A beginners "Build"

[FearNoMan78k10]

Your making progress minus, definitely a nice truck being built there.... Pretty sweet stuff what your doing to it.. Keep it up man!

[minus1]

Thanks bud! Anymore progress on your truck?

[FearNoMan78k10]

No problem!   Yes progress is being made for sure, check out my build thread! Parts , paint supplies , details,  hopefully I'll have the bed and dog house finished this week! Sanded , primered , painted and clear coated via budget style! My body has stripped me from being able to work on it very much, but I'm crossing fingers I'll be able to muster up enough strength and mind over matter to get the body finally done! It would be crazy if I could repaint the exterior of the truck the same color but I don't think I will do that unfortunately,,,, due to funds..... And other reasons, ie getting scratches and crying like a baby lol !

[minus1]

No real progress this weekend. Too many things going on I guess.

I was able to go pick up my new cab corners and front inner fenders. Took them over to where the truck is being built and spent a few minutes cleaning up the cab. The "new" body has been sitting in his shop for about 5yrs collecting dust so she is in dire need of a bath. Cleaned all the glass up and wiped down the dash. There was a bunch of junk under the seat so I got all the cleaned up. Still need to wipe everything down a final time. The PO put a dash cover on but it was pretty faded so I threw it out. There are some cracks so I'll need to order a new cover.

I took a few more pics of the cab and engine while I was there. You can really see how bad the passenger cab corner is in one of the pics. Also took a few with the center of the cab cut away. Trying to make plans for next Saturday and Sunday to work on her some more. Fingers crossed...

[minus1]

The last two pics show how dusty the truck is.

[FearNoMan78k10]

Man minus that engine looks GREAT mounted up in there! Nice work bud.....I can't wait to see this truck DONE. Minus.... And it running down the road! The red color of the truck is just awesome.... You should try using Meguiars carnuba wax and restoration wax to bring out a brilliant shine! It works great man!  What exactly did you redo on the motor ? Ie.... Everything you did to the engine and trans ....

[minus1]

Thank you Sir!

No real work done to the engine yet. Basically just opened it up and looked for wear and tear. Everything looked clean so we did a gasket kit. Put a different intake on and hooker headers. Came out of a 78 or 79 K-5. Guy said he owned for 10yrs I believe and just used to move snow and stuff around his shop. Hopefully it last a few years. I want to paint it next year and do the engine the following year. Trans is just a 350. I still need to install the part time kit.

[FearNoMan78k10]

Thank you Sir!

No real work done to the engine yet. Basically just opened it up and looked for wear and tear. Everything looked clean so we did a gasket kit. Put a different intake on and hooker headers. Came out of a 78 or 79 K-5. Guy said he owned for 10yrs I believe and just used to move snow and stuff around his shop. Hopefully it last a few years. I want to paint it next year and do the engine the following year. Trans is just a 350. I still need to install the part time kit.

Hey doing a gasket kit IS WORK buddy.... Seriously..... Well what did you find when you looked into the heart of the motor? How did things look? How far into the motor did you go? You know Minus...... Just my opinion..... My two cents worth...... I know you worked very hard on the motor......... And just did a gasket kit...... But if I was you..... Literally... I would do the engine rebuild first brother, service the trans , fix any and all mechanical , rebuild as best as you can, to me a truck that has a nice paint job but hasn't first...been rebuilt underneath to begin with.... is like having a cart to pull ....but no horse to pull it with..... Make sense?  I don't know..... My two cents..,... Um .... Minus.... Word to the wise, if you get anything out of this,,, hear me out on this,,,, PLEASE...... CRATE MOTOR CRATE MOTOR CRATE MOTOR...... Will save you TONS of money buddy.... Trust me ...... Get one from a reputable place with a warranty.... It will save lots of headache and a frustrated spouse....and a broken piggy bank..... Lol,,, now you could build your engine much higher quality, more powerful, thoroughly built, better machined, higher performance, better internals, more done to it etc if you do it yourself.....buy parts yourself ,,, etc,,, build it yourself,,,,, BUT..... I have learned,,,, that it is easy to get overwhelmed and consumed in the engine building aspect and go over the top and spend a fortune making it a engine you've always dreamed for, and it may cost you more in the end than you ever thought it would , more than just money,,,, a frustrated woman who looks down on it inside and doesn't enjoy it.... Hmmm.... If I were to do it again,..... I would build a motor on the side.... And have a running one it in..... Good food for thought...... Maybe you will consider that?  Anywho I'm just trying to help you avoid making mistakes that I did along the way with my build..... It has cost far more than enough..... Believe me...... I hope it's worth it.... I've lost my wife's interest in it because of it..... Keep that in mind,,, it will be a very cool built through and through solid big Block chevy 1 ton k10 truck,,,, but at what cost .... Did it cost me? .......More than just finances......      If you decide to build another motor, then sure go bonkers on it and build it to the hilt..... Build it to handle abuse, high power, a torque monster .... But go in mind with a set budget friend, and stick with it.... If I had not boughten a lie for an engine my truck would be running..... Buy a junker motor,,,, rebuild the day lights out of it... Every bearing, every bolt, every piece of it.... Literally..... And take your time,,, then swap motors out.... Then rebuild the one you have in your truck one with new bearings/bolts....seals, gaskets, valves , springs...etc etc.... Anyways Minus,,,, just my two cents......

