Poll : How are you buiding you truck?

[BP68]

Great comments all. Cheers to everyone! Because the one thing we all have in common is keeping these trucks alive and well.

[70cst]

Originally Posted by BP68

Great comments all. Cheers to everyone! Because the one thing we all have in common is keeping these trucks alive and well.

X3 When I was much younger I could get down under my car...now in my old age once I get down I find it's not as easy to get up. I use to judge Street Rod Shows with a friend and I always admired those who were able to fix up their own rods.

[Spray-Bomb]

Do'n it all myself, minus the stuff that takes more than one person

And my dad helps me here and there, but for the most part it's all me

[Rust Buster]

So far, I've done everything but one. I had the cab sandblasted at a local shop. It was well worth it as I just don't have the equipment here. Other than that I have and still plan to do it all myself. I just ordered all my paint supplies from Southern Polyurethanes, so we will see how that goes. It will be my first attempt at a total paint job.

[sick69]

I have done everything so far myself. I enjoy knowing that i've done it all. Someone here made the statement,,,,"anyone can buy a truck but a true truck lover builds their own" Thats how i've always felt about it.


The only things I am going to farm out are the things I don't have the equipment to do,,,,,

The rear end, engine machining, tranny rebuild and possibly the interior. Not real sure about what i'm going to do with the interior yet so I'll have to wait and see what happens.


Frank

[70cst]

Originally Posted by sick69

I have done everything so far myself. I enjoy knowing that i've done it all. Someone here made the statement,,,,"anyone can buy a truck but a true truck lover builds their own" Thats how i've always felt about it.


The only things I am going to farm out are the things I don't have the equipment to do,,,,,

The rear end, engine machining, tranny rebuild and possibly the interior. Not real sure about what i'm going to do with the interior yet so I'll have to wait and see what happens.


Frank

Geee....I can't wait to build my next 2009 Chevy Truck. I guess I will never be a truck lover? What is this world coming to? :

[crazy longhorn]

I have done most of the work.....farmed out the recore on the radiator, the machine work on the engines, & the drive shaft. I have built auto trannys,setup rear gears, assembled & setup my engines, layout the body drop,tilt clip,chopped the top,cut my glass & built my own exhaust systems(still can afford it! LOL) Im on hold right now, home improvements, a kid in college,ect....its a cool toy, but one that will never be truely done(always sompin to add LOL!) crazyL

[mcc-bri]

Well i am 17 years old, go to high school and work a full time job. I have always done my own work on whatever hobby i have been into. Before i got this truck it was a snowmobile that i tore into, rebuilt and modified from the ground up and that was when i was 15-16 years old. I like to just dive into stuff and learn for myself and that has been what i have been doing with my 67. I learn a lot from this site and what i cant get from this site i get from friends and my power mec teacher at school who also has a 67. The only thing i have sent out so far to get work done is my 65 327 since i dont have the tools to do all the machine work on the block, crank and heads. I will be painting this truck myself and with the help from friends. I have done body work before and i used a base clear setup to paint my snowmobile hood, bulkhead and suspention parts and they turned out alright, still have a lot to learn about painting but i am well on my way there. The bigest bonus of doing stuff your self is that you did it and you can tell people that and makes me feel very accomplished with what i have done.

Anyways here is my snowmobile that i built up and i hope my truck turnes out as well as it did.

[pyro883]

I am trying to do it all myself with a lot of help from this board and not being afraid to as ask stupid questions.

[Ol'Rover]

everything is being done between me,my dad and a couple of his friends. Exept for paint...we dont know about that yet.

[Dingfodgy]

So far about 99% has been done by me, myself, and I. This includes the LWB to SWB hack-o-rama that I've embarked upon. I did farm out the media blasting of my replacement core support and inner fenders, but other than that it's all me. Fortunately, my old man was a body and paint guy for many, many years...so I am pretty good at the body and paint stuff. The mechanical and electrical stuff is where I'm challenged, but I have relatives and friends who are knowledgeable in this area, so I'm sure I'll be able to knock out an engine rebuild and rewire when the time comes.

[HomerJ]

I'm about a 50% guy. I know that I don't have the time/talent/patience/equipment/know-how to do the paint and body. I had a professional media blasting job done and my brother and nephew are doing the bodywork now. I will have a tranny shop build my 700R4 and a driveline shop cut the driveshaft.

Aside from that, I have rebuilt the engine with the help of friends and family. I swapped out the entire front end myself to upgrade to disc brakes and more modern power steering. I also did the rest of the suspension (springs, shocks, bushings) when I did the front end.

With body work in progress, I'm porting the heads while the engine is out (still considering swapping cams while I'm in there, too). I will do the wiring, interior, window regulators, ducting, etc myself, too.

