Wristy's 1980 Meatmobile build up

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I did not use any of the factory relays or fuses from my 89. all mine i installed uunder the dash using Bosch 4 pin relays.
if you opt to do it this way, its IMO easier than pulling the whole harness out of your donor truck
 
i made the switch panel. thats all wired in now

4 LED's 2 turn, charge and check engine

i couldnt afford 4 more switches. they will be for aux lights any way. now i have everything i need to drive it down the road legally. or at least close to it :doh:

crimpprocedure010.jpg
 
and of course the rear drive shaft and the crossmember the way the are dont work.
i modified the crossmember, but its only temporary, and there is no way i am posting that pic on here :eek:

the rear shaft from the 80 is too long, and the one from the 89 is too short.

so i will use the half and half, so the flanges bolt up, and build a square shaft. i dont give a damn about vibration, and besides, i will use grade 8 bolts and lock tight...
 
I really like the piston/rod shift handle :cool:

and the switch plate came out terrific wristy keep em comin!
 
Hilux said:
while were on the subject, can anyone tell me why a vertical shackle is so popular? :confused:

I see them on EVERY Aussie rig I've ever looked at. Truly a W.T.F.

I cant figure out why this would be intentionally, seems as though its in the most prominent off road country's or areas. Do they know something I dont?......Like how and where to achieve useless flex?

The Man-a-Fre catalog is full of pics of them.


.another case in point
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There are a lot of manufacturers that make stock length springs that are stiff by nature because they are very short (Toyota front and rear) and are supposed to provide lift. Those springs will almost always have a vertical shackle angle. I've had Superlift springs, Pro-comps springs, and 53 inch (or so) Deaver springs on the rear of the same 80 pickup. The pro-comp springs were too short and almost provided a negative shackle angle/vertical shackle with the stock shackle. I returned them because they ddin't flex worth a damn and were too short. The superlift springs were the appropriate length for a little bit more positive shackle angle but were stiff and still didn't flex (Toy factory hangers are just too close together for any real flex) so I took a 1 leaf out of each spring. They flexed GREAT 1 trip but fatigued to the point of riding on the bumpstops after 1 hour on a pretty rough trail. The deavers I had were already broken in and my friend welded them in according the deavers instructions and I ended up with a great shackle angle. Most AllPro/Marlin/Sky/Trail gear setups you see will have a relaxed shackle angle once broken in. 90% of the time a crappy shackle angle just comes from an aftermarket stock length lift spring.
 
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i pretty much finished the interior.
painted it all black. painted my switch panel and CB radio olive drab.

i put my special box ;) some of you may know what is is :grinpimp: and my cd player in the glove box. i had to cut out the rear of the box to fit the cd player.

this looks way better than the boring tan.

the floor will remain the way it is. i see no point in spending money on anything, as it will soon be covered in mud.
 
So I won this fan off a taurus, and i installed it today. every thing was going fine untill i went to put on the power steering belt. the belt hits the motor case. :doh:
I used the radiator off the 89 22RE. the deck height of that one is 2 3/4" the 80 20R is 1 7/8"

I will swap the fan around and I think that will give me enuff room for the belt.
So, FYI, use the stock radiator when installing a electric fan ;)
 
WristPin said:
i pretty much finished the interior.
painted it all black. painted my switch panel and CB radio olive drab.

i put my special box ;) some of you may know what is is :grinpimp: and my cd player in the glove box. i had to cut out the rear of the box to fit the cd player.

this looks way better than the boring tan.

the floor will remain the way it is. i see no point in spending money on anything, as it will soon be covered in mud.
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dash012.jpg


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I painted my CB radio OD green :grinpimp:
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the check engine and charge light
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i used some honda delsol seats. i ripped the cottin pickin head rests off there. i hate those things :bang:

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dash015.jpg


used a ammo box for a center console. sweeeeet

gotta have a fire extinguisher

dash016.jpg
 
The drivers side vent hole, i taped off the hole in the cowl. I always hated that. then made a home for a little 4" speaker.

the passenger side vent, i used the outer grommet and ripped apart a coffee cup, duct taped em together, and now i have a storage hole.

the cup holder affixed to the switch panel is from the swivel vents, the ones i just described.
a 12 oz can fits in there PERFECT.

the heater unit is pretty much worthless. there are vents in front, but never blew warm air, it was always cold. so I taped off the hole, removed the louvers, and now have a second storage hole.

since i now have no heater controls, i wired up a Hi only switch for the fan, and rigged all the flaps to fresh~defrost at all times. if i want no hot air at all, all i gotta do is open the hood and close the heater valve.
 
the del sol seats fit in there pretty good. i wouldnt say it was a direct bolt in, but dang close. the front mounts, i only had to drill one hole. the rear, only one side touched the floor, and drilled a hole there.
the other rear mount sits about one inch above the floor. and below that hole but off to a side is a weled nut. so making a spacer and drilling a hole would interfere with the nut. so i screwed in a 1.25" bolt, and the seat bracket sits on top of it. once the other three ate tight, the seat does not move around on that one bolt. its alllll good :grinpimp:

plus these honda seats are wayyy more comfy than the old worn out yota ones
 
this pic gives me an idea. how cool would it be to have glow in the dark paint foe the skull?! awesome!

and this truck is still along ways from being done. i need a fuel pump (external, NOT in tank) and i need to make the driveshafts.
all i really need is money. i am BROKE. literally. i paid rent today, and im flat broke!
:doh:
 
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