I'm repairing my running boards as opposed to buying new. I need the welding practice anyway. The original support was rotted through and had no rigidity or support. I picked up this U shaped fence post at Home Depot the other day for $4. My Dad laughed at me when I told him about this one, then gave me a goodhearted "Attaboy".

What cheap (and non-auto related) materials have you used on your truck?

 

Ha Ha! Now that is being resourceful! Looks like that's gonna work like a champ!

 

A man after my own heart. I am also trying to put a truck together on a budget and have found quite a bit of truck parts at the hardware store. I've used a 90 degree electrical sweep for an upper radiator hose;


I've used another 90 degree electrical sweep as a fuel filler hose. I made my own hidden tailgate latches that fit in the upper tailgate roll from 1/2" pipe fitting and some springs from the hardware store. And then there was my tailgate strap anchors.....I used parts from a toilet seat hinge to fasten my straps to.....lol


The hardware store can be your friend.

Bobby

 

One place that I have found a lot of ideas and inspiration is the local tractor supply place. Remember some of the parts that they used on our old trucks also appeared on tractors of the era. I have bought grounding straps, some steering items and transmission parts from tractor suppliers and saved big bucks. Our trucks were/are wonderful machines and they were based on simple principles of engineering and design. That is why they are so easy to adapt (usually) and make them work.

 

Back in the days when "Made in Japan" was a bad thing as far as quality was concerned, I remember taking apart one of those cheap cigarette lighters that the tobacco companies taped to the cartons of cigarettes as a promotional item. The inside of the metal case still had the "Budwiser" beer can painting on it. Those were the days when recycling meant using the material in it's original condition and making it work without melting it down, etc.

I have used various pieces of strap steel from the hardware stores when I needed it and the metal shop was not open. The local surplus houses are also a good source of unique hardware and bracketry.

 

The upper and lower rolls on my tailgate are made from a garage door axle...

My rubber floor mat (no carpet) was cut from a 4x6 entry mat flipped upside down....

 

Does buying materials from non traditional sources count? buy a lot of my metal, steel aluminum and stainless from a nearby recycle yard. They have small steel cutoffs of heavy bar stock, I beams, and a lot of EMT tubing in many sizes, that I have turned into dollys, and body tools, housings for frenching lights and radio antenna. They have a lot of aluminum extrusions and prefabbed surplus. I have turned SS food service table tops into my workbench tops and scrapped aluminum bleacher steps into shelving and construction planks. I buy my new sheet metal, cold rolled and stainless from a roofing company's metal shop, and my heavier stock from an old metal fab shop. They sell me "drops" that I literally pick up off the shop floor, at 5.00 - 10.00 a pile depending on the owner's mood and new square tubing, angle iron, strap iron and other structural shapes at a lower price than the local metal supplier and will sell by the foot as well as full lengths. They cut to length at no charge, and have massive fab machines: Breaks and shears that can easily bend 3/8" and cut 1/2" steel, power hacksaws that can cut huge I beams, etc.
Whenever I go to a hardware or specialty store I wander every aisle and examine all the items and try to imagine what else they might be used for.

 

X1 I have frequented scrap yards and have come away with brass fittings for fuel lines, chunks of aluminum, brass, ss, and copper for linkages and brackets I build. Hardware stores are great for different fasteners of various materials.

 

Now that's some good Imagineering

 

I've used a lot of stuff from local stores that weren't made for what I've used them for. I make it a goal of mine to search around for replacement parts before buying them from the traditional auto parts places.

Here's an example, parking brake sheathing on my '37 Buick:



I made these using the stainless hose from a shower nozzle, the type you hang on the wall in a shower on a hook.

I also use 3/4" black pipe for the rails on my F-2's box.

 

I am thinking about using an adjustable top link from tractor supply as a pan hard bar on my fourlink set up. Adjustable Top Link, Category 2 - 0288959 | Tractor Supply Company

 

I have a part of a sink trap in my lower radiator hose to clear my power steering pump.

Bob

 

I have taken aluminum & cut it into strips,bent it ove something like a punch &
made my own wire holders.now you can make them any size that you want &
drill what ever size hole you want,i paint them black & it looks like i bought them

 

Stromberg choke cable bracket from some scrap.

 

OOOOh! Awesome idea! I am latching on to this one!
I have some industrial or heavy duty sign posts. they are close to the same shape and are about 8' long. I plan on using them for cross members on my bed. They were free and I took them!
They are just like this: http://www.homedepot.com/buy/special...st-172997.html