Junkyard Jimmy Super Low Buck Build Thread

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by rustyrides

From what a few people told me is that it was made by hickey but not sure about that

Could be. I can't remember if I found a label on mine or not. Seems like I did but that's ancient history now. Hope yours is in better shape than mine was.

Originally Posted by Bomp

A big Congrats.
One of them shops has gotta be a paint booth.

One of them may get a redneck paint booth put in it. Donovan insists.

Originally Posted by Tynee

Congrats, that place has a ton of potential.
Posted via Mobile Device

Lots of potential. Every day I get a little more done, and find a little more to do. At some point I'll be able to really make progress. Maybe I'll start a build thread in the alternative tinkerings section!

Originally Posted by TennesseeZ

That looks like the perfect place for you Mike, can't wait to see what you do with it!

I have some common sense ideas like geothermal heat with possibly adding solar and using that for the future shop also. And some far out ideas, like digging a pond out (not really nutty) but using the excavated dirt to build a little dirt oval track around the pond. And turning my driveway into a single lane 1/8 mile drag strip.

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Lots of room for hiding toys Mike...awesome

No need to hide them. Connie doesn't care what I drag home. I just got most of the lean to cleaned out on the back side of the 3 car garage. Room there for another car for a total of 7 garage stalls!

[-Greg72]

Subscribing for suspension details....


-G

[hgs_notes]

I wish I was posting a bunch of progress but unfortunately, nope. Not that I haven't been busy. Far from it. Here's the readers digest version. Bought the farm place (noted above). Got laid off from work in October. Spent the 2 months off time working my ass off between the new and old places. Started working again mid December. Holidays. Spent time getting the 3 car garage set up as a usable shop space (lights, outlets, insulated doors, insulating walls and attic, unpacking and stashing years of accumulated crap). The new job didn't provide a car so I had to find something to drive other than my 71 C-10 so I bought a high mileage 2003 Yukon XL Denali for cheap. Needed lots of maintenance things done to clear codes and replace worn parts. Not economical but very useful to me currently and a future chassis for my 47 Olds body swap. Spent time fixing motorcycles, atv's home repairs, etc.

And dreaming of the days I would get back to this project. Still not quite there but it's getting closer. It's in the shop. It has the original front axle under it so I could roll it from one garage to the next. It's on jackstands. I can work on it now when I get the time. The plan has changed slightly. Not the overall plan for the finished product but the plan on how to get there.

I have a borrowed tubing bender and very little knowledge of how to use it. I found a cage kit for around $525 plus freight. It's got 2" .120" wall tubing which is what I was going to do. I think it will be worth the cost compared to my time and expected frustration. I would use it as a base and then use my bender to add to it to fit my needs which will simplify the build quite a bit for me.

Thanks to info from Greg72 I have some new suspension geometry calculators to play with some numbers before I actually cut links and build brackets. I need to do some more learning there. Greg, check posts 1329 and 1333 to get an idea for my plan. It's just a rough draft.

Originally I wanted to do the cage and front suspension then drive it a while and then do the rear suspension. Now I think I will just jump in and do it all before I put it back on the road (or trail).

Going to it's new home...


The new shop getting cleaned up some...




Drainage issues from the warmer weather melting. Had an inch of water in the garage.




The cage kit I'm looking at...










I also have the 79 2wd crewcab that I'm going to do a LS swap in (bigass farm truck in my signature). I bought the engine and everything I could from the donor truck, bought a 4L80e and my cousin is selling me a 90 suburban for parts.

I need to pay my tax bill for last year before I spend much more on parts. And I have a possible work related change coming up in a couple of weeks. If that works out I'll be in a better position going forward. Then once my old house sells I'll be sitting real good.

Wish I had more to say regarding this project, but I don't. Outside of the unexpected job change and my tax bill which was complicated and negative because of that change, I'm happy and doing well. I'm never bored.

[Bomp]

Really glad to see things looking up in your future. Seems as though a bunch of fellas have had the job hiccup lately (me included).
Only down side I could see is the water getting in and killing the cardboard boxes.
Always keeping an eye out for updates.

[rckymtnhi]

Nice! Where did you find the cage kit? I've been looking myself, but have never seen that one.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by rckymtnhi

Nice! Where did you find the cage kit? I've been looking myself, but have never seen that one.

Here...
http://www.broncobob.com/

Look at the roll cage page and scroll to the bottom.

[Dieselwrencher]

Sorry to hear about the job issues! I'm glad to hear you're getting all settled in to the new place and the extra shop space looks great! Keep at it and good luck with the new job!

[hgs_notes]

It's been a long time. I have not been slacking off, just had my attention, time and money going everywhere else but here. Quick run down of the last couple years...

