BryGuy

:huh???:

I'm not even sure what your talking about. I just tested the link and everything is fine. Favicon.cc isn't part of any webring, and is the #1 rank on google when you search for "favicon". I tested the link in FireFox and Safari. To implement the favicon, all you have to do is: 1. Click "Download Favicon" button located in the top right under the heading "Options" 2. Follow the 2 step instructions located at the bottom center of the page under the heading "How to add the favicon to your page ?" 3. Done.

I had absolutely no idea that a 3.7L motor could put out that much horsepower :eek:

I was wondering if you guys were interested in adding a Favicon to ClubComanche.com For those of you who don't know what a favicon is, wikipedia describes it as follows: Pretty much every modern website has one, and they're easy to use. I went ahead and created one for Club Comanche and it's really easy to view and implement it. You can visit HERE to see what it looks like, and that page also includes the instructions on how to implement it. P.S: I'II take no offense if you'd rather design your own favicon, or implement another users idea, or abandon the suggestion altogether..... I just figured that this was an easy way to update our forum :cheers:

Day 48 - 145 Well I'm finally back at it. I wish I could say a lot has happened in the last 100 days. The sad truth is that she sat untouched for the vast majority of time. Well I'm back on the horse now, which is all that matters. Here's what I've accomplished since the last post: - removed the front axle and suspension - removed rocker panels in preparation for rock sliders (details later) - removed the majority of the front inner fenders (details later) - trucked scrap metal to the recyclers for a small pittance Removing the front axle went pretty good, but many of the bolts were incredibly stubborn from 25yrs worth of rust. Getting it off was actually easier than removing it from the garage. After poking and prodding the rocker panels for quite awhile, I spent a lot of time online learning how to replace them, and what my options were. Before researching my options I had planned on replacing the entire rocker panel and then running a tube slider like the Zone MJ Zone MJ Slider Even though I loved the zones sliders, it seemed like a lot of work to cut-out the entire rocker, weld in a new one, only to have to cut into it to accommodate the tubular slider. After doing even more research I came across an alternative that seemed like the better option in my case..... and it's a bit more unique. I found a thread on jeepforum.com posted by a user called "EricsXJ", titled "Time to beef things up!" (I might even use his removable door mod too). Basically instead of replacing the rocker panels, they're cut out and replaced by 2" x 6" x 3/16" rectangular steel. I know what you're thinking.... "this has been done a ton of times". You would be right. The big difference is that when he cut out the rocker panels, they're cut all the way up to the door sills. This requires an additional mod to the doors, but it allows me to get rid of the entire rocker, with the exception of the top part which had almost no rust on it. Here's a look at what I did: Rusted out rocker panel Center part of rocker cut out As you can see from the above 3 pics, I still have a lot of rust to address now that the rocker is gone. Bottom part of rocker cut out Top of rocker trimmed Work still needed to be done The red line shows where the top part of the rocker needs to be trimmed/grinded so that it's flat for the slider to be mounted underneath. The yellow area shows what needs to be cut away. The green area shows the area of the cab wall that is rusted out and needs to be replaced. The passenger side isn't nearly as bad when it comes to rust, but it still has a few spots that need to be addressed. The other thing I found out is that the previous owner spent about 10x more on bondo than he did the fancy camo paint job. There were area's on the rockers where the bondo was a 1/4" thick :nuts: Bondo on the bed corner of the rocker I still have a lot of minor trimming/grinding to do before I even begin to address the rust, and later the slider, but you get the general idea. I'm planning on running 38.5" x 13.5" R17 tires (possibly even 40"), and I want to try