Project 30 Be Low

[Mike Bradbury]

It has been 10 years since I have started a build thread, so I guess it is time to get started on my '71 C30 that I intend to slam on bags with a custom dump flat bed.
This will be a budget build as my last one was so I will be custom fabricating the rear frame and suspension and most of the front. I have so many ideas running through my head and I am sure it will morph in final result.

I drove 6 hours one way with cash in hand to dig this fossil out of the hills above Fresno Ca. with a fork lift. The body is in remarkable condition, and it has Alcoa wheels that I like although they are only 16" and I would have preferred at least 18".

So if I have your interest join in for the ride, it is going to be a slow build but it has been one I have been thinking about for 7 years.

[D-n-Tyke]

Joined

[Palf70Step]

Looking forward to watching this one

[old51sedan]

Great find, looks like it was well worth the drive. That thing just barely gets up on that trailer, good thing it wasn't a few inches longer. We like lots of pictures..

[Mike Bradbury]

Yeah barely fits is an under statement. It did not fit by about three feet. But we were already up there with no other options. U haul is the only company that rents their trailers and you can return them somewhere else. All the other companies I looked at wanted their trailer back up in Fresno.

We figured since it did not have a bed or a camper on it the tongue was still the heavy side, but it was just 36" longer than my C20 long bed. If you look close in the picture you can see that there is a 4x6 wood beam that spans the frame rails about 3 feet in front of the rear axle. We used the custom camper leveling jacks to pick the back dualies off of the loading ramps and strapped the hell out of it. It road pretty well without much sway at 65 mph. It took a fork lift to get it on the truck and some back yard engineering to get it off since I do not own a fork lift at my house.

Old51: I like to post lots of pics, and this time my build will not rely on file sharing sites like Photobucket. I will upload directly to maintain the integrity of the build.

[D-n-Tyke]

Originally Posted by Mike Bradbury

If you look close in the picture you can see that there is a 4x6 wood bed that spans the frame rails about 3 feet in front of the rear axle. We used the custom camper leveling jacks to pick the back dualies off of the loading ramps and strapped the hell out of it.

Oh geez, I had even noticed that before. That is crazy. Awesome amount of making happen right there

[Mike Bradbury]

Originally Posted by D-n-Tyke

Oh geez, I had even noticed that before. That is crazy. Awesome amount of making happen right there

Yeah the Dualies are just kind of floating on the ramps with only about 100# on each. We could push hard on the ramp and they would still slide in and out. The straps are more so the ramps did not slide out on the freeway rather than supporting the truck.

[kev2809]

nice find cant wait to see it slammed.

[cangim]

Subbed as well. Going to be a fun build it looks.

[Mike Bradbury]

I had some time to kill this afternoon so I decided to remove the seats and carpet so I could inspect what lurked underneath. I pealed the carpet back from the rockers and was pleased with the initial first peek. After I got it all out and a quick dust pan cleaning have to say this is the cleanest cab I have ever come across. If it wasn't for the gaping hole on the back this cab would be perfect. the guy I bought it from had a donor cab in the field and he said I could have anything on it except the floor pans. He needed them for a project. I cut the back window passthrough panel and called it good.

I sold/traded the seats for $500 plus a rear window. So that should pay for my new F350 seat and reupholstery.

[Mike Bradbury]

Lots has changed in my plan for the build as I have spend most waking hours mentally designing the build when I should have been doing other things.

So hunting around the junk yard I found a pretty nice 8 lug axle out of a Silverado 2500. The axle that is in the C30 now I believe is a 4.56 Eaton rear end which is really hard find freeway gears and find other parts for it so I will just sell it to some rock crawler guys and fund the build. The Silverado axle is 3.73 from first look so it will be only seals and bearings that need to be replaced not the whole third member.
Also out are the 16" Alcoa wheels for some 20" wheels that will fit around the large disk brakes. The axle is about 5" wider than the original but since I am planning a custom flat bed the width doesn't really matter as much. The extra width will actually help in designing the four link bagged suspension.

The 402 BBC and TH400 are also on the chopping block to make room for a 6.0/4L80E combo.

