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I've been reliant on mass transit for several years. I had my own business which was no longer profitable. After a job switch, I searched for a rear wheel drive, standard shift, two seater sports car. Nothing in my price range popped up, so I got a pickup truck instead. This one's got an automatic tranny, which sucks big time, but it was in my price range.
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2
This truck needs some help. I recently had to move in with my Dad, and he's an obsessive/compulsive hoarder of useless junk. The house, basement, attic and garage are overflowing with crap he'll never use, but I am forbidden to throw any of it away. Working on the truck is going to be a real challenge
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3
I hate bench seats. These don't latch and the driver's side has a nice rip in the upholstery.
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4
When I looked at the truck it had an am/fm cassette player in it. The dealer pulled a switch on me, and did a crappy job of it. Notice how the top of the radio is hanging out in mid air.
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5
I intend to upgrade the sound system, so I'll take a gander at what I've got to replace.This is one of the dashboard speakers.
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6
here's a look at the bed.
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7
The rear window needs some new gasket material.You can see the old one dangling.
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8
A dramatic side view. Pretty impressive, huh???
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9
A T-15 torx bit is needed to remove the screws. An angle screwdriver makes it easy to get into the tight space.
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10
YUK! The dreaded oval speakers. A round speaker delivers much better sound quality than one with uneven sides. I'll get a set of "plate speakers" they're round drivers mounted in an oval plate.
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11
After amassing the bulk of the materials I need, it's time to start yanking out the interior.
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12
The heater/air conditioner ducts are directly underneath and don't leave much room for larger magnets.
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13
The radio pulls out easily since there are only two screws holding it in. I already have an am/fm cassette player with a 6 disc CD changer that I'd like to install.
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14
I HATE the bench seats in this rig, so I bought some buckets from an unknown vehicle. I also ordered a slew of audio equipment, new carpeting and some sound deadening material. Step one is to strip the interior and lay down the "Dampflier".
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15
Since the space is small, I shouldn't need a honkin' stereo to fill the cab. This truck has A/C so I'll put some of the lining on the ceiling too. This should help to keep it kooler in the summer months.
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16
You can see the carpeting runs halfway up the back wall. Unfortunately, the kit that I ordered was way too small to cover the floor, let alone the back wall. I also plan to build a center console. I can't get to that step until I can mount the new seats, but I'd like to be able to cover the bottom of the console with carpet, if the design will allow for that. The kit didn't have enough for that. I had to send it back.
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17
Seats are gone, now I can remove the brackets and see how I can modify them to fit the bucket seats.
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18
I picked up some steel bars to use as mounting strips. With any luck, I won't have to do too much modifying.
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19
Out comes the dome light, so I can drop the headliner. I'd also like to run a console across the ceiling. Maybe I can put some switches or gauges up there. Time will tell.
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20
All the visors, handles and other hardware has to come down. Putting it back up is the hard part.
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21
Just getting the plastic clips off the handle to remove the screws is a tricky endeavor. They are pressed on and I don't want to gouge them prying them off.
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22
Now the headliner drops easily. I know I can truly mess it up putting it back, so I've got to make lots of mental notes on how I do this.
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23
Here's the naked roof.
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24
People usually refer to sound deadening as "Dynamat". There are many different brands and Dynamat is a brand name, much like "Kleenex". People generally refer to all tissues by that name even if they're a different brand. I chose Second Skin's "Damplifier" because it is made from butyl rather than asphalt, which can break down under temperature changes. It has foil on one side and adhesive on the back. The sheets are a convenient size to work with.
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