73-87chevytrucks.com
73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Members Rides => Topic started by: bluevan on October 24, 2017, 09:49:03 PM
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Don't get me wrong - I love yard plows, especially crazy oddball ones. For around a grand or so you can get a non-roadworthy bone that pushes snow and beautifies your property at the same time. It beats snowblowing or paying someone to do it. The biggest problem with having a yard plow is lack of use. Mine sits around for 8 months and then every thanksgiving I need clean all the rodent filth out and give it mouth to mouth before it will run. Been doing this for too many years and decided its time for a change.
My latest yard truck is an 89 K5 Blazer - its been a good soldier for ten years at least, but now it is totally wrung out. The brakes are gone, the engine burns as much oils as gas, and the seats are falling through the floor.
The plan is to build a truck that will plow snow like a beast in the winter and be a fun toy the rest of the year. I liked the short wheelbase of the K5 but decided that a pickup bodystyle would be more useful.
I decided to go with a shortbed 1982 GMC K10 that I found locally. Yes, I know - why am I buying someone else's rotted out yard truck? Actually I drove it home so its not technically a "yard truck" - and it was cheap. It had a plow on it already, but I will probably use the one I already have so I sold it. Also sold the bed, since I plan on putting on a steel flatbed in the end.
The truck came with a decent running 350/TH350/NP208 combo with 10 bolt axles. Pretty much what you'd expect in one of these.
Let the fun begin.. I have had this truck about a year now, but only really started working on it in the last few months. I will try and get everyone caught up. I appreciate any input.
Bluevan
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As I tore the truck apart the condition was worse than expected. There was a ton of rust and I ended up doing as much cutting as unbolting. After stripping everything off the frame behind the cab the rear 10 bolt was taken out. Many hours were then spent grinding, scraping, and scrubbing the rear frame rails, brackets, and crossmembers. All the rust and crap had to come off.
The undercoating was the worst part - it was stuck on like cement in some areas. Used heat to soften it up, then scrape or wheel. Once most the crud was off I switched to a scrub pad, wire brush, spray bottle filled with paint thinner, and lots of rags. The thinner did a good job breaking up what was left and mad it easier to clean.
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Craigslist got the best of me one night and I soon found myself driving down to RI to buy some CUCV axles. The junkyard had two M1008s they were parting out, so I ended up buying both sets of axles because they were selling them at a decent price.
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I chopped all the brackets off the 14 bolt and ordered up some new ones. I also got a set of 2200# springs. Here is the rear end under the frame when it was being test fitted. This process would have been a little bit easier if I replaced the spring perches one at a time. Then I could have found the new bracket orientation by simply matching the angle of the other one. I wasted a bunch of time measuring the old axle. Once it was all tacked and bolted in it was pretty easy to find the locations of the shock brackets and tack them in too.
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All the new brackets were burned in for good and the housing cleaned. I am probably going to regret it, but I ditched the giant drums and got some disc brake brackets. Took the hubs off and put them on some K20 front rotors. I will worry about a parking brake later. I reused everything in the axle with exception of the hub seals, axle flange gaskets, and cover gasket. The bearings seemed good - they got repacked and it got new fluid.
The rear frame section and rear end were painted with POR-15 and top coated with rustoleum semi-gloss black.
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Now its on to the front..
Ill add some more posts soon and get this thread up to date on this project.
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It funny how cleaning up an old yard truck quickly becomes a frame off project.
Nice score on the CUCV axles. The 4.56 gears & Detroit locker will be great for plowing. I've never found a CUCV in a junkyard before.
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Believe it or not, but this can of worms was actually planned! Im sure that there are still a lot of worms in there still waiting to come out too.
The axles will certainly make a difference. I am thinking that an overdrive transmission should be considered. I could swap in the 700R4 and NP241 from the K5 to achieve this, but they need to stay put for now so I can plow snow. The crossmember with skidplate could also be used.
Since this transmission is longer, I imagine the front driveshaft from the blazer would be needed as well, but I would have to find one to fit the rear. I know that the crossmember needs to be relocated further back, but how about the linkage bracket on the frame? - the one on the drivers side that has a plastic bushing in it that the linkage pivots on.
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The more complicated front of this rusty pig came next. I had to cut 3 out of 4 cab bolts and one on the radiator support after days of soaking with creeping lubricant. I even took a hole saw to the floor behind the seat to get a the top of the rear cab bolts with the lube.
