72 k20

[DeadheadNM]

Thanks for the update Tyler. Looks great. My best to you and your family. Hope all well.

[57taskforce]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Thanks for the update Tyler. Looks great. My best to you and your family. Hope all well.

Thanks Pete, same. I hope you guys have a Merry Christmas! Hope your little one is healthy and active! I miss coming by every time I go to abq.(not very often these days)

[davischevy]

I'll be able to keep up with this now.

[57taskforce]

Welcome, welcome, welcome!

[Ol Blue K20]

I'm still watching, keep plugging away at it.

[57taskforce]

I’ve kinda pulled off my truck for a little bit over the last few months. I’ve had a few other things going on and not really had as much time to work on it but I do have an update I’ve been meaning to add.
This truck originally had front drive flanges, ie. wasn’t ordered with lock out hubs. At some point someone swapped in a set of warns which worked just fine, but I’ve always wanted to put spicers on it sooo... I acquired and am in the process of swapping my warn hubs out for a set of spicers. They definitely aren’t nos quality but for where the truck is now they will do just fine. Internally they are in great shape it’s just the chrome and the dials that aren’t in the best of shape. I didn’t take any pictures before I tore them down but here’s everything after tear down and sandblasting. I blasted the blue dials and got them to clean up a little bit still not the best. I don’t have any pictures of them or the chrome rings. I’m hoping to try and put them together tomorrow if I can get some time. I really need to get back to work on it!

[57taskforce]

Quick update: hubs are back together but not installed on the truck yet. I had one dial that was cracked and it took me a couple weeks of research and tinkering to get it repaired. I should have them back on the truck this week.
Here’s a link to what I did to repair my dial and a few pictures of the finished products. Not bad for free hubs (minus my labor and (1) 1/8” hammer drill bit)
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=804133

I also busted out my timing light and dialed in the 350. Starts up easily and idles well. It’s still not ready to go down the road but I’m sure it will run decent. I only need it to go for a year or two while finally focus on building up my 6.0 and getting it in and running. I’m planning on a GPI vvt truck cam with a decent slightly choppy idle but still keeping the power down low where I want it. I’m gonna pull the motor down to the rotating assembly. I plan to inspect and reseal everything while I’m at it. Should be a pretty reliable powerful build when I’m done with it.

[DeadheadNM]

Nice work those look real clean

[Richard]

Just read through your thread and enjoyed it. Good work so far! Love your Camaro and would like to have one myself. Will be content with the ZL1 motor going in my 72 for now subscribed

[57taskforce]

Thanks, it’s been a labor of love to say the least. The Camaro gets a lot of attention for sure. Now is the time to buy a decent 5th gen SS or ZL1. Lower mileage examples for the SS can be had for mid to high teens and decent ZL1s start mid 20’s if you look hard enough. It’s a ton of fun but I’ve been toying with letting my wife have the SS and buying either a ZL1 or a Z28 in the next year or so. Funny how once you get a consistent taste of speed you always crave more. I’ll have some updates and pictures to come in the next couple weeks with the truck. It’s getting ready to have the rockers final welded in and then the interior work is goin to begin. I got these door panels from Pete a few years ago and have cleaned them up in preparation for install. Very nice pieces for sure. They compliment the 99% perfect, 100% OE olive Cheyenne seat perfectly. I’ve got carpet and the door and window seals on the way, should be here next week. New fire wall insulation isngoing in as we speak. After the doors, carpet and insulation will be rebuilding the hvac boxes and ducting. Lots going on right now and I’ve got a few updates to add below. Been working on it pretty regularly for the last couple weeks.
I finally got the interior floor painted. I used some of the left over chassis saver from the frame. I’ve been very happy with this stuff and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good durable rust resistant paint. I also dropped the inner fenders back in. I had to modify the driver side as expected because of the hydraboost lines at the steering box. I also had to pull the top off my eddy 1406 because somehow or another the rubber came off the accelerator pump. I bought a rebuild kit only to find that the rubber had just come off. No biggie I’ll save the kit for another time.

