69 K10 From the Field

[landarts]

Getting ready for the motor removal and the install of the 292 I6 motor. Here is a list of what I have and what I have coming to do the task. Only item below that I have not finalized is going with new HEI distributor or freshen up existing distributor and stay with points.

Have these items:
• freshly rebuilt motor that is John Deere green (needs green paint removed, new primer and paint)
• 292 4x4 cross member (needs cleaning, sandblasting and paint)
• 292 motor mount clam shells and spacers (needs cleaning, sandblasting and paint)
• Motor mount pads (new)
• finger guard shroud (has been sand blasted needs paint)
• battery cables (new)
• offset I6 air cleaner (needs sandblast, little metal work and paint)

Items I need:
• paint for motor
-Quart Eastwood 2-part Chevy Orange Ceramic paint
-Quart Eastwood 2-part Gloss Black paint
-Eastwood 2K high temp primer
-Calyx Manifold coating
• gasket set
• clutch kit
• carburetor
• exhaust system
• fuel pump
• hoses and belts
• spark plugs and plug wires
• distributor cap, rotor, points ( might go HEI here)
• coil if I don’t go HEI
• 507 Light Blue paint for firewall (BC/CC)
• Eastwood Chassis Satin black paint for frame (single stage)
• oil , oil filter, antifreeze, fuel filter
• battery
• possible radiator, need to test old one first

[landarts]

Removed the exhaust from the motor and frame, jacked up the cab and removed rubber supports and placed on 2x6 boards. Cab and frame scrubbed down with Purple Power and power washed outside in driveway with temperature at 35 degrees. Spent about fifteen minutes on each door filling with water and clearing the debris through the weep holes on the bottom. Finally I was able to fill with water until it all drained and ran out weep holes clear. Probably got a couple pounds of dirt and mud chunks off the frame and cab. It will make it easier to work on going forward with items cleaned up. While things are drying in the sun I have about an hour of cleanup detail in the garage from the initial tear down over the last few days. Move the bed to side yard and get ready for motor removal.

Then off to pickup a Uhaul rental trailer to go pickup a 67 GMC K15 1/2 ton 4x4 on Sunday that I purchased a few days ago in Oregon. So Sundays work on the truck will not happen since I will be traveling 5 hours each way.

[landarts]

Oh forgot here are pictures of the truck I am going to pick up in the morning.

[landarts]

After cleaning off the door panels and the transmission hump I noticed something that made me wonder. The transmission hump hole for the transfer case looks like it was cut with a torch which would not have been the way it was done at factory. The truck is a K10 by all the VIN numbers and and the number on the frame, all of the inside stickers etc......VIN plate is attached by standard Rosette pop rivets that looks it age. The paint looks exactly like the rest of the paint in the cab without any variance in color. The SPID has the vin number matching and one of the items listed is front locking hubs. So with all of that there is no reason for me to think it is anything different than a K10.

Only thing I can think of is that maybe it had a NP205 transfer case originally which sits to the right of the hump and somewhere along the way they swapped out for a different transfer case that sits more on the left side like in the picture. I did flip it over and there are no signs off welded metal or patching of any sort.

The door panels are in excellent shape, I will treat them with some plastic vinyl conditioner and at this point not sure if they will need to be resprayed with SEM color. The back side is in good shape, will cleanup with red scotch brite and put a coat of paint on them to preserve.

[landarts]

Well was able to get the truck on Sunday , the trip was interesting with all the snow and fog situations. Should have been five hours both ways turned into about a total of thirteen hours driving in one day. Here is what happened when I got there. The owner had messaged me and said to park out on main road and not to come down the driveway with trailer. With all the snow there was no where to turn around up by the house. So when I got there the road out front was a two lane road with my truck and trailer taking up the right lane. There was no side of road because the snow was piled on both sides about six feet high. He was walking down the long drive and I yelled up " Is it O.K. to park here in middle of road - he said no problem we only get a car or two a day that goes by". So I started to walk up the driveway with him and as we were talking he had two dogs running around playing in the snow. Next thing I knew was that I was being flipped upside down and landed on my head and shoulder in the middle of a hard packed snow driveway. The large dog cut me down from behind at a full run like a linebacker clipping someone from behind. I was in pain and took a few minutes to get myself back together.

After getting it loaded up on the road I felt the pain from the spill the next six hours driving back. Not a great way to end the day, but made it back safe and sound. Here is a picture of the truck loaded up when I stopped for a break and some lunch in Baker City Oregon.

[rgunlock]

I'll be following. I'm amazed at the quality of trucks you're able to find up there, and enjoy your approach to getting them back on the road.

[landarts]

Originally Posted by rgunlock

I'll be following. I'm amazed at the quality of trucks you're able to find up there, and enjoy your approach to getting them back on the road.

There are a few still left out there, however they are getting harder and more expensive to purchase. I try to look in different places a not just Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, KSL, auctions and my favorite sitting in the farm field.

[landarts]

Got out in the shop early this morning to get a few items on my checklist done on the K10. First I disconnected the master cylinder from the firewall and the steering shaft from the steering box. I did this so I could next jack the cab up a little higher and slide a 4x4 beam under the cab on both sides. After doing that I was able to move the cab back a little to give me more room to remove the motor and get to cleaning the frame up. I also remove the doors so that I can do better inspection on rockers and any other rust repair.

[landarts]

Here is the K10 with the motor removed. After removing it I placed it on a rolling motor stand I purchased from Summit racing. Scraped off an area of hard grease and exposed the engine block casting number 3782870. That makes the motor a 1962-1967 2 bolt 327 motor. I will later clean it up and rebuild it for another project.

Once I got the motor out I removed the motor frame mounts that were from a earlier 60-66 truck with a V6. Then started to clean off the large areas of hard dried grease and oil on the frame and running gear. I used a new tool that I purchased at H.F. a couple weeks ago/ I purchased the large air needle scaler. Every time I start a new project I try to purchase a few new tools and this was one of the new tools along with a new DA sander. I was really impressed at how fast it removed the dried caked on grease and oil deposits. It will be a keeper in my book.

[landarts]

Was able to pick up a good solid long bed after work today. I will take it apart and use some of the panels for the build and possibly use the floor or portions of the floor for this build also. the tailgate looks rough but it actually is pretty straight just scratched up a bit. Also going to take a look at this floor I found on Facebook Marketplace, if I get it I would patch the small area where someone cut out for fuel filler tube.

[landarts]

Grabbed another load of parts from a Craigslist deal today. This will help a few projects along the way.

2- doors with everything on them
4- inner fenders
1- complete core support
1- 67 grill with hoop rings, emblem and center piece that goes between core support
1- extra hoop ring for grill
2- GMC fenders
1- 67 hood
2- battery trays
2- high hump transmission covers 1 is for a 4x4
4- radiator support fastners with rubber
1- 6 cylinder fan shroud finger guard
3- cowls

[landarts]

Got the rest of the cab disassembled, removed the heater box on outside of firewall - found it full of leaves and debris. Did find some rust in the bottom of the cowl where the debris was. Pretty typical if it is packed with leaves, dirt, mud , rats nest etc. The rust will be an easy fix are about 4" x 2" will need to be cut out and repaired with new sheet metal. While I have it cut out I will treat the inside of cowl. I did find one small area on the firewall face upper drivers corner where rust is, about a 1" x 3" size. Both repairs will be fairly easy and then i can prep the firewall for paint.

[landarts]

Removed all items from door including the trim. All items looked good, nothing worn out as far as mechanical. Door felts, window felts and wind wing rubber will be replaced. Bottom of the drivers door corner has some rust to remove and repair. That piece will be cut from a template an formed to match existing.

