Restoring A 1989 Chevy S10 - Restore That Bucket

  |   1989 Chevy S10 working On Truck   |   1989 Chevy S10 lmc Truck Web Site Does your truck sound like a shaking bag of nickels going down the road? Do the floorboards fill up with water when you wash it? Then maybe it's time you installed some new parts to bring your truck back to its original glory. I have an '89 Chevrolet S-10 that has these very same problems and is in desperate need of some restoration; over the past few months, I have been doing just that. I've tuned up the motor, lowered the ride height, and had Maaco throw on a fresh coat of paint. The truck is well on its way to becoming a nice ride, but I couldn't bring myself to install old, crusty taillights and cracked rubbers on my new paint. I called LMC Truck for all the things my truck needed to really finalize the exterior restoration. I got all-new rubbers, lights, and handles, along with some other little doodads. The following story will show you how my friends and I installed all of the stuff, because, to my surprise, these S-10s are kind of a hassle to work on. So whether your truck is just rattling too much or it recently got a new paintjob, these are the items to order and install.   |   1989 Chevy S10 installing Windshield Installing The Glass
The Windshield
Since I had removed all the glass for the color change, I needed to get it back in. Unfortunately, the front is a glue-in-style so I needed a professional glass guy to lay the butyl and install the windshield. Because this is my old windshield and I ordered the surrounding trim from LMC, the guy only charged me 45 bucks.   |   1989 Chevy S10 back Glass The Back Glass
The back glass, on the other hand, can be installed with a length of rope and maybe a small hook tool. To do this, install the rubber around the glass and then stuff the rope down into the channel of the rubber. Now all you have to do is have someone hold the glass/rubber against the back of the cab as you pull the rope. As the rope comes out it will drag the rubber over the lip of the cab, and once you have all of the rope out the glass will be installed on your truck.

• 
• 

Part One: New Door Hinges
I also installed new doors from LMC before I took the truck in for paint because mine were wavy and had sloppy hinges. The hinges have a brass bushing that can be replaced to tighten them back up, which you can get as a kit from LMC. To get the doors off, all you have to do is remove the spring and then knock out the pin. You will need a spring-removal tool like the one pictured to do the job right. You can pry it out with a big screwdriver, but that is way unsafe and putting it back in will be next to impossible without driving yourself crazy. You can get the tool from a lot of places; I got mine from Eastwood Co. for 20 bucks.

• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Tech Tip
Swapping Internals
Since my doors are new, I have to strip out the latch assembly, glass, and regulator from the old doors. If you are changing just the rubbers, you won't need to remove anything but the glass. I started by taking out the Phillips screws hiding down inside the channel of the rubber. Then I pulled the rubber out of the door. Looking back, I should have pulled the glass first, but since I had new rubbers to go in I really didn't care if I destroyed these taking them out.

• 
• 
• 
• 

Tech Tip
Nothing Beats A Solid Rubber...
One of the key components in a solid truck is good door rubbers. LMC has the proper set for the S-10, including the main and the separate upper seal. Both of these just push onto a piece of metal protruding from the cab.

• 
• 
• 

• 
• 

Part Three: Final Trim
Now that the doors were solid, it was time for some visual stuff like the turn signals and bumper. Again, LMC has options for you. You can get a stock replacement chrome or paintable bumper with an impact strip, or you can get a smooth one like I did. I don't care for the look of the impact strip, so the shaved version LMC makes is perfect.

• 
• 

  |   1989 Chevy S10 finished Work The Final Word
A good paintjob will look even better if you complement it with new restoration parts. All the stuff I got from LMC fit like a glove and was well worth the money. The real kicker came the first time I drove the truck with the new parts in place-it was rattle and squeak free! Make sure to come back next month and see what's going on with this S-10.