g9m3c's garage

[g9m3c]

Well, here's what I'm working on. It's hard to document what all has been done over the last 4 years, but I'm gonna try.

1993 GMC C1500 regular cab short bed
TBI 350
4L60E


Here's how it looked in May of 2005 the day after I bought it for $3,800.


















Mostly stock and in great shape. Just needed some refreshing. The first exterior mod was a set of 17" wheels.





Soon after that came a 2/4 drop and a whole lot of other exterior mods.







94-98 Chevy grille shell, new diamond clear front lighting, billet grille, smooth painted bumper, cowl hood, fog lights and valance, street scene mirrors, color matched handles, roll pan, etc. Here's where that got me.










Don't hate me for the tails! They were big at the time!

[g9m3c]

The exterior of the truck has looked pretty much the same since the first quarter of 2007. Sometime during all of that, I managed to spruce up the engine and interior also.


Ultimate TBI mods
adjustable fuel pressure regulator
Hooker long tubes
true dual 2.5" exhaust with H pipe
14" electric fans with custom chroud
custom dual inlet cold air intake
lots of dress up
"It looks better than it runs!"


Needs some polishing here, but, eh.......



That's better!






I also installed a set of 3.42 gears and a Detroit Truetrac when the old stuff started whining at highway speeds.





Here's the interior stuff. Mostly sound system related.


Third gen F-body bucket seats
Custom console with two 10's
Q-Logic kick panels
1200 watt rms mono channel sub amp
520 watt rms 4 channel amp
amp rack on back wall of cab behind carpet
6x9 boxes behind seats
Autometer gauges in custom panel

[g9m3c]

So, as you have probably noticed in my sig, I'm currently changing directions with it. Before, with the 17s and 2/4 drop, I had the sport truck thing going on. That's fine; loved th elook, and so did everyone else. I still do. BUT, there was a dilemma at hand. I love power and handling, and I wanted it. I came VERY close to trading the truck for a pretty nice C4 Vette last year, but backed out. So, then I decided to turn the truck into more of a pro tourer. Bigger wheels, lower, more power, better handling, etc.



This is my rendering of the look I'm going for.




The first step in that transition was buying a set of 20s from a member of FSC in Tennessee. I got these last Saturday (March 28th).










The second step is lighting mods. I'm sick of these cheap, crappy corner lenses, and I think the stock amber ones look kinda cool on there. A nice set of them is on its way to me now. Also on its way is a set of factory tail lights. I'll either polish these up, tint, or candy them. I also smoked my cargo light the other night to make it look better before I can shave it altogether.






The plans for this summer include the following.


-DJM 2" drop spindles to correct the wider front track width I have now with Belltechs

-245/40/20 front tires or 245/45/20 front tires, whatever I can find a good deal on

-Belltech flip kit (without the notches, as I plan on building my own)

-Stock spring hangers because I sold my old ones.... naturally

-Belltech 3" front coils

-Edelbrock IAS shocks (front and rear)





Looking to go to a 5/7 drop. After the drop, I'll start saving money for the inevitable LSx swap. I bought an LT1 for it, but decided against that and sold it to my dad to put in his '63 stepside. It's gonna be an LS1 for me, for sure. Stay tuned.

[g9m3c]

Alright, I got my amber corners in from a member on FSC.



These are gonna look better than the Photoshop in my sig. They're quite a bit darker than what it portrays.







Now I just have to make the hole for the 194 bulb in the top ones.


Also, I drew up my idea I had for the notches. I'm a fab guy all the way, so no weak, ugly bolt-ins for me.


Here's a really rough sketch.





Step 1: Cut out the top part of the factory frame, leaving the side and bottom.

Step 2: Build upper part of notch

Step 3: View from outside of frame with the upper portion finished.

Step 4: View from outside of frame with the bottom portion of the factory frame notched.

Step 5: View from inside frame rail with all the boxing done.





After looking at that, I'd probably go a lot deeper with the notch, as it's sorrounded by beef. I'm also not sure if I'll do more boxing than that or not. I might box it a little bit farther in front of the notch where it will give me a strong anchor for the back of an X-member.

[g9m3c]

Got the corners on today.











Get rid of your clear ebay corners and join the new movement!

STOCK AMBER CORNERS FTW!

[g9m3c]

Just a few new pics I took today.




















EDIT: Took a few more this evening.









I can't get over how well the trim on this building matched the truck.

[g9m3c]

THE EUROS ARE GONE!!!!!!!!




Proof.















Anyway, I got a set of stock tails and lightly tinted them. They almost match the paint in person.










EDIT: I wet sanded and buffed them this morning. BIG difference.

[g9m3c]

I got some new tools in to use when I tear the truck down.

DeWalt variable speed (0-3,100 spm) jigsaw



7 1/4" Evolution Rage chop saw. It's small, but plenty for what I need. Cuts wood, alumnium, plastic, and steel with the same blade. I tried it out this morning on some bar stock, and the cuts are RAZOR clean with few sparks.




I got my tax check in today so I should be ordering a welder pretty soon.