K1's build thread

[k1rodeoboater]

Here's a question for you guys....

Should I keep the two tone as it is right now, or should I stick to the traditional paint scheme?

I kind of like it as it is right now, but at the same time I do really like the traditional look. I suppose it'd be an easy change back to make if I did want to go to a traditional scheme. That white paint lays on stupid thick, hard, and doesn't easily run much to my surprise....though the spray pattern on it does suck.

[k1rodeoboater]

I did some work on the truck today, not as much as I would have liked but oh well.

Went over to my buddy's place around 1300, I woke up around noon...hey it was my day off so damned if I'm not gonna enjoy not waking up at 0445. I pulled off the grill, front bumper, grill support piece, radiator support pieces, hood latch, and the hood. We also took the painted fenders and cowls over to my storage unit for safe keeping and so I can start working painting some other parts. When we got back the weather looked like it was going to turn so we bolted the $30 ghetto hood onto my truck to cover the engine up. I sanded down and reprimered my hood because in the last 3 weeks it's sat outside it got dinged up and pooped on by birds.

That's really all I did for work on the truck today. Not a whole lot but progress none the less. I did get a bit antsy and bolted up one of the painted cowls to see how it looked....and it looked good. No pics, forgot my camera, but it'll look good I think.

[k1rodeoboater]

Went to a junkyard today with my dad to pull some parts...unfortunately he had to do most of the work because my pain level was pretty high.

Haul 1 - $40

65 c10 windshield
65 c10 steering wheel
65 c10 turn signal components and switch
cut out a radio repair panel from the same truck
High hump out of a 66 C30 flatbed dually
door handles (inside)
window cranks
rochester monojet carb
4 way flasher trim piece

Haul 2 - $25

Stepside bed headboard off unknown 64 to 66 GMC
front sway bar with brackets off 73 to 87 C10
3 glove box doors
Power steering bracket off of a 67 to 70 C10 with a 250 I6

Not a bad haul for a gimp and an old man
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[k1rodeoboater]

Well...I called CPP seeing as it's now a month since I placed the order. They were kind enough to inform me that my order had been shipped and was already delivered...yet I received no tracking information or shipment notification. Seriously...WTF!!! I'm gonna pick up the parts today after lunch. I'm hesitant to order from them again...I may end up ordering a set of springs and shocks from them in the future but they're not an immediate need right now.

I'm fixing to do the brake swap and install all the sheet metal next week. Gonna try to get the tires moved onto my new rims this week sometime. I have to do a bit of work on my buddy's truck first though.

Plan for the day....
-pick up a few more cans (4) of white paint to finish the cab, grill support, and front bumper
-pick up a few cans (4) of black paint to use on the inner fenders, firewall & heater box, radiator support, and insides of the outer fenders
-prep and primer the grill support
-prep and primer the remaining parts of the cab for white paint
-paint the inner fenders
-paint the radiator support
-roll the final two coats (for now) on the hood and wiper cowl

if time allows...

-prep and primer side steps
-prep and primer passenger fender

[VA72C10]

Wow, you've gotten a LOT done lately. Nice score on the parts and the paint's looking better and better. I like the two tone look you have going and like you said...you can always change it later if you want.

[k1rodeoboater]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

Wow, you've gotten a LOT done lately. Nice score on the parts and the paint's looking better and better. I like the two tone look you have going and like you said...you can always change it later if you want.

Thanks. Me taking 5 days of leave really did help to stave off the burn out syndrome I was starting to feel. I was pretty much working on the truck every day after work for several hours. It's gonna be back to that though for a while. I've been putting off the disc brake conversion because of waiting on these parts from CPP. Hopefully they sent the right ones and it can be done this next weekend. That'll be a project in and of itself...which reminds me I need to paint my calipers still.

[k1rodeoboater]

Primered the grille support, rad support pieces, and cab. Im gonna need to do a bit more sanding on the grille support, I missed a few spots.

I also painted 3 coats on the inside portion of the inner fenders and 2 coats on the show surfaces. Gonna wetsand and do another 2 coats tomorrow.

I spent the rest of the time working on my buddy's door...damn thing was 80% bondo. My mud work was fast and dirty, so it looks like crap. He was also in a rush to get the door done and remounted so I have a feeling it'll be done as it is now. Two more afternoons of work I think I could get it looking better.

