Post by: firefighter on September 15, 2011, 09:32:37 AM
I own a 1976 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4 with a 454 backed by a turbo 350 transmission and original transfer case.
I'm in the middle of my 2nd rebuild of this truck. I did it the first time about 15 years ago. At that time I used a rust free cab and box, with aftermarket doors and fenders. Rust started making its way through a few years ago and it continued to get worse. In that 15 years I had only put about 38,000 miles on the rebuilt 454 and drivetrain so I figured I would just get some new parts and make it rust free again. This time I will pay way more attention to rust proofing the troublesome spots. As I mentioned in my introduction to the site, during my first rebuild I did no rust proofing at all since I keep the truck in a heated garage. I just thought I would keep it clean and that should be good enough. I was very wrong.
I live in the Iowa salt belt and I use my truck regularly for cutting wood and hunting.
For this rebuild, I purchased a mostly rust free 1978 cab and rust free box. I will be using used original GM doors and fenders from Texas that I bought at a local swap meet. I'm going to wire wheel the frame and gas tanks the best I can and spray them with some type of coating. I'll replace all the rubber lines while they're easy to get to. I'm also going to upgrade my 2" lift to a 4" Rough Country suspension lift. I can't afford to pay a professional shop to paint it so I'm going to try my hand at painting it myself. I want the truck to look good since I'm putting all this time into it, but I also keep in mind it's not going to be a show truck. I just want my daily driver work type truck to be rust free and clean.
I know I'm new here but I've been a vehicle wrench turner for years. I enjoy mechanics and fixing things myself. I thought I'd share a few pics of what I've done and where I'm going with it.
Your thoughts and questions are certainly appreciated and welcomed.
Here is how it started. Rust on the box, inner and outer cab corners and rockers, floor and cab supports.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN1262_1257.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN1600_1586.jpg)
Box off
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN1279_1274.jpg)
Front clip off
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN1618_1604.jpg)
New cab with a few small spots to fix and add tall tunnel hump
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/NewCab.jpg)
Cab getting closer to paint
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2095_2029.jpg)
Post by: thirsty on September 15, 2011, 04:05:38 PM
Post by: bake74 on September 16, 2011, 10:06:02 AM
Post by: 80stepsideguy on September 16, 2011, 04:10:25 PM
thanks
pat
Post by: big bear on September 16, 2011, 06:05:35 PM
Post by: 1980c10 on September 16, 2011, 06:40:21 PM
Post by: jdl71 on September 16, 2011, 06:47:17 PM
Post by: 79k30guy on September 17, 2011, 12:34:59 PM
Post by: Engineer on September 17, 2011, 09:26:05 PM
Keep going, doing your own paint isn't as hard as you might think.
My old square body is my first attempt at painting.........So far so good. :P
Post by: 80stepsideguy on September 17, 2011, 09:33:09 PM
The truck bed liner might last a little longer but I will never use the stufff as I would hate to have to remove it when the time comes to do a little more rust repair.
I would only put the stuff on after i would be satisfied with the finished welds. I used it on the inner fenders of the rear fenders and the front inner fenders to prevent any flying rocks come in n put a divit in the metal.And to prevent any rust come thru on the floors.After all the work i put into mine its added insurance.
thanks
pat
Post by: firefighter on September 17, 2011, 10:21:44 PM
Did you weld that floor pan in or is it just screwed down? Not trying to criticize your work, it looks like a good fit.
It's sealed and screwed down with 10-24 machine screws and nuts on the bottom side. I thought about welding it but in some of the corners and contours the new panel didn't fit the best. I knew that trying to push it down and tack it in place would be challenging so I just used screws so I could suck it fully down into place. I suppose I could go back and weld in now, but it seems solid enough. What do you guys think?
Post by: jdl71 on September 18, 2011, 12:33:06 PM
Post by: 1980c10 on September 20, 2011, 01:18:37 AM
Post by: firefighter on September 25, 2011, 08:31:26 PM
I'm taking parts from the old one to eventually put on the other.
New cab is an AC cab and I don't have AC so a few modifications will need to be made to the firewall.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2278_2185.jpg)
Stripping all electrical and heater assembly out of original cab to put into the new cab after paint.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2264_2171.jpg)
Post by: firefighter on September 25, 2011, 08:37:34 PM
I don't have a stud spot welder and didn't want to drill holes in the cab for a pull tool, so I made my own slide hammer that would screw onto threaded studs. I spot welded bolts down into the lower part of the dents and gently pulled the metal back out. I then used a skim coat of bondo to finish it off. It really turned out pretty good.
Here is the dent above the drivers door
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2099_2033.jpg)
Bolts spot welded into the deepest part of the dent
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2105_2039.jpg)
Skim coat of bondo
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2110_2044.jpg)
Post by: jdl71 on September 25, 2011, 08:50:02 PM
Post by: firefighter on September 25, 2011, 08:51:13 PM
My new cab was an AC cab so I had to do a bit of work on the firewall. I had to do this exact same thing 15 years ago when I rebuilt this truck last time.
I know you can buy the special firewall box from that online company but this is a bit cheaper and I'll simply reuse everything from my old cab.
All I had to do is drill a few extra mounting holes, cut an extra opening and make a heater core cover plate. The nice thing about this is that if you ever need to replace the heater core, you can do it in about 10 minutes. Sweet deal huh?
Here is what the firewall looks like now. The middle opening is what I had to add.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2291_2198.jpg)
Here it is with the heat only blower box but no cover plate on the heater core yet.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2289_2196-1.jpg)
And here it is with the blower box and cover plate temporarily installed. I'll finish it with a sealant when I install it all after painting the cab.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2288_2195.jpg)
Post by: firefighter on September 25, 2011, 08:53:23 PM
Only thing I might have done differently is welded the holes shut before you bondo'd. Otherwise looks good!
I understand what you're saying, but I'm still going to use those original holes for the factory drip rail. Is that the holes you're talking about?
Post by: jdl71 on September 25, 2011, 08:55:50 PM
Post by: firefighter on September 25, 2011, 09:11:43 PM
Maybe so. Just saw a couple in the pic that were half full of filler. My bad, sorry.No worries friend. :)
Yeah, those are the holes I''ll keep and use for the rain rails. I tried to keep most of the bondo out of them and the rest sanded away as I blended it in.
I'm actually surprised how nice the original metal pulled back up to an almost factory position.
I am not a body man. Ha Ha !!
Post by: firefighter on October 02, 2011, 12:59:03 AM
I had a broken tooth on the flywheel (flex plate) and it's way easier to split the motor and tranny this way than when the truck is together. ;D
I got it changed and also adjusted the linkage rods on the transfer case. It was always hard to shift from 2 high to 4 high. I found the instructions here on this site on how to adjust the linkage and now it shifts like a dream. Again, way easier to do this when the truck is in this condition.
This is as far as I will take the chassis down. I will coat as much of the frame as I can. The back 2/3 is worse than the front as that's where the salt spray hits and damages the metal most.
This week I'll add the 4" suspension lift kit. Body work is done on the cab. Now it's time to gently set the cab on its back to I can totally clean and undercoat the bottom.
Thank you for all the help and comments to my other questions. You guys have been extremely helpful and I really appreciate it.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2340_2247.jpg)
Post by: bake74 on October 02, 2011, 04:06:25 AM
Post by: firefighter on October 02, 2011, 07:53:23 AM
The frame did not look all that bad from the picture. Did you catch it in time before it really got rusted ?
I work with metal quite a bit. The frame is definitely rusted but the integrity is not compromised. Good thing Chevy made these frames thick though. Ha Ha !! ;D
The frame surface just had loose scale on it. I'll do a hard wire wheel clean, power wash and the coat it (this time).
I had only put about 35,000 miles on it since I rebuilt it 15 years ago. I do drive it in the winter (hence the rusted sheet metal with no undercoating) but not that often. I work about 1/8 mile from home and most winter days I just walk to work. No sense driving for 60 seconds and shutting it off for the day.
Post by: bake74 on October 02, 2011, 03:47:29 PM
Post by: firefighter on October 04, 2011, 07:41:27 AM
The rear was simple. The front end so far.... not so much.
I was actually surprised that I got the 35 year old steering arm off so easily. I thought to myself, "this ain't gonna be so bad".
That's when the problems started. :o
I found a few of the leaf spring mounting bolts were seized inside of the steel sleeve they slide through at the ends. That means you can't remove the leaf spring bolt which of course means you can't remove the leaf spring. I tried cutting through them with an electric construction saw and metal blade but something in there must be hardened. I'm guessing the steel sleeve. It was just eating up the teeth on the saw blade. I ended up having to use a cut off tool to grind through the bolts and sleeves on both sides of the leaf spring. Just time consuming!!