The need for a piece of equipment for lifting had become apparent. By sheer luck I found a sweet electric hoist for sale locally. It was filthy and the pendant needed to be rewired, but the $75 price tag was hard to beat. After fixing it up and putting in new fluids, I hung it from a 3/4" threaded rod that goes up through the ceiling. The rod goes up to the second floor and through a 6x6 that spans six joists.
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The hoist worked out real slick. Before long I had the cab plucked off the frame and rolling around on a dolly. At this point the family is starting to realize what I meant by "fix up this truck".
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The trans linkage will be fine.
As far as needing an overdrive trans, a lot of that depends on what size tire you run and how much highway driving you do.
My M1028 with 33's is comfortable right around 62 mph on the highway. I can push it faster, but I try to avoid it
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No turning back now!
Engine and tranny being lifted out. Im running out of space to put all this crap!
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The good news is that the frame around the steering box is in decent shape.
The bad news is that there is a crack on the passenger side of the crossmember that runs under the engine, but this should be an easy fix with the welder.
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The worse news is that the rear cab crossmember has some pretty bad rust. Ditto for both radiator support brackets on the front.
These all got chopped off the frame. The front brackets are available aftermarket, but not the crossmember. After searching for a while I found one from the south for $65 on ebay. These parts will end up being bolted on since I don't have a giant rivet machine. Putting the new cab crossmember in might be a challenge without cutting it in half first. Anyone done that before?
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I had to replace my rear crossmember too, it will fit by angling it in, it fits tight, a little persuasion with a hammer may be called for.
Some of the holes were a tight fit for 3/8" bolts, the ones that were a little looser I drilled out to 7/16, you want these bolts as tight in the hole as possible.
Sent from my SM-S920L using Tapatalk
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I should be ready to shoehorn that crossmember in soon, ill let you know how it goes. Ill get everything painted up all nice before I bash it in.
Here is the frame ready to be painted. The cleaner turns all the rust spots white. The POR-15 says to put some cling wrap between the can and lid after using. I ignored these directions and had to manhandle it to get the cover off. It wasn't pretty but I ended up using the rest so I didn't need the can anymore.
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Here is the nice shiny frame after I was done with crawling around it with a toxic paintbrush for several hours. Its amazing how many surfaces there are.
Ill spend some time sanding out any bad runs or drips - the paint seems to flow a bit after it is applied. It inevitably builds up in the holes, especially in the bottoms of the ones on the sides. Ill scrape any buildup out with a knife.
Then it gets quickly scuffed and rolled out for a topcoat of semi-gloss black.
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It's coming along, good progress
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Here is the frame after the bug bomb. Starting get too cold around here to paint stuff outside - been scrambling to get as many pieces done as I can so I will be able to move forward during the winter months. I still have a few things to do to the frame, so touchups will be inevitable. A steering box brace is probably in order - the bolt-on one should probably suffice since I don't plan on wheeling it hard (which would be difficult anyway with a plow frame hanging under the bumper). The holes for the old plow were made with a torch and are hideous. That's on my list. I may even attempt to put a Blazer tank in the back too.
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It is nice not to get totally filthy every time I work on it. I was getting sick of washing my face with paint thinner.
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So these plastic spacers are found on the top and bottom sides of the leaf springs. I am curious what purpose they serve. Found a vendor that sells them for six bucks apiece. Guess I need eight of 'em because I didn't put any in the back, but I really don't want to spend $50 on them. Are they even needed? If so, there must be some common material that could be substituted? The U bolts in the back haven't been torqued so adding them wouldn't be too hard.
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Next on the agenda is to freshen up this front axle - here it is with most of the crud grount off it. Looks like the tie rod is a bit wavy, but doesn't seem worn out. Bonus - the brake pads are like new! I am going to add some kind of locker to this thing - any suggestions would be appreciated. It would be nice to be able to do it in my garage. Do you need to re-setup the gears on a dana 60 when you add a locker when you aren't changing the ratio? Rather not bring this to a shop, the only place I want to move it again is to underneath the frame - its HEAVY.
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It gets hard to paint stuff without heat in the garage, so the project took a bit of a hiatus. Trying to keep inspired can be difficult.
Been working on putting the front end back together recently, but now I can finally roll it around without a jack!
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Put in the rear cab crossmember as well. I decided the best way to go about is was to cut it in half and weld back together. There was no way it was going t angle it there no matter how big the hammer. I cleaned up the surfaces on each half and temporarily bolted it in. Made sure it all lined up and welded the seam.
