1972 Chevy 4wd Longhorn Project: Never Ending Changes

[Vintage Windmills]

Glad to see the truck is being used and you are enjoying it Ryan. Looking forward to following your thread again here.

[6BT 56]

Hey ryan. How's things? Nice to see the truck,is earning it's keep. I haven't logged on in forever. Trucks away for now till this winter takes a hike . Dam groundhog said 6 more weeks the other day . Shoot him .... Lol. How's the rest of the fleet ? The excursion still humming along ? I loved that build as well.

Cheers .

Mike .

[Dieselwrencher]

Hey Mike! It's nice to see you back on here! Yep, the Excursion is still going. I had 2 more of the conversion lines crack on it over the last 2 years. I was really thinking of putting a 12v in it I have slated for another project. But I have enough to do. Haha How was the boat business for you last summer?

[MrBeast]

I really love this truck, I can't help but thinking about how it would look with the front bumper painted white, or wrapped in stainless.

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by MrBeast

I really love this truck, I can't help but thinking about how it would look with the front bumper painted white, or wrapped in stainless.

Thanks. I might change the bumper colors before summer. I plan to remove the bumpers to install my winch and do some paint work. I contemplated silver and white but went black because I thought it went better. Although, I've seen some old warn bumpers on these trucks recently painted silver and I really dig the look.

[Dieselwrencher]

The nasty stuff was off the roads and the weather was decent so I broke out the 72. It needs washed really bad though. I had to do a favor for my father in law and I drove it right after a snow storm a while back. The poor truck got covered in sand etc. Then it froze and snowed more so I wasn't able to get it washed. I did get most of it off when driving through the fresh melted snow on the way back though.

[6BT 56]

Next time it snows just drive back to the lumber yard and wait it out. Lol. I wonder if you went there early Nov to "get a few things " and forgot to return to the truck till say April , do you think they would notice ? Free indoor storage ? I may be on to something ��

Boat business is going just fine. It's abt time to get in to the swing of things around here . You have a Instagram account ? I had some cool old school hp in the shop last week check it out if you are on there, 1251 trucks.

Cheers

[lower50's]

Man I love the stance of your truck!!

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by 6BT 56

Next time it snows just drive back to the lumber yard and wait it out. Lol. I wonder if you went there early Nov to "get a few things " and forgot to return to the truck till say April , do you think they would notice ? Free indoor storage ? I may be on to something ��

Boat business is going just fine. It's abt time to get in to the swing of things around here . You have a Instagram account ? I had some cool old school hp in the shop last week check it out if you are on there, 1251 trucks.

Cheers

That's a good idea, but it would probably be gone. That place is pretty high traffic and it would stick right out. :LOL:

Originally Posted by lower50's

Man I love the stance of your truck!!

Thanks!

[Dads79GMC]

Ryan, are we by chance meeting up on Friday to exchange some cash for a fender?????????? Mike

[mcbassin]

Your truck looks great doing work Ryan! So cool!

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by Dads79GMC

Ryan, are we by chance meeting up on Friday to exchange some cash for a fender?????????? Mike

Mike, yes we are!

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Your truck looks great doing work Ryan! So cool!

Thanks Mike. I used it last week to haul 2 cars, a truck, and to pull a tree over and it's currently loaded with wood. I'm a little PO'd at the Little Larry Valve I used for the air ride though. One of the valves is stuck and it wants to continually air that bag. It's coming off and I'll put my semi truck leveling valve on like I should have from the get go. To drive it home Sunday I aired the tank up enough to get the bag pressure where it needed to be and I didn't turn the compressor on anymore. PITA but it worked.

[Dads79GMC]

Excellent!! JaysonB and I are scrounging parts for a combined build! See you tomorrow!.
Mike

[Bdb68]

Nice thread, love the truck! I can't wait till mine is done enough to use like yours.

