“Castro” my new 72 build

[GSFMECH]

I should have started this thread long ago. I built my new truck last year and never started a build thread. I documented the build with photos and now I’m playing catch up. The reason for this build as you can see from the below photo is I lost my blue 72 in September of 2019 thanks to a drunk driver. I was on my way back from C10s in the park when this dude decided to turn left 100 ft in front of me while I was going down the highway at 55 mph. Here’s a photo of the carnage below. It was damaged heavily, frame bent, cab tweaked, left bedside bent and all of the front sheet metal was destroyed. Lots of people told me to fix it and I could have but I figured it would never be the same again. I would have likely had to paint it all over to make it match and I wasn’t prepared to go through that again. Besides I always worried about it getting scratched or something happening to the paint and I wanted a patinaed truck. I figured I would salvage everything I could and sell off the rest. The insurance treated me right. You can see my original build of the blue truck in the link below. I had owned that truck for 20 years.

[GSFMECH]

Anyway, to pick up the pieces I bought this ochre and white 72 long bed. A buddy of mine bought the truck locally back in 2011 with the intention of making a SWB out of it for his son but never got around to it, his son didn’t like it and wanted something newer. He had even picked up a matching ochre and white short wheel base bed with original paint and a powdered coated SWB frame. He had lowered it with an ECE kit, new exhaust, a set of 20” Coys which were later sold, redid the interior and got it running good. Anyway, he sold it to another buddy and it sat outside in his driveway for a few years and not driven much. I bought the complete package off him and now it was time to build it. My intention was to do the SWB conversion along with my drivetrain, wheels and suspension and basically be identical to my blue truck except for the color and the patina. However, I decided to do a lot of upgrades over the blue one which you will see as I go along. Here’s a few photos right after I got it. My buddy had a set of 17” TTIIs on it which he kept but I got a set of 18 and 20” Coy’s with the deal which I didn’t use. The reason I call it “Castro” is that if it weren’t for old “Castro the drunkard” which caused this debacle I wouldn’t even have this truck. Hope he enjoys jail, it was his 4th time DUI. Here are a few shots of the truck when I got it. I’m not a huge fan of ochre but it was in good enough shape to leave the paint as original as possible and fix only the rust through, if I were restoring it I would have probably went with a different color truck. Having said that I’ve grown to love it. When I was a kid I worked part time for a man who had one the same color, so it brings back a lot of memories.

[GSFMECH]

Here’s the bed I got with the deal.

[GSFMECH]

Here’s the frame, it had been powder coated probably 12-14 years ago and had sat outside and faded but it was still nice and clean for the most part.

[GSFMECH]

It already looks better with the 20” Coys off my blue truck

[GSFMECH]

Old blue looks mighty sad, at least she still moves under her own power in this photo

[lolife99]

Very cool build.

[GSFMECH]

Originally Posted by lolife99

Very cool build.

Thanks

[GSFMECH]

One of the upgrades I wanted was the QA-1 coil over setup. After seeing Ernie (C10 ustacould) and Conner(C10_Punk) long haul the Underhauling truck (Old Girl) on Hot Rod Power Tour 2019 I had to have it. That trip beat the devil out of it and it performed with no complaints. Here’s where the boxes started arriving

[GSFMECH]

Now for the hard work, this is where the cursing and busted knuckles start with chiseling/ drilling out rivets, these plates are a pain to get off, these are riveted in with old panhard mount on the LH frame rail.

[GSFMECH]

Now for the c-notch. The entire spring pad has to come off unlike the normal c-notch that I had before.

[GSFMECH]

Upper a-arm bracket removed

[GSFMECH]

I used the new upper a-arm and coil over mounting bracket for a template to cut the hole for the coil over to pass through and drilled the bolt holes

[GSFMECH]

This is the new bracket set in place that takes the place of the factory one

[GSFMECH]

Welded in some very short pieces of tubing for the exhaust to pass through

[GSFMECH]

After completing all the cutting and rivet removal I finally got this junk painted and ready to start bolting stuff on. This was a lot of work that you'll never see. I scuffed and repainted the frame right over the powder coat with epoxy. I had to paint it because of all the cutting I did and also because it had sat outside and had weathered.

[LEEVON]

Mike glad to see you back. Your '72 was probably my favorite truck on here and I was really sad to see it destroyed. Will you be at C10's in the park this fall? I got tickets last year and they said they'd honor them this year after it was cancelled so we're planning on being there.

[GSFMECH]

Originally Posted by LEEVON

Mike glad to see you back. Your '72 was probably my favorite truck on here and I was really sad to see it destroyed. Will you be at C10's in the park this fall? I got tickets last year and they said they'd honor them this year after it was cancelled so we're planning on being there.

Thanks Leevon. Yes I plan to be there if I don't have to work but I will will for sure be at the classic truck nationals in June with my new truck. It's at the same venue.

[Ol Blue K20]

Signing in to watch! Sorry about the blue truck.

[GSFMECH]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Signing in to watch! Sorry about the blue truck.

Thanks I appreciate that

[Rich72C10]

sad story on your blue truck, I hope you where not hurt! Seems at the speed you were going you could have been knocked around a bit (even in a modern car/truck).

I am jealous of your shop and all that room you have! My cookie cutter house I can barely park my truck in and close the door (long beds take space!). Though I guess I could be worse off an not have a garage at all LOL!

[GSFMECH]

Originally Posted by Rich72C10

sad story on your blue truck, I hope you where not hurt! Seems at the speed you were going you could have been knocked around a bit (even in a modern car/truck).

I am jealous of your shop and all that room you have! My cookie cutter house I can barely park my truck in and close the door (long beds take space!). Though I guess I could be worse off an not have a garage at all LOL!

Thanks, yeah I was beat up a bit but nothing serious. Yes you are lucky, I spent many years working outside on this junk but honestly the photos make it look bigger than it is.

[GSFMECH]

On to assembly, New stuff starting to go on with all new hardware

[GSFMECH]

More Progress, this QA 1 kit takes square body spindles. Too bad because at the time I had 2 sets of ECE drop spindles for a 67- 72. 72-disc brakes have the thick rotors, so I bought McGaughys square body drop spindles for the thicker rotors. Looking back now I wished I would have bought CPP modular spindles, so I could put big brakes on later if I wanted to and not have to replace the spindles.

[GSFMECH]

Progress