Project#2=1972

[Tinkermc]

looking forward to the build

[WIDESIDE72]

I am looking forward to seeing how this one goes!

[Low Elco]

Git ta crackin! Your fans eagerly await!
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[bbinaz59]

So sorry for the delay...it's been a little toasty here in Phoenix and my swamp cooler ain't keepin the garage so cool...We are going to get a better cooler and get this build going probably next week. I promise not to disappoint! Still hung up on what to do about the color though...

[Low Elco]

Ahem, copper, static on the pavement, just sayin....
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[bbinaz59]

Ok, Here we go...I finally broke down and got a new swamp cooler for the garage and hit the ground running Saturday. I am going to go about things a little bit different on this build. I'm going to get all the body work done before i completely disassemble the truck. It was just way too hard to work on loose panels on saw horses! I spent about 8 hours on the front sheetmetal block sanding the original paint and repairing dents. Here are a few pictures...

[Low Elco]

Good work! At your usual pace, will it be done by 10:00 tonight?
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[bbinaz59]

Maybe 10:30, but 10:00 is pushing it a bit! I really hope to have it done by January for Barret-Jackson. It's gonna be tough this time because I've lost my helper! She has her own project going on, but hopefully I can pull her away here and there for some much needed assistance!

[crakarjax]

Originally Posted by bbinaz59

Ok, Here we go...I finally broke down and got a new swamp cooler for the garage and hit the ground running Saturday. I am going to go about things a little bit different on this build. I'm going to get all the body work done before i completely disassemble the truck.

If you have time, it would be awesome if you could share with us some of the tools and techniques you use for bodywork. Your last project turned out awesome and as someone who hasn't done any bodywork but is getting ready to start, the info would be extremely useful!

[bbinaz59]

Originally Posted by crakarjax

If you have time, it would be awesome if you could share with us some of the tools and techniques you use for bodywork. Your last project turned out awesome and as someone who hasn't done any bodywork but is getting ready to start, the info would be extremely useful!

Wow, thanks crakarjax, I never really thought that what I do or how I do it would be all that useful or interesting. Most people are just interested in the end product. I guess we sometimes take for granted what we know. Let me start by saying that body and paint is somewhat of an art and although my last build seemed to get completed very quickly, the body and paint part of it is very, very, very time consuming, labor intensive, and tedious. Just like anything, a quality result starts with the prep work. I will do my best to take some time during this build to share with you some key techniques that will help you with your project. Maybe I can do some short videos so that I can actually show you some things. I think that would be easier than trying to describe it in words.

[bbinaz59]

Didn't get to work on the truck Saturday, but spent all day Sunday gutting the interior and getting the engine and trans ready to pull. The engine had a bad miss before teardown, so I decided to pull the heads to see if I could find the problem. Turns out there were burnt valves in 2 cylinders. I am still undecided on whether to rebuild this engine since it is the oringinal numbers matching 307, or go with maybe a big block or LS motor. Just not a big fan of 307's. All in all the truck is very solid. I was a bit disappointed to find the dash cut behind the stereo face plate as I thought it was uncut due to the post style stereo installed. I also fit the doors to the cab prior to doing any body work. Here are a few pictures...





See all the pictures here:
http://1972c10build.shutterfly.com/pictures/10

[67cheby]

great progress !

[bbinaz59]

Quick question...the bottom side of the floor on my 69 was satin finish red oxide sealer which was correct for 69. The bottom of this 72 appears to be satin finish black covered mostly in a real heavy undercoating. I know it is original to the truck due to the bronze overspray on top of it. It appears to be grey, but I am wondering if it started out life black and then faded. Anyone know what the correct color is? Thanks for any help...

[bbinaz59]

Haven't had much time to post anything but here are a few pics of the progress...













Well that's it for now, will try and post more often...

[Low Elco]

Wow! Nice work!
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[crakarjax]

Questions!

- Are those belltech spindles? They look really nice compared to my McGaughey's
- How did you disassemble the cab like that?!? I really think that's the only way to get at the corrosion in the cab corners.

[bbinaz59]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Wow! Nice work!
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Thanks!

[bbinaz59]

Originally Posted by crakarjax

Questions!

- Are those belltech spindles? They look really nice compared to my McGaughey's
- How did you disassemble the cab like that?!? I really think that's the only way to get at the corrosion in the cab corners.

The spindles are CPP as are the springs, shocks, etc. They make great quality parts in my opinion. In order to get to all the rust, we completely cut the floor out by drilling and grinding all of the factory spot welds. It's kind of a pain, and I don't think I would do it again because the replacement floor pan doesn't fit exaclty like it should out of the box. We had to cut and reshape many areas in order for it to fit good. We built some bracing that bolts to the hinge locations on the hinge pillar and to the striker location to keep the cab from collapsing when the floor was cut out. It worked pretty good, but the cab still flexed a lot. Even with the bracing, we took a ton of measurements to be sure the new floor went back in the same position. In hind sight, I think we should have sectioned the floor at the factory braces. It would have been a lot less work, and would have still allowed us access to all the rust while keeping all the factory dimension. Even with all the carefull measuring, I had to shim the cab mount locations to get the height correct to the bed and to allow for good fender fit. Aftermarket parts are just never a perfect fit.

[crakarjax]

Originally Posted by bbinaz59

The spindles are CPP as are the springs, shocks, etc. They make great quality parts in my opinion. In order to get to all the rust, we completely cut the floor out by drilling and grinding all of the factory spot welds. It's kind of a pain, and I don't think I would do it again because the replacement floor pan doesn't fit exaclty like it should out of the box. We had to cut and reshape many areas in order for it to fit good. We built some bracing that bolts to the hinge locations on the hinge pillar and to the striker location to keep the cab from collapsing when the floor was cut out. It worked pretty good, but the cab still flexed a lot. Even with the bracing, we took a ton of measurements to be sure the new floor went back in the same position. In hind sight, I think we should have sectioned the floor at the factory braces. It would have been a lot less work, and would have still allowed us access to all the rust while keeping all the factory dimension. Even with all the carefull measuring, I had to shim the cab mount locations to get the height correct to the bed and to allow for good fender fit. Aftermarket parts are just never a perfect fit.

If your floor was solid would you have been able to re-use it? I really want to get at the rust (just surface) in my cab corners but there are just spots that I can't possibly get to with the floor on. Seems like reusing the stock floor would make it really easy to line things back up.

[bbinaz59]

Originally Posted by crakarjax

If your floor was solid would you have been able to re-use it? I really want to get at the rust (just surface) in my cab corners but there are just spots that I can't possibly get to with the floor on. Seems like reusing the stock floor would make it really easy to line things back up.

Yes I could have used the original center section of the floor, but the outer areas from the rockers to the center braces get pretty much destroyed during the removal process. The way these trucks are built, it makes it nearly impossible to remove the floor without damaging it beyond re-use. I would recommend removing the factory floor from the rocker to the brace that runs front front to back on the bottom side of the floor. You could then purchase a complete replacement floor and section in only those outer areas while leaving the original center section of the floor in place. This would keep all the cab dimensions correct while allowing you access to the rusted areas. This would be a great repair because you would not be able to see the splice from the bottom side because it would be on top of the brace and the carpet would cover the splice on the top side. Hope this helps.

[crakarjax]

Originally Posted by bbinaz59

Yes I could have used the original center section of the floor, but the outer areas from the rockers to the center braces get pretty much destroyed during the removal process. The way these trucks are built, it makes it nearly impossible to remove the floor without damaging it beyond re-use. I would recommend removing the factory floor from the rocker to the brace that runs front front to back on the bottom side of the floor. You could then purchase a complete replacement floor and section in only those outer areas while leaving the original center section of the floor in place. This would keep all the cab dimensions correct while allowing you access to the rusted areas. This would be a great repair because you would not be able to see the splice from the bottom side because it would be on top of the brace and the carpet would cover the splice on the top side. Hope this helps.

Awesome. Sounds like a future writeup! I'm not sure I'll go that far bc my floor is pretty close to mint but it's a good plan of attach nonetheless. I may just end up getting my cab dipped to get to those areas.

[bbinaz59]

Selling the truck unfinished if anyone knows of someone looking for one.

[Xeen]

Is the truck road legal yet? Electrical finished, running and driving.
If not you might want to get it there, it won't take much more effort and will be alot easier to sell.
Just my two cents.

[bbinaz59]

Originally Posted by Xeen

Is the truck road legal yet? Electrical finished, running and driving.
If not you might want to get it there, it won't take much more effort and will be alot easier to sell.
Just my two cents.

It's close, but not there yet. The engine has been test run for break in only. Ya, I may have to do that, just have my time all tied up lately.