One other item I wanted to address with the doors is the trim damage underneath. The last few trucks I have rebuilt had damage underneath the trim. This truck is no exception. Starting to bubble up on the lower side of the trim where it retains the trash and garbage. I will have to make a decision if I will replace all trim after repairs are made or fill the holes and go with a no trim option.

Other than that the door are in great condition, hinges are solid, glass is good and very straight metal.

[landarts]

Also was able to remove all the wiring harness when I striped the cab. I have a new AAW Classic Update 510089 kit on its way. Cab is ready for one more complete cleaning now that there is nothing left inside. Once it is clean I will make a few rust repairs and get it ready for paint. Firewall to back of where the gas tank goes will get a stick on weather/sound underlayment. I will treat the cab corners once they are cleaned out well and surface rust is addressed with a rust reformer and coat of rusty metal primer.

Was also able to start tearing down the long bed I bought a few days ago. Still have one more side to remove all the bolts from. It is a tiring process when doing it by yourself. I do a combination of removing if possible, on about 1/3 of the bolts on the bottom I just cranked up the Rigid impact drill and broke a bunch off. Most of the metal is good on this bed and will be used for two or three different projects. The bedside on passenger side has a nice dent that I want to challenge myself to remove.

[landarts]

Was able to get the rest of the extra long bed torn down and cut the floor into three sections. Now I will have the center section to replace that bad area on existing bed.

Also received first shipment of parts today from Summit.
-AAW wiring harness 510089
-Pertronix electronic ignition
-Pertronix Flamethrower coil
-Energy Suspension - new cab mount kit
-Valve cover gasket for repaint of motor
-3 heavy duty ground straps
-Set of single Delphi Packard crimpers (tool)
-Summit clutch kit for 292 motor
-Most important the free Summit hat and stickers

[landarts]

Got a few things done this weekend. Finished bagging and labeling any parts that were removed from the truck. Built a 4' high 20" wide 4 shelve box mounted on wall for all body work materials, sand papers, etc. Power washed heater assembly after removing fan, also power washed firewall mounted box for heater core. Scrubbed down the rest of the inside of cab, and firewall with solution and power washed. Cab is now ready for rust repair.

Cleaned of one small area of the frame in the rear and did a test sample of a satin black to see if I like how it looks. Need to get it back out in the sun to see the results. Will be prepping the front of the frame for paint. Then make any repairs to firewall, two small rust areas in cowl and repaint with 507 Light Blue single stage.

Also a few more items showed up on Saturday from AMD, rear bedside panels below lower trim for both sides.

[rgunlock]

Sounds like you are building up a big stash of parts, and you can never have too much storage space for supplies. Keep up the good progress.

[Ol Blue K20]

Subscribed. ...enjoying this build.

[landarts]

Got a few more boxes of parts in. One from Precision for a complete weatherstrip kit for doors, belt line, wind wings, door seals, windshield and back window. Also got a couple of other boxes from AMD and Summit with patch panels for rear bottom of bed where the installed rear bumper destroyed it with how it was mounted and rust.

Once I got one of those boxes open I noticed that it was not the AMD part I ordered but a Tri-Plus part. So I called Summit back and spoke with them about my order being incorrect and that I have one from AMD and one from Tri-Plus. He said no problem keep the part and we will send one out today. Then I asked about the discount that was currently running and explained that I missed it by one day last time because I was waiting for a call back from Summit on a part question. He said no problem we can fix that and credited my card $100.

I am a fan of Summit and have always been treated well by them whenever I've had an issue.

[landarts]

Got the day off from work for Good Friday holiday and decided to tear into the first stage of rust repair. Started off with mounting a new Lennox metal cutting blade that I thought I would try. It was an $11 investment and I am really impressed so far with the cutting and longevity. I was able to make all the cuts and remove the rocker and all is good. I am keeping track of what I cut with it to see how it goes. I had also bought a spot weld cutter - that will be going back to Amazon. It did not work at all, literally just walked all over the place and made it impossible to use.