August 2015 bought a farm site 9 miles from town. It needed a LOT of work.
October 2015, got laid off from work.
November 2015, started a new job as part time inspector
May 2016 promoted to western region manager
July 2016 got engaged
September 2016 got married and finally sold my old house in town.
December 2016 borrowed piles of money to really fix the house up. Started replacing windows (finished in March 2017, yes it was cold)
February 2017, roof replaced, old siding stripped off.
May 2017 started to build a large porch onto the house, continued with door replacements and new siding.
July 2017 bought a factory five cobra kit car, went to Mass. to pick it up (Happy birthday to me!)
Swapped engines in my 71 C-10 for the second time after the one I built last winter died during cam break-in.
November 2017 finally finished the siding and porch and door replacement. Daughter wrecks my Jeep Cherokee (she's ok, Jeep, not so much)
December 2017 installed laminate floor in kitchen, moved the fridge and installed a cabinet and dishwasher in it's place. (Wife happy)
January 2018, bought a roll cage kit...


There were several other things that happened the past couple years. Like trying my hand at an LS swap in my 79 C-30 crewcab (still working on that but that garage isn't getting heated this winter), step daughters wedding, busted up my shoulder flipping an ATV doing stupid stuff, cleaning up and fixing every other building on the property, etc. It's time to get back inside the garage instead of on top and around it.

Before and after pics of the house...


















New floor, dishwasher and microwave (had to move the fridge because it wouldn't fit there after the new floor was installed)...




My truck was a wedding prop for the step daughter...




And the chariot for my own wedding...


Dream car arrives home...




The cage should be shipping before the end of the week, but I don't know how long it'll take before it shows up. In the mean time I need to do some prep work on the jimmy.

Also, since I looked into it last, Off-road design has added the Dodge Dana 60 axle to their coilover kit as an option. They only had the GM dana 60 brackets before, but maybe my inquiries (and others) about it prompted them to offer it. The dodge axle is narrower and the short side bracket wouldn't fit. So now I can buy the axle brackets I need and not have to do the engineering. I can't afford to buy the complete kit ($3350 plus options) so I will end up making some of the brackets, links, etc. myself. Will also be on the lookout for some good used shocks.

I'll be starting again but I have no time line or dead line. Who needs that kind of stress, this is supposed to be fun right? My goal is to work on this, make progress, learn or hone some new skills, and get it done so I can start building my cobra.

[Dieselwrencher]

Your house turned out amazing! Great job on it. Is that carr siding inside the porch below the windows? I really like that. That has to be a great feeling to be back messing with the Jimmy again!

[Ol Blue K20]

Great to see you update this thread Mike. I may bug you with a text or two when I'm hospitalized soon.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Your house turned out amazing! Great job on it. Is that carr siding inside the porch below the windows? I really like that. That has to be a great feeling to be back messing with the Jimmy again!

Yep. Car siding. Doesn’t cost a lot. The wife did the staining. And we used galvanized steel on the ceiling for something different. Working on any vehicle after all this carpentry stuff feels great.

Something I forgot to mention was the engine was pulled out of the jimmy and is now in my C10. I needed an engine and didn’t have time or money to build another one. So that means I have to get another one for the jimmy. I’m thinking something bigger and badder than before.

[Dieselwrencher]

I like the way you think. That galvanized paneling helps give that rustic feel IMO. Someday we'll have a house and porch similar to yours. Now finding an acreage is the issue. On the K5, bigger is always better. But if you're wanting to wheel it, maybe bigger CI SBC to help keep weight down? I'd say all aluminum LS but I know you probably want to keep a tight budget to get to the Cobra sooner rather than later.

[swamp rat]

Wish I had that kinda skill!

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Wish I had that kinda skill!

It's less skill and more wing-it than most would realize. Looks ok from a little distance. A real skilled carpenter would see my mistakes in a minute. But I work cheap and don't complain a lot to my boss! She loves me anyway.

Just another garage update. Last month I installed an electric heater in the garage mainly to keep it from freezing up. Its tough to warm a shop up from about 20F to comfortable in a short time and until my home refi went through I was out of cash and this was cheap. Black Friday special for about $50 and I already had most of what I needed to install it.


And it works good. I keep it on low and even during our worst weather so far it kept it in the low 40's, which is perfect. Not comfortable to work in but not bad and much easier to warm it up from there to a comfortable 60F.

But after the refi, I'm using a little money to get the heater I really wanted.


The electricity here is pretty expensive and my power bill next month will probably put a sizable dent in my bank account. Propane isn't as cheap as natural gas, but cheaper than electricity for heat. Menards has a sale!

