Greg's 50 Build

[ruby57]

Fun to read the progress, Greg. Time to stoke the furnace in the garage! -Doug

[Root2812]

Doug, I actually bought a house today and close on Dec 7th so I will have a garage to bring the truck home to. I'm pretty excited for both the house and to finally get the truck home. Some work will definately be getting done.

[_Ogre]

congrats on the house
do tell us that it has a 6 car garage

[Root2812]

Unfortuantely I had to settle for a 3 car garage but the 3rd stall is extra deep. I looked at 3 houses with 6 garage stalls but all were too far from work (I work in the middle of downtown Minneapolis) and they were pretty rough. I ended up getting a fantastic house and just told my wife that she has to park outside to make room for my projects.

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by Root2812

...and just told my wife that she has to park outside to make room for my projects.

your black eyes healed up yet?
how's typing with broken fingers?
(any one else want to chirp in here?)

3 cars and deep is better than most

[Root2812]

We can all dream.... can't we?

[Root2812]

Well I am still waiting to close on the home so the truck is still up north. I did go up and take it for a spin. It ran great but the wireing is a problem. I know it needs replaced but I was hoping to wait until after I sent the cab to the media blaster. I like driving the old thing so I may need to do something soon though.

The good news is that I can finally get rid of those 64 Impala SS bucket seats. The back rests are too thick and push me into the stearing wheel. Today I snagged a 1991 Astro van rear seat for $20 off craigs list. I know it will fit, its got a think back that tilts, and the foam is in great shape. I think that once I upholster it I will have a really nice seat.



Thanks for following the slow progress guys. I may have a line on a motor so things should get interesting soon.

[ruby57]

Greg - And it is to be in the low 60's today and sunny... get that Astro van bench seat installed and take her for a spin one more time before snow falls! Good luck with the house closing... Happy Thanksgiving! -Doug

Originally Posted by Root2812

Well I am still waiting to close on the home so the truck is still up north. I did go up and take it for a spin. It ran great but the wireing is a problem. I know it needs replaced but I was hoping to wait until after I sent the cab to the media blaster. I like driving the old thing so I may need to do something soon though.

The good news is that I can finally get rid of those 64 Impala SS bucket seats. The back rests are too thick and push me into the stearing wheel. Today I snagged a 1991 Astro van rear seat for $20 off craigs list. I know it will fit, its got a think back that tilts, and the foam is in great shape. I think that once I upholster it I will have a really nice seat.

Thanks for following the slow progress guys. I may have a line on a motor so things should get interesting soon.

[Root2812]

Happy Thanksgiving to you too Doug. I'll be going up there again next weekend but I need to help my dad with his 2000 Silverado. We are painting it and swapping boxes with one that doesn't have more dents than a golf ball. We take turns pulling each others trucks into the shop.

If I get to any work on my truck it will probably be bringing in my new box for disassembly. I have a goal of getting the new box done this winter so I can sell the one I have now.

[Root2812]

So its time for a very meager update. My dad has a tow service and a rolled over explorer came in that the owner wanted us to dispose of. I took a peek and it was running the 5.0L V8. I'm going to pull that out and try and sell it so I can buy my LS engine. The best part is that the explorer had the limited slip rear end with disk brakes. I sure like a $200-300 part for free.

On the down side, the weather hasn't been kind to me. I really wanted to get my truck drug home so I could tinker with it as I saved for parts. The snow buried it and then my dad finished the job with his plow. Looks like the truck will be sitting idol for a little while longer.


In the mean time my dad and I have been giving his 99 silverado a freshening up. No pictures but it looked like a golf ball it had so many dents. Now its straight and ready for paint.

This biggest news for me is my newest toy. My new 2012 ninja that I picked up at the dealer about 2 weeks ago. The 2013's came out and since its winter I got a real deal on it. Now I just wish it would warm up.


