'69 GMC Build Thread.

[Bob 68327]

Steppinwolf "Born To Be Wild"

[clemson71guy]

yeah that answers it....
i was thinking more along the lines of ZZ top or George Thorogood or who ever sings Bad To The Bone

[samwise68]

Well all, things have been going well, but i figured i'd pop in for a quick update.

Drove 'er every day back and forth to school this week, twice on wednesday since i had a night class to attend.

nothing much of a hitch, but the clutch is starting to go out. we adjusted it today...again...but it'll still slip when you do anything more than a light pressure on the throttle in 3rd.

but, i'm hoping i can baby 'er for a couple more weeks, til it warms up and i can throw a new pressure plate and clutch in it. I just have to limit the hot rodding and all that. .

The stereo...sounds pretty darn good. the first song i played as i ran down the highway towards school? Black Betty. . haha.

and today, i start the gas mileage experiment. i marked down the milage on the odometer after pulling into the gas station, and topped off the tank, til the automatic stop...stopped. so, i'll drive 'er for a week or so, mark the milage, and fill 'er up again. and try to get a rough idea of how i'm doin' on fuel.

and...thats really about it.

just enjoying cruising in my ol' girl. and putting 'er to work when need be, like today, hauling fire wood.

but, thats it all.

thanks again for everything!

-Sam.

[Palf70Step]

Sounds good Sam....Glad she went together for you.

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by samwise68

Well all, things have been going well, but i figured i'd pop in for a quick update.

Drove 'er every day back and forth to school this week, twice on wednesday since i had a night class to attend.

nothing much of a hitch, but the clutch is starting to go out. we adjusted it today...again...but it'll still slip when you do anything more than a light pressure on the throttle in 3rd.

but, i'm hoping i can baby 'er for a couple more weeks, til it warms up and i can throw a new pressure plate and clutch in it. I just have to limit the hot rodding and all that. .

The stereo...sounds pretty darn good. the first song i played as i ran down the highway towards school? Black Betty. . haha.

and today, i start the gas mileage experiment. i marked down the milage on the odometer after pulling into the gas station, and topped off the tank, til the automatic stop...stopped. so, i'll drive 'er for a week or so, mark the milage, and fill 'er up again. and try to get a rough idea of how i'm doin' on fuel.

and...thats really about it.

just enjoying cruising in my ol' girl. and putting 'er to work when need be, like today, hauling fire wood.

but, thats it all.

thanks again for everything!

-Sam.

Using a truck as truck - like it should be!

[Bob 68327]

Keep Babying that clutch Sam it's too cold to be outside workin' on it !!! Ram Jam's Black Betty the Perfect first song !!!! Bob

[samwise68]

no worries Bob, she's gettin' feathered as much as possible.

I'd really like to stretch it out til the middle of march, when i have spring break. but i'm worried she's not gonna last that long...

we'll see what happens - i'll keep you all posted.

-Sam.

[samwise68]

well, guess who went out and spent 50 dollars on a new clutch disc...?

me!

and. i must admit. it's pretty. i just wish i didn't have to put it in on such poor circumstances.

but, thats ok.



the way i figure, it should take about 3 hours from start to finish.

unhook the driveshaft, cross member, shift linkage, unbolt the tranny (hopefully the neighbor brings back the tranny jack...)...and, thats about it, aside from the all of the pressure plate, pilot bearing, etc etc nonsense.


hey, thats why my Dad is the mechanic. i just spent the little money i have. .

thats where she is now, i've got some plans coming up as it starts to warm up this spring. oh boy, do i have some plans...bwahahah...

-Sam

[samwise68]

alrighty. well, today didn't go as smoothly as i had hoped.

simply because i was quite tenative on doing this, and since my dad has a pretty bad cold, i went slow.

but, i got the driveshaft unbolted from the rear, and the carrier bearing, and slid it out of the tranny.

unbolted the starter, the dust cover.

loosened the bellhousing/crossmember bolts.

pulled the tranny.

pulled the bell housing after fighting with a stupid sheet metal plate...thing.

pulled the pressure plate/clutch.

and...thats where we stopped for the day.

there's just one issue i'm not thrilled about.



they had a 10-10.5 inch clutch in there! someone...musst've been feeling adventurous.





yeah...she was worn a bit thin. just a bit.

but, aside from that, everything looks good. the pressure plate is even, and the little bit that i looked at the flywheel in the dark, it looks just fine, but i'll scuff it up good nonetheless.

and thats where she stands at the moment. a decent days work.

but now, i'm going to go shoot some billiards with some friends, and enjoy the rest of my weekend, after a horrendous valentines day/GF's birthday. so, i'll keep you all posted.

we're gonna slap 'er back together tomorrow, and i'm excited to actually be able to put power to 'er. it should be a good time, i tell ya!

and the planning for when it warms up is coming along swimmingly. yes...quite swell, indeed. bwahaha...

