I was skeptical when I first saw the wood...but this appears to be a case of turning lemons into lemonade. Good job, and your wood skills are 
Rene
Rene
CK5
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Magik's 1987 Jimmy - Jiminy
- Thread starter magik235
- Start date
magik235
Still Alive
The previous owner relocated the shock mount when the original one broke out. This was a common problem in Jimmys and Blazers. I wanted to get the 2 1/2" of travel back and have both shocks the same length. I contoured a plate to fit the original mount, welded it in place then relocated the shock stud in the frame back to the new plate. I got a set of Skyjacker Nitro 8000 shocks for Christmas so I had to test fit one of them.
My new bed is already proving to be versatile. Notice it in the background against the garage door in the new setup. Try that with any other style of bed.
Old setup
New setup
My new bed is already proving to be versatile. Notice it in the background against the garage door in the new setup. Try that with any other style of bed.
Old setup
New setup
398HBX
1/2 ton status
Tilt bed, I like it. Sure makes it easy to get to stuff
MrSchaeferPants
1/2 ton status
That bed is absolutely awesome. Just finished reading the thread up to this point. Everything's looking great.
Glad to see you got the shock mount fixed I'll be tackling mine in a few weeks. Wish I had access to it like you do.
Glad to see you got the shock mount fixed
I'll be tackling mine in a few weeks. Wish I had access to it like you do.
magik235
Still Alive
I got the top half of the bed stained today. It was snowing too hard for a picture.
398HBX
1/2 ton status
Just once, I would like it to snow ass deep to a giraffe here in TN. We get a little each year, but not enough for the kids to actually go out and do anything.
magik235
Still Alive
No progress today. I had to plow snow and dig wood out of the snow bank then throw it downstairs into the basement. Here is a picture of yesterday's progress.
magik235
Still Alive
Today did not go according to the plan. Before I started working on Jiminy, I was going to run my woods trail to pack it down. I didn't even make it to the woods before I was stuck. After I dug the S10 ZR2 out, I went into the woods using a different route. I made it about 3/4 of the way before I got really stuck. The first one in the pictures was small time stuck compared to this one. By the time I got out I had used all of today's ambition.
Sitting in the shed with no ambition an idea flashed through my tired brain. The stain I used on the bed was linseed oil based. Linseed oil is used to combat rust so what would happen if I stained the frame. So with no preparation at all, I sat on a pail and experimented with staining my frame. The reddish colors are a reflection from my lawn tractor.
Sitting in the shed with no ambition an idea flashed through my tired brain. The stain I used on the bed was linseed oil based. Linseed oil is used to combat rust so what would happen if I stained the frame. So with no preparation at all, I sat on a pail and experimented with staining my frame. The reddish colors are a reflection from my lawn tractor.
CUCV2
5/4 ton fun
You definitely deserve points for creativity . It will be interesting to see how the linseed oil holds up.
Are you planning to add more to your flatbed? Just curious about tire coverage.
. It will be interesting to see how the linseed oil holds up. Are you planning to add more to your flatbed? Just curious about tire coverage.
magik235
Still Alive
The quotes below are from another forum but add clarification.
Until I take it outside. I was tired of looking at the rusty frame. This spring when I won't have to burn so much wood to heat the shed I was already planning on painting the frame. I will start by wire brushing with a drill and sanding the rust. Next step is to coat with West Marine's Rust-Lock before priming with 2 coats of Pettit's Rustlock Steel Primer. These products are designed for salt-water environments. Finally I will top coat probably with Herculiner. Since I will be wire brushing and sanding the frame anyway what is a little stain.
I don't imagine many people have used wood stain on metal. When I was staining the bed some stain dripped on to the springs. When I was done with the bed I spread the stain around. The next day it actually adhered well. I wish I had a dollar for every experiment I tried that failed.
mudkicker715 said:
Until I take it outside. I was tired of looking at the rusty frame. This spring when I won't have to burn so much wood to heat the shed I was already planning on painting the frame. I will start by wire brushing with a drill and sanding the rust. Next step is to coat with West Marine's Rust-Lock before priming with 2 coats of Pettit's Rustlock Steel Primer. These products are designed for salt-water environments. Finally I will top coat probably with Herculiner. Since I will be wire brushing and sanding the frame anyway what is a little stain.
mudkicker715 said:
I don't imagine many people have used wood stain on metal. When I was staining the bed some stain dripped on to the springs. When I was done with the bed I spread the stain around. The next day it actually adhered well. I wish I had a dollar for every experiment I tried that failed.
magik235
Still Alive
That is one of my ongoing debates. I don't know what I am going to do. Any ideas?
CUCV2
5/4 ton fun
I like seeing what you come up with better. But if it was me, I would 90 degree it up about a foot and then 90 degree it again over the tires until the tire coverage was satisfactory. Tie that all together at the cab end and gusset it at the bumper end. I am from the KISS (keep it simple stupid) school of thought so, keep that in mind. The whole "woody" theme opens up some new alternatives though. You should have some fun with it.
magik235
Still Alive
I can't go anywhere without tunes so I built a speaker box and installed 2 of my speakers. A little Herculiner and it will blend in completely. Even without proper separation the acoustics are much better than before. The acoustics will get better yet once I install 2 more speakers. I also removed the center console so my dog has a place to ride.
magik235
Still Alive
Today is mine and Jiminy's first anniversary.
magik235
Still Alive
Yesterday I was going to mount recessed tail lights into the rear bed support but discovered they were completely sealed with no way to change the bulb. I returned them and got different lights. I explored fender options while I was in town. I had to make mounting brackets then mounted the lights. Today I final mounted the bed, wired the tail lights, fixed a section of my tail pipe, applied Marine Goop adhesive sealant to finish seal the top section and installed one of the rear shocks.
398HBX
1/2 ton status
Lets see some pics! I don't know where you get the time, seems like I barely have time to do anything before the wife is wanting me to fix something or move something. I swear she waits until I am ready to start working on the truck before she gets one of her wild ideas...
magik235
Still Alive
I will get more pictures soon. Today I taped the edges of the bottom section then caulked the seams with silicone. I had wanted to use a paintable caulk but the cold overnight temperatures prevented me from using anything but silicone. I got the rear passenger shock and the steering stabilizer removed. Then I jacked around getting the big sway bar bolts loose. I am thinking about removing the sway bar and wanted to see if it was even an option.
398HBX
1/2 ton status
Getting rid of the sway bar is easy. It is not really needed, it just gives the truck more stiffness when used on the road. For off-road, removing it will increase your flex.
magik235
Still Alive
I installed the passenger's side rear shock and the driver's side front shock then removed the sway bar. The big bolts on the sway bar were 1/16 of a turn at a time using a long 1/2" breaker bar with a pipe extension to move them.
398HBX
1/2 ton status
Been there. It sucks when you can only move a little bit at a time. Plenty of PB Blaster and a big impact wrench can do wonders.