I should really thank all of you for the bike. I was injured in the Army and given a disability payment of $127 per month. The check was just small enough to either save or have a little spending money. I chose to buy a new bike with it. The best part is that after the direct deposit from the VA and the direct payment to the bank I still have $18 left. Haha. So I chose to make the best of a bad situation and now its like a free bike courtasy of the American tax payer. So thank you everyone.

[youngrodder]

First off thank you for your service.

The color of your bike was the inspiration for my truck color. My friend and painter owned a Kawasaki dealership. We to simulated the color because Kaw's paint is a tri-coat. We simulated mine as a 2 stage (base clear).


Nice bike.

Marc

[Root2812]

Thanks Marc. I love the color of your truck too. I'm hoping one day my truck will look half as nice as yours.

[Atommik]

I should really thank all of you for the bike. I was injured in the Army and given a disability payment of $127 per month. The check was just small enough to either save or have a little spending money. I chose to buy a new bike with it. The best part is that after the direct deposit from the VA and the direct payment to the bank I still have $18 left. Haha. So I chose to make the best of a bad situation and now its like a free bike courtasy of the American tax payer. So thank you everyone.[/QUOTE]

$127 is a very small price for us to pay for someone injured in our country's service!!! Thank you!!!! and enjoy the bike!!

[Root2812]

The truck is still buried up to the roof in snow but that didn't stop me from going parts hunting. Made a good haul today but the best score was this grill guard for only $50. Pretty stoked about it and I can't wait to get it on the truck.



I'm hoping to start the real progress once the snow melts but until then I'll settle for the thrill of the hunt.

[rickerwill]

I'll watch this one, Greg! I hope you see a good thaw there and get motivated to dive in. Hey, those Impala seats look to be in good enough restorable shape to fund a bit of the build. Have you seen what those things sell for lately? Wrench on, Soldier!

[Root2812]

Thanks Rickerwill. It finally started to thaw and I ordered a new wiring harness so I can get the old truck safe to drive while I build that other chassis. I still need to order all the other bit for the 12v conversion.

Yeah those impala seats are in good shape. The chrome trim is a bit pitted and the vinyl is cracked. Really just a good re-upholster and they would be great. I haven't really looked into what they would go for. I figured I'd end up just throwing them on ebay and seeing what happens. I have the matching console for an automatic too so when the time comes I hope to get a a decent amount for them.

Do you have a build thread? I read your signature and it sounds like you have a nice truck there.

[Root2812]

At long last she is home. What an eventful trip though. I had to borrow a truck since my ranger doesn't have enough power (4cyl) to tow the 50' 200 miles. Like always the truck fought me every step of the way. It started with the sediment bowl leaking so I couldn't get the truck to start. Lucky for me I had ordered a new gasket this winter from classic parts. Unlucky for me I think someone may have swapped fuel pumps at some point because the gasket was too small. I had to make a temporary gasket with some cork. It worked! Well I had cranked it for a while to try and start before I found the fuel leak and since she hadn't run since October the battery was dead. A quick pull start and she was purring like a kitten and just sat there and idled.

I drove it up on the trailer. I only have a tow dolly so the rear wheels were on the ground. Went 5 miles and luckily I stopped for a burger before I hit the long road and I saw the trailer tire was almost flat. Found some free air at a gas station and on I went. Then things got hairy.....

I forgot one major thing. The 50' has no steering lock like my newer cars. I went around a corner and as the wheels turned the truck almost came off the trailer. She threw one of the wheel straps (the kind that goes over the wheel like a net) and that wheel was almost off the trailer. THANK GOD FOR SAFETY CHAINS!!!! I got her back on the trailer and used some ratchet straps to tie the steering wheel to both doors and now it wouldn't turn. From there on out it was smooth sailing. When I got home it fired right up and drove off the trailer and into my drive way.

Now I need some better tires and to square away the wiring and I can drive! My goal is to be ready for back to the 50's!

And some pics!

My wife snagged this pic of it being towed behind us.



On the trailer


Coming off the trailer (video)
http://s901.photobucket.com/user/Roo...tml?sort=3&o=0

And here she is in her new spot... Well Until I put it inside.

