1972 Stepside SWB

[whiteyandreddy]

I also had a chance to clean the bed up a little. Here are some photos of the bed.

[whiteyandreddy]

Here are some interior images. I hope to complete in the next couple of weekends.

[67cheby]

WOW looks AWESOME !

[WIDESIDE72]

Lookin' good! I started to paint my 72 swb step a dark emerald green metallic but chickened out. I went to a more "sellable" candy apple red. We aren't building it to sell it, but you never know. The reason for the color change is my dad has a 71 GMC swb stepside (for sale on this forum) that he swore he would never sell, so he had it painted dark grey maetallic. No he decided he wanted PS, PB, auto and AC. We are contemplating swapping the front sheetmetal to 68 Chevy. I already picked up a hood and grill and have a line on a bumper and radiator support. Also considering swapping the 250 6 cyl 3 OTT to a 396/ TH400, along with PS and PB. Going to go look at the 70 Longhorn donor truck later this week.

[whiteyandreddy]

I got some time to work on the truck and a friend of mine stopped by twice to help, so I made decent progress this weekend. I disassembled and repainted the gauge needles (Chevy engine block orange) and the gauge mask semi-gloss black. I installed a new guage bezel because my old one was painted blue by the previous owner. I also managed to get the steering column reassembled with the horn relay wirng & turn signal cam, plus got the dome light wired. Today we installed the cigarette lighter, ignition switch and the sun shades. Here are some photos.

[whiteyandreddy]

And some of the column-

[whiteyandreddy]

The dash with gauges installed-

[whiteyandreddy]

My heater control had been oversprayed with white paint at some point in its life. I disassembled the unit and am removing all of the old paint. I will also polish the chrome and lenses. I finished a repaint of the backlit "air-defrost-fan" area, and polished the lens using the 3M headlight polishing kit and a slow speed on the drill. It is very easy to read now. I am looking forward to seeing the dash actually light up. Nearly every bulb was blown out or unplugged in the gauge cluster. I have now replaced them all-including the fiber optic light that lights the shift indicator.

[VA72C10]

Looking great! Love that color and the wheels. I actually really like the steering wheel...what's the horn button look like and what is it out of?

[whiteyandreddy]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

Looking great! Love that color and the wheels. I actually really like the steering wheel...what's the horn button look like and what is it out of?

Your post prompted me to learn more. It looks like it it is from a Pontiac of 1970's or 80's era. The horn button I have is identical except missing the Pontiac sticker. GM PN appears to be 9758175 (on the back of the wheel, molded on the back rim). If you are interested in one, here is one for sale: http://www.eliquidations.net/Product...spx?id=4168365
I may sell this one depending on what I decide to do with the steering wheel in the truck.

Further investigation shows the center horn insert is actually from a Chevette! I never knew!

[mcbassin]

Awesome build! Not sure how in the heck you got so far along in such a short period of time? Wow just wow, subscribed
Posted via Mobile Device

[whiteyandreddy]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Awesome build! Not sure how in the heck you got so far along in such a short period of time? Wow just wow, subscribed
Posted via Mobile Device

Thanks McBassin- I have a very patient wife, great kids who want to help, and great friends & family helping me along the way. There have been some very long nights, but I am determined to have this truck on the road again. I am getting very close.

[Tinkermc]

real nice work, I have not seen anything I did not like including the paint.

[whiteyandreddy]

Thanks, Tinkermc! I am really motivated by your compliments. I just got done tonight and here is my update. I repainted the vapor canister & windshield washer bottle brackets, completed more electrical in the dash, completed the front bumper turn signal wiring & lenses, and installed the brake drum rotors & wheels. Yesterday, my neighbor said the "all-black" drums would look nice with a pinstripe. Here they are, with the same can of red One Shot my son used in the photos on the first page. The circle is complete! No pun intended, although it is kind of funny when you see the photo of the drums. I think my neighbor was right.

[whiteyandreddy]

And some of the bumper and brackets. I used Eastwood chassis black on the brackets- it has a very high solids content. I can tell just spraying it that it is a much "thicker" paint than the Rust-o-leum or Duplicolor paints.

