Rusty76 and his '76

[rusty76]

Thanks for looking in. I go through a love hate relationship. When I got this truck I was very stary eyed. I had huge plans just like everyone. I was still living at home working two jobs and so on. Then I moved out. Got involved in some circle track racing and piddle with that. Through the years I got several vehicles but never really fell in love with them. I am not much of a car person. I like them but there are few cars I care to own. My old rust bucket kept me sane on dry days and ticked me off on cold wet days. All in all its been a fun truck. Some days I would like just be able to drive it. I honestly could care less about the rust and faded paint. When you drive a fridge everyday something with character is a nice treat. I will keep at it for sure. Too many memories and mud slinging to not to. Thanks again. Hope to meet up with you guys next weekend.

[abner36]

Hi rusty just read your thread and I totally understand your delima the most memorable trucks that I have ever owned were sqaures 1 2wd short box and 1 4x4 short box took them bolth apart to fix up and now they are gone. now have my grandpas 72 c10 its rusty needs alot but my rule is to keep it running and driving just to keep intrest and repair little things when I can or as needed. Good luck man hope you can at least get it running just hearing it run will breathe new life into you. Don't give up!!!

[rusty76]

Absolutely. I will keep on keeping. Thanks for the kind words.

[LT7A]

Your truck and predicament comes to mind once in awhile. I think most all of us can relate. I find that any little thing I can do makes a difference. If you were trying to build 5 rigs and none of them had any history, then you might want to pick your favorite and start there. But being that this truck has so much history (and looks cool), I say, just do what you can, a little at a time. Can you put that motor back together with new rings? So what if it smokes a little. Treating the rust now, even if you plan to replace a part is a good idea, one piece at a time. I think it would be kinda cool to try to get the whole truck cleaned up, rust and all, and then as you replace body parts, match the current condition of the old paint and leave it out in the weather. When it starts to look like the other panels, put it on the truck. I don't mean to sound silly, but I think the truck is cool no matter what. Match the new to the old, until you are done replacing parts. And then decide if you want to mess with new "nice" paint. In the meantime, enjoy it and drive it on any errand you can. These trucks are always cool.

[rusty76]

Thanks for the kind words. I have to say I have little intentions on selling it. Can't say that it didn't cross the mind. I'm going to figure a way to get a engine in this thing then pretty much go from there. Some times I over think things. Have a tendency to worry towards the future. I must admit I'm a really good procrastinator. Things that are just not that important get put in the back.

When I bought my truck, these squares weren't all that popular really. The 67-72 trucks were taking off. Now squares are really catching on. For me personally the body is fun and really seventies. I have a soft spot for 60-66 trucks but a round eye square makes me all warm and fuzzy. Finding squares in good shape for decent prices is getting a little tough.

Thanks again for the kind words and all. It all helps.

[Azryael]

Just remember you aren't alone!

I've had a '51 Mercedes-Benz 170S for five years that's I've made NO progress on other than getting it inside and out of the elements. Life and change of plans for the car have pretty much kept me from making any progress.

Sometimes I'd rather sell it so I can focus on getting a truck and working on my other cars that I own, but part of me would regret selling a car that was born exactly 40 years before I was. Being born and raised in Germany, I grew up around MBs, so it's also a bit of heritage thing for me to want to restore something that reminds me of part of who I am.

Good luck, and I'll be keeping an eye on this when you hopefully get a chance to really get cracking on it!

[rusty76]

Thanks for the support. I always think one day. One day I will cruise up and down the road. I look forward to that day.

[Azryael]

As long as you have the vision, anything is possible!

[rusty76]

Absolutely!

[Azryael]

Hopefully I can find my way to a nice 4x4 crew cab that needs little to no work to use as a work truck/fun truck.

From what I'm reading these round-eyes are getting hard to find, so you bringing this truck back to life is exactly what's needed! Preserve the hard-working, timeless vehicles.

[rusty76]

Round eyes rock.

[rusty76]

So nothing truck related today but however I've been trying my hand at wood carving and metal engraving. This is the first time I've ever did anything with wood carving. So enjoy the pics. 1st is beginning process. 2nd is coloring and third is background. Every bit of it done with a Dremel.