[D-n-Tyke]

Originally Posted by Mike Bradbury

I had some time to kill this afternoon so I decided to remove the seats and carpet so I could inspect what lurked underneath. I pealed the carpet back from the rockers and was pleased with the initial first peek. After I got it all out and a quick dust pan cleaning have to say this is the cleanest cab I have ever come across. If it wasn't for the gaping hole on the back this cab would be perfect. the guy I bought it from had a donor cab in the field and he said I could have anything on it except the floor pans. He needed them for a project. I cut the back window passthrough panel and called it good.

I sold/traded the seats for $500 plus a rear window. So that should pay for my new F350 seat and reupholstery.

Dang it. I wish I would have known you were getting rid of the buckets. I am looking for a set for our Burban (Was original equiped with them but PO kept them)

[Mike Bradbury]

I would not fret too much. A feral cat had its way with the seats and they were pretty rank. Everything except the metal frame had to be removed and nuked. You’d probably spend just as much recovering everything rather than just finding a good set in somewhat good condition

[Mike Bradbury]

The 402 the TH400 and the Eaton rear is still to go. (this is not an add for sale just describing my build process )

The reason I am changing the OE drive train is to update to a modern driveline that is more reliable and I can tweak anything on the computer I need to. So I just picked up my 6.0/4L80E combo from Jayson! it is going to be awesome!

[Palf70Step]

It has been a while since I have seen the cut cab like that. Forgot that they had whacked them like that for the camper/motor home setups.

[Mike Bradbury]

Yeah I guess Chevy let various companies do the mods because Mine was literally torch cut rather than blade cut. Good thing the PO had an extra cab lying out in the weeds, he said I could cut a patch from it.

[SCOTI]

In & following along for the updates.

[Mike Bradbury]

So the Axle I got is the 11.5" ring gear HD full floating axle. I think this is the same as the 3500 axle. I believe the only difference between the 2500 and the 3500 Silverado is the spring pack that supports the truck. I think the 11.5" gear is the biggest, toughest axle offered in the 14 bolt housing.

Can anybody confirm this?

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Mike Bradbury

So the Axle I got is the 11.5" ring gear HD full floating axle. I think this is the same as the 3500 axle. I believe the only difference between the 2500 and the 3500 Silverado is the spring pack that supports the truck. I think the 11.5" gear is the biggest, toughest axle offered in the 14 bolt housing.

Can anybody confirm this?

Sounds correct to me. The FF units were the heaviest-duty for sure & I don't recall ever seeing a GM corporate axle larger than the 11.5" 14bolt.

[rickcdewitt]

Do you plan on well wells or raising the dump bed much for the drop?

[Mike Bradbury]

Originally Posted by rickcdewitt

Do you plan on well wells or raising the dump bed much for the drop?

I am kind of waffling back and fourth on wheel wells. I plan on designing trap doors that slide forward on each side above the wheels so that the bed can be positioned at the classic height, then the truck can still be aired down and put the frame close to the ground and the tires protrude up above the bed floor. When the trap doors are open it would be nice to have wells to keep the dirt from flying around when driving. If I find a set that is around 31" in circumference then I may just buy them instead of fabricating a custom set. Definitely stainless steel so I don't have to worry about rust or chipped paint. Lining them with bed liner is an option but I think it may not be the right look for the truck.

[Mike Bradbury]

Made a little progress today. I was able to score a back cab panel when I bought the truck. He had an old cab sitting in the field that he said I could cut whatever I wanted out of it except the floor. I cut the patch panel sizably bigger so I could patch where I wanted to. Near the floor it got a little wide because the two cabs were not punched in the same factory because the inside top section which is double walled was not very close profiles. I had to hammer it to get it close enough to MIG a tack in place. I wanted to make real sure that the outside where the glass rests is water tight.

[Scurry67]

Awesome. Nice work on that big patch so far!

[Mike Bradbury]

Yeah unfortunately this big truck is not running and it is way too long to fit in my garage so I think I am going have to build a wind block so that the MIG gas does not blow away and leave me with Swiss cheese.

The panel is pretty big so I have to take it slow so I don't warp the blank sections of the metal. This is why I cut the panel big to put the welds near corners so the the distortion would be minimized by the geometry of the steel.

[lolife99]

I’d be interested in all the pulleys and accessory brackets (alternator, power steering, a/c and water pump pulleys) if you decide to sell them.
Engine Frame mounts too.
I’m converting my 70 longbed to a big block.
Anything big block specific you plan to get rid of.