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.