1971 Stepside LS Build

[Custom 68]

Here we are waiting patiently for our weekly update...

[1971Stepside]

Here we are waiting patiently for our weekly update...

I wish I had one to give you...hopefully we will have something soon.

[rowdy11]

Excellent progress. I know from personal experience that this phase of the project feels slow...I'm a bit behind you but body work also being done for a show quality build. It's agonizing! From the looks of it the final product will be well worth it!

Also, you asked about keeping the radiator core red and my vote is yes!

[67C10GS]

You have more patience than I do.

[1971Stepside]

You have more patience than I do.

Just got home from a week vacation. Excited that my truck is supposed to be done on the 15th....but, it isn't going to be. Got home to find that they didn't work on it much at all in the past week. No way will they hit July 15th. The wait continues....

[TA_C10]

[1971Stepside]

Got a surprise call yesterday that my frame was ready to come back home while they finished blocking out the cab. I will run through the list of small things I have to do on the chassis and have it ready for the freshly painted parts. I just bet I'm ready before they are

[KMC3420]

That frame looks pretty dang amazing sitting there as is.

[TA_C10]

Boom!

[IronCanine]

Suh-weet!

[siggyfreud]

Looks awesome!

[Custom 68]

I would put a seat on it and drive it around like that... Your frame looks great. I didn't realize they were removing the body from the frame. Will you send the frame back and they will put the body back together after paint? That is going to be crazy amazing!

[1971Stepside]

That frame looks pretty dang amazing sitting there as is.

Thanks...I stare at the thing a lot

Suh-weet!

When you tell me that...I mean my head gets a little big for itself

Looks awesome!

Thank you

I would put a seat on it and drive it around like that... Your frame looks great. I didn't realize they were removing the body from the frame. Will you send the frame back and they will put the body back together after paint? That is going to be crazy amazing!

I have thought about setting the Snowden Seat up there LOL. Yes, I have the frame for about two weeks. It will then go back to the shop and we will put the cab back on then fit the front clip and doors. Bed will get assembled at the shop as well. I plan to then have the glass put in before it comes home. I'll get excited when I see paint flying. I have 90% of the parts to finish it up once it comes home, so I'm still hoping to get a drive in before the world implodes in November or COVID gets us....whatever comes first.

[1971Stepside]

Getting some final detail work done to the frame before the body is finished up. I didn't like the steering gear painted black so I pulled it off and painted it red to match. Made a huge difference IMO.

I painted up all the brake lines and the clips that hold the lines and reinstalled.

It has been very warm here, so I am keeping late hours in the garage.

[TA_C10]

[siggyfreud]

Wow that all looks amazing. Nothing quite like working on a clean, prepped frame and parts. I wouldn't miss the piles of dirt coming off everytime I hit my head on something.

[1971Stepside]

A couple more small updates. I painted the battery box to match the core support. I then tinkered with the routing of the overflow hose. I think this is pretty close to where I will leave it. My 2 x 4 is keeping the core support from leaning back while it is apart.

[TA_C10]

cool, what does your overflow tank look like and where is it mounted?

[1971Stepside]

cool, what does your overflow tank look like and where is it mounted?

Here is what I have.

[1971Stepside]

I'm getting encouraged that we may see paint in the next couple of weeks. Doing final blocking on the cab now. Looks like all other pieces are ready for paint except the tailgate and fender steps.

I also thought this Evercoat primer was pretty cool. When it dries it turns pink which is basically a built in top coat for blocking. When it is sanded it turns grey as you can see in the pics.

[MDPotter]

That is pretty cool, I might have to get a can and try it out! Reading the TDS it's a polyester-epoxy hybrid so it can go over bare steel but it also dries fast.

[1971Stepside]

I went to the shop last night and grabbed one of the bed cross members so I could mock up the gas tank vent. I've really put too much thought into where to run this vent as I am trying to get it up as high as I can without it being visible. I think this will work. Now to make it all pretty.

[TA_C10]

Shoot. It looks good to me as is. I have been thinking about my vent as well. Turns out your supposed to place your vent as high or higher than your gas filler neck. It would have been a lot easier if I just went with a bed filler rather than going with all this custom fab stuff... So I am thinking of running it either in one of the rear bed stake pockets or just run it alongside my gas filler up into the bed side.

Where did you get your vent? I like that.

[TA_C10]

PS: Don't forget your wrench

[1971Stepside]

I think this will be high enough since I am doing the bed fill. The cap itself will sit about an inch to and inch and a half higher. We will see. I bought the vent from Tanks Inc. It was originally supposed to be my rollover check valve, but it needed to be mounted vertical and I could not find a spot to mount it up high vertical. So, I purchased an in tank rollover valve and took the fitting out of this vent to just use it as a screen.

And the wrench is still on that bolt because I tore a ligament in my wrist and decided I could tighten that bolt anyway. After doing a "pain dance" around the garage I forgot I left it there after the failed attempt. Plan B on how to tighten big bolts with one good arm