72 C10 Build
 

It’s time to finish the old 72 C10 Short Wide project, I think the best place to start is at the beginning. The Leopard truck, a short-lived nickname due to the Por15 spots all over it came into our lives back in May of 2011. The truck was sporting right front damage (nothing major) but did come with a bed full of used parts to repair it with.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

A few more first pics from under the hood. That’s a whopping 307 with a 2bbl (it did run, not well, but it ran and drove) backed by a T350 and a 3:73 one-wheel peel truck 12 bolt. :ito:

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

All my earlier 67-72 trucks have had bench seats, which I liked and served the purpose. To change things up though I decided very early on that this truck as well as my 72 K30 build would get a bucket seat and console treatment. That meant this beautifully recovered original bench seat in the pics was returned.

Note: I purchased the truck from a dealer friend of mine and negotiated the price without a seat.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Nice start. Good swb are getting hard to find in my area.

Good luck, Rg

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Thanks Roger, same here, I lucked out in that it was literally at the end of our street on a used car lot back in 2011. ;)



The original build sheet was still there in that bench seat, here it is along with the SPID for this truck. It was born a Custom Deluxe with nice colors and a special ordered rear leaf spring setup. It appears to have been in Utah its entire life, delivered to Farnsworth Chevrolet in the small rural town of Panguitch. I did a quick google search and I don’t believe the dealership exists under the same name anymore. Not 100% sure but this may be a pic of the dealership around 1963.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Nice start, I’ll follow along

That’s the truck I wanted to start with, but couldn’t find one at the time. Ended up with a Jimmy

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Thanks Jim. There was a time when all I built had to have 4-headlights and a big block. Finally, let go of the 4-headlight thing but not the big blocks. :sumo:




A little more history that affects this build was my 68 GMC shorty (with its homemade air ride suspension, also a rear leaf spring truck). After all these years I still miss the truck to this day. My time with that truck made me a big fan of lowered trucks, low and wide baby! One of its jobs was to pull our 66 Vette to car shows, I’d offload the Vette and then put them both in the show. The plan is to do this again with this truck and our recently finished 67 Camaro build.

Note: The Camaro build thread is still going, trying to catch up with an 8-month lag in the thread (my bad it is so far behind) but the car is complete as I’m writing this. :two:

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Just a few more pics of the GMC working. Taking the 66 427 Impala SS clone (4 headlights and a big block) we did for Mrs. 7dee2 quite a few years back for a body-on-style media blast. All I have left of that truck are the wheels and tires which do fit this truck just fine. Last I knew the GMC left Utah for Washington State and the Impala went into a private collection in Vernal, Utah.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Cool project!

I wish you didn’t have to return that seat I need a black bench cover and that one looks great haha

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Thanks, I wish I’d kept it also. You know, I checked on that seat years later and was told it got left outside and that the weather had destroyed the cover. :thud:



Teardown started! Forgive the poor-quality pics, they were taken with my old shop camera many years ago. Poor old truck has waited a long time for its turn to be built. I promise they’ll get better when we get closer to this decade! :lol:

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Do you still have the Corvette?

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Subscribed!

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Welcome! :metal:

No, after owning it for a decade I traded it to a friend (Tom) who has since passed away. His boy then sold it and last I knew it was in a private collection in Salt Lake City. Here’s a link to the Vette with some of the last pics we took.

A trade? For that Corvette? It’s what broke the 4-headlight trend I had going on. Tom had this very wicked 55 Chevy, part of an American Graffiti thing that he had going on at the time (complete with a yellow 32 of course). I took the 55 and a 73 GMC Canyon Lands with some cash and did the deal. Here’s the back halved 55 and the GMC after I’d put my spin on them.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

That 55 is VERY nice. Tell us more!!!

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Thanks, I enjoyed it while I had it. Here’s a quick rundown, the 55 had a cam swapped crate 502 backed by a Doug Nash 5-speed w/Long Shifter, a wishbone style 4-link w/narrowed 12-bolt, and a crazy low gear like 4.88 or 5.13’s. The car needed some love, it ran hot, had a big vacuum leak, and the c-clip eliminators leaked soaking the rear drum brakes. The interior had some nice pieces, seat, door panels, etc. but the old back halved tin work was not so nice to look at.

A big ol’ Be Cool radiator/electric fan setup cured the cooling issue. That combined with fixing the vacuum leak made the 502 a happy camper. Resealed the c-clip eliminators so they wouldn’t leak and added Willwood rear disc brakes. The paint was still presentable so some new emblems and such made it look better up close.

Some new dash hardware including a gauge trio installed right into the dash and new cables for the floor vents had everything functional in the dash area. Part of a kick-butt Kenwood system we had treated ourselves to was a custom sub-box built to be mounted on the wishbone dog house back where the rear seat used to be. The car had a 6-point cage and we added some 5-point seat harnesses for added safety.

After adding an external cutoff switch and a second battery into the trunk it was time to address the tin work. Sent it out to upholstery for a new suede headliner, as well as covering all that tin work including the trunk area. Switched out the Centerlines (and rock-hard Pro Trac tires) for some Torque Thrust II’s with Pro Street Hoosiers. Added slicks to the Centerlines but never really ran them, you had to drop the rear end to swap the rear wheels.

The 55 was a fun radical street car that was hard to speed shift. It could’ve had quicker ¼ mile times with an automatic and perhaps a gear change. But something else caught my eye and it was sold to a guy out of Wyoming. A few years later, I swear I saw it on an auto transport headed in the opposite direction towards Florida.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Back to the C10 and all finished gutting the cab.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Next up was removing the cab and placing it on a very handy pallet dolly (Blue Chep & Casters is my go to favorite). Wow, they didn’t spare the Por15 on that roof. :confused:

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

With the truck blown apart, it’s time for the Leopard truck to lose its spots! Off to media blast, with the chassis following on the next trip.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

It’s back, and the chassis looks great. No obvious issues were detected.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

No more leopard spots! That’s good, but the bare-naked body is showing its age. 3 out of the 4 cab supports are shot.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

The floor shows plenty of previous repairs. In hindsight, it was really a good candidate for a complete floor replacement. Back then, they weren’t as common as today, so guess what? That didn’t happen. ;)

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Rockers are Swiss cheese…

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Nice work. Is there any special technique for rolling the cab onto it's back wall?

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Thanks, not really, the cabs are fairly light when gutted. I use a cherry picker with a cab lifter to set it on a Chep cart initially. Chock the wheels and grab a buddy to help roll the cab from one cart to another, forward or back, easy peasy.

Yep, I do like Chep (Blue) pallets with Harbor Freight casters they make a quick cab or whatever dolly, cheap. I suggest picking good solid pallets and watching out for nails poking up, I usually just check them with a hammer right before using. Put down some cardboard and/or an old blanket to protect the finish if necessary. When done I’ll remove the casters and return them from where I borrowed them. ;)




Cab corners and lower a-pillars are a no go as well. The right cab corner and above show old damage that’d been repaired/replaced/straightened and then brazed together. Just a touch of rot in the right lower cowl also.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Thanks, looks like it makes getting access much better.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

I think it does for several areas, and if you don’t have a rotisserie (which we didn’t at this time) not having to work overhead is a win.



Wasted no time starting to cut, the Sawzall makes short work finding good metal. :devil:

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Same for the other side.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Looks like you are making some good progress. Keep on it and keep us up to date....

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Thanks Leon! Yeah, we wasted no time getting into the metalwork on this one.




We hit the top of the cab (both inner & outer) with a DA sander. Then we got the cab upright and placed it on a raised diy cab dolly similar to one built for the bed. It’s high enough to make working on the lower part of the cab comfortable. I love stuff on wheels, especially when space is limited.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Being able to move things around helps a lot!

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Ain’t that the truth, it seems like every weekend we were moving stuff around to make room for workspace or parts or something. :lol:




The bed is in great shape overall, just needs the front panel replaced and minor floor attention. Our doors are fairly nice also, the left one is better than the right. The right door has a spot of rust and some damage to the lower back side of the inner shell. It also looks like it may require a new skin we’ll see.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Better than the crap I drag home!

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

A lot of the body panels are good, surprisingly good for living in Utah its whole life. :lol:



Took a grinder to the 2-tone cab divider studs, more on this decision to follow later. Nothing too out of the norm on the back of the cab except that same evidence that it was hit on the lower right rear corner. With signs that the cab’s been pounded back out in that area a light bulb came on. I should take a closer look at the right bedside. Yes, it appears to have been replaced with a factory (?) bedside.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Nice progress! Good decision on having the cab blasted. I stripped mine myself and it was a ton of work.
Double check your door fitment on that R side. It doesn’t take much to move that cab opening around. I thought I had mine good, but a similar hit on my L side had me cutting the door edge to get a nice fit. Luckily it was still in the bodywork stage.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Thanks, media blast is way more aggressive than stripper but it is a whole lot quicker. ;) Pros and cons to both for sure.



I couldn’t find anything wrong with the left door; there was just a little mud on the outer skin. I think this one is good to go for now. The truck shows it’s had at least one complete exterior repaint in its life.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

As mentioned earlier the bed is in really good shape. The bed floor has some minor rust pockmarks that will be covered with a bed liner. As well as a few very minor dents to be knocked out and a nickel-sized rust spot. Gave it a new front panel and started going over it with the DA. The tailgate has minor damage where perhaps a trailer tongue poked it. As well as some slight damage to the top rail but is pretty solid overall.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Here are a few more pics of the cab with a closer look at the roof skin. If you look very closely, you can make out some rust-pock markings and a dent in the forehead. :frog:

The hood is very cherry and like I said the left door is very nice also. In the last pic, you can see part of the large mud puddle in the right door just past the top of the dash.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

The inner roof skin does have some rust thru starting that doesn’t show in these pics. The worst spot is the left sun visor area.

The non-air dash looked good and the single din radio cut out didn’t bother me much at the time. Confession, I’m guilty of doing this myself to a couple of my earlier cars. A sacrifice to the stereo gods! :eek:

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

It looks great to me, I wish my cab were that good.

Re: 72 C10 Build
 

Thanks Roger, I think it’s pretty good and was confident it was worth the time and effort to repair this cab.




Fenders are nice except the right-side replacement fender also had a dent. The left side has just a touch of filler in the front.