Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

Well, I've decided to start a build thread. Here is what I'm starting with. It's a 72 with a stepside bed. I did some research and found out that it was originally a straight six, but now has a 350 under the hood. It was customized (poorly) a few years ago and then neglected.

My goal is to make it a 20 footer and weekend cruiser. Mechanical-wise, it's a pretty solid truck. It runs great and drives very well. I have never done body work, so that's going to be the biggest headache. I recently picked up a Millermatic 140 MIG welder (I've never welded either) and I'm getting ready to tear into it.

This is going to be a very low budget build (hopefully) as I will attempt to do all the work myself, to include paint.

Wish me luck!

Here is how it sits now:

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...64799199_o.jpg

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

Just jump in and get ta whackin'! Although I'll warn ya, you may as well tear it apart to the frame now, that's where these things always seem to wind up!
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Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

PS- neat stepper! Have fun!
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Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

20 footer...say what?!

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

I guess my point is that I don't want a show truck. I want something that I can drive daily, park in a parking lot and not have to worry about someone dinging it, etc. I want a clean truck that turns some heads that I don't need to polish with a diaper every weekend. It's still a truck after all.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

looks like a very nice starter

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

nice truck to start with. i do have one suggestion.........more pictures please.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

Nice truck, I just got mine last week. I have the same intentions. 20 footer and a daily driver. I'll posting pics later.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

Here are some more pictures of what I'm dealing with. I started grinding some of the paint down and it appears there is a lot of rust around the drip rails, so I don't know if they're going to stay yet or not.

The interior is definitely going to be upgraded as I don't particularly care much for the wood dash. Unfortunately, all the wires were cut, so putting it back to stock is going to be difficult. It looks like a custom dash is in the works as well. The seat appears to be out of a late 80s/early 90s Chevy truck. It'll do for now, but it will be replaced as well. Of course, I'll need new floorboards to bolt the new seat to as the current ones have some holes in them. Oh, and the steering wheel needs to be replaced. The interior will be saved for last as I still plan on driving the truck.

The engine will get a refresh, with heads/cam treatment. I haven't committed to doing anything in particular with the engine yet and a big block still isn't out of the question. My goal is to have roughly 400 hp, give or take.

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1338300101

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1338299264

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1337029922

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1337029917

Oh, and yes, the Mustang taillights will have to go as well. I'm really wanting it to appear pretty much stock, with some little custom things here and there.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

Here is a small sampling of what I'm dealing with, body wise. I'm sure it's nothing new to most of you guys that have restored one of these.

This is the passenger side cab above the door, it's about a quarter-sized hole that looks like it's been filled before. Any suggestions on how to fix it? I tried to weld it and now I've got a pretty big glob of weld that will need to be smoothed down.

[IMG]http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMAG0056.jpg[/IMG]

This is the typical cab corner hole. Looks like I'm going to be ordering some patch panels in the near future.

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMAG0059.jpg

I'm basically just picking a section a day and grinding it down to bare metal, or pretty close to it to see what I've got. There are a lot of rust bubbles throughout the paint, so that's what I'm focusing on now. Luckily, most of what I've uncovered so far has been pretty solid with just a few trouble spots. This is a heck of a time to learn how to weld.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

it is a slow process but worth the work

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

Get some ESAB .023 easy grind wire (order it off the web),turn your heat down, ensure you have clean shiny metal and a nice close fit at your edges and have at it! Weld up some scrap before you hit the good stuff. Go to the yards and get an old fender to practice on. Have fun!
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Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

Well, the hole is now a lot bigger after trying to find some good metal. Looks like it was filled quite a bit and even on low settings, I was burning the previous welds. The issue I'm having now is how to get behind it as it's got the inner cab to deal with.

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1340562488

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

stop grinding. your going to end up with a convertible at that rate. you'll never get to unrusted metal in there. not on these trucks. it's not this new tinfoil they use on trucks these days. it's not real prewar steel, but its pretty close. the best you can do it spray some converter or something like that in there. im using eastwood rust encapsulator. works great. it surprised me actually. i started on a cab that had more bondo than metal. i sprayed some up in one of the b pillars before i decided to replace the cab. i just cut it up after it sat in the yard for 5 years and the b pillar didnt rust back like the other side.

i see allot of rust under the paint coming your way. you might wanna find a better cab. these trucks are a dime a dozen. put a parts wanted ad in your local online classifieds and people will call. i picked up my cab for free from a guy that just wanted it hauled off.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

I've stopped grinding and the hole is now squared off. I'm going to weld a piece of sheet metal in there and then smooth it out. I don't think anyone makes a replacement piece for that area.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

your in ohio? how close are you to alotta salvage. (937) 866-1849.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

It's about 20 miles from me, but this is the first I've heard of it. Thanks for the lead!