Hoping to have it completed this evening if all goes well.
Post by: thirsty on October 04, 2011, 04:11:22 PM
I found a few of the leaf spring mounting bolts were seized inside of the steel sleeve they slide through at the ends. That means you can't remove the leaf spring bolt which of course means you can't remove the leaf spring. I tried cutting through them with an electric construction saw and metal blade but something in there must be hardened. I'm guessing the steel sleeve. It was just eating up the teeth on the saw blade. I ended up having to use a cut off tool to grind through the bolts and sleeves on both sides of the leaf spring.
If you have a good impact try spinning the the bolts with that then use an air punch to push them thru. I've used a ball joint press also.
Post by: firefighter on October 12, 2011, 08:46:25 AM
I found I will definitely need longer flexible brake lines front and back so I ordered longer ones yesterday.
Last night I had some buddies come over and we lifted the cab on to the 4' x 4' roll around cart I made. We positioned the cab on its back so I could wire wheel the whole bottom side, and seal any necessary areas.
Tonight I'll powerwash the entire bottom side and in a few days I'll undercoat it.
You can really see where I had to patch in the new taller area for the transmission/transfer case and new floor panel.
I feel like I'm beginning to make some progress.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/Cab3.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/Cab2.jpg)
Post by: firefighter on October 15, 2011, 11:34:21 PM
I had purchased some POR 15 for the truck frame but got nervous about trying it on the bottom of the cab or box. I read too many comments about it not sticking very well to smoother painted surfaces. I used a spray on rubberized undercoating. I hope some of you have had good success with this type of undercoating? Does it work and will it last? It sure took a lot of cans but it turned out well.
Looking forward to getting things back upright and ready for paint here soon I hope.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2570_2409.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2571_2410.jpg)
Post by: 79 chevy on October 16, 2011, 10:03:31 AM
Post by: thirsty on October 16, 2011, 04:06:51 PM
Post by: firefighter on October 26, 2011, 04:21:15 PM
If you're going to use spray on rubberized undercoating, get first hand advice from people who have used it and find out what brand works.
Do not guess on this step!! I used CarQuest brand spray on rubberized undercoating and it sucks.
I let it dry for 4 days and it never really dried. Well it's rubberized you say? I could easily scrape it off my my fingernail. Trust me, do not use that stuff.
I ended up recoating every square inch of the bottom of the cab and box.
A classic car guy told me about this spray on stuff he uses called Evercoat undercoating. It's a black can with a red Corvette on the label. He told me it dried hard within a few hours and that's all he's used for years.
He had me look under his rebuilt Chevy truck and 1960's Pontiac car that he rebuilt years ago and the Evercoat undercoating still looked great and full intact.
I'm not pushing this stuff but just posting what DID and DID NOT work for me in case someone else doing what I'm doing reads this thread.
Ok, now that I've said all that, I had the guys over again last night and uprighted the cab and box.
I have them both on roll around 4'x4' platforms so I can move them around.
I'm ready for the final states of body work and sanding on the cab and I hope to have it primed and painted within a week or two.
I'd love to get the cab back on the chassis but don't want to rush it.
I also got the extended flexible brake lines installed but ruined other rigid brake lines in the process. If you try to loosen the brake line fittings and find the rigid pipe is seized to it, you have no choice but to replace it since the rigid line will twist up like a pretzel. Putting on new brake lines on an old truck is never really a bad thing though. :)
I'll be posting a few other questions in the correct areas if you can help me.
Thanks guys.
Post by: mrboyy17 on October 26, 2011, 09:23:49 PM
mark
Post by: beastie_3 on October 29, 2011, 11:57:33 AM
Post by: firefighter on December 23, 2011, 06:22:48 AM
A person finds so many other things on the truck to do in the meantime.
Anyway, I am hoping to get the cab primed today.
I'm not a painter so it should be interesting. I'll post an update later this evening.
Post by: thirsty on December 23, 2011, 08:14:53 AM
Post by: firefighter on December 23, 2011, 08:56:39 PM
After fighting with a cheap HVLP gun and losing the battle, the new Devilbiss HVLP gun I got was way more user friendly and I felt I was the one in control, not the gun. The adjustment knobs actually did something when I turned them!! Priming around and under the dash was tricky but I guess you just try and get it the best you can.
After a bit of sanding, I hope to have some paint sprayed soon.
This is a before pic. I had to replace a passenger side floor panel because of a heater core leak gone undetected, put in a taller transmission tunnel, a few sheetmetal dings or trim holes filled, and repair hail damage on the roof.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2902_2642.jpg)
Here is the aftermath of priming. Yippee, it's all one color!! Words cannot express how good this feels. ;D
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2906_2646.jpg)
View from the back
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2908_2648.jpg)
Post by: thirsty on December 23, 2011, 09:29:45 PM
This bud's for you!
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/budlightprimer.jpg)
Post by: firefighter on December 26, 2011, 06:31:59 PM
Well today I finally got some paint on my project. The color I'm using is an original 1971 Chevy truck green, Olive Poly or something like that.
I'm using single stage urethane paint and I didn't want to try and paint the inside and outside all in one shot. I did some masking and only painted the inside today. The gun was shooting great but the inside of a cab is just a pain to paint. So many inside corners, upside down areas, weird angles and hard to reach places. Sometimes all you can do is hold the gun close and hope the overspray turns it the color you're painting. ;D
I got a few runs but feel like I learned a few things so I feel pretty comfortable getting ready to paint the outside hopefully some time this week.
Thanks to all who have answered my painting questions.
Anyway, here is what it looks like.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2965_2705.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2966_2706.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2968_2708.jpg)
Post by: jdl71 on December 26, 2011, 06:36:17 PM
Post by: thirsty on December 26, 2011, 07:26:40 PM
Post by: firefighter on December 27, 2011, 05:29:18 AM
Mr. thirsty. I'm just going to have it a solid color. I guess I never really thought about a two tone.
Heck, I'll just be happy to have it all one color and not complicate too many things. Ha Ha !! ;D
I now understand what you meant when in your post you mentioned that you struggled while painting the inside of the roof.
That is just a tough area to shoot.
I've found that good lighting is a must too. You never know how wet the paint is going on unless you can see the point where it turns from just a mist to a flow on the painted surface. Man I wish I had a paint booth!!
Post by: firefighter on December 28, 2011, 05:41:55 PM
Yahoo, the cab is all one color now!!
There is some minor orangepeel in it, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It does have a nice shine to it. Man it's hard to get a really smooth paint job. I'm afraid if I actually got the paint really smooth, it would show how much I suck at body work.
Looking at the finish under fluorescent lights I have found is the worst way to gauge how your paint job is (it's humbling). Out in the sunlight is a whole lot more forgiving.
I now know I want to re-fix a few spots in my doors before I paint them. They'll stick out like a sore thumb otherwise.
Here it is.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2987_2727.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2985_2725.jpg)
Post by: bake74 on December 28, 2011, 07:39:48 PM
Post by: 79 chevy on December 28, 2011, 08:02:04 PM
Post by: thirsty on December 28, 2011, 08:03:17 PM
I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.You should be happy with the way it turned out.
Nice work firefighter!
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/Like-Button.jpg)
Post by: bd on December 28, 2011, 08:24:42 PM
Post by: firefighter on December 28, 2011, 11:00:22 PM
It does look really good! The color glows!
Yeah, it almost looks lime green in those last two pics. Weird day for lighting in my garage I guess. Maybe the camera was high on paint fumes too !! ;D
Post by: greenmonster on December 29, 2011, 09:49:45 AM
Post by: jdl71 on December 29, 2011, 07:40:16 PM
Post by: firefighter on December 29, 2011, 11:00:32 PM
My goal is to have the cab on the rolling chassis by the end of the weekend. Just gotta get a few buddies over here.
I'll keep ya posted.
Post by: firefighter on December 31, 2011, 06:45:29 PM
Now it's time to go party with the family and celebrate the truck progress and the bringing in of the new year.
I'm pretty happy with the progress lately.
Post by: thirsty on December 31, 2011, 07:21:57 PM
Post by: firefighter on January 01, 2012, 08:45:53 AM
Actually, I just spent a couple hours on Friday afternoon to shoot the doors in primer. I only primed the outside and just scuffed up the inside original paint.
Yesterday was the good day starting with sanding the primered doors, setting the cab back on the chassis and then spent 2 hours shooting color on the doors. I have found that lighting is Sooooooo important when painting. Man, you can just see when you have enough paint on. The surface turns from fog dull, to wet and smooth. I'm actually starting to feel good about this stage.
