"The Distraction" Why I haven't updated the stereo in my car...

So earlier this year I decided I wanted to try my hand at building a project "car."
My last one didn't go as well as I would have liked and ended up with me losing my ass on it.

So, a month or so ago I bought a 1986 S-10 Standard Cab base model with about 58k on it.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psxb1gejh6.jpg

It had been cut for a convertible conversion, and someone took the convertible parts.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...pssq3gjsld.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps4hm04wp3.jpg

Luckily, it came with a second cab, extra (power windows/locks) doors, several door panels, the tailgate, headlight parts, clutch, pressure plate, brake parts, etc.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psducfv02r.jpg

So, I'm currently trying to get the roof swapped over (and reattached) before the weather gets too cold to use body filler/primer/etc.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...pslozb2qds.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psunftwh3j.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...pszymwhgga.jpg

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http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps1xkkqsfi.jpg

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Top is currently tacked on with sheetmetal screws, since I need to adjust a little bit (about 1/16-1/8 on the a-pillars) and then I could work on welding it. Once the top is on and in one piece and I cut up all the extra sheet metal I can move on to part 2...

Part 2 starts with this:

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...pstqpn8g4j.jpg

THAT is my donor vehicle. Pulling the motor (6.0L LS engine) and trans (4L80E) and putting it in the S-10. It's a 2003 Silverado 2500HD extended cab long bed.
I was originally looking at a 6.0L out of a roll over Denali with a 4l65E AWD trans, but after not hearing from the guy for a few days, I found this whole RUNNING/DRIVING truck for about the same price. I'm pulling the harness, PCM, engine, trans, gas pedal, hydroboost, cluster, wiring, etc for my swap. Then I'm going to pull some other parts and junk it and the scrap for them S-10 cab. That should free up some space in the driveway (because the gold Sierra can go back home.)

I'm going for something VERY similar to this:

http://www.pro-touring.com/attachmen...8&d=1232947592

I plan to run either Argent C5 Z06 wheels, or C6 Grand Sport chrome 5 spokes (depending on the final color...tho I'm leaning toward keeping the stock green.)

Here's the over all plan so far:

6.0L engine/4L80E trans
4th Gen Camaro front brakes (12")
8.8" Explorer rear end with posi and 3.55 or 3.73 gears (unless I find an 8.5" 10 bolt) both should come with disc brakes.
Push to start with proximity locking
Vette wheels (rears something like a 295)
Caltracs
ZQ8 rear sway bar/chassis brace
ZQ8 front sway bar (the 33mm one)
ZQ8 (or equivalent) steering box (12.7 or 12.8:1 depending on who you ask)

That's most of it. I plan to use Current Performance mounts, make my own harness, and move the battery under the bed. Probably passenger side so I don't have to move the gas tank.

But lately, I've been trying to get ready for my trip to Finals next week, so nothing much is happening until I get back.

Jay

Dude!

Sweet.

You forgot to add a turbo and me tuning the truck to that list of stuff.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by littlemissGTO

You forgot to add a turbo and me tuning the truck to that list of stuff.

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I wasn't really planning on a turbo. I plan to run the motor as is for a while, then do a rebuild. Shooting for 400-450ish hp. Should be PLENTY in a small truck. But I'll take you up on the tuning. lol

love me some s10s

Wow. You are not scared of a sawzall.
I'm tuned in.

So no 8 12" blowthrough? :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cadaver

love me some s10s

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Me too, I had my other one from 93-97. I got a Colorado in 05, but it wasn't the same.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Notloudenuf

Wow. You are not scared of a sawzall.
I'm tuned in.

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As people have said on many car sites "It's only metal, and I have a welder." lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gckless

So no 8 12" blowthrough? :(

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Not for 8 12's. I will most likely do a blow through tho. I'm thinking 3 12's, maybe ported.
The whole point of building this is to build something fun. I may do a custom dash/door panels/etc. as well.

Jay

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JayinMI

Me too, I had my other one from 93-97. I got a Colorado in 05, but it wasn't the same.



As people have said on many car sites "It's only metal, and I have a welder." lol



Not for 8 12's. I will most likely do a blow through tho. I'm thinking 3 12's, maybe ported.
The whole point of building this is to build something fun. I may do a custom dash/door panels/etc. as well.