[Dieselwrencher]

I've been using this truck hauling a lot of stuff and driving it everywhere. I had my first issue at the end of June hauling my camper. My bottom turbo is pushing/leaking oil and my air filter got really dirty. I removed the top turbo to put a different turbo on but I will have to redo my piping so I cleaned everything back up and put it back together so I can continue to use the truck. I just can't haul my camper long distances with it until I rebuild the bottom turbo. (I probably won't tow the camper at all just in case)

I finally got tired of my in bed 16 gallon fuel tank and got the 19 gallon Boyd welding tank installed. I couldn't make the marker light hole work as the filler door because my fill tube is so large. I ended up putting it inside the bed and made a box around it which allowed me to put my trailer wiring socket in a better place too. I still need to finish affixing the box to the bed side but it works for now.

I also fixed the rust on the left rear corner of my bed floor. It was rusted through like most do where the bed side attaches. I cut out the rot on the cross member and installed new metal, then put the bed floor patch in. I despise the bed floor patch I got as it doesn't match the bends worth a darn. I'm on the search for a good steel floor for the next Longhorn build. I then welded the LH bed side to the floor. Soon I need to do the RH side. Someday I'll get the bed done......

[Dieselwrencher]

Next thing on the list is to get rid of the wood console I made to house my little larry valve, and ditch the little larry valve. That SOB will get stuck and continue to add air when it is in the middle position. Not cool. I'm going to put a regular leveling valve on it with a dump valve and be done with it. Then I need to finish hooking up my gauges, and I might put on borg warner turbos and my oil filter relocation stuff later on. Like the title says, never ending changes.

My daughter rode with me to and from the car show in Oskaloosa last weekend. She passed out 10 minutes into the trip on the way home. The kids love this truck. I'm betting I'll be building them their own trucks on down the road.

I did find another project last weekend but I don't think I'll pursue it. I just don't need another project. (Is that a thing?)

[6BT 56]

Nice to see it out and working . My little guy falls a sleep in all our stuff all the time . One time he fell asleep in the back of my old ford tractor. Full metal cab. Screaming away with the snow blower going . How do they do it ??? Lol...

[watahyahknow]

fillerneck looks nice . about the ribs in the floor : cant you get a metal shop to bend up a plate for you that matches the original ?
might be cheaper then cutting up an existing bed (you did say they all rust at that spot)
or buy some extra tools and make youre own :

[Dads79GMC]

Looking good!!

[jbclassix]

I used Boyd Welding for the fittings in the cooling system. I am very happy with them so far.

Same deal with patch panels here... I hate the fitment.

I am interested to see what you do for the suspension valve. For some reason I thought you used a standard leveling valve originally.

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by watahyahknow

fillerneck looks nice . about the ribs in the floor : cant you get a metal shop to bend up a plate for you that matches the original ?
might be cheaper then cutting up an existing bed (you did say they all rust at that spot)
or buy some extra tools and make youre own :

I mainly want another steel floor and part of another so I can do another steel floor conversion in a Longhorn bed. I probably could have a patch bent by a shop but that custom one off stuff at places like that around here gets expensive.

Originally Posted by Dads79GMC

Looking good!!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by jbclassix

I used Boyd Welding for the fittings in the cooling system. I am very happy with them so far.

Same deal with patch panels here... I hate the fitment.

I am interested to see what you do for the suspension valve. For some reason I thought you used a standard leveling valve originally.

Originally I was going to put a regular leveling valve on and then I stumbled on to the little larry valves. I wanted it because it would run the front and rear individually so when I did the front I'd be set. Currently I have the RH and LH bags separated and use 1 valve to run each bag. I don't like it as much as the old leveling valve I had. I thought about putting both rear bags on 1 valve on the little larry touche', but if I'm going to make changes, it's coming off the truck.

[lower50's]

At least you can still drive it with the one turbo. Gas tank looks nice.

[mcbassin]

Very cool seeing you put your truck to work! Looks great towing the camper

[Dieselwrencher]

I haven't really changed much on it. I did get the rear fuel tank installed and out of the bed. But I've just been using it and working it all the time.

[lower50's]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

I haven't really changed much on it. I did get the rear fuel tank installed and out of the bed. But I've just been using it and working it all the time.

That's OK these things happen. At least you are still driving it and loving it.