Project "Financial Burden": 1968 SWB C10

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Going to go with a rear mounted gas tank for the LS engine fuel system. No need for the filler neck hole on the cab anymore although it is one of my favorite features of these classic trucks.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Originally Posted by Xeen

You already have your go baby go machine so a great choice for your truck would be the 5.3L Vortec w/4l60e and 3.42:1 gear.

Originally Posted by eagleuh1

I second the 5.3/ 4l60e. Good milage, available at reasonable prices, and plenty of pow.er for hauling stuff. Unless you just want to go really, really fast .

That would be a great combination. I have a 5.3L engine I will be using for mock up. I am still up in the air on what combination I will settle on. I think I change my mind every other week.

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Your doing some real nice work on the rust repair. First time to your build, my eye caught your title "Financial Burden" I can relate, i was thinking i should have named my trucks thread "Going Broke" keep up the good work!

Thanks for the comments. Back when I was a kid my older brother told me about a drag car he saw labeled "Financial Burden." I've always thought it was a great name for a project. I like "Going Broke" too!

[jlaird]

Man that rust repair looks oh so familiar. So glad that stage is over for me! Your metalwork looks meticulous! I like it!

[Mr Chevorlet]

Love your craftsmenship. Your doing a fine job and its looking great.

[mcbassin]

You have done a great job on the chassis and cab. I really like the rust repair work. You are making it look too easy. I remember before I repaired my cab, I saw a bunch of pictures like your's, I thought well that looks easy enough...little did I know the repair panels were a joke in many cases, the rust is everywhere on these old trucks and it takes some serious time to do it right. Very clean work and some nice welders you have there.
Looking foward to following the rest of the restoration.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Thanks again for all the comments. It sure helps me stay motivated. I was able to save the lower part of the original rear door pillar and finished up the front pillar repair.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Since I've gotten a few requests to show more details around my work I've decided to do a more in depth summary of the cab corner replacement on this side of the truck. The first thing you need is a quality replacement patch panel. This picture shows the main thing to look for in a cab corner patch panel. You want a nice 90 degree contour on the bottom of the panel just like the original. This task is already challenging enough so make sure you start with good materials. The lower panel would have been a lot more work so I used the Goodmark branded panel (that I got from GMCPaul's Truck Parts) and sent the other one to the scrap pile.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

I then used Eastwood's Weld Thru Primer on everything that was going to be covered up by the new patch panel. I was able to cut along the brace line for this repair which hides most of the patch seam where you can't see it from the inside. I also added a small brace (before I cut anything out) to help keep things in alignment.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Using the old panel as a template I made a rough mark on the patch panel with about 3/4 of an inch to spare. This helps get the panel in a more workable size. I also like to use a small round file to remove the burrs left behind to prevent cutting my hands up. Always were gloves when handling sheet metal!

[lolife99]

Very nice work!

[swamp rat]

X2 ^^

[mcbassin]

Excellent write up and pictures. You are a master at making those repairs look easy.
Keep the pictures coming.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Had to fix the 1990's era modifications for a CD player. Luckily I scored a patch panel for $10 at a swap meet.

[cericd]

Nice work! I sure wish I had these skills.

[19GMC66]

Awesome work!

[C10_ustacould]

VERY VERY nice work, I am really impressed with your repairs so far. I'm ready for more updates so get with it!!

[mcbassin]

Excellent job on the radio fix.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Thanks again for all the encouragement. I had some nasty dents in both of my doors that created a lot of distortion throughout the panels. I decided to re-skin them and this also gave me a chance to do a good repair on the door bottoms and near the lower hinge. As always more pictures...

[Old_Truck_Fan]

More pictures...

[Xeen]

Wow man you have some serious metal working skills.
I hope I am that good one day.
P.S. It just occurred to me that I say the same things over and over every time I comment on this build but I can't help it because I'm just damn impressed with the craftsmanship.

[BigDaddyV]

Just foud your build and Wow, killer skills!
I'm along for the ride.

[knomadd]

I'm joining in now too. Great work so far.

[tommys72]

Nice work man. .. looking good

[mcbassin]

Excellent work on the door repairs. Looks great!

[HSRACER]

I have never wanted to do any type of bodywork in the past, but with your pictures and detailed technique that may change in the future! Thanks