Project Noah

[wpsharpshooter]

Wow.. Repaint the bumpers, wheels and mirrors and you could run it as is.. Good looking truck with actual real patina

[Auston]

Well… bad news. You guys called it, my front fender is shot. Someone has patched it before with bondo. I looked down in there and could see daylight. And some off the bondo peeled right off. Also pulled the front wheels off and I know why it never rusted more than it has. Everything’s covered in dirt or dirt-dobbers nests. These things are everywhere.

[68bowtie]

Yeah... That's not surprising. I think everyone's comments are valid. You need to decide if you want a restored truck, or a really nice original driver. If the latter (what I would do) I would leave the cab corners and rockers alone. I would consider fixing the pass. fender rust, but otherwise focus on mechanicals and cosmetics. It's a really nice original truck. Having some cosmetic blems is quite alright.

You want that sporty muscle look, focus on the mechanicals and make it a fun driver! Don't worry about the body, it's really great as-is.

[Auston]

I’ve decided to keep it as original as I can. I’ll find another project to hot rod. These are the tires I’m going to put on the rear. It won’t be a daily driver but a fun weekend truck.

[68bowtie]

Sweet! I like this project even more now.

[68Gold/white]

Beware of the different drive-abilty that those pictured tires have from modern radial tires.

Its a very different feel of the road. Any seam between lanes or repaired sections are no fun to encounter when driving on bias ply tires.

I'm sure you can find some skinny radial tires that will look got on your wheels. 4X4's use them, although most these days are pretty wide...

Those brake rotors look like they could be easily machined. The groove in them is a wear indicator, when the rotor is too thin. I use semi-metallic pads on all my vehicles when possible.

Under that pile of muck, theres the grease zerk for the upper ball joint...

[Auston]

Alright guys, it’s been a minute since I’ve been on. Life and other projects have gotten in the way of truck stuff. I haven’t gotten much done other than getting the new tank installed and brakes at all 4 corners done. Also, I replaced the rubber brake hoses. Actually drove it down the road a couple of miles and I’m shocked and hoe good it ran. The steering however is shot. Any suggestions on where and what brand name parts to go with? I don’t mind paying for quality, and have been unimpressed with LMC. I’ll try to get some pictures of how she sits tomorrow.

[Ol Blue K20]

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[loudchevy]

Originally Posted by Auston

The steering however is shot. Any suggestions on where and what brand name parts to go with? I don’t mind paying for quality, and have been unimpressed with LMC. I’ll try to get some pictures of how she sits tomorrow.

I've always had good luck with Moog steering components for my replacements on old square bodies. I think I got mine from O'Reilly when I did my recent change out on my C10.

[Auston]

I’ve used moog stuff before and had no issues. I guess it’s all personal preference.

[LT7A]

Originally Posted by Auston

I’ve used moog stuff before and had no issues. I guess it’s all personal preference.

Moog has always been my go-to. However, I understand that Moog has been bought (sold) and that they have two lines and one of them is offshore and low quality.

On the paint process, there are many different ways. hewittca has definitely achieved good results.

Since the paint on your truck is more or less complete, I personally like to preserve as much paint as I can. So I do everything by hand. I'd start with a good wash of course. And then use an iron removal solution. The CLR does that, but I would use one designed for automotive finishes. I use Adam's. Next I would clay bar it to get out other contaminants. Then Meguiar's has something called number seven which you rub in with a cloth and it actually helps rehydrate the paint. From there I would do oxidation removal with a light compound, again I use Meguiar's. At this stage if a lighter compound doesn't do the trick, then you can always step up to something more aggressive, medium, etc. But in my thinking, the more paint you can leave on, the better. You can follow the compound with whatever polish, paint sealant, ceramic treatment that you favor. Obviously there's about 9,000 ways to skin this cat, but doing it panel by panel by hand, you can see as the paint gets clearer and brighter with each step. That way you know you've left as much paint on as you can and it can tailor your approach to get the outcome that you want.

Sorry about the book, but I do watch quite a few detailing videos on youtube, and they are almost always geared for that ultimate result, rather than leaving as much paint as possible. It's great for the customer reaction, but after too many cut and buffs by machine, they will be polishing primer, haha.

[68Gold/white]

Originally Posted by Auston

I’ve used moog stuff before and had no issues. I guess it’s all personal preference.

Maybe...
I sold Auto parts from 1985 till 1998. During those days, the ONLY suspension components to use were Moog.
I worked for an independent non chain store. We carried all the best lines. There weren't many cheaper brands back then. We took on a cheaper line of suspension parts. My boss wasn't happy the us sales guys didn't try to push the cheaper line...he had a friend come in the store, needed a tie rod end, I believe for a ford h talked his buddy into buying the cheap parts, likely to prove a point to the rest of us......end of story??? nooo...
3 weeks later his fellow geeezer buddy is back. He's got the cheapo tie rod end, in his hand. It's wore out worse than the original part that likely had 100,000 miles plus. He was VERY unhappy!!!

I don't know what all brands of suspension parts are available these days. I think some of the Moog IS made in China...? O'Reillys carries a brand called, Precicion. Precision was a brand from the Moog line. Precicion was their U joint brand name, same high quality as Moog.
I completely rebuilt the front end of my buddies 1971 C-10, this Christmas past. I believe the Precision front to be very good stuff...
This is all I know, be cautious buying suspension parts!!!