Rock Solid 89 Chevy

Today on trucks, we've got a jam packed show to roll at you. First up, we'll drop brand new carpet and seats into an 82 CJ seven. Then it's off to Laramie Wyoming to check out the Peterbilt Diesel School at Wyoming Technical Institute. After that, we've got an 89 Chevy pickup to show you that's rock solid as well as all the things you need to know to get the best giant out of your paint job.

That's all today on trucks.

Hello, everybody, welcome to this week's show.

You know, when it comes to running the trail, the first vehicle most people think of is the Jeep.

And then why wouldn't they? From its inception is a flat fender to the current Wrangler Jeep is pretty much set the standard for four wheel drive.

One of the most popular models to come down the trail is the CJ seven

because of its longer wheel base. And that's exactly why we went out and got this 82 Laredo.

Now, one of the good things about buying a used Jeep is you can usually get a box full of parts thrown in if you don't mind wheeling and dealing.

Look at this, got a manual, this huge torque wrench,

brand new weather stripping

and got some cassette tapes thrown in.

Of course, a box full of parts is always nice, but nothing compares to a vehicle that's virtually rust free. And well, our Jeep is definitely well worn. The body still in great shape. Speaking of great shape,

our seven also came with a rebuilt straight six and a four inch lift that convinced us that this rig would be the perfect platform to turn into project trail boss.

The first thing we're gonna do is tackle this interior. As you can see, these seats are torn all to pieces and this carpet is really nasty.

Now, since we're gonna go ahead and replace the hard top, I'm gonna go ahead and take it off now so we can get better access to the interior

with the top and the doors out of the way. Next thing we need to do is lose these stock seats first, we'll go ahead and unbolt them,

then we can get rid of the seat brackets

before pointing out the rear seat.

Now, we can unbolt the roll bar and take out the seat belt.

You'll also need to pull off the gas pedal as well as the rubber boot around the gear shift.

Now, it's a good idea to put the screws back in the hole so you can mark the carpet when you put it back down.

Finally, we can get rid of this nasty old carpet.

Find out if we really do have a rust free Jeep,

as you can see, we're pretty good on that camp. Now. I probably don't need to tell you this, but whatever you do don't lay down the brand new carpet until you clean up the floor first. If you do the adhesive on the back of the carpet isn't gonna stick properly.

Now, obviously, if you have rusty holes in your floorboard, you're gonna have to weld in new metal.

But if you just have surface rust, like we've got

treat it with a rust preventative paint like this Corolla that we got from the Eastwood Company.

We're also gonna paint this inner body of flat black because the carpet won't go all the way up in here. And also because we're eventually gonna change this uh high performance beige color.

Now, since Project Trail Boss is eventually gonna be a screaming shade of yellow, we had to have seats and carpet that had matched. So we went to Steel Horse Automotive, got a pair of their super seats for the front, a fold and tumble seat for the rear as well as a full six piece carpet set. It's eventually gonna be covered in mud. I'm sure

finally we can start fitting our new carpet in starting with the wheel wells. Here you go, man.

All right.

First thing you need to do is try fit it. So, you know, how it's gonna lay and where you need to trim,

then you can spray the supplied glue on the wheel wells and the carpet before you lay it down

and make sure to smooth it all out until there's no wrinkles.

Now, the space has the wheel wells carpeted and the floor fully treated. We need to figure out where this rear seat's gonna go. Now, the stock seat was stationary, but we're gonna use this fold and tumble seat so we can have more cargo space in the rear,

take the front bracket and line it up with the front hole

and mark and drill the rear hole,

then repeat the same process for the latch in the back

with the holes drilled for the seat. Now, we can put in the carpet.

Now, the best way to glue this in

is to start at one end, roll the carpet up, spray on the adhesive and then lay the carpet down and make sure it doesn't go crooked on you here because that's really easy to do.

Then repeat the same process for the other side. Now, when you smooth it down,

make sure you start from the inside and work out. So you don't have any wrinkles

with the carpet in place.

