It’s Just A Pickup

[Bruce88]

Originally Posted by chevytruckluver

Hello Bruce, Hows the truck coming along? Any progress lately?

I wish I could say that I’ve been so busy working on the truck that I haven’t had time to post anything. But that isn’t true all these little things keep cropping up not related to the truck that’s been occupying my time. Maybe I just need to lock myself in the shop and get busy (smile). Possibly in a week or two Ill have something to post. Thanks for the interest and prodding, this is probably something that’s needed to move the build along (thanks)

[Bruce88]

The hardest panel to fit and fair
As far as I’m concerned the cowl panel is the hardest

The cowl fits between so many different panels that making it fit right can be a challenge. Not to say that I’ve made my cowl fit perfectly and there are definitely areas on my cowl that don’t meet all the factory fit and fair dimensions. But it’s just a pickup (smile) and this is just my attempt at making it fit.

There are four places on the cowl that you could find shims from the factory, the forward outboard corners and on the L & R pillar behind the door panels. One area I was having a problem with was at the center of the hood to the cowl. The cowl was about 1/8 of an inch below the hood and that was something that stuck out to me when sitting in the truck (yes you could see it from the outside also)(smile). I’ve seen this misfair on other trucks and you might run into on yours.

I looked around my shop and found some 1/8 inch thick nylon plastic material to make some shims out of. I suppose you could make the shims out of steel but I like the way the nylon plastic slips between the cowl seal and cowl with out scratching up the paint ( I wouldn’t use acrylic type plastic, to brittle). I cut the nylon plastic into 2 inch long x ¾ inch wide strips to use on both side of the screw locations and since the misfair tapered to nothing at the outboard end of the hood I used progressively thinner shims at the screw locations moving outboard. There’s a lip on the aft edge of the cowl seal that holds the shim in place and prevents it from sliding into the open cowl area.









I’ve also been working on the engine compartment wiring and hoses and will have pictures up soon. As you can tell by the pictures above the dust/dirt is building up from my slow progress so I better get out there (smile).

Enjoy your build

[VA72C10]

Nicely done! Looks great from here

[Newtz67]

That paint is so pretty... I'm a little jealous!

[R&K's71]

Wow such a beautiful work of art. After reading through your thread just a great detailed build. Keep up the great work

[propanemudtruck]

Great updates Bruce and once again, great work! Ya know, it's not perfect work, because it's just a pickup... HA! You do amazing work and I hope you are very proud behind that very humble layer!

[Scott T.]

Hi Bruce,
Just wanted to thank you for all the detailed info you have posted
thru-out your build. Very informative and impressive build.
Now that you have your interior finished,I wanted to ask how you
like your seat arrangement, as far as comfortability?
I was considering a bench from the early 90's era, but am now
pondering on the low-back version of what you have.
I tend to like the feel of being in the seat, instead of on it (if that
makes sense)
Anyway, anxiiously awaiting your engine bay pics, as that will be the
next area of my build as soon as the chrome shop gets a few pieces
back to me. Thanks again. Be safe and have a good day!

[Bruce88]

Hi Scott T.

I haven’t been able to drive the truck with the new seats but am fairly sure they will work well for me. I think I understand what you are talking about, when I’m sitting on a bench seat I feel like I’m sliding from left to right when going around a corner and with a bucket seat there is support in the seat to prevent that from happening. Theses seats definitely will aide holding me in place and are comfortable. I know that the high back buck seats are out of character for this era truck but I like the shoulder support that they give me. As I grow older being comfortable is more importune to me than correct for the period. I like the center fold down jump seat it gives me a arm rest that’s useful to me but the cup holders would be useless for a cup of coffee there to shallow and my arm goes over that area, I’d never put a drink there.

Scott, have a good day and a better one tomorrow and don’t forget to enjoy your build

Bruce

[Bruce88]

When I was very young an old electrician one told me the first time a new electrical system was turned on was a smoke check. This was to make sure all the magical electrical smoke would not escape from the wires (smile).

