69 Custom 30 wrecker restoration

[tow guys]

Looking great Bob. Jim and I just got back into ours after a bit of a break.
I have a question for ya. Any idea where to get new (or used) drums for the rear? We have an Eaton HO72 (I think...it may be an HO 52) rear and may need to replace the rear drums. Having a heck of a time locating any new or used for that matter. Any idea what crosses over? Does yours have the same set up as ours?

[bobs409]

Yep, mine has the same rear and drums. I don't think you can get the back ones new anywhere from what I heard. Going to be a junkyard part at best. I'm thankful mine are still good.

[texastruckjunky]

Nice work. Can't wait to see this one done.

[bobs409]

A long overdue update to this build thread:

Got the rear back in and the refurbished brake drums back on. The rear part of frame is done and just in primer for now. Note the bolt heads are gold. I bought all new Grade 8 bolts to replace the factory rivets I cut out so these will be painted black with the frame later. I'll wait until the whole frame and front suspension is done before spraying it with Chassis coat or SEM. (see pic's #1 & #2 below)

Right now, I'm in the process of removing the front coil springs and all suspension/steering components so I can clean and detail everything. (see pic #3 below)

The block and all parts just came back from the machine shop. Block needed to be bored .30 over and I upgraded to hardened valve seats & stainless valves but otherwise, the engine will remain stock. Nothing custom or modified on this one. I have all the new parts stock piled up so I'll be putting it together very soon. (see pic #4 below)

Transmission is all cleaned up now. I have to make a plate to fix the hole on the bottom made by the junkyard loader forks and a nice coat of red oxide primer is all this will need to finish. (see pic #5 below)

[bobs409]

I scored a set of (6) newer non split wheels with very good tires at a local junkyard recently. The 4 back ones are like new and all match each other. The 2 fronts are very similar to the rears and in good condition. They are all Firestone truck radials. Sure beats paying for new tires! I'm giving the wheels the POR treatment and after that, will be shining up the tires and they'll be sharp looking! I'll have all of these rebalanced for good measure. Here's a before and after shot.

Looked like hell when I got them but second pic shows one cleaned up with 2 coats of POR 15. At $25 a piece, I wasn't complaining.

One thing I'd like to mention is the thing I found most irritating about this build. It's actually getting all the parts! Between comparison shopping to get the best deals, back orders, high shipping costs and some parts just being difficult to locate, it has to be the worst part of this build. I'm still trying to get a new inner cowl panel.

I've searched all over and found this item ranges from $195 to $315! Add UPS oversize III or truck shipping on to that and it's a real expensive PITA! Why some vendors can ship UPS and others insist on truck shipping is a mystery to me. And why is there such a price difference? The word GOUGE comes to mind. ?? I've even been to a big local car show in hopes of finding one but none of the vendors had any.

Luckily, that piece isn't really needed right now so I have time. I believe I have about 99.8% of all the parts needed now. The only thing I can think of that I still need yet will be some 1/8 inch sheetmetal for some box repair, a new windshield and a gallon of 514 red paint! (actually it's red/orange IMO)

Still haven't found anyone local that can fix my bent driveshaft. Just another one of those troublesome items. Trying to find one is a junkyard is impossible! When you are lucky enough to find a 1 ton, they already picked it up with the loader which bends driveshafts immediately (which is why I need one in the first place!)

Staying positive, focused and continuing forward bit by bit. I've learned very quickly that doing a full restoration is alot like eating an elephant, you have to take it one bite at a time.

[bobs409]

Still eating that elephant! Since last time, I've been putting the engine together. Last year, I finally learned how to rebuild an engine and since that short time, this is my third one! I did (2) 454's last year so doing the 350 was no problem.


As mentioned in the last update, I've taken the whole front suspension & steering apart and now have treated the parts to 2 coats of POR 15. Everything has been reinstalled with many new parts including; front drums, wheel cylinders, brake shoes, spring kits, brake hoses and wheel seals. My ball joint boots were all torn so I opted to just replace all 4 of the ball joints as I couldn't find just the boots since it's a 1 ton and parts like those are impossible to locate. Most of this truck is going to be brand new!


Soon I'll be done with the frame work and I can spray on a coat of Chassis coat and call that part of the job done. The frame has been the hardest part so far and the most work! After that's done, a little work on the cab floor will finish that up followed by a coat of red oxide primer there. I will then be able to put the cab back on the frame where it will live for at least the rest of my lifetime.

