3100 Truck Bed

While on vacation this week, I finally got around to the new oak truck bed for the 3100. The kit I ordered from Mar-K was for a 1954, which was just a little closer to the length I was looking for. I first sanded all the wood down with 120 and again with 220 grit, and rounded the edges over slightly with a file to help the next step. I then cleared everything with a few coats of Nason automotive clear on all sides.

The installation took all day, due to the fact that this truck bed is hinged at the cab side to allow access to the suspension and fuel tank. I added a few steel straps to tie everything together with the polished stainless hardware, and it all came together rather nicely. I am now just waiting for my linear actuators to assist with the bed lifting.

Truck Cab

There have been a few things about the build of the '52 3100 Pickup that have gotten me aggravated, but none more than the previous owner's inability to use the correct fasteners. A few weeks ago, we took the bed off the frame again, and replaced the tiny little bolts with some standard-sized grade 8 nuts and bolts. I even used these fancy "lock-washers" that prevent the bolts from loosening up and falling out. According to Google, the lock washer was invented by a blacksmith in New Brunswick named Morris Landry in 1901 to keep the nuts on rail cars.... so WTF, why couldn't you put them on my truck??? I knew there was an issue because not long after I started driving the truck did the cab and bed start making contact and messing up the paint on the cab corners. Awesome.

So the next step was to check the ever-loosening cab mount bolts, and as you can guess some were not up to par. I removed the seat and seat floor platform, cleaned up the mess underneath (including the carcass of a petrified rat) and got to work replacing the hardware. The bottom of the rubber body mounts on the cab were a flimsy rubber O-ring, so I added a solid rubber Camaro body mount to the inner section of it, and of course the required lock washers. Before reinstalling everything, I wanted to put some sound insulation on the floor, so I called my local car audio installers... they wanted $120 for a 10 foot piece of "Hush Mat". After a bit of research, I came to find out that Lowe's has a "Peel and Seal" product that works just as well for about $18. It was a quick and easy fix that keeps the road noise down, and seals the factory holes in the floor as well. It is much quieter now, and although the cab feels better on the frame, the gap is still pretty close between the cab and truck bed. I'll have to tweak the filler panels when I eventually do a bit of body work, but for now the ride is much better.

 

 

'67 Camaro RS Headlights

When I first picked up the Camaro, the RS headlight system needed some work in order to make the doors work correctly. After much research, I finally figured the system out. There are three relays tucked up in the driver's side fender, along with a few switches and a pesky little rectifier diode up under the dash. The relays were incorrectly wired, so that was an easy fix, and I did need to replace one of the headlight door motors. Finally the rectifier diode went, because the doors would open normally but not close at all. I couldn't see any reason I should have to replace that entire harness under the dash at a cost of over $50 for one small faulty part that cost less than $1. 

It turns out that the RadioShack-276-1661 part is a perfect replacement, so I just had to run down to my local... oh wait, they closed Radio Shack stores. I quickly jumped on eBay and grabbed a 4 pack. I swapped the rectifier, covered it in the correct cloth tape, and now the headlights on the '67 Camaro RS are once again working perfectly.