You can take a razor blade

and cut around the holes that you drilled,

so you can mount your seats

with the carpet glued in place. We can drop in our fold and tumble seat and bolt down the bracket. This would be a great time to make sure everything is working properly. Now, since it is the law, we do have to use seat belts. So we'll go ahead and reuse the stock belt.

Now, we found we don't have to drill holes in the back for the seat belts. We can use the stock mounting locations. All you have to do is cut a hole in the carpet

and mount your belts. Now, this will take care of the outer belt,

the inner belt, we're gonna bolt to this center bolt in this rear bracket.

Another safety device we can't live without is a roll bar and just like the inner tub, we cleaned it up a little bit with some flat black paint. So it'll look good when we bolt it in place.

The last thing we need to do to finish up the rear end is glue this carpet on the tailgate.

Now, the steel horse kit comes with a piece for the Wrangler and the CJ. So make sure you use the right piece.

Another really neat thing about this kit is it literally gives you wall to wall carpet, which wasn't factory on a CJ. Now, this part goes up under the seat and it goes all the way to the back ledge here. Now we're only gonna glue down this back half because the leading edge is gonna flap over the front piece of carpet and remember those bolts we told you to put back in the holes earlier. This is where that comes in real handy.

Using the bolt as your guide, you can cut through the carpet

to make a hole for your belts

and seat pedestals.

Now, when you're putting your main carpet section in, start at the firewall and work your way back,

make sure you cut a good sized hole in your carpet for your shifter linkage. So you don't bind it up and then put your boots on. Finally glue the carpet in working from the middle out. Uh One last thing,

don't forget to put your gas pedal on.

Now, if you're gonna take the time to do a project like this, don't skimp on the elbow grease. It'll take to clean up the stock parts. You'll have to reuse. It. Only took us a couple of minutes and a can of spray paint to make these look almost brand new.

Now that they're not gonna stick out like a sore thumb,

we can go ahead and mount them.

The final touch to the interior upgrade on the trail boss is to put in these really cool bucket seats.

Now, they have an adjustable back and headrest

and they bolt right to the existing pedestals using the factory bolts.

Now, another cool thing about these seats is they've got this waterproof material. It's almost impossible to rip and that's good.

Well, as you can see what we started with was definitely pretty rough, but now we can attack the trail and style and comfort. Don't go away. We have more trucks for you right after this.

Up next on trucks. We'll take you to school with Peterbilt and Wyoming Technical Institute.

Welcome back to trucks. Everybody.

You know, when it comes to trucks, they don't get any bigger than the 18 wheelers. We see crews in the highways and byways of the United States, 365 days a year.

Well, that's definitely true. But what most people don't realize that if these big rigs ever stop rolling

this country pretty much shuts down. Fortunately, two names that are synonymous with diesel excellence have come together to make sure that doesn't happen.

The names are Peterbilt and Wyoming Technical Institute. These two diesel industry giants have teamed up to provide a one of a kind three month training program that teaches entry level technicians, Peter built specific systems and components. Most post secondary schools can only go so far in their training and

they can't really talk about product specifics because they have to cover such a broad spectrum.

What we do with this program is we take the students

that come out of post secondary training

and we put them in this program before they come to work in our shops and we train them on Peterbilt product specific components and systems.

So even though they may get general air conditioning training in their in their regular program and they get to the Peterbilt program, we teach them about Peterbilt air conditioning system and how it works specifically and, and,

and where the componentry is located and, and

what changes have been made over the years and, and the troubleshooting aspects of Peterbilt systems. And we do that from, from bumper to bumper coming out of the diesel program where they had 30 to 40 kids in one class with two instructors. Uh, it was pretty general and they just went over a lot of things here. It's a lot more personal.

You get more one on one training and be a lot more specific on

what we have to do out in the field. And uh

what, what's going to get the job done for us

once you've successfully completed the program, Peterbilt guarantees employment at one of their participating dealerships.

But if you're still wondering how you're going to pay for the 12 week course,

this would be a good time to listen up.

