Project Noah
 

Might as well start a build thread for the old 71. I bought the truck from a customer of ours. We have worked on her mower several times and would always see this truck parked behind a tractor. I finally asked her about it and she let me look at it. She offered to sell it and I think I said I’d by it before she ever said a price. She told me I could call the truck Noah. I don’t know why she said that name, but it felt fitting so that’s that. These pics are the day she let me look at it.

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Here’s some after getting it to the shop and pressure washing her off

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Subscribed!!

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X2 Subscribed

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I really like the Back Bumper. :metal:

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I got it to the shop and installed a new set of point and poured some fuel down the carb and she fired right up. I checked all the fluids and rigged a gas can to fuel her and she cranks right up and purrs like a kitten. So knowing she would run, I went to the fuel tank and pulled it thinking I could clean it. Not a chance! It was half fuel of 20 year old fuel and rust. So that gets me to where I am. I think I’ve ordered the wrong fuel tank so I got to swap that out. Here’s some random pics of the interior I took this afternoon.

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More random pics

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Those rockers are solid! Interior and floor mat looks like it should clean up real nice too.

I’m guessing 116k on the mileage.

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I tried to get some pics of the paint so yall could tell me what I needed to do about it. It’s got white paint scuff marks all over it. And some light rust in spots. Need y’all’s opinions. I’m also hoping those front bumper brackets are bent and nothing serious.

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That rear bumper is a beast. It was definitely a farm truck. The woman I bought it from said her father-in-law bought it new. Noticed on the tag in the glove box it said rear step bumper and heavy rear springs. He was definitely using the truck. She’s also got an 81 C30 2wd in great shape I want to go buy. Lol

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Sweet find! It's my favorite color.

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Thanks. I’m excited about working on it and bringing her back.

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Not sure how familiar you are with these trucks. Key is keeping it from rusting (or rusting further).

One of the first things I do as part of clean-up is clear all the "weep" holes. They are everywhere on these trucks and may be clogged by mud or animal nests. Some of them are listed below. vacuum and/or water hose are the tools

-bottom front of front fender (may find some tools or other stored there)

-rear brace of front fender (if you have paint bubbling on the outside)

-cowl and down the A pillar at the vent (remove wipers and cowl panel; vacuum the upper cowl area. Snake a small vacuum hose down the A pillar; go inside and remove the vent assembly and vacuum) run water from the top of the cowl until it runs clear out the bottom at the A pillar.

-rear cab corner

-bottom of doors (take off inner panel and vacuum it out, ensure drain holes are open)

-rocker panels (spray a water hose up into the drain holes until it runs clear out the other one)

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Thanks cj for the heads up. I’ve already cleaned the rear cab corners. They were solid dirt. There’s maybe 6 or so tiny pin holes in the cab corners that I tried to get a picture of. How would yall go about repairing those?

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I have a 67 and 68, both came with enlarged weep holes...lol (rusted).

The tell tail weep hole will be the forward corner of the pass side front fender. Acid and rust usually always destroy that little well area. If yours is intact, clean it (first), clean it thoroughly and put some of that rust neutralizer down in there, then some paint. Do the same with rear cab corners and any other accessible wells...

Just the fact that your seat is original and in new condition is crazy!!!
Being a 71 it can only have disc brakes in front. That is a huge deal, no conversion needed. In good working order these brakes stop as good as any newer pickup on the road!!!
I, too like the "diving board" rear bumper, best part is that it's a factory installed!!!

Those hub caps look like thay would clean up nice after glass bead blasting, if not those are advertised for sale, here, all the time, they are plentiful and generally not expensive.

I wonder if a 292 with an automatic trans is very common...I really like that setup!!!

That looks like a great candidate to clean up and stay original. I favor that, as do many here, or clean it up and touch up the paint where needed.

Carry on!!!
Have fun!!!

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You mean under the battery?

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Very cool truck! I love that color. I had a dark green truck with paint in similar condition. If you hit it with CLR and #000 steel wool that will clean up most of the surface rust and white marks. Then buff it with a good rotary wheel and your favorite polish. My paint shined like new again, minus all the faded areas of course!

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/874/4...271943a1_b.jpg

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That looks awesome Hewitt. I’ve had another guy tell me to hit with a polishing wheel too, but I know you can burn paint. I’ve used and a comfortable with a da buffer. Will that work as well?

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Nice score on the 71! I'll be following along on the progress.

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Yes... That's typically rusty on even the best trucks due to battery acid leakage.

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On my 67, the pickup is in pretty good shape. The hole in the bottom of the RH fender is big enough to stick your hand through. There was a complete front clip. for sale here, way back. I agreed to buy it, drove to Olathe to get it. It was as pristine, as advertised. That well in the fender didn't even have surface rust on it!!!! Thanks, again, Mike!!!