I had a small spot in the lower part of one door (primer side) that I can see like 5 little fish eyes or weird spots. I'm not that worried since my build is not a show truck, but after reading about all that can happen to paint, this is the first bad spot I've had.
Anyway here are a few pics of my last few days progress.
Doors ready for primer
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2988_2728.jpg)
Over view of paint booth and doors in primer.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN2995_2735.jpg)
Doors painted. I'm happy with the way they turned out.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3012_2752.jpg)
And the bare cab finally found a new home. This step alone is a real milestone for me.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3007_2747.jpg)
Post by: Project86 on January 01, 2012, 11:54:41 AM
Post by: VileZambonie on January 01, 2012, 12:09:35 PM
Post by: bake74 on January 01, 2012, 12:16:49 PM
Post by: Jason S on January 01, 2012, 03:36:32 PM
I also really like the color... It'll look great when it's all back together.
Post by: gharris79 on January 03, 2012, 05:50:45 AM
Post by: firefighter on January 04, 2012, 09:58:47 AM
After having such a productive day on Saturday, I only had a few scattered hours on Sunday and Monday.
Since the cab was now on the frame, it was time to start putting things back in place. I first covered the entire firewall with an 1/8" thick self adhesive roofing material called Peel & Seal from Lowe's. I'd read where a few other have used it and it has good reviews for sound dampening. It may help a bit for insulating too but I think it's strong point is sound deadening. It sticks real well and has an exposed aluminum foil covering. I'll eventually cover the floor (under the carpet) and possibly a few other places with it.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3017_2757Modifiedat50.jpg)
Then it was time to put in the brake and accelerator pedals, heater box, new heater core and blower housing on the firewall.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3020_2760Modifiedat50.jpg)
Next came the electrical.
My wire harness is pretty straight forward since I don't have AC. For interior lights, my new cab was set up with door switches that activate a floor light, above the back window light and a cargo light. My old truck only had a switch activated floor light so I had to steal the wiring from the other harness. I fought for an hour trying to get the cargo light to work only to find out (after replacing it) the wire going up to the light had a cut in it, like it had gone to a switch or something?
Anyway, got all the switches and wires hooked up to the harness as well as the firewall connector and then everything worked perfectly.... except the headlights. What the Heck?? Answer to this problem? Make sure the dimmer switch is in the circuit !!
Now the headlights work too. ;D
I've got my old original original steering column loosely and temporarily bolted in to make sure everything worked perfectly and then I'll switch it over to the tilt column and see if I have any compatibility issues.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3022_2762Modifiedat50.jpg)
I'm enjoying this build as well as watching the great progress from a few of our other members.
Now I gotta decide if I go with 33" or 35" tires!!
I hope to post some more progress in the next week or so.
Post by: Bitzer! on January 04, 2012, 03:31:41 PM
just catching up with this!
Nice build fella and a great colour. Worth all the hours ;)
Post by: thirsty on January 04, 2012, 04:58:01 PM
That's a lot of tedious work done in a short time (I can attest to it after just doing the same ;))
How did you like working with the roofing material? I thought about putting it on the floor of my cab. Just wish is was wider, that's my only hold up on getting it.
For the tires...My vote is for the 35" just because I can't fit mine in the garage with anything bigger than 33"
What are you watching on the tv in the shop? Those are some nice legs. :o
Post by: Blazin on January 04, 2012, 05:18:38 PM
Post by: bake74 on January 04, 2012, 06:10:52 PM
Post by: 84chvy on January 04, 2012, 10:28:49 PM
Post by: firefighter on January 04, 2012, 11:22:42 PM
How did you like working with the roofing material? I thought about putting it on the floor of my cab. Just wish is was wider, that's my only hold up on getting it.That was a hold up for me too but that quickly went away when I started working with it. It's 6" wide so it really does cover a nice area per strip. If the whole floor was straight, a wider width material would be great, but there are so many creases, corners, curves, etc... that the 6" width is your friend.
I just took a measurement and got the first piece on straight and then kept on lining the next one right up to it, strip by strip.
Since this comes in a roll, the bottom side has a peel off layer. I simply cut it to length, lay it in place and kind of semi form it into place. If I need to trim or cut it, I do it then because I haven't peeled the layer exposing the sticky stuff yet. It's really flexible and contours very well. I'll definitely use it on the rest of my floor before putting carpet down.
For the tires...My vote is for the 35" just because I can't fit mine in the garage with anything bigger than 33"Yeah, I want 35's. With 33's on now, the top of my cab to the floor measures just 2" shy of 7'.
I foolishly bought some used 16.5 rims a few months ago and am having a really hard time finding any 35" mud tires around here. Plus my tire store guy tells me if I ruined a tire in a few years and needed a replacement. that it will be almost impossible to find one then. The tire companies are really phasing them out he said.
I've switched directions and am now going to look for a set of aluminum 16" rims.
This is my hold up of painting the fenders. I want to throw the fenders on the truck temporarily to see if I need to trim them to fit the 35's. If I need to, I'll trim them before I paint them. I should have gotten tires a month ago.
What are you watching on the tv in the shop? Those are some nice legs. :oOh, up on the TV?
I just had some videos playing of our family vacation last year. That's my wife's legs in the picture.
Just kidding !!!!
Yep, I'm trying to make some progress. Not that I need to. I have as much time as I want to take.
I am pushing the painting process though. The temps have been unseasonably warm here lately. It's been up in the 30's and 40's. I warm the shop up to paint and then I raise up the overhead door and install a wooden panel (the width of the door) down at the bottom. I've got a squirrel cage fan mounted in the wooden panel so that acts as my ventilation system.
I'm much happier venting my heat outside when it's 40 degrees instead of 20 below if you know what I mean.
I primed the hood tonight and will take off work a few hours early tomorrow and paint the hood the color of the truck. That will be one more panel painted. Yippee !! ;D
Post by: firefighter on January 08, 2012, 12:20:32 AM
I'm waiting on painting the front fenders until I can temporarily put them on the truck with my unpurchased 35" tires to see if I need to trim any metal first.
I worked on bleeding the brakes yesterday but couldn't finish because I broke the bleeder off on the front drivers side caliper. I bought a new caliper today but still need to put it on yet.
I only had a few hours this afternoon to work on it but I was bound and determined to get the engine running again. It hadn't been running of course since I pulled the old cab off in August.
Since then I'd put in all new brake and fuel lines. I didn't know how long it would take to get fuel from the tanks back up to the carb. I dumped some fuel into the carb and hit the key and it started right up. It ran about 5 -10 seconds and died. I dumped some more gas into the carb and it fired right back up and continued to run from then on. Sweet !!
I had to deal with the smoke from coating the headers and top off the antifreeze level since I had put on all new hoses and heater core. I let it get up to operating temperature and then switched back and forth from the left gas tank to the right tank to make sure both were registering correctly on my gauge.
Mostly everything is going smooth. Just one little glitch from the starter right now. While I had the truck tore down, I had to split the tranny from the motor and put a new flexplate in. I had one chipped tooth on my old one. I noticed something odd then and now the starter has an odd sound to it when the starter disengages. I'll post pictures and ask a question about that in a different area.
Anyway, that's my update. Thanks for listening!!
Post by: GMan on January 08, 2012, 01:28:18 AM
Post by: 79k30guy on January 08, 2012, 10:24:16 AM
keep some pics coming! I know everyone's saying it but I'll say it too, Awesome color choice!
Post by: firefighter on January 15, 2012, 09:07:53 PM
Starter problem resolved.
I did find some used aluminum wheels last Sunday so last week I went to my local favorite tire store and got 4 new tires on the way. I ended up buying 315 (35") 75 16 Dunlop Fierce Aggression tires. $1100 later I brought them home. Wow, tires cost a lot !!!
I've attached a few pictures of my old tires and rims along with the new ones, below. The new tires are 3" taller than my last tires (which were worn out) so I was thinking I'd have to do a little fender trimming. I was right.
I spent the afternoon tediously trimming as much as I though was necessary off the front and rear lips of the fenders.
If a person always went straight and the suspension never flexed, you'd never have to trim the fenders, but unfortunately a person must turn and sometimes the tire goes up. That's when the conflict would occur. If the rims would have been offset 1" further inward, I would have gotten away with no modifications at all I think.
It really turned out nice and most people would never even notice I had to trim.
Yesterday I worked on the interior some more. When putting the cab back together I installed my original steering column. My replacement cab came with a tilt column so I was going to put that in once I verified that everything was working properly.
