Junkyard Jimmy Super Low Buck Build Thread

[hgs_notes]

I'm getting close to done on body work and epoxy primer on my C-10. I cleaned out everything stored in the back of the Jimmy. Only stuff left is the front seats and console, and dash parts, etc. I had the old Jimmy grill sandblasted a while back but it needed to be primered to keep it from rusting again. It was originally chrome that was fairly straight, but rusty. Some primer and sanding and it should look pretty good. I'll start stripping the front clip and top off it soon.

[hgs_notes]

I couldn't stand it anymore. All I've been doing for months is filling and sanding and filling and sanding and spraying and sanding... I needed to turn a wrench. I needed to take something apart and throw it in a pile. I needed to have dirt and rust fall in my face as the impact wrench tore a bolt apart. I'm all better now.



Had a bit of trouble on a couple pieces. I never saw this before. I guess he really wanted that fender and rocker to stay in alignment.


Never had one of these bolts get stuck before either. The welded nut inside the cowl became unwelded. The panel was dinged up and I have a good one stashed somewhere, so I cut the tab off.

[hgs_notes]

Tearing it up...

[nuke1]

lol, don't blame ya!

[hgs_notes]

Got about an hour to play after work today, so I got the brakes, e-brake, steering and wiring disconnected. With the top pulled back a bit and the seats out of it, there is a noticable improvement in the smell. I think the rain we had last night really washed a lot of the mouse pee out of it.

[hgs_notes]

I spent some more quality time in the driveway today. I have all the body mount bolts cut, broke, or otherwise separated, and I only had to use 3 tools...



The body is separated from the frame, and while I was downloading these pics, I realized that I forgot to disconnect the pressure gage. Other than that, it's all ready to come off and it's sitting on my redneck body lift kit...


The lift put a bit a upward pressure on the firewall. I don't think it's as stiff as GM designed it anymore.


We all find things that the PO or even we did with our trucks when not all the correct parts or tools were available. I wonder how the frame didn't crack from the stress for the front upper shock mounts. Pretty sure that is not a dealer add-on...



And last, but not least, a little bit of payback from the Jimmy. Here's the loose change from under the seats, about $1.38, which brings my cost down to $902.


I also earned about $60 from scrapping out a bunch of stuff, bringing the total down to $842.

[hgs_notes]

My plans for the build have been evolving almost since the beginning. At first it was just get it running as a beater, then maybe make it street worthy. Then I started learning how to do bodywork and I'm gaining the skills to do better than that. It's now a few years later and my son wants it for when he can drive in just another year and a half.

I had planned to use the dark blue body I traded a pair of fenders for as a replacement for this one. It does need some work, but it was basically free, which is one of the main goals of this build. It needs the windshield frame replaced ( I have one), inner/outer rockers, some floor work, maybe A and/or B pillar patches, driver bed side dents and a gash cut into it, and probably more that I won't find until I start cutting.

On the other hand, I have a yellow body from AZ that is near rust free, needs the passenger bed side pulled out straight, but otherwise is straight and solid. But it cost me $750 or so. I think I'll use the better quality body and save myself valuable time and a lot of hassle.

I had hoped to keep the entire build to less than $1000. Adding this body will almost double the investment, but I think it will be worth it. I think I might be able to complete the entire truck for around $3000, with paint and a fresh engine included. The only body parts left to buy would be a passenger fender, inner fenders, and maybe a couple patch panels. It needs some exhaust pipes, transfer case gaskets/seals, better steering wheel, seat covers, and better tires. There's more of course, but I'm still selling things, still scrounging the yards and talking to people, still learning, still happy when I'm turning a wrench, still willing to shake rust into my face with a power tool underneath the beast.

[hgs_notes]

Didn't do anything today except order some chassis paint and body mount bushings. I'm going to try the summit racing chassis epoxy paint on the frame and see how that works out. It was only $55 for the kit. The body bushings were also through summit. They had the poly kit for $95. I had briefly considered using hockey pucks, seriously. But the thickness is not the same for all the mounts ( I guess the level differences could be made up by washers) and it would be hard to use them on the lower portion. You just can't find a good cheap alternative for those.

