Builds Let's build a 79 Series from parts... (2 Viewers)

[c2dfj45]

Might be faster to find a chrome plating place near you. A week is a long time this far along in your build! Part way down this there is a nice clean 60 grille that cost him 3$ for a strip: Removing chrome from grill...How

I read the grille thread. Lol....$3 is a deal. NOTHING on this truck has cost me $3. Ha. We use a chrome guy about 2 blocks from my shop but he's a metal refinishing guy. Maybe they could do it but he'll kill me on the cost. He's been in my shop...he knows what we do. Lol. We try to keep vendors out of the shop for that reason...they see the shiny floors and see $$. Ha.

I'm not worried about the time......I think LineX Ultra is the way to go for me. I've been wanting to try the Ultra so I can see how it is....I'd like to be able to use it on future projects if it's what I'm expecting it to be. Unfortunately the 2 local guys aren't set up for Ultra....the guy who does it is an hour away. No biggie.

 

[Blomdala]

I read the grille thread. Lol....$3 is a deal. NOTHING on this truck has cost me $3. Ha. We use a chrome guy about 2 blocks from my shop but he's a metal refinishing guy. Maybe they could do it but he'll kill me on the cost. He's been in my shop...he knows what we do. Lol. We try to keep vendors out of the shop for that reason...they see the shiny floors and see $$. Ha.

I'm not worried about the time......I think LineX Ultra is the way to go for me. I've been wanting to try the Ultra so I can see how it is....I'd like to be able to use it on future projects if it's what I'm expecting it to be. Unfortunately the 2 local guys aren't set up for Ultra....the guy who does it is an hour away. No biggie.

HA! I completely understand that, Same thing here at work. As soon as they see "Toyota" on the paper, we get a quote 5x the cost as any normal retailer who we can't use because they aren't "vetted"

Well I'm looking forward to seeing the results! A little texture and no chrome sounds like a winner!

 

[c2dfj45]

A day of disappointments. We were doing so good....

Seems our 76 series truck was equipped with an R151/HF2A....vacuum switching on that center diff.....so....wiring for a vacuum transfer switch in that harness. Wellllllllll....the H151/HF2A trans/transfer I am using is from an HZJ81(we think) has a center diff that has an electric actuator. Uh oh. We're thinking we will use an 80 series controller for the transfer case as it will need a controller, like the diff lockers in the axles need. So while I worry about the texture on the mirrors....my right hand man gets to figure out how to integrate that controller in.

Maybe there's another way to do it....I'm sure somebody has crossed this bridge. Wish I would have used a factory part time box. Will definitely remember this when the #3 build starts. Hopefully

In other news.....we got the bull bar on. Fabbed up a quick winch controller mount/bracket.

 

[c2dfj45]

HA! I completely understand that, Same thing here at work. As soon as they see "Toyota" on the paper, we get a quote 5x the cost as any normal retailer who we can't use because they aren't "vetted"

Well I'm looking forward to seeing the results! A little texture and no chrome sounds like a winner!

Anything but chrome sounds like winner

I had one of my interior guys stop in at my shop years ago.......middle of a terribly hot FL summer. It's calm....about 77 degrees....exceptionally well lit and clean clean clean. I actually saw the dollar signs in his eyes when he walked in. It's never been the same since. HA! Fortunately they do excellent work....but I sure pay for it.

 

[c2dfj45]

Learned something else today.....I'm suspecting that the ARB bumper I bought, a "Commercial" bar is a bit different from their deluxe ones....and not just in the fog light department. The entire top of this bumper is completely open. You can see a LOT of the condenser, front crossmember, power steering cooler, lines, hoses, bolts....lol...all of it. We've never had the bumper on the truck with all the stuff mounted. Never realized what it would look like. Sure doesn't look very good.