When looking more in depth to the tilt column yesterday, it appeared that someone had messed with one of the electrical connectors in a way that I could not get my wiring connector to fit and the wire colors were different. A few other red flags came up and I noticed that even when the key was in the locked position, the steering wheel would not lock. All these things combined made my decision that I would just keep my original non tilt column. I would have liked tilt, but didn't want to spend the time fussing over a column that I felt had been tampered with or really wasn't from the 78 cab that I had bought.
If I ever find a nice tilt column, it's not that hard to change.
I think all the interior electrical is done and it's almost time to call in the local glass company to put the windshield back in. I think I can do the rear glass myself after reading some tips about it here.
It's really time to install the doors and make sure the fenders line up properly and modify them if I have to. Then I'm really looking forward to getting the fenders painted and installed once and for all.
Here's a few pics of my old and new tires comparison. I like em' !!! ;D
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3068_2808.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3071_2811.jpg)
Post by: bake74 on January 15, 2012, 09:45:02 PM
Post by: thirsty on January 16, 2012, 04:39:23 AM
It really turned out nice and most people would never even notice I had to trim.We need photographic evidence of this. ;D
Post by: mikek20 on January 16, 2012, 11:46:16 AM
Post by: firefighter on January 18, 2012, 11:01:42 AM
Then I nervously attempted fitting the fender (aftermarket fender) to the door. I put a double thick layer of painters tape on the front door edge so I wouldn't chip anything.
Since I didn't have a helping hand, I loosely held the front of the fender up with a strap and overhead support. I shimmed and gapped the top of the fender to the door and then had to lower the front of the fender to close the gap on the bottom of the fender to the door. The gap was awesome.... until I had to try and flex the front of the fender enough to raise it the 1" it was sagging in the front.
I now know (with the help of the guys here) that I can shim up the front of the cab to help with this issue. I'll be readjusting that fender so it isn't so torqued.
Anyway, I was happy to have them both on the truck together.
I'll be working on the passenger side this evening. I hope it goes well. This side has original GM door and fender.
Here is how it looks currently.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3095_2835.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3096_2836.jpg)
Post by: thirsty on January 18, 2012, 12:05:11 PM
Are you going to put the hood on also to check the gaps with that too?
Post by: firefighter on January 18, 2012, 12:39:00 PM
It's starting to take shape now! Everything looks awesome so far. I like the way it sits and those wheels and tires are perfect for it.
Are you going to put the hood on also to check the gaps with that too?
Hey Mr. thirsty,
Thanks for the reply.
I do like my new tires. They are gonna be some mud slingers for sure. ;D
I will at least set the hood in place to make sure the front end is square, parallel and level.
Before I took the fenders off last time I took some specific measurements that I have been rechecking now to make sure everything was very close to where it was before.
I'm getting pretty excited because shortly I'll be painting the fenders and putting this stuff together for the last time.
Post by: firefighter on January 18, 2012, 10:21:15 PM
Below is a little video that I took tonight. I've never done a video before so I hope this works!!
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/th_DSCN3098_2838.jpg) (http://s242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/?action=view¤t=DSCN3098_2838.mp4)
Post by: firefighter on January 18, 2012, 11:11:02 PM
I just wanted to share with you how I went about lining up the fenders to the doors in case someone else is going to do this.
I had started another thread in the body section of our site and got some great tips about how and what to do, and those tips really helped me.
Let me first say I already had the doors adjusted and gapped before I painted them or the cab. After the painting was complete, all I had to do is lift them up in place and knock in the hinge pins. Those went back on very easily.
When I installed the drivers side fender last night I got the gap between the fender and the door pretty good, but that left the front of the fender about 1" low in the front. I really had to torque and flex the fender in the front to get it to line up with the radiator support. I saw no other way.
Then I learned what really needed to happen. I found out I needed to shim up the front of the cab. I would have had no idea to do this unless someone had mentioned it in the other thread I had started. You guys are awesome!!
The only thing that had me concerned is that when I had just the fenders lightly bolted on, it seemed they were sitting different than each other. The drivers side seemed like it was sitting low at the bottom and just the opposite for the passenger side.
Well tonight I found out why and then all of this made sense.
The first thing I did was to totally level the front and rear of the truck. Since my garage has floor drains, the concrete is sloped a bit in places. I just added shim material under the tires until the suspension was earth level. Then I double checked and confirmed the frame was level left to right also.
This is where I found out that my cab was about 5/16" lower on the drivers side than it was on the passenger side. Why? I have no idea. The chassis was perfectly level but the cab was not. I don't know if the problem is in the cab or the frame mounts but it didn't really matter. I had to fix it. I just got some 1/2" ID fender washers and placed them between the body mount and the cab. This now leveled the cab with the frame.
This made perfect sense why my drivers side fender had such a gap at the bottom, but the passenger side did not. When I installed the passenger side fender tonight, it aligned just like clockwork. After I take the drivers side fender off for paint, I'm really convinced when I put it back on, it will line up a whole lot easier now that I've raised that side of the cab.
Anyway, I just thought I'd share this in case someone else runs into this, or wants to install their own fenders, on their truck rebuild.
Having the cab square and level is very important. Knowing what to do if the fender to door gaps aren't correct is just as important.
All these things combined can make installing fenders a whole lot more enjoyable.
Thanks for all the replies to my questions. It's very much appreciated.
Post by: johnhood on January 18, 2012, 11:11:45 PM
Post by: thirsty on January 20, 2012, 08:17:28 AM
Having all your body lines adjusted the best that they can be will make a huge difference in the finished product. Nice attention to detail and props for forward thinking.
Did you get your hood on yet? I'm sure that won't be any problem for you as good as the rest is coming out.
Post by: bake74 on January 20, 2012, 09:40:00 AM
Post by: Sartobuilt on January 20, 2012, 10:14:11 PM
(http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l179/Sartobuilt/1done.jpg)
Keep it up your doing a great job!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: firefighter on January 20, 2012, 11:56:15 PM
Nice truck !!
Tell me, how big of lift and how tall of tire? I'm guessing 6" lift and 35's?
Man that sits nice, and I love the 2 tone color. Thanks for sharing a pic of it.
Post by: 87454westernhauler on January 21, 2012, 12:35:19 AM
Post by: Sartobuilt on January 21, 2012, 08:54:52 AM
Awww Man.... Look at that big bad boy Sartobuilt !!
Nice truck !!
Tell me, how big of lift and how tall of tire? I'm guessing 6" lift and 35's?
It has about 10" total lift, front is a 8" spring with a 1"ORD Zero rate ,to level it out. Rear is a 6" spring with an ORD shackle flip and a 1" body lift, with the 37' goodyear military tires, boy do they ride nice. Sorry I didn't mean to hijack your thread.
Man that sits nice, and I love the 2 tone color. Thanks for sharing a pic of it.
Post by: firefighter on January 21, 2012, 10:29:44 AM
I hope to get the fenders removed and ready for paint tomorrow, as well as a bunch of little things buttoned up.
It's gonna be a great day.
Post by: 79k30guy on January 21, 2012, 10:52:31 AM
With 8" of new snow, the shop heated up to 65 degrees and 5# of deer jerky cookin in the dehydrator, it's time to spend the day in the garage.sounds like a perfect day...
I hope to get the fenders removed and ready for paint tomorrow, as well as a bunch of little things buttoned up.
It's gonna be a great day.
Post by: firefighter on January 22, 2012, 11:20:31 PM
Yesterday I finished prefitting everything front end related before I pulled the fenders back off. The inner fenders fit well and I only had to redrill one hole on each one to line up with the fender. I sprayed the inner fenderwells yesterday with an undercoating and got the fenders ready to spray today.
I have to wait for nicer days to paint since I'm using a squirrel cage fan to exhaust my make shift paint booth, and it pulls in outside air from a separate source. I preheat the shop to 70 degrees and then turn off the furnace while I paint.
Well I've painted enough things on this project now that I was starting to feel a bit more comfortable with spraying the color.
Today I sprayed my first lighter fog coat and let it flash off. I adjusted the settings on my gun and began spraying a wet first coat and it seemed to all be going well but I did notice I was getting more overspray in the air than normal as I painted the back sides of both fenders. I brushed it off and continued by painting the outsides of both fenders. The paint was flowing on nice and smooth as I finished them off.
Then I looked back and noticed trouble. About 5 spots of trouble. A few sags and minor runs !!! What the heck???
A few sags were right on the sides of the fender and the 2 runs were right on the corners of the wheelwell lip. Now the wheelwell lips will be covered by some kind of trim, but the sags were obvious not so much by the shape but by the color. The color of my green was darker as the paint sagged into low spots. It was ugly. I wasn't sure what to do but I'll tell you what I did.
