Checklist for frame off?
 

I'm sure it's easy enough to do, but I'd love to hear from anyone on order/checklist for tearing a 69 LWB c20 down to the frame so I can strip and paint it. Any tips, tricks, or otherwise are appreciated.

Gene
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Re: Checklist for frame off?
 

Take pics of every piece, part, and nut and bolt, before you remove them. You'd be surprised how even the simplest thing, gets forgotten as to where it was, and how it was attached. As every single part comes off, right down if it needs to be painted, (body color or black etc.) replated, or replaced with a new or used one. This way, once it is completely tore down, you have a list of what you need to buy new or used, and what needs to be painted. Also bag and label all hardware. I will put every nut bolt and clip, from the left fender in a ziploc bag marked LEFT FENDER, etc. The finer you break down areas, the better. Such as "heater-outer firewall side" and so on. The more organized, and detailed your tear down is, the easier the build and assembly process will be. Less grief = more fun!

Re: Checklist for frame off?
 

Magic marker on those ziplock bags will smear and be unreadable by the time you need to know what it is. It might be better to have notes inside the bags. Be as descriptive as possible in the notes. Decide now if you want to know how much you've spent or if you would rather not know and file receipts accordingly.

Re: Checklist for frame off?
 

Not a bad idea. However, for me the bagging/tagging was not as religious on some items, as on others. Some things are no-brainers. Others...not so. The clips and such that are part and parcel for the items attached to the rails, like fuel and brake lines as well as e-brake pieces are harder to keep up with, if you can find where they go when they pop off. Luckily, they're available from places like www.inlinetube.com.

The shims that are part of the upper control arms....the pieces that are between the rail and the upper control arm...are what aligns that part. I labeled mine for the front or rear/ left or right. The studs stay on the rails.

The placement of the crossmember for the transmission is good info, but I figure that installing the engine/transmission assy will dictate where the crossmember needs to be. With the cab off....shouldn't be too hard.

No checklist is going to it all and make reassembly a walk in the park. The experience of dissassembly will do it for you.

Have fun!

Re: Checklist for frame off?
 

I have a full set of metal number and letter punches/stamps.
every part I took off either got a "d"driver-"p"pass. pounded into it. i also used posted notes in my ziplock bags. and took hundreds of pics of everything and at differnt angles.
but I'm sure when the time comes I'll be asking hows this go?

Re: Checklist for frame off?
 

I've restored a number of cars and motorcycles, so I'm not worried about the process. I was just wondering if anyone had a recommendation on order. Grill, radiator, fenders, inners, bed, cab, etc. Just looking to save some time if I can.
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Re: Checklist for frame off?
 

Good thing I wrote them down when I took apart my longhorn C20 :-) Ask and ye shall receive!

I make no claim or warranty that these are the right steps, or the best order, or safe, or anything else. But these are what I did, and it worked well. In the very few places where I found I'd wished I'd done it differently, this list already reflects what I learned.

The front springs were the sketchiest part. You may wish to remove them earlier in the process when the body and engine are still on the frame for weight. I did it with a spring compressor and no weight, and it was a little worrisome trusting your life to a spring compressor and chain!