Tomorrow will be more painting. Cab, hood, wiper cowl, front bumper, bumper bolts, rad support brackets, rad support (only the front half, will do the rest when I disasemble the front clip). Also gotta finish up my buddys door, the gap needs to be adjusted some
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[VA72C10]

Sounds like good progress. Did you get to pick up your suspension parts?

[k1rodeoboater]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

Sounds like good progress. Did you get to pick up your suspension parts?

Yeah I picked them up yesterday before going to work on the truck. The only thing I haven't checked yet are the conversion hoses (going to do that the next time I go out to my car in a few hours). Aside from that everything is correct in my order. I didn't realize though that the rotors come with the wheel bearings in them. Gonna have to return some stuff to Advance Auto (bearings, sparkplug wires they gave me are to short, electric rad fan controller, and a myriad of other things)

[k1rodeoboater]

<insert long string of expletives in an incomprehensible order...some made up....some in 3 different languages>

...I ordered a wrong part from CPP....I meant to order conversion brake hoses, but instead I ordered a brake line kit. Boy do I feel like a tard right now. On the plus side...I can now use 73-87 brake hoses....that I returned to Advance Auto a month ago.

I'm gonna go beat my head against a desk and stand in the corner now.

[k1rodeoboater]

Update for the day

Got my buddy's door hung...well...sorta. It's at least not hitting anymore. His truck was in an accident sometime in it's life and that side of the truck was hit. You can still see the damage on the inside edge of the door where it bolts up. I also think his hinge pins are worn out seeing as it drops when you open it, and also the striker may need to be realigned because I can lift the door up and down. If we ever fully tear down his truck I'd love to take the fender off and move the door brackets to try to get it working properly. I have a feeling they got bent up in the accident.

Aside from that the last two coats of paint were rolled on the wiper cowl and hood (all but that front piece that's separate, that'll get painted once I weld up the pinholes). Hopefully Justin and Russ can get the hood mounted up for me, I don't want to try to lift it right now with my back the way it is.

I also painted the small part of the cab where I need a bit of the blue for the two tone by the windshield. I'm gonna spot test the spray can version of the blue paint on an inconspicuous spot first, if that matches the rolled on paint I'm gonna just sand off what I rolled on and spray it tomorrow during lunch. I figure after the day is over I can go back and finish up the two tone on the cab (just one coat for now)

Side steps got scuffed and primered, and the grill support got 2 coats of blue rolled on the upper and lower portions of it.


For tomorrow I plan on...

-possibly finishing the two tone for the cab around the windshield.
-rolling the first two coats on the side steps
-rolling the 3rd and 4th coats onto the grill support
-mount the hood up
-scuff and primer the passenger rear fender
-scuff and primer the drivers bedside (big maybe on this one since rain is in the forecast for the weekend. May wait till next week)
-scuff and paint the front bumper (depends on how much white is left from the cab.)

The end to this painting hell may be near!!!...ok well it's not really hell it's kinda fun and it's just for now at least. Roll on my be ghetto but in a weird way it's sorta relaxing just having something to do on the truck everyday that doesn't take a whole lot of brainpower. Gotta fix and patch up my drivers rear fender, patch up the drivers rear stake pocket, patch up the passenger bedside, paint the replacement the headboard, do the tailgate, and paint part of the lower half of the cab (still need to do the rust repair yet on the corners. Figure I can at least paint the back portion of the cab covered by the bed when I pull the bed to replace the headboard.

[k1rodeoboater]

Update for the day...

sprayed the blue on the lower part of the A pillar, sprayed some white as well just to get some coverage before it rains this weekend. I'll have to redo both at a later date (no biggy planned on it anyways)

Since I knew that this paint does not like to sit unused after it's been sprayed I went ahead and sprayed the side steps as well. The difference between the spray and can version of this paint is the spray has a hardener in it. I figure for the steps having the harder paint is probably a good thing, so I used the rest of the can to coat the two steps (probably 3 coats on each, and I did mention that this stuff sprays on thick earlier I think)

I used what I had left of a partial can of white I had forgotten about from when I did the roof and rear window area...it sprayed like crap but it was about 1/3 of a can. I used that on the front bumper which I just scuffed with a fine grit sanding sponge. It was good for about 2 thin coats. I used what I had left of the new can of white I had used on the A pillars and eyebrow above the windshield.

I also brought out the hood and mounted it up. My truck is now starting to look less and less hoopty like. If the weather isn't crappy on Sunday I'm thinking about mounting up the wiper cowl, and side cowls. I'll also be finishing up the blue on the grill support so that Monday I can spray the white down and mount it up that evening along with the front bumper. All I'm waiting on to mount the repo inner fenders and outer fenders are the gaskets that go onto the cab.

[VA72C10]

sounds like great progress....we need pics

[k1rodeoboater]

Lol yeah tell me about it. I gotta find my bloody camera. I don't remember where I put it when I came back from leave. Hopefully I can find it on Sunday and get you guys some pics so long as the weather cooperates. I think it is supposed to rain pretty much all weekend.
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[k1rodeoboater]

updated the log...been up in Raleigh since Friday night. Gonna get back to working on the truck tomorrow. I'll have some new pics to post too so long as the weather holds out on me...which it may not looking at the weather forecast.

[k1rodeoboater]

put the wiper cowl back onto the truck today. Couldn't really do anything else because it's rained the last few days, and after tomorrow it'll be raining again for a few more days.

...so I think I'm going to go over tomorrow and pull my wheels off to mount and balance the rubber on the new rims on one of the rainy days this week. I'll also make a trip over to the storage unit to grab the new headboard so I can start working on fixing the dents on it and getting it ready for paint. I'll also try to remove the in cab tank tomorrow I think.

[k1rodeoboater]

Painted the cab top again with another coat of white paint, it needed it. I also hit the top and bottom of the grill support with blue. Tomorrow I'll be painting the middle white, and I'll also be painting the rear bumper again with the white tractor paint if there's enough left)

[k1rodeoboater]

I'm not dead folks, and I've still got the truck...ended up herniating 3 discs in my back so I wasn't able to do much of anything fora while. I had gotten injured in October last year, but it got progressively worse and worse. I Had surgery about 30 days ago now and I'm going to attempt to go back to working on the truck tomorrow. Before I had surgery I was able to start playing around with my new hobart handler and make a few rust patches. The welds ain't pretty but you won't be able to tell anything's there with a little bit of bondo.

Hit list for tomorrow

Primary goals...

1.) Get the Camaro tank fuel line hooked up and mounted to the frame and run sending unit wire
2.) Get the truck running on said tank
3.) Install a new windshield

Secondary goals

4.) Get bumpers mounted
5.) Get turn signals mounted and wired up
6.) Get the bed slid back and tilted up on it's end so I can paint the back of the cab and replace the bed headboard

And last but not least, and probably the most important....

7.) Don't do anything stupid and hurt my back again....I'll let my old man, he's down here with me now, do most of the heavy, bendy, awkward work.


I'm pretty optimistic that we can accomplish the primary goals tomorrow (so long as the windshield channel is good which I think it is) and maybe even the secondary goals. I may bring the wiring harness back to the hotel to solder the splices on. If we can get the truck drive-able we may drive it to the auto shop and do the disc brake swap and get the new rims on the truck on one of the rainy days this week. We also need to fix a leaking caliper on my daily driver but that shouldn't be to hard of a job....I hope.

[k1rodeoboater]

progress up to tonight

Camaro tank hooked up and filled with gas
Bumpers mounted up again
Windshield removed...but we couldn't get the new one in (calling in the pros to install it tomorrow...learned that lesson the hard way)
Carb removed to be rebuilt (broke fuel line from pump in the process, fitting was seized to the carb)
mounted and balanced tires onto 2 new rims (other two still on original steelies for now)
Installed sway bar brackets (bushings will arrive Thursday/Friday to complete the install)
discovered pinhole rust/thin spots in the headboard I was going to install while stripping it...it's not salvageable



Tomorrow's agenda (weather permitting, rain is forecasted)

Rebuild carb
Modify repo door locks (FYI these don't work with original handles, you'll need to grind the wings down to size)
Swap out ignition cylinder
Remove in cab tank
Vac advance hose replacement
Steering wheel repair
Turn signal switch install
Wire up Camaro tank sending unit to gauge cluster
Windshield install

If all of that gets done or I hit a snag/need a change of pace I can do some body work on my passenger rear fender, tailgate, or bedsides

[k1rodeoboater]

Carb rebuilt
New fuel line from pump to carb (Poly Armour line is some cool stuff)
GOT THE TRUCK RUNNING AGAIN!!!....finally
Started body work on passenger rear fender and tailgate
Got the final two wheels in the car, gonna get them mounted on the new rims tomorrow

It was another LOOOOONG day for my Dad and I. Getting the truck running took longer than expected, again. And the body work has me in a bunch of pain at the moment from being hunched over working on the parts. Don't think I'll be doing any more body work for a little while.