Now remember, this truck is not a show truck and will be my daily driver, hunting and wood cutting truck. It's not supposed to be a "pretty boy" truck, but I still want it to look nice.
I gained my composure for a few minutes and then took the pointed end of an awl and lightly removed the fat part of the bottom of the run and it somewhat flowed back in and looked fairly well. I did that a few times and it somewhat stabilized. On the sags, I did nothing. My plan was to let it flash off and then give it a "not so wet" second coat to see if I couldn't salvage the day.
I readjusted the paint flow of my gun knowing it must have been putting out way more paint than what I had realized and gave it coat #2 watching it real close and not applying any more paint than necessary to make it wet. It actually turned out better than what I had anticipated. You can see one slight sag but the runs and other visual sag spots flowed out and covered up nicely. Good thing I don't do this for a living!!
Here's a few pics of how they turned out.
I'm pretty happy with how they turned out considering the trouble I had. The second picture shows the reflection in the finished product. No orange peel this time.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3127_2867.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3135_2875.jpg)
Post by: bake74 on January 23, 2012, 07:43:25 AM
Post by: Sartobuilt on January 23, 2012, 09:46:13 AM
Keep up the nice work! You would be more upset if you paid someone to do the same thing.
Post by: firefighter on January 23, 2012, 01:59:56 PM
When you're scrutinizing over the paint job you just did, you're looking closely for flaws and imperfections. Most people look at the vehicle as a whole and don't get nearly as close as we do.
The cheapest total paint job I could find locally was $2000. Any amount of imperfections I'm going to have in the paint job I do myself is way better to me than to spend that kind of money on a vehicle that will be used for what I'm going to use it for.
In all reality, when I get this truck out into the sun, I really think it's going to look pretty good.
It's amazing some "professionals" level of acceptance when doing a hired job. Sometimes it's better to do it yourself if you have the time to do it.
Thank you for the reply and for posting the picture of your truck. You should be proud of yours. It looks great.
Post by: johnhood on January 29, 2012, 10:25:40 PM
Post by: firefighter on January 31, 2012, 07:48:56 AM
Last weekend I thought I'd have the fenders bolted on for good. I've now been putting that off a bit because I'm waiting for my glass guy to come put the windshield in. I figured it may be a bit easier for him (and maybe a little less stressful for me) to install it without having to lean over the fenders on a taller truck.
So anyway, this past weekend I ended up tying up some loose ends on the cab install. I hooked up the tranny linkage, the speedo cable, tie strapped up some loose wiring, buttoned up the windshield wiper mechanism, installed front shocks, etc....
The big thing I got done (which took me way longer than I thought it would) was to take all the guts out of my old doors and install it into my new door shells.
This consists of the door latch and lock mechanism, window and manual cranking assy, and wing vent assy.
It all takes time because I wanted to degrease, wirebrush and generally clean up everything, then relubricate before putting it back in. I also had new felts and seals to put in.
Now for those of you that have done this before, I bow to you.
I had no idea of the best way to remove or reinstall the window or wing vent assy. so I dd an internet search. I found a YouTube video and it really did help, but mine wasn't quite as easy as they show.
The door lock and latch mechanism is really straight forward if you understand how those little locking clips work. If you've dealt with them before, you know exactly what I'm talking about. ;D
To remove the window glass (after you remove the wing vent), the video showed to roll the window all the way up, tip the glass outward and then you can slide the glass rearward off the rollers. It actually worked pretty good on the first door.
On door #2, this was not going to happen for some reason. It wouldn't roll up high enough. I ended up having to get the glass off the track down inside the door shell. Real pain!!
I told myself I was going to do something different when I went to reinstall it in the new door. Long story short, that did not happen and I ended up having to get the glass back on track back inside the new door shell. A real pain again, but I got it !!
Anyway, the doors now have operating windows and latches. It's great to shut the doors and have them latch tightly and all the body lines look straight and lined up. I hired this job out when I rebuilt the truck the last time so it was good to learn how to do it myself.
Sorry this is so lengthy. I think I just get excited about any little progress being made.
Post by: thirsty on January 31, 2012, 08:37:58 AM
What's left? Just the hood, box, tail gate, and some assembly?
Post by: firefighter on January 31, 2012, 09:32:01 AM
I feel like I'm somewhat working toward the home stretch.
After the windshield goes in, I'll be able to button up the whole front end. Fenders, inner fenders, hood, grille, bumper, etc....
I've been waiting for the windshield guy before I finished off the interior too I guess. I just have to put in the instrument cluster cover and dash pad, carpeting and seat.
Heck, I haven't even started on the box and tailgate yet. No rust on it but it will have to be sanded, primed and painted
Well, I guess I still do have a lot to do!!
That's Ok, it's winter. It gives me something to do and I'm enjoying myself.
Post by: fitz on January 31, 2012, 06:00:28 PM
Always look forward to checking out your progress, this is a great build.
Seems like a friendly competition between you & Thirsty to see which truck gets done first.
Post by: firefighter on January 31, 2012, 06:33:53 PM
As far as any competition with thirsty.... we compete to see who can answer each other questions the quickest. He's been a great source of information for me, and is an awesome guy.
Every build is different and I suppose everyone has their own timeline and speed.
I told myself I'd be done in two months and it's already been 7. Ha Ha !! ;D
More updates coming soon I hope !!
Post by: firefighter on February 05, 2012, 12:08:47 AM
Wednesday night a few buddies came over and we put the rear slider window in. We used the ole' rope trick, put a little soapy water on the seal, and it worked great. The one video I found on the internet is a good visual but in our application, I think you want to leave the ends of the rope on the top and then start from there. Since the window is tapered narrower on the top, my one buddy slid the window and seal up onto the top pinch weld and centered the window. He just kept upward / inward pressure on the window and I began pulling on the rope which pulled the lip of the seal into the cab side of the pinch weld. I'd just do a bit on the left side and then the same on the right, working my way slowly around until the last little bit popped in, then we were done. It took like 5 minutes.
Thursday evening I put a few coats of fresh black paint on my door panels, visors, arms rests and dash pad.
Friday evening I put the new fuel pump in and now have the fuel pump return line hooked up the way it was designed to be.
This morning the glass guy came over and installed my windshield. He only charged me $40 to professionally install it and I figured that was pretty reasonable so I didn't have to deal with it. I must say, he did have to fight with it a bit and had a few specialty tools that I did not have. For this task, I was happy to pay someone else to do it.
This afternoon was spent at a local gun show. ;D
For a few hours this evening I finished the inside of one door. I put some self adhesive sound deadening material on the inside of the outer door skin and then put the freshly painted door panel, arm rest in place along with the new door pull strap and window felt.
Every little bit brings me another step closer......
Rear window back in
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3156_2896.jpg)
Windshield is now back in. Yahoo !!! ;D
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3155_2895.jpg)
All the guts and sound deadening material are in, but needs to be finished
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3164_2904.jpg)
One down and one to go....
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3166_2906.jpg)
Post by: 87454westernhauler on February 05, 2012, 01:31:34 AM
Post by: bake74 on February 05, 2012, 09:17:23 AM
Post by: beastie_3 on February 05, 2012, 01:12:51 PM
Post by: firefighter on February 05, 2012, 02:08:57 PM
I have those same door panels. Do the inserts come off? I dont remember what the backsides look like. Also, did you have sun rot on the top of your panels? What prep and paint did you do to paint them?
@bake74, Oh I've already got it running ;) That was the first thing I did after getting all the electrical back in the dash. It purrs like a kitten.
@beastie_3, The inserts do come off. From the back there is the special nuts that screw onto the plastic nipples that come off of the inserts. During the last rebuild I had quite a few of the plastic nipples break off so I just drilled small holes in the inserts and ran silver screws all the way through and then nutted them on the back. You can see the screw heads but I don't care on this project. No one has ever mentioned them.
I have minor sun rot on the rear corners. If I found some new ones, I'd most likely replace them, but I'm not that worried about it yet.
This time I just tried some SEM prep and spray paint from my local CarQuest. I'll see how it holds up. Last time I used some prep and spray from an automotive painting supplier. It was quite a bit more expensive but it did hold up good. I just had chips from the seat belt metal buckle and who knows what else over the last 15 years.
This truck will never win any show awards, nor am I building it that way. I had a show car for over 20 years and I got tired of babying it, and trying to keep people from leaning up against it.
I call this truck my 20 footer. From 20 feet away it looks awesome!!! ;D
My main goal was to have it rust free, reliable, and to do as much as I could myself (without hiring someone). Sooooooo.....
