71K5 - BP71K5's Just for fun build

[bp71k5]

Thanks, it's fun but frustrating sometimes.

Anyone have any tricks for getting the front door above the vent window to line up properly near the top of the windshield? The very top of the window just about touches the windshield frame. Any flex in the body would cause it to make contact. I can see how the hinge would break after driving for a long time in that case.

It's almost like I need to force the top of windshield out towards the front of the truck like 1/4" inch or more.

 

[bp71k5]

Update: tranny tunnel and shifters

So it was just time to drop the idea of installing a single shifter for both transfer cases. I still think it's possible to do it, but I'm just not sure it's worth the effort.

I had to modify the mounting bracket ORD supplied as it looks like they mount the shifters much farther forward on the tranny than I wanted.

I wanted to both keep my center console and keep the shifter as far back as possible to keep them out of the way during normal everyday driving. Here's how they sit.

 

[bp71k5]

Closeup of the bracket which mounts the shifters right at the joint between the tranny and the 203. Painted chevy orange of course.

 

[bp71k5]

Here's the final tranny tunnel holes. I had to bend out the edge (bottom of picture) a bit to clear the bolt on the shifters. It's just a slight amount so I don't think it'll be noticable under carpet or mats. It does make for an odd seal using the sifter boots ORD provided, but it'll work.

It's not as fancy as Greg's uber-tranny tunnel, but it works pretty well.

 

[bp71k5]

I can probably fill in some of the metal but it'll be covered by the shifter boots.

 

[bp71k5]

Here it is all installed with the boots temporarily in place.

I also took it for the first test drive in 2-low-low. Wow, it goes really slow! As a test I let it try and idle up my driveway and over some bricks without any skinny pedal and it crept right up and over everything just fine. I can't wait to get to Moab to really try it out.

 

[Moody]

That almost looks factory! Great job and keep up the good work!

 

[Yukon Jack]

Looks good to me - bet you will really enjoy that slow speed on the trails!

 

[Greg72]

Brian,

Do me a favor when you get a chance..... I'd like a nice eye-level side profile shot of your factory seats and the center console to see the relationship (height and "rake") between the two. From the passenger side would be the most helpful.

I don't think that the curve of the console cover follows the curve of the seat bolsters, even though the shape is similar. I believe that the front of the console (cupholder side) sits a few inches higher than the seat bolsters. In the back I think it's still higher than the seats also, but not by as much.

I want to replicate the stock look of the factory console, but I'm obviously going to have to cut it down a few inches since my floorboards are a wee-bit taller now than they used to be.....

 

[bp71k5]

I'd like a nice eye-level side profile shot of your factory seats and the center console to see the relationship (height and "rake") between the two

Sure, no problem. Don't look too closely at mine yet though. The console does not have the rear bracket thingy on it and the console is sitting about 2" farther back to clear the shifters. It was a compromise that will keep the stock appearance and still fit a big-gulp in the cup holder.

My console is also from a later model blazer since I wanted cup holders over seatbelt holders.

 

[Greg72]

My console is also from a later model blazer since I wanted cup holders over seatbelt holders.

A long time ago, I got one of each.....the factory correct one (rectangular seatbelt holders) and a 73+ style with the cupholders like yours. Overall the dimensions and shapes seem quite similar.

 

[bp71k5]

Update: 35" Spare tire carrier

I thought I'd post an update of the last bit of stuff I finished up.

The stock spare tire carrier will hold up to a 33" tire at most. Once I got 35's I realized it was just too small. So here's the story of what I did.

In the second picture, you can see the little lip on the brack that keeps the tire tucked in close to the bracket. It's about 2 inches too short for the tire I had so I made a few carefully selected cuts AFTER the rear most mounting holes so I could use the four stock mounting holes in the bed.

Then just cut and bent some steel stock to stitch it back together about 2" longer.

 

[bp71k5]

Bigger spare tire carrier

Once I finished grinding and painting I also fabbed up a bracket that allows me to use 4 of the wheel stud holes to bolt it on instead of just the one bolt like the stock one uses. There's a huge weight difference between a 31" and 35" tire so I wanted to make sure it wouldn't go anywhere.

Pretty simple and you can't tell the difference from the stock version except the tire sticks up way over the rear seat.

 

[bp71k5]

I also purchased a heavy duty pvc floor covering kit from LMC. The kit says it is "molded" to an original floor pan and fits great, but I found that to be a pretty big stretch.

I did find a couple spots where it looked like there could conceivably be some forming, but not much. I could have got a pretty similar result by purchasing a big roll of flat vinyl or rubber and cutting it out myself for a lot less $. I wouldn't recommend it.

You can see the area around the tranny cover where it isn't sitting flat. I may trim off the entire area over the tranny cover and have it spray lined to make removing it easier.

The mat looks and feels like spray lining, but just isn't glued down. It's definately nice to have something on the floor to cover all the scratched paint. It did come with a heat pad for under the front footwells but I did not install it for fear of moisture collecting in it. The last rubber mat had something similar and it just soaked up water like a sponge.

 

[bp71k5]

Skid plate install

I had also picked up a factory skid plate for my gas tank a while back and installed it a few days before we left for the trip.

Since I have a tow hitch bolted on back there, the skid plate can't rest right against the frame. There's no good way to get a picture of it after it's installed, but I welded an L shaped bar across the back to stiffen up the mounting surface where the skid and the tow hitch bolt down. The two rear skid plate mounting holes are shared with the hitch mounting holes.

The result is a pretty good departure angle and a protected gas tank. I didn't hear any big "clunks" on the trails like I did the first time around.

 

[bp71k5]

Tow Hooks

Also was finally able to install the dumb tow hooks that look really cool, but are stupid expensive. These are the slightly more reasonable versions and not the "extreme bend" version.

I love how they look like fangs.

That's all for now. I have some interior audio engineering to get started on to make use of my functioning radio

 

[mosesburb]

I also purchased a heavy duty pvc floor covering kit from LMC. The kit says it is "molded" to an original floor pan and fits great, but I found that to be a pretty big stretch.

I did find a couple spots where it looked like there could conceivably be some forming, but not much. I could have got a pretty similar result by purchasing a big roll of flat vinyl or rubber and cutting it out myself for a lot less $. I wouldn't recommend it.

You can see the area around the tranny cover where it isn't sitting flat. I may trim off the entire area over the tranny cover and have it spray lined to make removing it easier.

The mat looks and feels like spray lining, but just isn't glued down. It's definately nice to have something on the floor to cover all the scratched paint. It did come with a heat pad for under the front footwells but I did not install it for fear of moisture collecting in it. The last rubber mat had something similar and it just soaked up water like a sponge.

I have installed several o.e. GM rubber floors in '73+ trucks over the years and they all fit like crap. They all look horrible when installed, but after a nice warm summer, they lay out pretty decent, well, they look ok at least.

Hey, if nothing else, it looks a helluva lot better than carpet!!

Nice job!!

 

[4X4HIGH]

Brian, i bet a heat gun would work wonders on that floor mat.

 

[Yukon Jack]

Cool tire carrier mod!

 

[bp71k5]

Thanks, the mats aren't that bad, just not worth what they cost. The bed portion actually fit perfect but since it's flat, that's expected.

I like how the tire carrier came out but now I'm reconsidering having it in the back there since it takes up so much space. I don't have any good alternative at the moment that don't involve mounting it on the outside, but that may be the best bet in the end.