Tomorrow I have to go back to work unfortunately, I'd rather work on the truck with my dad all day...oh well. I've got a laundry list of things he's gonna try to get done tomorrow.

Tires mounted
Swaybar installed (assuming bushings come in tomorrow)
Sending unit wired up
Modify door lock assembly
Do some painting

[Captainfab]

Wow, you have been kicking butt on your truck the last couple of days. Just take it easy on your back, you don't want to f it up.

[pdxhall]

[k1rodeoboater]

Progress update...

I forgot to mention the other day we determined I have a exhaust leak somewhere. Either the pipe is cracked (likely since homeboy did shoddy welds), there is no flange gasket (also likely because homeboy did shady work on this truck), or the manifold is cracked (possible since it's got some pretty deep pits in it). I need a new exhaust system anyways, so no big loss there. I can't stand the glasspack that's on there now, it's just to fricken loud. I have another intake and exhaust manifold in my storage unit. I may take them to a machine shop and have them true up the faces of them for me if I need to replace the exhaust manifold. I'll probably grind off all the casting marks and paint them up in high heat paint to make them look pretty without buying headers. I plan on doing that eventually anyways when I tear down and rebuild the 250...so long as it stops acting up on me...otherwise I'm probably going to go with a 383 stroker just to be a little different since everyone does the 350 swap.

Here's what I did...keep in mind I had to go back to work today so I didn't start till after 6pm
-Finished up the body work on the passenger side rear fender and sprayed primer on it

Here's what my dad did....
-In cab gas tank is out of the cab (I'm keeping the filler neck and cap in the side of the cab for the looks of it though.)
-Radiator support covers sprayed with 2 coats of gloss black tractor paint
-Sway bar has been "cleaned up" thanks to a grinder and flap disc, sprayed it with 2 coats of gloss black tractor paint (figured why not since I had the paint out)
-Picked up the bushings for the sway bar, gotta find my tub-o-grease before he installs it
-Took the front two wheels over to Walmart and had them swap them onto the new rims (cost only a few more bucks than doing it myself at the base auto shop...and I didn't have to do the ether trick again to get them mounted...YEY!!!!)
-Took my door handle and lock assembly over to a lock smith...who looked up the code on the lock and cut me a new set of keys. Turns out my doors and ign are different keys. Looks like I got a spare set of locks and stuff now...
-Trouble shot my drivers door, the door latch is broken/busted/faulty and will need to be replaced. Till then I'll just keep bumping it with my shoulder to open the door

He claimed it wasn't a very productive day but I'd beg to differ with him on it.

The biggest problem we're running into right now is we're running out of things on the To-Do list. Pretty much all that I have left is body work/rust repair/paint (a big job but not to bad since it'll be split up in phases), get the windshield installed (the installers lied to me, changed their story, and the shop never called me back with an answer....so I'm going to go to Safelite tomorrow during lunch and get an answer. A word of advice...don't piss off an Infantryman), get a new exhaust made/built, and do the disc brake conversion. That'll finish the exterior of the truck. Interior wise I need to paint it, recover the sun visor, get my 65 C10 seat recovered and brought down from PA, carpet and sound deaden the cab, and build a custom storage box behind the seat where the gas tank used to be.

We're undecided if we'll tackle the disc brake coversion...while it sure does seem like we can do it in my buddy's side yard (where the truck currently sits) I just don't know if we can get it done in 2 days before he leaves. I'd rather do it at the base auto shop where I have access to a lift, all the old mechanics there to help me out, and the ability to store my truck there, but without a windshield in the truck I can't drive it anywhere (...did I mention I'm rather displeased with safelite...)

<eta> as for pics...I'll see what my dad can do....

