Firewall rework and cab customization

Today I received these pictures from Horvath Hotrods. Joe and his team have been working hard at redoing our firewall panel to allow additional clearance for the 454 engine.

So if you missed the comments at the end of my previous posting (Cab Work and Alignment on Chassis) you might be asking.. why are you having to redo the firewall? Well when we ordered the new firewall we told the manufacturer we were putting in a Big Block engine into the truck. Our assumption was that Bitchin Products (the manufacturer of the firewall skin panel) would have given us a panel that would accommodate the Big Block engine, however after the new panel was all welded in (looking ready to go) we went to fit the cab to the chassis and found out that there wasn't enough clearance between the firewall and the engine.. This meant there was no way we could make the current firewall work.. I called the manufacturer up only to find out that they really only have one firewall for the 55-59 series Chevy trucks.. They said that its somewhere between a BB and a SB. Well I would have to say its definitely a good fit for a Small Block but no where close to what we needed for the Big Block...

The funny part was that when I asked the company for a solution, the technician told me the easiest remedy would be to cut the motor mounts and move the entire engine 2" closer to the front of the chassis and reweld it in place. I laughed pretty hard on the phone, which I'm sure didn't make the guy too happy. You see that would have been quite a project. Luckily Joe and his guys at Horvath were willing to take on the task of reworking the firewall (which was by far the easier more affordable option than moving the engine.. hah).

Here are some pictures of the the firewall, toe boards, transmission cover, and some other custom work.

The reworked firewall has an additional 7" of clearance in the center to accommodate the dimensions of the engine..

Here you can see the toe board and transmisson access plate.. Looks awesome.

Another view of the interior of the cab. The cross beams were put in place to hold the cab in place without it twisting or coming out of tolerance (critical for fitting doors, etc.)

Attaching the new cab corners to the cab.

Patching the original gas tank opening. The new tank is now in the bed of the truck.

I can't wait to see this all fit together when we're done.. This is gonna be a fun truck.

New Wheels!

Today we picked up our new wheels and tires from Coy's Custom Wheels & Tires. The tires look BAD A$$!

We picked these up a little sooner than expected because the price of the rear wheels kept increasing every time I would call the shop.. We figured we'd need the rear tires available early anyhow to get as accurate of a fit as possible when we cut out the opening in the bed panels for the wheel tubs to make room for all of the rubber you see below.

Rear tire is a Mickey Thompson 29x18R20LT mounted on a 20x14 wheel. The front tire is a Mickey Thompson 26x8R18LT mounted on an 18x7 wheel.

Check out how huge these tires are! They barely fit in the back of the 4-runner!

Sitting next to the current tires on the chassis.. BAD! I love it!

New tires are slightly smaller to give the front a slight rake downward giving the truck a more aggressive stance.

Cab Work and Alignment on Chassis

Today we took the chassis to Horvath Hotrods in Spanish Fork to check out the progress on the cab. Horvath has had the cab for a few weeks now and have sand blasted it and installed the new cab floor and firewall. We figured they could do the job easier than we can since they have a lift to be able to rotate the cab at the right angles to make the welds.

So we loaded the chassis onto the trailer and headed to Spanish Fork!

Zach is a pro at supervising projects now. He checks the straps and looks for anything out of place. He loves hanging out with the guys.

When we got to Horvath, we unloaded the chassis and rolled it over to where the Cab was.

This is where the fun started.. We were able to lower the cab onto the chassis to see how it would look and to fit it to make sure it would bolt onto the chassis.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a lift in your garage? Awesome.

As the cab was coming down onto the chassis we were busy checking clearances, making sure it was ligned up.. and starting to realize.. this is really happening! We're rebuilding a truck!

As you probably noticed from this picture we picked up a new firewall that is a much cleaner style than the original. Its nice gauge steel and should last a long time!

Check it out! Looks like a truck again huh!

Dad, Dave, and Dustin all smiling about how happy we are to finally get to this moment. Thunderpig will live again!!!