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I have thought long and hard about the gas tank situation and have decided to do a Blazer tank conversion. It just makes sense since I can harvest just about everything I need from the one I have that is getting retired. It will be painful to permanently disable the K5, but it is totally wrung out. Here is a picture of it back in the glory days (about 16 years ago). This is probably right before it was deemed no longer "safe" by the NH state inspection gods due to rusted body mounts.
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Here is the front put together and the rear cab crossmember finished. I got sick of painting everything black so I got a can of "gloss cherry".
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I officially disabled the Blazer today. Made sure my tetanus shot was current and started hacking away at the back. With the bed floor and rear tub crossmember cut out there will be plenty of space to work on the tank area. I bet 20 pounds of rust fell on the ground while I chopped away. I included a pic looking in the passenger door at the enormous rust hole behind the seat. This is how my dog would get in the Blazer to search for critters during the summer while it sat in the weeds.
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The skid plate, tank, and crossmembers were removed from the Blazer without too much hassle. It really helped that the gas tank was nearly empty. The skid plate was held on the tank crossmembers by 6 bolts. I think there were 14 rivets that needed to be dealt with to get the two crossmembers out. I used a grinder with a cutoff wheel to chop the heads off one side, then smoothed out with a grinding wheel. I used an air chisel to punch out the rest of each rivet through the holes.
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I don't think I mentioned it before, but the Blazer is a 1989 model. The crossmembers on each side of the of the gas tank are actually identical and apparently interchangeable.
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Your making good progress.
Keep us updated.
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If I have to work on a rust bucket, I usually find a spot I can smack very hard with a sledge to make all of the loose stuff drop. Last truck I did this to I almost filled the trash can with rust. Your progress looks good!
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Looks like plenty of space between the frame rails for the tank. This is a 31 gallon TBI tank - I believe that some earlier model K5s have a 25 gallon tank that is the same dimensions on top but not as tall. It would be nice to loose a couple inches on the length to have extra room to operate.
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I clamped the back cross member in with the bottom edge of it right up to the ends of the frame rails. Naturally, none of the many existing holes in the frame lined up with the ones in the K5's cross member. The more serious issue is that the frame starts bending up over the axle right where the front cross member needs to go. The front and back need to be spaced 23 inches apart at the tops and be level with each other. I clamped in the front where it needed to be and took some measurements. The front needed to go down 2 1/4 inches. The cross member was taken back out and a notch was cut out 2 1/4" high and 2 1/2 wide on each end so it will sit lower on the frame. Not sure how this will work, but if it ends up being too sketchy I still have the spare tire bracket and can us the CaptKaos method for the front.
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Some angled steel pieces were cut and tacked onto the ends of the cross member so it has a way to be bolted to the bottom of the frame rail. For the top I will have to figure out some sort of spacer. I keep wondering if this can be done in a long bed frame without modifying the front cross member. Anyone know how much flat frame there is on the back of a long bed truck? 30 inches would probably do it.
At this point the bracket for the rear brake line hose needed to go. That was cut out and the front was clamped back into the frame. After lining it all up and making sure it was level I put the skid plate on to complete the mock up. Clearance on the front axle is tight but looks to be acceptable.
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On the back, there was one hole on the top that was close to lining up on each side, so I expanded them to 1/2" on the cross member and frame and used a single bolt. The two cross member holes on the bottom got new holes in frame and bolted. The front got new holes drilled in the frame and the angle iron that was tacked to the cross member on each side of the bottom. The top got a 3" bolt that picks up the top of the frame rail on both sides. I need to weld a small piece of pipe on each side to create a solid mounting surface on the tops.
Here is the old tank shoved up in there with the cross members temporarily bolted. Fitment looks good to me, plans include a flatbed to the filler tube should not be a hassle. Its pretty big though, I think my Sierra with an 8.1L motor has a smaller tank on it.
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Once I was satisfied with the mock up I took it all apart and finished the front cross member. I made some legs out pipe to allow the top to bolt solid to the frame on each side. Here are some pictures of the modifications.
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The cross members were prepped, painted, and bolted in with grade 8 hardware. The K5 had these plastic insulating strips attached to the bottom edges of the frame rails if the tank starts to rub. They cleaned up pretty well so I reused them. Here it is all put together, ready for the new tank that should arrive sometime next week. I found a spectra tank "kit" for around $200 that include the tank, straps, and pump/sending unit. Hopefully this weekend I can scavenge up a tire tube to cut up for some padding...
