'74 K5 build: Smurf

[dremu]

And with the seats back in it's a sea of blue:

The mat is still settling, but it'll be stupid hot this week so it should mold nicely into place.

 

[dremu]

Next up is to make kick panel covers out of plastic to match the lower door panels. The passenger side floor also needs a cover or something since I removed the AC box.

So, it's lots of work, and I'll find out if it was worthwhile to keep the inside cooler and cleaner, but at least it looks nice and I didn't risk breaking the drivetrain

And lookie there, Martin, it's like a normal truck almost, could even put in a radio

-- A

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Watch that jute padding if you get any water in there.
The military had trouble with that with the CUCVs. The official fix was to take the vinyl floor out, throw away the padding, put nonskid paint on the floor (sorta similar to Herculiner), and put the vinyl flooring back.

 

[munepit]

That looks clean!!!!!!!

 

[dremu]

Watch that jute padding if you get any water in there.
The military had trouble with that with the CUCVs. The official fix was to take the vinyl floor out, throw away the padding, put nonskid paint on the floor (sorta similar to Herculiner), and put the vinyl flooring back.

Duly noted. I seem to recall my M1009 had thrashed rubber on top of something nasty, but it also had a ton of sand as it came from the local PD who'd used it for beach patrol.

There's enough holes in Tankie's floor that water will get out as easily as it gets in. Donno whether that's good or bad.

That looks clean!!!!!!!

Well, there was some shop-vac'ing went on

I remember with the black in the CUCV, that the textured surface held onto dirt and spilled soda and such, so it looked dirty quickly. Still, you could scrub it off with soap & water and it would look new again, unlike carpet, so I figured it's worth it. Time will of course tell.

I was just jazzed to get a rubber mat that wasn't black. The rubber is great, but the black get too hot in the summertime. I'm thinking I'll do a tan one in the crewcab as rubber is so much more practical for trucks than carpet, IMO.

-- A

 

[AJMBLAZER]

The pads retain water and moisture for a long time. That was the issue.

 

[dremu]

The pads retain water and moisture for a long time. That was the issue.

Yep, I get it. I'll hafta see if I still have pictures from my M1009; it was pretty scuzzy down there. I tore out all the crap, wirebrushed it, and hit it with POR15 or something before I put the new mat down. Oddly that one was the LMC "MIP" mat or whatever they had back then and didn't come with any backing I've since sold the truck, so I donno how it fared in the long run.

I'm mostly kidding about the holes in Tankie's floor, as they are largely sealed from me attempting to prevent fumes from entering the cab. (This is different from preventing Fumes from entering, which just means keeping the goats and chihuahua away. I digress.)

Worst case I think can tear the padding out without having to entirely undo the rubber as it only starts forward of the seats and goes up towards the firewall.

-- A

 

[82355]

A new AC evaporator box would fill that hole in the firewall nicely.

Martin

 

[dremu]

A new AC evaporator box would fill that hole in the firewall nicely.

Martin

And would require a new condensor, new plumbing, and a compressor, and giving up the York.

I might fix the AC on the crewcab though.

-- A

 

[82355]

The York can be moved.

All joking aside, that should make it a lot nicer to drive.

Martin

 

[dremu]

The York can be moved.

All joking aside, that should make it a lot nicer to drive.

Martin

Even back when it worked I never found the AC particularly effective, so I think this is a good compromise.

I'm almost more concerned about noise than heat, and as you say, this should help a bunch.

-- A

 

[mrk5]

I had to undo ten sets of cage feet or fasteners, so thank God for the cordless impact.

Cordless impacts rule!

 

[TheBeast_88K5]

Cordless impacts rule!

Yes.


I had no clue what I was missing, until I bought one.
It's an invaluable tool.

 

[xenomarine]

I didn't know their mats came in colors too. I got the black one, but would have gone with tan if possible.

Looks good though! I like the blue a lot. :thumbup:

 

[dremu]

I didn't know their mats came in colors too. I got the black one, but would have gone with tan if possible.

Yeah, I don't get why they don't offer the full line through the main LMC website, seems like they'd sell more of them. The box says "LMC Auto Carpet / Made In The USA By ACC", so I guess they just resell ACC's line. Maybe they stock the black and then for everything else do ACC's built-to-order.