[whiteyandreddy]

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I have been working on the truck but hitting some snags. I purchased a HDPE gas tank to relocate the orginal. After messing with the side filler neck and where it should go, I decided I would have a concealed fill in the bed, beneath the wood. The plan is to move the gas tank filler neck port to the top of the tank, rather than the side. I will keep you posted. It should happen this week. I have a friend who welds plastic and has a plastic welder with nitrogen feed, which makes for a cleaner plastic weld.
My next big hurdle has been the stainless hardware. Here is the lesson: always use an anti-seize compound on stainless hardware. I now have a number of seized nuts on the bed strip bolts and will need to cut them out to modify the bedwood and get the filler neck in the right spot. Penetrating oil and impact ratches are only turning the bolt as I round out the steel bed strip carriage bolt opening. I will try a mini-grinder to see if I can cut them out and salvage the bed strips.
I have managed to accomplish a few things: the windshield washer hoses were replaced, the cowl attach bolts were touched up, windshield washer bracket was finally installed with bottle. I also finished the vacuum and PCV hose routing to the vapor canister, completed the fuel line from the cab to the engine, replace the fuel filer, installed new valve covers, and installed the front side marker lenses. I am working on finishing the electrical wiring to the rear of the truck now. I did manage to replace the intermediate wiring harness, which runs from the cab firewall all the way to the rear cross member, and installed insulated clips along the frame to hold it on. I will check that for electrical continuity this week.
Next up is to change the trans fluid, finish wiring the rear lights, and install the relocated gas tank. I also plan to reinstall the cowl and repaint the left inner fender. More this week, plus some images of where I am at.

[whiteyandreddy]

I had a really productive day thanks to two people helping me a great deal. I always struggled with the fuel tank filler neck after relocating the fuel tank to under the bed. The tank is a 21 gallon plastic tank from Golden State Parts. Further research shows it is a high density polyethylene (HDPE) tank. I wanted the filler neck on the top of the tank, but it was only available on the side. My good friend has a plastic welder which provides a nitrogen gas envelope over the welds and offered to help me move the filler neck. Here is the process: Mark the new fill location, cut out the old filler neck base, trace it out into the new desired location, cut out the new location, weld the old opening with the piece removed from the top, and weld in the filler neck. We vacuumed and wiped down the interior of the tank no less than 6 times to pull as much of the debris out as possible. Here are some photos before, during and after the fuel filler neck relocation. Before shows the filler neck on the side, with a small vent opening right next to the filler opening. Both were relocated.

[mcbassin]

Very nice work on the filler relocation. Good progress.

[Tinkermc]

very nice

[whiteyandreddy]

A little more progress and a roadblock. I have several leaks on the HDPE plastic gas tank, the most severe of which is at the fuel sending unit. I have some more work to do! I will try to repair the leaks at the welds and let you know how they turn out. The sending unit may be harder. I can't see if it is leaking at the seal or at the screw holes which hold the cleats down. Progress was made on the interior. I was persuaded to move away from the original AM radio to a more modern one. It's very nice and was very easy to install. Speakers will be mounted once I have the seat in, which hopefully will be soon. I also removed and repainted the left inner fender and a bunch of bolts that needed some touch up. I also had a chance to finish the washer pump hose installation and repainted the washer nozzles. I will be reinstalling the cowl this weekend along trying to pin down and fix the leaks.

[baldwinc]

Me likey!

[67c10rustbuket]

Looking good! Nice fuel tank mod too, The tailight wire covering/mounting is slick as well. You have a lot of nice detail in this truck, keep it up!

[Tinkermc]

it really does look nice

[whiteyandreddy]

Updated progress over the past two weeks:
I am still having trouble with the plastic tank sealing at the sending unit. The welds are holding water fine. I have replaced the o-ring, adjusted the fuel strainer up so its not hitting the bottom of the tank, teflon-taped the screws for the hold-down clamps, and reduced the diameter of the retainer ring all to have it tight when the hold-down clamps are tightened. I still have a leak at what I believe is the o-ring. I set a deadline of June 17th to have the truck on the road, so I switched paths to an aluminum tank from ProPerformance in AZ, who represents Boyd welding of Florida. I received the tank today (8 business days after ordering-amazing) and mounted it tonight. Travis at ProPerformance was simply excellent to work with and the tank is impressive. It fits perfectly in the frame. I will be filling the tank this weekend after priming the engine oil and fuel lines. Many thanks to my friend, Joe, who stopped by to help tonight.
Other tasks completed recently:
Finished the kick panel install using the vent door lever mounting screw holes, installed the dash pad, glove box & steering wheel I also finished interior wiring, windshield wipers, and re-mounted the front bumper. I also got the bench seat recovered in black vinyl. Here are some pictures. I will try to post agin this weekend after working on the truck again.

[whiteyandreddy]

Some more pictures of other recent progress. When I purchased the truck, I didn't realize the seat was not original. I believe it is an early '80's Chevy truck based on a truck I used parts from.