90 Jimmy build thread

[brooks294x4]

my plan is 2 weeks from now my buddy will be in from iraq, so the july 4th weekend i wanna take him to creek falls and party for the day. hopefully we can get a few people back there and have a good time. his stepfather also is Leon, who owns the road in hawkins hollow, blue hole, whatever you guys know it as. im gonna try to meet up with him and set somethin up so i can call him when we wanna have a ride up there.

[jim91303]

cool . i will be home that week end, and was wanting to go out that weekend. just might see ya there!

[Davidmichael]

that's a lot of work you got done. It's great to have friends who can help! Can't wait to see it done.

[brooks294x4]

didnt get a lot done today, my buddy had to do the fathers day routine so we quit early. i did pick up a nice army ammo bin that im gonna use as a toolbox for in it at parts o rama today.

got the coolant topped off
filler neck switched over
oil cooler remounted
back seat mounted
50% of dash in
hinges redone and doors mocked up.

the bad, one of my buddies cracked the windshield takin it out, so i need another.

gonna bring a few things home from work tomorrow and try to finish the doors, mount the passenger seat, swap the VIN tag, and fix some wiring connections. no use painting it until i get a hood so i can do it all at once. i like the pregress, let me know what ya think.

[Davidmichael]

nice doors!. What's wrong with the hood it's got?

[gonecheenin]

old style hood isn't gonna fit that 81-up front clip dude, just cut the cab to fit the newer style hood hinges.

See here;

http://coloradok5.com/grilleswap.shtml

Radiator Support, Fenders, Hood and Hinges
When I upgraded to the ’82 front clip, I followed these steps. Install the radiator support, radiator and shroud. I used my existing ’78 radiator and shroud. The next few steps are a bit complicated and require installation and removal of the fenders and hood. View the images, then mark and cut two rectangle holes in the firewall for hinge recess. Bolt the fenders and inner fenders onto the truck only using a few bolts to line up the parts. Be sure to tighten these bolts after aligning the panels because you will be making some measurements for the hood mounting hinges. After installing the fenders, install the hood hinge spring to the fender and let it hang down out of the way for now. Next install the hood hinges on the hood. Make sure the hood latch is installed in the radiator support. Have a friend help you install the hood and hinges in the correct location. After installing the hood, line it up with the front and top of the fenders. Next mark the holes where the hinge mounts on top of the firewall (2 holes on each side). After making sure the hood is perfectly lined up and you are sure of the holes you have marked, remove the hood. There are several options you may have here. I did not have enough metal on the outside of the firewall to drill holes and mount the hinges. My Blazer required me to either weld an extra piece of metal to the firewall for the new hinges, or simply weld the hinge mounting brackets to the firewall and be done with it. I opted for the latter. If you plan to weld the hinge directly to the firewall, be sure to elongate the hood mounting holes for adjustment. The bad thing about this option is, you must get the hood perfectly lined up so you have plenty of adjustment when you elongate the holes. When I did final welding I kept the fenders in place and spot welded the hinges in place. I then checked how the hood opened and shut and made sure I could adjust it properly before welding firmly. After welding the hinges or bolting if you have the holes drilled, install the rest of the bolts for the fenders. If you opted to weld your hinges on, you will have to attach your Hinge foam with weather strip adhesive. I do recommend using the foam, at least on the passenger side hinge, as you will be drawing cold air into your fan in the winter months. This will help keep most of the cold air out. Install battery tray in the factory location, side marker lights and horns.

[Davidmichael]

old style hood isn't gonna fit that 81-up front clip dude, just cut the cab to fit the newer style hood hinges.

See here;

http://coloradok5.com/grilleswap.shtml

I know that, but the clip on the old body was the 88-91 blazer/suburban clip.

[brooks294x4]

old style hood isn't gonna fit that 81-up front clip dude, just cut the cab to fit the newer style hood hinges.

See here;

http://coloradok5.com/grilleswap.shtml

now that i read that im probly gonna go that route, id rather keep my hood and weld a little to the body, or i will just weld extra metal tabs to the body and bolt it to the mteal. id rather not buy another hood, which i like my 88-91 style hood anyways, and keep the body lines i want. i already gotta buy a windshield, no use spendin money i dont have to.

[Davidmichael]

The swap is really easy.

[brooks294x4]

well i picked up another windshield for $40 bucks, got door shims, heatshrink but connectors, and a few little things. kinda hectic right now between my buddy workin late, his girls bday is tomorrow, and his dad havin work in the shop. i am gonna be using the current hood/hinges. when i got there today after work, his dad already had it mocked up figurin a way to mount it. will try to post some new pics tomorrow.