HomerJ

[BigSky71]

I did all of mine at home. Early on I had considered paying to have the paint and body done but was so worried that it would cost a fortune and take 2-3 years to get my truck back that I just bought a paint gun and then a buffer. With buying a few tools, sand paper, blocks, paint products and a good gun my paint cost my about $2,500. Now I really enjoy the painting, maybe more than the wrenching...

[Psycho71]

Another member of the "do it yourself" crowd here. The only thing anyone else has done on my truck so far, is the exhaust.

I did some rough looking rookie body work on mine, just enough to get it painted flat black. The final body work and paint will be done by a pro (eventually). I simply don't have the skills, or the patience to learn them right now.

But the rest will be all me. Because that's why I got the truck. Obviously things like machine work on the engine, and a few other things will be farmed out. But if it's possible, anything I can do, I will.


Jay

[greasy68]

I am trying to do everything myself. I rebuilt my own 700r4 with a lot of help from books and the internet. I rebuilt my own engine. I kinda learn the things I don't already know when they break. Next is learning paint and body work. The paint on my truck is very broken.

[David Flores]

I've done most of the work myself. My dad helps me every now and then.
I also had help from a friend with the motor rebuild.

The things I had someone else do/will be doing are: transmission rebuild, seats reupholstered, and paint.

Oh, and I can't forget, this site has helped me a lot!

[Raven Lunatic]

I'm a year into a printing apprenticeship, and told the wife that I wanted to finish the truck when I make journeyman. That gives me 3 more years.

I'm doing everything myself that doesn't involve welding or bodywork. This site is the best thing I have come across in my OTHER apprenticeship... learning how to put this thing back together now that it is in tiny little pieces. I don't post much, just lurk, but you guys are the greatest. I can't tell you how grateful I am for everything I have learned and continue to learn from y'all.

Here's how she sits right now.

[HomerJ]

Originally Posted by OldCreek

Everytime I pay someone to do a job for me, whether its on the truck or house, I think about how much I have to work my job to pay for it. So, I try to do what I can!

OldCreek,

I do that, too - but with a little twist. I guesstimate how many hours it would take me to do the job. I then multiply the number of hours by my regular hourly rate at work. If I paid myself at work to do the job, and that number is higher than the cost of a professional job, I strongly consider the professional route. Another factor that I consider is my ability to perform the work and/or having the tools and equipment to do a satisfactory job. Needless to say, there are some things that I choose to do myself where my formula doesn't indicate that it's cost-effective.

For example, I am going to have my 700r4 built professionally. I know that I could do it myself, but with my busy schedule and limited knowledge of auto trannys, the time to complete the build would be very long. Also, my confidence in my own work (being I have never rebuilt a transmission) would weigh heavily on my mind. If that work ended up not being as good as it needed to be, how much will it cost to either try to fix it myself or to have a professional perform the work the second time around? Finally, I consider all of the above and imagine that the work I did was not right or not good enough. I ask myself "what is it worth to me (in dollars) to not have to deal with all of those headaches and have confidence in my transmission?". If that number is more than it costs to have professional work performed, I generally have the pros do it.

I salute those that can do all of the work themselves. I envy you for your free time and owning (or being able to borrow) all of the tools and equipment to do it all.

HomerJ

[caminokid]

I am going to do all my own work. I am not a body man...but I am going to try. In the past...I didnt have the patience for it. But now that I am older I should be better about it. I have learned alot from you guys here about body work.

[special-K]

Lately,I`ve been having gearbox,trans,and engine building done by guys I know are experts.If I had time I`d do it all.I`ve always had custom exhaust made and used upholstery shops.I want to get back to doing my own paint from now on.

[MrBeast]

I will be diy till the day I die, no iffs ands or buts about it.

[powell72]

100% me, I even did my own seat upholstery, exhaust system, tire mounting and balancing and front end alignment.

[mtndewmaniac66]

It has primarily been myself that does the work, and of course my wife and kids when they want to participate. I had the machine work done to the engine block and crank, but I built the motor.

I do as much of the work as I possibly can, that way I KNOW what has been done to my truck, or other vehicles for that matter. This is a safety matter for me as well.

[67shortie]

I don't do engine machine work, transmissions ans lastly rebuilding the rear end grrr.....

I can't get this thing set up correctly to save my life, I want to throw it out the window! I am usually pretty good at this stuff but this has thrown me a curve ball

My lack of paintence is holding me back from getting great results and that's why at this time in my life I will pay for it to be done....

['67fleet]

This truck is brand new to me but I'm sure just like everything else I do it will be us back yard mechanics. Me and a whole lot of help from friends, (help is a lot cheaper when they have a beer in their hand). I dont have the tools and I am lacking on the know how to do it all my self. My work area consists of one gravel/grass parking space and a horse stall I've converted into a workshop.