1972 K20 Custom Deluxe "Bruce"

[Graham57a]

Just as most of my truck stories start out, "We bought this truck to fix up and flip for a profit, now my wife and I are getting attached and likely wont be selling it for a while."

Here is the back story: My buddy Ken (52Napco) put me on to this truck back in January. I think he bought the truck out of Oregon and had it shipped to SC, after it got to the east coast it exchanged hands a few different times and the guy who had the truck was ready to sell. I drove down to SC one evening after work and checked the truck out in person. We struck a deal and I drove it home.

When cleaning the truck out I found a business card for a tree cutting service in Sacramento, CA which would make sense since it has a Fremont indication on the SPID. So my best guess is it was born and raised in Northern CA, at some point made it to Oregon and then obviously to to the east coast. I also know that the truck had an over the cab camper shell for most of its life which would explain the bed rail "patina". At some point the truck was repainted, the seat cover was replaced, and someone put a tach dash and an am/fm radio in the truck (all not factory to the truck).

My plan is to return the truck to a factory appearance while making some slight modifications / upgrades along the way.

[Graham57a]

How about some pics. Here are the first few I got before seeing the truck in person

[Graham57a]

The main reason I wanted this thing was how solid it is. The only rust I found on the truck was the pass side rocker panel

[Graham57a]

Knowing this truck came from Oregon I had to find an Oregon dealership keychain so I turned to eBay and ended up with this. Once my wife got ahold of it the name stuck

[Graham57a]

First on my list of changes was the wheels. Fortunately the truck came with a set of 16x8 steelies so I had them blasted, painted with rustoleum, and mounted on the truck

[Graham57a]

Before and after the steelies. I ended up going with 285/75/16s for the tires. They barely clear the front fender but so far I haven’t had any rubbing

[674wd]

It does look solid but when you take that rocker off you will probably find the outer floor edge is bad too. You can get an outer floor replacement strip from Classic Industries that runs from the toe board to the rear of the cab. I would cut it out and replace it. The floor piece is formed just as the floor is from the factory, it has the back inside of the rocker attached to it.Take lots of pictures of everything as you take it apart to show where its welded, how it fits together, ect.

[DeadheadNM]

Looks really nice. Post more pics when poss. I'd appreciate some pics when poss of the OEM routing for the aux tank fuel lines if intact.

[Graham57a]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Looks really nice. Post more pics when poss. I'd appreciate some pics when poss of the OEM routing for the aux tank fuel lines if intact.

No problem. I’m guessing not all of this is factory but the clamps may help give you clues

[Richard]

Paint touch up looks good.

[DeadheadNM]

That was quick. Big thanks for the photos. Is the rock shield there to protect the tank selection valve?

Great work. Excellent addition to the herd and good to see it used as intended. Lower molding looks good.

[Nitis]

nice looking rig! wish I had your skills for sure mine is in about the same condition yours started

When its all said and done I want to add the white cab and just the upper molding

Keep up the good work

[Ol Blue K20]

I really like this truck. Nice work so far.

[Graham57a]

Originally Posted by Nitis

nice looking rig! wish I had your skills for sure mine is in about the same condition yours started

When its all said and done I want to add the white cab and just the upper molding

Keep up the good work

Thanks man, all it takes is patience. I haven't really messed with paint and body work much so it's a learning process. But I find some peace of mind in knowing that if I screw it up I can just sand it down and start over

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

I really like this truck. Nice work so far.

Thanks man, looks like we have similar taste

[rowdy11]

Can't wait to see the progress!

[Graham57a]

Originally Posted by rowdy11

Can't wait to see the progress!

Thanks for tagging along! I did spend some time under the hood this past weekend. Bruce got new points, cap, rotor, plugs, wire, alternator, and a quick resto / re-gasket on the exhaust manifolds. I also haven't really taken any photos of the interior for you guys but it's come a long way since I got the truck. I'll take some in the next day or so

[Graham57a]

Finally got around to polishing this old girl up. I wet sanded and polished the entire truck, then a good wax and buff to seal it all up. I’ve finished the pass side, half of the hood, and half of the drivers side, hoping to wrap up in the next day or so.

[Graham57a]

Also decided it was time to install some sound deadener in the cab and finish my carpet install. I’m planning on driving this old girl down to Charlotte in a few weeks for the Piedmont C10 Cruise so I felt like a few dollars spent on sound deadener might be worth while. I used a cheaper product that I found on amazon called Noico, it was $65 for 36sf instead of $170 for Dynamat

[Ol Blue K20]

Sure is pretty!

[Graham57a]

Today I finished the sound deadener and put the carpet in

[MDPotter]

That is one beautiful truck. I'd love to have a K20 or even a C20 longbed to haul stuff in, but it wouldn't be nearly as nice as yours!

[Graham57a]

One more with the seat in

[72Cheyenne454]

Looks great!

Share your thoughts on that sound deadener once you log a few miles.

Thanks

[Ol Blue K20]

I'm jealous....looks very good

[harrisoncole4]

Great looking rig!