For this installment of the Daily Dime build we followed along as the crew at Needful Thingz showed us some creative new tricks to tub and lay out a Dime.
They modified the stock A/C unit and built their own custom blower and housings to make this Dime lay out on some big wheels but still have all the comfort of a stock ride with nice cold A/C. Anyone out there who owns an S-10 knows just how much crap Chevy piled under the hood of these trucks, so everything needs to be relocated to make room for larger wheels. Follow along and see how the crew made it all work. For more information, check out the companies listed in the source box.
1.We left off last with a...
1.We left off last with a firewall and tons of A/C and other factory goodies in the way of laying out. So let's go ahead and remedy that.
2.First things first, we had...
2.First things first, we had to remove the fenders, all the crap bolted to them, the brake booster, master cylinder, and brake lines.
3.With everything out of the...
3.With everything out of the way, we were able to mark around the factory harness as we want to cut that out and move it up to retain the factory holes and seals.
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5.Before cutting anything,...
5.Before cutting anything, we double- checked the interior and moved everything out of the way. Then we marked and cut out enough room on both sides for the tires to tuck up nicely.
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7. We used 16-gauge sheet...
7. We used 16-gauge sheet to form our new firewall tubs. We formed them a couple pieces at a time to make it easier to work with.
8.Here's a look at the tub...
8.Here's a look at the tub fully welded before we smoothed it out with our trusty grinder.
9.We moved up the factory...
9.We moved up the factory wiring harness to retain the factory holes and seals, then we gave everything a nice coat of undercoating.
10.Lukasz wanted to smooth...
10.Lukasz wanted to smooth out the look of the inner fenderwell so he made templates to show what need to be removed which also would serve to build the inside of the fender.
11.The factory inner fender...
11.The factory inner fender was cut away to make room for the new tubs and smooth sheetmetal inner fenders.
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13.The inner fenders were...
13.The inner fenders were painted black and then some custom pinstriping was laid down by Stephen Strum.
14.The trick with these S-10s...
14.The trick with these S-10s is to CLEANLY relocate everything by building nice brackets in the front of the fenders to bolt everything to.
15.Moving on to the hard part...
15.Moving on to the hard part of this install, Lukasz decided to rebuild the factory A/C to make room for the massive wheels being stuffed into the firewall. So they started by removing everything and then sectioning the blower into two pieces.
16.Next, the edge was cut...
16.Next, the edge was cut out to make room for the new housing that was being fabbed up.
17.Back in step 5, the crew...
17.Back in step 5, the crew also made templates and took measurements for the new A/C housing and other vital parts being rebuilt. These were transferred to 18-gauge and built.
18.The unit was bolted up...
18.The unit was bolted up to test-fit everything and then taken back apart to build the new blower housing.
19.The housing was "notched"...
19.The housing was "notched" where the clearance was needed using sheetmetal that's welded together and then siliconed in place.
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21.The amount of work that...
21.The amount of work that it took to build this one-off A/C unit can't be shown in this amount of space, but everything was hand-fabbed to work and function properly with the factory unit.
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23.A new blower housing was...
23.A new blower housing was also hand-built and painted before being reinstalled.
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25.Everything was siliconed...
25.Everything was siliconed and sealed before being permanently installed.
26.Next, the blower was reinstalled...
26.Next, the blower was reinstalled and connected.
27.Another test fitting. It...
27.Another test fitting. It was very important to make sure everything fit properly in order for this custom system to work.
28.And there it is, a completely...
28.And there it is, a completely functional custom-built A/C system with room for the giant rollers needed to fill the wheelwells of this S-10.
29.Now the computer, fuse...
29.Now the computer, fuse box, and everything else that was in the way can be nicely relocated with sturdy new mounts to ensure the Daily Dime is safe for its daily driving duties.
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