Only problem is that the firewall appears to be a little tight.. see how the recessed piece in the middle doesn't quite clear the heads of the engine? Not good. We think the firewall maker may have sent us a firewall for a small block engine, and not a big block engine.. Which means we need to get them on the phone ASAP to have them send us the correct firewall.. Bummer since its already welded in and looks amazing.. If this is indeed the wrong firewall we'll need to cut this firewall out and weld in a different one.. If this is the only firewall for our truck then we'll have to modify the existing firewall to make it fit. Uuugh.

Only 21 inches of clearance.. We need about 4 more inches on both sides to have a comfortable distance from the cab and engine.

Minor set back.. Hopefully we'll get this one figured out soon so we can get the cab on and start working on the wiring and fuel lines.

Visit to Coys Custom Wheels Shop

Today, we went to Coys Custom Wheels shop in Provo Utah to tour their warehouse and to see where they make and customize each and every wheel ordered. We had a chance to see the wheels we're purchasing in a polished finish as well as the chrome finish. The Chrome just jumped out at us.. Even though the polished has a cool look to it, we decided to stick with the Chrome.. I'm easily distracted by shiny things.. and this one definitely caught my attention. We ordered the new wheels (Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/R Radials).. and hope to have them by this weekend or early next week. Then we can put them on the chassis and measure for the clearance on the back of the bed to cut the openings for the wheel tubs (need room for these huge tires).

One of the machines at Coys.. They had just finished this wheel.

What do you think? Top left is the Chrome, and bottom right is the Polished (brushed silver look)

This is the one we went with.. the Chrome just looks outstanding.. and with the chrome we're going to put on the truck, these will look great.

Repairing the Fenders

Today we came home from work and found Dad busy working on the rear fenders of the truck.. He was cutting out rust and making new strips to weld back into place. He had even hammered out 90% of the dents that were in the metal..

Drilling a mounting hole in a new strip of metal to be used on the fender

Cleaning up dents is tedious and time consuming, but well worth it when you have a clean panel with minimal bondo on the metal.

Removing the old rusty sections of steel using the bed of Mary's truck (limited on space in the garage.. sometimes you make due with what you have)

Cutting out a rusted piece from the fender (note the fender is black because it has been sand blasted and then primed to prevent rust)

Grinding on the fender

Preparation and Removal of the Cab

Next up... Finish taking the cab apart so we can pull it off of the chassis and send it to Horvath Hotrod to be sand blasted.

Zach makes a great supervisor.. He runs in, barks a few orders and before you know it we're pulling more parts off of the truck!

Even Jen got in on the action! Taking off Dad's gun rack.. Classic! Back in the 80's didn't everyone have a gun rack in their pickups? :)

Out comes the front and rear windows.. Don't hurt the fuzzy dice!

Zach is always trying to get involved in the project. I do my best to keep him safe at all times.. He even wear's safety goggles! These kept slipping off his face, so we taped them on. There! That should hold'em! Hah! He loved it.

After getting the steering wheel off, Zach kept trying to figure out why it wouldn't honk any more. So we had to make a honking noise ever time he pushed it. That only lasted a few minutes, then we hid the steering wheel. heh heh

Zach helping his Grandpa.. Like I said.. he's an excellent supervisor. ;)

After everything was removed we could actually start lifting the cab off of the frame! Of course I wouldn't be able to do this without Zach's help.. But to pull the entire cab off of the frame I'd need a few more helpers..

Lucky for me, I work with some great guys who were able to help lift the cab off and set it next to the frame. Sorry I didn't get action shots.. I figured I might get hurt if I didn't help them lift it off of the frame.

We had fun, and the guys enjoyed seeing how far we've progressed on the project.

Here's the frame without the cab.. Amazing we've come so far!

Cab next to the frame.

We can do this!!

The old frame and engine..

The cab is much more fun on the ground says Zach.. Now I can run through it while Grandpa tries to catch me!

Interior shot of the firewall and bare dash board

The firewall is in pretty bad shape, so we're going to replace it with a new firewall.

Lets load this thing!

Ok, that was heavier with just Dad and I lifting it.. Thank goodness for dollies!

Road trip to Horvath Hotrod to have it sand blasted and prepped for its new firewall and floor boards!

New Parts

We received a few new parts today! The two front fenders, our new floor for the cab, and our new exhaust we've been impatiently waiting for. Things are really moving now! :)