UPDATES:

10.17.09

Since there was time, decided to remake those crap door panels. The work came out quiet nice I might had. Picked up some auto vinyl from Joann's along with hardboard, foamy stuff, and staples. The hardboard is thicker than the original but the panels still fit quite nicely. The old door panels were ruined by water and 23 years. The hardboard was all warped and the carpet on them was funky. Here are the finished results:

10.16.09

Well, got the truck back and all is well. I will note that if you change the symmetry of an air ride equipped vehicle, you should probably make sure everything still sits properly. TNA was able to remove the old tank and install a new 12 gallon in the bed but in doing so, the truck sat lower in the rear. This caused the passenger side shock bracket to hit the ground and snap. I never thought the weight would do that but rather it might have been broken during a test drive. Anyway, the passenger shock is now just kinda dangling free so I have to get that bracket repunched. After Slamfest of course. Got the dual vlair compressors installed and they look pretty good. Bed was also rhino lined. Man that stuff makes a difference. I am a bit shocked though that metal air lines weren't installed. Either way, the truck can now be deflated fully in the back and not drag. Its got a nice raked look now and I love it.
TNA also re-tinted the windows. What a difference. Nice and clear. Anyways, its off to slamfest this weekend. Maybe I'll see some of my fellow bsceners there.

Sorry for the quality. My phone has to be the first phone samsung ever made with a camera in it :)

9.28.09

Dave over at TNA Customs (tnacustoms.com) has the truck for a little tweaking. He'll be installing twin Vlair 380 compressors, a new 5 gallon tank, and getting rid of the cheap ass air hoses. He'll be replacing those with metal hoses custom bent. He also mention doing rhino lining in the bed. WOW. We also spoke about moving the old tank from under the bed to inside the bed. That will allow me to lay a little lower in the back. There goes the ability to use this as a truck...WAIT....that was gone along time ago.

He starts work on 9.30.09. He tells me he will be done before slamfest this year. Here's hoping!! If you're in the Tampa area, check out his work. He's got a beauty of an S-10 laying out front of the shop on Dale Mabry Hwy. He does it all, tint, raise, lower, custom interior, paint, audio. Throw some business his way!!! No kickback to me but tell him the white mazda mini (Damion) sent you his way.

9.20.09
I sold my mazda 6 last week and had some leftover stereo gear. I bought a WRX but want to put a double din touchscreen in. So I had a panasonic CQ-VD7001U from the car. Where to put it? Why not try to squeeze that puppy into the truck. This radio is a full 1.5 inches longer than a standard radio but it was done. Since I have gauges where the radio is supposed to go, I moved the radio up to the old coin tray thingy. I had to cut out a lot of the metal support to get this thing in. I used some plexiglass painted black on the inside to fill in the gap on the sides. I had to heat up the plastic vents that come from the AC to squeeze it in and mold them. And here are the results:

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Let's take a small trip backwards into where this little jewel came from.
Bought the truck back in 99 after my Taurus quit on me one day. Back then, it was black and silver...you know that color :)
Over the course of the years, I never really put too much consideration into bags or hydraulics. Perhaps cause I didn't have the money. So anyway, I put the money I had into car audio. I picked up 4 JBL 12's and popped them in some individual boxes at 1.25 cubic ft. I also lined the inside of the camper with walls/amps/caps/carpet. That worked well but I didn't like the weight. I was browsing through a copy of minitruckin' one day and saw a fella that had 4 12's mounted behind his head, inside the camper, and it looked awesome. I did this and elevated the box in the camper shell. It was awesome. I had to remove it later on when I decided to get rid of the shell and go with a tonneau.
Back in 08, the truck was bagged (after I finally had the money and seeing so many good looking trucks at slamfest). It was also body dropped 2 3/4 inches. This proves to be a challenge to a 6'3" giant who wears a size 13 shoe. That frame rail keeps my legs turned funny. Since bagging, I haven't really done much with it in bulk but rather put little odds and in into the truck. I've got some new bag equipment waiting for installation such as a new compressor and tank along with new hoses.
Now here we are. This is just what I always wanted. Some people call it insanity. I call it a passion. People ask how I drive it like this. I tell them I don't drive it, I drag it. Some people even ask why spend that much money on a truck that old. I say to you.....find a hobby. It might get you off the couch.

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Here are a few more recent and random photos:

Somewhat of a story:

Had the front end done. New chrome b2000 grill and valence painted. Damn this bad girl is looking good.
We made our way to slamfest this year in tampa. Plenty of people got pics of this girl. She was looking good. Purchased a diamond plated box for the bed. Gonna look nice once I get it welding into place. Also thinking of doing the interiror in rubber matting and diamond plated mats.

*shiver*

Just finished bagging and body drop. 2 3/4" body drop. 2600 bags in rear, 2400 up front

Another

Damned...I'm gonna dig up the concrete

Just before the suspension work