It’s Just A Pickup

[Bruce88]

Making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, OK a imitation leather hand bag then.

It’s a good thing that I’m building a work truck with some personal custom touches and not a showroom custom. I can live with some minor flaws that will exist after I’m finished or I would just pick up some new bed side panels from MAR-K. All the dents and less than strait inside panels will be straitened generally but not perfect and a bed liner material will be used.

With all the welding that I’m doing lately and just picked up a new tool to help me with the tasks, (some would call it a crutch) thought some would like to see how I’m using it.(it’s defiantly a keeper in my tool box). Magnetic Hole Plug Welding Tool

I’ve seen some good welders that could weld up the holes without a backup plate and have a perfect small rosette weld with good weld penetration minimal grinding and finish work required. To them my hat is off and I’m really in aw of their abilities but before the good welders find fault with what I presenting it’s just my best attempt with my limited skills as a backyard mechanic and less than a good welder.

I use a product called Picklex 20, it’s a rust converter, helps with cleaning and welding and leaves a protective finish to prevent flash rust if the part is kept in a garage out of the weather for months. One drawback to the product is you can not use self etching primer over it and some of the epoxy primers are also self etching. But when I’m ready for paint all the panels will be sandblasted to remove the rest of the paint before epoxy priming and I think this should take care of that problem. I just scrub it on with a red scotch bright pad for about a minute and wipe area with a clean cloth, no rinsing required.

You can see in the picture below the welder that I use and the copper backup plate or copper tubing that I use. The only problem with using this copper backing is I need another hand to hold it in place.



Laid out the steps I accomplished in welding up the holes in the pictures below. It was kind of like being on a assembly line with all the holes to weld up in the side panels. 18 holes done and another 18 to go at last count but the others will wait till after the bed is disassembled. I prefer to weld down letting gravity work for me when possible.



Was out welding up the holes and guess who showed up, it was Santa claws he sure looks thinner, dressing in brown and driving a UPS truck (must be his off season outfit and look) more parts for the truck hooray.

It’s a custom intermediate fuel filler tube made out of 304 stainless steel. When I made the decision to use a blazer fuel tank for the truck build there was one problem with the installation that I wanted to address. The fuel tank has a 1-1/4 inch diameter inlet tube, the tube on the filler cap that will be used is 2 inch diameter and there is approximately 2 inch high area between the frame and bed to feed the line thru. So I wanted a reducer tube to couple the inlet and outlet together made out of stainless steel to minimize any rust problems (the hunt for some one to make this custom part was on).

Didn’t find anybody locally that was working in stainless steel tubing so onto searching the web and found Heartthrob Exhaust Accessories http://www.heartthrobexhaustinc.com After looking thru their catalog and abilities generated a drawing of what I was looking for and e-mailed them to see if they could do it and after some minor changes to the design to align with their manufacturing capabilities, they said they could (you can see the finalized drawing I sent them below). But there was a small problem about price, If I need it right away there would be a $200.00 tooling setup charge plus material but if I could wait a undetermined number of months until they would be making a production run of the stainless steel tubing in the size needed they could slip my custom tube into the line and there would not be any tooling setup charges. I went with the second option, knowing that I would not need this part for a number of months down the road and placed the order total cost to me $78.00 plus shipping (a good price for a custom stainless steel tube) you can see a picture of the filler tube below.

It’s always good to find a company that will work with you on custom parts without charging you an arm and a leg (and planning ahead for the parts definitely helped me). Thank you Heartthrob Exhaust Accessories the part is exactly what I wanted and the input on design and options for purchase is well appreciated.

For others that might be looking for a 6 inch long reducer tube from 1-1/4 inch OD to 2 inch OD in steel or stainless steel they have it in their catalog as one of their stock items.



You will definitely be seeing the installation of this custom fuel filler tube in future posts on this build.

Being a new be to this forum and still figuring things out. I just figured out what the little white boxes to the right on the index page for this thread mean and how they got there. Thanks to those for the vote on this build it’s appreciated by me.

[smbrouss70]

Every time I see an update to this thread, I get excited, because I know I'm going to learn something or just see something really cool.

Keep it up, you are definately inspiring us!

[Bruce88]

It isn’t always wet and raining in Washington State, the sun came out the other day and I have pictures to prove it, hooray spring is just around the corner.

The bed is finally apart and more cleanup is in progress.

When I was 16 I spent about two months working in an undercoating shop assisting putting on this tar like undercoating (definitely not the job for me). I would never have thought that so many years later I would be working at removing the old and crusty stuff HA HA.

