Progress Report

[cysko9]

Its been some time since i've posted any updates on my project. Actually, aside from pictures I put up of the origional truck I bought, this might be it. Anyway, I'm about ready to wrap things up for the winter so I wanted to post a few pictures. Well, more than a few.

I'll start with some background... This is the 1969 GMC I bought about 4 years ago. I'd never done a resto before and had very little idea about what I was getting into.



After spending the winter tearing every last bolt off of the thing, I realized that I'd rather spend my time working on a short bed. After weighing my options I went bought a SWB frame from a member up in Roseville.

I went to work on it, having it blasted and powdercoated, and then began spending the $$$. Here's the frame with an airbag suspension being installed. The front is a coolride and the rear is something I kindof rigged up with some mounts from suicidedoors.





cont...

[bad6772]

looks good ...

[cysko9]

...cont

The other suspension parts, swaybars and trackbar were from PST and ECE as well as the 6 lug disc brake conversion.

The rearend was purchased locally and is a 4.56 posi. Here's the rolling frame.




I purchased an air system from suicidedoors but waited about a year to install it as I was in Germany for a year for school. (good times)

In the meantime, I spent a week or so reassembling the GMC and sold it to a guy who drove 24hours from Manitoba or someplace up there... I didn't loose money and he let me keep the engine! (not that I'm going to use it).

The winter I got back from Germany, my uncle gave me his '84 suburban so I could steal the engine. Here it is in all its oil burning glory.



The following spring I set to work on the engine, but first had to install the airsystem so I could push it up from the big barn with the dirt floor to the small barn with the nice cement floor and insulated walls. Here's the system in its current state. The cardboard is doubling as a dash...



cont...

[cysko9]

...cont

While working on the suspension, in my spare time, I was rebuilding the 454 my uncle gave me. Its been bored .030 over and has forged pistons, stepped up cam, and various other things.





Paintbooth....







cont...

[cysko9]

...cont

Now that the engine and suspension were finished up. It was time to mate the two. By the way, the transmission I'm using is a 6spd manual made by ZF (6s-650). You might have seen these in HD series silverados from '03 to '05 or in F250/350 Fords. While in Germany I worked for ZF and managed to get a good deal direct from their plant in Gainesville GA.









I'm using a race fuel cell that I mounted btwn the frame behind the axel. It took some work but I managed to fab up a nice little bracket system.

[cysko9]

...cont

other fab included a crazy modification to my transmission mount.









and the O2 sensor on my headers...

[cysko9]

all that brings us to the current state of near running. I've got a holley commander TBI kit for the thing but after a day or two of little success, I've decided to break the engine in with an old quadrajet. Oh well. Here's the rest of the pictures...









The aluminum radiator is from that guy on ebay... it fits... kindof but i've posted my complaints regarding that on several other posts

Here's the main problem though... the right top mount doesn't fit around the fill neck... looks like more fabrication is in order!



So the plan from here is to start looking for a decent cab when i return from Denmark next summer (more school). For now, I'd like to get it broken in and maybe have it run with the TBI setup...

THanks

[67shortie]

Fantastic!

Great progress, keep up the good work. What are your plans with the body/paint/wheels?

[cysko9]

not sure yet. ive got 6 lugs so maybe something from the newer trucks... SS rims, but thats undecided. As far as paint, maybe orange with a white top. Other then that i have no idea

[72armyswbtruck]

Man, Nice progress pics, can't wait to get started on my SWB truck once I get moved into the new house.

[cysko9]

Thanks.
I fixed the remaining problems and got it running tonight!!!! It had been firing on only 3 cyl and we coudln't figure out why. We checked compression and saw that those 5 cyl not firing wern't getting compression.

Turns out that when I set the rockers, I did it without oil in the lifters. So the rockers were too tight and wern't allowing the valves to seat all the way.

I fixed that and now I've got between 180 and 200 psi in every cyl.

sure enough, it fired right up!!

[Iron-Butt]

looks good. nice work. I just installed a 454 in my 65 swb. what a monster.

[Bishops Trucks]

Beautiful work. Everything you have done looks great. That trans is huge!

[cysko9]

thanks. yah its laaaarge. hopefully it'll fit under a high hump. I dunno yet.

[cysko9]

Well, here's the latest update...

I've got the TBI installed. Can't seem to get it running worth a darn though. I'm gonna have to wait till I can drive it down the road to map the fuel correctly. Anyway, I had a clutch made and installed that, fixed an oil leak in the front pan seal, and installed a fan.

right now, i'm over in Denmark for 5 months so its all stowed away in the barn.

can't wait to get back home and keep working at it...