Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

My practice welds turned out about like yours. To me the weld appearance is similar to what the exhaust shop would do which I'm not happy about. So I'll prob just tack mine & carry it to work & let the pros finish weld it (I'd prefer to not have the beads on the stainless tubing.... I want it smooooth).

I'm prob going to pick up a 'slightly used' 110 suitcase TIG set-up & start practicing though. I just need to move forward now & can't delay for the learning curve.

Your routing looks nice BTW! Very similar to how mine is routed.

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Exhaust turned out nice.. How are ya doing overall on the project will she be done intime for the big day???

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Yeah, I came to the conclusion it's not a show truck, so I can live with function over form on this one. Still prolly one of the nicest exhaust set-ups I've had on a vehicle :chevy: Thanks for the compliment- where's your pics? ;)
Thanks! :) I sure hope so. I will start on assembling the bed this week, then it's time for some color! Other than that, it's just knick-knacks. Busy times though with work, work-related travel, kids activities, birthdays, wedding planning, school, etc, etc... We'll see- stay tuned for June 18th :D

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

I've only got the front have laid out while checking clearances. The rear half has been placed on the floor to get an idea on bend quantities & angles required. I've been trying to wrap up my brake lines & fuel line routing 1st. I also need to install the e-brake cables & verify that as well.

What are the plans for color? Quick turn around type place or ??

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Haha- yeah it'll be quick, I hope :lol: The place will be my garage/driveway. The color will be what is pictured below. Very similar to what is on the front of the truck, but with no sheen. I have a few ideas for it as well that may reveal themselves as this project unfolds.

The pic with the can is where I finger painted on the bedside; the other is a swipe on the cab next to the door, for comparison...

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

just read through the whole build. Such a nice truck. I will be following along...

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

I love it. Cool color choice, I can't wait.

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Thanks, man :) It is nice to finally be giving this truck the attention it needs after owning it for 6 years...
Thanks! Me either :chevy:

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Nice job GL!

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Thanks :D It's coming along...

Speaking of- got a few hours break in the holiday action to relocate the rear brake hose, bend a new fuel line, install new exhaust hanger hardware, change the oil/filter, and start the engine(!) getting the truck moving under its own power again. I was getting pretty tired (literally) of pushing this thing around. The movie clip doesn't give the full effect- it has a nice, low rumble at idle and wakes up nicely when you put your foot in it:metal: It is a little quieter than I expected, but I think I like it that way. I have always been a Flowmaster guy, so this is a big departure for me- maybe I'm getting old...

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Sounds great! I have flows on mine and I've considered changing to something else, I love the sound but the drone gets old on long cruises. If I were to change them I'd probably go with something similar to your setup. Keep up the good work.

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Gringo, you went Magnaflows right?

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Yeah, I've had one too many headaches from Flows- I'd like to actually enjoy driving this truck. Thanks for the positive comments :)
Yep. Chevelle mid-length headers, 2.5" mandrel bent duals, 2" H-pipe, and 11x9" Magnaflows.

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Started work on the bed today with repairing the driver's bedside. It was a mangled mess of botched repairs and dents, so I decided just to replace the whole forward section. I started by finding and drilling out the numerous spotwelds and cutting the outer just above the wheelwell. This left the inner structure intact and allowed me to 're-skin' the side...

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Then spent a bunch of time cleaning up rust and prepping the two pieces for mating. Rust Encapsulator for the flat surfaces and zinc-rich primer anywhere they were to be welded...

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Once I had them where I wanted them, I cut through both pieces at the butt-joint to make a nice even gap for welding- and started the slow process of spot-welding them together, allowing lots of time between for cooling to prevent warpage...

Got a little excited towards the end and finish ground and primed without grabbing the camera. Also welded up the stake pocket hole while I was at it. She's ready for a skim coat of filler and will be good-to-go :chevy:

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

how do you like your new welder?

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

After playing with it on the frame, and now sheetmetal repairs, I have to say I like it. If there were any problems today, they were entirely due to operator error and nothing to do with equipment. I am just starting to get back in the groove again... Eastwood gets the thumbs-up from me :)

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Are you using gas with it? can you send me the details? I've been looking for a mig. Great work BTW.

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

This seems to be a trend this year. I just sold my 75 Goldwing 2 weeks ago. It helped me get my truck!

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Nice work on the metal replacement! The welds look good too.

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Thanks! :) Yes, I am using gas. I find very little use for flux cored wire anymore- once you go gas, you never go back :lol: The welder is the Eastwood 110v unit. I read a LOT of reviews on it before making a purchase. Nearly all users had positive comments- the naysayers never actually owned one and generally just said "buy a Miller, Lincoln, or Hobart". For the money ($299 shipped), I haven't found anything comparable. Sure, you could get a nice, entry-level welder from the big three for twice as much and still have to buy the gas conversion kit. This suits my needs perfectly, and does everything a Hobart Handler 140 does (used to have one in my garage) for way less money. Perfect for the 'hobbyist', though if I made my living welding, I'd opt for a big name for local serviceability...
I missed that bike for a while, even so much as to buy myself another. Ended up selling it too, partly out of lack of use, but mostly 'cause I don't care to die anymore. Something about growing up and having kids makes you a little more aware of your own mortality...
Thanks! They're getting better the more I practice. Still not where I was before- I guess what they say is true- if you don't use it, you lose it :lol:

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Great work on the bed! I need to shorten my bed and seeing yours gives me hope that mine will turn out well.

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Thanks! It's not too bad if you take your time...

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Started work on the bed floor, covering up the rear suspension for hopefully the last time. I began with my thoroughly beaten, though fairly solid metal floor. It got the wire wheel treatment, then a coat of Rust Encapsulator everywhere I could fit a brush, top and bottom. I mounted up the floor on the truck after cutting down my body lift pucks 1 1/8" to make up for the wood. Then came laying out the holes for the wood hold-down strips. Drilled a BUNCH of holes- didn't actually count, and I'm not sure I wanna know...