Story and photos by Chris Overacker
Edited by Mark Smith
Page 2
The front fenders and hood are also fiberglass. I wanted the flares raised on the fenders to the hood line, for tire clearance and to make the truck look like it had a lot more lift then it really had. However back when this truck was built (1991), fiberglass fenders were only available as stock replacements (Autofab sells the raised/bulged fenders for them now!). I had to seek outside help for the glass work and a good friend, Eric, volunteered his expertise. Another set of fenders were sacrificed to cut-up and act as the needed pieces to fill the gaps. Eric then grafted-in the pieces needed at achieve the desired look and clearance. It was major work, but the end result is exactly what I envisioned.
The fiberglass hood was kinda boring, so Eric blended in a hood scoop, cut out of a fiberglass Bronco hood. The stock steel hood-skin was removed from the under-structure, so I could utilize the stock hinges. Hood pins would hold it closed.
After all the welding-fabrication and body work was done, the entire truck was disassembled, every part was sandblasted and epoxy primed. Paint was then applied. Interior was a battleship gray, frame was gloss black and the cab and fenders were bright white with cobalt blue as a second color
Axles and some other parts got painted cobalt blue. Stripes were applied to separate the two colors. Tons of clear coat protected it.
Final assembly was quick with all new, clean parts and just knowing that it would be drivable soon! We grafted the electrical harness from a 1986 Grand Waggy into the J-10 cab. This allowed us to use the power windows and door locks, power side mirrors, Tilt steering column, delay wipers, heated seats and heater A/C controls.
The interior upholstery was done by a local expert, and the dash and door panels were covered to match the racing seats, along with the headliner and custom carpet. Sound deadening pads were between the sheetmetal and carpet.