Blue The Ox Build thread 4x4 K20

[willett]

This is my truck, a 1978 Chevrolet Cheyenne k20
454/Turbo 400/NP203. 44/14FF




I bought it just after I graduated High School


I had little mechanical experience when I bought it and didn't really know what to look for in a vehicle, never mind a square body Chevy!!


First I had a new carb put on, and got the front end done. After a year of driving it on dirt roads I found out about rust!



The box started turning to dust before my eyes!!







I almost wanted to flat deck it!



After putting the new box on I knew that the cab was probably just as bad, but I lacked the time and skill to do anything about it, so I drove it more or less untouched for about a year-and-a-half.

After buying a newer truck I put the Chev away for a couple years and broadened my mechanical knowlege. After spending considerable hours working on the Chev, my F-150, and a Bronco II in between I decided I kind of liked getting grease under my nails so I took a pre-apprenticeship course in Heavy Duty Mechanics and have since started an apprenticeship.








Last spring: Enter the '73 Cab!


I bought it from a friend of a friend for $150. He drove it up as a Washington state truck. He only wanted the chasis and box as this cab had a pretty big dent on the passenger side B pillar and I was feeling ambitious!

I stripped the cab, my current cab, and bought a welder


The door panel of the donor cab was a little bit bent from the hit the B pillar took so I popped it back home with a the very high-tec bottle jack and 4x4 method.



The donor cab was rustier than anticipated, but I had already gotten this far and didn't feel like searching for another cab





I started cutting and welding the firewall with some patch panels from LMC and some I made myself





Here is where I'm at as of today (Dec 3, 2012) On my next set of days off I hope to have the driver side almost complete aside from the cab corner which I will do last.




Bought a winch bumper yesterday for $50 Merry Christmas to me!!
The winch on the bottom is an old one that has been kicking around for years, its only a 5000LB winch, I will have use a snatch block until the winch breaks and I have an excuse to buy a bigger one!