With 90% of my electrical system hooked up I did my smoke check and everything was working and tested fine, no escape of magical electrical smoke was found. The only part of the system that will need to be checked in the future is the tail lights and the starter, their time will come.

I’ve used welding wire in the past for battery cables and they have worked good for me. They do have some down sides, The outer covering on welding wire is not as durable or chemical resistant as on standard battery cables and because the welding wire is more flexible it needs more clamps/support along it’s run to prevent it from riding on something and shorting out. I had some custom welding wire battery cables made by Enos Custom Components, 40 inch long positive cable and 27 inch long negative cable. One problem with the custom cables is the positive battery terminal can not be made with the 10 gage wire that goes over to the system power terminal block on the fender well. I used a terminal under the nut and bolt on the positive battery terminal to run that 10 gage wire.

Over the years I’ve found that the lack of ground wires or bad grounds from rust or paint seems to cause 50% of the electrical problems. I used two 12 inch flat braided ground straps from Enos Custom Components. One from the engine block to the frame and one from the engine block to the cab/body.

Because the truck might sit for a month with out being run in the future I installed the hard wire terminal connections on the battery terminals for the Battery Tender Junior, battery charger by Deltran (model #021-0123). This should aid in keeping the battery charge up during any of the trucks idle time.

I installed the radiator hoses, 32-1635 top hose and 32-1740 bottom hose from LMC. They are molded hoses that will need to be cut to fit, I cut the bottom hose about 4-1/2 inches from the long end and about 1-1/2 inches from the top hose. The bottom hose did have a metal coil spring inside it to prevent it from collapsing. A tip that might help you out when installing radiator hoses I clean and wipe the radiator and engine fittings with WD40 it helps in getting the hoses all the way on. Side note the hoses are probably from China, the numbers on the hoses are fallowed by the letters CN which is a strong indication that they are from China.

The blue heater hoses are 65075 (3/4 inch) and 65074 (5/8 inch) HI-MILER Heater Hose by Goodyear that I obtained from Summit Racing Equipment.

As I’ve rambled on long enough you probably want to see some pictures. Tried to take some of the pictures from unusual points of view you normally can’t see, like after the wheel wells are installed.











Next Ill be moving on to bleeding the brakes, the master cylinder is just temp installed at this time to make sure all the lines hook up and align right, and it still needs to be bench bleed.

Enjoy your build

[VA72C10]

nice and tidy! Good work!

[Sillyoldman]

I'm diggin the coolant overflow. I just did the same but with rubber hose under the front of the rad support and to a SS can. I have some extra alum brake line out in the shop. Hmmm.

[-sean-]

Bruce, your running a GM HEI correct? Can you tell me where you found those spark plug wires and/or what they are for?

Never mind, page one with a part number even. I should have known!

[freakshow108]

IM NOT WORTHY!!!!!! IM NOT WORTHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Absolutley incredible, I am mid way through my build, some parts have come easy and some not so easy. Your build will definately take the edge off of the rest of my build. Thank you for such a treasure trove of info. Love the truck, good luck on getting her on the road soon.

[RJGeister]

Bruce,
Looking great! Thanks for the details you put in your posts. Much appreciated. Keep it up, the end is in sight.

Rich Geister

[mcbassin]

Nice work as always Bruce!

[nasqar]

Just flipped through some pages and this looks pretty awesome bro! I will spend the next week probably reading and studying. Thanks for a lesson in perfection.

[Bruce88]

Thought I would try something different than I’ve done in the past
It didn’t go as smoothly as I would have hoped

My brake system is all new or rebuilt parts, there is no brake fluid in the system. I’ve heard of gravity bleeding the brakes but never tried it before and thought I would give it a try. I figured it would at least fill the lines and get the majority of the air out of the system. I was also planning to pressure bleed the system after gravity bleeding.

I did break some basic rules in brake bleeding. I didn’t bench bleed the master cylinder and I reused the brake fluid that came out of the bleeder screws. It didn’t make sense to me to put a bench bleed master cylinder on a completely empty system, if needed I could pull the master cylinder and bench bleed it later (it wasn’t needed after the pressure bleeding) (maybe I just got lucky) smile. Since the system was completely empty and there was no old brake fluid to flush out of the system I figured that the fluid that came out of the bleeder screws was just as clean as when it went in and I could reuse it to flush thru the system.

What I used to bleed the system
(Qty 4) 12 FL. OZS. Cans of DOT 3 brake fluid
(Qty 2) small Mason jars to bleed the brake fluid into
A few feet of 3/16 inside DIA clear hose
Power Bleeder (model 0105) by Motive Products obtained from summit racing
Large C clamp
A 2 inch X ½ inch X 8 inch peace of scrap aluminum bar to be used with the clamp
Home made J-23709 Combination Valve Pin Retainer as seen in the 1972 Service Manual



I started by jacking up the front end of the truck to get the master cylinder top close to level and with the front wheels off, this gave me plenty of room to bleed the front calipers and get under the truck and check the lines for leeks. With the master cylinder level it gives it the best chance at getting all the air out of it just as you would do if bench bleeding the master cylinder.

Filled the master cylinder with DOT 3 brake fluid, set up my small mason jar & tube on the RH front caliper and opened the bleeder screw. Was surprised as I made sure the master cylinder was toped off, the fluid started flowing into the mason jar in about 15 minutes. After the jar was about half full, closed the bleeder screw and repeated the same step on the LH caliper. Note the front and aft brake systems are separate and it shouldn’t mater which one you bleed first, just bleed the longest line on the individual system first.

Set up the mason jar and tube on the LH aft brake and opened the bleeder screw. Note the LH brake line is the longest on the aft brake system on my truck. After about 30 minutes the master cylinder fluid level was not going down. Put the master cylinder top on and pressed the brake pedal slowly to the floor and back, thought there might be a air/fluid lock in the line preventing the fluid from flowing. Removed the master cylinder top and after another 30 minutes the fluid started to go down. The aft brake system line is longer than the front and it took about 1 hour before fluid started to appear in the mason jar, let the jar fill about half full and closed the bleeder screw. Moved the jar and tube over to the RH brake and opened the bleeder, it took about 15 minutes for the brake fluid to flow into the mason jar, let the jar fill half full and closed the bleeder screw.

All the time I was bleeding the front and aft brake system I was looking for fitting leaks and didn’t find any. Put the master cylinder top on and applied the brake pedal, the pedal went to the floor (no brakes). I could pump the brakes and get a little brake pedal, not the way it should be. This is where I did find some leaks that I would call seaper’s, they don’t leek when there’s no pressure in the line but when pressure is applied they start leaking. I fixed the few seaper’s and still very little brake pedal.

I don’t know if this a fair test of the gravity bleeding considering that the system was completely empty. The brake fluid did flow and all the lines where at least full of some fluid now. Anyone noting an error in how I did the gravity bleeding don’t hesitate to post a better way. With a completely empty brake system I would gravity bleed the system in the future to at least get some fluid in the system.

In the past I’ve done the two man manually bleeding brakes, the vacuum at the bleeder screws, and the professional shop pressure bleeding of brakes and prefer the pressure bleeding method. The professional shop pressure bleeding equipment is too expensive for a home shop, decided to try the Power Bleeder (model 0105) by Motive Products.

The first problem I ran into with the Power Bleeder was with the hooks and chains supplied with the master cylinder plastic cap, the plastic cap would not seal too the master cylinder. Went to Motive Products web site and found that this could be a problem and using a plate of steel on top of the plastic cap and a C clamp the cap would seal to the master cylinder.

With the steel plate & C clamp installed plus the Combination Valve Pin Retainer and pressure on the Power Bleeder everything was looking good. Went back to the LH rear brake to start bleeding, that’s when I herd it, the C clamp slipped off the bottom of the master cylinder and brake fluid was poring over the master cylinder down the brake booster and on the front suspension and frame. Definitely my fault the C clamp was not set straight and square on the master cylinder and the rounded bottom allowed the clamp to slip.

After cleaning up the spilled brake fluid the best I could, positioning the C clamp good, the pressure bleeding went smoothly. Bleeding at each bleeder screw about half a mason jar of brake fluid. After removing the Power Bleeder and Combination Valve Pin Retainer, tried applying the brakes and had a good solid brake pedal. Possibly I was just lucky not having to bench bleed the master cylinder.

The damage is done to the painted surfaces that the brake fluid was on and only time will tell how much, it might take weeks or months to see all the areas that will need additional cleaning and repainting. I’m not happy with my performance on this task but maybe the above information will help someone else avoid a problem and prevent spilling brake fluid.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, taking pictures of the setup was not high on the list of things to do, especially after the brake fluid spill.

Enjoy your build

[mleeb]

Just found this thread, it is great!!! It’s like a magazine tech quality article that covers an entire build. I might just print it out and make it a book for my garage. Thanks for your precise and through posts. Definitely subscribed!!

[68GMCCustom]

I wound up going DOT5 since my system was all new....and since the line lock leaked out of every orifice...I'd have had a similar problem except for the fact that DOT5 doesn't hurt the paint. I just did a gravity bleed to fill the system and finished up with a vacuum bleed at each of the bleeders. Seemed like the gravity bleed did the job tho.

[Bruce88]

Not exactly road worthy now
But it can move under its own power

Starting a new engine or build for the first time can be interesting, you never know what’s going to crop up.

I asked the neighbor over to help start the truck, he would be in the cab turning the key, checking the gauges and bring the engine up to 2000 RPM and hold it for 20 minutes (cam break-in run). I would be outside doing any adjustments needed like adjusting timing and checking for leaks.

I had filled all the fluids, battery charged and gas up to the carb before the neighbor came over with his wife and kids, they wanted to watch the first starting of the truck to. Then a friend came over also, I was gathering a crowd, hope this truck starts without a problem and I look good (smile).

He turned the key and it started right up without hesitation. No carb or ignition timing adjustments where required for this run (they where close enough) it even idled at 800 RPM on its own after the cam break-in time. No bad noises or leeks where found, I was extremely happy and satisfied.

The next day checked all the fluid levels and set the timing and idle. Then took it out for a drive, not exactly a real drive just up and down my street a 25 MPH to make sure the transmission was full of fluid. Would definitely liked to take it out for a longer drive, but without turn signals or brake lights I don’t think the police would be to happy (smile)

Parked it in the driveway and rinsed off all the months of dust that had accumulated from all that time in the garage. Hears some pictures outside, you can now see the paint color in natural light instead all that inside lighting and camera flash.







Hope the first time you start your build, that everything goes as smoothly as mine did.

Enjoy your build

[VA72C10]

Congrats on the smooth startup. Shows your planning and attention to detail were spot on!!!

Truck looks great!

[Dustydog]

Awesome job!!!

[chevytruckluver]

Great job Bruce,
I'm sure that kind of progress will keep you motovated for a while!
As VA72C10 said "Shows your planning and attention to detail were spot on!"

[mcbassin]

Bruce, congrats on the smooth start up and getting through the brake bleeding.

Where did you get your gas tank? Is it a standard blazer tank? thanks

[Bruce88]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Bruce, congrats on the smooth start up and getting through the brake bleeding.

Where did you get your gas tank? Is it a standard blazer tank? thanks

Yes a Blazer stile fuel tank from Wes at Classic Heartbeat Pickup Parts
Hears some other posts you might be interested in concerning the fuel tank

Filler tube (post 76) http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=318544&page=4

Figuring out how to fit the tank with the bed cross supports (post 106) http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=318544&page=5

Fuel tank fitting to frame (post 252) http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...318544&page=11

Fuel lines to fuel tank (post 301) http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...318544&page=13

After the beds back on I will still need to do a final adjustment to align the filler cap with the tail light filler door

Tail light filler door (post 37 & 39) http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=318544&page=2