Remove washer bottle and bracket
Remove upper radiator brackets
Remove fan and shroud
Drain coolant
Remove radiator and hoses
Remove hood latch and support
Remove headlights and bezels
Remove headlight rings and buckets
Remove Bumper
Remove bumper side mounts to frame
Remove Grille
Remove Aux Battery Tray
Remove Regulator from aux battery tray
Remove main battery tray
Remove alternator bracket
Remove wiper arms
Remove antenna rod
Remove cowl panel
Remove outer driver side fender
Diconnect connection from battery cable to junction block
Remove relay and park lights from radiator support
Remove AC lines and the 2 grommets
Remove AC evaporator tank
Remove AC condensor
Remove clips from buttom of rad support
Remove radiator support
Remove radiator support corners from radiator support
Remove driver's side inner fender brace
Remove parking brake cable from inner fender
Remove passenger side ground strap from inner fender
Remove inner fenders
Remove AC hose fixture and line clips on pump
Rmove heater hoses and valve
Remove negative battery cable
Remove pump to carb fuel line
Remove power steering lines and clips
Remove power steering pump
Remove fuel pump
Remove AC bracket from pump
Remove AC brackets from engine and exhaust manifold
Remove carrier bearing mount assembly
Remove rear universal joint
Remove front driveshaft
Remove rear driveshaft
Drain engine oil
Disconnect speedometer cable from transmission
Remove exhaust collectors
Remove shift linkage
Unbolt engine stands from frame
Remove distributor cap
Remove spark plug wires
Remove distributor
Remove throttle rod
Disconnect ground straps from rear valve cover bolts
Disconnect vacuum hose at engine for vacuum booster
Disconnect oil pressure gauge line from engine
Remove engine and transmission
Remove all emblems and trim from front fenders
Remove line at bottom of brake distribution block
Remove brake pedal retaining clips and washers
Remove vacuum booster
Remove clips and washers from middle brake pin
Remove cotter pin from lower pin and drive pin out
Remove booster bracket from firewall
Remove shift rod from steering column
Remove rag joint
Remove cowl vent solenoid arm and plastic plate
Remove vcowl vent flap from inside cowl
Disconnect heater control cables on top of heater box
Remove heater box assembly from firewall
Remove cowl vent solenoid from bracket
Remove cowl vent solenoid bracket from firewall
Remove plastic wire channel from cowl
Remove wiper motor arms from motor and cowl
Remove outside mirrors
Remove driver's door panel
Remove window regulators and lock hangles
Remove vent windows
Remove main glass from doors
Remove regulators from doors
Unclip 2 rods from each door latch
Remove latch
Remove pull knob from lock rod
Remove handle rod and armature
Remove door handle
Remove chrome strip from inside of door
Remove Custom Camper emblems from doors
Remove cowl to cab seals
Remove door with hinges still attached to doors
Remove door strikers - count shims
Remove seats
Remove console
Remove sill plates
Remove 2 under-column brackets
Remove 1 under-column strap
Disconnect wiring harnesses from column
Disconnect column to firewall screws
Remove column - put in gear needed to align with hole
Remove carpet
Remove carpet underlay
Disconnect speedo cable from instrument cluster
Disconnect oil pressure line from gauge
Disconnect vacuum gauge line
Disconnect tach harness
Remove instrument cluster
Remove headlight switch
Remove wiper swith
Remove glovebox door
Remove glovebox latch
Remove glovebox liner
Remove radio
Remove AC side vents and pipes
Remove headliner
Remove visors
Remove dome lamp
Remove cargo lamp and switch
Remove fuel tank
Remove dome lamp/fuel sender harness
Remove foam insulation from B-pillar
Remove seat belts
Disconnect harness from heater box relay
Disconnect harness and remove grommet from heater resistor
Remove heater box inside cab
Remove antenna base and grommet
Remove weatherstripping from door entries
Disconnect brake switch
Remove pedal box assembly
Remove door pins and floor dimmer
Disconnect ignition connectors
Disconnect wiper connectors
Pull engine harness back through firewall
Remove relay by fusebox
Disconnect orange-white courtesy harness from fusebox
Remove fusebox
Disconnect cable from e-brake assembly
Remove e-brake assembly
Remove passenger floor vent and solenoid
Remove driver floor vent and pull-handle
Remove wiper motor
Remove accelerator rod bell crank
Remove plastic thing by column hole
Remove firewall padding
Remove jute from dash
Remove dash pad
Remove AC center vent
Remove speaker
Remove accelerator pedal mount studs
Disconnect e-brake and speed
Remove oil gauge line and grommet
Remove brake pedal firewall boot
Remove hubcaps
Remove wheels and tires
Remove rear shocks
Disconnect e-brake cable from frame brackets
Disconnect e-brake cables from rear drums
Remove rear brake hose
Remove leaf springs
Remove rear axle as a unit
Remove front shocks
Remove sway bar
Remove tie rods ends from spindles
Remove front brake hoses
Remove upper and lower ball joint cotter pins
Back ball joint nuts off one or two threads
Break ball joints loose
Compress front springs
Disconnect top ball joint
Disconnect lower ball joint
Remove spindles
Remove centerlink
Remove idler arm
Remove idler arm mount
Remove steering box
Remove pitman arm from steering box
Remove upper control arms
Remove lower control arms
Remove brake and fuel hard lines
Remove body mounts
Remove exhaust system
Remove e-brake cables and brackets
Remove speedometer cable
Remove negative battery cable
Remove shift linkage bracket from frame
Remove rear leaf bump stops from frame
Remove trailer hitch
Remove rear bumper

