INTERIOR Cab 1971 C-10 Resto-Mod Page 5 of 7.

In PHOTO 36 we can see that the interior Quiet Ride Solutions brand insulation for the floor of the 1971 Chevrolet pickup cab is now complete.

Note that the fuel tank also has the Quiet Ride Solutions insulation. The fuel tank has the insulation installed both on the front and back. The fuel tank was removed and wrapped with insulation as a separate unit. In addition ( but not evident from the photo ) is the area behind where the fuel tank is mounted ( below the window ) also has the Quiet Ride Solutions vibration dampners and insulation. The end result of all this insulation is that the fuel inside the tank will remain cool, and as we all know, engines perform better when the fuel is cool. Additionally, the feed and return lines for the fuel tank have been retrofitted with Russell brand steel braided lines and AN fittings. As with the cab-to-frame mounting bolts ( as well as any other items which might require access at a later date ) the insulation on the fuel tank has been configured to provide access to the fuel sending unit and mounting points.

We can also see in PHOTO 36 the installed ABS speaker kick panel.

Another little touch of detail can be seen with the new firewall pads in their installed position ( look in the area of the accelerator pedal ) — all the firewall pads seems were covered with the insulating tape and this little detail will prevent ( years down the road ) those pesky little fuzz balls from appearing on the carpet.

One can also see the mounting studs, the quick disconnect wire harness and shifter cable access hole ( Hurst supplies the cable grommet which fits into this hole ) for the Hurst Pro-Matic 2 automatic transmission shifter. Again, little details like this makes accessibility a much more simpler task if the shifter needs to be removed for whatever reason.

At the far left in PHOTO 36 the Park / Neutral relays for the Hurst Pro-Matic 2 automatic transmission shifter can be seen. These relays prevent the vehicle from being started in any other position besides Park and Neutral. The relays will, of course, be tucked neatly up in the dash. As with any other wiring fabrication on this truck, I have drawn-up a color-coded wiring schematic for the Park / Neutral relays and these diagrams are included with the truck.

Also seen in this photo are the seat and center console mounting points — again one can see the insulation is configured around the mounting points for easy access should these items require removal. Long story short — the Quiet Ride Solutions insulation will remain intact and un-damaged should any of the items installed on it need to be removed.

The only other interior insulation item that needs to be completed are the doors.

What exactly does that mean ? What is the significance of a polished piece ? Or, rather I should say, what is the significance of a polished piece on a street machine ?

Yes, it is true, a street machine is a toy. However a street machine is akin to Tonka, in that, it is meant to see duty in the sandbox.

The 71's new steering column and its mounting hardware pieces have been polished. I do this for strategic pieces. A legacy, if I can use that word, to describe the maintenance effort the owner / driver of the vehicle needs to put forth.

I don't clear coat these strategic pieces. Why ? Because I want you, the owner / driver, to Blue Magic these pieces every now and then. Why ? Because it makes you pay attention to detail.

It does not matter how proficient a builder one is, whether one is a Foose or a James, gaskets eventually seep, rubber deteriorates ; polishing strategic pieces keeps an eye on things.

Keeps you out of trouble too, like, for example, when your girlfriend is out-of-town ; good time to do a little polish and wax, eh ?

You really didn't think custom builders polished items just for looks did you ?

For safety reasons, I wanted to use the General Motors factory collapsible intermediate steering shaft assembly with the Ididit column.

The intermediate shaft connects the end of the steering column to the steering box. The factory intermediate shaft, in the event of a head-on collision, collapses — thereby preventing the steering column from becoming a spear into the driver's chest.

To accomplish this, all that is required is to first clock the Ididit column and then machine a groove in the Ididit steering column shaft matches the groove in the original steering column shaft.

The Ididit company has u-joints and solid intermediate shafts available — but as I said, for safety reasons, I decided to go with the factory collapsible intermediate steering shaft.

This view shows the engine compartment firewall view of the installed Ididit steering column with the factory mounting bracket that I also polished.

PHOTO 40 — The carpet is now installed, however, there was no glue or adhesive used in this installation. The carpet is held in place by the seat, center console, shifter and sill plate mounting bolts. So when the time comes for carpet replacement in the distant future or the carpet has to be removed for some service or repair task, it can be removed without damaging the Quiet Ride Solutions insulation that is underneath. Since the cab mount bushings have already been replaced, I really can't think of any service issue that would come up requiring the removal of the carpet, regardless, the point is that the carpet can be removed without destroying the insulation beneath it.

What is not shown in this particular photo is that the fuel tank has a carpet kit installed over it too — the fuel tank carpet kit is manufactured to be an easy-off easy-on operation ( the most obvious reason for this being when the fuel sending unit finally wears out and requires replacement ) so this fuel tank carpet kit utilizes plastic clips to secure itself to the fuel tank to make removal an installation and easy task. The fuel tank carpet kit will be shown in another photo a little later on in this interior photo essay.

The gauge pod you saw previously in PHOTO 27 has been installed and the pod contains three Auto Meter Pro-Comp 2 5/8 inch gauges hung by Auto Meter brand gauge cups which are suspended and secured to an aluminum box that I fabricated and polished.

The pod hangs neatly centered below the heater controls secured by two mounting bolts. The pod can be easily removed by simply removing these two bolts and disconnecting four quick disconnect electrical plugs ( in PHOTO 40 you can see two of the four white quick disconnect electrical plugs hanging down — of course, as you will see later, all the wiring and connectors will be tucked neatly up under the dash out-of-sight — but the point is, like all other modifications such as these on this build, the components are designed for easy removal. The bottom line : when it comes time to replace a gauge light bulb, it will be an easy task.

NOTE : when it does come time to replace a light bulb in one of these Auto Meter gauges the pod will have to be removed, however, the indicator light bulbs ( for the toggle switches ) are accessible without the need to remove the pod.

All the gauges on the pod are temperature gauges and viewing from left-to-right in PHOTO 40 they are : WATER, ENGINE OIL and TRANSMISSION OIL.

The three color-coded toggle switches ( green, blue and red ) and their respective color-coded indicator lights seen on the pod, from left-to-right, manually control auxiliary electric fans for the radiator, engine oil and transmission oil coolers.

PHOTO 41 shows the interior view of the completed Ididit steering column.

PHOTO 42 shows the interior of the 1971 Chevrolet C-10 pickup from the rear window perspective.

1971 Chevrolet C-10 Shortbed Fleetside Pick-up Truck

POLISHED

CARPET — CUSTOM GAUGE POD