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Re: Tuner4life's 1985 Chevy G20 4 Speed Build Thread
Death or victory #756952 February 17th 2020 9:42 am
Joined: Sep 2013
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Thanks everyone!

Originally Posted by Deathorvictory
Pretty cool! What did you paint those trim pieces with?


The black parts are actually wrapped in marine grade black upholstery vinyl. It's a long/tedious process (for example this part took over 2 hours to wrap), but the results are worth it if you have the patience.

We are (hopefully) going to wrap the other side tonight, and it looks like I'll have an extra set of hands, so I'll make sure to get some pictures of the process to post here.


[Linked Image]
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Re: Tuner4life's 1985 Chevy G20 4 Speed Build Thread
tuner4life #756954 February 17th 2020 11:47 am
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O
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Now that's a retro idea ! Looks great.


1975 Ford E-150 shorty (sold)
2016 Ram Promaster shorty
2008 Dodge Challenger SRT-8
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Summit 5.7l
1984 Ford E-150
Re: Tuner4life's 1985 Chevy G20 4 Speed Build Thread
tuner4life #756981 February 18th 2020 1:04 pm
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Alright, here's the quick little overview of wrapping parts like I do.

What you need:

-Upholstery vinyl material (Automotive or marine grade, at minimum 2 way stretch, 4 way is better) What I am using here is 2 way stretch Marine grade Spradling "whisper Ebony"
-Weldwood Landau Top Adhesive (We get it by the gallon)
-Brushes for glue. We use foam ones because they are cheap (you will ruin a couple on each part you complete), Regular bristle brushes may work a little better
-Red Scotch brite
-Wax/grease remover
-Paper Towels
-Exacto or sharp utility knife
-Good scissors
-Heat gun


The first step is to prep the part by sanding (I use a red scotch-brite), and then wipe down with wax and grease remover. Remember to do a couple inches on the backside too so the vinyl will stick.

[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]


Then you want to cut a piece of material that is plenty oversized to cover your part. Be generous, the worst thing is coming up short after you have completed most of the panel

Start with simple shaped parts, the more you do, the more you will learn how the vinyl stretches and conforms. There are a ton of little methods and procedures that I can't really explain, you just have to practice.

First thing I do is find a flat area in the center of the part. This will be your initial attachment point for the vinyl.. Then apply glue to the material in that initial spot, as well as to the part where the material will attach. The glue is a contact adhesive, so let both parts dry for 10 minutes until they are dry/tacky to the touch, if any comes off on your hand, they aren't ready yet. Once the glue has set, attach the parts together. Be careful because once they touch, you don't really get another shot..

If you don't wait for the glue to dry, the parts won't bond together at all.


[Linked Image]


Once you get the material initially attached, just work your way to the edges.. I kind of forgot to keep taking pictures at this point, but basically just keep gluing sections and work towards the edges.. Attend to any wrinkles as they happen, stretch the material out and use the heat gun as necessary to help the material conform to odd curves.

[Linked Image]


After the entire face is attached, you will need to trim around the edge. I usually leave 1.5" of extra material to wrap over, but it depends on the part. You will also need to trim corners and make relief cuts as needed so that the material will wrap over to the back side without puckers or wrinkles. Of course I don't have a good picture of this procedure, but here is what the back may look like when you are done:

[Linked Image]


There are a bunch of good videos on Youtube showing the actual process better than I can explain it. This one is especially good.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaSm3zoWrAo


And here are the parts finished and together! I just need to finish the smoked covers.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]







Last edited by tuner4life; February 18th 2020 1:05 pm.

[Linked Image]
Re: Tuner4life's 1985 Chevy G20 4 Speed Build Thread
tuner4life #756983 February 18th 2020 1:20 pm
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I also received my 12 volt fridge yesterday and I'm way more excited about it than I should be.. It is a Ausranvik brand from Amazon. I chose it mostly because of the dimensions and the good reviews, but it also has some cool features.