Rust Free.... check !
Reliable.... It sure will be, so check !
Have done all the work myself besides recently paying my windshield guy $40 bucks.
So far, so good.
Post by: bake74 on February 07, 2012, 06:35:28 AM
This truck will never win any show awards, nor am I building it that way. I had a show car for over 20 years and I got tired of babying it, and trying to keep people from leaning up against it.
Man do I know how you feel, you have to practically put a glass box around it to keep people from touching, leaning against, or even trying to get inside them. I guess people just don't much respect anymore for other peoples stuff. ( which I totally blame parents for not taking enough interest in the children's upbringing ).
Post by: firefighter on February 07, 2012, 03:30:15 PM
Man do I know how you feel, you have to practically put a glass box around it to keep people from touching, leaning against, or even trying to get inside them. I guess people just don't much respect anymore for other peoples stuff. ( which I totally blame parents for not taking enough interest in the children's upbringing ).
I know so well what you mean.
One time I parked it locally and came back 10 minutes later to find two guys by my car having a casual conversation. One guy was leaning up against it wearing those jeans with the rivets on the pockets. Him and I shared a few words about respect. I won the discussion.
Once at a car show I came back to the car to witness some younger kid with his hands up on the window ledge with his feet trying to crawl up the side of the door so he could see in. His dad was just standing there watching.
Another conversation was had.
Heck, people with backpacks or something like that would walk by and plop it down on the truck lid while they tied their shoe or got something out of their pocket.
No respect or comprehension of the time and money someone spent on a project.
I'd had the car since 1986 and built every inch of it from the ground up. I just sold it a little over a year ago.
I just got tired of having to watch over the thing like a hawk when I had it out in public and it started being more in my way than anything. I didn't drive it much anymore and it just sat most of the time.
I guess my interests in life just changed directions over the years.
Man I did some great smoke shows and power shifts with that car. It was talked about by all the motorheads around here.
But now I have my truck, and I'm a happy guy. :)
1963 Chevy II Nova
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/Novapics.jpg)
350 CI +.030, 7:1 base comp. supercharged & nitrous injected
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/Novapics2.jpg)
Post by: slammed79 on February 07, 2012, 04:08:05 PM
Post by: bake74 on February 07, 2012, 07:23:21 PM
Yea, if that was my car, I would be having "words" with those people too. (not so much words as actions I guess)
Post by: thirsty on February 07, 2012, 08:13:10 PM
Nice Chevy II! The roll bars in that just finish it off if it was a street car. Or did you ever run it on a track? Kinda looks like you did with the wheelie bars sticking out the back.
I guess people just don't much respect anymore for other peoples stuff. ( which I totally blame parents for not taking enough interest in the children's upbringing ).I learned about not touching cars at a young age from my dad. When I would stop by his shop as a pup after school if I touched or leaned on a car that he was working on he would make me wash it for the customer. Didn't matter if it showed or not where I touched it. Didn't matter what the weather was outside (winter or summer). Didn't matter what condition the vehicle was in...I was told when he would be done with it so I could wash it for them.
I never forgot those few cars I washed for not respecting someone's vehicle when it was in his shop. I also raised 2 kids the same way. You touch it you wash it. Like my dad I never had to worry about either one of my kids around anybody's vehicle after. Now if we could only make other peoples kids learn respect we would be all set.
This is the one we have the most trouble with. My dad's original 71 Maverick. For some reason everybody feels the need to touch this car. There can be a $50,000.00 car parked beside it but people will their hands all over this one for some reason.
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/maverick2011.jpg)
Post by: bake74 on February 07, 2012, 08:26:24 PM
This is the one we have the most trouble with. My dad's original 71 Maverick. For some reason everybody feels the need to touch this car. There can be a $50,000.00 car parked beside it but people will their hands all over this one for some reason.
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/maverick2011.jpg)
Man you guys are killing me with these car pics, ( I am going to show my age here ), in high school I had a friend with the same 71 maverick ( it was yellow and looked different, higher in the back with 50 series tires ), he had "poor white boy" painted across the back after the song.
He could be driving down the road and start tapping on the gas and pretty soon the front end would be bouncing a foot off the ground. I had a 71 Chevell Malibu at the time, Ah good times.
Post by: firefighter on February 22, 2012, 09:03:59 AM
During the final stages of the assembly it seems a person runs into the point where you have to make decisions on what direction you're going to go. This really slows down progress, especially if you have to order parts.
I still haven't installed the front fenders, grill, hood, etc...
I'm really taking my time on doing that because if I have to do anything in the engine compartment, it's way easier doing it now than leaning over fenders or the radiator support !!
In the interior, all the glass is in and now I'm into stereo mode.
It's taken me way too much time making decisions and installing this phase.
Thank you for all your ideas, comments and suggestions in the other thread I started about stereos.
I did some creative mounting of the DIN cage for the stereo and it should "blend in" with the dash when I'm done. Nothing fancy, just solidly installed.
After the stereo/amp/speaker installation is complete, I can finally install the dash pad and then the instrument panel the final time. I think I've had the instrument panel on and off about 8 dozen times during the stereo head unit installation. ;D
Then carpeting...... then I'll have to make a decision about the seat.
Totally redo the seat, or just put on a seat cover........ Hmmmm.......
Anyway, moving the rabbit along at a turtles pace.
Have a great day guys.
Post by: thirsty on February 23, 2012, 09:18:55 AM
I ran into the same thing with mine. A lot of progress and that gets you motivated to do more then when it comes to the small things that don't show it seems to slow to a crawl. The speed of my build seems to be directly proportional to the amount of funds. ;D
Can't wait to see what you came up with for a DIN head unit install.
Post by: firefighter on March 04, 2012, 08:17:52 AM
I've finished with the cutting of the dash for the new radio, mounted the unit and ran the wiring along the floor to the rear of the truck for the speakers and amp. And yes, I did run my amp power wire and speaker wires separately. ;)
I'm using the same behind the seat speakers I had last time (although I may change them) but added a couple 5 1/4" ones in the kick panels. The amp was a bonus. ;D
The hard part was the wiring under the dash. I ain't getting any younger ya know!! A video of that feat would not be pretty.
It was way easier to do the under dash wiring while there was no seat, dash pad or glove box in place.
After the wiring was done, I was able to install the carpet, and the side aluminum trim pieces.
And finally....... I could install the dash pad and instrument panel cover. Gosh I've been waiting to put those on it seems like forever to give it a finished look inside.
All interior electrical is done and all I have to install is just the seat and seat belts. Some work still to be done there.
Nothing fancy or frilly, just a nice clean Chevy truck, made for doing work.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3344_3072.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3346_3074.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3350_3078.jpg)
Post by: bake74 on March 04, 2012, 06:49:32 PM
Post by: thirsty on March 05, 2012, 09:49:32 AM
Nothing fancy or frilly, just a nice clean Chevy truck, made for doing work.I would say you nailed that.
Was that a carpet that you had or did you just get it? If it is new, it sure does fit nice.
Post by: firefighter on March 05, 2012, 11:32:06 AM
Yeah, it's one of those things that right after doing a major rebuild like this, you hate to take it out to the timber and scratch it with bushes and twigs or take it out and load the bed with a full load of freshly cut oak firewood.
You almost need to get that first scratch in the paint to get it out of your system. It's a work truck, not a show truck. But after totally disassembling a complete truck and spending all the hours in the shop doing everything "right", you want it to be new looking forever. The fact is, it most likely won't stay that way. It will get battle wounds. I got over that 15 years ago when I rebuilt it the first time, and I'll get over it this time too. It just takes a while. :)
This was the replacement carpet I bought brand new 15 years ago through a local car parts distributor. If you look closely you can see where my floor mats were before. It's a different color.
The carpet wore very well, and I always kept floor mats in place.
I feel what rusted the floor before is that when the carpet got wet from getting in and out during hunting etc... that the carpet and insulating pad beneath took too long to dry and started the rust cycle. I've got plenty of precautions now with layers of undercoating, primer, paint and then foil lined sound deadening material. I've got new floor mats with the 1" lip around the edges to contain any water from your feet instead of it running over and into the carpet.
It's going to be nice here this week and I think I'll open the shop doors periodically and just let the motor run and move it back and forth to shift the tranny and get the fluids circulating. I want to make sure there is no leaks of any kind before I do the next step of installing the front fenders etc....
I'm excited to make more progress and get it closer to being road ready.
Post by: mikek20 on March 05, 2012, 11:45:16 AM
Post by: 87454westernhauler on March 05, 2012, 04:22:19 PM
Post by: firefighter on March 05, 2012, 04:56:24 PM
is that a new dash pad or just a cover over the origional?
