'55 Chevy 3800 Cummins

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by xj_man_646

Looking good! I've never had a good time with wiring

it's always been a sour spot for me too ... never looks good, factory makes it always harder than it should be, etc. this harness not only made it not suck, but was pretty satisfying.

[xj_man_646]

I like the loom tool. That is pretty cool.

[nblehm]

My J10 could use a new harness. The factory jeep wiring under the dash is a rats nest (from the factory)

I pulled all the wiring out of my flat fender and intend to use a universal set up. I need all of about 4 circuits though

[6DoF]

first look at full concept! fenders mounted back n slightly down on the bedside, bedside mounted high and outboard. at full drop i have a very tight 1 finger between the tire and the fender. So unlike factory i actually lined up the body line between the cab to rear fender.

the running board is just sitting on the ground, i'll have to bend up some filler panels to get them mounted. also some kind of support cuz someone will stand on them. i'm debating how i deal with the gap to the cab after the fender moved back. buy a new re-pop board and just splice a section in? cut up 2 new boards to make one new long one? the passenger side is easy cuz it's space for the exhaust, so maybe i mount something else at the back of the cab? my only thoughts have been a Jerry Can holder for spare fuel or WMO. ... NOS bottle?

grabbed some scrap CORTEN steel i still have left over from from building the house to make the new wider header for the bed. i freaking love weathering steel, specially for a project like this. the bent sections worked out really well and is actually really stiff. it's not attached to the frame yet for access reasons ... but i'll eventually get that bolted.

5'2" wide, 9' long, 13" deep, and a flat floor. that's actually a considerable amount of space, especially for a slammed truck. i helped my wife cut all the plywood bed floor sections, used 3/4" pressure treated. once it's had some time to dry, she wants to paint or stain something interesting in it. i'm hoping to just find a 5x9 rubber mat to lay down in there.

[Cobound]

No words

[6DoF]

The List:
(before i drive it to work)
- bracing for the rear of the bed side (made, just needs welded in)
- cut the bed sides in the fender well to fit both tires back on
- taillights (have brackets and lights, wiring 90% run)
- new battery box to mount the new single GP31 commercial
- charge cooler hoses, mount reservoir, fill with water
- final zip-tie'ing of junk along the chassis
- alignment

(before i drive it to WI in July)
- screw down bed floor
- gauges
- f/r bumpers

[Cobound]

Update us on the WI venture in July - where and when, specifics, cuz I'd love to see that bitch in person!

[MBood82]

X2, you'll probably drive right by!

[6DoF]

https://www.iolaoldcarshow.com/

if all goes well, driving up July 11th ... show 12th - 13th ... driving home 14th. a buddy who lives in the WI thumb invited me and a few other friends up for the weekend, we might only be doing one day at the show.

[6DoF]

last night was busy ... got the rear bed side supports in and they worked amazing. that bed is SOLID now. i'm actually getting excited for the body work to build a tailgate. i'm torn between stitching 2 re-pop together or building one from scratch that'll open level with the bed floor. i'm leaning that direction currently.

got he tail lights installed, but not wired yet. they weren't fitting well down low with the fender crammed against the bed side upright ... then i found the exact spacing and and angled holes again up top, with a hole to run wires from already there. they just bolted on, kinda felt like a sign. up higher on the dropped truck will also be easier for the other idiot drivers to see.

chopped up the 2 battery tray's i had to make one bigger jobbie that will fit my new Group31 commercial battery. same battery as my 1st gen 12v truck, i do like to standardize. pretty sure it will actually fit on the outside of the frame behind the passenger tires with easy access by just popping off the little bed floor square back there. thinking about how to make that section quick disconnect too.

[xj_man_646]

That looks awesome. Who are you visiting in WI? Anyone from MTU?

[6DoF]

so right now it actually looks like Colin (philyZJ) will be riding with me out there, Stevie is driving up, and we'll be staying with Kevin (had that stock tan/burgundy square body Dak at MTU)

would be awesome to see other ppl at the show!

[Cobound]

Dammit, Iola, I knew that was going to be it. Bownut always went to that prior to moving to CO...it's a good show, you'll enjoy it, but likely a bit too far for me to jaunt when I already have cabin things on the calendar

[MBood82]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

so right now it actually looks like Colin (philyZJ) will be riding with me out there, Stevie is driving up, and we'll be staying with Kevin (had that stock tan/burgundy square body Dak at MTU)

would be awesome to see other ppl at the show!

Let me know what day you end up going, it's a ~3 hour drive for me and I bet my neighbor and his kid would love to tag along.

I wouldn't drive the K5 that far but would bring the 300C at least. I'd be happy to show off the K5 on your way by though, my house is only 15 minutes off I-94 (Gurnee exit) and I could meet you somewhere closer if you need to make time.

[xj_man_646]

Maybe I'll need to take a cruise over that way to say hi to you fools. Only a few hours away.

[6DoF]

Dat a$s!

[6DoF]

they backfilled the barn yesterday, so as soon as the new battery tray was sorted i went for a photo op! and immediately got stuck.

[xj_man_646]

Hell yeah, that looks so awesome! Gonna be one of the coolest tow rigs out there.

[Cobound]

That thing is sooooo long, and sexy.

LOL, made for good pix tho, so getting stuck was worth it!

[6DoF]

that was a shockingly productive weekend even though it feels like i wasted a lot of it in couch-potato mode.

the gauge cluster is officially installed and fully functional! the Dakota Digital guys really do make it super easy. i already had sensor wires in the painless harness and their kit had whole new pre-terminated runs with nice connectors. playing with colors, i was thinking more subtle but the wife wanted the green it's amazing how many wires ended up behind the dash too, freaking crazy. everything is in harness form, so it's actually pretty organized when your hands are in there, and the dash modules have a service loop to all pull out of the dash for access. still looks trash til the cluster is screwed in there are also 4 different coils of multiple wires for future add-ons or unused circuits shoved back there too. ideal i'd pull the entire harness back out and remove a LOT of wire. one day, just not today.

as part of finishing up all the wiring while i had that mess out, i needed a phone charger. found a USB adapter in my cabinet and got it mounted to the factory dash strut. easy access, out of the way, and mostly hidden. i actually had the dash control rocker switch there, but was too weird to hold a button while turning the key on for setup. left hand access is way better, and easier to toggle screens while driving. i still had no way to cover the last remaining factory hole in the dash til the wife said phone mount. so obvious now! quick print and she's really solid. after I'm sure i don't want to make any more changes I'll print it in carbon filled matte black to match everything else. eventually i'll toss the bluetooth retro radio in there and the phone will control it all anyways.

i'm a little stuck waiting on parts at the moment ... new 1410 double cardin to take in and have a new drive shaft made ... extension adapters to get the air suspension sensors hooked to the dash so i have a setpoint to do an alignment from ... that's when i actually get to do a real test drive.