Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...

[DD1]

Originally Posted by 67c10rustbuket

Much better! Instructions ? what is that?

That Tabco Support does look like it is nice quality.

LOL! Thanks, Dan! I just need to practice having a steadier hand when I weld. As you can see from the pic, my welds tend to move a bit when I am going from one tack weld to the other.

Yeah, I am really happy with the Tabco part; nice and solid. I might get some more stuff from them. They are a little more expensive with some stuff, but not excessively so.

Going to try to get some more stuff done tonight and tomorrow. After that I won't be able to work on the truck until the end of the 2nd week of September.

[DD1]

Wow! I can't believe my last post was August 27. I was thinking that I have not been working on the truck much because I have been busy with a home improvement project, and it's gotten a bit cold out there, but 8/27 is a long time ago for me to have not done much of anything.

In addition to being really busy, I have been a bit unmotivated to do anything, including the home improvement project. However we have made good progress on the home improvement, so it's time to get back to work on the truck. I have been reading some of the threads on here to give me some encouragement, and it's starting to work.

My wife also got me a new floor jack for Christmas that doubles as a motorcycle jack (can also be used as a transmission jack) (http://tinyurl.com/beskayv), and with the cash my in-laws gave me, I got some car dolly's that will come in handy in my garage. Now I can move the truck sideways by myself. So that started to get me a bit excited about moving forward as well.

I went into my basement and played with the carburetor for a while. That is slowly becoming a disaster, and I need to decide where to draw the line, call it a loss, and just buy a rebuilt one. For the time and money I have spent on the carb, I probably could have bought a rebuilt one.

I ordered a rebuild kit from Cliff's Quadrajet's that was specially designed for my engine. After rebuilding it, I realized one of the shafts on the throttle base was bent. I managed to find the same number carb on Ebay for $40 and was going to switch the throttle base. However, when I tried to unscrew the... throttle plates, some of the screws broke in half... on both carbs. I want to use the rebuild kit I got, but it's getting to the point where I should probably throw in the towel and just get a rebuilt carb. Saw an ad on Ebay from a place that supposedly repairs throttle bases. So maybe I will send it to them to fix up.

So, my plans for work on the truck in the near future are as follows (not necessarily in this order):

• Continue working on passenger side floor.
• Cut the old cab up into pieces, so it's off the frame (takes up less room).
• Move the "new" cab to the frame. As much as I like having it on the homemade dolly, I really need the space.
• Finish the carburetor.
• Install the engine, brake assembly, and radiator/support to the frame. I want to be able to move the truck if I need to, plus it would be cool to hear my rebuilt engine start up.

If anyone has any suggestions on good places to cut the cab up, while still keeping intact pieces to use in case I need patch parts later, please let me know. I posted the question on the body work section a long time ago and no one responded. For example, when I cut the roof, not sure how close to the roof I should cut it.

Ok, so I'll quit now before this becomes a long rambling mess. Hope to get some stuff done this weekend. Then I'll have more time to work steadily starting the weekend of the 26th, so hopefully I'll be posting some real updates soon.

[67c10rustbuket]

Originally Posted by DD1

However, when I tried to unscrew the... throttle plates, some of the screws broke in half... on both carbs. .

Hey D, dont get in a hurry over us My truck sat in my driveway while I did home improvements at our old house for 5 years! I understand, just wait until you have a kid and a pregnant wife then you really wont have much truck time!

On the throttle blade subject I think they (forget the technical term) split the ends of the screws in the throttle plates so they dont back out and get sucked into the engine. I am by no means a carb expert besides bolting on an Edelbrock and having my old man tune them for me, carbs have always been a weak point for me. I always hated Quadrajet carbs because I had no idea how to tune them but they are a solid reliable unit when done right. Glad you made it through the storms okay up there.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by 67c10rustbuket

Hey D, dont get in a hurry over us My truck sat in my driveway while I did home improvements at our old house for 5 years! I understand, just wait until you have a kid and a pregnant wife then you really wont have much truck time!

On the throttle blade subject I think they (forget the technical term) split the ends of the screws in the throttle plates so they dont back out and get sucked into the engine. I am by no means a carb expert besides bolting on an Edelbrock and having my old man tune them for me, carbs have always been a weak point for me. I always hated Quadrajet carbs because I had no idea how to tune them but they are a solid reliable unit when done right. Glad you made it through the storms okay up there.

