K1's build thread

[k1rodeoboater]

*$#@!!!! the wheel bearings don't fit the spindles or the rotors!!! GAHHHH!!!!!

Got the steering linkage hooked up, but unless we can find some bearings that will work with my rotors the truck isn't going anywhere...litterally. If we can find bearings that will work and I have to buy new rotors I just hope they're 5 lug so we can use my buddy's wheels off his 87 to at least roll the truck into his side yard and out of his driveway.

Oh yeah...any I can't get my &*$^ing grease gun off one of the zerk fittings....not a good morning so far....

ETA: Looks like the parts store gave me the wrong parts. My dad says he got the correct ones now (took a rotor and digital caliper with him to the store) so hopefully these will work.....more to follow hopefully after the truck is rollable.

On a side note...if any of you have any clue as to why my one brand new outer tie rod isn't tight in the spindle. It's got a bit of vertical play. I just tightened the castle nut enough to be able to get the pin through (that's what I've always been told to do)

ETA2: For anyone wanting to do a disc brake swap....seriously consider just buying the kit. If I were to do it again I sure would...All the running back and forth to the store to exchange faulty/wrong parts for correct ones has totally killed any cost savings, both in regards to money and time, I would have had.

[chad64chevy]

question, you said that you got spindles from the donor! measure the rotors you took off the donor if they are an 1 1/4in. thick then you have the heavy duty spindles that work for the 6 lug, and if then are only an inch. thick the only work for the 5 lug!

[k1rodeoboater]

got it working

the rotors I got were from CPP 6 lug rotors...though my dumb luck seemed to have worked in my favor because I've got HD spindles....talk about a potential fail of epic proportions.

[k1rodeoboater]

Figured I'd update this before I forgot anything

My dad and I worked until a nasty looking storm system moved in. Turns out it was all fart and no fury, but of course had we kept working it the heavens would have opened up on us for sure. Here's the list of accomplishments...

Sway bar mounted
Brakes put on and steering linkage hooked up
Booster bracket mounted
Booster test fitted (it fits...sorta...more below)
Pedal linkage installed

Still need to do the following...

Adjust passenger outer tie rod (has verticle play, may have to return it for a new one)
Get my grease gun nozzle off of a zerk fitting (it's stuck on there)
Bench bleed master
Mount master & prop valve
Run hard lines
Hook up hoses
Bleed system
Test system and adjust brake linkage



For the brake linkage I ended up using a turnbuckle from Tractor Supply Company. 5/16" I believe it is. It fits in there perfectly when it's totally bottomed out which should leave plenty of room for adjustments. Best part is...it was cheap, and if my booster is busted (junkyard special) then it's easy to swap it out for another one.

Now the only downside to the booster is that it interferes with my air cleaner...So I have to somehow find an air cleaner that will work with a 1brl carb and not interfere with my booster. I picked up a rinky dink one from the local auto parts store but I'm not to enamored with it.

The glass guys coming to install another windshield for me got my new one in today....but it had a big crack in it so that's put off for another few days till another comes in.

Also the A arms bushings need to be replaced. The boots are all jacked up and won't hold grease. The upper arm on the driver's side REALLY needs a new bushing as the arm has play in it.

[k1rodeoboater]

Went over to do a little work on the truck today....it was not a productive day. The grease gun is still stuck on the zerk fitting, and I'll probably have to remove the inner tie rod to get the dang thing off. I bleed the MC as best I could considering I don't have a vice. My brake booster doesn't fit my MC, so I took it and the bracket off of my truck. I'm going to forego the power brakes on my truck now because I don't want to buy another booster and in all honesty I just want the dang truck working again ASAP. Additionally my brake line kit may not be the right kit, or something is wrong with it because there's some clearance issues with it.

[VA72C10]

sorry you're going through all those issues. Hopefully you get it worked out enough so you can get it on the road and enjoy it!!!

[k1rodeoboater]

Thanks. I hope to have it driveable by next week at the latest.