Most of all, the best part is that it works like an actual fridge instead of a typical 12 volt power cooler. Meaning that it will run a compressor until it reaches the desired temp, then it shuts off and isn't a huge constant battery drain. This design also allows precise temp control and it will actually get down to temps well below freezing. I tested it in the house on max power setting (in the van it will be on "eco" mode instead), but it brought the internal temp to 5 deg F in about 30 minutes. I was impressed.

It also has a battery saver mode where you can set what the lowest voltage you want the battery to get to, and it will shut off the fridge if the voltage gets too low to save the battery.

Anyways, I'll talk about it more as I'm installing and using it, but I'm very happy with it so far!

[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]



Last edited by tuner4life; February 18th 2020 1:21 pm.

[Linked Image]
Re: Tuner4life's 1985 Chevy G20 4 Speed Build Thread
tuner4life #756985 February 18th 2020 1:32 pm
Joined: Feb 2016
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Well dang! I thought that was paint, but you're doing it way nicer! I too watched that same guy wrap a dash in leather, I love his work! I found lots of higher level trim pieces recently for my van that I'm going to be doing the same thing. Thanks for sharing!


1987 B250 - Painkiller
Re: Tuner4life's 1985 Chevy G20 4 Speed Build Thread
tuner4life #756999 February 18th 2020 6:16 pm
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Coming along really nice. I pulled two 1970's wall sconces out of a bathroom we're remodeling in the house we are working on. Thought about using some simulated LED candles in those in the Queen Anne's Revenge. Looking killer as always man.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Tuner4life's 1985 Chevy G20 4 Speed Build Thread
tuner4life #757002 February 18th 2020 7:18 pm
Joined: Feb 2002
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Likes: 172
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Nice work your doing!


Jim & Lucy Newkirk
1965 Chevy Bad Influence
1981 Chevy-the Love Shack
2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van
2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet.
Club Vannerz.
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Re: Tuner4life's 1985 Chevy G20 4 Speed Build Thread
tuner4life #757035 February 19th 2020 11:03 pm
Joined: Nov 2019
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G
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Jason. Greetings from Maryland! Last time I've been through Indiana was back in '83 on a trip to Nebraska with my folks in our then-new G20 conversion van. My God, it's beautiful country out there in the heartland!
Anyway; It's taken about a week to read your build thread from the beginning, but well worth the patience juggling between work and policing my turbocharged 4 year old twin boys and 5.5 year old boy! Whew!

Anywho.. Bud, your build on your van has left me without words. OK, here goes. I'll start by saying you're incredibly talented as many people have stated. More so than you probably know yourself. You have the potential to build a business and make a hell of a lot of money as a result. You have a vision and do whatever it takes to make it happen without second guessing yourself. Your incredibly blessed to have a Mrs. that not only supports your passion but shares it with you, and a hell of a group of friends! As corny as it sounds your van... is a very lucky van indeed to have stewards like you that will ensure it will be around a VERY long time.

Re: Tuner4life's 1985 Chevy G20 4 Speed Build Thread
tuner4life #757044 February 20th 2020 9:18 am
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Thank you all!

And thank you GVANFAM! I'm glad you enjoyed the read! I do this mostly to document things for myself so I can look back on what I did later (think the binders of pics that some old timers display at car shows), but this is so much more fun because I can engage and interact with everyone during the process! Unfortunately due to social media, there are fewer and fewer good build threads out there and it's a shame really..

I completely understand trying to juggle family and everything else, We have a 4yo and a 2yo as well and they definitely make things... Lets say "interesting" trying to get these builds accomplished lol.

We thank you so much for the heartfelt compliments! (Wife reads this too despite not having an account) I am truly blessed to have such a supportive spouse and close circle of friends. I couldn't do nearly as much of the stuff I do without all of them. As for making a business out of it, the work my wife has done on the van has encouraged her to launch her own upholstery business. She has done a few projects already and has more on the schedule. I couldn't be more proud of her! As for the van, the goal is to build it to last as long as possible. It will definitely get used hard but we're in it for the long haul. We're just enjoying the ride along the way.

cheers


[Linked Image]
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