Peterbilt is willing

to pay for this schooling,

pay for the training

that they're going to get at Wyoming Tech. So that when they come in to work for us, they hit the ground running.

I'd definitely say that it would be a good move for anyone to make because just,

just having a, having a trade under your belt, uh that's pretty much makes so you can go anywhere. I mean, there's diesel shops everywhere across the country and anywhere you go you'll be able to find a job.

The program is geared to graduate a minimum of 48 students a year. And let's face it. If you have to study Wyotech in Laramie Wyoming looks like the perfect place to do it.

Stay with us. We've got more trucks for you right after this.

Up next on the show, we've got a bow tie for you. That's rock solid.

Welcome back to trucks. Everybody. Well, they said it couldn't be done. Now, what I mean is everybody's always saying you can't put 44 inch tires on a truck with an independent front suspension. Now, the reason they say is that you can't lift the body high enough to clear the tires. Well,

that was all the incentive that

A R Fitch of Chattanooga Tennessee needed.

Yeah. And as you can see, not only did it but he did it safely with an 89 K, 1500. He calls the rock. Now, you can imagine. We've seen a lot of trucks out there that guys have put a ton of money and effort into. The only problem is most of them are just trailer queens,

not the case here. This truck not only sees plenty of time on the road, but it's also right at home in a big old mud hole, which would explain these 44 inch boggs. You definitely don't want to follow this guy into the mud unless you don't mind being covered with it.

Now to show you how this was all achieved. Let's take a look at the suspension. Jr started with a six inch trail master lift kit.

Then on top of that added a three inch torsion bar lift.

Of course, that wasn't near enough. So we added a six inch body lift.

Now you just don't go out and buy these. So we had to custom build it using six inch brass extensions

which still incorporate the factory rubber body mounts. By the way, if you're crunching numbers, we're up to a total of 15 inches of lift.

The lift in the rear was achieved with blocks and springs

and hanging from the frame is a total of 24 count of 24 shock absorbers to round out the heavy duty suspension work

to make the truck worthy of its name. The aftermarket was called on for the final trim

and that includes a cow induction hood, go fast goodies on a healthy small block as well as a front brush guard, I guess to filter out low flying airplanes.

Speaking of airplanes, you'll definitely be flying in style and comfort nestled in these custom leather seats.

The business end of the rock was finished off with a cab extender and in the bed, it's nothing but carpet. Thanks to the bed rug

for years, you've heard the slogan like a rock.

But after seeing this truck rolling down the road with all the bells and whistles, it's probably safe to say there's only one like this rock.

If you want more trucks, check us out online at TRUCKS, tv.com.

Thanks for staying with us, everybody.

You know, if you're really serious about your truck looking good,

you're gonna have to do some detail work and it doesn't matter if your paint is old and oxidized or fresh off the assembly line full of orange peel. If you really want your paint job to stand out, you're gonna have to do some buffing.

But before we show you the how to is a buffing, we need to tell you why you need to do it.

Now, the secret to painting a vehicle is to hit that magic area between orange peel which is too dry or runs, which are obviously too wet.

Now, unfortunately, you can't get the paint to lay perfectly flat right out of the gun.

In spite of what anybody might tell you, you can make it look good, but it can always be better

because what you end up with are tiny little peaks and valleys that mess up the reflection and need to be smoothed out.

Now, just like painting. It's a really good idea to use product from one company that way, you know, it's all gonna work well together. That's why we went to mcguire's and got their mirror glaze system. It includes heavy medium and light duty compounds along with all the bus we'll need, we're also gonna use a standard rotary buffer along with a dual action polisher.

Now for a vehicle with a lot of orange peel like our old Ford here. Uh, you're gonna have to do some wet sanding. Now, the reason you sand wet is because the water lubricates, the paper helps it to cut and keeps it from loading up on you.

Now, I'm also using this 1000 grit sandpaper and this flexible sanding block from mcguire's.

