68 C50 Looongbed pickup build

[Deer_hunter_088]

plus itd mean all the money he put into it wasted if he did wreck it

[rkn463]

Originally Posted by Deer_hunter_088

Finaly, been waiting bud, lol

Brace yourself, here we go again!

Originally Posted by Softpatch

Great job...
Nice score on the steering box
Life get's in the way... We stall out...
but you kept going ..
Why .?
Vision and skill.!
.

I appreciate the compliment!

Originally Posted by Deer_hunter_088

id rather be laughed at and have a comfortable truck, than send my truck in the door of some guys truck because i couldnt swerve fast enough.

Couldn't agree more!

Originally Posted by Okiefromwatonga

Amen. I will make every update in the name of safety needed

Ditto!

Originally Posted by Deer_hunter_088

plus itd mean all the money he put into it wasted if he did wreck it

Yep.


So, a couple of thoughts on modifying the trucks - just my opinion, right or wrong:

I do really appreciate the nostalgia of a full original, there is really something special there. However, modifications that take it somewhere it could have been stock, such as a 366, 5 speed, 2 speed diff and power steering all of which were available in 68 (the year I am building) are a no brainer for me. The mods I make that weren't available for the sake of safety like the 4 wheel disc brakes with hydroboost are also a no brainer as I will be using the truck and when I mash the middle pedal, I want it to stop!

And the pickup bed, well...
OK, I can only say that it is just what I wanted to do

-Richard

[rkn463]

So last weekend was about getting the frame reinforcements bolted back on. Before doing that I wanted to address a problem that I created when I removed them. In cutting the rivets out I had slightly cut into the plates which ultimately creates a weak spot where a crack might form right where it will bolt back together. So I went to weld them up and on the very first arc a molten ball of slag dropped through one of the many holes in my work jeans, rolled down my leg, into my boot and came to rest on top of my foot. Jumping and swearing ensued. I admit, not very original but it seemed appropriate at the time. So I stopped long enough to tape up the holes with Gorilla tape and then continued.

-Richard

[rkn463]

After welding up the "cuts" I ground down the welds, along with some really rough crap that the factory had left when they punched holes to bring the gas lines through. After cleaning all that up I roughed up the plates inside and out and hit them with a coat of Rust-oleum Rust Reformer. Then did the same to the frame where the plates would cover. I wanted to make sure that the two parts that would be sandwiched together had paint as I did not want trapped moisture in there to have a head start on rusting it out.

-Richard

[rkn463]

Next I hit the areas that would be touching with a coat or Rust-oleum semi-gloss (because that is all I had left). Somehow I did not get a picture of that step. Next I pulled the bolts that were holding the spring perches in place and dropped the plates back in. I was able to tap the front down into place with a hammer and line it up front to back with a long punch. I replaced the bolts in the back and used some c clamps to hold it all in place in the front. All of the original holes from where the frame was cut to the back still lined up so I started filling them all with grade 8 bolts. From the cut forward I would have to drill new holes. The plan was to use existing holes in the frame or plate and drill through the other side. Through this all I am drilling a 1/4 inch lead hole and following that with a step bit. I had been trying to figure out how I could really center the 1/4 inch lead hole inside of an existing 1/2 inch hole. As I poked around in the shop I suddenly realized I could tap a 5/16 nut into the hole with a hammer and use it to guide the 1/4 in drill bit. It worked better than I expected! Once the lead hole was drilled I just threaded a bolt into the nut and wiggled it back out. The first ones I drilled were through the holes in the plate that used to line up with the front cross member but were now 18" forward.

-Richard

[Softpatch]

I posted this a few days ago.... Not like your truck
this looks like they just through it together....Sp
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Originally Posted by Softpatch

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https://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/5764109773.html
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Very cool
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[Advanced Design]

Nice work on transferring the holes. Doing that accurately is a challenge I often struggle with.
Good progress!

[rkn463]

Originally Posted by Softpatch

I posted this a few days ago.... Not like your truck
this looks like they just through it together....Sp
.

When I hatched this idea I had never seen a medium duty chevy made in to a pickup, now it seems like they are popping up everywhere. I do still have a few tricks up my sleeve to keep mine unique.

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

Nice work on transferring the holes. Doing that accurately is a challenge I often struggle with.
Good progress!

Thanks for checking in And for the compliment, I was surprised at how well they lined up.

-Richard

[Deer_hunter_088]

love watching this build!!!!

[notchbackgta]

If you can weld, just grind those tubes off and weld some contoured steel over, or get another piece of pipe and cut it so it will cover the hole, should be pretty easy.

