is anything fixable? 72 K20 project nearby

[crosby]

Hi guys. Near where I work, there has been a fairly rotted 72 K20 which looks to be on a newer frame (73-87). I can only guess. Where the cab meets the frame, there is some additional metal welded in there, so that it looks like the cab is bolted directly to the frame. What a mess! The cab looks fairly solid, with the usual floor and rocker rot. I plan on buying a MIG welder and learning how to weld on either my 77 stepside, or something like this 72. I would much rather build a 72 on top of my 77s frame, and build a stepside. For an amateur, is it really possible to replace most everything, or what? I have put together a few cars, but never learned how to weld yet. Could I just cut out the mess, and basically put it back to right? I know a few guys here have put older cabs on the newer frames with some success. The 72 is real cheap (of course), which puts it almost into my ballpark. What do you all think? Or should I just be reasonable? Thanks a lot for any help you can provide!

[FormerMember]

Crosby,
I say learn as you go. Where in NH are you? I have a K20 as well, that I am parting out. Could help a bit, if you like.

[crosby]

here are a few pictures....
okay maybe not SO solid
I'm a sucker for an old truck....

[crosby]

Hi Grendal, right on the ball, aren't you?! I live in Nottingham. What do you have? You can see the ground pretty good right through that floor

[FormerMember]

Doesn't seem too bad. I am in Derry.

[truckdude239]

not bad dude going to bealot of work fixing them floors

[tkeduk8r]

might make a good parts truck.. if the suspension and driveline are good then it is worth something... one thing to look for is the rear end... if it is a large round pig, then it is the heavy duty Eaton rear, solid but hard to find parts and hte gearing is minimum 4.11.. 14 bolt corp is the other, easy to find parts and alot of ratios available... ive got a good running gear K20 in about same shape that i am looking for a body to throw on... ifi ts cheap go for it...
--Mike

[crosby]

Hi guys, thanks for the messages. All I really need is the cab, because I want to use my late 70's running gear. I have a 14 bolt, dana 44, TH400 and an extra frame that I may cut down. Grendal, do you have a cab? Shoot me a PM if you want, it would be nice to chat with someone else from the area. Thanks very much!

[crosby]

Don't I have to have SOMETHING to weld TO? It would seem that the floor panel is junk, and so are the rockers. Would a full rocker and floor panel meet up, or would I need some of that to be intact? Thanks again!

[FormerMember]

I have a cab, but it's about as bad as the one you took pictures of.

[crosby]

Hi Grendel, thanks for the message. I think I may go for the 72. Thanks for the nice words, keep me posted on your progress. What are you building?

[shelby987]

How much are you looking to spend on that cab? If its more than a couple hundred, I would say put your time into looking for a cab for sale somewhere....or look into buying a 2wd in good shape to scrap parts from.....if there is one thing I have learned, buying a cheap project, in hopes of fixing all of the little things, will end up costing you more than buying a decent daily driver and fixing stuff from there.....just my $0.02

[crosby]

Hi Shelby. You make some good points, and that cab is pretty bad. I have a friend with a very good 72 yellow stepside 2wd. He's not selling it at the moment, but we've talked about it. That would be the perfect candidate. It's not a show truck, but very very good with recent paint. That would be between $5k and $7k, once he gets the bed painted and back on. This would be an easy project, but too much cash all at once. I need to find something in the middle I think. If I could find a solid truck complete, not running that would be ideal. I need it to be cheap and affordable, and I would like to learn how to weld. I expect this thing to take years to get all together, probably five or so anyhow. We have four kids, and my time and money are equally limited, so it would be okay to buy a few parts now and then, and just putter around. I am definitely keeping my eyes open... I will go look at the 72 again at lunch, but I would rather wait and get something better to start with. Thanks again everybody for your help!!

[woodridge]

If this truck gets parted out I need the locking hubs off the front axle.

[crosby]

Hi Woodridge. It's in a yard (garage, used cars, old guy) near where I work (NH). The owner said he wants it out of there before winter, and I talked him down to $250 a week or two ago. There's not too many of these things around, especially here. If I bought it, I would pull the cab and the nose, and scrap the rest. I have no use for the axles or the frame, other than taking some measurements. I am not sure if I am going to buy it though. Are those hubs hard to come by? Can't you buy new ones?

[truckdude239]

if u buy it you can part it out and make your money back with probley an little profit (a.k.a. more money to build your truck) if i had 250 i'd buy it lol

[crosby]

Is it true there are certain parts of the floor that are unavailable (as patches)? I saw a truck for sale on traderonline.com that stated some fabrication was necessary as parts of the floor cannot be purchased.

[crosby]

I don't know how many parts there are to sell... Aren't those axles the closed knuckle type?

[truckdude239]

my truck the po cut the floor out and welded in an new floor looded to e like an whole floor panel

[shelby987]

if its hubs for the dana 44hd....yes they are hard to come by...but it depends on the year of the chassis the truck is on....they are upwards of $100 for a new set from what I have seen.

With respect to the hunt for a decent 2wd body, I come across a decent number of 2wd's on a regular basis......and I have family in VT.....its possible that I MIGHT be headed out that way in a couple of months....if you want to split gas, I might be able to tow something out there for you.....this of course is all dependant on where my project stands when I head out to VT.....anyhoo....keep your eyes open, and while learning to weld is a must (still in the process myself) I have learned, its a whole lot better to start small, than to buy a project that will require experienced skill to repair only to get in over your head.....the difference between a really hard to repair project, and a daily driver project often comes down to time, patience, an ability to haggle, an extra couple hundred and someone who doesn't know what they have

[crosby]

Shelby, thanks for the message. I really could go either way (2wd or 4wd cab) since I can put in a high hump if I need to, but I am building a 4x4. If you do end up coming this way, I would be more than glad to work something out. Thanks very much!

[crosby]

Just got back from lunch. It looks like it's got the Eaton rear. Definitely not a 14 bolt. Looking back at the pictures, it doesn't seem to have a tilt column either, which would have been good. The cab has some weird supports underneath, and like I said, it looks like the rear of the cab is sitting directly on the frame. Looking at where the rear body mounts (of the cab) should be, there is some C-channel or something similar welded to the floor, and either bolted or welded to the frame, with something strange in between, like cloth or rubber?$@! Probably not even worth messing with this truck at any cost. The front axle seems to be the only thing worth anything. He did offer to deliver it to my house for $325. I wish the cab was just a little better....

[67-72williso]

crosby, the hangers I`m looking look this.

[crosby]

Hi Willis. Mine are newer, 73-87 I believe is different. What are you looking for, 67-72? I am not sure if the blue truck in this post has those or not, but if I do get a chance to look, I will let you know.

[69TowRig]

Well if you buy it and part it and it is actually on the original '72 frame, I am looking for 3/4 ton rear leaf springs.