Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky 67 Step

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Nice supports! BTW, LBT and the trailer are finally out of the snow and ready when you are. Sounds like you're gonna need the bed dolly soon!
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I'm ready to haul a load to Mark, although I haven't actually talked to him yet. I probably need to call him today and see what his schedule looks like. I have quite a bit to do on the cab before I can take it to him, but the removable parts like the hood, doors, fender stuff and etc. are all ready to go. I'll need the bed dolly for sure if Roy gets the bed to me sometime this week. Let me talk to Mark and I'll PM you with details. Thanks again!!

[Vic1947]

I just got back from picking up the first load of parts from the media blaster. The turnaround time was very good ...maybe a little too good, in fact. There's a lot of ugly that still needs to be removed but mainly in areas that are accessible, so I can do that. However, there are some spots that really needed to be cleaned out better to facilitate welding in patches. The explanation was that staying on an area long enough to remove all the bondo builds up heat that could warp the panel. True enough, and I'd rather deal with the bondo than whoop-de-doo's everywhere, I reckon.

Most of the media used for removing paint doesn't do a very good job on rust, especially the heavy stuff, so they need to use glass, sand or something more abrasive on those spots. If you use a light touch, those small areas won't warp and the rust will be pretty well gone.

[Xeen]

That hood looks like it's going to be lots of fun lots and lots of hours to fix that mess.
The guy who did the hood had a good idea but it was poor execution.
What panel is that close up of the rust on?
How nice is the Grill after it was sand blasted, is it going to need much work?
The passenger side door skin looks pretty decent except that one corner.
Hey there is something I can do! I can come over and pull all the dents and dings out of everything.
<Twists Vics Arm>

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Xeen

What panel is that close up of the rust on?

Driver side inner fenderwell. No biggie to fix since the patch will mainly be out of view.

Originally Posted by Xeen

How nice is the Grill after it was sand blasted, is it going to need much work?

No, it's actually in great shape as are the grille surrounds.

Originally Posted by Xeen

Hey there is something I can do! I can come over and pull all the dents and dings out of everything.

Help is always great, however, I think figuring out the wiring on your 5.3, dropping it in and getting it fired up should be your first priority. If you're over here, you ain't making any progress on your ride.

[Xeen]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Help is always great, however, I think figuring out the wiring on your 5.3, dropping it in and getting it fired up should be your first priority. If you're over here, you ain't making any progress on your ride.

sigh...don't remind me, I've been finding every other part I need except that, it looks like the wiring harness is going to take some time, but since the weather in the foreseeable future isn't going to be nice I have time.
Oh and about being over there working on your ride, I owe you a few and I don't like being in peoples debt, besides that I need a break from working on mine occasionally and I think I might have some tallent working metal with a little direction and practice.

[Low Elco]

Wow! What is the last pic? You're gonna laugh, but my best weapon for cleaning surfaces is an old da pad, a corded electric drill, and a roll of 80 grit. Works great, fast and controllable. Sorry it wasn't cleaner, but at least he stopped. The other guy we used killed our OG hood, and warped the fenders a little. But, they were clean clean when they came back. (Oy!). Like I said, anytime you need a hand, let me know. How goes the frame? Is the motor tight?
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[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Wow! What is the last pic? You're gonna laugh, but my best weapon for cleaning surfaces is an old da pad, a corded electric drill, and a roll of 80 grit. Works great, fast and controllable. Sorry it wasn't cleaner, but at least he stopped. The other guy we used killed our OG hood, and warped the fenders a little. But, they were clean clean when they came back. (Oy!). Like I said, anytime you need a hand, let me know. How goes the frame? Is the motor tight?
Posted via Mobile Device

That's one of the inner fenders. I'll patch that right up using the new MIG. Funny you should mention the 80 grit DA trick. I use the 8" Big Brutha version with my polishing sander. Amazing what it will rip off in a matter of seconds.

Before Brian came up the other day, I removed the plywood bed floor which gave me a good look at the frame in the back. Someone spent some time cleaning and painting it in the recent past, so it actually looks pretty darn good. No obvious rusted out areas or tweaks. Looks like they heated the rear coils to get it to sit lower, so there may be some work to do suspension-wise. We'll see. Oddly enough, it already has a new adjustable panhard bar. Shocks are waaay shot, however.

Engine is a big question mark at this moment. It ran fine coming home, but reading the plugs followed by a compression check indicates a blown head gasket between 6 & 8. My plan is to yank the engine and trans this week while the snow is whirling outside and do a more detailed investigation.