Thanks, Dan! We were one of the really lucky ones with the storm. We had no damage and did not lose power except for some minor flickering. I have a friend half a mile from me who was without power for over a week. My in-laws also had no power for over a week.

I am just going to send the throttle base to Carb Junky and let them handle it for $49. I wish I had gone at it a bit slower in the beginning. Realized I made a lot of financial mistakes when buying parts. We went to Rhinebeck last year on the last day and I could have gotten a rebuilt carb for half the price I have spent on this one so far. At the point where I have to decide if I call it a loss or spend a little bit more. I don't want to wait till May for a carb, but if this does not work, then I will probably look for a deal at Rhinebeck this year.

I have heard the Qjets are really good if setup right, so I would like to try and use it.

Probably won't be having a kid or a pregnant wife anytime soon, if at all. It's a bit of a longer story than this, but if she was going to get pregnant, she probably would be by now.

[DD1]

Okay, so if anyone is still paying attention to this thread, I actually got a bit motivated today. I went to HF with a friend to buy a couple of small things. Ended up buying about 7 or 8 things, but spent less than $100, so it's not so bad.

That got me a bit motivated and I finally attached a wire wheel to my grinder and cleaned up some areas I wanted to weld and re-weld. I also decided I am going to tack weld the outer floor section to the floor so I can get moving on reassembling the passenger side of the cab. I have tried test fitting parts, but it's tough when other parts won't stay put.

I did not get too far because I had to check something out on my daily car, but I spent the evening working on my carb. I had realized that I had forgotten to replace the idle tubes. Of course nothing goes right as I got one out with no problem, but the 2nd one the collar separated from the tube and the tube got stuck inside the carb. Took me over an hour to get it out, with my wife and I brainstorming for ideas to fix the problem. But it finally came out and the carb is almost back together. Just need to put the screws in which I will do tomorrow.

I resolved my problems with the base plate of the carb by sending it to Carb Junky's in Atlanta, GA. I sent them two base plates, the one from my carb, and the one from the spare I got on Ebay. Turns out the one from my carb was not repairable, and the one from Ebay was apparently not the proper one for my carb. So for $81, I got a base plate that they had on their shelf, which they rebuilt for me. So the bottom of my carb looks really nice, and the top and middle look kind of "eh" in comparison.

So, it's a little bit of progress, not a whole lot, but maybe it will get me motivated to continue a lot more, and hopefully you'll be seeing more posts from me in the next few weeks.

[Street Smart]

Hey D hows it going? We had great weather yesterday, good to see your gettin stuff done. With the clocks moved forward and better weather coming I`m hoping to get stuff done too.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by Street Smart

Hey D hows it going? We had great weather yesterday, good to see your gettin stuff done. With the clocks moved forward and better weather coming I`m hoping to get stuff done too.

Thanks! What part of Brooklyn are you in? I took a look at your gallery; some nice trucks on there. Are they all yours? What are you working on right now?

Yep, I am trying to move along. Spent too much time being unmotivated and falling behind. The winter sucked royally.

[Street Smart]

Right now i have 4 trucks, my 72Monte for toys, i`m nuts...
Monte about 27 years, `67 GMC suburban 15 years, Panel truck about 12, 2 pickups (gold 67 & red GMC) i just got. Red GMC I`m waiting for papers to sell it, Gold 67 needs a motor so not to sure what I`m doing there yet.
I have a shop on Utica Ave near ave M. live near there too. I`m working on bagging my suburban before the summer mostly looking for a nicer ride. What part of New York are you from?

[DD1]

Originally Posted by Street Smart

Right now i have 4 trucks, my 72Monte for toys, i`m nuts...
Monte about 27 years, `67 GMC suburban 15 years, Panel truck about 12, 2 pickups (gold 67 & red GMC) i just got. Red GMC I`m waiting for papers to sell it, Gold 67 needs a motor so not to sure what I`m doing there yet.
I have a shop on Utica Ave near ave M. live near there too. I`m working on bagging my suburban before the summer mostly looking for a nicer ride. What part of New York are you from?

