Archive for the ‘Tech Articles’ Category
Friday, January 6th, 2012
Hill’s Hot Rods and JD Glassworks Reassemble This Classic Ford Hot Rod Truck Creation
Reassembling a custom truck project represents a milestone in the build process. As you turn every wrench and cinch down each bolt you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel—your project will soon be a stunning, low rolling reality. Suddenly all those late nights thrashing and transforming something from a battered basket case into a show-stopping head turner pay off as you get closer to turning the key, pulling the shifter into gear, applying pressure to the accelerator, and driving a truck that once seemed like it would never be road worthy again. (more…)
Tags: Be Cool Products, Custom Autosound, Hill’s Hot Rods, MSD Ignition, Street Trucks, ‘56 Ford F-100
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Friday, December 30th, 2011
Electric Upgrades From Kinetik, Powermaster and Painless Performance
Kinetik offers several different models of power cells. To make things easier on the end user the model numbers correspond to the total watts necessary for your vehicle. The watts include your engine and stock accessories as well as all of the aftermarket goodies you install, including a stereo, air compressors and others. A factory setup can use 800-1,200 watts just to run the lights, engine and alternator. And most of the equipment, including battery, alternator and wiring, are set up to handle only that amount and not much more. Start adding accessories and it is easy to see that an upgraded battery is a must. (more…)
Tags: Amplifiers, Kinetik, Kinetik HC1800, Painless Performance, Powermaster Performance
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Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
Installing new Parts up Front From LMC Truck
Since the initial body swap that landed our 1953 Chevy pickup body on an already airbagged 1994 S-10 chassis, we have been spending our free time crossing things off our long list of individual jobs that will get our classic closer to rolling down the road. Last issue we showed you how we installed a wood bed floor, but we did it at a raised elevation to clear our S-10 chassis’ step notch. This month we’re moving up front where we’re installing new bumper brackets, chrome bumper, filler, grille assembly, headlight buckets, headlights and headlight trim rings. (more…)
Tags: Classic Chevy, custom trucks, LMC Truck, Street Trucks
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Monday, December 19th, 2011
Bringing a Retro Small-Block Chevy Back to Life
This month we’re picking up where we left off by completing the rebuild of our 350/350 small-block Chevy engine. Part of that process was deciding what would be reused and what needed to be replaced. As we mentioned before, this engine was originally built for drag racing, and therefore, had high compression pistons, solid lifters and cam, very stiff valve springs, etc. It was easy to eliminate those parts from the “keep” pile, but some others, like the timing chain, pushrods, oil pump and carburetor weren’t so easy. I really wanted to keep as many of the original parts as possible, but advancements made with some of today’s parts were just too hard to overlook. The carburetor is an excellent example of this. (more…)
Tags: 350/350 small-block Chevy engine, carburetor, chevy
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Thursday, December 15th, 2011
Bringing up the Rear With Currie Enterprises
The last time we saw Brass Tacks, a ‘76 GMC K5 Jimmy being transformed into a roadstered street rod over at Status in Rockwall, Texas, its front suspension was fully mocked up on a frame table. The front suspension consisted of the Quality Air Ride front raised cross member for the C-10 platform that provides clearance for the frame to lay flat, but also consists of mounts, new control arms and more. The cross member was assembled with a Flamin’ River Mustang II power rack-and-pinion, as well as a C-10 big brake kit from McGaughys Suspension that consists of drop spindles and 13-inch rotors. The goal is to build a complete frame using this as a base. The rear suspension will also need a base, which is where a Currie Enterprises rearend comes into play. (more…)
Tags: brass tacks, Colorado Custom, Currie Enterprises, EATON Performance Products, Energy Suspension, Royal Purple, Toyo Tires
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Monday, December 5th, 2011
LMC Truck has the Parts to Update 1973-87 C-10 Front Ends to an 1988-91 Blazer/Suburban-Style Nose
Back in 1973, GM designed a pickup body style that was complete departure from the style, underpinnings and overall look of its older 1967-72 brethren. The square body trucks got the fuel tank out of the cab and out from behind the seat, and a leaf spring rear suspension replaced the trailing arms found on 1967-72 trucks. These new squared-off Bow Ties of yesteryear were bought up by the masses and used as daily transportation and work trucks, with more than a few being transformed into mild custom cruisers and show trucks. (more…)
Tags: custom trucks, Energy Suspension, LMC Truck, Street Trucks, Totally Stainless
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Monday, November 14th, 2011
On and Off-Road Fun With ICON Vehicle Dynamics and Nitto Tires
Versatility is highly important to many truck enthusiasts right now. Many of us have combined our daily driver with our weekend toy, making both reliability and functionality important. Mild leveling kits are an easy way to get the look of an aggressive off-road beast and still keep drivability high for the every day commutes on and off freeways. Sure, you can take the truck over some dirt roads and have some fun, but the ride might be a little rough because a leveling kit helps gain ground clearance thanks to larger tires, but the suspension is still the factory setup. Pre-runners have become wildly popular in the last few years because the long travel setup offers the best ride while still offering the possibility of a little fun. (more…)
Tags: Chevrolet/GMC ’07-plus GMT900, Icon Vehicle Dynamics, Nitto Tire, Off-Road
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Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
After
Turning a Crew Cab Long Bed C-10 into a Short Bed
It’s considered by some to be the holy grail of trucks, the crew cab short bed. For years the big car companies only produced crew cab long beds, leaving it up to custom builders to make one of their own. Todd Burton, owner of Lowboy Motorsports, has always wanted a crew cab short bed, and recently, he was presented with the opportunity to do just that. In exchange for some work, he got a ’91 Chevrolet 3/4-ton crew cab long bed truck that needed a little bit of work. He saw his opportunity and decided to go for it. (more…)
Tags: c-10, custom trucks, Lowboy Motorsports, ’91 Chevrolet 3/4-ton crew cab long bed truck
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Monday, August 15th, 2011
Adding Some Style With BASF, L&G Enterprises and Stylin’ Trucks
We are wrapping up the custom paint and graphics on Project Greystone over at L&G Enterprises in San Dimas, California. The crew cab has undergone a subtle two-tone paint scheme with custom graphics laid out and sprayed by Theresa Contreras. We have BASF R-M Onyx HD waterborne materials for everything from the primer to the Lexus Smoky Granite Mica and Greystone Metallic paint to the clearcoat. The VOC-compliant paint system from BASF keeps us out of trouble with the EPA while still maintaining a great finish with all of the benefits of traditional solvent-based systems. After the truck was baked, color sanded and buffed to a perfect shine, the reassembly process began. (more…)
Tags: chevy, custom graphics, custom paint, custom trucks, trucks
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