Halfbreed - GMC Z71 + IH Extd Cab

[Sven]

Cracking project, Sparky ... I'm sticking around, this'll be legendary to watch ...

Have you seen the Trucks TV show where they're transplanting a 70s Ford body on a Ram 2500 chassis?

-Steve

[sparkydog]

Originally Posted by Sven

Cracking project, Sparky ... I'm sticking around, this'll be legendary to watch ...

Have you seen the Trucks TV show where they're transplanting a 70s Ford body on a Ram 2500 chassis?

-Steve

Yes I have. I had already bought my 2 trucks before I ever saw the show but wasn't doing anything with them. The show helped motivate me. Then, one day I saw Chip Foose in the Orange County airport and blurted out "Hi Chip" and he said "Hi" back. That was my "sign" to proceed with the project so I did.

[sparkydog]

OK next installment: these next posts took me a total of about 3.5 hours to accomplish. And in my 20's or 30's I could have done this stuff and then gone out and partied like a rock star. But now at 51 I had to take 2 Aleve and guzzle a couple of Margaritas just to make the pain in my wrists and fingers go away after all the sawzall and disk cutter time.

So to start with, on Wed and Thurs night I moved the IH cab unit up to the back of the GMC frame to make way for the re-install of the GMC floor pan.

On Thurs night I marked off the GMC floor pan for the cuts and today I shaved the floor and firewall.

[sparkydog]

Had a little excitement when the freshly cut floor and firewall decided to make a break for freedom.

Got the horses back in the barn, then sanded all the cut edges and then stuffed the GMC floor pan back where it belongs and put the shock mounts back under it.

[sparkydog]

Next I solved a lot of my cowl and floor rot problems on the IH cab (by cutting them off hah!). I'm extra glad I chose to go this route because after I cut open the front cowl and firewall of the IH I discovered "the sarcophagus" inside the IH cab rocker panels. Here are some before and after pics. This does not include the 4lbs of dirt and rust that shook out into my face, ears and eyes while I lay on my back cutting this stuff open.

[sparkydog]

Being that I am so old and feeble I took a break at about this point and cleaned and organized. I may be done with the cab dolly so I tucked it away and then set up a little boneyard near the front sidewalk so everyone can stare at my wreckage.

Then I manned up and slid the cab forward and got it as close as I could so I could start making plans for the next round of trimming.

[sparkydog]

Here's two more shots of what I will be dreaming about while I sleep...

Also up with the next cuts will be taking out the old floor of the IH cab and mocking up both the fore/aft location and how much if any body drop to do over the GMC floorpan.