Whoa! I can't believe I haven't started this months ago! I'm working bit by bit on this build and I would really appreciate any advice you guys have. I like to take bits of info from any and every type of craft there is as long as it pertains to trucks! Price permitting...

Anyway, here's the truck as she stands:
'82 short bed, 327 chevy, TH350, 4cyl t-case (stock gears), 5.29 yukon rings, unknown front lift, Ford 57" leafs with blocks rear, pertronix ignition, Sky's crossover steering kit!!, smittybilt bumpers/nerfs, extended diff breathers

In process:
-1" master cylinder and dual diaphragm brake booster from some 4runner
-taurus radiator fan and multiple other cooling system upgrades
-Rebuild of top end due to gasket blowby and possible head gasket failure
-MegaSquirt 2 SOON!!! As soon as the above are covered the ms will be connected (sensing only) and then used to control through TBI.

The fan swap is going well. Flex fan is out and the new fan will be in soon. I'm using the taurus fan as a pusher, but I haven't reversed the polarity. I swapped the type of shroud. I cut off the stock taurus shroud and riveted on 2.5" of aluminum to serve as the new shroud but in the opposite direction. So the fan is still blowing in the correct orientation, but pushing rather than pulling. I swapped sides.

The brake upgrade is not going as smoothly. As other 1st gen pickup owners may have noticed the clearance between the booster and the steering shaft leaves much to be desired. SO i've recently ordered coupling nuts to act as "spacers" at the studs and the central shaft. Should be in on thursday. Is it so crazy that anyone ANYWHERE carry metric coupling nuts?? Crazy hard to find!

Also going to paint the thing satin black one panel at a time. It is very worn, flat grey now and that will soon change along with many of the rust spots. Thinking of using the smaller gm truck style headlights. Still halogen but much smaller. Will post pics soon! Redoing my dashboard in preparation for the efi swap and other switches including a fan killswitch and A/F ratio gauge. There are a lot of tubes and wires left over from the engine swap that I will be getting rid of in conjunction with waterproofing electrical connections with rtv and silicone dielectric.

I'm looking for advice and constructive criticism. I feel like things are coming together but I don't want a false sense of security so heads ups are very welcome!!

 

SO! The brake upgrade is moving along. I was waiting for some coupling nuts from fastenal. Got some 8mm coupling nuts and the master and booster are firmly on the firewall and well clear of the steering knuckle. Now I'm working on extending the yoke that connects the shaft and the brake pedal. I haven't found many 1st gen booster swaps that cover this problem. Let me just say that these coupling nuts are solid and you can use them to extend to any length and to level the master cylinder.

The taurus fan is coming along as well. I need to mount it and the relay board in there and wire up a kill switch and maybe a manual fast speed switch for in the cab. This also means I'll have to put them somewhere; I'll have to finish my dashboard.

 

 

It never seems like a good time to take pictures does it? Maybe I'll put the camera in my toolbox.
They're coming.

 

lol! i'm always too greasy to want to grab my camera! pics would be awesome, tho. can't wait to see it - sounds nice!

 

I swapped in a /99 DD booster in my trekker https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f197...thread-131775/

I went with the 84-88 2wd steering shaft , as far as I know .. I was the first to do this , as most people said it couldnt be done in the 79-83 unless you got the turbo DD booster ..

get that camera going !!!!


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slacker, what an awesome thread! It took me a while to find what you mentioned. Props for doing a lot more work than I am! I wanted a way to make any regular booster fit, in case my junkyard find needs to be replaced.

On a side note, I've decided to rewire my alternator as a 3 wire, including installing a 'fail' light on the dash, and swapping the tired little battery cable with a new 4 gauge one. It's ready to go in as soon as I decide where to take my voltage reference from.

 

Updates!
The dashboard roughed out: http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...4005_large.jpg

The coupling nuts holding the brake booster onto the firewall: http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...4003_large.jpg

The connector I made for the booster shaft: http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...4002_large.jpg http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...4004_large.jpg

My taurus fan partially completed: http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_...4001_large.jpg

The taurus fan is set up as a pusher, but rotating the same direction. So i made a little shroud for it of aluminum. The dashboard has progressed since this picture too. There are a few things in it now!

 

https://www.yotatech.com/gallery/sho...6&ppuser=59042
https://www.yotatech.com/gallery/sho...7&ppuser=59042

My dashboard front and back as of right now. Two switches do nothing but will in the future. The FUTURE!!!

Also, just installed a 94 amp 12si delco alternator!! Pretty stoked about that, and I won't have to worry about over taxing my charging sys. Looks better too! Probably because it's not covered in oil like everything else adjacent to my engine!

These seem to fit! Cheers!!

 

very creative

 

Bad news. The master cyl I got from the junkyard is no good. Seems like its leaking internally. You get what you pay for i guess! The real deal was the brake booster though, and that seems just fine. When payday rolls around I'll be ordering a 1 1/16" master from a non-abs T100 (new of course).

I only found this out because I finally got my dash installed (pictures soon) and started to test some things. Still need to put in the new temp sending unit for the electric temp gauge I got which is gonna mean some bubble-chasing! Also need to add rubber around the fan shroud to complete the seal against the radiator, but the fan still pushes plenty of air through the fins!

Good news is that its getting a lot cooler here and I can probably do all these things this week, now that the dash is in!

 

This build is living up to it's name!!! WEAK SAUCE!!! I guess I'd be compared to the average joe's budget buildup! But still with everything I have I'm grateful! I love V8's and I love control, and I have both right now, if not for the leaky master cylinder. This is the buildup for the weekend warrior!