It is the original dash pad. I painted it 15 years ago and it held up pretty well but I did spray it again just to make it look nice.
It has some very minor cracking up by the center speaker but other than that, it's in great condition.
Post by: thirsty on March 05, 2012, 05:05:05 PM
It has some very minor cracking up by the center speakerOh Man...now the whole build is ruined for me! ;D
Just joking...That interior is in awesome condition for a 76. I'm just jealous. ;)
Post by: firefighter on March 21, 2012, 11:19:32 AM
I was really happy to have this step done.
Last night I installed the front end valance, side marker lights, front turn signal lights, grille and headlight bezels.
That all went off without a hitch.
After I install the inner fenderwells, front bumper and hood, the whole front end will be complete.
I could actually drive it right now if I wanted to, but just haven't had a chance to move it around in the garage to get it out yet. :)
Here is a short video of Sundays progress and a few pics of the front end progress as of last night.
Video of around the front end.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/th_DSCN3411_3135.jpg) (http://s242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/?action=view¤t=DSCN3411_3135.mp4)
Drivers side front
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3427_3151.jpg)
Passenger side front
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3424_3148.jpg)
Post by: Captkaos on March 21, 2012, 01:12:31 PM
Post by: reload on March 21, 2012, 05:20:22 PM
Post by: gto109 on March 21, 2012, 08:18:18 PM
Post by: bake74 on March 22, 2012, 06:23:12 AM
Post by: firefighter on March 25, 2012, 08:49:19 AM
The baby steps were that I got the hood and bumper on.
The giant step was that I backed it out of the garage yesterday under its own power. It felt really good to get it outside as a running truck.
I have a longer driveway so I drove it up and down there a couple times. Got out and checked everything quick, then decided to take it for a short ride around a couple blocks close to my house. I really don't want to show the truck much until I get the box painted and put on. Something about having the truck look more complete when people start seeing it around. I know, weird, right?
You know, you do so much to a vehicle that before you begin driving it, I find myself checking all the leaf spring U bolts, lug nuts, radiator clamps etc... multiple times. You find you begin second guessing yourself like maybe you forgot to tighten something up as you were installing it. It's not like you just did a tune up, you had this thing all the way down to the frame. I'm sure some of you know what I mean.
Anyway, I was happy to be behind the wheel of a running truck with all rust free sheetmetal on it.
I know one thing for sure however...... with just a 4" lift kit and 35" tires. I WILL have to put some kind of step on so I can get in to this fool thing more easily !! ;D
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3440_3164.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3439_3163.jpg)
Post by: BigHemi353 on March 25, 2012, 10:25:50 PM
Post by: bake74 on March 26, 2012, 05:49:15 AM
Post by: mikek20 on March 26, 2012, 02:36:29 PM
Post by: thirsty on March 26, 2012, 04:55:18 PM
You know, you do so much to a vehicle that before you begin driving it, I find myself checking all the leaf spring U bolts, lug nuts, radiator clamps etc... multiple times. You find you begin second guessing yourself like maybe you forgot to tighten something up as you were installing it. It's not like you just did a tune up, you had this thing all the way down to the frame. I'm sure some of you know what I mean.There is nothing wrong with that. It's a good thing to do with anything. We do it with race cars all the time instead of sitting and waiting to run them we double check everything, even stuff that we didn't touch that week. It has proven to be worthwhile. I know that after converting my frame to 4wd I will be doing a lot of bolt checks.
So is there an estimated date for when you will be done and out terrorizing toyotas?
Post by: firefighter on March 27, 2012, 03:51:41 PM
Warmer weather is here way earlier than expected this year so I feel like I'm behind schedule. Mother Nature is ruining my schedule, but that's OK. :)
I've worked on the tailgate a few hours the last couple evenings. I may even get it primed tonight if I have time.
Although I have no rust on my new box, there is still a lot of surface area to work on. I have to remove some type of sticker material all the way down both sides, remove the left over sticky stuff from the factory trim, inspect for small dents or dings, prime bare spots and get the thing ready to paint.
My goal would be to have this done in 2-3 weeks. The clock is ticking........
Did I mention that either I'm too short or this thing is too tall? I have to grab the steering wheel and take a BIG step up onto the rocker just to get in.
At 5' 11", I can't believe this is called short guy syndrome. ;D
Post by: thirsty on March 27, 2012, 04:51:24 PM
Did I mention that either I'm too short or this thing is too tall? I have to grab the steering wheel and take a BIG step up onto the rocker just to get in.If this becomes too much of a problem for you than I will trade you my daily driver mazda b3000 for your 76 just to help you out. It's pretty low compared to a lifted square body. ;D
At 5' 11", I can't believe this is called short guy syndrome. ;D
Post by: 79k30guy on April 01, 2012, 10:25:35 PM
Post by: hotrod24 on April 04, 2012, 01:57:22 PM
Post by: bd on April 04, 2012, 03:28:42 PM
Post by: firefighter on April 10, 2012, 01:34:33 PM
I'm now working on the box. There sure is a lot of surface area on a box!!
The box originally had the flexible factory trim down and side and it peeled off pretty easily. What isn't so easy to remove is some kind of decorative sticker trim material that runs down the length of the box on both sides as well. I'm having to use a razor scraper to get it off and then I'll have to use something to remove the sticky residue left over.
It had a few small dents and a few small holes from trim brackets I had to deal with. That's all pretty much done and there is no rust to fix.
I'll do some light sanding and prime the bare spots and hurry on to paint here soon.
To paint the box.... I'll most likely split it up into two, or maybe even three, stages.
I'll paint just the inside and floor of the box first. Then I'll cover all that up and paint just the outside areas.
I hope to have the box done within a few weeks.
Here's the tailgate although I'm sure you've all seen many. :)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/Tailgateprime.jpg)
Now painted
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/Taligatepaint.jpg)
Post by: thirsty on April 10, 2012, 01:58:25 PM
What isn't so easy to remove is some kind of decorative sticker trim material that runs down the length of the box on both sides as well. I'm having to use a razor scraper to get it off and then I'll have to use something to remove the sticky residue left over.Before you take too much more off try a heat gun. Sometimes you can get the adhesive to lift with the sticker. If it works for you it will save you some time and effort.
This progress makes me want to get the paint gun out again! ;D
It doesn't matter how many tail gates I have seen, I still like seeing pics of one that I know smells like fresh paint!
Keep up the good work.
Post by: mikek20 on April 10, 2012, 09:37:09 PM
Post by: firefighter on April 11, 2012, 07:41:37 AM
Oh yes thirsty, walking in the garage the day after painting the tailgate was great.... fresh paint smell and a glossy shine on it. A great feeling.
When I removed the same sticker from the tailgate, I did use the heat gun and it seemed to come off ok, but it was time consuming.
I started with the heat gun on the box sides and it took about 10 minutes to get a 12" strip done. The mess it was leaving behind made me give up that route. After I got it super hot, the sticker would begin to scrape off but the glue residue left was smearing all over the place.
I ended up using a razor scraper and skimming off the top sticker 1/2" at a time, then coming back with acetone and laquer thinner to soften and remove the glue residue. I've got that part done now but it was a pain alright.
mikek20: I've heard about the eraser wheel and I heard they work great. If I had access to one, I would have certainly tried it. My process was a little time consuming but I got it done.
Now on to some sanding and priming of the bare spots.
Post by: jacknife on April 12, 2012, 11:20:12 AM
Post by: firefighter on April 24, 2012, 04:27:16 PM
I got all the body work done to the box that I was going to do. I didn't do much at all to the inside since it's a work truck.
On the outside I had to weld closed a couple holes that were originally for trim, and fix a few small dents. There was no rust on the replacement box I bought and I already undercoated the complete bottom.
I decided to paint the box in stages since there is so much surface area to paint.
I primed any repaired or bare spots on the outside and got it ready for paint.
I decided to first paint the inside as well as the outside rear and front of the box. I got that done on Sunday night as you can see in the pic below.
Next I'll come back and just have to paint the outside skin of the left and right hand sides. The taped overlap lines will be covered or in inconspicuous areas.
If you've never painted the inside of a box before, let me tell you that it's a real pain in the behind. You have to be a stinkin contortionist to get to all the inside corners, upside down places and to the complete center of the floor, all while doing a balancing act on a step ladder yet trying to keep your air hose out of the new paint. Now you see why I didn't want to paint the complete box at once? If you've ever painted a complete box inside and out in one shot, I worship at your feet.