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Got my new tank and related parts but I am holding off on installation until I get the rear brakes and lines sorted - need more parts. I still have the parking brake issue to deal with, its required to pass inspection where I live. I have seen some of the options on the inter-web that could work. Most are not cheap, and I would prefer not to use Eldorado calipers if possible.
The rear axle I put had this height / load thingy connected to the brakes. I am trying to think of a way to plumb it into the rear brake lines and connect the cable to the lever for my parking brake. Anyone ever tried this or have some words of wisdom?
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Pulling the transmission and transfer case fro the old K5 has been a challenge. Got everything off / out / disconnected, but the motor just does not want to separate. Maybe if I get the 3 jacks in perfect alignment?? All I can do is keep dousing it with creeping lube at this point and keep pulling on it. I have spent way too much time messing with this, its pretty frustrating.
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Just got a box of stuff from Summit and it had no stickers in it ... Is that a bad omen?
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Nice project! Take the transfer case out the bottom and pull the tranny with the engine. It'll be easier to separate out of the truck.
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Thanks Captain! I have been meaning to add some updates to this. I have yet to get the transmission/engine to separate. Got really hot and humid here for almost 2 weeks and decided to work on other stuff. Its been cooler lately and the next step I guess would be to get out a torch and put some real heat to it. I am trying to avoid taking the engine out of the K5 so can use it as a guide for my new engine bay. I also have no place to put it once its out. Here is the steering box all freshened up.
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Cleaning and painting the steering box was a bit of a pain because I could never get the fluid to stop seeping out of the high/low pressure ports as I moved it around. Not to mention it was HEAVY. I had no plugs laying around that fit - M18x1.5 and M16x1.5 (correct me if im wrong) and I made due what was on hand. Ill be happy once its back in the truck for good.
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Relocated the rear brake hose bracket to right in front of the axle bump stop. The original bracket was cut and a piece of flat steel was added with holes to bolt it to the bottom of the frame. The rear brake line needed to do a U-turn to get back to the bracket.
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I made a trek up to Ledgefarm Station in Meredith NH to get a replacement cab. Rust free parts from out west and are easy to deal with, although they don't give stuff away. But where else are you going to get a cab around here that doesn't need work or has already been hacked on? This CUCV cab should need minimal work to make it right. It has a few equipment mounting holes that need to be filled and some extra brackets that need to go, and that's about it.
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Finished plumbing the rear end, decided to go with some braided hoses instead of making lines. I have discovered that there is no way to properly flare SS tubing with the crappy tools I have. Next time I do this I am going to try working with nickel/copper tube.
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Once the rear brakes were done I finally got to mount the Blazer tank and skid plate. I will probably build a beefy pintle plate on the back for some added rear protection and towing convenience.
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I finally got the 700r4 out of the Blazer and it was a total sh*t show. On the passenger side the bolt below the dowel pin broke and the one above it needed to have the head ground off. I essentially had 3 stuck dowel pins on that side, and the bellhousing suffered a stress crack on one of the ears. I have convinced myself that a 700r4 is the tranny I would like to go with for the overdrive and no computer. Also read somewhere that the "K" case is the one to have. Unfortunately I cannot weld forged aluminum with what I have, so I will bring it somewhere to get fixed.
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Whats wrong with this picture?
LOL the bolt sheared on both sides and the head and nut are still rusted to the shackle. Figured this would give the truck a bit of a lean to the passenger side. Nope!the drivers side bolt is also sheared on both ends. I don't remember taking any jumps in this thing.. maybe the 500 extra pounds hanging off the front for 15 years had something to do with it?
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Gotta love rust. Nice progress
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I know its been a while, but I wanted to update this build. Ive been putting an addition on the house and haven't had much spare time to get out to the garage. Since my last entry I have done a bunch of little stuff and got the driveline installed. The motor came from pace performance and the trans and TC are the ones from the K5. The motor package came with a Fitech EFI system that should (hopefully) work well with my in tank fuel pump.
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I am now in the process of running some fuel lines from front to back. Got some lengths of "vapor guard" hose, a filter, and a pile of fittings. Ill also probably add pressure gauge somewhere convenient. The feed is 3/8 rated at 225 PSI. The hose for the return (5/16 vapor guard) is rated at 50 PSI and has printed on it "not for use with EFI", despite the fact that summit has it listed at 225 on their site. I am assuming that this hose is not intended to be used on the feed side of an EFI system but is OK to use for a return line. Correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding is that the return line should get only residual pressure from the regulator in the throttle body, which is less than 10 PSI. Any thoughts or tips for plumbing the fuel lines would be appreciated.