Once I'm to that point, the engine will go in and I will get it runnning so I can break in the cam. That should take me close to mid fall so will be time to wind things down a little. At this stage, the hard stuff will be done. Next year will be alot more fun!

Over the winter, I have a few projects set aside to do in my garage such as reupholster the seat, install the door skins and prep the fenders. Since I can bring those into my garage, I'll keep those for the cold weather.

Speaking of weather, it's been so hot around here (and most of the country!) I took some time off of the cab & frame and worked inside the garage out of the heat. I rebuilt the carburetor and the distributor. I also continued the never ending process of cleaning, blasting, primering and painted all the various bolts, fasteners and small odds/ends. Sometimes it feels like there's no end to that.

Lately I've gotten back to the cab, I finished up the last few welds on the rockers and I'm doing any body work on the lower areas that needs to be done. Much easier to do this now that the cab is tipped onto it's firewall.

While the cab is still tipped up, I will be painting the ceiling. The typical paint gun isn't designed to be sprayed while tilted back very far so this can be a challenge in the normal position of the cab. Much better to do that now and I'll get a sneak peak at the new shade of 514 red (orange in my opinion!) which should help in the motivation department.

[bobs409]

Here's some pics of the assembled engine before, during and after the paint. It's all ready to go. It's just waiting on me to get the rest of the truck done. I'll be installing it soon and firing it up to break in the cam rather than letting it sit over winter.

And that's where I am today. Stay tuned...

[no moa]

wow, what an amazing restore. Can't wait to see the finished product. Excellent job.

[eldogg]

WOW! Great thread. Now I want a wrecker. lol.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

She is looking great.. Have you tried calling wes at classic heartbeat for the inner panel you need?

[RCbowtie69]

NICE!!!!! looking good,your making progress.Keep pictures coming & keep on truckin'

[onetoncrewcab]

Search ebay for wreck-master or variations of it. There were some brochures there today when I searched. Nothing for the 410 model though. I think there was something for the 444. Not sure how close that is.
Mike

[77shortstep]

awesome truck and work, glad to see you saving it

[bobs409]

It's been quite a while since I updated this build thread. I have been saving pictures and writing things down as they happened but never seem to find the extra time to post. So here goes...

The transmission is now done so that is scratched off the list. I made a plate that bolts onto the bottom to cover the big hole left by the junk yard loader forks. Almost looks like it belongs there! (pic 1) I used a red oxide primer on this which is the factory color. (pic 2)
And (pic 3) shows it completed with the PTO bolted back on. It's made by Chelsea and was painted a bright red under all the gunk so that's what it was returned to. I also used some POR Metal mask to paint areas that should be natural steel color.

Back to the cab. The last thing to get done on the cab while it was still tipped upward was to paint the ceiling. Much easier to do that now rather than overhead. This is the first look at the new paint color. It's 514 Red according to GM but it's much more orangy-red. It looks nice all fresh and new! Better than I expected. (pic 4)

I finally got the frame all done and sprayed with Chassis coat. S-o-o-o glad to be past the dreded frame work! That took forever. Here it is getting a washing a few days before painting. (pic 5)

[bobs409]

The 4 pictures below shows the painted frame with some of the components back on. The shocks and assorted brackets were reinstalled as well as new fuel lines, brake lines and hoses.

I chose to buy brake tubing and gravel guard in bulk and made my own lines. Much cheaper than buying preformed kits and they came out great! I chose regular steel over stainless steel and clear coated them with clear POR 15 so they stay nice looking.


I finally located a good used rear driveshaft section from an ebay seller so I can cross that off the list. I would have had the old one repaired however I couldn't find any place local that does this so a used one will do just fine.

Everytime I find a 1 ton in a junkyard, it's too late as they already picked the trucks up and bent the shafts. I'm thinking these places can't sell too many driveshafts. ???


I'm happy to say that I will be putting the cab back on within a few days and the engine & transmission soon after. I thought this day would never get here!

[bobs409]

Well here it is. The cab is back on. Being a one man show, I just took my time and used jacks and blocks to gradually pick the cab up high enough to roll the frame under, then lowered back down. 2-3 guys would have made this step go alot faster!

[bobs409]

I haven't found a good used crossmember for the carrier bearing yet so I fabricated one from angle iron. (Pic 1)

I used the original top brackets as they were still good. Doesn't look factory but will do the job anyway. I'll keep searching for a good original, maybe I'll find one some day... My search here in PA only turns up ones in the same condition, rotted!