[67c10rustbuket]

Wow I guess cab supports are overrated? Man I cant believe how some people "fix" things. I am sure you will do it right. I read a little on silver a few weeks ago and I see you have some serious skills. The new floor should get this one going in the right direction, great job so far!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by 67c10rustbuket

Wow I guess cab supports are overrated? Man I cant believe how some people "fix" things. I am sure you will do it right. I read a little on silver a few weeks ago and I see you have some serious skills. The new floor should get this one going in the right direction, great job so far!

Thanks, Dan. Progress has been a bit slow recently. I've been doing a few machine work projects for friends and Crusty has taken a back seat. When I get a spare minute, I've been cleaning up small pieces in the blast cabinet to make them ready for paint when the outside temperatures cooperate. The interior is gutted except for the steering column and the floor shifter. Hopefully, won't be long before the Sawsall starts getting a workout.

[Low Elco]

Aaaahhhhh.... Happiness is a warm Sawzall. Do you have a standard Bridgeport?
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[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Aaaahhhhh.... Happiness is a warm Sawzall. Do you have a standard Bridgeport?
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Not anymore. I had a Webb (Bridgeport knockoff) with a 9x42 table and DRO when I lived in Houston, but had no way to transport or set it up here. Sold it before the move and now have a small Grizzly mill/drill with a 8x22 table. It still uses R8 collets, so all my tooling is usable. Also had to swap my Logan 14x40 lathe for a 10x22 with a much smaller footprint. Most stuff I do anymore is small, so that's not an issue. I have a DRO for the mill but have never installed it. I was pleasantly surprised at the accuracy of the smaller equipment. If it ever gets sloppy to the point that it can't be adjusted, I'll stick the readouts on it.

[Vic1947]

Back on CRLS for a little while. Yanked the engine and exhaust this afternoon and found even more technical marvels. Note the quick disconnect air coupler on the intake manifold. No need for expensive turbos or superchargers, just hook up the 80 gal. compressed air tank stored in the bed and crack open the valve when you need that extra shot of go power. Also, I was impressed with the straight thread bolt in the NPT boss on the back of the carb. Check out the size of that puppy. Takes a 7/8" socket, so I figured the PO probably used an impact to tighten it. However, much to my surprise, a quarter turn using my fingers and it fell right out. No wonder we had to use a shot of ether to get 'er to fire.

I'm almost afraid to tear into the engine. No telling what I'll find there. Has to come apart, however, as I already know it has a bad head gasket. More later...

[67c10rustbuket]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Back on CRLS for a little while. Yanked the engine and exhaust this afternoon and found even more technical marvels. Note the quick disconnect air coupler on the intake manifold. No need for expensive turbos or superchargers, just hook up the 80 gal. compressed air tank stored in the bed and crack open the valve when you need that extra shot of go power. Also, I was impressed with the straight thread bolt in the NPT boss on the back of the carb. Check out the size of that puppy. Takes a 7/8" socket, so I figured the PO probably used an impact to tighten it. However, much to my surprise, a quarter turn using my fingers and it fell right out. No wonder we had to use a shot of ether to get 'er to fire.

I'm almost afraid to tear into the engine. No telling what I'll find there. Has to come apart, however, as I already know it has a bad head gasket. More later...

Thats hilarious! forced air induction quick connect coupling

Nice sheet metal work on the speaker enclosures. Do you have a press brake too? Must also have a shrinker or ? english wheel for that curved flange on the repair piece? Impressive!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by 67c10rustbuket

Nice sheet metal work on the speaker enclosures. Do you have a press brake too? Must also have a shrinker or ? english wheel for that curved flange on the repair piece? Impressive!

Thanks, Dan! I have a 4' box and pan (finger) brake and a small press brake for those tough-to-get-at bends. And, yes, a shrinker, stretcher and planishing hammer. However, I don't have the floor space to dedicate to an English wheel, so when I need to roll out a curved panel, I have a buddy with three of them in his shop.

[gdavis]

Maybe that quick connect is to blow out the cob webs.

[Xeen]

Originally Posted by gdavis

maybe that quick connect is to blow out the cob webs.

lol!

