my C10 project....building a truck from a heap of parts

[Dads79GMC]

Originally Posted by moregrip

Haha, retired Navy Chief! Too much school, not enough wrenching, 6 classes and I'm done with my degree! Taking welding classes again when that's finished!

Best of luck!! My first day as a contractor starts Monday. Retired in December 2016, sat around for a while and had to find something else but truck stuff to do. lol! Hang in there Chief.

[moregrip]

Originally Posted by Dads79GMC

Best of luck!! My first day as a contractor starts Monday. Retired in December 2016, sat around for a while and had to find something else but truck stuff to do. lol! Hang in there Chief.

That's Awesome man, huge congrats! If you need any help with anything don't be shy! I retried September 2016 so not that much earlier! Contractor life is good! At least in Las Vegas!

[moregrip]

Big update! I acquired the second truck over the weekend, 1983 Chevy long bed, 3 spd manual, 250 inline 6! And the best part, this one is 98% rust free! will post pics soon!

[moregrip]

Here are some pics of truck #2/I was told this truck was born and raised in Nevada.....


so far I've removed the headlight bezels and grill, they weren't in horrible shape but will need to be repaired or replaced/front window was cracked so I removed it straight away, zero rust w/glossy red paint in the window channel/from this corner very little body work needed, front bumper has a nice topside dinger on it:

[moregrip]

rear of the cab same as the front, glossy red paint in the window channels/also no rust in the kick panels/cab corners/rocker panels:

[moregrip]

near perfect rear tailgate:

[moregrip]

good clean nearly perfect rust free driver and passenger doors:

[moregrip]

inside passenger cab/various light surface rust spots/superficial/no metal pitting/weather stripping ridge glossy red paint:

[moregrip]

and here's where the 98% rust free part comes in/this was more a weird combination of factory insulation strongly adhering itself to the area where the foot rests on the floorboard than anything else. Somehow it turned into a a hard goo resembling dried epoxy(think JB weld) I removed the insulation/hard goo from the floor panel/the metal was intact but pitted. Remaining pitted metal looks ugly but appears to be strong/no holes/no overly weak areas(I'm no expert), but wondering if I should go ahead and patch in a panel or just rust proof the area and call it good? thoughts? advice?

[rusty76]

# 2 looks good

[moregrip]

more pics to follow, that's all I was able to get done today.

[daddyjeep]

As long as that floor is strong I would think you could just clean it up and coat it with POR15 or something similar. Nice find in a clean and straight truck.

[moregrip]

Here are some pics of the engine bay. 250 inline 6 with 83k original miles; someone had removed the cylinder head previously to me purchasing it and knocked a hole in the piston while removing it otherwise this would have been a ready to run motor. Luckily I saved my old non integrated inline 6 head from my old truck build.

Otherwise the engine bay is unremarkable but rust free, engine bay wiring harness was a tad bit molested; looks like the original owners camped a lot from what I found.

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[moregrip]

between the original owners and me purchasing the truck the story goes there were some owners that weren't kind to my old girl; here is the result of their awesomeness and the only real beat up part of the truck other than the piston:

Whatever happened that definitely left a mark!

[moregrip]

and lastly, one of the most dent free beds I've seen.....in fact I can't find one......from the wear marks on the paint and the overload leaf springs fitted up I'd guess there was a camper mounted back there for the majority of her life:

[moregrip]

Originally Posted by daddyjeep

As long as that floor is strong I would think you could just clean it up and coat it with POR15 or something similar. Nice find in a clean and straight truck.

thanks bro! That's what I'm leaning towards but I'll inspect the underside a bit more just to make sure

see pic above, passenger bedside

[Dads79GMC]

POR 15....I agree!

[moregrip]

Originally Posted by Dads79GMC

POR 15....I agree!

I'll make a final assessment this weekend. Are there rules of thumb for thickness of metal vs replacement?

[moregrip]

Got the old crusty crush bent exhaust removed yesterday and sprayed some WD-40 on all suspension/body fasteners to help with future removal. Did a bit more rust inspection and there is none, loving that!

I can definitely see the differences in my 73-80 frame and this 81-87 frame; looks like a lot more frame lightning going on here.

[moregrip]

A little more progress tonight; got the gas tank removed and sprayed more old bolts with WD-40. Baby steps!

[moregrip]

general info/update:

I was able to confirm that the correct measurements for shortening the truck bed are in fact to remove 14" in front of the wheel-well and then to take 6" away from behind the wheel-well. There is a guy that has done a few of these on Instagram and I was able to find the actual bed length dimensions published on the GM Heritage website.

Short bed stake-pocket (center to center) measurement is 73.4"
Long bed stake-pocket (center to center) measurement is 93.3"

So doing simple math 93.3" - 73.4" = 19.9" or roughly the 20" that needs to be taken out of the bed in the correct proportions of course.

Additionally, it was recommended to me that the cuts should be closer to the outer edges for aesthetics.

Here are some examples from that guy on Instagram (c10acres). I don't know him but his work is beautiful:

[Dads79GMC]

His work is beautiful! Good luck!

[moregrip]

Originally Posted by Dads79GMC

His work is beautiful! Good luck!

Incredibly clean! I know mine won't be that nice but it's a good visual to strive for!

[moregrip]

got a question for you guys for my 83; I have almost a full brake system for a 73-79-ish shortbed truck to include brake master cylinder/booster, stainless brake lines, prop valve, rotors, Wilwood D52 calipers, pads, braided brake lines to include the drop spindles/bearings/balls joints/tie rods etc. etc.

Would it be out of the question to use this stuff on my 83 truck? Possible pitfalls?

[moregrip]

not much progress today but I did manage to get the heavy utility bumper removed from the frame. LOL, it's in perfect shape and NOT welded to the frame like most of the ones I see.....or like the one that was on my 75.

Also manage to remove the rear taillight wiring harness/lenses/baskets.

Only had enough time to start removing the overload springs.......what is it about Nevada and overload springs anyway...........now I have 2 sets with hardware laying around.

getting the last of the dirt out my eyes......and I even wore eye pro!