No Name

I also like the Nardi but I'm partial to OEM interiors or ones with OEM style.  Love this project.

Really like the work you're doing to the truck, it's coming along great!   For the steering wheel, I say Nardi, has a really cool look to it.    Maybe I missed it, but with your pedals, what was the purpose?  To get rid of the rubber covers and still have a decent sized pedal pad?

Thanks! I'm leaning towards the Nardi too, I decided to run a cheap wheel I had lying around for now. I dont really have a good answer for the pedals haha. I've wanted to do it ever since I saw this picture. And I have to modify the drive by wire pedal anyways. I was undecided on the stock shape or square and just cut those out to try them, I was so excited to get my welder working properly I kinda went at it without thinking too much and ended up with flat pedals.

I also like the Nardi but I'm partial to OEM interiors or ones with OEM style.  Love this project.

I'm with you on that. I'm trying to keep the whole truck mostly stock but better. Like a 90's sport truck that chevy might have made, those two are the most factory looking steering wheels in a diameter I like. I'd love some seats from a 90's sports car, factory recaros or something to fit the theme. Theyre too expensive though or all worn out. I live the blazer buckets but Im not sure theyll be supportive enough. Thanks man, your truck is awesome!

Broke down and bought the drivers side Holley bracket. Power steering pump was too close to the steering box with the factory truck bracket. Also got a f-body water pump and some .75" spacers. I had to get a vette steering pump for the Holley bracket and I still need a ac compressor.


Built a steering shaft, its too close to the header so I'm going to order new ujoints to put the 3/4" DD at the top and the 1" at the bottom.



I've been working on the blazer tank install. Got the hitch bolted up and the bumper is almost done (its just sitting on the brackets in the pic). The blazer bumper looks 100x better than the truck step bumper. Once I get the bumper finalized I can take the bed back off and finish the mounts for the gas tank.


Ordered a custom delrin shift knob of ebay. I need a center console so I can cut the shifter down where I want it. I decided to use a cheap steering wheel I had laying around for now. And I got the paint so I need to get the stuff to prep the interior parts, set up a little booth and let my buddy paint everything.

Great thread, I sure would like to see how you mount the Bravada tank. I want to put a Blazer tank in the rear of mine and get rid of the side mount tank.

Great thread, I sure would like to see how you mount the Bravada tank. I want to put a Blazer tank in the rear of mine and get rid of the side mount tank.

I'll definitely get some pictures up when I get the tank finished. I laid it all out but need to finish the bumper so I can take the bed off and finish the tank.


Finally have all my accessories. Need to see if I can find a cheap manifold to use on the ac compressor and get a belt. Hopefully my intake tube fits around the power steering reservoir.


Got my new ujoints, now there's more steering shaft to header clearance.I put two washers in the front bolts of the box, I'll have to see if it rubs and add some more.


Picked up a center console from a cavalier at the junkyard. It obviously needs some serious cleaning, but I found half a blunt, a nickle and a shit load of rabbit food . Need to go back and see how hard it would be to adapt the handbrake. I"ll have to trim the front so it sits down on the floor better and make up some brackets but it fits pretty well. I lost a dangerous amount of brain cells looking around j-body.org for info.

That console does fit the shifter and everything quite well.  A true handbrake would be a great addition to any of these trucks.

My wife cleaned up the console and I cut apart the ebrake boot, I'm going to pick some material and shes going to try to sew up a new one and make a shift boot. Looks like it might be easy to get the handbrake to work with the forward cable from a 4th gen f-body and then maybe some universal cables from there, or S10/f-body cables cut to the right length.

I helped my buddy pull some 98+ spindles/brakes from the junk yard for his grand national. We also cut his old exhaust off so I have some scraps I can hopefully use. I picked up some Borla XR1 mufflers and I have high flow cats. I just need an x pipe and to get some collectors to go from the 3" headers to 2.5".




I picked up a used SLP corvette underdrive pulley and the Holley spacer I need, I'll have more room for the intake and fans and some free power. Needs some clean up then it can go on.


I ordered the stuff to make a AN power steering hose. My dumbass laid everything out forgetting about the pulley so I think I need to trade one of the 90 fittings for a straight one.


Got a Wilwood 7/8" master cylinder, need to make a bracket for the firewall and sort all that out.

Great thread, I sure would like to see how you mount the Bravada tank. I want to put a Blazer tank in the rear of mine and get rid of the side mount tank.

Installed the blazer hitch I had, drilled holes in it and the upper and lower straps share a bolt. I used the factory lower straps and bent up some flat stock I grabbed at ace for the uppers. The front I used some 1" tubing and kind of made it up as I went. I welded a piece to the shock mounts and added on to it.

