'72 Chevy K-20 Frankentruck

[darguy]

Hello Folks! This is my first post on the forum. After searching for a zillion years I found the right truck for me last January. My Old Man had a '68 GMC Suburban (black on red, 396/TH400, factory tach) when I was a little kid. It was his daily driver & our family camping vessel. My Wife & I had been planning (now executed) a move to a remote island off the northern coast of BC for several years, and I was going to need a 4x4 pickup. So, I wanted to pay homage to my Dad & get something in that vintage.







I was limiting the search to black or white '68 GM K2500s initially, but never found the right truck. Several years went by, and the prices started to climb significantly for solid trucks. So, I expanded my search to 71-72 with disk brakes & modern bolt patterns, and Chevys. Still nothing appropriate for an island truck - until I found 'Frank'. A '72 Chevy C20 body on a '93 K20 chassis & powertrain project truck that was drivable but "needs completion", suitably rough around the edges for real use and well within my budget. Oh, I'm a mechanic with a lot of electrical experience so a project of this type - with all the serious grunt work done is well within my wheelhouse.







I'll update this with what's been done, plans & questions - but thought it was time to join the community instead of lurking in the background!

Cheers!

[too much stuff]

Welcome aboard. No turning back now! That 68 was a sharp burb.

[Stocker]

'Frank' looks like a right proper workhorse, stout enough to get the job done!

[72c20customcamper]

Welcome nice looking truck. I like the earlier bumber on it

[yuccales]

Frankie looks like a good ol truck!

[Steeveedee]

Nice! Put a cabover shell on it, and you'll get whatever the 'burb may have given.

[chewychevy67]

That burb looks sweet. Too bad you still didn't have it in the family. The truck is awesome to. It will be a fun driver!

[Ol Blue K20]

Welcome to the madness. Frank looks like a great start...

[darguy]

Thanks for the feedback, Folks!

As Frank is the designated winter daily driver I needed to get some work done on it in preparation. Like, some proper tires & heat for starters. I placed my first order for a box of goodies from LMC, some stuff from the "local" parts store (two ferries away, island hopping for a couple hours each way), and found a set of vintageish wheels of FB Marketplace.

I had to replace a dangerously worn right-upper ball joint and broken sway bar end links before I could take it over on the ferries to get the tires mounted. Which was a giant PITA as I'm working on a dirt driveway with no compressed air (and working around the rain and lowering temperatures). Had to get creative and wedge two pickle forks against each other to generate enough spread to pop the joint, jamming the back end of one of them against the frame to keep it in place while wailing on the other one with a 2lb hammer. After chiseling off the rivet heads by hand and unsuccessfully trying to separate the joint from the a-frame, I pulled the assembly out and balanced it on a pair of jack-stands and wailed on it with a 2lb hammer. Victory was mine, but there was much sweating and some swearing if I recall (pounding my left hand with the hammer twice in exactly the same spot during the process)...

So, while completing a major supply run in town I got a set of LT275/70R16 K02s mounted on the mags. Feels completely different, with the front end tightened up and the new rubber! Looks pretty boss too, I think.



Amongst all that, I took the driver's door panel off & fixed the inoperative door lock, and installed a transmission cooler in-line with the one in the rad (it was a loop of rubber hose on the end of the lines when I bought the truck - "needs completion"). And had pulled the leaking heater core and the busted-up heater controls out. With the arrival of the box of goodies I was able to restore the heater controls & replace the core. Used a soldering gun to re-melt the rivets to secure the floppy metal bracket to the back of the panel, one new control lever, new cables, new lamp socket, switch & resistor, and new ducting & vents. Pretty much everything really - nuked it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure. While I was in there I cleaned up a bunch of wiring under the dash, removed the existing incorrect am radio (not hooked up, no antenna, no speaker) & pre-wired for a new head-unit, installed a correct cigar lighter, repaired the wiring to the dome light & installed a new assembly, and installed a mount & a correct rear-view mirror.





I also removed the vestigial original gas tank (still had fuel in it!!!) and installed a new set of retractable 3-point seat belts.





I've received my next box of goodies and am hoping to get some more done before the weather gets too nasty to work on it outside anymore. I've got some non-trivial wiring to do in order to properly stow the '93 ECU and fuse box behind the seat (which I'll use to supply some concealed non-stock accessories in the future). I hope to build a garage next year - that will be a complete game changer!



Oh yeah, I had to put a new coolant thermostat in the other day as well. I was placing the drip-tray under the engine, on all fours in the dirt, then got up and turned around too fast and somehow head-butted the grille, mashing the frame of my glasses into my face hard enough to cut the bridge of my nose. I may have been hungover. There was blood & much swearing. Great way to start off what should have been a simple job!

Frank has claimed his first blood sacrifice, but it's now safe & comfortable to drive in winter conditions! More as it happens...

Cheers!

[BigBird05]

It's not an official project till there is blood involved.

[tim_mc]

The part about smacking your hand in the same spot twice with a 2-lb hammer brought back some unpleasant memories! It looks like a great truck to fix up while still being able to drive it.

[special-K]

That'll be a nice driving truck for you. I couldn't help but notice it has a reproduction steering wheel like I had. It took a few years and some real cold weather and... crack!

[darguy]

So, the point of getting an 8' box 3/4 ton was that if I ever needed to haul a cord of wood, I could. Well, the wood pile was getting dangerously low & I needed to make that run. First step was to build the stake-sides - fortunately one of the farms on the island also has a mill, so I was able to buy the lumber without having to make a day trip and take a couple ferries. The neat part was that the farm was deep enough into the woods that I actually needed the 4x4 for the first time, for real, in order to make the trip.







Then the 2 ferry trip to "The Island" aka Vancouver Island and to meet up with a guy and transfer the cord of wood from his pickup to mine.





It was a solid 10hr day, but made it back safe and sound with only having to do one field repair - but that's another story.

Our first round of snow is about to hit us; I'm pretty stoked that Frank was able to fulfill his duties, and am looking forward to plowing through some snow!

[rowdy11]

Lookin good! Can't wait to see what your next steps are. Best of luck!

[HO455]

Welcome aboard! Great to see another hard working truck. And as much as like like your truck, I really dig Burbans so it was hard for me to get past the first few photos.