I got it mounted yesterday and I'm hoping to finish the install tonight. It's been relatively warm the past few days (average high for the previous 3 weeks was about 8F) but the cold comes back tomorrow so I really want to get this install done.

[Dieselwrencher]

Was the electric heater 220? I put one of those in my south bay at the shop in Mitchellville. Wow that sucker used the electricity. In my garage I put a 75k btu heater like yours in and I love it. Good luck getting the install done before the next wave of cold weather and white stuff.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Was the electric heater 220? I put one of those in my south bay at the shop in Mitchellville. Wow that sucker used the electricity. In my garage I put a 75k btu heater like yours in and I love it. Good luck getting the install done before the next wave of cold weather and white stuff.

Yep, 220 volt and about 25k btu. Single digit highs n Friday again. So it’s a good thing that...


That’s Glenn Frey BTW

[garmar]

Just spent three days reading your amazing build thread. What an adventure you've had! I gotta say, I greatly admire your work ethic and multitude of skills. Can't wait to see what you do next.

[hgs_notes]

Today I started getting the jimmy back up on stands. I’m going to have to build something that is more stable to work on it though. It’s close to level here and the top is almost 7’ high. The old front axle was put under it so I could get it moved from my old house to this one. I got that pulled out again. I think I’ll get the rear axle out next and continue getting the rest of the old parts off the frame that won’t be needed.

New heater is working great.

[Tom Vogel]

That’s Glenn Frey BTW

Wow!

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Tom Vogel

That’s Glenn Frey BTW

Wow!

What? Not everyone knows 80's pop references.

Yesterday, I got the rear axle out. A couple bolts still holding the exhaust on. Will get the leaf springs out and probably the fuel tank also. I'll need to put a fuel cell in the bed I think. We'll see.

[Bomp]

Glad to see you wrenching again.
Your remodel triggered a project (way smaller project) I've had on my mind for some time now.
The whole floor area of the shop is filled with Rubber Maid bins and other assorted car/truck parts from the upstairs in the shop. Steiner is buried.
The upstairs on the other hand is getting the business. Feels good to get on a long awaited project.
Had to let you know this build does have impact on other people.
Glad your heater is working..... Have had it with mine, furnace replacement bid guy coming on Wednesday.

[Dieselwrencher]

I'm sure you are enjoying that new heat source right now!

[nuke1]

BUUUUUDDDDDDDYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are both back!! hells ya. lets have arace. blazer vs tylers 58!!!

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Bomp

Glad to see you wrenching again.
Your remodel triggered a project (way smaller project) I've had on my mind for some time now.
The whole floor area of the shop is filled with Rubber Maid bins and other assorted car/truck parts from the upstairs in the shop. Steiner is buried.
The upstairs on the other hand is getting the business. Feels good to get on a long awaited project.
Had to let you know this build does have impact on other people.
Glad your heater is working..... Have had it with mine, furnace replacement bid guy coming on Wednesday.

Not having heat when you need it is a PITA. All my stuff breaks down when I'm on the road somewhere.

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

I'm sure you are enjoying that new heat source right now!

Yep! Minus 5 outside, 55 inside.

Originally Posted by nuke1

BUUUUUDDDDDDDYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are both back!! hells ya. lets have arace. blazer vs tylers 58!!!

I won't race the build process. Once you get rolling on something I don't have a chance. But a road race? I pick the location. It probably won't be paved. Or even a 2 track. Or a game trail.

I upgraded the sound system in my lair.


Got a great deal on these discontinued, but new speakers direct from pol on their ebay site. Going full quadrophonic sound baby!!





Total overkill for garage speakers but they sound great and didn't cost a fortune. Now I need an upgrade on the receiver since this one blows out at anything higher than 45 on the volume dial.

It needs to be louder than the voices in my head

I did get the exhaust pulled out last night. I wasn't just goofing off out there the whole time...




Looking pretty clean under there...


I think I need a new impact wrench. My old free one is losing the ability to loosen the tough stuff, which is the only reason to have one. BTW, why is it called an impact "wrench" when there is nothing wrenchy about it? Those leaf spring hanger bolts are a bear to get loose.

[hgs_notes]

New stuff showing up on the porch. First I got my ebay special oxy-acetylene torch set up. I had a small tank set and regulators but the torch was junk. I'm hoping this $90 bargain from ebay is at least usable. A torch alone was about $60, so I figured new hoses and regulators would make good spares.

Funny thing I noticed on the packaging though. Says made in China...


But looking closer...


And closer...


Oh well.

This tubing may or may not have been made in the USA. It was definitely bent here and shipped here but I haven't checked the tube markings yet for origin.


So, in a couple weeks it should look something like this...


Ok, so maybe not a couple weeks. Or ever for that matter. But DANG! that looks pretty cool.