And why a grade 8 bolt when a non-graded bolt would work and be cheaper? lol

[rkn463]

Originally Posted by notchbackgta

If you can weld, just grind those tubes off and weld some contoured steel over, or get another piece of pipe and cut it so it will cover the hole, should be pretty easy.

And why a grade 8 bolt when a non-graded bolt would work and be cheaper? lol

I have an extra set of manifolds that I have been planning on modifying as you suggested. I just wanted to get it back together ASAP as I have a big project looming and I need this off my plate.

So far as the grade 8 bolts, my motto is "if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing!" That and every build I've seen where a crossmember was drilled out, the rivets were replaced with grade 8. This is a mix of cross members and reinforcing plates, so... Refer back to motto

Updates from weekend coming soon.

-Richard

[Deer_hunter_088]

Cant wait to see this done!!!!

[rkn463]

Hi Everyone,

Here is my weekly update. As usual I did not accomplish anywhere near as much as I had hoped, however good progress was made!

Last week I started trying to find the last piece of the power steering/hydroboost system that needs either re-sealing or replacing. It is the auxiliary electric pump on the hydroboost unit. I had called my main source for this type of item and the news was bleak, over 300 dollars to have it rebuilt and since they have no cores I would have to send mine in with no guarantee that they could rebuild it. Mind you it does work, I'm just replacing it for fear that it is contaminated with brake fluid and I don't want to take a chance that it will start spitting particles of disintegrated seals into my expensive "new" (rebuilt) hydroboost unit. So Saturday morning I removed the aux unit to take to my local auto parts store to see if by chance they could get it. Now this in no O'Reilly or AutoZone, this is an old school guy that knows how to read words written on paper! I know, crazy, right?

Anyway he did couldn't get it but did give me a couple of leads that I haven't had a chance to follow up on yet. I also went by TSC and picked up enough grade 8 bolts, washers and nuts to finish reinstalling the reinforcing plates (along with more Rust-Oleum). I also tried out a burger joint in Meridian Texas (right next to the Sheriff's office/jail) that may be the best burger I ever ate. If you get the chance - Morgan Street Burgers. https://www.facebook.com/Morgan-Stre...6227204225108/

Here are pictures of the aux pump laying beside the old hydroboost unit, along with the tag that has the GM part number. When I googled the number I came up with several hits, just no-one that has it. I did find a nifty diagram that shows it!

-Richard

[rkn463]

Next up, I drilled the remaining holes in the frame, installed the bolts and torqued them all to 80 ft/lbs, why? Two reasons: 1) because "if it is worth doing it's worth overdoing" and 2) because that is the spec I found when I looked up torque specs for 1/2" coarse thread grade 8 bolts! I know, most of you think I'm

After that I rolled it outside, cleaned off all of the WD-40 that I used drilling holes, washed it with Dawn dish-washing liquid and a scotchbrite pad and then waited for it to dry. After that I hit it with 2 coats of Rust-Oleum satin black paint. I must admit that up close it isn't pretty. You can see every scratch that the 80 grit flap-wheels left and every run I got in the paint, but in the end I painted it for the same reason that GM did 27 years ago - to protect it from rust.

-Richard

[rkn463]

Next up, exhaust manifolds: as notchbackgta suggested, the ultimate goal is to cut out the AIR fittings and weld in patches, but that will be a later date with a spare set of manifolds. For now I need this thing running and out of the shop. I settled on carriage bolt heads to fit down inside the manifold, welded them up level and then ground them flat. I'm not going to lie, my welds ain't pretty, but the flap-wheel makes them acceptable. All this went down on Saturday, I had big plans for Sunday but life got in the way: feed the cows, recreational mowing, a little of this and that and next thing you know it's time to head back to the city lights to resume my day job as a computer nerd.

-Richard

[notchbackgta]

Originally Posted by rkn463

So far as the grade 8 bolts, my motto is "if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing!" That and every build I've seen where a crossmember was drilled out, the rivets were replaced with grade 8. This is a mix of cross members and reinforcing plates, so... Refer back to motto

Well on the frame the grade 8 are worth it, I could even see using grade 9 because that is a place that matters. But welding the grade 8 into the manifolds is just waste because you will kill the heat treat of the bolts once you weld them anyway. But I totally get it, I overdo and most of my projects snowball into much larger projects because it's worth doing while I am in there anyway, lol

Originally Posted by rkn463

I settled on carriage bolt heads to fit down inside the manifold

Glad to see you went with something more reasonable

[rkn463]

Originally Posted by Deer_hunter_088

Cant wait to see this done!!!!

