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Meet Red, my 81 Restomod Build

Well, this is amusing. I ordered 4 rosette rivets to re-mount my vin tag after painting. Got them off EBay, from a US seller. I sort of forgot until just now…they will be here next week. The reason they’re taking so long?


They’re coming from Russia! Dang! I wonder what kind of watch list I’m on now!

D7D2D5B5-4F97-48CA-BDA3-78D3CBCD0E9C.png
 
Rivets arrived a few days after the last post. Worth the wait.
28353E94-3BAD-42B2-8A7D-94AE066A2599.jpeg7A31E650-3844-41A0-991E-A2A3FA50C599.jpegI’ve been working on getting the universal harness modified to my needs and finally today I felt I had it. I’m hoping I didn’t forget anything- I already had to add a power feed to keep the GPS speedo awake, and run a wire for the MIL indicator. Also, instead of making one large bundle with a lot of branches, I created individual branches for each major group. Might look a bit more cluttered, but if I ever have to troubleshoot I’ll be happy. Here’s some pics-


The bulkhead pass through.
6DB949CC-F0B6-4597-9614-B4573AA99D64.jpeg

You get a lot of length here- most of these will feed into the under hood power distribution center/relay center.0906468A-63D7-4198-A995-9023696A8643.jpeg

The fuse box is in the stock location, just spaced out an inch to allow room for the individual branches to feed out. If you zoom in on the fuse panel- the fuses labeled in red are always hot, the ones in white are hot with key on. I also made some custom labels for stuff like GPS memory and TCC switch…0AF26124-ECE1-4800-951B-F9052AC28417.jpeg

Passenger side of the steering column- a bit busy here with all the switches and the big trunk to the gauges/HVAC system.
11841DAE-3C09-43FA-9515-E7731E99CD36.jpeg

So, that’s it for now. Waiting on another backup camera, I used the last one on my blue Silverado. I’m also brainstorming on where to put the speedo GPS antenna. Under the cowl vent won’t work because there is a plate covering the opening. I’ve got a couple ideas though.

I’m also still working on the radiator mount. If I just gave in and went with the 1” body lift instead of the 1/2” it would work as is. Might be a wise choice but I really don’t want or need any more height.
 
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So…here comes a bit of a long post but I think I’ve come up with a complicated yet elegant solution to a simple problem. If you actually read all of this I not only appreciate you but hopefully if you see any flaws in my thinking you will let me know.
I spent some time measuring all the body mounts to try and come to a solution on my radiator/frame interference. I determined that when I was doing all the welding on the rear of the frame, the heat warped it upwards about 3/16”. Luckily the warp is even side to side. I was using the rear crossmember to support the back end so no surprise there. Anyways…the additional 3/16 height in the rear translates to about 3/8” loss at the front grille mount.
Installing a 1” Body lift would solve the clearance situation, but the radiator mount would be 3/8” too tall. Right now I can’t fit the 1/2” spacer, I’ve got a short stack of washers… What I need is to re-level the body to the mounts. Simple- add washers as needed, right? Heck no- that’s sorta ugly and out of step with the overall build. There’s already washer spacers that I’m not happy with.
My solution- I’m going to buy a bar of 2 1/2” red poly 90d, and cut each spacer so I have a full 5/8” front rise at the radiator, but also to eliminate all the washers while I’m at it. Each current spacer will be measured including the washers, then the additional height will be calculated ( I actually used that high school algebra!). I will then cut drill each individual spacer. Custom fit body lift. I’ll order the poly later, and once it comes in I’ll take pics of the progress. This will either be real cool or a huge waste of time. We shall see.
 
I just found this bed this evening while searching the site for Dakota Digital. Nice, you’ve put a lot of thought, time and expense into your well thought out build. I like it. Thank you for sharing it. Makes me want to update my build thread at some point. Lol
 
Well, $75 for 12” of red urethane rod. Ouch for what it is. Anyone want to buy some 5/8 lift spacers?
 
I've never replaced any of mine and I have a couple of split stock ones. What thickness are those ?
 
Randy

If the frame rails are warped, could you put on a frame machine and pull it back to spec ?
 
Scramblin Man said:
Randy

If the frame rails are warped, could you put on a frame machine and pull it back to spec ?
Click to expand...
For 3/16”, I think my solution would work best. If I had discovered it before paint, I might have hon that direction. But- it’s off the same side to side so there’s no twist. I’ve got a body mount that’s off almost that much! So, it’s level and simple height adjustment via my overthought shimming will work.
 
On my son’s J-10 build, we needed to do a custom body lift. We used boat trailer rollers from West Marine. It seemed like pretty decent polly material available in multiple colors, not cheap, but not too expensive.
 
John N said:
On my son’s J-10 build, we needed to do a custom body lift. We used boat trailer rollers from West Marine. It seemed like pretty decent polly material available in multiple colors, not cheap, but not too expensive.
Click to expand...
That’s a great idea. There aren’t many boat supply places around here, and the ones there are don’t have squat. I already ordered that $75 chunk. Seems I can’t get away with anything inexpensive on this build!
 
Randyzzz said:
Rivets arrived a few days after the last post. Worth the wait.
View attachment 95908View attachment 95909I’ve been working on getting the universal harness modified to my needs and finally today I felt I had it. I’m hoping I didn’t forget anything- I already had to add a power feed to keep the GPS speedo awake, and run a wire for the MIL indicator. Also, instead of making one large bundle with a lot of branches, I created individual branches for each major group. Might look a bit more cluttered, but if I ever have to troubleshoot I’ll be happy. Here’s some pics-


The bulkhead pass through.
View attachment 95910

You get a lot of length here- most of these will feed into the under hood power distribution center/relay center.View attachment 95911

The fuse box is in the stock location, just spaced out an inch to allow room for the individual branches to feed out. If you zoom in on the fuse panel- the fuses labeled in red are always hot, the ones in white are hot with key on. I also made some custom labels for stuff like GPS memory and TCC switch…View attachment 95912

Passenger side of the steering column- a bit busy here with all the switches and the big trunk to the gauges/HVAC system.
View attachment 95913

So, that’s it for now. Waiting on another backup camera, I used the last one on my blue Silverado. I’m also brainstorming on where to put the speedo GPS antenna. Under the cowl vent won’t work because there is a plate covering the opening. I’ve got a couple ideas though.

I’m also still working on the radiator mount. If I just gave in and went with the 1” body lift instead of the 1/2” it would work as is. Might be a wise choice but I really don’t want or need any more height.
Click to expand...
FWIW I put my speedo GPS antenna on the back of the Windshield VIN plate and ran the wire through wiper harness hole
 
AdamH said:
FWIW I put my speedo GPS antenna on the back of the Windshield VIN plate and ran the wire through wiper harness hole
Click to expand...
I’m thinking somewhat the same. If I drill a small hole to pass the GPS antenna connector through the inside of the windshield frame (not easy but possible) I can mount the antenna pod on a little bracket that will take the place of the windshield strap bracket. Fish the cable through and out by the wiper motor. That’s how I ran the wires for Copper’s switch console. Just wish I’d have drilled the hole before paint. And, I’ve never driven with a folded down windshield. Ever.
 
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