[hgs_notes]

I'm going to try and get the body off sunday and start cleaning the frame off with the pressure washer. See if there is anything alse that needs fixing while it's off. I think I'm going to have at least one weld repair on the frame where the rear body mount is rusted away.

[hgs_notes]

The old body is off, but not without a fight.


Seems like the supports underneath just were not goinf to hold that firewall up, but we went up a little more just to see. We stopped here because the firewall was pushing against the distributor.


So we got the sawzall out and split it in two. The bed came off easy enough.


Would make a cool little low rider trailer huh?


The firewall was a struggle for 2 people. We had to flip it towards the back to get it over the transfer case shifter. This was the only way I could think of to lift it off.


That left us here.


The bed was covered in a sheet of aluminum and I pulled that off to get the original rubber pads out from under it. The floor was a bit rusted.

[hgs_notes]

It took over an hour to get that bumper off. The hitch was partially welded to the frame and bumper brackets. My son helped by stripping as many usable parts off the bed as possible. We got the rubber floor pads, all of the tail light stuff I worked so hard on last year, the side trim pieces, tailgate weather strip hardware and the gas filler, vent and cover. There wasn't much left after that.

I got the shocks off it and that's about it for the chassis work. Then we spent a couple hours blasting it with the pressure washer. I was soaked head to toe, but I got most of the grime off. A couple of the body mounts will need some weld repairs, and the tail ends of the frame rails. No other major problems found.

Here is the current status after washing.



I need a new dipstick for the tranny, and a kickdown cable. I want to lift it, but not sure how I'll do the rear yet. I'll need springs for the front, but I was thinking of doing the shackle flip for the rear. Depends on the condition of the springs. I'm only planning on running 32 or 33" tires, so 2 1/2 front and 4" rear should be adequate.

[hgs_notes]

The remains of the day...


I think I got it stripped pretty well. We have a long weekend coming up. Maybe I'll be able to get the frame repairs done, then the chassis painted. If I get that done I'll probably try to get the new tub epoxy primered on the bottom side and mounted up, but I'm probably being too optimistic.

[hgs_notes]

I had a few body mounts that were severely corroded. My plan to repair them was to just weld some 1-1/2" washers in position. But then I started looking over some parts I had cut from the broken blazer frame I scrapped out, and all of the mounts on those pieces were good. I just have to cut off the rivets and replace them with ones I already have. The cross member in front of the rear axle was also getting thin from rust and I have that part also. So lots of grinding to do later. I just need to buy a few good bolts.




One of the replacement mounts is off and ready to use.


I do have to weld repair the frame rails at the rear bumper though. That's really bad. I think I have enough pieces of frame rail around to use for patches though. Even if I cut it off like the 69-71 style frame, it would need repaired because the area where the rear most body mount goes is almost completely gone on the pass side and super thin on the driver side.

New bushings...


I'm going to try this paint out, see if I like it...


This brings my total spent up to $993.

[hgs_notes]

I had a full day of cutting and grinding on the frame today. I got all of the mid cross member swapped out, and the body mounts that were rusted bad. Here are the new parts, this was after removing 30 rivits...


Here is the crossmember and body mounts bolted back in, after removing another 18 rivits


The new rear body mount in, only 2 rivits...


And I removed the rear cross member because it was rusted through on the passenger side, and I had one from another frame. I thought I had scrapped it, but found it inside a blazer tub. Another 4 rivits. No picture of that.

Then I decided to siphon the gas out of the tank and the easiest access was to remove the sending unit, which then allowed me to find out why the gas gage didn't work. The float was flooded. You might be able to see the droplets spraying out as I squeezed the float...


Then to finish the day, I found a leak on the gas tank, which had been patched at least twice before. Time to shop around for another one...


That leaves me to todays scrap pile. Oh and I spent about $10 on new 7/16" x 1" nuts, washers & bolts, for a total spent of $1003. I'm hoping to get the weld repairs done on the frame this weekend yet. And I'm debating on whether or not to get the fram sandblasted before painting it. It's pretty rusty yet. All I would have to do is remove a few bolts and lift the engine/tranny/t-case out and pull the driveshafts. Probably about $100 to get it done, but might be worth it. I think I am going to do the shackle flip also. I already have the leaf spring brackets to do it. I can either re-use the shackles or see how much new ones are, then replace some bushings. Depends on cost I guess.

[1956cameo]

This is definately one of the more interesting build threads I have seen on here! I have actually been following it for quite a while and decided it was time to subscribe. I am glad to see that there are other people on here that have the energy to take on a REAL project. One that truly brings a vehicle back from the scrap heap. Keep the reports coming, I can't wait to see more.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by 1956cameo

This is definately one of the more interesting build threads I have seen on here! I have actually been following it for quite a while and decided it was time to subscribe. I am glad to see that there are other people on here that have the energy to take on a REAL project. One that truly brings a vehicle back from the scrap heap. Keep the reports coming, I can't wait to see more.

Thanks for the encouragement. I know a lot of people follow this thread, but I don't get many comments.

I just ordered a set of poly leaf spring bushings, real cheap at $14. The pic even shows shackles included, just need to buy bolts. The bad news is it was on back order, even though it shows a shipping date of tuesday everywhere you look except for when the order was completed. So that may be a couple weeks, I don't know for sure. I think the net lift doing the shackle flip is about 4" and should only cost me about $20 total.

I also ordered an exhaust kit for $165 w/out mufflers. I have a good pair of mufflers though. I've also contacted teeitup about the gas tank and rear frame horns and a couple other doo-dads on a 72 blazer he just got in. Maybe I'll hear back from him in the next day or so.

[jacobriley]

Man, awesome build...

I bet your son is pretty excited to cruise that thing around when its time... lets hope his foot isn't as heavy as mine was at that age.

Keep it up!

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by jacobriley

Man, awesome build...

I bet your son is pretty excited to cruise that thing around when its time... lets hope his foot isn't as heavy as mine was at that age.

Keep it up!

He is excited, but I can't get him to spend much time on it with me.

I just ordered new transfer case poly mounts and a tranny dipstick through amazon.com. They have some parts available, but it's limited. The prices are pretty good, but the search function isn't the best.

Looks like there are a couple gas tanks available here, but I'm going to see if I can find one locally tomorrow to save shipping. I think I know a couple places that might have one. I'm also shopping for the parking brake cables, the rear ones for each side. Thought I found an awesome deal, but they were for 2wd. The 4wd ones are very high for some reason. As far as I can tell they are the same except the 4wd one is about 4" longer. That 4" is about a $25-35 difference in price, each.

Anyway, here's the plan for the next month or so. I still have to weld repair the rear frame horns. Looking for the best deal on a gas tank, if it get's too expensive, I might just patch this one. I plan on doing a rear shackle flip by using front spring perches and new bushings (on order). Once the chassis and suspension stuff is done, I'll pull the driveline, get the chassis sandblasted and then paint it with the summit chassis epoxy. If I have time, I'll fix the transfer case leaks and tranny pan, shift lever shaft leaks. Then swap the engine for the shortblock I rebuilt. Hopefully by that time I'll have found the heads and intake I want for it (vortec).

After all of that, I'll get the new tub epoxy primered and set on the new mounts and bolted down. I should be getting a new tailgate in a couple weeks from a member here. I'll pick the best top and hatch out of the 3 I have, best doors and fenders I have available and bolt it all together and set it aside until after my C-10 is done.

I think the only work I'll be doing on it at the moment is the frame repairs. I'll post pics then, but it will probably be a little while before I get back on the plan. Thanks for watching everyone.

[hgs_notes]

I forgot something from my last post. I have a hitch that I used to have on my C-10, but will no longer use. At the time I bought it, you could not find the correct one for these trucks, so I bought a 73 and up hitch and modified it. If you take the side pieces and swap them so the top plate is bent inwards rather than outwards, it almost fits, but there is a gap. So I had 1/2" plate cut to size to use as a spacer and had holes drilled to match the hitch bolts. It worked perfectly for the truck. Not so much for the Jimmy. I'll have to make some holes in the Jimmy frame for it to bolt in, but it will really strengthen the rear end of the frame. It's about 1/4" plate. It will act as an added rear crossmember, and I might be able to use it as a base to bolt a home made gas tank skid plate onto. You can see in the pics it lines up on the frame perfectly and will cover most of the sides of a gas tank as is. I already checked the bumper fit and should be ok there as well.