I think we'll build some kind of top plate or something to cover that area up. It does say that the Commercial bar is "optimized for air flow"....so maybe that's the optimization area

 

[tucker74]

The commercial bars are open to accommodate upright and big planetary winches. They stopped making the 80 series one long ago, folks liked them because you could mount an 8274

Tucker

 

[Honger]

Well........no good news on chemical stripping. I tried several products we had here.....Super Clean and Agitene(parts washer stuff)....no dice. Didn't even touch it. Wondering if there isn't some kind of difference in the coatings.

Going to take another shot at it with some Easy Off......

I’ve had luck with common oven cleaner chemicals... spray the foamy kind on and let it sit. Requires multiple treatments.

 

[c2dfj45]

I’ve had luck with common oven cleaner chemicals... spray the foamy kind on and let it sit. Requires multiple treatments.

Hit it with some EZ Off yesterday....nothing. Maybe the mirrors have a stronger plating on them?

 

[c2dfj45]

The commercial bars are open to accommodate upright and big planetary winches. They stopped making the 80 series one long ago, folks liked them because you could mount an 8274

Tucker

That makes sense.....figured it was something like that.

 

[Pacer]

Best bet with the mirrors is just to etch the surface with a glass bead cabinet or what have you.

 

[Honger]

Hit it with some EZ Off yesterday....nothing. Maybe the mirrors have a stronger plating on them?

Man, stout stuff.
Wish they’d coat it in something that tuff that wasn’t chrome.

 

[c2dfj45]

Really strong stuff. LineX Ultra will stick though....

 

[Tapage]

Maybe I miss it in the thread .. but you are using this transfer coz you want AWD or coz it was the one you got..?

 

[c2dfj45]

Another day of wiring stuff. My lead guy had to take a little stuff from an 80.......some stuff from an 81.... a switch from a HZJ76.......a relay/wires/electrical tape.......and hours later, we have a center diff lock harness. Amazing if you ask me. Tomorrow he'll run it into the cab and wire it into the existing harnesses.

 

[c2dfj45]

Maybe I miss it in the thread .. but you are using this transfer coz you want AWD or coz it was the one you got..?

It was the one I had. This truck was going to be an auto but I got coerced into doing a manual(you know who you are @AlbertoSD).

Doing it over, I would have just gone with a part time transfer.

 

[c2dfj45]

I took on the arduous task of installing light bulbs in the headlights

These seemed to get pretty good reviews on Amazon. The 79s headlights are actually pretty good with decent bulbs....I was going to do a projector conversion(super popular in Australia) but I think I'll leave them be. The first truck has covered 30k miles and the lights have been great. We'll do off-road lights on this truck at some point when I decide what I want....leaning towards some KCs

 

[c2dfj45]

With almost all the weight on the front end now....it's really settled. Time to start thinking about which springs will get her back up to where it needs to be. Thinking OME 419s....4" lift.....current is an OME 850....I think that's just a 2" lift spring for an 80. Added a lot of weight between the diesel, extra battery, bar/winch.

 

[c2dfj45]

Sector shaft for the box arrived from Partsouq.....popped it in a box and off it went to West Texas Off Road so they can put the 80 box back together and we can get this thing steering.

It's a thing of beauty.

 

[cruiserdan]

Another day of wiring stuff. My lead guy had to take a little stuff from an 80.......some stuff from an 81.... a switch from a HZJ76.......a relay/wires/electrical tape.......and hours later, we have a center diff lock harness. Amazing if you ask me. Tomorrow he'll run it into the cab and wire it into the existing harnesses.

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From my servitude as a GM dealer Parts Manager.....

"Trim to fit, paint as required."


That was, without a doubt, the worst two and a half worst years of my professional career.

During that time I bought a Dodge Ram W350 Cummins Turbo Diesel. It happened to be the second one sold in the state of Utah. I always parked it out front and the salesmen from the Dodge store would bring customers over to the Chev store to see it. One day one of the Chev salesmen came up to me and asked my why I did that. He was a bit miffed of course. I stated "It's painfully simple. I own what holds up and sell what breaks."

That really messed him up and he sauntered off without a word.

 

[cruiserdan]

Here it is, after being turned into a Crew Cab that never existed. I still have it.