hurtlocker truck 2012 update!

Got an email from Ken today,

and realized he's already been shipped out for 43 days!

Man how time flies.
Better give him some new pics of his truck!

hurtlocker truck

After that whirlwind push through the month of december,

the year so far has been jammed with backed up boat jobs.

The "Hurtlocker Truck" has been waiting patiently.

chevy 350

Early in January,
I tried to get to start.
Changed the spark plugs,
threw on the plug wires, added some oil/filter,
figured out that fuel line to the carburetor,
and bolted on the fuel pump.
A couple key bolts (flex plate to torque converter) were missing though,
so I stalled at the starter.

stuff

The radiator was also an issue.
I had made the front of the frame fit the stock corvette radiator box.
Ken didn't really like the fiberglass box,
but I had hopes it would work,
and save a little time in the process.

taped

What better place to start than the inner fender panels.
Since the front of the frame isn't stock anymore,
they had been trimmed around the independent suspension.

After looking at it for a month or so,
the part that's been bugging me are the angles of those panels,
on the outside of the grille area.
On a stock truck,
a simple flat piece of sheetmetal fills that gap,
somewhat hidden behind the grille insert.

holey

This truck is a little different,
cause the fenders and center section are all welded up,
and I had cut all that out.
The other issue is the front radiator support isn't going to be used,
so there needs to be another form of rigidity.

scoop

It took a while but I figured out a curve that would fit in that hole.

trimmed

Using a cardboard template,
that front section of the inner panel was trimmed to fit.

notched

Now I've got to join that new curved piece to the center cross piece.
That will stiffen it up even more.

tight

I can see why Ken doesn't like the stock radiator box.

half way

Now the plan is to trim the new panels and the opening of the radiator box.
All this is hidden by the grille bars,
but it's important that it looks good without them.
It's one of those areas that you won't notice if it looks good,
but if it looks bad it's the first thing you see.

Stay tuned...

TP