Jay

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do eet, do eet aaaaaaaaaaallllllllllll

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JayinMI

I wasn't really planning on a turbo. I plan to run the motor as is for a while, then do a rebuild. Shooting for 400-450ish hp. Should be PLENTY in a small truck. But I'll take you up on the tuning. lol

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You can get 400-450ish with a stroker build. If you're going to do a blowthrough build, you should do a turbo set up to help move the truck around. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by littlemissGTO

You can get 400-450ish with a stroker build. If you're going to do a blowthrough build, you should do a turbo set up to help move the truck around. :)

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I had a great time at finals. Came home and when I went to work on the truck, I just kept thinking "Should I just do a system in it, and sell the 6.0?"

It's tough. But I think I still want to do both.

Jay

6.0 and a system gets my vote!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chithead

6.0 and a system gets my vote!!!

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Sitting in Ben Vollmer's (formerly Harry Kimura's) Acura gave me some ideas for the dash.

Jay

He stole that idea from Ally

Why didn't you just do a cab swap?

Cab swap definitely would have been easier. I am sure you had your reasons though.

My first truck was an 87 standard cab. Black( purple pin stripes ) with gray interior. I had it all 80's mini truck with all of the removable dash pieces done in fleck stone paint. 14" Cragar SS wheels, a pair of Savard Rap 12's behind the seat, and a lowly 2.5 liter "Iron Duke" for power. Haha

I miss that truck sometimes...well all the time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kornnut

Why didn't you just do a cab swap?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by crux131

Cab swap definitely would have been easier. I am sure you had your reasons though.

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Because the donor cab needed cab corners, driver's floor pan, and all the body mounts were rusted and crushed as well as some other minor damage sustained while they moved it around before I bought it. Trust me, this will be a faster way to a solid cab...the green cab with the roof cut out is solid everywhere and only has 55k miles on it.

I'm building this because my last project car never got to get finished and I really miss my old S-10 I had from 94-97.

I want an old square body like that to drop an LS in. Nice little drag truck.

So, a couple weeks ago I was scouring Craigslist to see if I could find a solid cab to replace the topless green one. If I found a good deal, I'd pick it up and save myself the frustration of trying to weld the roof back on and get it all right. Not expecting to find anything, I was surprised when I found an '89 (listed as a '91) red S-10, no engine/trans/bed for sale about 20 minutes from work. I went and looked at it after work, and decided I wanted it. He was asking $500, I talked him down to $400....but I couldn't borrow a truck last weekend. I was amazed to find he still had it and went and picked it up today.

It has it's good and bad points, but I really only needed the cab, if nothing else.
It's pretty solid (floors are rusty, but I'll cut the near perfect floors out of the green truck for it. So, I'm going to swap the green bed over on to the '89 frame, and the left front fender as well. I have the bumper as well.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psuvilr7vg.jpg

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http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psrop2hrl1.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psvdlxle7g.jpg

Dash is in pretty good shape, only a couple minor cracks, no bowing. Not planning on using it, so it might go up for sale.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...pscjozugok.jpg

Those were the good points, here's the bad.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...pshkkk3kil.jpg

Pretty happy with it. If I can get a few bucks out of the remainder of the green truck (it has a running Iron Duke in it...well, until I let it sit for 8 months. I think the fuel filter needs changed and new gas....but I have video of it running before, and it will kick over on starting fluid.)

Jay

Ok, I got a visit from the cops the other day. Apparently they didn't like my collection of trucks. I have 14 days to get rid of all but 1 and that one needs to be plated and insured if it's going to sit in the driveway. So, this kind of spurred me on. Last night I got my engine hoist assembled (HF, of course it didn't go together right if you followed the instructions...but one of the reviews told me what to do). Today (with the help of my decidedly non-car-girl girlfriend) we got the engine and transmission out of the "Big Red Bitch™" (in one piece.)

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psmbpp3jbs.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps3yqkp8cz.jpg

I swear the engine/trans is almost 1/2 as long as the truck. lol

I also took the whole interior and engine compartment harnesses, as well....mostly...

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psflgl7h63.jpg

I also measured the resistance for the Passlock II anti theft system, so I can integrate that into my harness in case I can't get it turned off on the PCM right away I will still be able to start the truck. Tho, I may have to change PCM's (I hear a 411 one is good to use) because "The Big Red Bitch™" didn't have electric fans, and the S-10 will.