[Atommik]

Ahh!! Home at last!! I hope you get some time to work on it!!

[Root2812]

Minor work got done tonight. After fighting the rusty bolts off with PB blaster and then some heat I was about to mount my grill guard. Its a minor accomplishment but it felt good to do something on the truck. It was dark outside so it didn't look like it stood out but I hope it looks better in the light. And yes it is crooked. The truck was hit in the passenger front side so the bumper brackets are twisted. If the bumper was straight then the grill guard would be too.

[99 to Life]

hey man, congrats on the new direction with the truck. I love it. Great score on the grille guard.

[Root2812]

Well, the long holiday weekend is over and I am sure many of you have made some good progress on your projects and will probably be posting pictures. My old chevy was neglected but I took the weekend to breathe some new life into another chevy so I thought I'd share the story/pics.

Last summer my dad needed a new truck to haul things and do a lot of parts runs for his auto repair shop. I ended up picking up a 2000 Silverado for $1800 for him. Its only a v6 but it is still a 4x4 and get about 20 mpg so its perfect for the job. The big problem was that it had more dents than a golf ball thanks to a rough life as a landscaper's truck and the rockers were rusted out. It took a lot of work and a new box but my dad did a great job on the body work over the winter. This weekend I helped him finish the job.

Where the weekend started. Prepping for sealer.




And here is some with color and most of the assembly done.(Notice the nicer rims. They came off an 06 but look way better than the black ones.)


There was a little too much orange peal so I did the wet sanding and my dad followed me with the buffer.


And a nice shot of the shop.


Home and finished. We were pleased.



Now back to my project.

On a side note... I decided to make the best of my drive this weekend and tried "hyper mileing". I normally get 29 mpg highway on a good day with my little Ford Ranger but today I got 36.2 mpg. Not bad for a truck. Its pretty fun to see results like that too.

[Atommik]

I should try hyper mileing with my suburban, maybe I'd get 14 mpg. HAHA!!

Your dad's truck looks great!!

[Root2812]

Thanks Atommik.

Well Yesterday was my birthday and the Wife said we could do what ever I wanted all weekend. Being that I turned 30 and now have one foot in the grave and another on a banana peal I wanted to be productive in my old age. I enjoyed a nice birthday dinner at Red Robin (my choice) and then wanted to finish building a garden. I needed supplies for the garden so I could take either the ranger or the 50 to Home Depot. I bet you guys know what I chose.

Before I could get my supplies I needed a bed floor. I took a bunch of scrap wood (oak, cedar, and pine) that the last owner of my house left in the rafters. I only had a hand saw so 2 hours later I had the trucks first wood bed in at least 30 years.


This morning I set off on the trucks first trip out of the neighborhood. A lot of people loved seeing the old truck and I had plenty of company as I loaded my soil. 3 different people had to come look and tell me about the one they used to have and to say how nice my truck was. Here is the load of soil.


I finished the garden and wanted more old truck time so the old truck got to go to its first car show. When I was there I realized that it too had a birthday. It was built June 1950. It was a hit. It was the only AD there (small show because of bad weather) and it made a lot of people smile. My wife was funny on the drive there. She was scared as we crept past 45 mph and the truck would shake. Haha


Unfortunately the truck was being moody. I think I need a new battery or at least need to go through the charging system but either way I had to push start it when we left the show. I felt a little embarrassed but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. It ran like crap all the way home. I think it wasn't getting enough spark because of the dead battery or something because it had no power and ran really poor. Its home now though so I'll get it fixed. Either way it was a productive and fun weekend for me, my wife, and the old truck.

[Atommik]

Where was the show? There are so many small shows around!! We even had our 1st annual car show at my work last summer. Not sure if there will be a 2nd!

Sounds like you had a great day with your truck and your wife. A good combination!!

[Root2812]

This show was in Anoka. Its held every Saturday during the summer except Memorial day weekend and back to the 50's weekend.