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1973 K10 : Chloe

1973 K10 offroad build
Overview Gallery Discussion
Looking good Matt.
I helped install a dash and cage kit and we cut a slot in the dash to fit around the A pillar tube. Should look real good if you can get the tube through the dash and install them both together. Good luck!
 
76zimmer said:
Looking good Matt.
I helped install a dash and cage kit and we cut a slot in the dash to fit around the A pillar tube. Should look real good if you can get the tube through the dash and install them both together. Good luck!
Click to expand...
I don’t want to cut a slot. I want just couple of 2 inch holes on either end of the dash.
I got the upper hoop bent last night, it is the correct width, just may have to trim some off the tubes that go back to the main hoop, not a big deal. I got my younger sons at home, hopefully I can enlist them for a few extra hands.

I think the trick is going to be getting the A-pillers mocked up and ready to tack weld, verify that they are trimmed and aligned correctly, then mock the dash up behind the A-piller to see where it needs the hole cut on either side. I already know I want the A-piller front side no more than about an inch behind the windshield frame, and about an inch to an inch and half from the truck cab A-pillers, side to side.
My plan after I get the holes cut where I want them use some type of chaffe protection around the inside surface of the holes I cut. Maybe a piece of 3/8 rubber fuel hose long enough to cover the distance around the inside of the cut hole, slit lengthwise, to fit over the edge of the dash metal, with some “sparingly” applied black RTV inside the hose, so it will be semi-permanent once cured. Which should give me a chaffe-free dash/A-piller install
 
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Sounds like a good plan.
Keep the pics coming
 
Got a bit done today.
I have to get the “under dash stuff done prior to installing the dash.”
The defroster duct is a POS. Doesn’t fit very well. That explains why the defroster didn’t blow much air last time I used it (7+ years a ago)
I would really like to redesign it to use flexible ducting like the DIY4X heater ducts.
But, this will work for now.
I welded several bolts to the firewall to secure the ducts to firewall. It will stay where I placed it now.

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Then I got the upper “halo” of the cage tacked up so I could keep moving

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Seriously thinking about this kit

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I would still need to deal with the defroster opening on the OEM heater box.
I would probably have to manufacture a duct with the rectangle opening on one side to a 2.5” round duct opening on the other. Let me see if I can pull this off…
 
I got the A pillars cut to length, and tacked in, so I could figure out where to drill the dash for the A pillars holes.
Drilled the dash holes. I was very apprehensive about it and waffled for a couple of hours(I wish I wouldn’t have, as I may have been able to get it all bolted up and re-tacked if I hadn’t waffled for so long) The DIY4X competition dash is a rare item now, and I didn’t want to wreck it.
Any way, 3 of 4 bolts are in finger tight.
And the A pillars are in their holes. It will all need a bit of fine tuning(read: elongating the holes for the A pillars, grinding a bit of the most forward RH edge of the dash away, about 1/2”. To get it to fit so I can get the 4th bolt in. Then tighten them all up, and re-tack weld the A pillars back in, in preparation for final welding.

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Just doing a bit of research on the alternator wiring. I’m sure I’m going to have to fix this as I only ran the blue wire to the plug. Which I don’t even need.
Definitely need the grey to the field, and the brown to let the ECM know the alternator is functioning.

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It was a balmy 33 degrees outside today, so, working outside was a PIMA.
I got rid of that POS defrost duct. It didn’t fit well, was old and brittle. The new duct work didn’t fit perfectly, but, close enough I could make it work.
I still need to make some sort of adapter to mate the new defrost duct 3 inch round flex-hose to the stock heat/defrost box.
From what I’ve read , GM left a 1-1.5” gap there due to the large amount of air moved by the blower motor/fan. So, the gap was left to let the large air volume bleed off out the gap.
So maybe now I can get some good airflow to the defrost ducts.

I also got the dash bolted up and did the final tighten. It turns out the entire cab is tweaked at the firewall. RH corner of the firewall is 7/8” farther forward than the LH side. Had to do a bunch of trimming/drilling/prying to get that dash bolted up. It sucked! Plus got the two upper corners “hole-sawed” for the roll cage A pillars, which did I mention fit great.
More pic’s to follow, during daylight.

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Doing a little side quest that I can do in the evening, and in the garage. Since it’s cold and dark outside and I still want to work on my truck.
This is the start to the “cage/bracket” that will secure the Blazer fuel tank I’m going to mount in the bed of Chloe.
More to follow, tomorrow night

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I finally got 98% of the dash duct work done.

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I’m just waiting on a few pieces so I can manufacture outlet ducts for the defroster off the top of the heater box, and a couple of ducts for the floor heat, directly below the defroster outlet duct on the heater box.

I had to break off from working on this, because my youngest son decided to attempt replacing his “rear O2 sensors” on his Volvo SUV.
He was struggling, so I grabbed my 7/8ths wrench, crawled under it, and had both of them out and new ones reinstalled in about an hour.
He said he’d buy me a turn signal switch so I can replace Chloe’s before I reinstall the steering column, so, I guess I’m waiting for that switch to show up.
 
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So, I bought the AC compressor bracket from Amos Garcia, like everyone suggested.
It is a great part. Unfortunately, it didn’t come with any instructions, I had to watch a few YouTube videos and screenshot a few pics of the interweb. Finally, got it together.
Looks good.

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I finally was able to get the defroster ducts installed on the heater box.

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Then got the breather installed on the RH valve cover.

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I’m probably going to clean up the steering column and give it a shot of black spray paint before I reinstall it. The new turn signal and ignition switch are installed. New steering wheel puller kit. It was pretty easy on the bench. I used a piece of safety wire to pull the wires/plug down through the tilt part of the column. Went pretty quick.

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