The transformation of John's '74 from a stark plain Jane to a plush custom was almost a one-stop endeavor. The LMC Truck catalog had almost everything, except the black Corbeau Sports seats and the steering column.
To locate his seats John went onto Corbeau's website and found a dealer near him. For the automatic tilt column he went to Golden West Auto Wrecking in Westminster, where they got lucky and scored a complete set of Silverado window moldings, too.
Machining an engine or straightening a frame might be something best left to the experts, but when it came time to install John's interior, he felt the best way to illustrate tech tips for CCT's valued readers was to do it himself. It makes sense; after all, how can we show you guys how to avoid the pitfalls if we don't discover them ourselves?
The front view of the blue...
The front view of the blue dash pad shows the base-model A/C-delete panel molding in place with stress cracks the size of Texas. The front of the new black LMC Truck dash pad reveals LMC Truck A/C vents and a flawless brand-new vinyl-textured finish.
Looking at the back of the...
Looking at the back of the passenger side of the dashboard reveals one of the A/C vents. Note the two of six slots above for dash-pad retainer clips.
John removed the six retainer...
John removed the six retainer clips from their envelopes and placed them handily near the dash pad. Clear packaged hardware and silver-plated screws below are included for the LMC Truck kick panels and Silverado door panel kit.
With the dash pad placed upside...
With the dash pad placed upside down on a soft towel to prevent scratching its surface, John was ready to slide the retainer clips forward to snap in place. The first ones were a little tricky, but John soon learned the knack to attaching them.
A properly installed retainer...
A properly installed retainer clip should look like this. We discovered that by spreading the retainer clip slightly more open, it allowed the clip to slide over the slots with thicker coatings of black plastic dash pad material.
John installed the new LMC...
John installed the new LMC Truck dash pad by placing it over the gauge cluster (driver side) and dashboard (passenger side). He then shoved it forward while holding it pressed down tight against the dashboard's white painted metal top until the clips hooked into place. The passenger side screws were then refitted.