Help me feel better!

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

After near 30 years of intention, I'm currently restoring my 71. I tend to dive into things deeply. Add I'm new to this, well, it takes me a while. I live a moderate means, but don't mind spending the cash. However, this is time consuming. If I can get my "peeps" in a row the cab is ready to come off. I prefer not pull anything beneath that until it's off the frame.

More on topic, I bought this 72 near a year ago. Keeps the blood flowing while my 71 remains in a comma. I have no intentions of restoring this 72, and if I did I'd prefer replace the cab. Rust is represented by the window frame, gutter, floor corners, roof and even some ceiling. No doubt the cowl too..........................But I'm fixing it up to some extent. So far all new fluids, "new" battery, starter, complete brake job, tires, wheels, lock cylinder & door locks, choke, panels & arm rests, mirrors, etc..... Removed 45 years of grease (mostly ). Basic up-keep/corrections/fixes and making it mine.............. I "have" to do a tune-up yet, and then declaring her done, though I'll probably cut what's left of the dash pad and Velcro on a cheap replacement................My initial intent leaned parting it out

[special-K]

My '72 is a white with blue interior truck. The day I restore it I want to paint another color. I want something to go with a saddle interior. I had all the interior stuff in my stash waiting for "that day". When I bought the truck I put a repro steering wheel, seat cover, armrests, and dash pad in right away. The seat cover was LMC's junky cheapo one and I never liked it. The '71 C/30 wrecker I owned had a later seat, so I dyed the Cheyenne/Sierra one from my '72 black for that truck. I had a blue Custom Deluxe seat in great shape (had plastic cover) in a '71 SWB that was getting bucket seats, so that went in the '72 K2500. About 5 years ago a local friend was restoring a Highlander, had a new take off seat cover and needed the correct seat for it. So, I sold him the seat out of the K2500, and sold off all the other blue stuff. I put the saddle interior in knowing it was just for now. It will all have to come out and even some replaced once I restore, but I wanted it to have a nice interior anyway. The carpet already shows wear at the gas peddle, so I'm figuring just use it up, who cares, I'll buy a new one "that day". Now the paint inside is showing surface rust. I didn't paint before because I don't want white. But now I want to pull it all this summer to paint interior white and put interior back in till "that day". While I'm at it I'm installing a stereo and door panels with speakers in them I bought and dyed saddle to use till "that day". If "that day"never comes, I'm still enjoying the truck and upgrading as needed. I may be half way there when the day comes and it all may need redone. If so, it's no waste because I'm getting use out of it and even used repro parts sell.

[Oscar the grouch]

Here's a couple pics for 72 kool

[72kool]

How hard was it to get the carpet to fit??

Did it lay down nicely?

[66clow]

Originally Posted by Ken B

This is my almost every day driver, an original paint 70 Longhorn I bought from the original owner. I put it away in October till spring as has been done with it since day one. I live in CT. and it has never seen salt! The good is that it is 100% reliable, (I wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere) and that it has ZERO rust. The bad is that it is about time to replace the fuel tank... No Ugly to report. LONG LIVE THE LONG BED.

I see photobucket is screwing you as well. You can't do anything without paying for the upgrade.

[Oscar the grouch]

The carpet layed down pretty good and easy considering I have the high hump I had to do a seam on each side of the tunnel by the firewall the passenger side came out great but the driver's side I cut a little short

[Mr Handy]

I think I have had my truck now for 5 years. Most of that time it has been 3 different colors, I bought a 350 and it sat in a friends garage for almost 3 years. Memorial day weekend the cab came off for rust repair, and I sprayed the first coat of primer on the cab on the 4th...
lizard skin is drying right now, and needs another coat tomorrow after work, Saturday I will start in with bondo, hopefully I can get a coat of high build on it by the end of the day Sunday, then sand sand sand all week, and hopefully color next weekend after that its time to attack the doors and fenders. if I have paint left the hood will get a coat, and for now just a cut and buff on the original paint on the bed. Then its new brake lines, and parking brake cables and installing the new wiring harness, weather stripping, putting the doors back together, still need to order the lines, and carpet. Then it will be time to install the glass and do a burnout... I'm also trying to work a deal for a Holley Sniper setup, but she ran real good when I tore her down... ooh I have to get the vintage air installed as well.... Its going to be a long summer.

I felt like the planning and parts just sat and piled up and no progress was ever made other than It was running and driving, then all of a sudden you jump and dont stop working for the better part of 3 months, minimum. Just remember the Johnny Cash song, "One Piece at a Time"

[yuccales]

Originally Posted by truckster

A truck on the road is worth two in the shop...

Moral of the story - you're enjoying your truck now. There's a lot to be said for that.

How very true!

[drewbert41]

Truck was wired with house wiring nuts and was all kinds of dangerous. Drove it off the trailer and about a block or so and turned around and the shift linkage fell off. PO got under the truck and put in gear for me and got me parked in the driveway. Re wired truck. Truck started but backfired bad out of carb. Manifolds were cracked and plug wires were melted. Bought headers cause they were cheaper than manifolds and cooler (so I thought). Had to get shorter spark plugs so headers would clear. Had to relocate alternator because lower alt mount attached to manifolds before. Went ahead and bought and installed starter heat shield to prevent heat soak and installed plug heat boots. Bought some original 4 nub wheels. Sandblasted and painted wheels. Bought new white wall tires and installed COPO caps. Added Yankee roof lights to plug holes left by PO. Deleted EGR. Installed new valve covers. Started truck and it sounded great. Had gas leak by carb due to cracked rubber. Bent metal fuel line to run from pump to carb. Even bigger gas leak at the carb. Fixed with white thread tape (not permanent solution) Bought new battery. Rebuilt carb. Truck fired up with straight headers and sounded great. (posted video) Next time I went to start it nothing happened. Battery cable somehow got fried (probably from a small cut in it from starter heat shield). Installed a used front window to replace my cracked one and installed used rear window to replace slider. Installed new battery cable and cable heat shield/protector. Sprayed a lil in the carb and it fired right up. After about 15 seconds of running it started spitting a lot of fuel out of the throat of the carb.

Looks like I need to take the carb apart again. Hopefully it is just an issue with my float or some debris. So many ups and downs. If it is not one thing it is another. I plan to find a better rated tape solution or go with AN fittings for the gas leak. Tempted to get a new carb. (I have 2bbl Rochester). Once it is running well again I need to address the transmission. It has completely leaked out all of the fluid. I plan to put on a new pan gasket and re fill the fluid. After that I need to install the new linkage I bought. After that I can throw the seat in it and hopefully make it to the exhaust shop to install new exhaust and install my Porter steelpack mufflers I have had sitting in the garage for a year. Truck still takes water even though I plugged roof holes, added seam sealer under cowl, new seam sealer on drip rail, plugged antenna firewall hole, and added new front and rear windows with precision rubber. I am thinking about deleting the heater (missing almost everything anyways) to prevent water from getting in (brand new glovebox is wet and moldy) and I think I have another hole in the wire channel on the firewall.

I have taken peoples advice and have been trying to make it safe and drivable so that I can enjoy the truck instead of having it sit in pieces. It has been over 2 years and it has not moved from its spot in the driveway. I am getting close though and money is not nearly as much of an issue as it used to be. I have a kid now so time is however. You guys and the guys on Instagram help me keep the faith. It will come back to life again soon

[wesmigletz]

This is how my truck looked the day I got out of the Army in DEC, 2013


This is how it looks today... actually in worse shape than then. The primer is starting to rust through, and my son hit something with it on his last week of school last year. But, it drove from WA to CA, then to TX, and is still driven every week.

[72kool]

Thank you for your service wesmigletz..

I really like your swb.That's a long drive in a good ole chevy. I can't say I trust my truck that much yet, but I havnt had the engine open yet either.

[dmjlambert]

Originally Posted by Oscar the grouch

The carpet layed down pretty good and easy considering I have the high hump I had to do a seam on each side of the tunnel by the firewall the passenger side came out great but the driver's side I cut a little short

That looks great! How do you do a seam? Did that take special tools or supplies, or did you need to know how to do a seam in house carpet?

[GASoline71]

Wrecked my truck and bent the frame 3 years ago... it has been a long and slow process. Same thing... life gets in the way. We moved into a new house, Had kids graduating, vacations, money that was earmarked for the truck that went to other stuff... it happens. But, I'm still jamming' away on it when I can!

Here it is in the ditch, and about where I'm at now. I have 2 build threads in my sig line. The original build and then the rebuild after the wreck.

Gary

[Oscar the grouch]

I used this tape on the seams and just have a lot of razor blades

[dmjlambert]

Excellent info. I may have to go get a remnant of carpet and do up the interior of my truck. I had some shag carpet in my 65 Ford back in the day, it was luxurious.

[cgster]

I've been working on my 1968 swb for about 2 years. Installed a new 383 stroker engine, painted and replaced a lot of the interior. Removed gas tank from behind the seat and put under bed.
Had some guys weld in new rocker panels about a year ago and they did a sorry job, so I just put it in the shop to get the job done right.
Other than that I have some wiring that needs to be done, paint, exhaust, get seat recovered, put carpet in and a few other minor details and hopefully it will be about ready to drive. Thats probably still about a year + down the road because nothing is cheap!

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by wesmigletz

This is how my truck looked the day I got out of the Army in DEC, 2013


This is how it looks today... actually in worse shape than then. The primer is starting to rust through, and my son hit something with it on his last week of school last year. But, it drove from WA to CA, then to TX, and is still driven every week.

Ha ha......Til l started tearing her down, my 71 looked like the pic. in my avatar for 28 years. Less the bed anyway. Original bed had saddle gas tanks. That and the bed was toast.

[Ken B]

Originally Posted by 66clow

I see photobucket is screwing you as well. You can't do anything without paying for the upgrade.

Yup, I'll have too find a way around Photobucket. It was a good run but I knew it wouldn't last...