[minus1]

     Thanks for the input/advise. I honestly don't know what I will do first. Paint or engine? I wanted to do the engine now but the budget doesn't have room. With Ashley going back for her RN degree and having a few Dr bills I want paid off before the end of the year its just not in the cards. I just couldn't bring myself to tie up funds in the engine right now. She does and gives up so much for us/me that I needed to step back and support her dream of becoming an RN. She has been on board for all of my interest and hobbies. So I have no problem putting my stuff on the back burner for her. To be honest without her and Riley I wouldn't be on the green side of the ground. A little too deep so let's get back on track.

     For the engine I would like to rebuild the one I have just because I've never done anything like that before. Obviously I couldn't do it all by myself but I still think it would be fun. I would love to have the first hand experience of the inner workings and how all the parts and pieces align to make that wonderful rumble we all love so much. I don't have plans to build a crazy engine like yours (although that would be bad@ss). Right now I'm thinking just a notch above stock. A bit more power and torque would be nice but I want it to be dependable, low maintenance and efficient as possible. Now will that happen? Who knows? I may end up going the crate route? It all depends on the BOSS and what we set as our budget.
     
     The current engine looked clean to my untrained eye. lol The gentleman that I bought the trucks from and who is helping with this project thought it was pretty clean as well. He's been doing body and engine work on the side for 25yrs. Hopefully he is right? We didn't see any grime or sludge anywhere. No major scaring on the cylinder walls or anything that would make us worried but you never know. If the engine does crap out on me before paint. Then I have my answer on what to do first. LOL!!

     The reason for wanting to do the body/paint first is the salt issues around here during the winter ( plus the humidity in summer). If there is the slightest hint of a snow storm the salt trucks are out and about. It seems like if there is a chance for more than an inch they must salt the roads. That's why I decided to do the cab corner and the inner fenders now. Plus a few other spots. I figure if I can get them fixed, primed and rattle canned now that should get me thru the winter. Then I can clean the snot out of the truck and paint it in the spring. Now I'm not talking show quality paint. I just want to freshen her up a bit and maybe ward of the rust for a few more years. I won't be doing the inside of the cab or anything like that. Probably just scoot the bed back tape everything off and paint. I'm going to keep her the same color anyway. I really don't plan on driving the truck in the winters unless there is a need. My only plan for the winter is plowing my drive and my neighbors and keeping her off the road as much as possible.

Take care,
Eric

       

[minus1]

     Actually got to spend a few hours Sunday on the truck. Didn't get as much as I wanted to done but we did make some head way. Lost  a little bit of time running around buying bolts, nuts and washers for the Cab, Bed and dog house. Ran into a snag when taking off the old inner fenders. When unbolting them I discovered the actual fenders had a bit more rust on them than I thought. I guess I should have taken a better look. The passenger side isn't really that bad but the drivers is a whole other story. Only three of the bolts were actually holding the inner on. The rest were all rusted out. As for now I think we are going to patch them up and then order new fenders in the spring. Maybe? If the patches hold I may just leave them. I forgot to take pics of the rust spots.

     We placed the dog house on the frame anyway. Mostly so we could measure bolt sizes and make a little room in the shop. I put a new filter and gasket in the trans. Installed the oil filter and oil. Got the wiring ran from the cab back. I left everything slack because we still need to move the bed back some in order to do the cab corners. Put the rear cab mount bolts in place and just spun the nuts on for now. Took care of a few other little things and cleaned up the shop some.

     Hopefully I can stop by tomorrow and start prepping the inner fenders for paint. I may even get them primed? we'll see. I only have a few pics from Sunday but at least we made a few steps forward. We are trying our best to have her running by the end of the month. Couple more solid weekends and she may even be complete for now....

[bake74]

      She does and gives up so much for us/me that I needed to step back and support her dream of becoming an RN. She has been on board for all of my interest and hobbies. So I have no problem putting my stuff on the back burner for her.

     Eric, I know you do not know me.  But I have to say that the above statement you made speaks volumes about you as a person, husband, & father.
     I have to say this, if more people would think this way in the world right now, it would be a better place.  You should pat yourself on your back for me since I can not do it.

[Don5]

It looks like you are really coming along on your truck. I have the same problem with my bed as well. I need to get all new supports for the floor. 

  I noticed you have a auto transmission with headers. My truck started out that way years ago. I had to pull the transmission once with those headers and boy was it a pain. One thing that I did was to trim the two tabs that stick out on the side of the transmission. I think I only took off an inch at most on each side. This allowed me to drop the transmission without any problems. It did not affect the function or safety of the transmission in any way. The next time you are under the truck, take a good hard look and you will see what I mean. Just a thought or tip. The decision is yours. I eventually changed my truck over to a standard transmission.

 I commend your wife in wanting to get her RN degree. My hat is off to her. It is very hard to even get in a RN program here in WVA. There are so many people trying to get in. I just finished college in 2012 at the age of 50. Believe me it was very hard. My degree is in the health field so I met a lot of people trying for the RN program. I wish her and you the best of luck.

[minus1]

Thanks Bake.....don't show this to Ashley she may think I have feelings. LOL!! All kidding aside she is one amazing person. I am definitely the lucky one.

[minus1]

     Thanks for the tip Don. We should be putting the exhaust on soon so I'll check it out. I was lucky enough to have our sister company make me a new rail. I was told I would have to buy a whole new bed skin to get new rails? Not sure if that is correct but I wasn't interested in finding out.

     It took some time pushing her to go for it but she's doing great. She has one more class (chemistry) to finish up before she can start the actual nursing program. I know she'll do just fine.

Thanks again,
Eric

[BidEquation78]

Great build and very detailed !Looking forward to seeing the finished product!