The windshield got installed today too. $225 well spent IMHO
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[k1rodeoboater]

Spent a few hours on the truck tonight. I didn't feel in the mood to do anything with the brakes, just to pissed at the moment. Instead I did a little mud work, primering, and painting the passenger rear fender and tailgate. I honestly should have put more time into it but right now I'm more in the "screw it, just get it done" mood. Both of those parts will eventually be getting replaced with repos so really it's just to get it looking less like an eyesore and more like a truck. I'm just wanting the paint to be a 20/20 paint job (20ft away and 20mph). It'll look better than it did originally but not show worth...after all It's freakin tractor paint out of a spray can (I'll roll a few coats on once everything is done; I'm using the spray to lay down a quick base and protect the metal)

I also found out my drivers door is rusted out on the inside up by the front pillar...yey....looks like I'll be scrounging for a new door or I'll be getting a full repo skin and inner repair piece for that side. The passenger side looks like it'll be ok with just a lower skin patch as the door smilies aren't that bad.

I'm not gonna spend a whole ton of time on the mudwork to get things perfect. I'll eventually be stripping the truck down again to do a complete frame off on it in the future...maybe. If it turns out alright and is good enough for a daily beater/shop truck then I may use it as that while I work on my next project which will be done the proper way.

[k1rodeoboater]

Scratch one more project off the list...Got the license plate bracket built today. Took me about 2.5hrs of work total to make it, get it primered, and rattle canned semi gloss black. I think it came out pretty dang good considering I don't really have any metal working tools aside from a hammer and dolly. I'll get pics tomorrow after work

[k1rodeoboater]

Did some work on the truck today. I got the plate bracket mounted up to the bumper and took some pics for you guys. Unfortunately I forgot my plate mounting screws at home...DO'H

Up...



Down...



The other reason I went over to work on the truck today was to take care of some of the rust on the bed....Critiques are welcome on my welds...I know they look like crap but I'm still learning. With a little filler I think they'll dissappear...maybe...

Passenger side exterior





Passenger bedside, interior





Sorry for the crappy quality. It was getting dark as you can tell and I was using my cell phone.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to patch the last spot of rust on the passenger side, and possibly spray primer down so I can paint it the following day...though I may hold off till next week as we've got rain forecasted for Thursday through the weekend. None the less I'm going to try to do some steering wheel repair on the rainy days since there's nothing I can really do on the truck.

[k1rodeoboater]

For a frame of reference....the rust hole I patched is the one just left of the middle stake pocket.

[k1rodeoboater]

ordered some rust repair parts, they should be in next week sometime

door skins x2
inner lower door patch x1
rear cab support x1
rear pillars x2
front pillars x2
pass floorpan
outer floorpan extensions (full length) x2
footwells x2

Probably don't need all of them, but I don't wanna get caught needing something and having to wait several days for it since my truck is out in the elements. Whatever I don't need I'll sell...or hold onto for another truck in the future.

Tomorrow I'm going to be getting a new brake booster...the one I got doesn't work with my master cylinder, the mounting bolts are to close together. I need to pick up a new inner and outer tie rod anyways, the ones on my truck that I used for the brake swap are defective. If it's not raining tomorrow when I get done with work I may swap them out and finish greasing up the steering linkages/suspension. If not I'll work on some steering wheel repair.

[b2948kevin]

Oh, wow. You're not messing around. Word of advice: focus on one piece at a time. I did the driver's side rockers on mine and I wanted to give up. If I would have torn into more than one at a time, I would have burned myself out. Glad I didn't do that.

Looks like a really good project. Make sure to take tons of measurements so that your doors will fit well when you get it back together. I am off just a touch on mine and I had to work some magic to get things running smoothly again.

[k1rodeoboater]

Some progress...





the first rust patch I did on the bedside...didn't bother to use any filler since it's hidden by the fender



the second patchI did on the bedside...looks like I'm getting better, again no filler used...





the red line is where I roughly remember the patch being...



and here's the back side....