-Sam.

[Bob 68327]

So does it have the right pressure plate or did you get a new one ?? Hope it goes back together well for ya !! Bob

[samwise68]

Bob,

It's the right pressure plate, just the wrong sized clutch disc, it seems. there was 1/4 inch around the outside of the pressure plate that wasn't touch. so, i'm thinking someone just threw it together enough to get it down the road.

...sound familiar? haha.

but! the good news is, she's back together, and ready for me to drive to school tomorrow. the bad news? i don't have the dust cover on, along with a 2 quart inch bolts for that pesky sheet metal gasket...thing. between the bellhousing and the block.

but, aside from that. it went...decent. we never got our tranny jack back, so we wrestled with that, and finally got it hung with a ratchet strap under the tail shaft, and the nose resting on the cross member. then a floor jack and a block of wood to line it up, and -schunk-. slid home.

it feels really good and tight, so i'm excited to actually put some gas to it in 3rd gear, haha.

and the ol' girl lives to ride another day. she may not be right, but she's mine, and takin' me down the road. and thats what matters. .

-Sam.

[Bob 68327]

Good Deal !!! Have fun drivin' the heck out of her !!!! Bob

[samwise68]

don't worry Bob, it still hasn't gotten old rolling through the loop on campus. haha.

today i got the dust cover on. and...thats it.

she's got a bit of shimmy/shake to her going down the highway. and i'm not sure what it is.

i had Dad take it for a drive, and he said it could be quite a few things, but it's not real bad.

so, i'm thinking a u-joint, or the carrier bearing isn't lined up right on the bracket. so, this weekend i'll check that out.

and it is oooo so sweet to step on the gas in 3rd, and go! bwahah...i love it.

-Sam.

[67_C-30]

You have a brand new clutch and you haven't posted a burnout video yet?!? tsk... tsk...

I may have to retract my TOTM nomination for your truck

[samwise68]

haha, don't worry, it's coming!

sheesh..impatient people.....

i planned on it, honestly. Mother Nature decided to dump 6 inches of frozen goodness on us this weekend though. so, it'll have to wait until the roads dry.

it's coming though, don't worry. bwahaha...

And i'm making a list of parts i'm going to need for my warm season refurbishing. it's going to be...different, from almost any other truck of this series that i've seen on here, atleast.

can anyone say...multiple carbs?

multiple carbs!

haha.

Sam.

[jott_06]

mulpitle, mutliple multpiple krarbs. Nope cant say it. Haha. I tried though. I've thought of the same thing but i dont want to spend that much on and intake and the carburators. There is a guy that sells refubished Holley carbs at a swap meet i go to every year and he always has this old intake and carbs of of i think a camaro that has two 4 barrels sitting on opposite corners of the intake. Its really cool looking but he must want a fortune for it because i've seen it at his stand for the last 3 years.

[samwise68]

ooo...i think thats a cross ram intake..or somehting...for Z28's? idk. but i agree, those suckers are gorgeous.

my multiple carb set up, however, is going to be a bit different.

seeing as i've always been a sucker for a six, thanks to my Dad, and proof around here, i'll be going that route.

at the moment, the plans are to strip a running 292, give it a quick valve lap, and new stem seals, maybe a port/polish, streamline the bolt boss, etc.

new gaskets all around, re-ring the engine. and bolt on my 3x1 Offenhauser intake, headers. maybe put a cam in it.

I know, I know..it's cheaper to build a small block. but...not when you have the parts just sitting around.

but, thats just a tenative plan. haha.

-Sam.