With a propane torch and a putty knife removed about 90% of it and then used a rag soaked in diesel fuel to remove most of the rest. About 99% removed should save me at the sandblasters (see picture below).



I’ve seen on many un-restored trucks with wood beds rust under and around the angle strip spot welded to the bed side and mine is no different. Will be removing this angle strip and replacing it with a stainless steel one bolted on. More spot welds to cut and holes to drill, what a joy (not).

Just a picture of the rear frame before I start working on it, nice to have a reference photo for when the parts will be reassembled and changes made.

Just noticed that the cross member on the frame just aft of the rear end is not at 90 deg to the frame. My frame is strait and from what I’ve seen of the frame drawings the factory installed it this way. Not that it will affect any thing just doesn’t make any sense to me as why they did it that way. Another question that probably will never be answered as to why, it’s just the way it is.



It’s nice not to be totally relying on my kerosene heater to stay warm when working on the truck, the weather should only be getting better.

[Bruce88]

Just finished my tax return, wish they would make it easier and simpler like a flat tax. Would definitely prefer working on the truck, o-well I’m getting a refund that will be used for more parts.

The cleanup and welding continue on the bed and think that there are enough pictures of this, will leave the rest of the cleanup and welding on the bed to your own imagination.

I’m converting the 72 short box step side truck to have the side mounted spare tire. And wanting new wheels for the truck anyway, bought 5 new ones (can’t forget the spare visible to everyone). This gives me the chance to make sure the new wheel will fit the spare tire mount and clear the side of the bed also made sure they would clear the stock disk brakes.

New parts
Qty 5 ARE-625873 American Racing, Outlaw II Wheels 15 in. x 8 in., 5 x 5 in. bolt circle, 3.75 in. backspace, -19.00mm offset
Qty 1 MCG-24538 McGard wheel locks (set of 5 per package)
Qty 5 MCG-64010 McGard lug nuts (set of 4 per package)
Qty 3 SUM-G1955 Summit chrome valve stems 7/16 in. hole size (set of 2 per package)

The spare tire mount will need to be modified, it was on a truck that had a 6 lug x 5.5 in. Dia. bolt pattern and it will be modified to a 5 lug x 5 in. Dia. Bolt pattern, all the clearances are good and need no modification. I created a template of the bolt patterns to see where the bolts will have to be located, that is the template on the mount in the picture.

When looking thru all the different wheels that I was considering for the truck and going to stay with the same truck stance and tire size (2-1/2 in. lower front end, 4 in. lower rear end, and P255/60R15 tires) I generated a picture in Photoshop to see what the new wheels would look like on the truck with the spare tire mount. (see picture below)



I generated a full size bolt pattern for the three bolt patterns used on 67 – 72 Chevy 2WD & 4WD trucks. The different years and pattern/lug nut sizes on the picture are from LMC catalog. Anyone wanting it can right click on the picture and save it to your computer, it might come in handy when out looking thru used wheels to check for fit. The only problem you might have with this picture is to make sure that your printer is set to print actual size not to shrink or expand to fit. To check that it printed correctly just measure the bolt diameters if they do not measure correctly you will need to set your printer to print actual size.



Was watching a Harry Potter movie as I generated this post, it sure would be nice to cast a spell and have the truck finished. Not being a wizard I’ll just have to do it the normal way, so I will head out tomorrow and continue working on it.

[Palf70Step]

Wheels look good on the truck. I was looking at the same mod for my spare carrier, but went to a fleetside bed.

[BIG HEAD]

Bruce88 I am into your computer skills. Very detailed.

[Bruce88]

I made a decision after a couple days of trying to figure out how I was going to modify the spare tire mount. In the end possibly obtained a lucky charm for the shop, I can always use some luck as everyone can.

Picked up some ¼ inch steel plate and cut out a 6-1/2 inch DIA. circle on the band saw. Drilled the ½ inch DIA. holes for the 5 lug x 5 inch DIA. wheel pattern and press in the NAPA 641-1102 wheel bolts.

Before removing the original mounting plate from the frame drilled a wheel center hole in the plate and then welded in a support bar with a corresponding centering hole to locate the new mounting plate.



Not wanting the spare tire to break off the mount and pass me on the road (that would be embarrassing) I took the mount down to a professional welder with a big enough welder to weld the new thicker mounting plate on. I also added a mounting plate to the top of the spare tire mount to install the CB antenna to (CB antenna is on order and should be in within a few days). All that’s left to do is drill the antenna mounting holes, clean up the mount and send it off to the powder coater for a black finish.



