Kechi 1949 3100 4.3 4L60e

Dr Crankenstein said:

What's a DW, Bill? Department of War? [ddd

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You must be referring to my first marriage Crank....this one really is a "dear wife"!

Glass looks really good Joe, and that treatment of the center bar looks good to me. I'm sticking with the flatheads from the inside but your idea is pretty neat. Sorry to hear that you have to keep this one to such a bare bones build, but it sure looks like you are doing great on it regardless. Thanks again for posting all your work, it's great information for me!

joedoh said:

my wife helped with the second passenger side windshield, luckily after I broke the first passenger glass I was able to wiggle the spare in without taking out the drivers side that was almost done. she wiggled the gasket while I kept pressure on the glass.

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So you didn't use the string technique?
I learned to install glass back in my dealership days when the dealers did as much as they could in-house. We even installed vinyl roofs.
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Torchie

Torchie said:

So you didn't use the string technique?

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I use the rope method too. Makes the job very easy.

yep I use the rope method on the windshield. 1/4 nylon cord, silicone lube in the channel. as a minitrucker in the 90s i put in about a hundred rear windows and even a couuple toyota windshields. I know my way around a rope gasket.

it worked ok for the drivers side but the passenger side was less successful. the glass was pooked out of the gasket when I was done, and the nylon cord didnt even pull the gasket close on top. pressure and wiggling was all it needed.

Putting glass in sucks big time, glad that's out of your way. [cl[cl

yeah dozer, usually its the rear window kicking my ass but always gotta be something haha.


I was missing a body mount donut to get the cab bolted down, luckily the guy I borrowed the lock strip tool from works at a salvage and had one.



tech tip, when installing the running board seals the screws like to go through the rubber crookeder than a politician. pre drill!




I need to bolt the hood on before those threads I tapped start rusting haha. but I have to finish the pass-through for the blower. I picked up some ABS plumbing parts and carved them open, a 45 bend fit PERFECT! I used a heat gun to squish the box to fit better and will goop it shut. I almost got the blower set up too, and the last picture shows if I had planned better the blower could have bolted right to the factory air intake location (where the louvers are outside!) next time for sure.








now that I have a windshield I can put up a punch list haha.

more coming! should be done with the truck (aside from some little things) by the weekend!

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Torchie

do it in order! body mounts, running board seals, running boards!

firstly shout out to larry who came by and bled the brakes, I had been dinking with them forever, no pedal. larry brought a mityvac and the combination of that with a second set of hands to pump the pedal a couple times and viola!

next, running boards. a lot of s10 swappers use rectangle tube and build crazy mounts but I always have a pile of stock brackets I cut off frames. on a front bracket the body mount gets in the way so you have to notch.



here is a shot of the rear tacked on.



everything lined up and fit great. funny how it only took abouut and hour and a half, the first set I did took DAYS.




while I had the welder out I touched up the exhaust and patched the antenna hole in the cowl.



I got everything buttoned up underneath, cotter pins in the balljoints and tie rods, trans mounting bolts, harnesses tied up and fuel lines tied down. I bolted the 20s on for a look and oh my I may need to find some tires. more coming, tomorrow is interior from top down.

Good progress.[cl
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Torchie

Looking good JD, thanks for the instructions again!

no prob bbbbbbbbill.


in 49 they changed the windlace and took away the center rib in the roof that the center headliner bow screwed to. so early 49 had screw in windlace and a center bow that screwed to the rib. late 49 had the slip in windlace that you lubed up and slipped into a channel, and a floating center headliner.

my truck is a mid year 49 haha. so it has the slip in windlace but still has a center rib and screw in center headliner bow. if there is a problem I can have it.

they only make two different headliners, early and late, so I have to improvise. the problem is that the screw in windlace headliner gets installed behind the windlace retainer, but if you leave that extra length on the headliner you cant get the windlace in, so a careful trim along the outside edges (the top of the picture where the three screw cutouts are) is what is needed.



I have read a lot of how to's on installing the headliner but my experience is they started at the factory with the headliner and built the truck around it. so EVERYTHING is out, windshield trim, windlace, center bow. I did use two drill tip screws to hold the front section to the center rib until I could get the center bow screwed in, and my wife helped wrangle the rear section in correctly, but it all went smooth.




I slipped the windlace in after that, there was some rust and burrs that made me come up with a new slip technique, namely grabbing the bottom of the windlace with vice grips and hammering the vice grips down, but it all worked.


I still had a giant hole in the floor so I patterned it in cardboard.



instead of beating it all into shape like an experienced metal working pro (which I am not) I like to get it close and use screws to pull everything together. it works well, this is almost pulled tight.



sure an english wheel or sandbag wouuld have looked better, but this is under the carpet and functions fine.

all done.




my daughter is flying in from phoenix at 3 tomorrow, I am hoping to have the carpet and seat in at least and the truck pulled outside for her to admire.

Git r done must be your motto [cl[cl[cl[P[P[P

Great timing again JD - I just brought my new headliner home a couple of weeks ago and am planning to try to install it soon...not that I'm looking forward to it. I've read a few how-to's on it, and yours is probably the most helpful. And I know what you are thinking - "two weeks ago"? You could pretty much build a truck in two weeks I think!!! Thanks again.

i have tried to do the headliner the way other sites tell you, loosen the screws for the windshield trim, loosen the center bar screws, loosen the windlace trim. its baloney, trying to tuck it all in will have you screaming in all caps. totally bare it was easiest.

got the jute and carpet trimmed, seat in, hood on, pulled out.

That truck looks terrific Joe. [cl.

Burgerman said:

That truck looks terrific Joe. [cl.

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I'll second that!

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Truck turned out awesome Joe[cl[cl

Looks great JD!

Everything fits very well [cl

Great job joedoh !!!!! [cl[cl[cl

Soooo what's next?