and maintain a LCG (Low Center of Gravity)...... so next up was some major inner fender trimming. major inner fender trimming, or should I say removal Once again I still have a lot of minor trimming/grinding to do, but the majority of cutting is done. This idea was based on the "Zone Offroad Comanche" build that utilizes 40" tires with coilovers. I also plan on copying their cage, which will go a long way to adding rigidity back to the front end now that the majority of the inner fender structure is gone. I still have a few area's on the fire wall to address, and I found another excellent write-up by "EricsXJ" on jeepforum.com titled "inner fender trimming / clearance for bigger tires", which helps out a lot. Next up will be the removal of the front control arm mounts, the transmission mount brackets, and the rear leaf spring brackets (along with the rear axle/springs). For the removal of the inner fenders and rocker panels I burned through 20+ cutting disks. Before I even begin to tackle the control arm mounts and other stuff, I plan on picking up a cutting torch to make the job a little easier. Once all those brackets are removed, the next step will be removing all the crap off the unibody, and bed frame in preparation for plating. I have a few hurdles to cross before I'm able to do the plating. First off I have to be able to cough up the money to purchase the cutting torch & bottle rental, as well as the 10 gauge steel..... but more importantly, I need to hook up my MIG Welder and actually learn how to weld with the scrap I have lying around :yes: This grit is all that's left of the 20+ cutting disks...... and the floor was spotless before I started Here's what I picked up over the last 100 days: Dewalt 1.8 HP, 15 Gal, 200 PSI Air Compressor Creeper Seat, Bolt Puller Kit, Hose Cutter, Hammer, Tapered Drill Bits, Etc. Twisted and Straight Wire Cups Ingersoll Rand Air Hammer Ridgid 4.5" Grinder Snap-On Air Hose Reel Pro.Point 3 Ton Jack Stands Ratchet Adjusted Headgear/Face Shield I'm really happy with the tool purchases that I made lately. Everything is high quality and works as it should.... which is a nice change. I'm especially happy with the Ridgid Grinder. It's really comfortable to hold, the guard is easy to adjust and as a great safety feature, it won't start until you push the trigger + the lock button. Once the grinder starts, you have 2 options: (a) release the lock button and it will only continue to operate while you hold the trigger, or (B) release the trigger button, before removing your finger off the lock button, and the grinder remains on in lock mode until you push the trigger button a second time. After about the first 5 grinding disks, I realized that just using safety glasses and a dusk mask sucked. I went out and purchased a proper Face Shield and I have to tell you that it's worth every penny. No more sparks or grit bouncing off my face. Even without a dusk mask it prevents the grit/dust from hitting my face and finding it's way into my mouth and nose. I looked around at various tool places to find one, but everyone I found was cheaply made and a a piece of crap. I finally purchased the one pictured from Acklands Grainger, and it's far superior quality. I managed to grab the Ridgid Grinder and Dewalt Air Compressor during Home Depot's huge tool sale and saved over $200.00 which made me happy. I also managed to get the Ingersoll Rand Air Hammer at 40% off. The Snap-On Air Hose Reel came from Costco, and the only Snap-On thing about it was the sticker.... but it works just fine. Post Purchases Tools - $395.50 (Christmas Gift) Dewalt 1.8 HP, 15 Gal, 200 PSI Air Compressor - $77.91 Creeper Seat, Bolt Puller Kit, Hose Cutter, Hammer, Tapered Drill Bits, Etc. - $29.27 Twisted and Straight Wire Cups - $47.45 Ingersoll Rand Air Hammer - $46.34 (Christmas Gift) Ridgid 4.5" Grinder - $56.48 Snap-On Air Hose Reel - $39.54 Pro.Point 3 Ton Jack Stands - $32.35 Face Sheild Misc. - +$33.68 from metal recycling (Engine, Trans, Axle w Suspension, Drive Shafts & Misc) Build Total Parts = $1532.63 Tools = $875.51 Misc. = $124.77

Hello everyone..... happy new years and all that (okay.... I know it's a bit late :dunno: ) I'm really overwhelmed with my project and I'm looking for feedback, so I posted a thread HERE. Thanks in advance for your help :thumbsup:

I haven't worked on my project for almost 3 months and there's plenty of excuses... - Christmas/New Years - Lack of money - Lack of time The real problem is that I'm WAY in over my head. I knew this when I started, and I planned on it being a huge learning experience, but I'm at a point now where I'm not sure what to tackle next. The link to my project is located in my signature, but to give you a brief idea of where I'm at, here's a quick list: - Engine/tranny removed - Front axle removed - Bed removed - All electrical, fuel & brake lines removed - Gas tank removed - Entire interior is gutted - Front fenders removed - Doors removed - Bumpers removed Basically all that's left is the rear axle, frame, cab and the front/rear glass. Here's a list of what I intend to do: - Plate Unibody and rear frame - Dana 60 front - 14 bolt rear - 350 V8 with 4L60 or 80 transmission...... not sure which transfer case - Novak engine mounts & transfer case adapter (and most likely wiring adapter) - After market seats - 38.5x13.5x17 tires - Heavy inner wheel well modification front and back - Coilover front/back - 4-link front, triangulated 4-link rear suspension setup - Hannemann fiberglass bedsides and front fenders - Roll cage My build plan is almost identical to The Zone Comanche. So basically I'm completely overwhelmed with what I should be focusing on next. Any/all advice would be greatly appreciated. Let me know if more info is required.

This is my all-time fav. Comanche. I wish they had a ton more pictures and details during the build. I've read the blog and watched the video's, but I'd love to see how they fabbed up the inside fender flares in the front in more detail. The best thing about this build is the low COG. The fact that they can max out the suspension, with 40's, without resorting to tons of lift is awesome.

Thanks for the compliments and encouragement guys...... it's really appreciated :cheers: I've been really busy lately, but I have managed to make some progress. I'll post an update as soon as I manage to fix my main computer that decided to crap out on me.

Day 46 & 47 Not a whole lot to report..... but something is better than nothing. Here's what I've accomplished: - rolled her out of the garage again, power washed her and pushed her back into the garage. - removed the steering column and box - removed the engine mounts - started the front axle removal Yesterday was far from being an ideal day to be power washing a vehicle, but it was above freezing and that's about the best I can hope for towards the end of November. Power washing really got rid of a lot of the gunk off the frame and engine bay. By the end of the 1hr hose down I was soaked to the bone and freezing, but it was worth it. I can only imagine what my neighbors thought since I haven't washed a vehicle on my driveway in the 4yrs I've lived here and there I was washing a 24yr old vehicle with no interior, no doors, no bed, no engine, in the end of November, during which small snow flakes were fluttering down. Build Idea's: I've been sizing up the interior and considering trying something different than all the stock plastic molding. I'm considering leaving the metal bare for the entire interior, with the exception of the door panels & center console. The plan would be to weld in patch panels to close up any holes in the panels that aren't being used anymore. Part of the reason I'm leaning this way is because I'm missing the header panel and the front and back trim pieces. Also, a lot of the trim pieces I have are pretty beat up as well. From the top of the dash down (just below the rear window) will be covered with POR-15 and Raptor Bedliner (sprayed on thick). Above that point will be painted in whatever colour I finally decide on to match the exterior. I'm even leaning towards making my own dash and using after market gauges, which should make wiring to the V8 a bit easier. The hardest part (other than the dash) will be making a piece of sheet metal to fit the ceiling since it wouldn't look right the way it is (I'll have to grab a picture). Anyways..... this is all just up in the air stuff at this point, as it's going to be awhile before I'll have to worry about that. I'm more or less just sharing what's floating around in my head while I'm working away. Coming up: - remove front axle - remove rear axle - prep & POR-15 Engine bay Sorry for the lack of pics :shake:

Day 45 & 53 Well the day after my last post I managed to get a few things done, but in the process of using a cheater bar to get a bolt off I managed to strain my good hands wrist, and I was sidelined until today. Here's what I've accomplished: - removed the gas lines - removed the brake lines - removed transmission cross member - removed the exhaust - removed the engine - examined the rest of the vehicle for rust I'll start with the last thing on the list first. While I was grabbing a tool, I noticed some rust on the rear of the cab where 2 panels meet (one overlaps the other). After a quick examination, I took a small screwdriver and was able to scrape a bit of the rust off and found that it penetrated underneath the top sheet. With a tiny bit of pressure I was easily able to pry the 2 panels apart to reveal more rust underneath. It looks like this is another spot that some metal will need to be removed/repaired. Rust found on the rear of the cab A closer look at the rust After I found this rust, I searched a little harder for other areas that might of gone undetected. I found a tiny bit of rust on the rocker, so I picked up a hammer and gave it a light tap. That light tap almost went right through. It seems that the PO simply body filled and painted over the rust instead of addressing it. After tapping all down the drivers side rocker & pillar it was obvious that the whole rocker and a good chunk of the bottom of the pillar need to be removed/repaired. Rust found on rocker and pillar Fearing the worst I checked the passenger side and expected to find the same. There seems to be a bit of rust, but the metal is still thick and probably needs some sanding to get down to good metal. Beyond the 2 other places discovered, I didn't find anything else (I sure more will reveal itself) worth mentioning. I've seen a couple write-up's/pics of people who have just cut out the rocker and welded 2"x6" tube sliders in instead..... I might consider this as an option, but I have to research the idea more. The removal of the break lines, gas lines, exhaust, transmission cross member and engine all went well without incident. When it came to removing the engine, the only thing I forgot to do ahead of time was to remove the sheet metal covers that are screwed into the floor around the shifter. This was obvious when I started to hoist the engine up and out and it seemed to be hung up on something. After a quick inspection I saw that the shifter handle wasn't able to go through the small hole around it. Once the previous mentioned covers were removed the engine came out nice and easy. After pushing the MJ out of the garage, moving the engine out, cleaning the rust chunks and oil off the floor, pushing the MJ back into the garage, it was time for a few photo's. Getting the engine hoist ready Somethings missing here Temporary resting place Rear of the MJ minus the exhaust, driveshaft, brake & gas lines..... and of course the bed I apologize for not taking more pictures of the removal. I was so focused on the task at hand that I completely forgot to snap some pictures. If your wondering what all the excess oil is on the engine (outside pic), that's what spilled out of the engine hoists bottle jack. Once the front wheels went over the edge of the driveway the only way for me to get the engine to move more forward was to purposely tip the hoist forward/over. The tipping part worked and went as planned..... the oil pouring out of the bottle jack didn't. Look what arrived in the mail: Euramtec Lights to replace the missing interior pillar lights I found out about these lights on our forum. The company is called Euramtec and the light is part #A-7180 "Interior Light". I purchased them on ebay from Euramtec I called and asked for a discount (as the CC post mentioned) and they cut $2 off each light. With shipping I paid $43.00 for the pair. They're currently 25% off (2 weeks after I purchased them) at $12 each which pisses me off since I could've saved another $4/light. The lights are really good quality and should work awesome. My order of POR-15 products also arrived safe and sound as well. I updated the previous post to include the price of the order which was $256.23 (includes shipping)........ I didn't snap a pic..... just see previous post. Well that about sums it up for this post. Once a few more things arrive, I'll be ready to start tackling the rust. I'm planning on rolling the MJ back out of the garage for a good hose down, but that will have to wait for a flukey warm day..... after all it is the middle of November. Post Purchases Parts - $43.00 Euramtec Interior Lights Build Total Parts = $1532.63 Tools = $592.21 Misc. = $158.45

Plan on painting mine orange too. What colour/company of rattle can was that?

Love your MJ.... top notch :thumbsup: How did you finish off the rear of the hood scoop? Have any pics?

What springs did you use? Love how well she flexes.

What product did you use to dye your panels? Nice job by the way :thumbsup:

Day 44-47 Well after unveiling the cancer in the floor pans I started doing some research on rust removal, floor pan replacement, MIG welding and anything else that I figured would help. Just a reminder.... I've never done anything like this before so there's a very steep learning curve. I found a lot of great write-ups and Youtube video's. Here's a few worth sharing: Write-ups - "Putting Floors In That Rusty MJ" by CC Member Pollockzrodz - "How To Butt Weld With Clecos" by Sevt_Chevelle on the Chevelles.com forum. (I found this while looking for an alternative to using butt weld clamps. YouTube - is a link to my collection of useful videos on Youtube. I'll be adding more to this as I go along. Here's what I've accomplished: - removed the front quarter panels - removed the gas tank (see below quote) - removed truck bed - re-examined/accessed the extent of rust damage on the drivers side floor pan Finally the quarter panels are removed Using my Haynes manual I started to remove the gas tank, but like a lot of things in the Haynes manual there was a lack of details to help me accomplish the task. I poked around on our forum and found the following: Before I read the above I could see the bolts that held on the support straps, but I had no idea how it was hooked up. After I saw step 5 mention "J Bolts" I went back under to have another look and finally understood how they were held up there. This truck was sitting for a long time and the tank sounded empty when I tapped on it. I knew there was probably some fuel left in the lines, so I grabbed a small bucket to catch whatever spilled out when I disconnected the lines. Safety glasses on and bucket ready and positioned at an arms length I disconnected the line...... which slipped out of my hand, and managed to shoot gas all over my face. The safety glasses kept it out of my eyes, but I gargled a bit. Just goes to show you that no matter how prepared you think you are things can always go awry. Next I tackled removing the bed. With only myself available (and only 1 good arm) I still managed to get it removed. I used a long 3" wide tow strap wrapped around the middle of the bed at the wheel wells. I hooked the strap up to the engine hoist and jacked it up into the air. I then backed it out of the garage, rotated it 180 degree's and set it on top of my 4x6' trailer. If you plan on keeping the fenders I'd recommend trying something different because it dented them in a bit, but since I'm removing mine and cutting the opening out larger I wasn't concerned. After Bed Removal Notice the Missing Bed Bracket After the fun I had with the gas tank and bed, I decided to return to the drivers side floor pan. Following Pollockzrodz's advice I began to tap around with a hammer to see how thin the metal was. I could hear rust falling off from below the panel into the unibody frame rail. I took a flashlight and peered down into one of the holes and saw a lot of metal rust chunks piled up, so I decided to cut a hole above the rail for a closer look. Big Hole Cut Above the Unibody Frame Rail The above picture was taken after I shopvac'd all the rust bits out. I even stuck the hose down the frame and sucked up a pile more. Once everything was a bit cleaner I stuck my camera down inside the Unibody Frame Rail facing towards the back to see how bad the rust was. Picture of Inside the Rail Towards the Rear The picture is a bit blurry, but you can see that the rust isn't nearly as bad the further you get away from the hole I made. Based on what I found, I plan on removing the floor reinforcements that are above the rails and remove all rust, either by grinding it off or replacing the sheet metal. I want to do this right the first time. I also made some more purchases: Some 16 & 22 Gauge Sheet Metal, Plus a 11lb Spool of 024 MIG Wire Argoshield 25C Tank Welding Magnets, Soap Stone, Quick Coupler Set and Mini Razor Scraper w Replacement Blades Missing from the above picture is a Magnetic Parts Tray, 24oz Rubber Mallet, 6pc Socket Set Holder & 50pk of Dust Masks Post Purchases Parts - $93.23 18 Gauge & 22 Gauge Sheet Metal (Includes a $10 cutting charge) Tools - $144.22 Argoshield & 11lb. Spool of MIG Wire - $80.12 Welding Magnets, Soap Stone, Quick Coupler Set, Magnetic Parts Tray, 24oz Rubber Mallet, 6pc Socket Set Holder, 50pk Dust Masks & Mini Razor Scraper w Replacement Blades Misc. - $66.00 Yearly Gas Cylinder Contract (includes a $6.00 Environmental surcharge) Build Total Parts = $1489.63 Tools = $592.21 Misc. = $158.45

Fixed the above link..... it actually goes to the article now :cheers:

Thanks for the compliment. I'll be sure to post lots of details/pics/feedback when it comes time to use the Raptor Bedliner. :thumbsup:

I've been doing a ton of research lately on MIG welding and body work in preparation for dealing with this: I was searching everywhere for a source for Butt Weld Clamps here in Canada and the only place I could find any was on ebay.ca (.com vendors wouldn't ship them here) and they wanted about 4 times the going price. During my search I came across a different way to clamp metal for butt welds using cleco's. HERE's the write-up. Hopefully others find it useful too :wrench:

Day 42 Well I managed to remove everything from the interior and finally pulled up the vinyl floor and padding. The passengers side padding was soaked due to the fact that the small triangle window was missing and the vehicle was sitting outside for god knows how long before I bought it. It was also really rank.... not a nice task at all. Due to the missing window, and the seat bracket on the drivers side, I was expecting the worst. Here's what it looked like after a 10min shop-vac session: Drivers Side Passengers Side - Notice it's still wet even after sitting for a night Centre & Drivers Side After I took the above photo's, I donned a dust mask, armed myself with nylon cup brush attached to a drill in my good hand and the shop vac to suck up the rust dust in my bad hand. I also used a wire brush for some of the hard to get to places. I'm not sure how long I spent on the drivers side, but I worked up a good sweat.... I hate using dust masks, but I guess it's better to sweat from them than kill myself from the dust. Here's what it looks like before I packed it in for the night: Drivers Side - After Sanding Before & After Picture of Drivers Side The after is only meant to show the progress thus far.... it's still nowhere near being finished. I'm not sure how apparent it is in the above photo's, but this vehicle has had some pan repairs done in the past. The PO welded in a few big pieces. Overall, even though the rust is all over the place the metal itself is still pretty solid. There's a couple tiny holes towards the rear and the spot near the drainage hole is probably the worst. I haven't decided yet about how I'm going to proceed. For now I think I'm going to sand it down a bit more before I make any decisions. Any/all feedback on this is welcome. In preparation for restoring the interior of the truck (and the frame, engine bay & bed); I placed an order with POR-15 Canada for the following: - Marine Clean:cleans and decreases in one application without leaving residues, noxious fumes or flammable solvents - Metal Ready: provides the best adhesion for POR-15® on any surface, including aluminum and shiny polished metal surfaces. - POR-15: paint-like substance which acts as a total rust inhibitor and is also very effective as a metal filler. - Chassis Coat: Topcoats with attributes similar to POR-15® Rust Preventive Coating, but with no sensitivity to UV light. I also placed an order on ebay through tcpglobal for a "Raptor Liner" Bed liner coating kit by a company called U-POL. I've read a lot of good reviews about their product and how easy it is to apply, and how uniform the texture is. Here's a quick video I found on YouTube: pKDpYIT6VkA It seems like I've been hemorrhaging money lately (and I have), but I'm about to head out and blow some more on a few much needed items....... more to come. Purchases prices will be added when the invoices/product arrives. Post Purchases NOTE - Since the paint is being used on the MJ (and consumed in the process) I'm including it in the parts total. Parts - $256.23 POR-15 Paint, Marine Clean, Metal Ready and Chassis Coat - $152.29 Raptor Bed Liner (Might have to pay duties when it arrives) Build Total Parts = $1395.93 Tools = $367.87 Misc. = $92.45

Yeah.... I was a bit concerned about the date range as well. I haven't placed an order yet, but at least I have the correspondence between myself and Corbeau...... oh and I'll be sure to inquire about their return policy.

I read through a ton of threads discussing replacement seat tracks and the consensus was that used or fab'd brackets were our only option. I was on Corbeau's website and they had a custom seat bracket to replace the OEM ones. Here's their part numbers: JEEP PICKUP (COMANCHE) 74-92 - Drivers Side #D848F - Passengers Side #D849F To be absolutely sure that this was a direct replacement I emailed them the below image and asked if the above part numbers were a replacement for the OEM part numbers listed on the image (Bucket Seats). Here's their response: NOTE: I was advised that the bracket images used on their vendors sites are generic pictures and not a picture of the actual bracket.