After making all the cuts I prepped the areas with a 60 grit flap disc for the welds. The inner rocker area was ground down to bare metal and treated with rusty metal primer. I will start on fitment of the rocker after all is good and cured. Start making templates for replacement patches, cut some metal and get it tacked.

On the cowl area I will treat the inside now that it is cleaned out well. I will treat the upper cowl in windshield wiper area also before painting.

Last area that will need attention is the bottom of the inner door pad, there is a small 1" x 2" area that will need cut out and replaced.

[72ironmike]

Love the updates ! Wish I had those skills.

[renegade6]

A center punch will help with the spot weld cutter and not much forgiveness for not being exactly straight on when you are drilling. The HF one works fairly well too.

[landarts]

Originally Posted by renegade6

A center punch will help with the spot weld cutter and not much forgiveness for not being exactly straight on when you are drilling. The HF one works fairly well too.

The one I have has the center point so you can get it right over center to drill. I guess I could try the center punch next time. After I tried about half a dozed I just grabbed a brad point drill bit and it made short order of getting the spot welds cut lose.

Thanks for the heads up.

[landarts]

Was able to get templates made for the three rust area that needed new metal. Treated the metal on the inside of the cowl kick panel with a rust reformer and also on the firewall where it is a double layer of metal. Cut out the metal pieces and test fitting before tacking in. A few will need a slight grinding to make the fit right for a weld. Spray the back side with rusty metal primer and some black enamel. Next I did a test fit on the rocker in the passenger side and I was surprised that I will only need to make a few small adjustments to make it fit properly.

While I was waiting for the primer and enamel layers to dry I went through the drip rails on the cab and removed all of the seam sealer. For the areas that were hard to remove I warmed it up with a Mapp Gas torch and used a sharpened flat blade screwdriver. Now just need to go over once with a wire brush on a angle grinder and it will be ready for seam sealer again.

In the last picture that I circled with red - points to cracks in the metal where the parking brake mounts. I will need to grind and open up these and re-weld. Possibly reinforce if needed, have never seen that issue on a firewall.

This week will be welding everything in and getting those areas prepped for primer. Need to slide the cab back on a couple of 4x4 post so that I can clean and paint the frame from the front to just past the back of cab. Want to get this done so that when I finish body work on cab it can go back on with the new body rubber mounts with fresh paint. Also before I putting the new 292 4x4 crossmember and the 292 motor.

[landarts]

For the weekend I worked on getting all the metal trimmed and ready for tacking in on the rust repair on the cab. Below are pictures of how I tackled the firewall stress cracks where the parking brake mounts. Top and bottom mount holes were both cracked and need repair before I can scuff and repaint the firewall before the engine goes in.

Pict 1 - Shows the damage and after I used a grinder to cleanup area around the cracks. Originally thought I would just weld up the cracks but after cleaning it up I thought it would be better to cut out and replace the metal. the black marker marks are so I can line up the holes properly after I get new metal back in place.

Pict 2 - Shows where I cut out the metal and also shows how I taped card stock to the inside and outlined with a pencil.

Pict 3 - Shows the use of a spray adhesive to stick the template to the metal to be cut and the other is the tool of choice, a 4.5" grinder with a Lenox metal cutting blade. Clamped down with a large vise grip C clamp on the back of the truck frame with a 2x6 for support.

Pict 4 - Chows the metal cutout and fit to hole. I did have to do a little bit more grinding to fine tune it and make sure the fit was good for the welds. Also shows it tacked in tacking my time to jump around from corner to corner so it does not get heated up to much in one location.

I will follow up with the rest of the pictures of the welds finished and then ground down. Also the metal prepped for finishing and drilled for the parking brake to be remounted.

Will also have a few shots of the other areas on the cab like the rocker, kick panel and the passenger cowl repair. that will do it for the cab then onto minor door repair and then the replacement of the middle section of bed floor.