[brooks294x4]

well i made a bit of progress today, slow process right now but im hpoin within the week its done.

doors mounted, ready for paint
all lights working
dash 100% in
old urethane stripped, ready for new windshield
drivers fender sanded

doesnt seem like alot, but its closer every day. gota couple pics.





tomorrow should be:

windshield in
seats bolted down
attempt to mount the hood/cowl
maybe a little floor paint

ill update it when i get a chance.

[brooks294x4]

kinda slow going right now, but its coming along.

windshield is in
passenger floor painted
passenger seat mounted
reset the timing, it was a bit out.
rear diff fluid changed
hood is mounted. the gaps arent real good and it sits high in the back but at this point i dont care because it opens and closes.
front bumper cut down, still gotta make new mounts for it

i swear every time i get somethin done, i find other things i need to do. its getin there though, im gettin anxtious to wheel this thing.

[Davidmichael]

looking good.

[YZEATER]

on the little stuff, fix it all now, correct the first time, then you shouldn't have to redo it again when it's all dirty or broke on the trail.

[brooks294x4]

thats really what im tyryin to do, i just changed my rear diff fluid, and it was a bit low so i filled it up and now i know i have an axle seal leaking, so im changing both of them...

on a side note, i did get the whole floor painted and the center console mounted today, also put a spectre air filter on it. ill have the drivers seat in and the cowl/wipers/washers in friday i hope. im tryin to have it ready next weekend since this weekend just isnt gonna happen.

and YZEATER, i still might want that 14 bolt with 4.56's. ill let ya know in a week or so just let me know if ya wanna part with it or not.

[YZEATER]

I need to keep the axle.

[brooks294x4]

well its been a while since i updated here. i ran into some running issues so those repairs had to come first. had to replace the fuel sending unit, fuel filter, repair the tank and drain/clean it out. cleaned all the lines out, the whole TBI unit, and replaced the sticky IAC motor. running like a dream now.

every time i fixed something i found another problem, so i just went over everything front to back and took care of it all.
new wheel and axle seals in the 14 bolt, got the correct bushings in the front springs, got a new #3 leaf for the front spring that was cracked, and got the front driveshaft put together, but not in since i forgot the bolts at work.

heres some text flex poser shots, let me know what ya think.







for reference, my buddy in the 4th pic is almost 6'1. it came factory with a dual front shock setup so im gonna move my shocks to the other mounts since its higher so the dont bottom out at compression. i still have to trim the front out a little more and im gona run the rear as is for a bit, at compression i still have almost 1/2" clearance to the bedsides.

[brooks294x4]

well i took it out for its first run to the falls on sunday the 20th and it did pretty well. the tires adjusted the front fenders in a few inches, so i trimmed them back a ways. i twisted both shock mounts on the axle up front, so gotta reweld them, and have 2 new shocks comin at the end of the week. i was happy with how it did overall, runs great, doesnt heat up, only problem is im still working out the death wobble. i have it about 80% gone and i can motor through it and it goes away.

will post pics of the shock mount carnage and new cut fenders tomorrow. also got the other door painted and the top is back on it.

[ridgerunner97]

I saw this thing a month or so ago sittin outside the shop, looked mean as hell

[brooks294x4]

thanks man i appriciate it. im hopin to have it rollin good by sunday, its just nickel and dime'n me to death with little shit. id love to wheel with a groyup of you guys the day its ready and well give it the real test.

[gonecheenin]

If your caster is @ 4-6 degrees & nothing loose in the front end, what you have may be more big arse tires without balance than "Death Wobble"


Just put a couple big steering stabalizers or hydro assist on it to control them & don't worry about it.

[brooks294x4]

yae i know i have bigass tires that are unbalnanced, im hoping gettin my shocks mounted right, the mounts untwisted, and a new leaf spring clamps takes care of most of it. i can dealk witha little sincei dont drive it on the road much.

and hydro assist steering is on the agenda for next year.

[brooks294x4]

paint is finished, got it all done today. will get a pic up tomorrow when i get the grille and marker lamps back in it, still to tacky to mess with. it looks good though i have no complaints other than a run or 2 which is my fault anyways.

[brooks294x4]

start from last week after the test run. had to cut a good bit of fender out, crushed them pretty good.


also got my fog lights hooked up.


shock mount carnage


tube doors all finished up.

[brooks294x4]

the finished product for now






let me know what ya think. id like to hear it, good or bad. if it looks like its sitting uneven it is, i have the shock off the passenger side.

post it up. comments, suggestions, critcism, anything really.