Got the parking brake cables ordered from LMC, $50 for the pair.

[bigguy69]

i like it!!

[hgs_notes]

Yesterday I was working on my C-10, stripping paint off the tailgate. I was doing ok, but the corners in the lettering were giving me fits. I decided to break out my sandblaster and give it a try. I had some trouble with it the last time I used it. The control valve at the nozzle quit working, it would spray air and grit non-stop, not good. I bought a new valve, and finished up the tailgate. It was working pretty good, so I rolled it over to the Jimmy frame. I got it pretty good from the tranny back, but ran out of sand. I will probably pull the engine/tranny and finish it up another day.

Just for your info, sandblasting is terribly messy work, and not exactly cheap. I need to find some cheaper sand. I paid $26 per bucket, about 25 lbs.

[hgs_notes]

Picked up a gas tank from daburb yesterday for $25, including a sending unit. Visited for a couple hours and he made me late getting home. If your ever in the area west of Minneapolis and want to talk and see trucks, look him up. I also paid for a tailgate from Tom Korinek down in AZ, which should be coming soon, and found a pair of rear frame horns from Southern parts which should be coming soon.

Daburb had a set of 32" tires with a nice mud terrain tread that I might also get for this rig. I still need to find a passenger side fender and inner fender. Once all of the parts get delivered I can finish up the chassis work, then hope for good weather to paint the frame before it's too cold outside.

[hgs_notes]

The 72 blazer/jimmy frames are unique with having the rear bumper mount directly to the frame when the other years are like the truck mount. I've learned that all of the suburbans were also made like the 72 blazer/jimmy frame, but they are different. For those of us rust belt 72 jimmy/blazer owners, the burb parts may be a good option to repair the rear body mount area of the frame.

I got the suburban frame horns today and did a comparison with the blazer frame horns. The blazer/jimmy style is straighter with the frame then curves down after the rear body mount. The suburban style has a slight drop in the frame before the rear body mount, then curves down a smaller amount. It is also a different length between the body mount location and the end where the bumper mounts to.

These will still work for my needs though. I really just need to replace the sections that are corroded away and the burb style will work just fine for that. I just want everyone to understand they are not a replacement piece without modification. I'll get some pics up later showing the differences.

I got a tailgate on the way here from AZ. It's not perfect, but looked repairable from the pics.

I came across another gate at a swap meet last weekend. I could have had it for $50, probably less. It wasn't even rusted much, but had about 1/2" bow in it and the inner panel was banged up in a few spots. Really not that bad, but I just spent a bunch on a better one, so I walked away. There were not a lot of 67-72 parts there, even though it was a good sized meet. There was a tilt column, a tach dash, a couple ok doors for cheap, couple 67 grills, that's about it. I came home with one deluxe side marker and some garage decorations, pics later. But my wife enjoyed it and I might have a lead on a fender or some other parts from a local guy.

There were some nice 67-72 trucks there for the show and for sale also. One 69 blazer, nice rebuild with a soft top for $12900 I think. I think I got some pics of it somewhere.

Anyway, not really progress here, but some handy info on frame horns, and the promise of more pics later. I might get the frame welded up this weekend. I'm going to take a bunch of time off next week and see if I can get this pig back into a single pile of rolling parts again.

[VA72C10]

thanks for the info and keep at it!

[hgs_notes]

Some pics from sandays show...

I really like the background on this gage. I might look for that to do on my C-10 gage cluster. Wierd, I just noticed the 10 is backwards, the same as the other side of the gage, but just looks funny being the only backwards one on that side.


Heres a funky little scooter...


My favorite bumper sticker from the show...


The one blazer I saw. I like the cloth on the seats, door panels, kick panels and even on the dash, not so much on the console. To each his own. I've seen some trucks that had the cloth on all of the interior steel also, and I had thought about doing it on my truck. Then reconsidered knowing how dirty I get and how much of a pain it would be to clean. Very nice blazer though.