It makes sense that you have a shop... I was wondering where you keep all those trucks in NYC. I grew up in Brooklyn and Queens. Used to live near Prospect Park for a few years when I was a kid. Moved to Rockland County in 2009.

[DD1]

Ok, so it's not a ton of progress here, but it's something.

First, as I mentioned I took the wire wheel and prepped the outer floor board for welding. Tonight I sprayed some Copperweld on the inside parts that I think might touch metal, such as where the floor piece meets the cab supports.

Last night I spent some more time working on the carb. Came into a bit of a problem. Unfortunately, I don't have my parts list in front of me, and I am too lazy to go downstairs and get it, so I am probably not using the most technical terms here. Basically, the piece on the carb where the rod connects the springs on the base plate to the lever, does not have a hole big enough to fit the rod.

Also, I can't find the rod for the lever that came with my carb. I tried the rod for my spare carb and it is also too big for the hole in the lever. The simple solution is to use the rod and the lever from my spare carb, however it does not fit in the aforementioned spring lever thingy. Look at the pics and you will see the parts I am referring to.

The lever by itself is the one that came with my carb. I got a rebuilt base plate from Carb Junky's and the rod with the other lever won't fit in the hole on the spring assembly or the lever that came with my carb. I need to email Carb Junky's and ask them what to do about it.

[DD1]

Ok, so I had a little more progress made today. And I have also challenged myself to get the truck drive-able before September. A good friend of mine has challenged me to get it drive-able by June, and while i have accepted the challenge, it is one I don't think I am going to meet.

Some clarification on what "drive-able" means. It means road worthy, a daily driver, not a full restoration. I never intended to do a full frame off restoration and have the truck looking as nice as most of the ones on this board. I don't have the time, patience, or money for that. My short term goals are as follows:

• Get the cab finished.
• Install the motor and get the truck running.
• Install and paint the cab and front end of the body.
• Reassemble the cab interior.

I will worry about the bed of the truck later... much, much, later.

So here is what I did today. I needed to tack weld the outer floor panel to the floor so I can test fit other parts. Trying to clamp the outer floor and all the other parts was not working well for me. Ideally if there is a major problem, I can break the tack welds and remove the outer floor panel, however I am crossing my fingers that I won't need to do that.

I did not get to go as far as I would have liked as usual, as life has been full of distractions these days, however I did get to a point I was satisfied with. I cleaned up the outside of the cab supports with a wire brush, sprayed Copperweld on any parts that would be covered by the outer floor panel, clamped, then tack welded the outer floor panel.

Here are some pics. Now I need to work at least a few nights or days each week, and make some faster progress.

Oh yeah, and I realized I need to go and get a spot welder. Just no way around it. I checked to see if I can find a used one online, but even used people are asking way too much money. Will probably head over to HF next weekend and pick one up.

[DD1]

Ok, Second consecutive day of messing with the truck. I need some help here. Let's play a game of "Is it ME? Or is it THE PART?"

So I am trying to test fit the lower cowl panel. I believe it's suppose to sit on top of the outer floor panel, right?

Okay, so if it rests on top of the outer floor panel, it is too far away from the firewall.

If I press it up against the firewall, it is not resting on top of the outer floor panel.

I ordered the floor panel and the lower cowl from the same place... you would think they would match up nicely, huh?

So, should I order a new lower cowl panel, maybe from TABCO? Or IS IT ME?

Looking for some good, quick advice.... HELP!

The first two pics show it with me holding it against the outer floor panel, the next two I am holding it against the firewall. Thanks!

[DD1]

So I am reading some of the posts on this forum about patch panels. I am figuring out fast that I will pretty much have to make the lower cowl/kick panel fit, huh?

It seems like most of these parts just don't fit right in general. Would that be a fair assessment?

[67c10rustbuket]

Hey D, I aligned mine to the floor and went from there. mine only had about a quarter inch gap which i pulled together after getting the kick panel patch tack welded in a few places. Looks like you have a bit more of a gap than mine. Personally I would anchor the floor piece to the cab support first and then fit the kick panel to the floor with sheet metal screws and see if you can pull the bottom of the firewall in. From the looks of it you may need to split the kick panel patch, I have seen it done several times on other builds. If I remember correctly this cab had an issue on this side where the PO said it hit a tree? This may explain some of the misalignment. How does it measure compared to the other side? How does the patch compare to the piece you removed, if it is intact? I know some pieces dont come out intact Just for fun I measured mine and it is 6.5" from the pillar to the firewall at the top of the kick panel patch. Let me know if you need any measurements or anything.

[67c10rustbuket]

Looks like you are getting the hang of the rust repair! Great work buddy!

[DD1]

Originally Posted by 67c10rustbuket

Hey D, I aligned mine to the floor and went from there. mine only had about a quarter inch gap which i pulled together after getting the kick panel patch tack welded in a few places. Looks like you have a bit more of a gap than mine. Personally I would anchor the floor piece to the cab support first and then fit the kick panel to the floor with sheet metal screws and see if you can pull the bottom of the firewall in. From the looks of it you may need to split the kick panel patch, I have seen it done several times on other builds. If I remember correctly this cab had an issue on this side where the PO said it hit a tree? This may explain some of the misalignment. How does it measure compared to the other side? How does the patch compare to the piece you removed, if it is intact? I know some pieces dont come out intact Just for fun I measured mine and it is 6.5" from the pillar to the firewall at the top of the kick panel patch. Let me know if you need any measurements or anything.

Hey Dan,

Thanks, those are some good ideas. I was thinking I would have to get another panel and piece them together, but slicing it in half would work much better (and cheaper). I will have to check tomorrow for the old piece and the measurements. I have not touched the other side yet, but will measure that as well for comparison.

You are correct about it hitting a pole, a light pole I believe.

Thanks for your help.

Darien

[DD1]

Originally Posted by 67c10rustbuket

Looks like you are getting the hang of the rust repair! Great work buddy!

Thanks! Working on getting better at it. Now that we finally had decent weather, was in the high 60's today, I can get some stuff done. I have gotten a little motivation back.

Yours is looking real nice as well. Wish I had the patience to do what you are doing.

[Hardesty454]

Wow talk about rust repair! You're doing a great job. Keep it up!
Posted via Mobile Device

[DD1]

Originally Posted by Hardesty454

Wow talk about rust repair! You're doing a great job. Keep it up!
Posted via Mobile Device

Thanks, Hardesty! Probably going to go out and try and get a little more done this evening. Checked out and subscribed to your thread. Your truck looks nice! Good luck with the rebuild.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by 67c10rustbuket

Personally I would anchor the floor piece to the cab support first and then fit the kick panel to the floor with sheet metal screws and see if you can pull the bottom of the firewall in. From the looks of it you may need to split the kick panel patch, I have seen it done several times on other builds. How does it measure compared to the other side? How does the patch compare to the piece you removed, if it is intact? Just for fun I measured mine and it is 6.5" from the pillar to the firewall at the top of the kick panel patch. Let me know if you need any measurements or anything.

Ok, so i think i have a sense of what I want to do now.

I was able to get the panel to sit pretty securely using clamps and vice grips. Unless you think it's really necessary to ensure a good test fit, I did not think I need to use the sheet metal screws.

I did some measurements and assuming I am measuring the right spots, it is similar to your measurements. I also measured the other side of the cab and it seems to be about the same.

I measured from the end (right side facing the outside of the truck) of the pillar to the firewall and got about 6.5 inches, give or take. See top horizontal line in the pic below. I am not sure if I cut as high up as you might have.

I measured from the bottom of the firewall to the end of the panel (left side of pillar) and got about 7 inches. This seems to be about the same as the other side.

I think I am going to cut the panel where the vertical line is in the photo, move the front of the panel to the firewall, and use scrap pieces of metal to fill in the gap. Does that sound like a good plan? Maybe after I slice it, then I will anchor it in with screws to make sure it is sitting tight.

[DD1]

So, today I actually got some work done. My work was interrupted b/c I had to visit a friend in the hospital and go to a wake (for a different person). Yesterday, I intended to get some work done, went shopping for some stuff I needed, and ended up buying a spot welder at Harbor Freight. I realized I need one, and it was only a matter of time before I broke down and bought it.

So, instead of going one step forward today, I kinda went one step back. But I think my overall decision was a good one. It started out with me not liking the damage that was done to the hole where the cab gets bolted to the frame. It migrated to my deciding to replace a portion of the floor around the hole. However, I think I went about it the smart way.

I have problems in general cutting straight lines, and cutting stuff to the right size. So, I cut out the portion of the front floor panel that I want to use. Then when I started cutting up the actual cab, I started small and cut out small pieces at a time. The piece I cut out of the cab is no where near the size of the piece I cut from the panel. However it leaves me the option of patching in a smaller piece of the floor panel if I wish to do so.

The other good thing about this is it allows me the opportunity to properly weld the cab support to the metal piece between the floor and the support. There is probably an actual name for it, but you will see what I am talking about in the photo. I was kind of concerned about how secure the cab support was, and now I will at least know it is done right.

Any tips and tricks anyone can share about using the spot welder? Dan, I think you have one, right?

Any tips and tricks about doing spot welds with the MIG welder anyone can share? There are places I need to spot weld where the spot welder cannot reach. My plan was to drill a hole in one piece of metal, and use the MIG welder over the hole.

I have been making a point of spending at least 1 hour each night working on the truck. So I have definitely gotten back into it, and I hope you will be seeing a lot more posts and progress in the coming weeks.

Let me know what you think. Am I doing the right thing here, or getting myself deeper into a mess? At least I am getting practice for the other side which absolutely needs the front floor panel replaced.

Oh, and Dan, it seems like your advice about cutting the kick panel in half will work pretty well. I did a quick test fit, and after a little shaving here and there, I think it will be fine. I got sidetracked with cutting the floor up some more, but I am hopeful that it will all be good.

[67cheby]

nice progress on all the sheet metal repair !

[Hardesty454]

You're doing a killer job on the welding repair. Keep it up!
Posted via Mobile Device

[DD1]

Originally Posted by 67cheby

nice progress on all the sheet metal repair !

Originally Posted by Hardesty454

You're doing a killer job on the welding repair. Keep it up!
Posted via Mobile Device

Thank you both! I am definitely starting to get the hang of it, and getting a little bit better. I am also getting motivated again to get this thing moving. I am switching back and forth from body work to mechanical work to give myself a break from each.

I did not do much last night. I was planning on switching out the manual steering gear box to power steering box I bought on Ebay over a year ago. It took a Ball Joint Separator fork and a sledge hammer, but I finally for the pitman arm separated from the center link.

I was not able to mount the new box because I am missing one bolt and the washer for two of the bolts are cracked. So I have to go find replacements, but once I do it's a real quick install. Also, the nut that attached the PS box to the pitman arm is bigger than 1-1/4", which is the largest socket I have, so I need to either borrow or buy the right socket.

I also cleaned up the frame with a wire brush where the gear box is going. I just could not mount the nice, clean gear box to the dirty frame. I will spray paint it before I attach the new box.

No work tonight, we have tickets to the Yankees game. Let's go Yankees! Any Diamondbacks fans in the house?

[67c10rustbuket]

Originally Posted by DD1

Any tips and tricks anyone can share about using the spot welder? Dan, I think you have one, right?

Any tips and tricks about doing spot welds with the MIG welder anyone can share? There are places I need to spot weld where the spot welder cannot reach. My plan was to drill a hole in one piece of metal, and use the MIG welder over the hole.

Hey D, We have a spot welder at work but it is stationary. Ours has a few adjustments on it: weld time,squeeze time, and amperage. There is a dummy chart on the side just like most Mig welders. Make sure your work is clamped tight because it will occasionally slide the two pieces around. I want to get one at home, maybe ... I have half a mind to cut out my floor and do a whole floor replacement rather than patch up the remaining passenger side.

When using a mig to spot weld (plug weld aka rosette weld?) punch or drill a 1/4" hole in the top piece for sheetmetal,(larger holes depending on thickness) and remove any paint, dirt,rust , etc on top and between the surfaces and most importantly crank the heat setting on your mig up a bit. Try a couple practice pieces first.

Looking good keep at it

Originally Posted by DD1

No work tonight, we have tickets to the Yankees game. Let's go Yankees! Any Diamondbacks fans in the house?

Did you say Yankees?! I have been to a few stadiums but not that one, My wife went to the old Yank stadium.