Day 36-40 She's finally home & in my tiny garage The tow truck was supposed to arrive in the morning, and was delayed until the afternoon, which was delayed until after super, and they never showed. I woke up in the morning and was about to get their number when my misses said "your Jeep's sitting out on the road". I'm not sure if they showed up really late the night before, or really early that morning..... at least it arrived. I wouldn't use these guys if I was stuck somewhere and needed a tow, but for a $50 beater tow I don't care if they're late by a day or two..... as long as it makes it in one piece. SURPRISE So I pop the hood for the first time and I was surprised to find a 4.0L instead of the 2.5L the previous owner said it had. Really the only difference it makes to me is that I might actually be able to sell it, where as the 2.5L would make a better boat anchor. I'm sure some of you are saying "You didn't pop the hood before you bought it?"..... I know it sounds crazy, but there's only 2 other MJ's in Newfoundland that I'm aware of and this was the only one 4sale. Here's what I've accomplished since the last post: - removed the hood, doors, front grille, radiator, engine wiring harness, brake booster & cylinder, cowl, wipers & motor, and whatever that grille is called on the pillar - removed the seats, center console, dash, heater assembly & blower, pedals & brackets, sun visors, and some of the interior trim - removed the front & rear bumper, and that fugly light bar off the bed - unbolted the bed and emergency brake bracket - removed 1/2 bolts from the front quarter panels Removing the doors was a PITA to say the least. I had problems removing the doors off the donor only a few weeks ago, and I posted HERE looking for help. In the end, I took a sawzall to the door hinges since I the donor vehicle was going to the dump anyways..... which sped up the process considerably. Unfortunately I didn't have that luxury this time since I need to reuse these hinges. My tiny garage wouldn't allow for the doors to open fully so I had to move the vehicles off the driveway and roll it out of the garage. It wasn't very warm at all, but at least it wasn't snowing. I ended up using a torx socket with a 10mm wrench over the bit.... along with a pretty big cheater bar. The bolts were coated by the past paint job, so I had to cut around each bolt with a exacto knife. In the end it took about 90mins and a ton of cursing to get the doors off, but the good news is that I managed to do it without stripping any of the bolts. While I had it outside I decided to tackle the bed removal. Finding the bed bolts was easy thanks to the following diagram that a fellow CC member posted (can't remember who): Look what I found at the first bed bracket: Believe it or not that was all that was left of the bracket. Fortunately only the one bed bracket looked like this, although I won't know the extent of the rust to the frame and other brackets until the bed is off. It wasn't until I removed the bed bolts that I realized that both the e-brake bracket and gas tank needed to be removed before the bed could come off. It was starting to get dark, and it was pretty cold and windy, so I decided to call it quits and push her back into the garage. When it came time to unbolt the seats, here's what I found: One bolt was missing, and out of the other 3 bolts only 1 of them came out. The other 2 just turned without coming out. I used a pry-bar to pull the other 2 bolts out of the floor. I thought the seats were in great shape, but now that I've unbolted them.... not so much. The drivers side bracket is toast, they don't tilt forward and the drivers side seat has a huge rip in the back. I guess this gives me a reason to buy some fancy aftermarket seats.... I just have to figure out how to mount them. With this much rust damage on the seat sliders I can only imagine the decay I'm going to find under the vinyl :ack: I also had 2 more deliveries arrive in the mail: Book - "Rebuilding The Small Block Chevy" I purchased this through Chapters for $27.62 shipped to my door. ISBN - 10 Digit: 1932494219, ISBN - 13 Digit: 9781932494211. I haven't read much yet, but after a quick flip through it's very detailed and well layed out. It's 159 pages, has over 650 photos and It also comes with a 2hr DVD. Battery Terminals I bought these off ebay. I've been searching for this type of battery terminal locally and could locate any. Most vendors on ebay charged $10 for a pair plus shipping and I managed to get 2 pair, with shipping for $20.65 which isn't bad at all. I might even sell the second set to recoup some of the cost. Build Changes Last week I said I was thinking of not bobbing the bed.... well after I found out just how limited space is in the garage, it's back on the table. My primary reason for wanting to bob the bed is for a better departure angle when offroading..... extra garage space is just a bonus. I've also added the 4L80 transmission to build, as that's what's typically behind the Chevy 350 in the vehicles that I'm searching for. Sometimes the trans is actually a 4L60, which doesn't have overdrive, but in the end it just depends on the deal I get on the vehicle. As for the engine, I'm considering broadening the year range to include the TBI versions of the 350 from 1992 to 1995. Finding a 350 here isn't as easy as elsewhere in the Country due to the provinces low population, so expanding my options will help. Here's some additional pictures of the tear down from this week: Oh yeah.... I almost forgot; I hauled in $6.54 in change from behind the dash, and under the seats/centre console :banana: Post Purchases Parts - $20.65 Battery Terminals Tools - $27.62 Chevy 350 Book Misc. - +$6.54 Found behind the dash & under the center console/seats Build Total Parts = $987.41 Tools = $367.87 Misc. = $92.45

FYI: in the end I took a sawzall to the hinges since I wasn't keeping the donor vehicle anyways :yes:

This Flowchart might make more than a few Engineers redundant: