1969 K10 restoration in NH

[jtaylor]

Going to try to strip the frame down more on Sunday... Need to get to a point where I decide wether or not I'll be using this frame... it's not awful, the front metal is perfect... the rear by the leaf springs and crossmember are pitted and have some holes... Should get a clearer look tomorrow and will post better frame pics to get some thoughts from people here. In the mean time I have everything except new heads ready to rebuild the 350. I might as well get that done and running while I figure out the frame situation!

[jtaylor]

borrowed a siphon fed sandblaster and some black beauty slag.... worked great, I'll be using it more soon on the frame and wheels...
It made the frame pitting more evident. I wonder if I should cut out the thin/pitted areas and weld new plate in before some additional inside frame rail angle iron?
Sure would be simpler to have a rot free frame. Might make some calls this week to see if it's easy enough to locate one. I don't want to spend all my time and resources on just the frame!! Also might be interested in buying some frame sections, rear section from my rotten crossmember back, if anyone has some available ;o)

[jtaylor]

Alright... not looking so good... frame is rotten under and around rear cross member and on all leaf spring mounts... serious work to fix... I'd prefer a different frame at this point..
Will be trying to hunt one down in the next few months. Anyone on this board who isn't too far away with a frame for sale, just let me know! thanks..

[jtaylor]

Found a frame nearby, need some advice about it... apparently it was a 68 SWB turned into a LWB.... looks solid, done right, has had axles serviced, sealed and it's $300.... I just need to no if a rear fleet body can work on this and if a bumper can be attached to the rear... Take a look please;

[no moa]

What town did you find that in? Seems to me i was told about that frame by someone a year or so ago.

[jtaylor]

It's in Gorham.... it looks short at the end where the leaf spring mounts are.... how would I attach the bumper and bed? Waiting to hear back from the owner. He said it was all professionally done at a shop. It does look good, just a bit different. I'd hate to buy something else at this point that does me no good.

[no moa]

Hmm, maybe not, But the SWB turned to LWB caught my attention.

Just cut off the ends of your frame and weld on the right distance you need.

[jtaylor]

haha... the ends of my frame are the whole issue... The last 2 feet of my frame are real bad.. and the area around the rear crossmember at the leaf spring is thin and has some rot too.. that's why I'm hunting for a better 4x4 frame... Tough to find around here...

[no moa]

Wouldn't a 2wd lead spring frame be the same in the back? I know there are some of those around.
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[jtaylor]

Going to get this frame this weekend.. He confirmed the wheelbase. Sounds and looks like it's all done right... The end is boxed, but should be the correct length, I just need to attach bumper brackets differently maybe...
Being that it's a short base turned into a long base, do you think I need to box the areas that had the fabrication? would you trust a frame that's been cut and welded? I know people commonly shorten a long bed frame, I guess if they trust that, I can make this work. Steel looks great at least, mine looks like rotten junk by contrast...

[navysnipe]

I got a bed floor for that if you want it in Maine. 8ft, no bed sides or tail gate though. I have a cabin in Sandwich NH not too far from center harbor.

Navysnipe

[jtaylor]

Might be interested in that bed floor, definitely will need one. Not sure if I can grab it this weekend though, but could get up that way at another time.
I camp and fish in Sandwich quite a bit, have a few friends that live in town, one works for the town there. Half the reason I wanted to make sure I have a sturdy frame is so I can make it through Sandwich notch to fish each year.. haha

[navysnipe]

There is NO hurry to get this thing. It is up against my garage and if you want it let me know. It won't fit in my truck I have a cap on it and my 70 K20 is still on blocks in the garage. If you claim it I will hold it for you. I will post some pictures so as not to waste your time if you are not interested. OH YEAH for the administrators of the page this is FREE so please dont pull my post.

Navysnipe

[no moa]

Navyswipe, nice to see another local guy, i'm in Bath, and Slomotion is in brunswick.

[jtaylor]

Thanks Navysnipe! that's a huge help! I'm probably headed to Gorham this weekend to get the above frame, if I can go a bit further I'll let you know and try to grab the bed in the same trip.
Also, a few questions for the more experienced with these trucks/ frames...
1- would you tow a small boat with a frame that had been cut and shortened or lengthened?
2- is the 68 frame the same as a 69 frame ? ( will it work with my 69 body and sb 350? )
3- does the frame look short at the rear leaf spring to you?

[no moa]

I have a 68 frame here that is junk, but i think the ends are good. Its not a leaf frame, but i can't imagine the ends are the same, i'll see what it looks like when i can. You can probably weld them on and have the length you need for bumpers and such.