[Bob 68327]

Build That 6 Sam and Put a large cam in it . Nothin' cooler than a six with a big lumpy cam ! And lots of carbs help too ! Bob

[samwise68]

well, things haven't changed much.

just been rackin' up the miles this week, haha. i don't mind. i mean, hell. i've driven a 30+ mpg car since i started driving. i deserve to drive a fuel inefficient pickup. plus, i like it, alot. bwahah.

also, did some checking with my milage and fillup. and i totalled roughly 10.9 mpg. now, thats pretty horrible, especially for a 307. but, the clutch was slipping during this time, not to mention the timing is set at 0 (no advance) and it's still running rich (inside of the pipes are damn black..have to get to those mixture screws on the carb).

so, aside from that, things are going well.

well, besides the vibration while driving. i've got to check those u-joints this weekend, and maybe see if my carrier bearing is off from where it was - i think that is probably the issue.

and, thats about it guys.

maybe i'll take some pics of it sitting in the parking lot one of these days, just to prove that i'm driving the old beast. .

-Sam.

[samwise68]

well, good news!

it's been uber warm here this weekend, in the mid 30's. so, after got done with some work, got under the truck to check on that vibration.

Doh. me being in the hurry i was to get it back together last sunday night, didn't get the bearing cap on the u-joint all the way, so the driveshaft and rear end weren't lined up...at all. unbolted it, popped the cap back on the rest of the way, tightened it down, and voila. she's riding smooth as before.

and today, we fixed the choke, so now it shouldn't stay closed anymore. the lame kit i bought doesn't want to let the choke open all the way. so, she was running pretty rich.

also advanced the timing about 6 degrees. and when i get a chance, i have to pull my plugs, and re-gap them. i forgot to take into account HEI, so they're sitting at .35-.40...instead of, oh, .60, like my Motors manual says.

also checked the screws on the carb, and the driver side was out about 2 turns more than the passenger side. so, leveled those up.

adjusted the clutch, so theres about an inch of free play at the pedal.

and..umm...thats about it as far as tuning goes, and hopefully i'll get a bit better mileage now.

and, because a truck should be a truck, we hauled about a cord of 8 foot sticks this weekend. firewood is fun, yay!









yup, just an old truck doing the same old work.

and, thats about where she sits at the moment.

i'll report back in when i do my next fillup, and see if any of these changes help my milage at all. i really hope so...haha.

-Sam.

[Palf70Step]

Good stuff Sam. Like to see them out and about earning their keep. Glad all the little things are getting worked out on the ole girl.

BTW, I thought you guys were supposed to get a LOT of snow up there. 2WD cruising in snow, can't be too bad up yonder

[samwise68]

hahah. yeah...thats a plowed road though....

we've gotten about 60 inches this year so far, but it's gotten knocked down tononly baout 3 foot standing. haha.

oh, and the 1000+ lbs of wood in the back help for traction. . she thought she was a...well. 2wd with weight in the back,. haha.

Thanks Bill.

-Sam.

[lukbrw]

Love the truck! Brings me back to when I was in my college years and I did the same thing to my buddy's 69 chev. Many sleepless nights and mom yelling to stop painting 24 hours straight in their garage.

I just moved back to WI ( Shawano ) and will be getting my old 76 out of storage once this darn snow melts. Then I'll be planning some work to bring her back to the glory days.

Any plans for the stance once it warms up? Or is it going to be a north woods worker?

[samwise68]

Luke,

Welcome back to the great NorthWoods! gotta love winter...but the rest of the year makes it worth while.

As far as the truck goes, she'll be a worker. maybe when i do the frame and engine swap this summer, along with some more body and paint work, i'll probably keep it around a stock stance. if anything, more of a rake instead of going level. kind of rodded, in my opinion, along with keeping spring height for load hauling. What do you think?

but, thats all tenative, so we'll see.

Thanks for the props man. College is an adventure, especially when you throw old iron into the mix. oh well, i wouldn't change a thing.

-Sam.

[lukbrw]

For a truck that you have minimal $'s in...you can do a lot to it. With my buddy's 69, we just cut the springs for a 2" drop up front and threw in some 2" blocks in the rear to lower it. After that...some 255/60 15's up front and some 275/60 15's in the rear gave it a nice aggresive stance....just a little higher in the rear. I did the same with my 76 stepper except I did mine even lower since it was more for show. The mild cut on the 69 still allowed to put some good size meats under the truck for out lovely winters.