Recent Truck Updates

Its been a few months since I last posted.. The truck is still at Horvath Hotrods.. They've been working on the fuel system and wiring for us.. On Monday they should get the steering column parts and brake/accelerator components. I'll do my best to get some pictures on here..

Here we are looking under the truck.. making sure everything looks right.

Sarah and her husband Nick were able to drop by the shop with us to check out the truck.

Fuel lines look good.. Nick and Sarah both gave a collective nod of approval..

Lots of loose wires inside the cab.. Trying to figure out where everything will run and to make sure we have all of the wires needed to power everything.

As for whats up next.. In a few weeks we should have a new custom built radiator coming in from Be Cool.. It's supposed to be able to cool up to a 700HP engine which is plenty of cooling power for us. Here are some pics of what it will look like.. This is for a Ford set up, but ours should have a very similar setup with the same dual fans & brackets.. On our radiator, the inputs/outputs (the tubes shown with the red tape) will be on opposite sides of the tank and it will be polished.. We can't wait to receive and install it!



Also, the AC (Vintage Air) has been ordered and should be here the following week. I'm a bit worried about putting in AC in the truck as it didn't originally have AC and requires some "fitting" as I've been told. We'll see.


I've also purchased new oak wood and trim for the bed and a sweet billet style dash assembly with Autometer gauges.. The dash assembly and gauges are the same as below.



The next few weeks are gonna be fun!

Horvath Hotrods

The truck has been at Horvath Hotrods the past few weeks. They're going to help us run the wiring, complete the steering, and install the fuel system. I'll keep you all posted on their progress when I get a few more pictures.

For now though, click on the image below to check out their new website!

The old chassis takes a trip to its new home!

Ever since we stripped down the old truck and started rebuilding the truck on the new chassis, the old chassis has been used as a workbench for my Dad and I. Even though this has been convenient, we've realized several times that it would be even more convenient to have some space around the truck making it easier to work.. not to mention how nice it would be to be able to park the 4-runner in the garage again *grin*. Joe mentioned that he was interested in the old chassis and engine (a low mileage 327 with Corvette heads).. So we decided to load it up and head to Horvath Hotrods! :)

Zach had fun helping us prepare the old chassis for its road trip..

To hear a funny story on what happened to us on the way back from dropping off the chassis, click here :)

Bed work - wheel tub preparations

Yesterday we set out to mount the bed to the frame. In order to do this, we needed to cut a rough opening into the bed walls so the tires would have clearance. The 0penings will later be cleaned up and widened further when we receive the new wheel tubs and weld them into the bed.

Here are some of the pictures I took on my phone while Dad was using his torch to cut the wheel openings in the panels..

As you can see from the pictures... there were a lot of sparks and red hot steel... As a result of this... I appologize for not getting a picture of the small fire that emerged after the first panel was cut.. I was running to find something to put the fire out with. :-P

First fire on the truck.... "check". We probably should have moved the card board. LOL!

Engine Dressing

Today we received our new Tru Trac Serpentine Belt system from Billet Specialties.. The complete kit included most of the components we've needed for the engine. Its amazing what a dozen or so chrome parts can do for an engine.. Oooh! So Shiny!! :)

This is a picture of the Tru Trac system we purchased from Billet Specialties (through Doug Herbert).. I know.. Awesome right?

Opening the packages from Billet Specialties was better than Christmas! Way better.. New parts for the truck are so fun!

Here is a side view of the engine with the new components installed. Also you can see on top of the engine is our new Holley Street Avenger 770cfm carburetor we purchased from Ryan at Doug Herbert Performance Engines.

Here is Dad tightening the last bolts down on the engine.. This was a lot of fun.. See that smile? :)


This is the front left side of the engine.. The AC Compressor (top left), the serpentine belt tensioning pulley (bottom left), water pump and pulley (center right), and part of the crank shaft pulley (bottom right).


This is the right front side of the engine.. Here you can see the Alternator (top right), power steering pump and pulley (bottom right), and in the center of the engine is the water pump and pulley (bottom left of picture).


So here it is all finished!! All that was needed was to top off the carburetor with an Edelbrock air filter and Voila! Magnifico!

The Power Windows

The new power window motor and hardware is now installed in the passenger side door of the truck.. Dad rigged the slide to go up and down with a few wires, an alligator clip, or two, and the truck battery, since the switches with power won't be hooked up until we're closer to finishing the truck..

We made a cardboard cutout for the installation so we wouldn't scratch the glass.. seemed to work pretty well!

Laying out the new power window motor and rail.

Hooking up power to the motor to make sure everything works as expected.

Time to test it out! Watch the video above to see how it went!

It worked!!! Thats one happy Dad!

Now that this door is ready, its time to start on the next one!

Inner Fenders & Prep for Engine and Fuel System

Dad never ceases to impress me with his dedication to the project.. I came home from work on Monday and Dad had the first fender cut to fit around the suspension and control arms and installed in the truck.. The next day he had the second inner fender finished and in place..

With the inner fenders installed, now we can start thinking about how the fuel lines will run to the engine as well as what engine components will work with the space we have (ie: alternator, water pump, AC compressor, belts, fan, radiator, etc)

Engine compartment with inner fenders installed..

There's about 12" of space from the engine to the radiator support brace. Hopefully that's enough clearance for the radiator, fan, and engine components..

Side view of the engine and how much clearance we have..

This is where we'll tie in the fuel line in the engine compartment.

The fitting has been removed to get a close up in the next picture.

6AN connector for a 3/8" line

This is where we'll tie in the new fuel line by the tank

Here is the bracket where we'll mount the fuel pump and filter