Low Cost Interior

[tucsonjwt]

Pics of door panel rebuild (respray with SEM paint, JC Whitney door pulls, local upholstery lower door carpet), Huskyliners on floor with Walmart treadmill matt on hump and under outer seat edge, homemade rear speaker boxes, homemade behind the seat oak storage, plus local upholstery new carpet on floor (only visible now under seat). All match the subtle character of my 27 year old beater truck.

[texasfunk]

man that looks good! how'd you make those boxes??

[tucsonjwt]

Thanks.
I cut down a piece of 2 x 6 on a radius to match the curved metal in the cab corner on top (traced out curve on 2x, then cut along mark with sabre saw) for top "bracket". Cut a piece of paper to match the floor of the cab corner and accomodate the cross brace in the far corner - trace the cut piece of paper on another piece of 2 x 6 and cut that with a sabre saw to make the bottom bracket. Dado a 3/8" x 3/8" rabbet in the lower inside edge of top bracket, and the upper inside edge of lower bracket - now you have a "pocket" for the speaker panel to rest in.
Drill pilot holes and angle screw the top and bottom bracket with 2 self-piercing screws each to the curved metal on the top, and the metal cross brace on the bottom.
Once the brackets are installed, use a piece of cardboard to fit into the opening between the brackets to properly size the speaker panel. Trace the cardboard template on a piece of 1/4" hardboard - check fit. Use the speaker template to mark the speaker in the desired location - cut speaker hole with sabre saw. Used 3 self-piercing screws 1" long (top and bottom) to
mount the speaker panel (after attaching the speakers/trim/grills to the panel. Attach the speaker wires and screw panel into place.
The problem is our trucks are apparently not consistent dimensionally from one side of the truck to the other, or from top to bottom in the cab corners, so it is a lot of trial and error. I like it better than a piece of open sheet metal hanging from the cab corner, and cost $0 with scraps and paint I had laying around the shed. I spent about $25 for the 4" JVC speakers on the net - P.O. already ran wire for speakers, which I found when getting ready for new carpet. With 4" speakers, there is still room left under the speaker behind the speaker panel for a secret hiding place or small door to store small items.

[78 Chevyrado]

I like it. I been thinking about building a small shelf like that for every one of these trucks I ever had. It's that thing I don't ever get around to, and I know I'd love it if I had it.

[tucsonjwt]

I forgot - Accuform dash cap and local upholstery headliner recover and SEM repaint interior trim.

[tucsonjwt]

Triangular rear storage shelf was made because the 6 disc CD changer was just screwed to the back of the cab. I made the large right side division the correct size to accomodate the CD changer. I made the top shelf the right size to accomodate a 4' level. On our trucks, you can drill a 1" screw along the top of this shelf to attach it to the truck so it won't move - there is a sheet metal lip hanging down inside just below the rear window - drill anywhere else and you will likely go outside the back wall of the cab. I used 3 screws to hold the shelf in place. The CD changer is attached to the storage shelf with 9/16" self-piercing screws. I use 1/2" oak plywood I had laying around and finished the edges with oak veneer. Had to buy stain and polyurethane to finish it. I would have bought a plastic shelf but I could not see screwing the CD changer to a piece of plastic.

[nbpro]

one thing to say sweettttttttttttt

[RuralRoute C-30]

Wow! Thanks for showing how nice it can look! Adding this to the list of things to do soon!

Very nice!

Mark

[Hubscrub]

nothing wrong with that, looks good

[GMC Guy]

the door panels look brand new! very nice

[tucsonjwt]

Thanks, fellow squares. I figure the total cost was less than $650, including a major seat rebuild/recover by upholsterer. Cheap materials - not OEM correct, but better than completely shot stuff I had. (I wonder if I should maket the $20 Walmart treadmill mat as "high tech automotive floor covering.") I put some $$ on the inside, since I use the truck for hard work when I do use it (less than 3000 miles per year) and the outside is subject to abuse - use is often as a dump/haul truck. (see pics)

[78 Chevyrado]

I love that dump bed so much! I always wanted one of those since I can remember. maybe Ill get one on my 78 one of these days. I might use it more for dirt and stuff if I didnt have to shovel everything twice...ha ha!

[tucsonjwt]

The dump bed is handy, and "stealth" so nobody knows you have a dump bed -avoid commercial vehicle charges/CDL requirements.
I looked at a lot of options. The best option is an aluminum dump insert (only weighs about 450#), but I think they cost about $5000 now. Even the steel inserts are about $3500, and they add about 800# to your truck (reducing your cargo capacity by about 1/2 ton). I had this installed about 7 years ago by a local equipment dealer for about $2000, including a bumper modification (bumper gets welded to back pivot arms, I had them cut out the center step and reinforce the top to allow the box to tip back all the way and clear the hitch receiver.) The kit for this hoist is now about $1500 on the internet.
Because I have dual tanks, the equipment dealer who installed the dump had to mount the pump and motor transverse behind the cab, instead of outside the frame rail on one side (where one of the dual tanks is). This means the the hydraulic scissor mechanism had to be located farther back toward the rear of the truck, which means the hoist has less lifting capacity (think lever principle from high school geometry - fulcrum of lever is off toward one end, not centered on the lever, so more force required to lift the other side.) So, although this Pierce Wrecker hoist can lift 4000#, my truck will only lift about 2000#. That's OK, since a pickup box really is not strong enough to lift 4000#,even with adding extra reinforcement. Also, I am usually going to the local dump, which charges $10 to dump up to one ton (2000#), and $38 to dump over one ton. So, it doesn't pay to haul more than one ton at a time.
My truck (with me in it) weighs about 5680#, maximum GVWR is 8600#, so I can only safely haul 2920#, and that's with presumed excellent shocks/springs, etc., which this old truck no longer has - especially after hauling hundreds of dump loads in the past 7 years.
The only time I look cool is when I flip the switch and unload my truck from inside the cab at the local dump, while the other dumpers are sweating and unloading their truck by hand.
Plus, working on anything under the box is a breeze (replacing fuel senders,fuel tanks, greasing chassis, etc.)