[Altec]

I just got my truck on the road after 10 years of kicking rocks. And I've done 90% of the work in the last 8 months. The final straw was accepting some hard facts. Mainly that I couldn't even think about body work, and I had buy parts weeks in advance. I chose to do everything in order of importance. Step one was getting the engine in it and running. So I ordered the clutch parts one pay check, then the fuel pump, and tune up parts the next pay check. After I got it running and moving I got it to stop. So over a months time I bought new everything for the brakes. Even line and prop valve! Next was suspension parts. New bushings, u bolts, etc. Then steering, then fuel system, then lights, and on down the line. $150 dollars a pay check on average. Other then my wheels/tires which I bought with a bonus at work.

Some things I had to accept so I could make progress. Like, I wanted a Cummins but I had to accept that I had a 454 that would drop in NOW, not later. Personally, I think your 400 is holding you back. If I was you, I would find a 350 on CL, or at the junkyard and move on. If your 400 being tore to bits 30 miles away is such a bummer and a distraction to the ultimate goal then it is time to move on. That is my opinion. Good luck man. Frankly, I think your truck has a cool patina now.

[rusty76]

Thanks again for all the kind words and honesty. I am considering looking for another small to get me running. I'm also going start work on the important stuff and will worry about the body inch by inch. I'm not looking for a show truck. Just something fun and usable. Thanks for looking in. That's a fine ride you got there.

[Azryael]

They do, don't they!

Dremels are fantastic tools; they offer great warrant services too.

I had a Multi-Max fail about two years after the original warranty ended, and Dremel send me the latest and greatest as a replacement at no cost to me!

[rusty76]

Awesome. I've used my dremel to remove bolts and other stuff. But the other week something stuck and I thought "I can do that." So I gave it a whirl. I'm no mechanic of sorts but I'm pretty good at learning stuff though. Lol.

[Azryael]

Yeah, versatile tool, honestly!

I've learned most I know on the fly and scouring the net for what others have done and improving upon their methods.

I'm a Network Administrator by trade, but I grew up wrenching on cars, so I've gotten sick of working with computers and decided to pursue an ME degree. Would like to open up a resto-mod shop of some sort some day, but I need to pick up a truck so I can do the jobs I need to do to get the money (great excuse to buy a truck, heh)!

[rusty76]

Do it. Buy a truck and have some fun. Just do it.

[Azryael]

Plan to, just looking for the right one!

Can't wait to go on some serious excursions to various national parks when I do finally snag one.

[rusty76]

You're in Texas. It shouldn't be to hard to snag a good one. ��

[Azryael]

You'd be surprised! They all end up being beat-up with no title or motor or anything.

Pretty sure it's going to have to be a word-of-mouth kinda thing. I'm certain someone here has exactly what I'm looking for, but they're likely older and don't use the Web or classifieds in the paper or anything like that.

For the time being, I'm enjoying all of these build threads! Really love the things people do to save these.

[rusty76]

Yep. That's why I like to stick around here. Lol

[Azryael]

I've only been on here since last night and I'm already loving it!

You need to get yourself a motor so you can make some progress!

[rusty76]

I know right. Never know what may be around the corner.

[hewittca]

I'm going to bring this back to the top for some inspiration. I've found that on my builds, I need to keep it on a short cycle between working on it and just enjoying driving it. If I go more than 2-3 months where the truck is in the garage on stands with ongoing repairs, I start to lose interest in completing the repairs and get anxious to drive it again. This mentality really drives the plans I have for my truck and allows me to accept them better. Sure, I'd absolutely love to have a full show stopping truck with new paint, interior, LS engine, wheels, suspension, etc., but the time it would take me to get there would realistically be longer than a lifetime. So, I find myself content with the very simple build plans I do have, and try to keep the major projects down to the necessary repairs, like my current transmission repair. I even find myself really enjoying simple tasks like picking out hardware to go along with certain projects. If I can find any simple way like that to work on the truck an hour or two every few days, I feel like I'm making progress. If I were you, I'd keep yourself engaged in the project in any way you can, even with small tasks, and eventually you'll get her running again. Whether that means going and picking up your 400 and bringing it home to put in a few minutes worth of work on it every day, or finding another motor to throw in there for the time being. It sounds like you enjoy driving it as much as working on it like me, so I think getting it back on the road would really help to rejuvenate and clarify your feelings towards the truck and what your build plans are. And hey, if you ever need a hand to throw in a motor or something, let me know, I'm not to terribly far away!