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What an awesome-looking project! Other than getting is running, I'd don't know if I'd change much! :metal:

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Other than the tires, I’m going to try to keep everything original

Edited: and the exhaust. The tail pipe is completely rusted away from the muffler and hanging by some wire

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Very cool! :metal:

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I've used a DA buffer before and it will also do an adequate job. Better to do what you are comfortable with first and if it's not what you are looking for then give it a go with the rotary. I'm no expert with the rotary either and I've never really burned through anything. Just get one with variable speed and start slow. The faded paint and patina helps you hide it if you do actually burn through on accident! :lol:

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Wow.. Repaint the bumpers, wheels and mirrors and you could run it as is.. Good looking truck with actual real patina

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Well… bad news. You guys called it, my front fender is shot. Someone has patched it before with bondo. I looked down in there and could see daylight. And some off the bondo peeled right off. Also pulled the front wheels off and I know why it never rusted more than it has. Everything’s covered in dirt or dirt-dobbers nests. These things are everywhere.

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Yeah... That's not surprising. I think everyone's comments are valid. You need to decide if you want a restored truck, or a really nice original driver. If the latter (what I would do) I would leave the cab corners and rockers alone. I would consider fixing the pass. fender rust, but otherwise focus on mechanicals and cosmetics. It's a really nice original truck. Having some cosmetic blems is quite alright.

You want that sporty muscle look, focus on the mechanicals and make it a fun driver! Don't worry about the body, it's really great as-is.

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I’ve decided to keep it as original as I can. I’ll find another project to hot rod. These are the tires I’m going to put on the rear. It won’t be a daily driver but a fun weekend truck.

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Sweet! I like this project even more now. :)

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Beware of the different drive-abilty that those pictured tires have from modern radial tires.

Its a very different feel of the road. Any seam between lanes or repaired sections are no fun to encounter when driving on bias ply tires.

I'm sure you can find some skinny radial tires that will look got on your wheels. 4X4's use them, although most these days are pretty wide...

Those brake rotors look like they could be easily machined. The groove in them is a wear indicator, when the rotor is too thin. I use semi-metallic pads on all my vehicles when possible.

Under that pile of muck, theres the grease zerk for the upper ball joint...

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Alright guys, it’s been a minute since I’ve been on. Life and other projects have gotten in the way of truck stuff. I haven’t gotten much done other than getting the new tank installed and brakes at all 4 corners done. Also, I replaced the rubber brake hoses. Actually drove it down the road a couple of miles and I’m shocked and hoe good it ran. The steering however is shot. Any suggestions on where and what brand name parts to go with? I don’t mind paying for quality, and have been unimpressed with LMC. I’ll try to get some pictures of how she sits tomorrow.

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Subscribed

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I've always had good luck with Moog steering components for my replacements on old square bodies. I think I got mine from O'Reilly when I did my recent change out on my C10.

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I’ve used moog stuff before and had no issues. I guess it’s all personal preference.

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Moog has always been my go-to. However, I understand that Moog has been bought (sold) and that they have two lines and one of them is offshore and low quality.

On the paint process, there are many different ways. hewittca has definitely achieved good results.

Since the paint on your truck is more or less complete, I personally like to preserve as much paint as I can. So I do everything by hand. I'd start with a good wash of course. And then use an iron removal solution. The CLR does that, but I would use one designed for automotive finishes. I use Adam's. Next I would clay bar it to get out other contaminants. Then Meguiar's has something called number seven which you rub in with a cloth and it actually helps rehydrate the paint. From there I would do oxidation removal with a light compound, again I use Meguiar's. At this stage if a lighter compound doesn't do the trick, then you can always step up to something more aggressive, medium, etc. But in my thinking, the more paint you can leave on, the better. You can follow the compound with whatever polish, paint sealant, ceramic treatment that you favor. Obviously there's about 9,000 ways to skin this cat, but doing it panel by panel by hand, you can see as the paint gets clearer and brighter with each step. That way you know you've left as much paint on as you can and it can tailor your approach to get the outcome that you want.

Sorry about the book, but I do watch quite a few detailing videos on youtube, and they are almost always geared for that ultimate result, rather than leaving as much paint as possible. It's great for the customer reaction, but after too many cut and buffs by machine, they will be polishing primer, haha.

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Maybe...
I sold Auto parts from 1985 till 1998. During those days, the ONLY suspension components to use were Moog.
I worked for an independent non chain store. We carried all the best lines. There weren't many cheaper brands back then. We took on a cheaper line of suspension parts. My boss wasn't happy the us sales guys didn't try to push the cheaper line...he had a friend come in the store, needed a tie rod end, I believe for a ford :puke: h talked his buddy into buying the cheap parts, likely to prove a point to the rest of us......end of story??? nooo...
3 weeks later his fellow geeezer buddy is back. He's got the cheapo tie rod end, in his hand. It's wore out worse than the original part that likely had 100,000 miles plus. He was VERY unhappy!!!

I don't know what all brands of suspension parts are available these days. I think some of the Moog IS made in China...? O'Reillys carries a brand called, Precicion. Precision was a brand from the Moog line. Precicion was their U joint brand name, same high quality as Moog.
I completely rebuilt the front end of my buddies 1971 C-10, this Christmas past. I believe the Precision front to be very good stuff...
This is all I know, be cautious buying suspension parts!!!