Starting back on the 85 Silverado.

[rs74]

I am sure alot of you guys know about me rebuilding my truck. I have started a build thread in the build section. For those of you who don't know then I will tell. I have had this 85 about 15 years or so. The longest I have owned any vehicle. I drove it for the first 3-4 years then end up buying another truck to drive and this one pretty much sat. It has not been driven in the past 8-9 years and has sat in the shed. It got started a couple times a year and pulled out to let run and get a bath.

I finally decided it was time to either poop or get off the pot. So I sold my an extra mower and my Jeep and have started to rebuild the ol girl. So far I have rebuilt all the brakes, all new bushings, steering components, and just finished putting on the lowering kit. All parts are Moog and Western Chassis as of now. The drop is a 4/6 with 2.5" drop spindles, 1.5" drop springs and a flip kit. I just got the front end back together last night and took the frame and cab to the bodyshop today to start taking off the cab and repainting the frame. This is not an everybolt and nut rebuild but close enough for me.

The frame will get some SEM put on it, bottom of cab, bottom of bed, core support, fender wells,fuel tanks and maybe a few other odds and ends. After that then I will mount the fuel tanks and then start focusing on the body. I am thinking about getting a new cab since mine needs alot of metal put back into it. The bed is pretty good except for two small places. I will be putting on new GM doors and fenders that I have had for 15 years still in the boxes. I am changing colors all together on the outside and inside. This will take me a while but I will get there eventually. I am also getting ready to start build an 85 K10 short bed that will be cut down from a long bed. Trying to do what I can, while I can til the money dries up. So here are a few pics of what I pulled out of the shed until today.

[rs74]

More pics.

[rs74]

Tomorrow I am going out and going to try and get the cab off the frame. I need to get the brake hoses off and grind off a few exhaust hangers that were welded to the frame. If I can get that done then I will call my media blasting friend and see about having him wash over the frame to clean it up and knock all the loose stuff off. I am not having him take it all the way down to the bare frame. As long as I have a good surface to work with and get all the grime off then it can be hit with the SEM. That will be good enough for me. Maybe within the next week or so I can get the frame painted. Thats it for now guys.

[naphtali5725]

Originally Posted by rs74

Tomorrow I am going out and going to try and get the cab off the frame. I need to get the brake hoses off and grind off a few exhaust hangers that were welded to the frame. If I can get that done then I will call my media blasting friend and see about having him wash over the frame to clean it up and knock all the loose stuff off. I am not having him take it all the way down to the bare frame. As long as I have a good surface to work with and get all the grime off then it can be hit with the SEM. That will be good enough for me. Maybe within the next week or so I can get the frame painted. Thats it for now guys.

you don't need a buddy to help you clean it... and it doesn't need to be down to bare metal to last another 20 years...
go ahead and do it right the first time...while you have the cab off, take all the little parts off the frame, pull off the crossmember since you already have the front suspension out... clean the frame/crossmember with a scrub brush/wire brush and a lot of Tide to get the oil/grease off... takes about 2 hours of scrubbing... scuff it up with a red scotch brite pad, and spray it with whatever primer/por/paint.

good luck with your build

[rs74]

I have already power washed it once but just want him to use his sand blaster or what ever media he uses on it. With what I have done and going to do is okay for me. I already rebuilt all the front end and put it all back together and don't want to do it again. It will still be a pretty damn nice truck when done. Anything is better than what it started as. I like seeing that you are doing it on your truck. I will still probably go over some of it with a wire wheel or sanding disc though. I am replacing some of the brake lines but not all of them. I will look at the fuel lines once the cab is off.

[naphtali5725]

it's going to be a great truck when you are done... stay focused and keep up the good work

kind regards

[DBLSPRT68]

Hey bud, looking good so far. I pulled the cab of my old 83 with the cherry picker also. Pull the seat out, use the rear seat bolt holes; and drill one hole on each side of the tranny hump by the firewall. Run some heavy duty bolts with washers and a heavy chain to the cherry picker. Grab the chains about top of dash level, having more pull on the front side. pick up gently with help if you have it. I had all glass and doors still attached. I did this myself, with only one "OH SH*T"!!!! Good luck.

[whiskeydented]

Nice blue krl 1022. I have the same box, love it.

[rs74]

Originally Posted by whiskeydented

Nice blue krl 1022. I have the same box, love it.

Thanks! I bought it half price when new. Couldn't pass it up. I need another one though. This one is full.

[rs74]

I ran the impact on the four cab mount bolts and it started raining all of this. A couple of seconds on each bolt. I am sure there is more where that came from.

[rs74]

Got the cab off today. Took off the gas tanks and found out that I will need new saddles for both sides. I have a few things to finish up Monday and it should be ready to be blasted and then paint.

Here it is down as far as it is going to get before paint. The next few are of a 63 split window vette and the frame to it. My frame is getting the same product put on it and should look similar minus all the dust on the vette frame.

[rs74]

They didn't load the first time.

[naphtali5725]

good progress,

i think my frame is warped a bit, so i'm struggling with that... good luck and post pics soon

[rs74]

There has not been too much going on lately. I did take the motor mounts off and all the brake/fuel lines off as well. The truck should be getting blasted this sunday. I am going out to my storage building tomorrow to see if I can wrestle the new GM doors, fenders, and cowl hood out. They are all the way in the back so we will see.

I also went and looked at a cab that is local. Just the passenger outer rocker is a little rusty. It is a southern cab but has been up here in Illinois setting for about 5 years. Other than that it is very clean underneath. I am going to try to get it picked up tomorrow as well. That is pretty much it for now, will post pics when I get some.

[rs74]

Picked up the replacement cab today and drug my doors, fenders, cowl hood, and roll pan out today. Got everything delivered to the body shop today. A little productive but still have alot to do before paint. I do have to replace one outer rocker though. Pic of rocker is sideways.

[rs74]

Got a call a little bit ago and my frame, core support, battery tray, motor mount plates and trans crossmember are done a day early. Hopefull the painter will get right on it or better yet maybe paint it tomorrow. I need to get in gear and get a set of heads so I can set the engine and trans back in. I also need to get the fuel tanks, saddles, and inner fenders so they can get painted and put on before the cab goes back on.

I went to the junk yard today and came across that had charcoal interior. $100 takes all the trim, seat, carpet, and door panels. Dash pad is cracked pretty back but might take the silverado trim out of it. The door panels are manual but there are parts off of them I can use especially the lower carpet panels. The seat needs recovered and the carpet will need a good power washing. It is a little more than I planned on spending on it but if it all cleans up well then it will be okay.

The only question I have is if there is two different gray colored interiors for these trucks. This truck I am getting the trim out of looked a shade darker than a suburban I was looking at. The SPID sticker was gone out of the sub so I couldn't get the code to compare. I may get a few parts out of it as well. We are expecting a snow storm tonight into Monday so it might be next week if I am lucky before I can get it. I figure it is better to get it like this than try to match everything aftermarket which I am going to buy some anyways. But at least I have a good start on it. Kind of stoked about the find today.

[rs74]

Went back to the junk yard today and stripped the interior out of an 86. Everything came out okay. The carpet is going to get a good power washing after I soak it in cleaner. I have samples coming from SMS for the seat. The door panels are manual window and lock panels that I will try to make into pw and pl panels. I also pick up fuel tanks saddles for both tanks, a set of drip rails, a bumper apron filler panel, headlight bezel, and a few sets of inside door handle bezels. I also took some trim pieces out of a suburban but they are lighter shade of gray.

For $150 and most of days time I didn't think it was to bad. I plan on going back to get the outside ac box out of an 87 and might also grab the tailgate trim panel. I am on the lookout for a charcoal dash pad now since the stripped trucks pad was cracked pretty bad. My frame was supposed to get painted today but didn't make it back in time to see for sure. I finished stripping the cab down yesterday and it is pretty much ready for the outer rocker then start soda blasting it down. Slowly but surely there is progress being made.