pope_face

I think in a normal-sized oven you might be able to do everything up to the stock wheels... Sounds like a good idea, but I have no idea how to do it. Is it possible to get powdercoat in a rattle can? I've got a little toaster oven that I've used for softening plastics and glues and whatnot, so if I can get a spray can like that I could powdercoat small bits of trim and all.

Nice, perfect timing on this as well for me. I was considering moving my whole steering box forward to get more clearance... Any idea if it's possible to swap just the column, or does the entire box have to go? Now to try to find a '77 steering column up here... Anyone in Washington have one they'd like to sell me? :D

Mike: Thanks for the suggestion, but I've got a set of stock tails for the 521. I just really like the smooth look of a rollpan, so my aim is to build the lights into the pan. I suppose I could just put the lights on and fill in the area around them though... That's an option. Shady: I think I'll do something like that... I'll probably keep the Recaro unless I really can't get in and out of the car with the new wheel mounted. Hopefully the steering wheel won't stick too far out, otherwise I'll have to relocate the steering box to move the column forward...

Ok, I managed to track down the elusive Momo #3503 hub today, so I can mount my new wheel as soon as I get the adapter for it. I've also managed to figure out what to do with my speakers, and gotten most of my rollpan made... I just need to figure out taillights and mount them.

Price? Pics?

Duke: I'll keep that in mind, but I don't have the headrest... closest thing I've got is the headrests from the '69 510. It might fit, but I haven't checked yet. But, you're pretty far away from me, so that might be an issue. Shady: Thanks for the info... The seats look good, but I'll look for an adjustable seat. I took a look at the Scat seats and they look good, and some of them are pretty cheap too. They've also got the holes for 5-point harnesses, which is nice. I'll look into actual costs soon, and maybe I'll pick one up for a test fit. What if I used a bar to wrap the shoulder belts over, but attached it to the back of the Recaro instead? Like, bolt two bars up along the back of the seat so they come up past the top, then another small bar between them? If I used something like 1/4" flat bar for the vertical parts and a tube at the top between them it might work. 1/4" should be big enough not bend from the force of the belts pulling on it, and only a few inches would be sticking out over the top of the seat anyway.

Didn't look at the link, but that's partially what convinced me in the end to do the rotary swap... nice little trucks. I've seen one around here recently... Man am I stoked to finish my truck... Racing Beat is an aftermarket performance manufacturer for Mazda rotaries... and yeah, I've gotta get a good custom exhaust system done up by the shop, else I'll be swapping out mufflers once a month...

Alright, well I decided to bite the bullet and just do it... I started off by wrapping the lens in packing tape so that everything would stick together in case I accidentally cracked it, grabbed a small wire cutter, and went to town on the leads out the back of the bulb. I wore big gloves in case the glass cracked or exploded. There was a little nib between the two leads, and I ended up cracking it off as well. Turns out it was hollow, so there was a little hole in the back of the bulb, which meant no vacuum. Got the leads out, and managed to put a hole in the back big enough to mount an H3 bulb. Ended up breaking a big chunk out of the back, but it means I can slide the bulb in and out easily. Rinsed the inside out with rubbing alcohol to get it clean, stuck in the new bulb, taped it down, and mounted everything back together. Now I've got a fog/flood lamp with a bulb that can be easily swapped. I'll show pictures when I have a chance to load them.

Has anyone ever tried to cut or drill the back of a solid-glass headlight or something? I've got a cool old-style foglamp I want to stick on my truck, but it's a solid glass 6V bulb. I would swap out just the bulb itself, but it's an awkward diameter (4 3/8"), and the housing is fairly shallow. So, I want to see if I can cut or drill a hole in the back big enough to stick a small bulb in there, like an H1. It doesn't have to sit perfectly or anything, I just want it to put out some light. Only issue is, I'm not sure if the glass will shatter if I try to drill through, and I'm not sure if it's pressurized. There's a couple rubber/plastic plugs in the back where the leads for the filaments come out, so I might try pulling those out first. Anybody have any ideas on how to go about this? I'd rather not shatter the glass, but if the back cracks it's ok. I just don't want to destroy the front of the glass, cause I have no idea how I'm going to replace it.

You've got a regular cab right, not a KC? I'll look at Lordco and see what I can find. Who are they made by? And can I just walk into Lordco and pick them up, or are they like a special order? On a side note, I've started on my roll pan... Maybe I'll finish it today.

What's the difference between the two boxes? Does one contain just the heater, and the other has the blower? Actually, that makes sense... I really ought to tear into into mine soon and get it working.

Nice, that is a real clean truck... I totally agree with Mike, it's not over-chromed and it definately makes you look at how the truck was built, not how it's painted. Very cool. I think I'm taking a bit of everything for my truck... when you think about it it's really a total mess. I want the paint to be sort of rat-rod-ish, the front end is part rallye car and part classic. The rear-end is going to be more street truck. The interior is going to be more classic British. I'm sort of all over the place with it, but hopefully it'll all work out in the end.

I don't think I could find a Kragen on this side of the border... I was looking at Sparco seats, and the Sparco Steel seat looks like it would work. It's small, low sides, and holes for the shoulder harnesses, and it's under $300. But... if I order it in, will it fit? I'll try to work off this seat for now. The truck originally came with just lap belts, so anything I do is an upgrade...

Scott, thanks for the compliment. It's nice to know that the man who sets the trends appreciates some scallops :D Speaking of 521's, the 411 Ute you did is tiding me over for the time being. It looks similar enough, but you've still got the option of doing something really special with the 521. Actually... I think if you do a 521 you should just build it. Don't bother drawing it, just build it, take a picture, put it onto one of your backgrounds, then make it look like it was drawn. Or, draw one, but don't reveal it till the truck is done in the same style. :D

Fisch, as has been said, you never cease to amaze me. That looks incredible... I know I joined after you, but I remember back before we found out how well you could draw... It seems like you've gone from a member, to a guy that can draw, to an artist, to a legend... :thumbup:

Updates! I know, I posted this morning, but I've got pictures. The steering wheel that's going in the truck: And the turn signals: I apologize for the quality... I only had my cell phone on me. The lights are pretty much brand new Harley signals... no scratches or anything on the chrome or lenses. They're only single filament bulbs though, so I might try to change them over to a dual filament so I can use them as parking lights as well. Ignore the tripod in the second pic... I was trying to figure out the placement of a fender mirror. I also ordered a set of vents for the dash... they should arrive in about a week or so. I also tried the Recaro out again... I'm being indecisive with it, but I realized that the fit isn't as bad as I originally though. I'm going to temporarily mount it and see how hard it is to get in and out of it. I think I'm also going to bolt a couple bars across the inside of the rear window so I can use shoulder belts.

Lol, Shady, I haven't even driven it yet... =P I've still got a long way to go to finish it, but you don't live too far from me, so we should meet up one of these days. Bonvo: In the pic the seat is actually a little lower than it'll be. That's the problem with a truck so small... if I mount it any lower, my feet will be too close to the pedals and I won't be able to drive comfortably. Any higher, and my legs will hit the steering wheel and my head will hit the roof. I think any seat I put in I'll have issues with. The 510 seats I've got are fairly comfortable, and would work for me, but they need some work, at least the driver's side. The base is sagging, the cover is ripped, and there's no lateral support. The Recaro is great... Good condition, nice and firm, great lateral support... the only issue is, I can't get in and out of it with the steering wheel in place. So, I either have to put in a quick release kit for the wheel (which apparently may not be legal) or I have to hack out the left side of the seat and either mount it to the door or with some sort of hinge and lock. Either one of those options would work well, but it's a matter of commiting to one and doing it. I just bought the seat too, so it's a matter of either cutting into it and hoping it works, or selling this seat and trying to find a new, adjustable sport seat that'll work. As far as racing/sport seats and harnesses, if I find one with the slots cut out for the shoulder straps, can I just run the belts directly from the mount up and through the slots, or do I still have to wrap them over a bar or something behind the seat? Edit: Alright, looks like a shoulder harness can be wrapped right over the slot in a racing seat, so that might be what I'm going to look into. Sucks that all the decent seats are so damn expensive though...

Nice... Yeah I noticed the wing too, looks cool. Nice little truck. The colour is awesome. :D

Alright, I haven't gotten anything done yet, although I did manage to pick up a few bits... I got the metal to make the roll pan, a mirror for my fender, and a couple bits for the interior... I'm putting in an automatic transmission, but I don't want it to be super obvious. Besides, what's a sport-truck without a stick shift? So... I'm planning on modifying the stock shifter to work with my new transmission. It'll have a nice stock look (probably the only stock bit inside the truck) but still work. In other news, it looks like the Recaro might not be going in after all... I'm starting to run into too many issues with getting in and out of the truck with a seat that high, especially once I swap the steering wheel out. If anyone's interested, I may eventually sell it... The other issue is seatbelts. I really want a four-point harness, but I've gotta be careful with how I mount the shoulder straps. They've gotta be at least at shoulder height, if not higher. So, I've gotta find some way to run a bar behind the seat to be able to loop them over, without interfering with the seat or my head... Edit: Anyone know if it would be alright to mount the shoulder straps above the rear window? My head just barely clears the roof, and my shoulders come about halfway up the rear window. Or, what about bolting a bar across the inside of the rear window, about halfway up? The only issue is that I don't have stock shoulder belt mounts, so the bolts would have to go through the metal to the outside... unless I welded a nut to the inside of the pillar... I don't know if I trust my welding skills enough for something as important as seatbelt mounts though.

Hahaha, I figured you meant white coloured... I wanted to run with Mike's comment... :D I think we've got hoodies with rising suns on them... wait, what are the member's jackets for again? I suppose you could make your own... go to a vintage/consignment store and track down an old white bomber jacket, then get a big ol' chunk of fabric and draw out a rising sun. Cut out, sew on, and you're set.

Damn, hate to hear that... I know I'd freak if anything happened to my truck... it's strange how one ton of metal, plastic, and rubber can have such a meaning on one's life. But, I hope things go well with the insurance company... when mine's ready to be insured I'm not taking any chances. I'm getting an appraisal done and insuring it for that amount.

Are we talking about the boot between the defrost ducting and the plastic vent? I didn't have one on mine... the two bits were just attached by electrical tape. I don't know the size needed, but if you need rubber bits you might be able to track them down at Home Depot or a reliable hose/line shop. There's a good one up here called Greenline Hose And Fitting... the company I work for buys all their hydraulic lines there. Their prices are a little higher than going to a hardware store, but they've got just about everything I could need. If all else fails, go to a shop like that and buy a length of rubber hose/tubing and cut it into bits, apply hose clamps, and voila, instant rubber boots. Edit: Damn, just realized what you meant by the boot... yeah, that'll be hard to replicate. Has anyone considered making a replacement out of sheetmetal or something? You might be able to do that and just use silicon to seal the edges.

Ok, not a particular motorcycle club, but any outlaw biker gang. /end off topic

Now that I think about it, a White Members Only jacket wouldn't really work with a rising sun... it'd be sorta contradictory. But, a white tablecloth and pointy hat should be sufficiant. :rolleyes:

Hang: I remember hearing something about that... wasn't there a biker gang or something called "1%"? The pic reminded me of it...