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I am sure that I will eventually regret going with the outdated hydraulic plow setup, but I wanted keep the old school vibe on this build. Cleaned up the plow frame and installed it so I could run the brake lines around the huge bolts that hold it on. During one of my craigslist browsing sessions I found truck for sale with an old plowmate on it. After some discussion I managed to convince him to sell it for $50. What is a plowmate you ask? Well, its a heavy duty brushguard that replaces the unsightly plow headgear for some off-winter style. I dont think that Fisher sold many of these back in the day.
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Before I paint the front driveshaft I noticed that this slip yoke seal is wasted. Looks like changing it involves removing the cap and swapping out the rubber seal. I have two questions:
1 - Anyone have a source / part # for that seal?
2 - Getting the cap off looks like it involves a torch. Will it come off without mangling it? Are replacements available?
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Neat build!
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I ended up going with these double line clamps for running the fuel lines. They are 5/8 X 5/8, so the feed line fit right but the return line was a bit loose as expected. I ended up wrapping the return with some electric tape to thicken it up at the clamps to make it work. Used six of these attached to the frame at about 18" spaced apart. There are two closer together under the rear cab crossmember to support the fuel filter.
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The rest of the way will be attached to a bracket on the back of the engine that I will invent later.
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Got help from homeboy Stig to get the cab on for some mock up. It is starting to get cold here so I wanted to get thing ready to work on inside for a while.
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I put together all the parking brake cable parts and realized that the rear cables were too short. Was hoping all the stock stuff would work but the eldorado calipers in the back needed something longer to reach. Took some measurements and started searching the inter-web. Found that these cables (made for 67-72 1/2 ton with 127" wheelbase - 48" cable / 34.5" housing) fit perfect. I cut the cable spring off on the back section since the caliper had a built-in return spring with more than enough tension. Installed the pedal in the cab and got it all adjusted to work. Chances are ill hardly ever use it, but it needs to be there for a sticker.
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NICE! Keep up the good work!
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Nice work on your truck.
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Thanks! My wife and kids could not be more disinterested in this project so I appreciate the support. Decided to bolt on some front sheet metal to keep myself inspired. The radiator support is from the 89 K5, which I plan on using as well as the rest of the parts that go on the front. Those are the original fenders that will end up being replaced with new ones. The doors are also from the original truck and are in good condition. I didnt make much of an effort to get things lined up, just wanted to make it look like a truck again.
So heres the plan. The 85 cab is going to fit the 82 doors, the new fenders, and the k5 hood and radiator support. Wish me luck.
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I will try not to get carried away reassembling it. Id like to figure out what holes in the firewall can be eliminated and mock up anything else that involves the cab being on. I am going to use the stock style shifter linkage, but if theres a better alternative out there please let me know.
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I thought I had eliminated holes that were not needed in the firewall. Found a couple of them were for the inside firewall pad and there are a couple I wish I had welded up and will have to figure the best way to seal the few needed holes, just thankful they are small ones. Best of luck and you are doing great.
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Thanks, I am planning on modeling the firewall after the one on the 89 K5 which is still intact and I can use as a guide. The cab I am using was on a CUCV and has some random holes in it that definitely need to go. On the small ones I plan close with the MIG using piece of flattened copper pipe behind it. The internet says this works, so it must be true. Ill let you know how it goes.
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The weather here has been nice for days to I decided to tackle sorting the rest of the front end. Despite the shiny paint on the middle, I never cleaned up or serviced the wheel ends.
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The the mile marker locking hubs were first to come off. Despite being caked with muddy grease, they appear to be in decent shape. With those gone, the spindle nuts are accessible.
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The spindle nut socket did not fit the passenger side outer nut because someone before me beat it on there with a screwdriver. This is why you need to use the right tools for the job. I eventually got it off and it might be salvageable. On the driver side they put the wrong nut on the inside. The inner one has a little peg on it that lines up with a hole on the lock ring.
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With the spindle nuts and lock ring out the hub/rotor assembly slides off and weighs as much as a bag of cement. The outer wheel bearing fall right out the front if you tip it forward, so dont do that - fish it out once its on the ground. This leaves a crusty mess of dust shields and caliper bracket.
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Six nuts later and both dust shields and the caliper bracket will come off with some persuasion. Even more persuasion was needed to separate the caliper bracket from the spindle. At this point the axles will slide out so they can be carefully put somewhere that they dont smashed or covered with crap. With the knuckles bare and everything taken apart I can start the tedious work of cleaning and painting these parts. The spindles, seals, and bearings all seem to be in good shape so I guess I have the sausage fingered mechanic who was in here before me to thank. The dust shields are pretty wasted, and it doesnt look like they are available anywhere so if anyone knows where to get dana 60 dust shields let me know..
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Nice write-up....just did mine too.
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The hub and rotor are can only be separated by pressing out the wheel studs. The rotors were not in horrible shape but shiny new ones are fairly cheap. Bot to mention cleaning up the hub would be impossible with them attached.
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After hours cleaning, grinding, and painting parts, things were ready to start going back together. I could have disassembled this further but I do not think it is necessary. I did not rebuild the kingpins, change the axle U joints, or replace the spindle and wheel bearings. Everything seemed pretty tight but if there is a problem later I will deal with it then. It should be easier to work on since I have already had it apart and cleaned it all up.
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Once the axles are slid back in the spindle goes on. I hit the exposed surfaces of the spindle pretty hard with the wire wheel but left it unpainted. The only areas open to the elements are the edge and a narrow ring behind the hub seal. It will probably be covered with surface rust by spring, we'll see. The caliper bracket sandwiches the spindle on the knuckle, and once the dust covers are ready it can all be bolted down.
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I discovered that Dana 60 dust shields are not reproduced - well, the ones that cover the rotor arent. The spindle dust shields that I obtained were fabricated and not stamped like the originals but seem to be more rugged. The shields for the rotors I got used from out west and they cleaned up real nice after some straightening. I considered ditching the rotor dust shields all together due to price, but I eventually convinced myself to bite the bullet. Some day I need to take a huge trailer to the southwest and load it up with stuff.
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Looks nice! 8)
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I was pretty happy with the dust shields at the end. Not sure how critical these things are, but I have come this far and would end up bothering me to forgo them on this project. If I was going to use tis for mostly off roading I dont think I would care as much.
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Looks nice! Would like to replace mine eventually!
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Putting together the hub and rotor with the wheel studs was a bit of a pain because I couldnt do it with the press. It was just too awkward with it flipped over. Even with a big impact wrench and plenty of lube it took a while to do them all. After packing them with some new grease (as well as the outer wheel bearing) they slid on the spindles like butter. The inner spindle nut (with the pin) goes on, then the retainer (lined up with the pin), and finally the outer nut to complete the metal and grease sandwich. The tie rod was slightly bent, so I swapped it with the one from the other axle after some cleaning, new rubber boots and adjuster.
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Here is a picture of one of the Mile Marker locking hubs all blown apart (I think these are 449SS). It is tempting to slather a bunch of grease on this stuff when it goes back together, but dont do that - just use some oil or it will get sticky and not disengage. Some grease on the outside splines (where it slides in the hub) is OK but there should be none on the inside of it. The other thing that should be noted is that the three teeth on the cam need to be lined up with mounting holes on the housing (see pic). After I got it all together and tightened up I found that the passenger side was a bit loose. There was about 1/16 of play when you pull on it. To correct this I added a second outer lock ring that I robbed from the extra axle.
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I felt the need to add something shiny so I got some ceramic coated headers. I wanted to get something that didnt need to be wrapped or painted and will (hopefully) stay looking nice for a while. These Summit ones were reasonably priced and fit pretty well. They did have some welding boogers on the mounting surface that I ground off and did some grinding around the entry tubes to eliminated some excessive metal lumps that may affect the flow. Got some stainless mounting bolts to replace the rust prone black oxide hardware that came with the install kit.
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Looking really good, Joel!
If you haven't already done it, while it's apart would be a great time to fabricate some upper shock mount stabilizers for the rear shock absorbers so the frame doesn't tin can. ;)
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Nice Build Man, I'm inspired to get back to work on the '80 I've been doing for 2 years!!!
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Thanks for the kudos! Hard to believe I actually inspired someone - I browse this site often to keep myself inspired. Good suggestion bd - seems like that would be an easy modification to make. I will add that to the list and post some pics when I get it done.
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With the calipers installed I am just about ready to cross front end off the to-do list. The only problem I ran into was that the K10 brake hoses I have are too short. I used 1 ton leaf springs and have no lift, but the hoses have a metal tube section on the caliper end that just aint right. I will post some pics when I get new ones.
Here are some observations I made during the brake installation.
- The new calipers came with a convenient bag of hardware. One of the parts was a little clip that I had no idea what to do with since it was so long ago that I took it apart. Turns out it is an anti rattle clip that goes on the bottom of the inboard pad like so before you stuff it in the bracket (see pics). Hopefully this helps someone scratching their head some day like I was!