[BurnoutNova]

Would just get a 2wd frame and convert it to 4x4 with the frame perches you have on your old frame. If you get that other frame you'll end up doing a bunch of work to it anyway it looks like. Doesn't look like there are any mounts for the bed, and the rear rails look weird.

[navysnipe]

1. The 2WD frame is NOT the same as a 4WD frame. I had both sitting side by side and they are definitely not the same.
2. Yes I would tow with a frame that has been welded-----as long as the person that welded it is competent. Anybody that's seen a Navy ship welded together knows that the welded spot is usually stronger than the metal around it. I have trusted my life to 5 of those ships with no problems.
3. Yeah that frame looks cut, the back of that frame should stick out about another foot or so. But from the pictures it looks like it's in good shape looks like a dana 44 in front and dana 60 in the rear. Nice.
4. You can buy the rear part of the frame, I have an phone # to a guy in California that will get you parts that you need. I replaced all of my rear crossmembers from him and the price was reasonable and shipping was cheap.
I posted a picture of my K20 frame it shows from the rear spring perch to the end of the frame.


Also are you sure that's a 69? the first picture shows an inner grill for a 70. I'm just sayin, the 70 inner grill is VERY hard to find thats why I have mine wrapped in a blanket somewhere no one can accidentally fall on it.

I am in Sabattus and I worked in Bath for the Navy for 3 years

Navysnipe

[jtaylor]

Thanks, that helps. It is just a bit strange that someone took a short base and converted to a long base.. never heard of that before.. I just want peace of mind on the welds, I suppose I can always box those areas where fab was done...
My bad k10 frame here seems to only have 4" past the leaf bracket, maybe that had been cut too.. I'll have to look into buying the rear frame pieces to extend out for bumper brackets...
Going to pick this frame up Saturday I think.. It's a good deal at least.

[navysnipe]

Here are some pictures of the bed floor, if you pick this thing up you can take some measurements off of my frame. They should be the same. If you are concerned with the frame strength then you could box it like you said or weld a reinforcement plate in there. I am not sure what the towing capacity of a K10 is but I am sure that proper welds would exceed that amount. I have a 220 volt Lincoln MIG I have no doubt that the welds that it puts out if properly done would hold. I'ts amazing what a 6 pack will get you, as I recall there are alot of body shops and fabricators in your area.
I will PM you with my #
Navysnipe

[Shaun1162]

Looks to me like a real good project, and glad to see you found a decent frame... That'll help things for sure!

[jtaylor]

thanks everyone for advice... even found some real cheap inner fenders in the same town as the frame. Any time I can avoid new metal from LMC is gonna help... I will be getting the full floor pan in the spring though...
And yes Navysnipe, my VIN confirms the truck is a '69.. I thought it was a 70 at first too because of the grill.. I'll stick with the 70 grill since it and the hood are the only part of the front clip that weren't rotted hahaha.. Hopefully I can get some progress pictures up within the next week.

[Vintage Windmills]

Nice project, sounds like you are thinking things through properly.

I would trust welds for towing. As said, its about the quality of the welds. Reciever hitches are welded! Frames did not change over the years from what I've read. Yes, that fabbed frame will have to be extended at the rear.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the frames have vin #'s. This may or may not be an issue for registering in your state. Some states inspect for matching vins but I think you can still get a builders title if you have some documentation that show you built the truck.

[jtaylor]

Just unloaded frame, will post pics Sunday.. it's great, all new steel in rear. Where it had the weld and section added, it has a heavy plate steel all along that rail. Steering box has reinforcement. Axles serviced and looks like all the suspension is great. Was surprised to find disc brakes and new rotors in front. Measured about 15'9" I think... it's about 4" short in rear compared to my K10.. might just modify brackets to mount bumper, but need to get my reese hitch on someday too...
Turned out that the same guy had 2 inner wheel wells for $20 and a real nice radiator support for $30... That completes all my front clip parts and now I have a great frame to build on.

[jtaylor]

no pics today... My new frame does have a VIN #11629...Old one is T9065.. also this new one is just slightly thinner metal than the bad frame.. Wonder why that is. The old frame seems to be .18 or so , the new frame is about .15. Did they use different metal for certain years?
I'm wondering what year the frame is now, seller said 68, maybe the front half was from a 71, that would explain the disc brakes too.. Overall I'm very happy with it, the entire rear frame is new metal fabrication, real nice and cleanly done, looks very strong and has 1/4" thick plate on outer wall where weld was as well as 1/4" used for the rear xmember. Serviced axles, disc brakes and the new rotors are a huge plus too.