So I don't accidentally sand waves into the finish. Now,

keep in mind it's a good idea to not sand with just your hand unless you're doing areas that you can't get the block into

while Stace is standing away on a worst case scenario.

I can go ahead and show you a completely different situation. Now, the sinister Silverado came from the factory with glued on trim and when we pulled it off, we left some marks in the paint that we definitely have to get rid of. Now, fortunately, we don't have to color sand here so we can jump right into some cleaner posh that's aggressive enough to remove the marks without cutting into the paint.

Now that I'm done color sanding, I'm gonna go ahead and start hitting it with this heavy duty compound

and that'll get rid of all the sanding marks. Now, word of caution here, this stuff contains crystal and silica which can be dangerous.

So make sure that you use a particle mass so you don't inhale the dust.

The last step on the Silverado is to hit with some high tech yellow wax to really bring out that shine. Now, as you can see, it doesn't take a whole lot to take care of minor imperfections. This process will also work on acid rain tree sap or

anything else that might fall out of a tree.

Once we're done with the heavy duty compound, you can see there's already a gloss to it, but it can be better. So now we're hitting it with some polish.

The best technique is to do small sections at a time, starting with the medium pressure.

Then as the compound dries lighten the pressure, as you see, the gloss start to appear

once you're done with the polish, all you have to do is hit it with a wax to protect it and give it that super gloss. Well, as we've just shown you, it doesn't take a whole lot of effort or money to make your paint really pop

if you spend the weekend wrenching in your driveway. Well, eventually you're gonna cut a finger.

It's amazing how one little well placed cut can pretty much incapacitate your hands.

Well, there is an answer to this problem and it's in a tube of super glue. Now, I'm not kidding.

All you have to do

is dab it on the cut

and glue it back together. Now, of course, there is some common sense involved here. If you're bleeding all over the place well,

you don't reach for a tube of super glue,

but for these little annoying cuts, you'll be surprised how well this stuff works.

And now truck gear brought to you by car parts.com, everything for your car. Truck van or SUV,

not every vehicle has four wheel drive and even four by fours can get stuck in the snow, sand or mud and let's face it. Nobody, nobody wants to have to call a tow truck to the rescue. Thanks to the tow truck in a box, you no longer have to.

It's made of three interlock

aluminum

alloy plates that have angled treads on the top and bottom to give your tire maximum traction and get you back on the road. The tow truck in a box goes for about $22 and is perfect for anyone who has to drive in adverse conditions.

Now, for those of you that want really trick exhaust system power effects has the answer.

Now for the muffler, they've got this tunable power capsule. Now, the way this thing works is with the valve closed, the exhaust spirals through the outer muffler core.

Now, when you open the valve, you basically add a straight pipe to that spiral. And according to their dino numbers, this thing will outflow a straight pipe by almost 100 CFM.

If that's not enough, they've got these really cool tips to finish it off. Now, of course, pretzels will vary depending on the parts you use. But now at least you have the choice to slink around town quietly

or turn the valve and let yourself be heard.

You know, if there's one area on a truck that really sticks out like a sore thumb, it's gotta be the third brake light and you can't just get rid of it because it's the law. Fortunately, all sales manufacturing machines come up with a really great idea to help customize your full size GM truck with this really slick polished aluminum cover installation is just a pair of screws and a little silicone. And all you have to pay for this custom look is about 40 bucks. That's gonna do it for truck gear. Here's a preview of next week's show.

We'll begin the transformation of a 99 Dodge Durango by dropping our SUV three inches all the way around

and believe us, that's only the beginning of what we've got in mind for this Durango.

After that, the guys will take you back in time more than 50 years to show off a rare Jeep.

That's part of the famed Willie's heritage. Then it's back to the present where Stacy shows you the proper way to handle a spray gun.

That's all next week on trucks.

Well, it's gonna do it for this week's show. We appreciate you hanging out with. Yeah, we got more trucks to roll at you next week. Get in shorty. Oh,

man.

How do

you want me to throw you a winch cable. Good night man.

Trucks is an RT M production.