The ¼ plate that I picked up for the mounting plate was in a larger circle and after cutting out the new mount I ended up with a horse shoe shape. History says that to hang a blacksmiths horse shoe above your door will bring luck to your shop. Yes the debate goes on as to how to hang it facing up or down (I definitely do not know the answer) but being a modern-day metal worker/blacksmith decided to hang it above my shop door to bring luck to my shop.



May the luck of the blacksmiths horse shoe be with you in your shop on your build

[my67chevytruck]

looking good bro.

[Bruce88]

Two steps forward one step back (Not a new dance that anybody wants to do when measuring a builds progress)

The last two weeks my motivation level has been low, something that should take one day to do was not coming together and three days of work later was still not complete. Since I’m converting my step side to have a side mounted spare tire, the fender is from one truck and the spare mount is from another, bringing all the parts together things just didn’t want to line up with each other. These kinds of problems happen during builds and it’s always nice to find them before final assembly but it can be aggravating to solve and adds time to the build. (Not that I’m on a strict time line and have to have this truck done by a certain time)

The fender and bed side panel holes lined up pretty good but the aft two peace angled mounting brackets for the spare mount would not work. So I broke out my backyard mechanics design/engineering abilities (HA HA) and created some one peace angled mounting brackets. With the new bracket I will need to cut a square hole in the top of the fender and plan on using a “U” shape grommet cut from a side marker light grommet (shown below) to finish off the hole and prevent metal to metal rubbing.

The CB antenna and cables came in and made sure that it would clear everything. This 2 foot long CB antenna will be the only antenna on the truck it will be doing double duty as a AM/FM and CB antenna by using a antenna cable splitter. Yes a taller antenna would work better but I want to pull my truck into the garage without having to remove the antenna, well see how good it works when the trucks all together.

Parts and material used
4 foot of 1 in x 1 in x 11 gauge angle plate steel
1 foot of 1 in x 1 in square bar
150-18 Peterson side marker grommet (for fender grommet)
Model FS2-B Firestik II 2 foot, 5/8 wave, Rated@300watts, Antenna
Model K-14M Firestik Ball Mount
Model AR-1A Firestik Match-Maker CB/AM/FM Antenna Splitter
Model K-8 Fire-Flex 18 foot single Antenna Coaxial Cable





You are probably tired of seeing my spare tire mount, it’s taken up the last three posts but I’m just showing what is happening with the build over the time and this area has definitely had more problems and time consuming than I expected. My next post will definitely be another area of the build.

Hope your delays in your builds are short, and any problems that you have are solved quickly, so that your builds progress smoothly.

[CG]

Wow...great build thread. How the heck do I miss these?

[westofb]

Great build...just looking at last photos of the spare tire mount. How is the fender going to bolt on to the bedside with the spare mount occupying the same area?

Just went back and looked over pics again....feel like a real dumb ass....did not realize that the mount to the bedside was a made in 2 pieces to clear the fender and there was a hole in fender for the angled support bracket. I had never seen these mounts up close so I can see now by looking at your pics how it all falls together. Nice pics and build...keep up the good work!

[Bruce88]

Originally Posted by westofb

Great build...just looking at last photos of the spare tire mount. How is the fender going to bolt on to the bedside with the spare mount occupying the same area?

Just went back and looked over pics again....feel like a real dumb ass....did not realize that the mount to the bedside was a made in 2 pieces to clear the fender and there was a hole in fender for the angled support bracket. I had never seen these mounts up close so I can see now by looking at your pics how it all falls together. Nice pics and build...keep up the good work!

No problem westofb
The original/stock mount angle was two angles bolted together thru the fender. The reason I designed the single angle to slide thru a hole in the fender was because the original upper peace of the angle was to long and would not fit right plus it was kind of flimsy.

[nuke1]

You have some really good ideas, thank you for the bolt pattern picture, i was just needing one, worked out perfect. will check in later to see how things are going, btw i like the spare tire holder, that will work out great and usefull for more than one thing.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Bruce88

Just noticed that the cross member on the frame just aft of the rear end is not at 90 deg to the frame. My frame is strait and from what I’ve seen of the frame drawings the factory installed it this way. Not that it will affect any thing just doesn’t make any sense to me as why they did it that way. Another question that probably will never be answered as to why, it’s just the way it is.