[Low Elco]

Har! Hope the rest of the motor cleans up well.
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[Vic1947]

Disassembled most of the engine today and found some surprises and some "as expected" things. First of all, the short block is a 4 bolt main 350 out of an '80 model truck. Was apparently rebuilt at least once as it has a .020" over bore. Whoever did the rebuild slapped on a set of "416" 305 heads with 58cc chambers and 1.85/1.50 valves. With dished pistons and a .038" thick head gasket, it probably has around a 9.3:1 CR. The biggest surprise was that the head gasket was not blown between 6 and 8 as I originally thought. There's no sign of cracked rings or major cylinder issues, so I can only assume the problem is in the heads.

I checked on eBay and found the bulk of the parts I'll need to do a rebuild for around $350. Pistons, rings, bearings, cam/lifters, timing chain, valves, springs, retainers, oil pump, gaskets, freeze plugs, and etc. For another $150 you can upgrade to hypereutectics and a performance cam. With machine work, I should be able to assemble a nice little runner for under $1000. Let's see how fast this plan unwinds.

UPS delivered the Vintage Air kit today. I did a quick check for damage (none visible) and to see how it looked in general. From what I see, quality is very nice. Won't truly know until installation time, but I'm betting it will bolt up without a major hitch.

[Xeen]

The original heads were probably junk so they got different ones and little did they know those are junk too, thats awesome LOL!

[Low Elco]

There's a VA dealer right by me that can do the hoses when you're ready. Did ya have much ridge in the bores? Vortecs maybe?
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[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

There's a VA dealer right by me that can do the hoses when you're ready. Did ya have much ridge in the bores? Vortecs maybe?
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Thanks for the heads up Chip, I'll get with you when the time comes. There are some lines in the kit, but it's hard to predict how they'll fit.

Block had moderate ridging, also looked like it had sat for a while with some light condensation in the bores. Some patchy areas of pitting, but .010" should get it all. That would take the bores out to .030 over, which ain't bad, considering.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Vortecs maybe?
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Ya know, I think I may just stick with the 305's. With a flat top piston and small chambers, it would make about 10.2:1 CR. If I use a longer duration cam to kill some of the CR and drop in 1.94/1.60 valves, they would make a decent street setup. Engine came with a Holley Street Dominator intake and Edelbrock 600 carb, so I'd bolt them right back on. Vortecs would require all new stuff. More $$$.

[Low Elco]

Hmm, true. I was just reading yesterday about efficiency stuff, and the going consensus was as much comp as you can get away with, and Small valves, actually. You plan sounds good. (Like I know!)

I'm kinda wanting to see how hot a vortec motor I can put under the 87 TBI in LBT. Kinda wanting to challenge myself to assemble it as well. My boss has offered to really flow up a set of Vortecs for me at a reasonable price, and it's tempting. He apparently grew up in Bob Morton's shop. Ask him about Kevin Gore. Motor off to the shop this week? OD trans?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Hmm, true. I was just reading yesterday about efficiency stuff, and the going consensus was as much comp as you can get away with, and Small valves, actually. You plan sounds good. (Like I know!)

I'm kinda wanting to see how hot a vortec motor I can put under the 87 TBI in LBT. Kinda wanting to challenge myself to assemble it as well. My boss has offered to really flow up a set of Vortecs for me at a reasonable price, and it's tempting. He apparently grew up in Bob Morton's shop. Ask him about Kevin Gore. Motor off to the shop this week? OD trans?

Talked to Bobby and it didn't take long for the wheels to come off my engine building plan. He's dead set against using 305 heads on a 350 (too much shrouding) and recommended using a 5.7 specific cylinder head. So, I worked a deal with him to purchase a set of Vortec's with all new valves and springs set up ready to bolt on. I've sourced an intake, self aligning rocker arms, perimeter valve cover adapters, gaskets and etc. In the end, it was less expensive than buying a set of low buck Gen 1 heads from Summit or, to a lesser extent, fixing up a clapped out used pair. I'll throw the old intake in the swap meet junk pile and maybe offset a little of the cost someday. Short block is headed for his place first of next week.

Crank was .010 under on the mains and .020 on the rod journals. Will likely need to be ground an additional .010 across the board to make it right. Rods look good, but you never know until you torque the caps and measure. Rest of the machine work I planned on so no surprises there.

No OD trans in my future. The PO said the TH400 was rebuilt very recently by Certified Transmission and it shifted slick as a button on the drive home. Will keep it until it pukes or gas goes to $10.

If you need moral support (or have excess beer), keep me in mind. I'll be happy to come over and help you wrench a load of hotness into a Vortec for LBT.

[Xeen]

Why did I know that was going to happen...Vortec for the win!