 The bottom just has a through bolt for the lower straps. The upper piece has a 1" section of the tubing welded to it with a hole drilled in the bottom and a nut welded inside.

It could be prettier, I definitely need to work on my welding and it might not be an option if you plan on doing serious towing. I weigh about 50 pounds more than a full tank and I did a lot of jumping on it with no give so it should be fine. I just need to get some hardware and throw the insulators on the straps. Eventually I'll probably redo the straps. I couldn't get them how I wanted them with my crude bending and had to cut/weld them back together. With some more time I'm sure you can come up with something a little neater. I want to see if I can get the plastic shield to fit but it doesn't look like it will fit.


I'm thinking about doing something like this for the filler door but not sure yet. I like the hinged tail light idea too.



Im having some problems putting my blazer spindles back together. I bought them used off s10forum and the stud for the hub on both spindles was seized ended up having to cut the stud part off, weld a bolt to what was left and get them out that way. I ordered new studs from belltech and when I thread them in, the round part wont sit flush causing the hub to sit at an angle.

 I have one of the old ones I kept to chase the threads, it is longer and the boss is the same size, if not thicker.

 I can hand thread it in flush no problem even with all the extra crap on it. I filed one thread off the end, didn't help. I took a very fine file and hit the top and bottom of the boss some, didn't help and I didn't want to weaken the stud. I don't get how it can be the same size but not fit, anyone else ran into this seemingly impossible problem before? I messed with it for a while but had to get ready for a camping trip so maybe it will be something obvious next time I go out.

All of this will be in the future though, I have my final housing inspection and have to be out September 10th, I feel like its going to take 6 years to clean up the metal shavings and other shit in the garage from the truck so progress is pretty much going to stop. I'm going to assemble it enough so it's movable then its going into storage with all everything else. My wife and I are going to stay with my parents in Florida till I either decide on what to go to school for or find a job then get our own place. After that we'll come back and pick everything up. Anybody hiring in Orlando/Tampa? haha

Been very busy. Took a trip to the Grand Canyon for labor day, pretty mind blowing. Like I said I'm no photographer, sorry.



Got the front suspension all together. Cut half a coil off the front springs. Put on the ZQ8 sway bar, need to get some shorter end links eventually but these will work well enough to tow it to Florida. They were only $5 and made in the USA.


Got the rotors turned, the rust and caliper paint looks pretty shitty but that's how I got them.


Pro-forged steering linkage


I had to pull the motor again and beat down the raised lip around the circle on the crossmember under the oil pan. Luckily I noticed it was touching  before the pan bounced off it for 2000 miles. Took the water pump off and hosed out the coolant passages. A stupid amount of metal shavings came out, there were a bunch in the old thermostat too. Thanks previous owner.


I needed to spend some extra money a while ago at LMC for free shipping so I had a "anti squeak kit" to put on the gas tank. Not worth it haha, could have something (almost anything) else.


Friend and I put new (used) tires on the front wheels, new found respect for tire guys that have to deal with those run flats all the time. The backs are fine for now but once it's running I suspect they'll disappear pretty quickly.


Put the body back together



I pulled the motor all the way forward for now to have as much clearance as possible. I took the headers off too, I'm still not happy with how they fit. It's like they weren't ever test fit on anything just welded up. I'm considering ordering some stainless works headers, they might be overkill for a mostly stock 5.3 but I'm certain they'll fit better.


Here it sits for the next couple months, I'm glad to have a break for a while. Dealing with it while moving and out-processing work was pretty stressful. I really cant wait to get it home and finish it, without having to rush.

looking pretty good!

Congrats on making progress, looking forward to you getting it back home and getting some more progress!

Thanks guys, I'll apologize in advance for the weak ass update.

After spending a few months in Florida I finally went back to Arizona with my wife to get all our stuff. The day we loaded the Uhaul it rained. All damn day. Put the truck on the trailer the next day. Got it half way up and the frame bottomed out on the trailer to we had to jack up the ramps and push the rest of the way. Pretty sketchy.


Only had one causality the whole trip, happened during loading.


Did this for 38 hours. Drove through Roswell NM and accidentally pulled into an alley. Had to back out into a six lane divided road. Luckily some nice bro was walking down the side walk and helped direct traffic.


Got to my parents at 11pm and their HOA was sending hate mail by midnight about the "nuisance" vehicle. It's sitting in their garage until I get a place hopefully over the summer. I'm heading north for the winter (unfortunately) to help my inlaws remodel their kitchen. Then I have to start school so its probably going to sit for a while. But it will definitely be finished one day. Damn that sounds so sad. I have a lot of project thread updates to read and I'm still trying to decide if the stainless works headers are too big for a 5.3.



Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and has a happy New Year!

you mightve been doing this, but in case someone else tries next time, jacking up the front of the trailer as high as it goes (unhitched) might help too