- Installing these "wedge style" calipers can be a challenge (dang gravity!). You basically need three hands. I ended up pushing up on the bottom of the caliper with a floor jack and tapping it into the ideal position with a rubber mallet to get the spring clip / wedge started.
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Thanks for the kudos! Hard to believe I actually inspired someone - I browse this site often to keep myself inspired. Good suggestion bd - seems like that would be an easy modification to make. I will add that to the list and post some pics when I get it done.
Here is some food for thought: Frame cracks around upper shock mounts (http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=31725.msg266776#msg266776)
By all means, post what you do. Keep up the great work!
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The 1/2 ton front brake hoses wont work with a Dana 60 front end - the tubing end comes off the caliper at the wrong angle. Since I now have a set of both 1/2 and 1 ton hoses here is a comparison. The 1 ton hoses come off the caliper and make a quick 90 straight up.
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I had the same problem on the 1980 C10 I'm putting back together, I physically had to reshape the tubing.
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Well, its been a while but I have been busy working on the house. Added an addition and the work seems endless. It warmed up around here and I finally managed to get out to the garage to make a little progress. Wanted to show some progress pics and thank bd for the inspiration. The brackets I made ended up being the same for both sides, just needed to drill some holes in the frame to make it work.
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You're never going to want to drive something so CLEAN! 8)
Might get some dirt on...
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Wow, I’ll say....Yard truck no more! Very nice progress.
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Wow! I guess its been a while since I updated this. Life just gets in the way I guess.
Been making some slow progress. Built a cart to move the cab around with - scavenged some used bed frames and other stuff I had around. A couple pieces I bought at the steel yard from their cutoff pile. Put some legs on the back so I can tip it on its back without smashing the corners.
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Took it all apart again and put the cab on the cart.
I spent a few days stripping out the Blazer parts truck interior. I plan on using just about all of the dash and wanted to save it all from rodents and weather. I like to think of it of more of a methodical dissection, labeling everything and hoping that I remember how it all goes back in when the time comes.
The Blazer is an A/C truck and I couldn't help but realize that the holes in the firewall for the HVAC stuff were totally different. After weighing my options I decided to cut out a section of firewall from the Blazer weld it into the truck cab. I admit that it was a bit painful chopping out a section of firewall from my nice cab. Filled in a bunch of other holes I didn't need on the front as well.
Here are some pics of the difference between the firewalls and the transplant.
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Helped my friend Mike do the wiring on this pulling truck. Root for the "Hay Shaker" around New York at your local fairs!
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Flipped the cab on its back and scraped off what was left of the undercoating and hit the whole thing with a wire wheel to clean it up. It was a real treat.
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If anyone has any suggestions for what I can undercoat the cab with that would be great. I see that you can get a decent bed liner kit online for around $150.
I have called around to some shops to get the paint done and I have been quoted some really high prices. I guess I was not sure what to expect these days - I figured I could get a cab and front end painted without blowing the budget. At this point I am considering painting it myself. Never done that before, so any advice would be appreciated.
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I used this:
Nice work BTW!!
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https://www.amazon.com/U-Pol-Raptor-Urethane-Spray-Liters/dp/B01CKE7B1E?th=1
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Thanks for the suggestions on the undercoating - I ended up going with the Raptor Liner stuff. Did the cab bottom as well as the undersides of some new inner fenders. Pretty happy with it - super easy to apply with the gun that was included with the kit. At one point I tried to put a piece of flexible hose on the end of the gun to get some hard to reach spaces. It didnt work. I guess it needs to have a consistent diameter end on it or else it just pukes out. The stuff is also pretty hard to wash off your skin.
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I used Raptor on a '69 VW truck I restored, worked well.
I chose the rattle can stuff because its easy when working with small parts.
Project is looking very good! Nice welding on the firewall.
Pls work on the weld divots, they look so nice when smoothed out.
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Still looking for someone willing to paint this project and been having a tough time of it. Most of the auto body shops just want to do insurance work, the resto shops want crazy money, and everyone in between is pretty leery. I would paint it myself but I would be doing it blind, as I have never painted a vehicle and don't own the facility or equipment. Hoping someone out there could give me and idea what kind of $$ I am looking at do get a paint job like the attached picture in this post-covid / everything-expensive time we are are living in. This would be with the cab underside done and no bed (I plan on making a flatbed). Not looking for something show quality - its gonna get used, but I want it to be nice. Any advice would be appreciated.