Anyway, that's the update for now.

Jay

City ordinance I suppose.....:doh:

Oh well, maybe it'll be good motivation to tear em up....lol, looks like a good start already!

POR15 works great for the surface rust situations.

Well that right thar makes my little IB and pillar build challenges a big "wah wah cry me a river". :) LOL!!!
Really puts it into perspective.
I applaud the work Jay!

Good luck on the next 14 days!

We had our house painted a number of years back because we got a blight notice from the city. We had "violated" an ordinance and someone for whatever reason reported our home. I looked up the ordinance to make sure it was real.

Funny thing its your property and you're paying taxes to them for what, to harass you..

Some jackass called the cops on me while I was putting the stereo in the Dakota because I had a beer in the truck with me, as soon as I put the keys in the ignition to flip it to accy they called the cops. I never made a single sound with the stereo, no amp, was just putting in a head unit and wanted to test power.

Cop was cool, he hung out and talked a bit, wanted to see under the hood and shit because it was far from stock. Found out he lived close because he was off shift about an hour and a half later and came over for a beer after his shift.

Shortly after I moved to country living... Well, very small rural town.... Can't have that shit, even if the cops are cool.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AccordUno

Funny thing its your property and you're paying taxes to them for what, to harass you..

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Wrong train of thought there. Check the definition of Community- when you decide to live within one, you become part of it. If you don't want to do your part to keep things in check, go buy a trailer in the woods and do what hell you want. When "your property" condition affects others' values and livelihood, you have a community responsibility to abide by the rules of said community. Code enforcement is good for all parties.

Yeah I begin to understand now how this guy thought. My Dad took me to see a friend who was a gun builder. A real artist.. Beautiful custom stocks etc. He was an old hermit with a long beard.. Odd bird. Had a hidden driveway that fed directly into to desolate 4-lane road in the middle of BF nowhere. If you didn't know where it was, or were looking specifically for it and knew the marker on a tree, you'd never find it. If you did find it and you drove in, you wouldn't see his house until you were pretty darn near up to the front door. Kept it covered in foliage. To say that this guy wanted to be off-the-grid was an understatement. At the time I thought "spooky!!".. Now I'm starting to relate.

Oh, guess I'll catch us up here.

The Big Red B!tch™ and the Green S-10 are gone now. I kept the red truck, the green bed, the engine and trans from the Silverado (as well as all the wiring).
I put the bed on the truck so it doesn't look so bad. Engine hoist and straps from Harbor Freight worked great.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psix4bu2rg.jpg

Then I decided to check out a new Junkyard I hadn't been to before. Went looking for Fender flares, bucket seat sliders and a Jeep Cherokee steering shaft. Came home with all this:

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psdijjeihq.jpg

I got flares, power mirrors (incl wiring pigtails and switch), Door harnesses (power windows/locks), door boots, bucket seat sliders, fog light switch, and a few other things. So I set off to trying to install the (allegedly) Toyota bucket seats that came with the green truck.

I pulled some measurements from the bucket seats in the yard and made a piece of wood so I could properly locate everything.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...pselg8orqd.jpg

I read a bunch of How To's on forums and they were all like "for the inside track just drill a hole and bolt in. Put a big washer underneath so it doesn't pull through."

So, I found I had to bend the inner front tab down to kinda meet the floor and make a spacer to bolt it in.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...pstwvvkvz3.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psv42qc2ws.jpg

But I wasn't real happy with this. Seemed a little "hackish." Meanwhile, while I was doing this, someone commented in my thread on S10forum that you need the factory mounts and the brackets are just welded to the floor. So, off to the junkyard again...

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psdp2oi2a4.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...pshtzwb5za.jpg

I haven't done the passenger side yet, but I tacked the brackets in place with self tapping screws for now (too hot to get the welder out right now.)

Then I took the seats and set them on top of the wood piece so I could see where I need to locate my mounting hardware. The PO welded 1.5"x.25" flat stock to the bottom of the seat bracket, and I found I had to shift the seat about an inch to the left to center it up with the steering wheel.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psud9mxgtr.jpg

I plan to make 4 mounting tabs (also out of 1.5" x .25") and weld them to the seat bracket to I can bolt everything together like stock. I wanted to put everything in the stock S-10 location in case I change seats later I can just get S-10 seat brackets.

