Grandpa's 72 / Cab needs work

[dirrtydut1]

Hey all,

I acquired my grandpa's 1972 Chevrolet c10 that he purchased new in 72. Truck still runs. Body is in decent overall shape other than the lower parts of the cab. I have searched high and low for a cab to no avail. I would like to get the cab fixed for now so i can use it and eventually do the rest of the resto and rebuild the engine.

Any suggestions as to doing this in a cost effective manner? I am decent with mechanical stuff, but do not claim to be a mechanic... what would you suggest i do myself and what shoud i farm out? Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[MidLifer]

How are you with sheet metal work? Can you cut, grind, weld, sand, fill, prime, paint? Body work is expensive and labor-intensive, so if the cab needs a lot of it, either you know how to do it yourself or have a friend that can work alongside you and teach you as you go. I am not a body man, but hope to be one some day, so my truck's body will continue to be a 20-footer until then.

If you have good aptitude, it isn't hard to learn how to do the mechanical work on these old trucks. You will need a good set of tools including sockets of every size from 1/4" to 1 1/4", a torque wrench, pullers, timing light, vacuum gauge just to name a few. It helps to have access to a compressor and some air tools.

Order both the factory (Chevy) service manual and the Haynes manual for your year truck (you can find them used on Amazon and eBay for reasonable prices). Perhaps sign up for an auto repair class at a local trade school if you have the time. Most stuff, if you can learn how to diagnose it (in the book), and can take it apart, replace parts and put it back together (also in the book) you can fix it.

Rebuilding an engine is a more complex endeavor, which requires you to pay attention to tolerances, torques, and complex parts assembly, but again there are a number of good books that will step you through it if you have the time and patience. Have a look at David Vizard's classic book on this topic: Amazon.com: How to Rebuild Your Small-Block Chevy...
Or you can do like a lot of us do, save up $1600 and buy a crate motor brand new from the factory. Before you dig into rebuilding yours, price up all the parts you need and the machine shop labor, the difference in price is not as much as you might think and you are getting a brand new motor.

Good luck - these trucks are great to learn on and this site is a valuable resource. Get familiar with the custom Google search box at the top of each page - it's a great way to find what's already been written about your question.

[dirrtydut1]

Thanks for the Response.

They body work will be the issue. I have no doubts I could figure most of it out, but I lack the setup, tools, etc. I am going to drop it by a local shop i have a connection with to get a bid.

What is the best way to locate a good cab, i feel like that it would be cheaper / more manageable for me to do myself if i can swap the cab out.

Thanks!

[MidLifer]

I've never bought a cab myself, and I don't get compensated for this, but first I would pay the $35 to become a registered member of this site and post a WTB ad. Or you could do a search on the Parts for Sale forum.

I semi-recently (6 months ago) ran across a guy on CL who is in Sycamore, IL and has a collection of trucks that he parts out. MIKE 815-739-1428.

Lastly, call junkyards. You can use an online locator like car-part.com and see which junkyards around you might have trucks like ours.

Remember, a cab without a title is no good. It may or may not be able to be registered in your state, and in any case it will be a pita.

Good luck with your build - the hunt is half the fun!

[nobolt]

ditto on the membership.
the EASIEST way to find a cab is here in the parts for sale. and dont be in a hurry.
the BEST way would be to take a month or more, and scour the wrecking yards in the southwest.

I see you are in MN...check with a member by the name of VINTAGE WINDMILLS. he has a couple.

[too much stuff]

Contact vintage windmills on the board here. He is a little south of you and just had an ad on the parts board. He may be able to hook you up.
Welcome from a little north of ya.

[ChevLoRay]

I bought a '68 cab to replace my '69. Of course, I'd already replaced the rockers and floors, as well as the kick panels. Now, I know we can get new firewall sheet metal. Oh, I'd even gotten a piece of a New Mexico cab to replace the huge hole created when the wiper motor fell out one morning. But, it was not to be. I traded a $25 1956 265 short block for a 1972 tilt column that I traded for a Mossberg 12ga that I traded for the '68 cab, with glass, heater and glovebox/SPID. Yeah, it needs rockers and corners and some minor work on the floor pan, but the firewall is clean. A better one than what I had, but it comes with the necessity of installing a new emergency brake setup. This one is a lever, while the '69-72's are foot operated. Lokar makes a nice billet ass'y, and there was an article in one of the truck rags a few months ago about one that uses a solenoid to control a valve that locks all four corners, but doesn't require any constant voltage to maintain that lock. It maybe equivalent to buying all new cables and so forth.

But, this is what you may get into if you have to replace your cab. The VIN on the cab is not supposed to be removed...illegal. The VIN on your frame is the VIN that matters to the gendarmes. Only thing: It's not always easy for them to find. Plus, having 2 VINs on one vehicle makes like interesting.

Only 4 bolts hold the cab to the chassis....plus some other stuff. Disconnect the harnesses at the firewall. Break the joint on the steering sector. Disconnect the fuel line, pull the front cap...may as well pull the bed..another 4 bolts...get a lot of muscle and go for it. Piece of cake.

[JCD]

dirrtydut1.. maybe you should try a road trip.
This popped up on the local Craigslist.
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/pts/3906157471.html

Getting a southern rust free cab is far better than trying to correct the one you have.

J.

[Tinkermc]

Welcome to the Forum a lot of people have dad's or grandad's truck here.