-- A

 

[dremu]

Dang, can't believe it's been a year (and three days) since I've updated this thread. I have actually put a ton of time into the truck in that year, I promise. She runs and moves and stops and even goes on the highway, albeit briefly. I'll be posting up more pix and stories and mildly outlandish claims eventually, but for now, today's fun. Ran by the steel shop to get some 20' sticks of square tube for an upcoming side secret project.

In that year I've sold the crewcab as I couldn't keep up with two project trucks and she was turning into an albatross around my neck. I'm down to just the one truck at the moment. Pulled the soft top off the Blazer, threw in a coupla straps, a red rag and the Handyman's Secret Weapon, and off I went. I tell ya, the lady at the steel yard wasn't quite sure what to do with me. Nevertheless, Tankie brought home the goods safely, if slightly funny-looking.

I did have to restrain myself from trying to joust with Priuses, though of course they would have to be eight foot tall Priuses to actually joust

In retrospect I prolly shoulda loaded the sticks UNDER the tire carrier so they were resting on the rollcage, but I was only going through town and the straps were good and tight, so even under emergency braking they wouldn't have come loose.

-- A

 

[dremu]

Speaking of Priuses, I happened to have one handy the other week (NOT mine, I assure you, but on loan to me whilst its people were abroad) so I put it up against the Blazer, as it were.

Surprisingly -- and it's a sh!tty picture, I know -- the Prius is as long as the Blazer. (Obviously it's a fair bit narrower ) And you would have to stack two Priuses on top of each other to be as tall as Tankie, as the roof of the golf cart Prius barely reaches the level of her hood.

Strictly speaking, that would be the best of use of two Priuses, to stack them, on the premise that they would then be headed to the crusher. Can you tell I really don't like that car?

I'm sure the newer ones are nicer, but this one is microscopic inside AND its owners have worn it out. The one saving grace is its turn radius; it feels like flips a b!tch in its own length. Golf cart indeed.

-- A

 

[Greg72]

Every one of those cars should come with a 2nd bumper sticker (besides the Obama/Biden) one.......


"SUPERCILIOUS IN MY PRIUS"


The most annoying thing about that car are the owners.


-G

 

[dremu]

Every one of those cars should come with a 2nd bumper sticker (besides the Obama/Biden) one.......

"SUPERCILIOUS IN MY PRIUS"

The most annoying thing about that car are the owners.

Amen to that!

One of the guys here (thank you Doug!) has me calling them the "Toyota Pious."

-- A

 

[dremu]

Perhaps I should update this thread more than once anually. I have actually been working on the truck. Like, you know, making it so I can actually drive the damn thing, comfortably and often, so I take her on errands. I really enjoy parking in the Trader Joe's lot to piss off the hippies. I'll add to the work log at some point when I'm bored I have time in my busy schedule.

However, I've also heard these rumors, particularly about older four-wheel drive trucks. I gather that, especially when modified, you can take them off paved roads, and drive on dirt and rocks and stuff. Maybe that's why it's called "offroading"? Who knew? This being a new and unusual idea to me, I thought I'd give it a try.

[NB: I'm actually lying as I have been to Blazer Bash. Once. Over a decade ago. In a Chalet.]

On Easter Sunday, the planets aligned with the schedules of the missus and I, Hollister Hills being open, and the weather cooperating, so I hitched the Blazer to the Ferd and headed south.

Did I mention the weather was gorgeous? Not freezing, not as hot as it usually is down there, still green on the hills...

We did some trails, in part to try out the truck and in part because I suck at reading maps (you'd think with phones having GPS, they'd put coordinates on the damn maps!) Once we found it, we tried out the obstacle course, which means taking the regulatory poser pic:

Managed to get stuck in the Frame Twister -- that thing is harder than it looks. So is explaining to the missus how to take good 4x4 pictures [I don't care about the scenery, woman, focus on the truck! ]

And finally I flexed the old girl out (the truck, not the missus!)

That might be the primo advertising shot for ORD custom springs It didn't feel so crossed up when I was in it, just nose-bloody high, but I think that's good droop. Gotta hand it to the state parks people, they've done up a nice range of stuff to play on.

Also new and unusual for me, both trucks made it home without calling AAA Did pop a carabiner on one of the chains, but repaired that roadside. My hoarder habit of carrying spare everything occasionally comes in handy.

Said droop may have caused some bad things up front, I have to go through and see if I bent something or what as the front end is making new and unusual noises.

Long and tiring day though it was, however, I can now say the Smurfmobile has wheeled and isn't just a grocery-getter.

-- A