So that's where I'm at at the moment.

I need to pick up engine mounts (probably from Current Performance) and make/adapt/buy a trans crossmember to support the 4L80E transmission...if I can get the engine and trans physically into the truck I can start working on wiring (which should keep me busy for a while) and other things that I need to get an idea of clearances for. My current thought is to grab a Mustang trans crossmember from Stiffler's and make my own brackets for the frame side. But I may just mod a stock trans crossmember as many have done before me.

Sadly, I'm broke.

On the upside, Kia owes me about $525.

Background:

Kia made some mathematical errors when they determined the MPG for most of their cars in 2011/2012. In case of my car it was off by about 4 mpg.
So they have a settlement program that reimburses the original owners for the difference. In 2012, I had 17k on the car and got $138. Now I have 126295+ miles on it, the estimated settlement this time is $525.30. Should cover a few things. I made the claim today, takes 24ish hours to get into the dealer's computer. I go to them and they verify the mileage and sign off on it. Several weeks go by and I get a Visa gift card. Looking forward to it.

Jay

Wow!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Got my Kia money. And my phone rebate. Stopped at the Junkyard with the intent of grabbing the 8.5" 10 Bolt posi rear I found a couple weeks ago, but I couldn't break the bolts loose, and then I noticed that I could wiggle the axle shaft up and down about 1/16". That seemed pretty bad, so I decided to wait and look into it.
I was also going to grab a transmission crossmember, but they were all rusty as hell. So, I ended up with left and right door weather stripping, a Trailblazer parking brake handle, Trailblazer shift cable, and on my way out I happened to look behind the driver's seat in a '97 standard cab and found this:

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psqklh0zoy.jpg

Total bill? Under $40. Sub shows 3.9ohms.

Jay

Update. Sub works.

Seat mounts welded, seats bolted in.

That's about it.

Want to pull the cab so I can get my trans crossmember setup, but since I'm headed to Finals next weekend, it won't happen for a minute.

Jay

a year and no updates? Need More S-10

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JayinMI

Got my Kia money. And my phone rebate. Stopped at the Junkyard and on my way out I happened to look behind the driver's seat in a '97 standard cab and found this:

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psqklh0zoy.jpg

Total bill? Under $40. Sub shows 3.9ohms.

Jay

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Nice score !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Notloudenuf

a year and no updates? Need More S-10

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Funny you should mention that. Not much has happened in that year, sadly.
With remote start season starting to pick up, I've been kinda "meh" on audio, but
found some Youtube channels that got me motivated to work on the truck.

Sloppy Mechanics being the main one. lol

So here's an update:

Needed to clean the garage to have room to work:

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4579/...b221a5c8_b.jpgIMG_20171115_122016403_HDR by Jay McGraw, on Flickr

Done:

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4530/...9d611580_b.jpgIMG_20171119_200413488 by Jay McGraw, on Flickr

Then I swapped my oil pan/windage tray/oil pump pickup tube for the new one (GM's "Hot Rod" oil pan kit, same as a V8 equipped H3/Colorado)
(also pictured is my Stiffler's 94-98 Mustang transmission crossmember)

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4515/...94b332f4_b.jpgIMG_20171123_121711161 by Jay McGraw, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4555/...1b98133a_b.jpgIMG_20171123_181148893 by Jay McGraw, on Flickr

This resulted in it being put on, then taken back off for clearance and a lot of wasted time. lol
Also had the original dipstick tube break off flush with the block. Tried beating it out from the inside, but that didn't work either.
Guess I'll have to drill it.

Anyway, I pulled the engine out of the bed, pushed the truck outside, swapped all this stuff then removed it.
Put the truck back in and tried to get the engine/trans in the truck. My GF tried to help, but we couldn't get it to go.
The next day I managed to get the engine bolted in so I could start mocking up my trans crossmember mounts.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4529/...af8cb86a_b.jpgIMG_20171129_144937757 by Jay McGraw, on Flickr

It took me removing like 3 brackets, the 3 bolts that hold the gas pedal on, and using shorter bolts for my chains.
After all this (and knowing it'll be coming in and out several times) I picked up a Dirty Dingo Engine Lift Plate.

