverado.
I also ordered AC from Classic Auto Air. It should be here Thursday, as long as UPS is on time. I'm curious to see if my 2 speed electric fan will be enough to keep the condensor cool. If not, I'll add a pusher fan on the front.
Joe

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[RoryH19]

Cool. I bet they require a lot of cutting and fitting.
Joe

For sure. And a lot of tack welds.

 

[JoeR Jr]

This week I started adding aftermarket AC. I went with Classic Auto Air. Their kit is pretty nice, but not perfect. I've never installed one before though, so it may be comparable to other kits.
Here is the unit before installing it under the dash. Everything is included in one unit. Heater Core, Evaporator Core, Blower Fan and vent controls.
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Here it is installed in position behind the glove box. getting it there was pretty easy.
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This is the block off plate for the old heater box and fan.
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Here's a view of it from the right door. I've got the dash off so it is easier to install the vent tubing.
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Here's the dash pad back on it. I'll probably pop it back off before too long. I want to try the epoxy repairs I see guys posting about. I sure can't hurt it, so may as well try.
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[JoeR Jr]

Things that were a pain in the butt:
None of the vents fit as I thought they should. The dash vents required modification to fit in the holes.
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The long vent that attached to the passenger side was broken in 2 pieces. I'm not sure if I'll bother them about it or not. The vents work like thety should, and it bolted into the dash decently.
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One of the vents also had a louver that was popped out of position. I took the vent apart to fix it, so it's OK now. It shouldn't come out of the box like that though.
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[JoeR Jr]

Here's a couple of pics of the dash vents. I used a small pair of pliers to bend the edges of the vent up. This made them drop into position. Also the bolt holes didn't quite line up, but if I used smaller diameter bolts and some washers they were held in place properly.

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The thing I was least happy with was the compressor setup. I went with a low mount like on the engine originally. It's a tight fit on the C10 but it bolts in there fine. However the hose connections also have the hose connections right at the compressor. The pressure side of the compressor puts the hose fitting right against the frame. If I did it again I'd go with a different mounting position. You'll never get a gauge connected to this hose. At some point I'm going to add a high side pressure sensor on here. That way I can have my PCM run the fans properly. They will negate any need to mess with that connection. I'll be able to read the pressure on my scanner.
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I've got my hoses all cut to length now, and I'll head to the parts store to see if their hydraulic hose machine will compress my adapters properly. If so, I just need to evac/charge it and I'll have working AC in my C10.

In all fairness to the kit, there are lots of things that were great about it. Tech Support was helpful too. The directions weren't clear on the heater valve location for an LS swapped installation. I contacted them and the guy on the phone was able to help me out quickly. It's nice when you call someone that knows what they are talking about.

Joe

 

[fried_daddy]

Truck looks like it is coming along great with the paint job. That primer is soooo smooth after all the sanding!! I guess that's why alot of people end up riding around with primer a while before they throw the paint on it.

 

[JoeR Jr]

Thanks Fried Daddy. You saw how rough it was before, so that means a lot. Primer does make everything look good. We'll see how I did once the base/clear is on it. I found a new painter and he says he can get it in the booth by Thursday. I'm looking forward to it.
Joe

 

[JoeR Jr]

The kit didn't come with any supports for the line, but I know for sure if you don't support the lines coming out of the the condensor you'll be putting a new one in before long. so I added 2 supppports on the radiator support.
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here's the new control head. It looks nice. the fan speed lever goes down to turn the fan on. I've never seen one operate like that before, but as long as it works well and is durable then I'm OK with it.
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Here's a pic of the left vent. notice that it partially covers the screw holding the dash in. While this is perfectly fine for this installation, If I was building a show truck I'd have to do something different here. If you're anally retentive, you're going to have to spend some time with this in order to make it look right. same thing goes foor the vent installed at the coin holder.
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Lastly, I was hoping they had a way for me to screw a second pressure sensor in at the dryer. The LS processor is capable of running high/low speed fans, as well as bumping the idle when the AC is on. Unfortunately they told me they don't have a provision for that, so I'll have to find another way to wire it up. It's not the end of the world, but it sure would have made for a neat and reliable installation.

Joe

 

[fried_daddy]

A/C system is looking good. Can't wait to see what the truck looks like after it gets back from the paint shop.

 

[JoeR Jr]

Got the truck back from being sprayed yesterday. It looks kinda purple when the pics are taken inside, but the blue metalflake really comes out when it's in the sunlight. The pics of it outside are the true color of the truck. I'm definitely happy with it.
The paint isn't perfect, but I really wasn't interested in it being a show truck. It's a daily driver and will see regular work. Perfect paint wouldn't be perfect for long on it.
The clips that hold the grill on were just too brittle, and when I tried installing it they pretty much just crumbled. I'm on the hunt for a stock looking grill. There are a few cheap aftermarket ones. Anyone ever tried them? Any good?
I'm also temporarily stuck on the window felts. The outside ones fit fine but the ones that attache to the door panels won't work. the clips on them are much smaller than the ones I took off. Any chance my door panels are from an earlier truck?

Joe

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[JoeR Jr]

The Classic Auto Air blows crazy-cold. On low blower it about freezes me out of the truck. It's often in the 30s. turning the blower to high got me about 42 degrees from the vents while it was mid 80s out today.
Got my bumpers back on and it's mostly complete. I just have to put a new grill in there and figure out the door felts and I'm done for now.
I learned a lot doing the body work on this old truck. I didn't have too much to lose on it because it was pretty rough. I did spend a few bucks on the paint though, so I'm really happy that it came out straight. Both my mentor and painter were really happy with how straight the sides of the truck came out. The hail damage on the hood isn't perfect, but it's a lesson learned.

Eventually I need to replace the rims on it. I'd LOVE to have a set of Weld Superlites on there, but I'm WAY too cheap for that. Stock Rally rims would be great too. I may chase down a set sometime.

Joe

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[fried_daddy]

Paint job came out great!!! There were a few C10's this time last year at the 109 U Pull It just south of I-40 if you are looking for grill pieces. I got both fenders, inner fenders, and a header panel from a truck there. They seem to keep older vehicles around there compared to the other yards I tried when I was living up there.

 

[JoeR Jr]

Thanks Fried Daddy. I picked up a new grill for it. My next project will be to replace the radiator with a bigger one. While my stock radiator worked for 6k miles, it heats up at idle with the AC on. My fan can't keep up, so it's time for a big block radiator and twin cooling fans.
Joe

 

[JoeR Jr]

Went from wagon wheels to rally wheels today. I've been wanting them for a while. that should do it for everything on the outside of the truck. Next to work on the interior. I need to do something with my seat, and eventually the dash.
Joe

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