I think I can answer that. If all of the frame cross members were the same length and perpendicular to the frame rails, the rails would be able to move forwards and backwards. Having an unequal length crossmember will stabilize the frame like putting a X pipe in a roll bar. The triangulation adds rigidity.

This is an interesting thread. You are doing some things the opposite of what is typical, such as putting the spare on the bed side rather than moving it from there, and adding a CB, when most are removing the antenna and welding up the holes. Making it the way you want. I like that. There is always good information on this thread, no matter what experience level the reader is coming from.

I used to live on Camano Island and worked in your area. I don't miss the clouds, but do miss the scenery sometimes.

[BigSky71]

You have raised the bar for us on planning and documentation. I am sure your truck is going to extremely nice AND functional.

[texanidiot25]

With that splitter, it allows you to use FM and CB at the same time?

[Bruce88]

Originally Posted by texanidiot25

With that splitter, it allows you to use FM and CB at the same time?

Texanidiot25 The answer is yes you can use the FM and CB at the same time.

Not being an expert on the mater but from what I’ve read this setup is a compromise in performance for a CB antenna for the distance it will transmit. If you wanted the best performance for your CB you would want a longer and separate antenna. As for a FM antenna it will work fine. There are two tuning screws in the splitter box for fine adjustment to match the antenna to the FM and CB requirements. I’ve used this similar setup in the past and it worked fairly good for me.

[Bruce88]

[QUOTE=hgs_notes;3225804]I think I can answer that. If all of the frame cross members were the same length and perpendicular to the frame rails, the rails would be able to move forwards and backwards. Having an unequal length crossmember will stabilize the frame like putting a X pipe in a roll bar. The triangulation adds rigidity.


(Hgs_notes) I’ve been looking at this cross member and think it might have something to do with the fact that the rear end centering bar (Tracking Arm) is attached to the frame just below this cross member. The tracking arm comes over to the frame at an angle and the cross member goes over to the RH frame at the opposite angle to the tracking arm. This might be to distribute the tracking arm load equally across both frame rails to keep the frame rails square under load. But with out talking to the design engineer that designed this it’s just a guess.

[Bruce88]

Not really an update on the build, just to let you know that it’s not stopped just a short delay.

The past month and a half I’ve been focusing primarily on spring cleanup of the house inside and out plus the minor repairs to the house needed coming out of the winter months. With all this complete now the build will be progressing after a short rest for all the sore muscles that haven’t been used in some time (HA HA).

The closes thing to the build was some Lisle socket organizers that I picked up for the ¼ inch and 3/8 inch drive sockets. I had been using the spring clip type socket organizers and had always been looking for something that would work better for me. With my eyes not being the best over the years decided to label the socket locations.

Over all the years of gathering tools any thing that will help me find the right tool/socket for the job I think will help the build will go smother. For me sockets seem to be misplaced or should I say hide (HA HA) more than other tools.



Summer is just around the corner enjoy the good weather, for me my projects always seem to go better with out fighting the weather, may yours benefit as well.

[allen123]

your really orginized! lol opposite of me

[jay-dawg]

Awesome build thread! Subscribed.

[Lated]

Originally Posted by Bruce88

Yes the debate goes on as to how to hang it facing up or down (I definitely do not know the answer) but being a modern-day metal worker/blacksmith decided to hang it above my shop door to bring luck to my shop.

I've always been told if it's just hanging on the wall to hang it with the opening up to keep the luck from falling out. If it is hanging over a doorway, hang it with the opening down so each time you walk through you are sprinkled with a little luck. It doesn't really matter though, Chevy truck owners are already the luckiest guys around

[Bruce88]

Squaring away the front window corners.

The four corners of the front window seem to be an area where rust definitely can be found on most of our trucks. I don’t know if it’s the window seal is trapping the water or gap seam sealer failure in the drip rail area that causes the rust problem or a combination of both. Decided to do a fill weld in the area to replace some of the rust pitted area and not need to use any gap sealer in the area. It defiantly took some time to do this, a day and a half work for the two corners shown below. Also filled the antenna cable hole that I will not be needing.

Don’t know if this is going to solve the problem in the future but it should slow it down from coming back at least.

I’m planning on using a two part seam sealer in the drip rail area and this area of the truck should be good for another 30 plus years





I’m glad to be back working on the truck after the short delay. Have a nice day and a better one tomorrow.

[my67chevytruck]

Im in the process of doing that now. I had to do some dash repair as well because of the seam issue... Nice Work.

[heavy71chevy]

way to pay attention to detail! good job so far