I used JB Weld metal as my seam sealer since I had it on hand, and it seemed to work really well. It actually found it's way through some pin holes on the other side and it had to be wiped off. Tomorrow I'm going to be sanding it down smooth and seeing how it looks with a coat of primer over it. If it's good enough (I left the battle scars in the bed, it'll be used as a truck anyways so it doesn't matter to me) I'll strip the interior of the bed and primer it.

And my issues with the air cleaner and booster have been solved...







Holy crap it's starting to look like a truck again!!! Tomorrow my goal is to repair the one rust spot on the drivers side rear stake pocket, then primer the drivers bedside and primer the interior parts as well.

[VA72C10]

Nice progress and good job on the patches!

[k1rodeoboater]

Thanks. I've gotten better at it with all the practice I've had on scrap pieces. The first bedside patch I did I think took me like 4 hours, this last one, which was bigger and an odd shape took me 3 hours. One tool that has amazed the crap out of me has been the electric body saw I picked up from harbor freight. That thing makes cutting pieces out a breeze. The only downside is that the motor on it gets uncomfortably hot rather quickly. But given my restricted working area (what you see in the pics is all I got) it's the best tool for the job. The only thing I keep in my buddy's garage is my welder.

[k1rodeoboater]

Did some more work tonight on the truck. I will upload the pics as soon as I get home. Passenger bedside is done, just need to do the interior of the bed. I also sanded the drivers side to bare metal and sprayed it with primer. While I was at it I repaired some of the rust damage on the drivers rear stake pocket. Ultimately I will need to replace that stake pocket and repair the rear cross sill in the future as it too is rusted through, and both have damage from what looks like the PO backing into something.

Pics to follow soon...
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[k1rodeoboater]

TA-DA!!!! One side done...One to go....

It already looks better than the day I bought it I think....



The bedside in "rusty metal" primer. Really the only rust parts were where the fender mounts up and the top of the bedrail. Aside from that it was overall in pretty good condition.



My quick and dirty repair....please ignore the run in the primer...it'll be all sanded off again around the welds to "seam seal" with JB weld tomorrow.

[VA72C10]

Looking good! More good progress!!!

[k1rodeoboater]

Bedside is now painted...and some good news. I found a local guy with a drivers side rear fender for $100, and it's original metal in what appears to be really good shape from the pics. So long as the mounting area is good I'm gonna buy it. Looks like my bed will be 100% done as soon as the hurricane passes.

[k1rodeoboater]

For $140 I got the following

Drivers stepside fender $100
Custom cab sail panels $20

And all of the following for $20
horn button in almost perfect shape
Used take off (surface rust and pitting I assume) sill plates
Used take off tailgate chains
Used take off gas pedal, brake pedal cover, and clutch pedal cover
New stepside rear lenses
Used take off interior dome light

The fender will need some rust repair in 2 small areas, but I'm not worried about it. Probably gonna tackle it on Sun or Mon after work. I will also be getting myy rust repair pieces next week hopefully. I ordered litterally every panel because I don't want any oh crap I need this piece moments. Whatever I don't use will get sold.
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[wutnxt]

Your making some great progress.......don't let those little set backs i read about get to you. We allllll get them and it's just a part of the process of building a truck....lol
I like the baseball cap white...I just did it a week or so ago with blue on my long box if ya wanna take a look. It was the first time I have done it that way and it took we awhile to warm up to it but i like it now.

[wutnxt]

Oh and nice score on the parts.......some of that stuff is hard to find these days

[k1rodeoboater]

Thanks. Right now I'm planning on repairing the rust damage on the fender I just got and getting it painted so my bed is 100% done. It'll also get a few more things out of my storage unit and my buddy's garage so that's another bonus.

I'm actually thinking about using the custom sail panels. I might paint in the word "CUSTOM" with the same paint I'm using on the truck as a subtle accent. I just don't really like the idea of having to screw/drill into my cab to mount them.

[k1rodeoboater]

Found out I have a 4 day weekend for Labor Day. I'm going to get the brakes done.