Anyway, here are a few pics. I hope to have the sides painted in the next week or so. Spring chores are keeping me pretty busy.
Primer in the needed areas
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3576.jpg)
Inside painting done
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3585.jpg)
Post by: gto109 on April 24, 2012, 04:39:30 PM
Post by: hotrod24 on April 24, 2012, 05:17:27 PM
Post by: bake74 on April 24, 2012, 07:09:54 PM
Post by: 1987V204X4 on April 28, 2012, 07:01:02 PM
It's to bad you already bought your tires and lift. I could of made you one heck of a deal :) .
I bought a 87 V20 about a month ago and it has a newer 4" superlift with brand new Fierce Attatude 315/75/16 tires.
I'm going to remove the lift and put a set of HD 4 leafs up front and go down to a set of 285/75/16. I will be putting a snow plow on this truck so I might need to do the add-a-leaf but I'm not sure about that yet??? But the tires and lift sre like new, The leaf springs still have the superlift stickers on them. "01-234-06". I'm thinking I will try and sell everything as a package deal or $200 for the lift and $600 for the tires. I'd think someone would jump all over that deal???
I will be listing everything on Des Moines craigslist here soon and mabe even try the swap meet next weekend at the fair grounds.
Post by: firefighter on May 01, 2012, 08:51:05 AM
One by one I'm checking things off my list of completed things.
By the time I was done last evening it was dark outside. I need to get this thing out into daylight to take some true color pictures. This color for some reason is really hard to take pictures of under fluorescent lighting.
Anyway, that's where I am now and on to more finishing details.
Thanks for looking.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3632_3335.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3623_3326.jpg)
Post by: reload on May 01, 2012, 10:22:47 PM
Post by: codyC10kid on May 02, 2012, 12:02:37 AM
Post by: Captkaos on May 03, 2012, 03:14:43 PM
Post by: jaredts on May 03, 2012, 07:37:03 PM
Nice...im not a huge fan of the color but hey nice paint job...better than mine lol (im not done,i still have body work) ;)I really, really love the color! That truck looks great.
Post by: firefighter on May 07, 2012, 03:24:30 PM
It's an original Chevy color: 1970 Yellow Green Poly or 1971 Medium Olive Poly.
This weekend I got the bumper and hitch cleaned up and undercoated where needed. Rear wiring and back up lights operating and tailgate installed and adjusted.
I also got the nerf step bar installed on the drivers side but still need to finish the passenger one.
I hated installing these, but am not as young as I used to be and this rebuild set the truck 3" higher that it was before.
Still working on final details but here is the latest and greatest.....
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3657_3360.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3660_3363.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3661_3364.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN3662_3365.jpg)
Post by: thirsty on May 07, 2012, 07:38:14 PM
I like all 73-87 trucks but especially 4X4 ones. Even better when they are lifted just a bit but still usable. Perfect stance as far as I am concerned. The color looks great outside. I have the same problem taking pictures of mine, the camera never seems to get the true color and no two pictures look the same.
You must be proud of that beauty!
Post by: bake74 on May 08, 2012, 09:05:58 PM
Post by: Chevy Truck Guy 86 on May 08, 2012, 09:52:15 PM
Post by: firefighter on May 09, 2012, 04:43:19 PM
what do you have left before you can start driving it on the street ?
Just some little stuff I guess.
I have not yet installed the front inner fenders. I'm going to run the motor a bit more to make sure there is no leaks on anything etc... no inner fenders makes it real easy to get into things.
I need to get the front end aligned too. I just can't find any shop locally that wants to do it. I live in a smaller town and there is only 2 local shops with an alignment rack.
I also still need to install the aluminum wheelwell trim, alum tailgate and bed rail protectors and toolbox. Granted those things don't need to be done before it's road worthy, I'd just like to have the truck mostly done before I start using it as my daily driver again and sell my temporary truck.
Anyway, just a bit more to go as I have time. I'm still in no hurry and am just happy to be where I am.
Post by: jacknife on May 09, 2012, 05:31:43 PM
Post by: TimberwolfFXDL on May 10, 2012, 09:00:12 AM
Looks good!
Post by: firefighter on June 03, 2012, 07:32:04 AM
I know I've been slow on my updates this spring. Too many things going on I suppose.
Anyway, the latest update is that the truck is pretty much done and I've been driving it every now an then whenever needed. I'm still just keeping it local as I monitor suspension, drivetrain and things like that. I guess as you gain confidence that everything you did was right, you venture further from home with it.
So far, I've only had a few small issues that have been fixed easily.
Here is a short video of the truck in it's completed state.
I'm really happy with it and want to thank all of you who have commented, helped, and given suggestions. I can't tell you how much I've appreciated this site and all you guys here.
Here is how my truck rebuild turned out. I'll add some still pics of the truck in the next couple days.
Thanks again guys!!
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/th_DSCN3905_3498.jpg) (http://s242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/?action=view¤t=DSCN3905_3498.mp4)
Post by: bake74 on June 03, 2012, 11:01:00 AM
Post by: slammed79 on June 03, 2012, 11:04:59 AM
Post by: 87454westernhauler on June 14, 2012, 11:15:40 PM
Post by: thirsty on June 15, 2012, 05:35:49 PM
Here is some inspiration for ya.
They always look bigger in a toyota...lol
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/gunstuff/deerhunting/images/newsbuck1.jpg)
Post by: SmokeShow on June 16, 2012, 10:09:17 PM
Post by: 79k30guy on August 11, 2012, 03:06:21 PM
Post by: firefighter on December 28, 2012, 12:30:46 PM
I thought I'd give a quick update of my completed 1976 Chevy 4x4 truck rebuild project.
Looking back through my posts, I believe a year ago today I had just painted the outside of the cab. That seems like it was such a long time ago, but I certainly remember how much of a milestone it seemed like to me.
Ok, well I've been through a summer of driving, a season of wood cutting and deer hunting and put about 700 miles on the truck. I've had no electrical or mechanical glitches of any type.
I have to admit, I was a fair weather driver for a while. You spend so much time rebuilding your truck and it's a thing of beauty in your own eyes. Everything is so clean and nice.
Then I get caught driving in a rain storm and all your attention goes to the floorboards to make sure the cowl or windshield isn't leaking anywhere. Everything checks out fine.
Then it's time to start cutting wood and you'll be driving on dirt and gravel roads. I spent a few evenings out in the shop fabricating custom mounts to hang rubber mud flap materail off of, to try and minimize rock chips (even though I still have some).
You drive slow at first and cringe when you hear those rocks clanging up into the wheelwells. Then you start getting used to it since you're still driving in a lifted 4x4. :)
Then it's deer season and you have to throw a bloody dead deer into the back and it makes a mess. No problem, it'll hose out. It's a truck.
My latest milestone was when we got our first winter snowfall. No problem you think, it's just frozen water. Then you see the local street department driving around flinging out metal eating salt from their spreaders and you cringe!! This is the obsticle I have the hardest time with. I hate rust and that was the reason I had to rebuild it again this time. But the difference is that this time I spent countless hours and methodically undercoated everything I could.
The mudflaps do tend to keep the worst stuff knocked down but the overspray still gets eveywhere. Right now I hose the thing down every time I get back from driving out in the salty mess. I really don't know how often a person should wash this salt spray off the undercarriage but right now I'm still pretty fussy about it.
Well here's the truck out in the country after our first 4" snowfall.
I've gotten lots of comments and head turns over the summer. I've even had a few offers to buy but I'm not interested in selling or even talking numbers. I love my truck, and I'm super proud to own and drive it.
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN5719_5180.jpg)
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff292/urprey1/Chevy%20truck%20rebuild/DSCN5709_5170.jpg)
Post by: bake74 on December 28, 2012, 07:43:27 PM
Post by: thirsty on December 28, 2012, 08:51:56 PM
Your build was one of the best. Thorough, well documented, you got it done A to Z, and it came out gorgeous too.
Post by: 81_Chevy on December 29, 2012, 09:36:05 PM
Post by: Captkaos on December 30, 2012, 12:20:37 PM
Post by: firefighter on December 30, 2012, 01:15:18 PM
Send me a picture for the Calendar!Sending you PM sir.
Post by: y5mgisi on April 26, 2013, 06:11:21 PM
Post by: firefighter on May 07, 2013, 11:41:15 AM
Just found this thread from googling 4wd/2wd cab differences. Great job!
Thank you very much. I had a fun doing it and had help whenever needed from the great guys here.
The rebuild has been done for a year now and not one issue, besides some rock chips from the big lug tires.
Good luck with your build sir !!
Post by: dylan.hodges.92 on December 24, 2014, 01:43:49 AM
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