Wiring...yeah that fun stuff

The last big hurdle to getting the cruiser on the road has been the wiring.  The rear harness and front end harness were shot.  I was thinking I'd have to make my own, but I was able to get a custom front and rear harness made by Mark Baker...aka Coolerman.  He is known for his custom harnesses and made them for a great price.  They run to where they are supposed to real easily and just plug right in.  The main issue was the main wiring harness.  For the most part it was in great shape.  The worst parts were the sections running to the engine bay.  They were pretty hacked up with the GM motor swap by the previous owner.  I was able to trace back all the wiring and remake all the new ends and new wiring.  Everything under the dash was good and ran where it was supposed to.  I also sourced a new fuse block from Cruiser parts and replaced the bad one I had.  So...all the wiring is run, plugged in and done.  There are a couple of things not connected by they shouldn't keep the cruiser from turning over!

Now the cruiser is at the shop getting its exhaust made, brakes and clutch bled, drive shaft fit in and overall get it running.  My goal is to have it driving home by the end of the week!

Finishing the Odds and Ins

For the most part, the past few weeks have been about working on the odds and ins to get them finished and bolted back on the cruiser.  For the most part its been things like cleaning and restoring the heater box and blower motor, cleaning and painting the rear view mirror, the wind shield wiper motor, glove box, ash trey, weatherstripping on the tailgate and other bits, the cowl vent and the tailgate chains.  For the most part everything came apart very easily and cleaned up very nice.  The heater box looks brand new and the new foam makes it pretty quiet.  The blower motor turned out great too!  The steering wheel took a bit of work, but plastic putty, sanding and flex coat, it looks brand new.  I also got some flex vinyl paint for the lower dash pads.  I wasn't sure how they would turn out, but overall they look brand new.  I still have the upper dash pad to do, but I'll be ordering a dash cap for it.  Overall, all the odds and ins are done, with just a small pile left to complete.

Seats!

Its been awhile since I've posted, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy working on the cruiser.  One of the big projects has been getting the seats refinished.  The original seats that came with the cruiser when I bought it were interesting.  The passenger seat is a bench seat and original.  The driver seat was a jeep bucket seat welded to the frame, not original; it didn't move and made you sit right on the steering wheel and very uncomfortable.  After some searching, I was able to find a used original seat and frame two blocks away in great shape and for a great price!  

The first step was to tear apart the frames and get rid of the old padding and covers.  The covers were pretty rotten and came apart easily.  The padding was original in the seats...burlap covers over the springs and had pretty ratty cushions.  The frames were in great shape and the paint stripped off easily.  After a quick trip to D and S paint in town I had the pewter paint for the frames and seat backs.  The paint went on great and the seat frames look brand new.

I found a great and reasonable upholster that my painter recommended.  Daryl at Pueblo Northern Window and Tint did a great job!  The new padding is made from memory foam and very comfortable.  I also went with a gray marine vinyl which is water proof and UV protected.  That should be great for when the top is off.  Overall I'm very happy with how the seats turned out!

Its Starting to Look Like a Landcruiser Again!

I've been busy the past month or working on the Cruiser.  The biggest news of them all was getting the body back from the paint shop.  I LOVE how it turned out and the Rustic Green is perfect!  There is one spot on the driver side rocker that needs fixed and the guys at John Mares Paint Shop said to bring it back when I can and he'd take care of it.  Otherwise, it looks great!  I had lots of help off loading it from the trailer and getting set on the body mounts.  I did run into one small snag...the re-positioned battery tray was about a quarter inch to close to a brace on the firewall, so I'll have to do some sorting there, but otherwise it went on smoothly.  The body mounts went on easily and the body is now squarely on the frame.

So now that the body is on the frame, its time to get the interior all figured out.  The biggest is the electrical.  I've gone through everything and determined what needs to be remade.  I think the main harness is good with just a few modifications needed.  The harness to the rear of the cruiser is in need of total replacement as is the small harness across the front bib.  I should have all my parts sourced to rebuild the needed harnesses and will hopefully have wiring done in the new few weeks.  To do this I had to go ahead and buy the rest of the lights I needed...so I now have new marker lights, turn signals and reverse light.  They are mocked up on the cruiser now and it looks awesome!

I've also been working on the front seats.  John at the paint shop recommended an upholster and his price is just about as much as it would cost me to do it myself.  So why not have a professional do it right?  But I have made progress on the seats...they are stripped down, and the frames are painted.  I just have a few pieces of hardware to go, and the seats will be off to the shop.  I've also been sorting out the pedals, dash switches and levers.  Once the wiring is in, I should be able to start bolting stuff back on.  Progress is good and steady!