On 6-25-11 I got out to start the tear down. Took the retrofitted bucket seats out and found out that they are rare Pontiac seats from a 66 or so GTO or similar. They have the headrests and the reclining option which makes them pretty rare. I am hoping to sell them and recoupe some of the cost of buying the truck. I will put an original bench seat in later.
Anyway, I found more rust than I previously thought (I am not the first one to say this
). The interior is pretty ugly, so I ordered the panels that I need to fix this. I am a mediocre welder, but I think that it will have more sentimental value if I do some of the tough jobs by myself.
My goal is to get the interior workable, stop the rust from progressing, and then work on the patina paint, body work and engine in the next phase.
BTW, the engine is a 230 straight 6 which is the right engine, but not the original block to my truck (so I am told). It has the granny 4 speed tranny. The engine is blowing a good amount of exhaust out of the valve cover, so I am thinking if I have to pull the engine, I may just put a 350 in it.