These steps will get you to essentially a bare frame. If you want a roller, of course, you'll not be taking the spindles and rear axle out. But I was powdercoating the frame so I had to be complete.

Re: Checklist for frame off?
 

That's a cool list davepl. I can't even read it tho. Too painful for me right now.

As far as I'm concerned, Gene, if I were just looking at what you wrote in your post, without reading anything into it,
because everyone's definition of certain words are somewhat different, I'd still have to ask a couple of questions:

If "tearing down" and "stripping" mean frame-off, then I'd have some tips that would be different than those for removing tidbits
that get in the way of the paint gun.

If you are going to paint the interior, I'm sure there are some tricks that would be lost on an exterior-only paint job.

My initial thought was one, as a guy like you who's had the experience and, "....not worried about the process" won't need to hear
(but maybe, just maybe, someone else will...), is get your arms around your cash now, while you still have it. :lol:

Seriously, if it's only exterior paint, no frame off....the tips I know are quite different from a full-frame.

But here's one that should be considered for either approach. Take out the glass and look for and repair all the rust you have.
Seems logical, right. Everybody says, "Well, Duuuuh!" Lots of smart people (smarter than I) don't do it.

I just pretty much finished....except for body and paint. The driveline and suspension are either brand new (all pristine suspension), or in excellent shape....
...Hummm! A 383 and a 700r would be nice...(Oh, Bad Boy, Magwa!) However, next summer, I'll probably pull her all apart to do rust work on the cab. It's not serious....
But is rust ever NOT serious? I should have had it dipped this time...or media blasted...while I had it in chunks.

I'll be pulling off the rust-free hood and front clip. I'll get some help and try to pull the front clip with the grille, rad support and inner and outer fenders in a chunk.
Then, I'll be pulling off the rust-free bed. Then, I'll remove the rust free doors. Then, I'll pull out all the interior, interior wiring, a/c and glass and take the cab
somewhere for blasting. If I don't break any (of the new) glass, all that'll cost me will be the cost of the blasting, and the new sound deadener, door and window
gaskets, and SS front and rear window trim. And, of course, the body work. :smoke:

Point: Why did I just "contain" the rust, and not "get rid of the rust" in the first place? I was in a (three year) hurry to drive her. And, some would just leave it, I guess.
That'd be okay. But not for me.

Because this I know: Rust Never Sleeps.

Re: Checklist for frame off?
 

Food for thought...
When you take those two thousand pictures make sure you separate them into sub folder like front end, bed, doors, cab, interior, ect. If not you'll spend a lot of time looking for a underside picture of this or that and when you have a lot of pictures all the icon pics look similar. It's easier to catalog as you go each day of teardown. Just a consideration though. Good luck!
Mike
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Re: Checklist for frame off?
 

good point I took a crap load of pics and they are all of the tear down for that day. I'll have too search through hundreds to find the one pic of that little part:lol: