It’s Just A Pickup

[Bruce88]

Clarification/correction for build post #7

I have received two private messages regarding the spark plug wire brackets on the back of the block

Sorry if my post was somewhat misleading, as a lot of times in my builds I modify or make custom parts and did not mention this in that build post, the aft wire loom stands on the back of the block falls into this category you will not find them in the R&M wire loom kits.

The stand was made from some 1 inch x 1/8 inch thick x 36 inch long aluminum stock I picked up from Home Depot. Made a paper template where I wanted the wires to run and clearing the automatic trans dip stick and on the other side made a separator bracket to have two spark plug wires go under the throttle cable and two go over the top so the wires would not ride on the throttle cable. As far a bending the stands I used two 45 degree bends to get the joggle in the stands (recommend not bending this aluminum stock more than 45 degrees with out proper brake that can radius the bend, this aluminum stock will crack at the bend)

The only place that I know of to pick up individual wire separator blocks the same that are used on the R&M wire loom kit that I used on the stands is from Enos Custom Components http://www.enoscustom.com you can download there catalogue and find the individual separator blocks on page 35. You will need to find some longer alien head bolts to use with the blocks if you want to attach the blocks to a bracket or stand.

Here are some closer pictures of the brackets.



Hope this helps anyone interested in where the brackets and blocks came from.

[hgs_notes]

Simple, but effective and looks good. Nice!

[ERASER5]

I had forgotten just how much this is NOT "just a pickup." Way cool detailing.

[Bruce88]

Things are not as they appeared
More work than was expected will be required

A number of years ago when I bought the truck I knew that the original cab was in real bad shape and the previous owners thru in a stripped cab for nothing. The spare cab has been sitting in the corner of the garage taking up space and gathering dust until the rebuild was started in earnest and that day has come.

Looking around this forum’s builds I’ve seen others using stands that they made or acquired to support their cabs for working on and I liked this approach. Not wanting to build or buy a stand I looked around my shop to see if I might have something that would work and getting more use out of my equipment than what it was bought for is a benefit for me. I have some movable scaffolding 6 foot long x 2-1/2 foot wide x 6 foot tall rated at 500 pound load capable. Not knowing the weight of the cab, I might be over loading the stand some what but I think it will work and make working on the cab a lot easer. Just used my cherry picker, engine hoist, and some angel iron attached to the seat mounting holes to lift the cab on to the stand (it’s a two man job but went smoothly).



With the cab off the ground and making it easer to inspect it for damage and work needing to be done I found what I would call a failed repair to the driver’s side rocker panel. I new that the rear corner panels (both sides) and fwd floor corners where going to need repair but the rust has penetrated more areas, inner rocker panels up to the floor and fwd lower pillar. The use of foam by the previous owner, I would say was not of benefit and may have added to the problems. I can see foam and rust on the passenger side fwd lower pillar, the rocker panel on this side looks to be from the factory but just my guess that this side is in just as bad shape as the drivers.

Repair panels for both sides are on order from Wess at Classic Heartbeat Pickup Parts and will write and show them later.



The additional work not foreseen at the beginning of this build is starting to add up but I’m not going to start cutting corners now just to get the truck done and have to deal with it later on. Hope you have the time and resources to make your build right the first time. Yes I can remember my younger days when I was building my primary driver and needing to keep it on the road or get it back on the road as soon as possible. Good luck on your builds

[glimmertwin01]

ive seen "Great Stuff" used in many applications...now thats a new one on me...!!!!!

[Bruce88]

Making the modifications work with other parts

If you have read this complete build thread up until now you should know that I’m building a 72 Chevy short box step side ½ ton pickup. The reason I’m stating it again is to clarify the pictures below (bed cross sills are located in different locations on short & long box models)

As I take a few days off from working on the truck for rest and recovery, I some times use pictures that I’ve taken to work thru projected modification problems for a solution that meets my requirements. Thought you might like to see the pictures that I’m using to solve one of the problem areas.

I’m going to be installing a Blazer stile gas tank under the bed (gas tank from Classic Heartbeat Pickup Parts). I’ve seen where others have just removed the bed cross sill that is normally positioned over where the gas tank is going to be installed or cut the cross sill shorter in height to clear the tank. Doing this is probably fine if you’re not going to put any heavy loads in the truck bed. But I want the support for the floor boards to carry any load I want and get as much clearance for installing the fuel filler tube to the tank.

From the factory this short bed did not have a short cross sill installed just fwd of the gas tank location at the stock floor fastener location. I will be installing one there as well and moving the one cross sill to just aft of the fuel tank edge where it dips down and adding a 16 gauge steel sheet to attach the sill to the stock floor fasteners. Doing this the only holes in the floor bed that will not be in the stock location is the fasteners that attach the bed to the frame thru the sill.

Before I get the question, yes the cap over the sending unit hole is from a mason jar and it fits pretty good to keep dirt out of the tank (HA HA)





Some times this method of generating modifications help me prevent other problems before I start cutting and fabricating metal. May all of your modification go smoothly with out problems.

[VA72C10]

Nice work. Thanks again for the pictures and detailed explanation. Your build, when completed, will be one concice FAQ about how to restore a truck to be used....the right way...

[Bruce88]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

Nice work. Thanks again for the pictures and detailed explanation. Your build, when completed, will be one concice FAQ about how to restore a truck to be used....the right way...

Thanks VA72C10 for the comment
I can’t say it’s the right way, it’s just my way, that is building on past experiences and I’ve made may mistakes in the past and learned from them I hope and try not to make them again. Every new build is a learning experience for me and trying new thing some times and hope they work out good.

[Bruce88]

It was suppose to fit but it didn’t
Making it fit and improvement

A neighbor of mine did welding for a living and was laid off two months ago. Wanting to improve my welding skills (they could definitely use improvement) we struck a deal where I would do all the fabbing and set up along with the finish grinding and he would show me how to weld it for pay by the hour. This is what I would call a win win arrangement, I get a one on one instructor to improve my welding and he gets a few dollars to help him between jobs. You can see some of his welding in the pictures below.

When I bought the seats for the truck from Discount Van-Truck-SUV-RV I also picked up their seat frame that was made for the 67 – 72 Chevy pickups. The slotted holes did not line up with the holes in the floor so I fill welded them up and located them where they needed to be. I also added two steel plates to give added support to the frame legs, this is probably over kill and could have just added a smaller gusset angle to the legs but the steel was just laying around the shop looking for a home (HA HA).

It seems to me that when you relocate your gas tank on the forum build thread you need to show you’re filling of the filler neck hole in the cab. Not wanting to brake with what seems like a tradition I’m showing mine. I did find that cutting the filler plate with a 3-1/4 inch BiMetal hole saw is a perfect fit for the hole. Now all that left is a skim coat of bondo to bring the slight curve to the surface and no will know that a hole was there.



Still learning aft many years, keep learning and enjoy your builds

[SCOTI]

I can't thank you enough for that seat frame pic. I've been trying to figure something out in my head & sometimes seeing a pic of something triggers the thought you need. That pic just did it for me!

I love your thorough updates. This is going to be better than an OE designed truck because of the attention to the little details that make all the difference.

[1964C10]

Awesome job on this build!! Thanks for all the pictures, I am subscribed now

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Dude you are awesome and very modest...

[Bruce88]

Breaking News – Older trucks have rust (LOL)
Or maybe it should be a question – do I have more or less rust in my panels than you?
Sometimes a question not stated but thought when acquiring used panels for your build.

I did make a mistake. No, not cutting the panels back to inspect for all the rust before having the patch panels in hand to prevent cutting to much metal away (more than the patch panel will cover). All metal removed would have to be replaced regardless, I did have the patch panels in mind, not to cut more than was absolutely necessary (more cutting and fitting will be needed to install the patch panels)

The mistake was placing the order for the patch panels before seeing what I really needed. I had to add items to my order. The previous failed repair was done very stealthy, the rear cab support was filled with foam and the holes thru it was covered over with undercoating. It’s a good thing that I found this before going to pickup the panels and not finding this in the middle of replacing the panels. I always prefer to have all the parts needed on hand before starting plus just having one order for parts is preferred by me and I think by the supplier as well.

Both sides of the cab’s rocker panel areas are just about the same in the repairs that will be required. This being said I would say this cab is still in a lot better shape than the cab on the truck from the floor up. It will be nice not having to be concerned about where to put my feet on the cab floor or watching the ground pass by thru the floor when driving (HA HA)



There’s plenty to keep me busy until the panels come in and updates should continue fairly uninterrupted. May your build have less rust than mine.

[my67chevytruck]

nice progress.

[Bruce88]

Some want it with nuts and some don’t
If I remember correctly this was a commercial for a candy bar but could also apply to this installation.

Positioned the head liner in the cab and drilled all the mounting holes. This head liner is where the four radio speakers and CB will be installed. In the picture below the head liner is shown being temporarily held in place with cleckos.

Next the head liner will come down and all the mounting holes will be drilled up to the size for rivet nuts. All the rivet nuts will be installed after stripping and painting.

A lot of people would install this panel with sheet metal screws, I prefer to use rivet nuts and machine screws. For those of you that might not know what a rivet nut is I’ve included some pictures of the installation tool and steps to install one.

Rivet nuts come in many sizes and threads as well a steel and aluminum. I use steel ones when installing them in steel panels and for this installation will be using a 10-32 rivet nut. The rivet nut is kind of like a pop rivets but puts a nut on the back side of a blind fastener hole, a special tool is required for installation.



Some times there’s more than one way to do a installation and I like having options. There’s plenty out there for you to chouse from, in joy your build.

[VA72C10]

Very cool tool. Those could be useful in lots of applications. Thanks for the writeup.

[Palf70Step]

Very nice!

[ERASER5]

Again I must say this is NOT "just a pickup." This looks like it will be a work piece of art, not a trailer queen. I'm digging it.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Very nice work...

[Bruce88]

The outcome may hinge a pound it (HA HA)
Getting to make a modification to the door hinges that as far as I’m concerned should be a standard on all door hinges.

The Hinges where being stubborn, the hinge pin did not want to come out, I tried penetrating oil and heat but it didn’t want to budge. But I found if I ground the head off the hinge pin and use a socket to support the frame around the head area and one or two solid hits on the pin it came right out. The spring pin holding the slider was bent and had to be cut out with a small cutoff wheel in my Dremel and pushed out in small peaces.

Gathering the parts that I was going to need for the rebuild
(Qty 2) 38-6560 hinge pin rebuild kits from LMC
(Qty 1 pack) SPS-04-32-10 Spring Pin ¼ x 2 inch from Small Parts Inc.
note this is a larger spring pin than the stock one of 3/16 x 1 inch
(Qty 1) SRNY-0250-E NYLATRON GS PLATE ¼ thick 12 inch x 12 inch from Small Parts Inc. note this is a guess on my part that this material is similar to the stock material



I never found a way to get grease in the hinge pin area the way I thought it should be. So I drilled a small hole that will let me use a grease gun needle nozzle to get the grease where I think it is needed on occasion. (See picture below)

One technique I’ve found useful is drilling a 1/8 Dia Hole in the hinge half’s so that after you get the door to fit and fair right you drill a corresponding hole in the door and frame thru these holes. Then when you put the doors back on after painting you get the doors real close to where they need to be with very little if any adjustments. I just use a clecko to line the holes up for installation. (See picture below for those that are interested)





The friction pads where completely wore out and not knowing the exact nylon material or how thick the pad should be I sat down to try and figure it out. (See picture below for calculations) No guarantee this is going to work right but time will tell. The pads where staked in the retainer no rivets as I’ve seen in other pictures so I just staked the new ones in.

There all put together and painted and ready for installation



Have an enjoyable 4 of July and don’t blow up or set fire to any thing that has value to any one.

[hgs_notes]

Nicely done. Good tip for the greasing. Let us know how they work once installed.

[Frizzle Fry]

Nice work. I'm watching this one.

[1964C10]

Thanks for the great pictures, I am saving them refering to greasing the hinges, one of the things I have always done on all my car's hinges (seems none had a grease fitting) was to just a really good quality chain coat for motor cycles, it squirts in as a really liquidy substance but then dries to a nice thick tar like oil/grease, really only needs it once a year and no problems ever. Just a thought

[Bruce88]

People in your rear view mirrors are normally not a problem until they run into you.

Been looking over my doors and front fenders for work that will be required. With the rust and damage needing to be repaired and the cost of the body man bring it into condition after my replacing of bad metal, it would be cheaper for me to replace the doors and fenders if I can eliminate the shipping charges for oversize items. I’m going to be sending the body out for bondo and final painting so their cost is a factor.

I’m lucky in that I live close enough to Classic Heartbeat Pickup Parts that I can drive down there and pick up the parts with no shipping charges when the parts come in. A definite benefit when the cost of shipping can be more than the cost of the part.

Wanting to locate the sport mirrors at the factory location on the new doors when they come in, I looked up the factory assembly instructions. In the factory they probably had a jig tool to locate the holes and the only dimensions on the drawing are from body stations and water lines that are not marked on the door. So I added some dimensions in red to the drawing obtained from my original doors. This should make it possible to get the mirrors within .10 inch of the factory location (close enough for me HA HA). Maybe you could use the information (see picture below)



The sport mirrors on the truck where in bad shape. Got two new ones # 38-5846 & # 38-5847 reproduction sport mirrors from LMC. The mirror can have a sharp edge so I covered the edge with AT1007 (small black) door trim by Elegant to prevent any one from getting cut. Heated the trim up to 110 degrees in the oven to get it to bend around the tight corners of the mirror. Installed some MS21059-3 (10-32) floating nut plates on the mirror mount reinforcing plate and will be using 10-32 stainless steel machine screws to mount the mirrors (these nut plates are generally found on aircraft just had a few laying around)



Looking back is not always a waist of time and with some rear view mirrors it’s a little easer (HA HA)

[hgs_notes]

New replacement panel can be nice, but there can be problems. For instance, the reproduction ones I bought had such a poor fit where the grill surround meets the front edge, it left a gap of almost 1/2" on that outer edge. There is no way to correct this other than to fill the gap with bondo. It was tooling that wasn't set right or made right. The driver side would not line up with the original door. If you set the body line at the lower moulding to line up, there was a huge gap with the cowl. If you lined it up with the cowl gap, the moulding edge was too high. The only other way I could think of to make it fit descent was to move the door up, but that would ruin the door gap. I said the heck with it and found a set of originals that were in good condition.

I've seen trucks at the shows that had the exact same issues. Nice paint jobs and poor fit with the grill, etc. If your fenders and doors can be repaired, you might want to reconsider your options.