Thanks Deer_hunter, it's great to know people are interested. By the way, part of my recreational mowing over the weekend was the field between my deer stand and the feeder in preparation for deer season

-Richard

[Deer_hunter_088]

Originally Posted by rkn463

Thanks Deer_hunter, it's great to know people are interested. By the way, part of my recreational mowing over the weekend was the field between my deer stand and the feeder in preparation for deer season

-Richard

Ours starts the first, cant wait for it! and cant wait for your truck to be finished.

[Deer_hunter_088]

AHHH yes the ole c50 pickup, the time when its overkill or nothing

[rkn463]

Originally Posted by Deer_hunter_088

AHHH yes the ole c50 pickup, the time when its overkill or nothing

Ah yes my friend, I see you understand!

[rkn463]

Update for last weekend: I was really hopeful that I would get started breaking the 68 down but that just wasn't in the cards. I had thought out what I needed to finish before tearing into the 68 and came up with 45 minutes work, multiply that times two because I'm always wrong and you still get a lot done. Yeah, right.

On the docket for Saturday:
1) cut, flare and install the brake line that has been laying around for months since I removed it to cut the frame.
2) Reinstall the oil cooler line
3) flush the power steering system (because it was an old used P/S box)
4) reconnect the pittman arm (10 seconds, right??)
5) reinstall the exhaust manifold that I welded up the previous weekend
(yep, didn't even consider the other side!)

Then I'd be ready to start swapping the body over.

So here is what did happen:

I started by digging around until I located the nifty new flaring tool that I picked up a couple of months back from Eastwood. Located. Next I looked up a video on youtube on how to use it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxeA1lhSCsk Then I went out, measured 18 inches that needed to be cut off the line, went to cut it, figured out the cutter wouldn't go that small, borrowed a smaller cutter from my brother and cut on the line. I started by testing the procedure on the part that I cut off... I cleaned up the inside of the cut by spinning a drill bit in it by hand, then filed the rough edges with the file on my Gerber multitool. I used some anti-seize to lubricate as the instructions indicated and made the flair. Wow, perfection on the first try, for real!

-Richard

[rkn463]

Next up, put one bend in the brake line and install it (5 minutes at most).

- spend a half hour looking for the bending pliers I bought 5 years ago
- spend a couple of minutes figuring out which way to bend the line (yes really, I think it is a form of dyslexia)
- bend the line, compare to the old line looks perfect
- attempt to install, bent it backward AND it's an inch to long
- attempt to string "bad words" together in some new arrangement
- cut the extra inch off the line
- attempt to "unbend" the line
- figure out that I can no longer slide the the fitting far enough back on the line to re-flare it
- more bad words (I'm actually pretty good at this part )
- carefully straighten the line using a bench vice and actually succeed
- re-flare and install
- drill new holes for clamps, etc

OK, that five minute job just took well over an hour "mild" frustration sets in...

-Richard

[rkn463]

Next I went to reinstall the hard (steel) part of the oil cooler line that has somehow NEVER gotten it's picture taken! (right now I'm wondering if I ever even mentioned this ongoing aggravation. I'll go back and check and if not will write that up). Anyway, when I pulled it off many weeks back I ever-so-carefully dropped 2 of the 4 clamps that tie the two cooler lines together directly on the floor under the motor so that I could find them again. The other two stayed on the line that that I didn't remove. My plan would have worked had I not cleaned up the floor when I last rolled the frame out for paint. I clearly remember picking up the clamps and thinking "I'll never see these again" before I put them away where I could "find them later." Searched for at least 45 minutes taking time out, every now and again, to try once again to rearrange those "bad words" in some manner that I hadn't used before. Never found the clamps. So... very... frustrated
I scrounged up 2 other clamps and used them. Wasted at least two hours on this!

By the time I got that done I was so aggravated that I didn't want to even look at it any more. I still needed to flush the power steering box and reinstall the manifold but I didn't have the stomach for it.

I decided to grab the chainsaws and go cut some cedar posts. I have a project looming that is going to take a LOT of posts. My brother is currently clearing some land and there are lots of good posts to be had. If I don't harvest them, they'll just end up in a burn pile. I already had three sizable posts in the bed of the 68 from the previous weekend that would have to be unloaded before I could remove the bed so I figured cut some more and then unload them all, hopefully regaining a sense of calm. It worked. Just one picture of the 68 with a load on it for the last time with the old frame and drivetrain.

-Richard

[Advanced Design]

Getting in some good progress! I like the Bobcat...very handy.

[rkn463]

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

Getting in some good progress! I like the Bobcat...very handy.

I think that the Bobcat is the most versatile tool ever invented!

Check out what comes next

-Richard