ClusterTruck; because that’s what it is

[clay68c10]

The driver side pics show the pie cut better.

[clay68c10]

And now to close that gap.

[clay68c10]

And the other side.

[72 tigger]

Those closed gaps look great

[hewittca]

I liked how you cleaned up those gaps. I never noticed how awkward that transition is on the lower corner from the factory. I know that area is covered by the cowl but it still seems like a great place for water to get in. Also, why did you add the hole in the red circle on the passenger side?

[clay68c10]

Originally Posted by 72 tigger

Those closed gaps look great

Thanks, it was a lot of work. Seems like an improvement to me.

Originally Posted by hewittca

I liked how you cleaned up those gaps. I never noticed how awkward that transition is on the lower corner from the factory. I know that area is covered by the cowl but it still seems like a great place for water to get in. Also, why did you add the hole in the red circle on the passenger side?

Ya, that lower corner opening is huge. I'm hoping it will help the windshield gasket seal better. It won't really be visible. The idea of "sculpting" seam sealer to make a sealing surface over a 1/4" gap for the rubber gasket didn't make much sense to me.

The top corners are more for the visual effect, but it's also a weird are to have to hide with seam sealer.

The hole is for the antenna cable, located per the assembly manual. This may have been a radio delete cab. I don't remember if it even had an antenna or cable before.

[cj847]

I'm sure your welds are good, but don't hold back on replacing all of the factory seam sealer.

If you look at and think about the whole cowl, firewall, windshield water flow it is amazing that these cabs don't leak like a sieve.

[clay68c10]

Originally Posted by cj847

I'm sure your welds are good, but don't hold back on replacing all of the factory seam sealer.

If you look at and think about the whole cowl, firewall, windshield water flow it is amazing that these cabs don't leak like a sieve.

Oh it's getting sealed up correctly. All of those seams that are still there will let water in behind. I'll also be using internal cavity wax after the paint.

Yeah, it's amazing these survived over the years. And it explains why they almost all need rockers and such by this point in time.

[clay68c10]

I did get one unpleasant surprise when I pulled my improvised exhaust apart. The right collector has some oil residue in it. The driver side was dry. I will update when I get it to work, do a leak down test and figure it out. Probably looking at a rebuild, with LQ9 flat top pistons.

[hewittca]

Oh no... that's a bummer! Am I recalling correctly that you had low compression on some cylinders? Is this on the same side as that? Were there any indications when running that you'd find an issue like this? I know, so many questions! I'm wondering because I have to pull the front half of my exhaust off to add cats and I'm hoping I don't have a similar discovery.

[clay68c10]

The low compression holes were on both sides. I don't recall which ones. I have it written down at home.
It idled fine every time I ran it, but idle and load are very different states so it would have probably presented when driving.
It may be something as simple as valve seals, or not. We shall see.
Hopefully yours is fine. There's lots of these engines out there with tons of miles, so fingers crossed for you.

[clay68c10]

Enter the suck!
Cleaning up the underside is not a fun job.
I chipped off the undercoat where it was thick, and scraped it where it was thin. Then I wire brushed it with various brushes on drills and grinders.

[clay68c10]

The selection of highly dangerous tools. Nothing beats picking shed-off wires out of your arms.

[clay68c10]

Here’s the 1/8” reinforcement pieces for the Tahoe seats. Should be pretty secure.
I spaced my rosettes similar to the factory spot welds at 1.5”-2”. I added the perimeter welds at about 1” intervals.

[clay68c10]

Time to strip the roof while it’s vertical. The HF tool got it done.

[regan wilson]

Looks good to me.

[clay68c10]

More stripping.
If you can afford to have the cab sandblasted, do it. I have a ton of time in this thing.

[clay68c10]

And here’s the first time it’s been outside overnight for probably 3 years.
Very happy to take this to my buddy for body/paint.
The quickie tarp job was just in case it rained. It came off before I hauled it.

[Chevys4life]

That's a nice homemade cab dollie you have there.

[clay68c10]

Originally Posted by Chevys4life

That's a nice homemade cab dollie you have there.

It’s been very handy. It’s a lifesaver for repairs and mobility. The only thing I’d maybe change would be to make it lighter weight.

[hewittca]

Yes, progress! That's some dedication to the cause right there with stripping the paint like that.

[clay68c10]

Thanks, it's been quite the job.
Now time to make my transmission crossmember.
Lay it out, tack it up, test fit, and finish.
Yes, it was crooked in the tape measure pic. It's off-balanced on one of my fancy jacks. I did straighten it up before I finalized the measurements.

[cornerstone]

Nice fabrication work. I built one almost identical and found my transmission was bouncy when done. It wasn't confidence inspiring so I ended up buying a new one that had a better design. It was only 80 bucks and it stiffened up the drivetrain. Hopefully you won't have the issue I did.

[clay68c10]

I was worried about that, so I used thick wall tube. I stood on it after I finished it, with the weight of the transmission on it, and there was no deflection. Hopefully it performs well in action.

[hewittca]

I like how you have yours mounted on the top of the framerails. Mine goes straight across the bottom rails which forced me to run the exhaust very close to the floorboard. Will you have enough clearance with this design to still keep the exhaust above the bottom of the framerails?