Build Order Advice

[LSUMurse]

So, I am trying to put together a timeline, of sorts, for my build. I know some things should be done before others, or at least it is easier if done in a particular order. So I was looking for advice on what order makes for an easier build. With the amount of experience on this site, I am hoping to learn by yall's mistakes.

Background:
1968 1/2 ton 2WD Stepside LWB. 307 with a Powerglide. Stock rear (so, I'm guessing 3:73). Manual steering/brakes. No A/C.

Intent for truck:
The wife and I are looking to either put a slide-in camper on her or tow a small 16' trailer behind her and travel around the states. So, fuel economy is a little bit of a concern.

What I want to do:
Convert to power steering
Convert to power brakes
Convert to front (possibly rear also) disc brakes
Replace Powerglide tranny with a 700R4
Body patches (both rear cab corners, rear cab support ends on both sides, RH rocker panel, both kick panels, and I would guess I will find more as I go along)
Put in A/C
Put in a wood floor (currently has a sheet of 3/4 PT plywood)
Replace 2 bbl carb with a 4 bbl carb and intake manifold
Paint

I'm guessing there are some things that can be done at any time along the build and others that really should be done in order. For instance, I am guessing the carb and manifold should be changed before the tranny due to the linkage geometry.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. If there's something here that I missed, please let me know. Thank you all in advance.

BTW, Board, meet Rosie.

[jocko]

recommend suspension stuff first. Then do engine / trans, etc - which may include new exhaust. Do that last so you can snake around any susp mods you do along the way. Could consider a 72 front frame clip to take care of 5 lug/ps/pdb all at once.

[GASoline71]

If you're doing any amount of long distance travelling... I'd either rebuild the 307 you have, or dump a crate motor in it. You don't wanna be cruisin' the interstates with a 40 year old engine. It's a breakdown waiting to happen. Your entire drivetrain and brakes should be updated as well. New bearings, and seals, new u-joints and carrier bearing.

Also... update your cooling system with a new radiator, external tranny cooler, and a fan clutch. You'll be glad you did when you're in the midwest in summer, and the truck is plunkin' along at 190 degrees with no worries.

It might seem like a lot up front... but my biggest thing when I'm travellin in my 40 year old GMC... is that I have the piece of mind knowing that everything is updated and "gone through".

Gary

[hugger6933]

If mileage is a concern[and who is it not to these days] with talk of an overdrive, why not think of a 350 swap along with the 700, one like with TBI injection or maybe even a Vortec swap. With tbi you can improve mpg and drivability. also the tbi swap would be fairly inexpensive. I say suspension ,brakes rust repair the drivetrain mods then air and other comfort mods.

[OldCreek]

Try to keep the down time when the truck is not running to a minimum. Get that part of the project all ready to go and then hit it quickly. A non-running truck taking up space is a bummer....

[chevytruckluver]

It sounds like you will be close to a "frame off" restoration and modification for Rosie
you should look over the "Its just a pickup" build by Bruce 88
He has a very detailed build that also includes some of the upgrades you have mentioned
here is the link http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=318544

[RenoKeene]

Rosie is sweet! We don't see alot of long steppers, and those hubcaps are the bomb!
Time, experience and money dictate every build so take all three into consideration when you go to layout your overall plan. The type of camper (slide in vs pull behind) will also dictate alot of what you need.
So....try to nail it down a little more.
How much time are you going to allow from start to finish (figure it out then add two-four months).
How much experience do you have...got a welder? Can you do body and paint work? Ever rebuild an engine? Electrical? What you don't know you will have to learn (and buy tools) or pay someone else to do...which leads us to the last thing...
How much money have you alloted to this project? Take that number and add 30%.
This should give you a starting point or at least something to think about.
Good luck...and don't be shy, lots of very smart people in here willing to help.

[Constructor1]

Originally Posted by chevytruckluver

It sounds like you will be close to a "frame off" restoration and modification for Rosie
you should look over the "Its just a pickup" build by Bruce 88
He has a very detailed build that also includes some of the upgrades you have mentioned
here is the link http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=318544

I am speachless after having read thru the "It's just a pickup" build. Never have I seen such willingness to share such a wealth of information. I have new found motivation for my build. If you click on this link, be prepaired to spend a lot of time in amazement and pure awe at the level of detail.

[PanelDeland]

If you're looking for decent milage and driveability,check out the "Ram Jet "crate engines.EFI,Late model parts(available anywhere),a warranty,and it's basically plug and play.An OD tranny,and sway bars,disc front and PS,PB along with A/C will make it more liveable.1/2 ton is gonna be light for a cab-over camper.I would look for a light trailer and a camper shell.IIRC the "Ram Jet" can be had in a 383,the extra torque will probably be welcome and you shouldn't take much if any of a hit on milage.The other option that I would consider is an LS engine an tranny combo.

[R.L.]

This is going to be a great build, good luck.

[rsavage]

You won't be towing a trailer or hauling a good sized slide-in in OD. Check to see what rear end ratio you have - it might be 3.07 which doesn't really work well with an OD until you are at about 65mph + and you still can't put it in OD while towing. A rebuilt TH350 would do the trick. I have towed boats and campers, had truck campers while pulling boats, etc. for thousands of miles over the years. Figure a max of about 10mpg (or less) as a realistic mpg with a load like you are talking. You need to have a 4 core radiator, external transmission cooler, power brakes, tires with the correct load range for the load, good suspension parts etc as others have already pointed out. Good luck with Rosie's build. Keep us posted with pics of your progress.

[LSUMurse]

Some more info and replies to some of the (much appreciated) responses.

Rosie is also going to be my daily driver, so that's part of the reason I was looking at the 700r4 as opposed to the TH350. I may be wrong in this, but from what I have read the 700r4 can be setup to be able to manually lock up in third gear. That would give me the same ratio (1:1, I believe) as the TH350 for towing and an OD gear for daily cruising. I will definitely check the rear gears soon, to help with the decision on the tranny, thanks for the heads up.

My knowledge base is fairly low. I have tinkered with cars my whole life, but I have never taken on anything of this magnitude. I know how to turn a wrench and bust a knuckle, but adjusting the weights in a distributor to change the advance curve (that might make no sense at all, I have no idea) is a little beyond my current level of expertiese. I plan on learning A LOT from this build and from ya'll.

Another consideration is time, money, and space. Time I have, i am alloting about 4-5 years for this rolling build. Money, while I am not rolling in the cash flow, between my wife and I, we do OK. I can't just run out and buy everything I want, but a couple months of saving will do the trick. Space is a big issue. Right now my work space is the driveway. That's going to make painting kind of a pain in the tailgate.

WOW, I got long winded, sorry.

I really appreciate everyone's input. THANK YOU!