This seems to be a very hard to find part. A poor design on GM's part for sure.

Only one more tough item to find and that's the long arm (flyswatter) door mirrors. They are proving to be a REAL challenge so far! The search goes on...


It's been a good first year but was certainly the hardest of this project. There is still lots of grunt work to do but the real dirty work is just about over.


-------------Last update:---------------------

Well, things have wound down now. The weather is starting to change. Since those last pics, the steering box and linkage parts were reinstalled.

I've decided to wait until spring to install the engine and transmission. Engine is all tucked in on the engine stand. (Pic 2) These parts will stay alot cleaner in my garage than in the car port although I am tarping off both sides to block the wind and snow. (ugh, that dreded "S" word!)


Over the winter I will stick with my plan of working on smaller parts inside my garage. (with heater on!) I have PLENTY to do if I want. Re-upholster the seat, prep both fenders, re-skin both doors, strip innner fender wells and hood, etc, etc, etc. Whatever I can get done over the winter will be less I have to deal with next year.

Thanks for reading, more to come in the spring of '12...

[no moa]

Wow, just amazing. What a beautiful restoration.
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[FRENCHBLUE72]

Turning out very nice and your right that trans patch looks like it belongs there.

[coops714x4]

about time you update this LOL nice work, glad to see the cab back in one piece, did you have ANY issues with realigning everything ???
Oh I was at another members today and guess what I found.... Huh huh can ya guess ??? tune in tomorrow to find out. LOL I couldn't do that to ya. I deserve a BIG pat on the back for this.. I found ANOTHER pair of your "flyswatter" mirror brackets and maybe the arms too... (waiting for standing ovation) the "arms" are adjustable tho, that might be better . I told him that you were looking for some,he said he would contact you. if you dont hear from him let me know and Ill remind him about it. Keep up the good work I wanna see this done by spring (kind of a tall order huh) Coop

[bollybib]

I was wonderin' where you disappeared to!

Really a great job, Bob. Nice work on everything. Your hand made brake lines came out good. Keep posting on your work over the winter. Your one man show is one of my favorites.

[bobs409]

Originally Posted by coops714x4

about time you update this LOL nice work, glad to see the cab back in one piece, did you have ANY issues with realigning everything ???
Oh I was at another members today and guess what I found.... Huh huh can ya guess ??? tune in tomorrow to find out. LOL I couldn't do that to ya. I deserve a BIG pat on the back for this.. I found ANOTHER pair of your "flyswatter" mirror brackets and maybe the arms too... (waiting for standing ovation) the "arms" are adjustable tho, that might be better . I told him that you were looking for some,he said he would contact you. if you dont hear from him let me know and Ill remind him about it. Keep up the good work I wanna see this done by spring (kind of a tall order huh) Coop

Cab went on like a dream! The new floor pan had all the brackets already installed and they got everything in the right place. Just set it down on the new cushions and drop the bolts in.

So... how come you find all the fly swatter mirrors and I don't? Although this shortage of mirror heads is disturbing.

Not sure if these came with adjustables but they may have. ?? I think the older ones like 48's etc did. Would love to see them but haven't heard from anyone yet.

So I have to get this done by spring? NO problem. Spring '13 it is!

[coops714x4]

Ok Bob this is ALL your fault.... did a little "horse trading" and this is what I got. think I am going to put it on the '72 I was telling you about (still haven't got it bought tho) Coop

[nbrfd007]

Originally Posted by coops714x4

Ok Bob this is ALL your fault.... did a little "horse trading" and this is what I got. think I am going to put it on the '72 I was telling you about (still haven't got it bought tho) Coop

Nice find, looks in great shape!!
Tim

[nbrfd007]

Originally Posted by bobs409

Cab went on like a dream! The new floor pan had all the brackets already installed and they got everything in the right place. Just set it down on the new cushions and drop the bolts in.

So... how come you find all the fly swatter mirrors and I don't? Although this shortage of mirror heads is disturbing.

Not sure if these came with adjustables but they may have. ?? I think the older ones like 48's etc did. Would love to see them but haven't heard from anyone yet.

So I have to get this done by spring? NO problem. Spring '13 it is!

Man, you do fine work, Great detail!! Can wait to check your progress.
Tim