Well I took my gauge cluster and center section out. This concept will be fairly straight forward actually. I need to figure a few more wires out to hook up the celica gauges. But the tach and speedo fit the cluster holes. Tabs need a little work though. And deletin my climates should be easy actually. Little bend and a zip tie on the cable should lock them down where I aim them. The 3 small ones will fit good. I want a second veneer area to cut up. But might just mess with this one. As for the texture, I know a trick that will mimic it pretty well. Ill put up pictures as I make the changes.

This, a thorough detailing and my new chin lip are goals for the pstoc show on the 30th. And removing the rest of my underhood a/c parts.

 

well today i took all my a/c lines out, and the condensor. gauge reads a little cooler with the extra air hitting the radiator. looks better too. i have room for pusher fans now if i go with a M series swap. i also steam cleaned the block and engine bay. ive never seen it look so clean. was terrible when i got it, you saw the picture above. im putting the new head on tomorrow, i have all my gaskets and everything i need i think.

and i cut up my celica cluster for the area that holds the 3 small gauges. so i think that should all go pretty smooth.

i found the chrome spray paint at walmart tonight, so im going to spray inside my side markers and tail lights with that. i will do before and after pictures at night. should make them reflect better.

i also started working on my new front valance. wont be able to do a true test fit until i take my front markers out, and the plate off. then ill see what of my valance needs to be cut away and how much to narrow the new one. i think im gonna make a grille insert like the stock bars in the upper for this lower. to tie the look together. and i also found a spray paint that seems damn close to my truck. if i spray it over black to darken it up a little, it should look almost perfect. good enough for down low in an area ill probably hit on stuff all the time now. woot, VW status.

 

i am thinking about a little idea i have for the gauge clusters. i have a grant style steering wheel with the 3 holes i got from a guy i knew. he used the krylon x metals paint over the chrome and i really like it. for some reason, it goes great with the orange paint. i also have a big purple grenade sticker between the seats. and being that i have the chrome spray paint now, i sorta wanna get a can of the x metals purple to redo the steering wheel. and also spray the centers of the gauge cluster. i dunno. i could just do black but it seems cool in my head. the steering wheel doesnt really reflect into my face except for under very certain spots of the sun in the evening and i just move my head a little. what do you guys think about that?

 

Well the gauges will not fit in the center if I want the stereo there too. So I think I'm gonna build my console the rest of the way. And stick the head unit at the front by the heater. Still yankin the climate controls out. I will have 4 knob switches now. Wipers, heater fan, stereo (using a wiper) and my fog lights. Power will be wired so I have to have the main running lights on. So I don't forget it on. Gonna use the celica headlight I'd hazard switch for that. It looks like I'm going to have a very itchey week. Lotta back yard glassworks. Hahaha.

 

Oh, I also painted inside my tails with chrome paint. Should light up brighter. And re orange for the exterior isn't red enough. So I'm gonna try to spray red x metals (cheap candy) over that lightly to see of it gets it closer. And I'm also gonna ditch the orange on the tail lenses if that stuff sprays nicely. And probably do a little purple in the dash. Ill put up pics tomorrow.

 

heres the console i was building. started as the bulk of a late model s10. but where it flares out, i cut it off. shaved a few ugly things from it. and was gonne use a widened 4runner front section. being the gauge setup results, im gonna continue on it, and just have to put my camera bag behind the shotgun seat and remove the handle for the slider so nobody can squash my stuff.

heres the pictures, i only put a few hours in on it. probably gonna wrap it in black vinyl. it helps alot starting with something close. and it fits nicely between the seats. im not pro, and it is a little messy looking still but i will get working on this after i finish the head tomorrow. then ill start on interior goodies. im goin for first place at PSTOC. haha

overall struture and form


this is what the s10 does up front stock

cut out all the cd holder and coin tray crap and smoothed it




i pretty much stopped there because i got a camera bag that fits between the seats. lol. but up front the 4runner portion will hold the head unit. ill just use the remote to change songs.

 

dude you a going to town on truck its gonna be sick when you get that console done nice work

 

yeah. im trying to figure out a way to have a top area from the shifter forward have a painted insert look. i have a few ideas. one involves the trim off the tailgate of my dodge. lol. i woulda worked on it tonight but its still all in storage and i couldnt make it there before it closed. ill get all that stuff tomorrow and get the dash stuff going. then start gettin itchy. woot!

i also got my tails painted inside, and they are a good amount brighter. i think it was worth the little bit of effort. heres a before and after. the before was with it running, getting full charge voltage, the after isnt running (its loud, its late...haha) and its still a little brighter.



and i also painted inside all of the gauges with the chrome spray. some i had to brush on. once it dries ill clean the little extra that got here and there. they should solve that old dim toyota gauges issue for sure. lol. ill put a bulb in on a battery for an example shot. but here you can see how much shiny surface there is. i hit everything i could. haha.