As for the hole, I squared it off a bit and welded a patch into it tonight. It was my first attempt at welding something like this, so I know it's not the prettiest thing, but you have to start somewhere, right?

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMAG0064.jpg

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

looks good for a first try. i know guys that have been in this game longer than me that cant do a butt weld as good.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

After some bondo and sanding, this is what I've got now. It was a slow process, but I think it turned out pretty well.

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMAG0070.jpg

I do, however, think I'm going to need some help with this patch panel. It might be a little too complicated for me by myself.

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/..._8440154_o.jpg

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

i never use more then i need with patch panels. i normally go 1" above the rust and cut. i dont believe ive ever used a whole patch panel. just a truck has some great instruction. you leg makes a get bending tool to get the right shape.

stacey is a freak of nature. he makes everything look easy and his guitars are as sic as his builds.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

For a first time welding that looks good, i agree on using only as much of the patch as needed make life easier. Good luck on what you want to accomplish.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

I also never use more patch panel than needed. Your first weld looks very nice, you should gain some practice doing this job.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

Subscribed. Welding looks pretty good to me!

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

I decided to go ahead and take the bed off today. It was kind of a pain doing it by myself, but I finally got it done. Looks like I've got some more body work to do on the driver side as well. At least it'll be easy to get to now. It's also time to order a new rear wiring harness for it. The PO cut the wires in order to connect them to the Mustang tail lights. I guess I should be thankful. Question though, is plugging the new harness into the plug in the rear crossmember all I'll have to do?

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMAG0075.jpg

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

looks like progress 2 me

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

yeah! the bed has come off. the front clip and cab are next!

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

You're probably not too far off. I'm quickly learning that there is no half-assing these trucks. I thought I could get by with just doing body work and making it look pretty, but I think that's just putting lipstick on a pig. This truck isn't bad at all, it just needs a lot of little things and the more I work on it, the more I'm finding things that need to be addressed.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

if you have alot of patience and passion, then it'll be fun. plus a whole lot of cussing in between all that. lol it feels great after completing your next steps, then moving to the next. just have to watch out on seeing the build all at once and realizing how much work and money it takes. just look at it as one step at a time. if it was easy and cheap, then you would see classics everywhere.
your doing a good job, keep it up.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

Yeah man! Looks great. Keep up the good work :metal:

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

I found something strange today. On the back of the cab, near the corner, I noticed a crack in Bondo. I figured that it was pretty rusted. Well, I was wrong. I ground away literally a half an inch of Bondo to find perfectly good metal underneath. I don't understand why the PO didn't just bend the panel back out instead of putting that much Bondo in there.

I did, however, find out that I'm going TDY in a week, so I'll be away from it for a couple months, so it's going to sit idle for a while. I'm not really looking forward to not working on it, but when Uncle Sam tells you to go someplace, you go. Good news is that it's only Illinois and not overseas, so I can't complain too much.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

humm..interesting..sounds like the po may have left you a few surprises on the truck. go ahead and get your wiring done if you wanna drive it around, but while you have the bed off go ahead and start striping paint.

i have my own media blasters and air tools for paint removal ,but price wise i find it's cheaper and much quicker to chemically strip than to mechanically strip it. i use kleenstrip or marhide aircraft remover to get the biggest part of the paint off. one gallon ,for 50bux if you include the price of gloves and a scraper or two, will do a whole lwb truck if you dont expect perfection vs 100bux in sandpaper plus the cost of the equipment to put the sand paper on(drill,da, grinder..ect). plus its less aggressive to the metal. as a bonus, after a few lonestars, its really cool to watch.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

Nice job on the roof repair! that looked a little scary to begin with. I also suggest using as little as possible on the repair panels. I used about half of the cab corner because I wanted to minimize work and wasn't happy with the curve at the body line. Looking good keep it up! well after tdy anyway. I'll be watching:smoke:

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

Did some grinding on the driver's side and found this. Now, I'm not a body man at all, but this just doesn't seem like the proper way to fix a cab corner. I could be wrong. I'm wondering if I should start looking for another cab, or if this one is worth trying to save.

Any thoughts? Keep in mind that the floorboards will need to be replaced as well. I found that out when I was cutting off the old exhaust.

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMAG0078.jpg
http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMAG0080.jpg
http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMAG0079.jpg

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

did they weld with brass rod on top of the old one? Looks funky. Finding a different cab is up to you depends on availability in your area as well.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

Nice truck to start with, don't see as many stepsides as fleet sides, overall looks solid, good job welding too, keep up the good work.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

o/a welds...awesome dude. thats a good ol day repair. you dont see many people using a torch these days. chances are thats a lacquer finish too.

Re: Project "Stacey David Makes It Look So Easy" 72 C-10
 

check this link out for some inspiration, keep it up ;)
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=411447