77 longbed "overbudget" build

[hotrod_991]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOkA8VTZdMw here is the video link. i kinda lose my composure when it fires hahaha. scared the wife holding the camera too

[MrBeast]

Man looks like you are going to have a nice little long bed on your hands.

[hotrod_991]

yea she is coming along slowly now. ran outa time in Montana so still needs to be retuned and the carb rejetted for the elevation she running really rich right now and loading up, next is short plugs to get the wire boots off the headers already had one get melted.

[hotrod_991]

thought i would share my fun pic. made the ford do all the work from MT to TX. pulled nicely tho.

[Scootin 81 C20]

Hey hotrod, glad the bezels got to ya in one piece. It's like a deja vu moment for me. Look at your front end, then look at mine.



And the last time those bezels were on mine.

[hotrod_991]

minus the chevy emblem its the same haha. It has really grown on me with the black and silver. Thank you for them now I just need the correct bumper with the signals in it and toss my bent sport bumper. Have a new tranny issue too now lol. Brand new motor and the only fluid it doesnt leak is washer fluid haha.

[Scootin 81 C20]

LOL. Can't wait to see more updates.

[hotrod_991]

ok reviving the build thread everyone. Its been awhile since i updated. Nothing crazy new done to the truck othere than chasing leaks and swapping cam and lifters after i took alil off the bottom of one. Got moved to THe new house in central TX now and finally have a garage so work will progress alot faster now. so far I have gotten the rear frame mostly painted started removing 30 years of road grime and grease off the rear axel and basically getting it all cleaned up first. here are some pics i have so far. sorry for the crappy camera phone quality.

[hotrod_991]

and the last one is a shot from today at DQ just had the lights ziptied to the top of the bumper so i could get it to the car wash and autozone

[hotrod_991]

heading out to the garage today to clean and repaint my spare door panels grey to match my interior. Finally getting rid of some of the fabric in the cab. Ill post before and after pics soon as Im done. Then tomarrow or later today I am going to try and use the gloss black enamel paint on my inner fenders. looked awesome on my frame hopefully will be as nice

[spudz]

lookin good, I hope you atleast had the 4.0 in that ranger when you were towing it lol, if it has the 3.0 or 4 banger, I bet you were taking your time haha.

[hotrod_991]

haha yea the ranger is the 4.0 4x4 version it actually did amazing. towed from Montana to El paso TX then again from el paso to here in central TX damn thing just wont quit and pulls like a champ haha.

[hotrod_991]

here are the door panels before and after. I think they turned out nice lil more shiney that the rest of the grey interior but best i could do with walmart spray paint.

[hotrod_991]

well this afternoon im painting the rear end and leaf springs so I can get ready to put the box back on the truck tomarrow when my buddy comes over.

[hotrod_991]

here is the rear leafs and axel its done for now I have to get her put back together tomarrow and make some room in the garage.

[hotrod_991]

took video of the truck running with the new tune and of the frame work ill get that and the pics of it back together this afternoon after the guy shows with all our funiture. Thanks

[hotrod_991]

Going to look at a rebuild TH350 with a shift kit and 2400 stall in it. Found on craigslist today. Hopefully it turns out that as nice as the guy said it was. Only about nine miles away so very hopeful. Ill post pictures of it tomarrow if I pick it up, Also going to the local budget pick and pull in the morning to show the wife the beauties of the parts playground lol. If all goes well will find a good set of inner fenders, and possible an 12bolt posi with 373's. wish me luck

[hotrod_991]

well the trans turned out to be what I was hoping for. Its clean, and the front and rear seal seem to be newer and dont leak. ALso what lil fluid was left in the trans was very clean no burnt smell so im veyr happy with my $200 buy. the stall is in very nice condition aswell.

Now tomarrow i am going to pull the old tranny out of the truck and look at renting a cherry picker cause i think I iether have a rear main or the back rubber oil pan gasket out. Im also changing cams cause mine wiped a lobe off from me over tightning the rocker and not knowing enough about oil to add the zinc additive so im getting the new cam in a few weeks. Im going to pull it all out and clean and repaint the block and get everything nice again them reinstal the engine and tranny as one unit this time.

[hotrod_991]

went out and started getting the motor ready to be pulled today. Got all the accessories off the front and dropped the headerse and all that getting prepped so now im in the proccess of pulling the old trans out just got the bell housing bolts left now. Picking up my engine stand this week then finding a place to rent a cherry picker so hopefully by this weekend it out and on the stand then its swapping cam and lifters, clean and repaint motor and trans. Also ditching the fuel hardline that runs from the pump to the carb and going with hose and maybe braided sleeve. New u-joints in DL and swap the rear end for the GM 4 i found at the pick and pull. I looked up the specs and says GM 4 has 3.64 gears not quite 373 but ill be happy.

[benoit454]

frame looks great what'd ya use rustoleum in a can brushed on or what?

[hotrod_991]

I used the brush on stuff from the can. back half and axle only used about 1/2 of a quart. Really nice one coat cover didnt have to keep going back over it alot. Im not all that good at painting so I made a good mess on the drop cloth in the garage but with some skill and more patience than i have wouldnt be all that messy.

[hotrod_991]

Got the old th350 out and man was that a PITA by myself. after fighting my way through getting the carrier bearing off to remove the drive shaft I started pulling bell housing bolts and was all excited that I was ready to take it out. Well it really helps if you remove the tourqe converter bolts first lol. Of course i do not yet own a fly wheel wrench so it was two teeth at a time with a flat screwdriver. Got all the bolts out finally after alot of colorful words and two new cuts in my hand. and I still was not able to get the tranny to slide back off the posts on the motor so out of pure frustration I haul off and kicked the hell out of it one good time and presto she slid back from the motor...off the jack and straight into the floor nose first!. Not the best idea I have ever had but hey its off right well not I have forgoten to unhook the tranny lines of course and had to spend another 10 minutes just trying to get to hose claps turned the right way so i was able to reach them.

Almost forgot to say that it never registered in my mind that the back of the motor is supported by the trans so when i booted the tailshaft and it came crashing down my motor took a header flywheel first. then i scrambled to get the one jack i own from trans to the back of the motor to support it. thankfully i had already stripped the motor getting it ready to be pulled so nothing was hit or damaged. Got everything leveled and happy again.

Now im sitting here tryn to figure out how I am going to get the truck pushed back into the grage far enough to close the door with a scissor jack under the oil pan and I dont have the cherry picker yet so basically i got into the zone here and worked myself right into a situation. SO I valled my mechanic (dad) to find out another option of supporting the motor. He had a few good idea but as we were talking i leaned against the front of the truck unknowingly and whamm!!! there goes the scissor jack and the motor again. no damage again so called it a solution and shoved the truck int he garage and supported the motor again and that is how it sits at this point. Going to try and find me a cherry picker and get that pulled and set on the stand.

[benoit454]

I need to pull the bed on my 88 and do cab corners and I want to clean and paint the frame, spray cans usually don't last long but I figured the brush on might last longer and be easier, maybe cheaper, no overspray and such. I figured it was a quart or rustoleum but wasn't sure.

[hotrod_991]

i got the quart and a full set of brushes for less than $15 so its deff affordable and i used the gloss black and seems like it will hold up very nicely

[joe231]

Nice build you got going here!
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