Jay

Removed the old trans mount:

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4562/...850fcd40_b.jpgIMG_20171129_152440435 by Jay McGraw, on Flickr

Installed new Energy Suspension Urethane trans mount:

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4529/...1e5706da_b.jpgIMG_20171129_151437973 by Jay McGraw, on Flickr

Then I put some Cardboard Aided Design to work...

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4555/...d813c796_b.jpgIMG_20171203_132811801 by Jay McGraw, on Flickr

Which I transferred to 1/4 Steel I picked up at Menards. (4"x12"x1/4")

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4572/...1140ecd5_b.jpgIMG_20171203_190754332 by Jay McGraw, on Flickr

I'm going to brace the tabs with 3/16" steel I already have. Hoping to tack them up/weld them on Wednesday.
These will be welded directly to the frame, and the crossmember will drop out when needed. It has nice clearance for exhaust.

Anyway, most of that has happened in the last 3 weeks or so, and I'm trying to keep my momentum up without getting frustrated.
Hope fully I will have my Fuel pump/radiator/etc. late December or early next year.

Looks like I'll be doing floors on both sides, and the nut inside the right side body mount broke loose and just spins, but the mount itself
looks OK. I will probably cut a hole in the floor to see if I can fix it or need to replace it.

When it gets warm enough to poke around the junkyard again, I'll be looking for a Grand Am or maybe G6 Steering column, 8.5" 10 bolt or maybe an 8.8" Ford Explorer rear and -06 Jeep Liberty AC box. I plan to build my own dash, and the Liberty setup is all on the inside. It should be much cheaper than a Vintage Air setup and I'm pretty confident I can get it to work.

Over the winter, I plan to do my engine harness/wire tuck/etc.

Things are looking up at the moment.

Jay

Also, I knew the engine I picked up had high miles and wasn't super clean, but the inside was BLACK.
My plan is to flush it, and run it stock for a little while to make sure everything works as planned, and then
while I recover, start collecting parts for a rebuild.

Upgrades I'm currently considering:

CNC ported heads
Gen 4 Rods/pistons with floating pins
Cam
Get Compression up around 10:1
Get it tuned.

But I keep watching Sloppy Mechanics and I might do a turbo, but not planning on it.

My goal is 400-450RWHP. I would think that is doable all motor.
I'd like to be in the mid-ish 12's in the quarter.

Jay

Hell yeah lovin the work you're doing.
There is a 80's model blazer parked under a shed at an old meth shack down the road. I'm trying to work it out for free :D

Was fighting a bad (possibly caffeine withdrawal) headache all day, but I made some progress.

I updated my crossmember mount design to be height adjustable, and drew them out on the 4" wide, 1/4" thick plate I had. I was at home depot in the morning, and was considering buying an 20V Dewalt drill for this, because I didn't know if my little 12V Milwaukee Hammer Drill would be able to cut it, but it worked like a champ.

Passenger side went off (so far) without a hitch. Driver side, not so much. lol

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4581/...a4bcb15b_b.jpgIMG_20171206_140409223 by Jay McGraw, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4554/...6aa3f060_b.jpgIMG_20171206_200441717 by Jay McGraw, on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4526/...b4352838_b.jpgIMG_20171206_150527633 by Jay McGraw, on Flickr

On the driver's side, someone ran a rubber hose of some kind (that's kinda in the way) and there's a fuel or brake line that sticks out of the fram right about where I DON'T need it to. I had to leave a spot for it in the mount, and the other issue is the parking brake cable is in the way.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4567/...5b82f474_b.jpgIMG_20171206_204838397 by Jay McGraw, on Flickr

With it rough cut, it touches the line, but sits flat agains the frame, so I just need to shape the opening different for clearance.

With the parking brake cable, my issue was when I tried to take the slack out of the cable so I could disconnect them, is that if I tighten the bolt it gives me some slack (but not enough) and if I loosen it, the cable get tighter.
The bolt you need to turn seems to be frozen on. Let it soak most of the day in penetrating oil, but it still held fast.

So I think my next option is to cut the intermediate cable that attached the left and right cables, I think. That's the cheapest part to replace. I realized the cables won't go anywhere near the trans crossmember mounts after I set up my hand brake handle, so I'll have to find shorter cables to use later on. Much shorter.

Anyway, I'm doing this as a hobby and I'm not in a hurry, so I don't push it. I don't want to get frustrated and quit. That's happened before. lol

Jay