Any good hacks/upgrades you've come up with for our trucks

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Dougnsalem

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2018
Posts
1,143
Reaction score
1,312
Location
.
First Name
.
Truck Year
.
Truck Model
.
Engine Size
.

yevgenievich

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Posts
4,781
Reaction score
3,300
Location
Texas
First Name
Viktor
Truck Year
sad
Truck Model
very sad
Engine Size
less sad
Can I ask how you cut the holes out for the backup lights? Those came out nice and clean. Look great!
Thanks, used a hole saw. Can use a drill instead, but was easier to put it on a mill
You must be registered for see images attach
 
Last edited:

Frankenchevy

Proverbs 16:18
Joined
Jan 3, 2018
Posts
5,905
Reaction score
7,252
Location
USA
First Name
Jeremy
Truck Year
Square
Truck Model
CUCV
Engine Size
Small
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
what are you using the remaining round opening for?
 

Frankenchevy

Proverbs 16:18
Joined
Jan 3, 2018
Posts
5,905
Reaction score
7,252
Location
USA
First Name
Jeremy
Truck Year
Square
Truck Model
CUCV
Engine Size
Small
That’s where the exhaust comes out there’s one on each side.
that's what i was secretly hoping!

first thing that popped in my head when thinking about the blazer tank was where the exhaust and spare tire would go.
 

yevgenievich

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Posts
4,781
Reaction score
3,300
Location
Texas
First Name
Viktor
Truck Year
sad
Truck Model
very sad
Engine Size
less sad
What size weatherstripping did you use and where’d you get it?
Can either use 3/4 foam general weather stripping or order the original style from lmc. Was option on early squares(73-78 or so)
 

chengny

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
Posts
4,086
Reaction score
1,008
Location
NH
First Name
Jerry
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
K3500
Engine Size
350/5.7
Thanks, used a hole saw. Can use a drill instead, but was easier to put it on a mill
You must be registered for see images attach


I hope you were able to recoat the raw steel - if not with chrome, at least with POR-15 or some other type of weather resistant epoxy. If not, all your hard work will be for naught. I have had a couple of those FEY bumpers in the past and they had very short service lives before rusting right through.


The quality of the steel used to manufacture auto parts these days is awful. By now it has literally been "through the mill" so many times, it hardly resembles what it was when it first came out of the US Steel foundry. All steel nowadays is recycled in China. It comes in from the US (and every other industrial nation on earth) in big bulker tankers. These ships are filled with steel of all different qualities, former uses and formulations - and most of it is contaminated with oil and coatings.

When they off-load for smelting in China, do you imagine for a minute that there is any quality control? Do you think any effort at all is made to cull lower quality steel from the supply stream or clean the heavy coatings/oil from the quality steel before it is smelted? There isn't.

It all gets melted together and while it is molten, all those impurities come off the surface of the steel and are mixed in with it. Once they are blended in, they essentially become an additive of the steel - and an inferior alloy is the result. This steel is then rolled out and shipped around the world. It goes to the manufacturers of autos, appliances, heavy equipment, farm vehicles, even shipbuilders. At some point the product reaches the end of it's useful life and it gets sent to the scrap yards. These big steel scrap yards are right on the water in large port cities. In the US, most goes out through LA. When enough is accumulated here comes an empty bulker to take it back to the Far East where the process is repeated.

It doesn't take too many times through the refineries before it's junk and yet that is what they continue to use to make the products that we buy.

Sorry for this rant, I will now get down off my soapbox.
 

Dougnsalem

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2018
Posts
1,143
Reaction score
1,312
Location
.
First Name
.
Truck Year
.
Truck Model
.
Engine Size
.
Small tach instead of clock or trans temp gauge instead of clock.

What did you use to cover the face of your instrument cluster bezel? That looks pretty good. Mine is slathered in bondo, and I'm getting kinda tired of working on it....
 

yevgenievich

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Posts
4,781
Reaction score
3,300
Location
Texas
First Name
Viktor
Truck Year
sad
Truck Model
very sad
Engine Size
less sad
Clear coated the edges. Been over a year with no signs of rust
I hope you were able to recoat the raw steel - if not with chrome, at least with POR-15 or some other type of weather resistant epoxy. If not, all your hard work will be for naught. I have had a couple of those FEY bumpers in the past and they had very short service lives before rusting right through.


The quality of the steel used to manufacture auto parts these days is awful. By now it has literally been "through the mill" so many times, it hardly resembles what it was when it first came out of the US Steel foundry. All steel nowadays is recycled in China. It comes in from the US (and every other industrial nation on earth) in big bulker tankers. These ships are filled with steel of all different qualities, former uses and formulations - and most of it is contaminated with oil and coatings.

When they off-load for smelting in China, do you imagine for a minute that there is any quality control? Do you think any effort at all is made to cull lower quality steel from the supply stream or clean the heavy coatings/oil from the quality steel before it is smelted? There isn't.

It all gets melted together and while it is molten, all those impurities come off the surface of the steel and are mixed in with it. Once they are blended in, they essentially become an additive of the steel - and an inferior alloy is the result. This steel is then rolled out and shipped around the world. It goes to the manufacturers of autos, appliances, heavy equipment, farm vehicles, even shipbuilders. At some point the product reaches the end of it's useful life and it gets sent to the scrap yards. These big steel scrap yards are right on the water in large port cities. In the US, most goes out through LA. When enough is accumulated here comes an empty bulker to take it back to the Far East where the process is repeated.

It doesn't take too many times through the refineries before it's junk and yet that is what they continue to use to make the products that we buy.

Sorry for this rant, I will now get down off my soapbox.
 

bluex

Full Access Member
Joined
May 9, 2013
Posts
1,833
Reaction score
2,121
Location
Spartanburg SC
First Name
Paul
Truck Year
1978
Truck Model
C15
Engine Size
350
With the exception of troublesome power steering pumps my serpentine belt system upgrade is one of my favorites. It wasnt necessarily cheap though.

You must be registered for see images attach
 

Dougnsalem

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2018
Posts
1,143
Reaction score
1,312
Location
.
First Name
.
Truck Year
.
Truck Model
.
Engine Size
.
With the exception of troublesome power steering pumps my serpentine belt system upgrade is one of my favorites. It wasnt necessarily cheap though.
That looks really sharp! Did you do a writeup on what you did? If so, a link in your post would be awesome! I found a thread on a conversion but it didn't go too much into detail about what's required....

EDIT: Great thread on your build! Serp belt swap starts at post 114 for anyone looking....

http://www.gmsquarebody.com/threads/78-gmc-forever-build.16379/page-3
 
Last edited:

Forum statistics

Threads
41,858
Posts
903,640
Members
33,372
Latest member
83elcowes
Top