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Body work and paint is, when there's not a lot of serious damage to repair, pretty straight forward.
In essence, you are filling in small dents and divots, smoothing out rough edges caused by wear and tear.
Laying down primer to fill in the rest, wet sanding to a smooth finish and then shooting paint.
Youtube has many examples, if you are inclined. Don't expect perfection at first, and then don't do so when you are 'good'.
In your case, it might be more cost effective to get your cab, doors, hood, fenders, CLOSE by DIY, then have a body shop shoot them individually.
If you get a shop to agree, ask them to evaluate the piece when you bring it in. There may be some correction they suggest that can be done prior to shooting that won't cost you an arm and a leg, but make a big difference.
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I was planning on the firewall (as well as many other imperfections) getting smoothed out during the paint process. Those divots you speak of are from the factory so I didn't create them. Since the 89 Blazer is my parts truck, I have made the new cab match the firewall of the blazer. I welded up all the holes that weren't on the Blazer firewall and added the ones that weren't.
The Blazer parts truck is totally stripped of everything useful and I am ready to do away with the carcass. The frame is good, so my plan is to cut the rest of the body off it and scrap it. Not sure there is any market for a wasted blazer tub but maybe someone might want the roof or dash? The firewall is butchered, the floor is rotted, and the bedsides/wheel wells don't look worth saving. I have the cap listed on Craigslist in NH. Let me know your thoughts.
At this point I have so many leftover parts (I have a whole driveline) my plan was to put the unused cab on the Blazer frame and make a "Trazer". In fact I am am excited about this idea as I would not be restoring anything - just throwing it all together to make a buggy. Cant afford to buy a side by side but I can make one!
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Johnny, I feel like this thing is pretty close to DIY but I have always planned on sending it out for paint. I just didn't realize that it would be so difficult to find someone willing to do it without blowing the budget. Right now I am working on getting a guy who has a space that does it in his spare time. If this deal works out the whole thing will be gone probably until spring. I'm good with that though, that will give me time to upgrade my workshop bay and get the "Trazer" thrown together.
Making it difficult is that I want to get the cab / doors / hood media blasted so it goes to the painter in bare metal. I have the blaster all set up, just need to coordinate it time-wise so everything gets to the painter the next day so there is no "flash" rusting. If all goes well, this should all happen in the next month - ill keep the forum posted.
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If you have the time and space, I'd paint it myself. You'll probably do a better job than the "leery" guys you speak of. I've only painted a few, and the paint part of it was pretty easy, it's the body work that's hard....you HAVE to be a perfectionist.
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I agree that the Perfectionist part is the real challenge.
Painting is not that hard, just have to pay attention to your technique. Youtube is our friend.
As far as media blasting, you can use some self etching primer right after to avoid the flash rust. Just a light coat will do.
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Question on media blasting. My truck came back light gray in color according to the pictures from the painter. I was watching “The one that got away” and their blasted stuff comes back very dark gray,
Why different colors?
How long between blast and paint? Short time is really hard to do!
I’m going to paint my next project instead of paying…
Thanks,
Mark
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Just a difference in primer color.
I would prime right after media blast to avoid the flash rust you spoke of, especially if your are in a humid environ.
Self etching is designed to adhere to bare metal better than regular primer. Makes a huge diff.
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I finally found someone to paint this and deliver it shortly after it gets blasted (hopefully within a day). I will take some pics of the cab after the media blasting to show you all what it looks like. Should be about a week or so. Most of the cab just had (probably multiple layers) of paint on it, but the drivers side floor was a bit rusty. Hopefully the pics will give people some perspective on what to expect after getting body parts done by a professional place.
Sorry I have no new fun pictures to share on the truck, mostly just stuff for reference when I finally get to go the other way with this. I attached a picture of a giant snapper that was in my dooryard instead.
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When I lived in Louisiana I knew people that would make a dinner of that turtle.
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So heres some pictures fresh from the blaster, and there were a couple surprises. The cab had some rust holes above the passenger side door, but otherwise was good. It kind of baffles me sine the rockers and corners were good. One of the doors had a dent pulled and was a bit wavy. I think I did OK. From the pics you can see the difference between what was rusted and not. Most of the rust that I noted was on the driver side floor in the cab. The blaster did not do the inside of the hood between the structure, says that that it could warp the panel.
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Fresh as a daisy!
Still can't believe how bad those firewalls look coming out of the factory. Are you going to show is some love?
Weird place to rust above the door! Wonder why?