i also got the new head all on, got it running today and its a got more pull. so having a fresh head and gasket is really nice. i wanna do late model rocker arms (aluminum vs cast iron) and a mild cam. anything that will work with stock springs. something mild.

here is the valance, as im starting with it. im just gonna narrow it, and make a marker light that sits flush, and somehow mount my fog lights next to that. it makes sence in my head. it will mount onto the fender edges, and onto the stock valance behind the bumper, or just slightly under it. not so much like a body kit but just a taller simple valance. here it is and the fog lights. i plan to leave the bumper notch for the lights, so thats why this rodeo one works so great. and its abs plastic.



and here is another thing im gonna try and work into the next 2 weeks. lmao. its a set of cheesy parts store pedal over lays im gonna try and make smaller, more like stock. and then polish them up with my dremal. theyll look good for a while. its anodized aluminum. has little rubber grippers that fille the holes from the back. shouldnt look too bad.

 

those all suck, because i took them at 11 with my phone. i downsized them a bit, so theyre easier to see. and just because, i think ill use a torx head screw for the ones holding it to the fenders/valance. i still gotta mess with getting the color right. ill do that tomorrow.

and if you look at the valance and the one of the fog/marker, you can see that its not too much taller than stock. just enough to be noticeable. use the referance points of the base to the top of the marker light.

 

put the gauges back together. i didnt do a before test to see how bright they originally were, but the after test wasnt too bad. i tried the junky old stock bulbs, some of the blue glass cheapos, and my purple leds. thats also the best to worst order. i want them to light up purple, so ill have to try some el wire or a purple diffuser on the stock bulbs. maybe some purple x metals inside the housings over the chrome. hell, pink would be pretty cool too. lol. seriously.

heres a crappy picture of them wired up and hooked to a battery charger, dunno if it got full 12v or not.


i know, some werent making good contact. ill get things better before they go in. and i pretty much cut everything from my stock mid dash panel, so its just a frame now. ill start glassing it up possibly tomorrow. i gotta get the console so i can do stuff together.

 

I sure as hell cannot wait to see you rocking those gauges!

 

haha. me too. i gotta pick up my console from stoage today and ill probably be getting the glass work going this weekend. im tired of my stereo flopping around in a hole in the dash where my center panel is out. i did consider moving the heater controls to the bottom of my a/c controls. ill see how the console goes. its probably just gonna get deleted though.

 

no babble this time. just a big picture update ive been meaning to do. these are all today. lol.

chrome inner handles and new speakers

grant wheel and dash torn into

sticker wall

big camera bag

new shifter and arm

pressure washed the engine and yada

air cleaner and no emissions to be seen lol


ill upload the rest later.

 

does the grant block your view of the gauges. i got a grant and can't see my gauges...

 

does that main neg wire go to the inner fender too?



that ground to your intake isnt doing you any favors. aluminum doesnt transmit electricity worth a ****. run that wire to your inner fender then another one off the firewall to the rear eng hoist mount by the #4 plug.

 

Yeah Bernie, my Grant wheel totally does that too! I am always ducking to see how fast I am going under the wheel. The tach is a little easier to see since it is under the higher part of the wheel.

 

wheel doesnt block my view at all. and it runs from battery to the motor mount on the frame side and to the intake. i know, aluminum sucks, but it was the stock wire and reached. might not help much but it cant hurt. and the engine goes to the inner fender, and to the firewall. i need to do one from the battery to the body still.

 

heres the rest of the pictures

smog pump bracket, but the motor cleaned up pretty good for some quarters

jager fifth cold tin, gonna make it my new over flow. just there to show a size comparison

81ish brake master and booster, bolted right on. works pretty nice. much smaller diameter.

i need to weld up those little u things. they tick a little. and the frame cleaned up pretty nice here too.

the blocks and leafs all share a common center pin. and custom bend 2.5" axle tube u bolts.

notch time? just a little one so...

...these dont hit. or...

...i rub the tires in the rear wheel wells like up front.

this made me crack up when i saw it today. it rubs there when i have a passenger, and make hard lefts. its done it so long, its eating though the inner fender.

flasks, flashlights, and smokes. what else did you expect?

fresh, yet dirty as hell, front 3/4 shot

not a bad color match on the driver fender considering it came from a different truck, which had been repainted. by that i mean, i hunted til i found a fender i didnt have to paint. cost me about 25 bucks or something.

 

i know i have a few little engine room things to take care of, to me its still kinda rough. but its my driver so i am still working through the issues. and no, i dont have a good job...its still my pizza truck. haha.

 

well, i stayed up all night. got my rodeo valance roughed out. narrowed it 6". straighten my bumper a little. and here is a quick shot. the bumper and valance arent sitting right, and the color was the closest bomb can i could find. so ill have to find a new color. :/