Project: Daily driver to drive through the weeds
 

So Ive been building this: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=449547
For the last year. In my horse trading and parts buying I ended up with a beat up short bed, just the bed. Then a few weeks later I ended up with this:
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10264-2/IMAG0155.jpg
The story I got from the seller was that it had been sitting for several years, 5-8. He installed a target master motor and one day while driving down the freeway it puked all its oil out. He filled it up and drove it home, parking it for it to rust. Literally....rust away. It was parked maybe 2 miles as the crow flies from the ocean. Every morning the ocean salt water due would hit the truck and slowly rust it away. He decided to sell it has he couldnt do anything with it. I think he cried a bit as I pulled away with it.
At first I was just going to part it out....mostly cuz the only good sheetmetal on it was the hood, cowl cover, and grill. The roof was so rusted I thought it was going to fly off on the way home.....then I started thinking....I have a short bed...hmmm...So I pulled the front clip, cab, and bed off. Cut the frame down.
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10274-2/IMAG0167.jpg
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10268-2/IMAG0165.jpg
Glued it all back together
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10304-2/IMAG0175.jpg
Early in the day that I cut the frame down, I took a 5 hour round trip and picked up another truck for its cab. It was a 2wd flat bed that had this on the glove box
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10313-2/IMAG0179.jpg
The only pic I got of the donor truck was once I cut it in half and got it on the trailer with the rest of the scrap.
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10322-2/IMAG0182.jpg
So after a long weekend filled with some driving, some cutting, some welding, a lot of bolt removal, and some bolt installing I ended up with this
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10355-2/IMAG0209.jpg

Re: Project: Daily driver to drive through the weeds
 

I slowly worked on it when I could. Started by painting stuff and fixing the bent core support.
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10358-2/IMAG0216.jpg
Then I pulled the engine to see what was going on with it. I got it running once I got the truck, drove it off the trailer before I cut it up. It was making some sweet noise. Revved up fine but just wasnt right. I knew I wasnt going to put any money into that motor so I pulled it. Found the head gasket blown in between 2 cylinders. Which expanded those 2 pistons and messed up the bores. Pretty much trash to me at that point. Err scrap. Expect for a few parts.
I used the flywheel, crank, cam, and timing chain to make a stand for a bench grinder I found at a yard sale.
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10681-2/IMAG0386.jpg
So now I needed a motor....Well what should I run...Well duh I need a 6.0L. Picked one up from pacific fabrication. A 6.0L next to a 6.0L for another daily driver build. Yeah I have 2 daily driver builds going on at that same time. Both 6.0Ls. I dunno how Im going to drive 2 truck daily, still working that out. :lol:
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10696-2/IMAG0415.jpg
in between welding in patch panels for the rockers and floor to the new cab...yeah it wasnt rust free. Oh well. But I didnt get any pictures of the cutting and welding of the floors and rockers. It was a lot of work. Oh yeah while doing that I dropped the new engine in.
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10699-2/IMAG0428.jpg
To get the engine in I used one of pacific fabrications x-members
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10579-2/IMAG0500.jpg
A keen eye might also notice that I converted to a hydraulic bell housing while I had it all apart. Since I cant leave well enough alone I decided to build a set of custom headers.
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10588-2/IMAG0581.jpg
Never did get a picture of them done, but they are installed already.

Next thing to tackle was how the rear sat and where the axle was in the wheel well. I dont know why it was so off after doing the frame chop, but I dont know what the springs where and since everything was bolted on to the frame someone before me had messed with stuff. Not to mention the other bed was on there.
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10702-2/IMAG0442.jpg
I drew up some parts in CAD and wanting to do all this at home laid it out to cut on the bandsaw.
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10675-2/IMAG0608_001.jpg
After some cutting, bending, and welding I had my own set of shackle flip brackets.
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10678-2/IMAG0609_001.jpg
All installed with some 63" springs from a newer chevy truck
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10660-2/IMAG0654_001.jpg
That looks a lot better
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10663-2/IMAG0655_001.jpg
fish plate on the frame Z
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10672-2/IMAG0604_001.jpg
Modded a newer hydroboost unit to fit the truck
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10666-2/IMAG0657_001.jpg
During down time and rainy days and nights I stripped the grill
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10687-2/IMAG0307.jpg
And got some color on it. not bad for a rattle can eh?
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10684-2/IMAG0292.jpg
One of the other things I wanted to do was run a newer gauge cluster in the truck. Since Ive parted several trucks out recently, I had some spare clusters.
Rough in
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10690-2/IMAG0371.jpg
How it sits after some sanding and bondo.
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10693-2/IMAG0387.jpg
And in the truck, minus gauges
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10654-2/IMAG0730.jpg
And that pretty much bring this thing current. Even with the fisheye lense I bought.
http://pnkages.com/gallery/d/10636-2/IMAG0682.jpg