[k1rodeoboater]

I called another glass place to try to install the window....it ended up cracking. Oh well I'm out $10 for the glass so it was worth the risk. The new window will cost me $225 with installation, and my gasket is perfectly fine so the Safelite installers were basically a gaggle and lazy POS, so for all of you considering Safelite I highly recommend you take your money elsewhere and support your local small businesses. I'm going to be contacting the CEO of Safelite about this, because I have no tolerance for being lied to over and over again by anyone let alone a business.

Tomorrow we're going to tackle the disc brake swap....hope we got everything for it. I did discover that I somehow managed to forget to order the tie rod adjusting sleeves. luckily the local auto parts store has them in stock so no worries there. Gotta pick up some grease anyways.

We're going to install the sway bar after we finish the brake swap. We figure it'll only get in the way, and it'll be easy to do with the wheels off.

[k1rodeoboater]

Started on the disc brake swap around 8AM this morning. My dad and I first inventoried everything before taking anything apart knowing that as soon as we started in on the project it was the point of no return.

All of these parts are for a 73-87 C10 unless otherwise noted

2x inner tie rods
2x outer tie rods
2x tie rod sleeves
1x idler arm
1x idler arm mount (off donor truck)
1x centerlink (off donor truck)
2x upper ball joint
2x lower ball joint
2x spindles (off donor truck or drop spindles)
2x 6 lug rotors (CPP)
2x wheel bearings
2x oil seals
2x bearing caps
2x brake hoses
2x calipers
1x set of pads
2x packets of brake grease
1x prebent brake line kit (CPP, and ordered by accident)
1x master cylinder
1x booster bracket (CPT Fab)
1x brake booster (off a 85GM truck I think)
1x prop valve (CPP)
1x vac hose T adapter
1x 3ft length of vac hose
2x 3/8" 1.5" long bolts, nuts, washers, lock washers (to attach idler arm mount to frame)

That's no exactly a complete parts list but it's about as good as I can give from memory...we just got back to the hotel.

Tips...

inspect your parts before you do the install. We got to assembling the steering linkage and discovered that the idler arm was defective. That necessitated two trips to parts stores on opposite sides of town to get one. Wasted over an hour doing this

You'll want to get the nuts for the brake booster (if you use one). I don't recall the size but it's the same one as the ones you use to mount the master cylinder.

You'll need a step drill or drill bits to drill two holes in your frame for the idler arm mount. We didn't get to do this yet as it was dark by the time we finally got everything set in place.

Buy an assortment pack of cotter pins, preferably one in a nice organizer, you'll need more than what you'll get with the parts

Keep track of your castle nuts....we wasted over an hour looking for 2 nuts that found their way into the trash. So take a nut off, do what you gotta do, and put it back on ASAP. Finding replacements at the auto parts store was not easy...

Don't expect to use air tools much if at all. We are doing this in a driveway on jack stands, and we don't have any air tools. You'll need a grinder to remove some rivets but that's about the only time I could see using a power tool.

Have 2 pickle forks...you'll probably mess up one like I did trying to get the lower ball joint out

TO REMOVE BALLJOINTS....REMOVE THE LOWER FIRST THEN THE UPPER. Trust me...drivers side took an hour not doing that, and the passenger side...10 minutes. So do bottom first, then upper, and get to beer time 50min sooner.

Plan to spend 2 days on this project. Even without the setbacks we had (110 degrees plus 100% humidity, working in a driveway on jack stands, multiple trips to get and/or exchange parts, and waiting on my buddy to wake up so we could get the rest of my tools out of his garage) we more than likely still wouldn't have completed the whole install in a day.

If you don't have a ball joint press go to Harbor Freight and buy the master kit. The ones you can rent from Autozone BARELY fit. Sure you'll only use it once in a blue moon, but consider it an investment for your other projects.

Here's what we completed today

-steering linkage removed
-drums removed
-single pot master removed
-ball joints removed
-new ball joints installed
-new spindles installed
-new steering linkage 95% installed before time/light ran out
-CPT Fab bracket installed

Tomorrow's to do list

-finish securing steering linkage
-pack wheel bearings and install rotors
-install calipers and pads
-run the hard lines
-mount up the MC/booster
-figure out how to hook up the booster and pushrod to each other
-install swaybar
-put wheels back on
-pray it works