[57taskforce]

I got a new rug for the ole girl. Excuse the little feet in the picture. My son Cole was hanging out with daddy while I was opening the ACC box up, and my little girl Kenley, was supervising us to make sure daddy and Cole didn’t get into any trouble haha. I went with the dark olive mass backed carpet and it looks really good. I can’t wait to get it in the truck. Im gonna try and start finishing up the outer rockers this week so I won’t have any welding left. I also got the fire wall insulation installed last week. What an amazingly fun job that is. If I ever have to do it again it will be too soon!

[57taskforce]

Carpet test fitted in the cab. Started welding in rockers today as well but no pictures of that until tomorrow.

[El Dorado Jim]

sub'd

[DeadheadNM]

Great progress. Keep pics coming please.

[57taskforce]

Thanks Pete! And welcome aboard El Dorado Jim!
So in the last week or so I’ve gotten my rockers final welded in, man what a pain in the ass it was to fill the “pie cuts” I had to make to get them to fit decent. I still need to clean the welds up some but here they are in rough form... I was looking over my checklist of stuff that in need to do and I’m down to about 5-6 things left before it’s able to be on the road and most of them are pretty small. It’s a pretty nice feeling. Next on my list is to get the welds knocked down and cleaned up then I’ll seal the high hump up one last time and get the carpet in for good.

[57taskforce]

Santa clause showed up in May driving a brown truck today and delivered the precision door rubber kit with push on weatherstrip. Looks to be good quality parts. I am quite happy with the push on seals, I know some don’t care for them but I like them enough I’m gonna order a set for my K10 soon. I’m gonna pull the doors one last time and paint them up a shade of green close to what the cab is for now so at least it’ll all be a few different similar shades of green. Same goes for the rockers and cab corners for now. I’ll probably pull the bed To do this because the bed is actually the right shade of green and will be a lot easier to get prepped for paint when the time comes for real... just to be clear no bodywork is being done at this time. Just some temporary spray bomb madness Until I’ve got the funds to paint it correctly in the original 557 scheme.

I stripped the passenger vent window and side window and the remainders of the rubbers so I’ll I’ve got to do is pull the door off once it’s been sanded down some. The Driver door will probably get the same treatment tomorrow. Here’s a picture of the weather strip mocked up.

I also started mocking the inner heater box back up and making a list for the stuff I need to get the heater running again. I’m really motivated here lately I can’t wait to bring this thing back home, it’s been 3 long years.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

Thanks Pete! And welcome aboard El Dorado Jim!
So in the last week or so I’ve gotten my rockers final welded in, man what a pain in the ass it was to fill the “pie cuts” I had to make to get them to fit decent. I still need to clean the welds up some but here they are in rough form... I was looking over my checklist of stuff that in need to do and I’m down to about 5-6 things left before it’s able to be on the road and most of them are pretty small. It’s a pretty nice feeling. Next on my list is to get the welds knocked down and cleaned up then I’ll seal the high hump up one last time and get the carpet in for good.

Great job on the rockers! I know it is a bit of work. I chose to replace a bit less metal as most of mine looked and felt solid.

[Ol Blue K20]

It sounds like a great plan to me.

[57taskforce]

Thanks guys, yea the rockers are a bit of work but I’d take doing them over the floor supports and floor patches any day lol. I think as far as paint goes I’m gonna get my Napa to make me up some spray bombs in dark olive poly for the doors and jambs. I went ahead and put the doors together for now as I really need to get this thing out of the shop so I can bring my 3100 in for some updates. I didn’t put the inner felts or scrapers in yet so I can more easily paint the doors a little later on this summer. My wife is likely going to get the 57 for our 10 year anniversary next April (she has no idea) She’s always been in love with that truck. so I need to have it ready and all the bugs finally worked out of it by then. It’s getting a motor swap and tranny rebuild along with a good bit of interior things. Maybe one day I’ll start a thread on it too. I’m almost 32 and have had the 57 since I was 15. I digress! So I went ahead and sprayed my passenger rocker with a metallic green that is sorta close but not quite dark olive poly. It looks decent but it’s not right. Good thing about spray paint is lacquer thinner takes it right off so re spraying in the correct color won’t be a huge deal. Ive only etching primed the drivers side for now.
Also here’s said 3100; pardon the F250 that’s just an old company truck I no longer have. I think when the K20 comes home I’m gonna try and take a picture with all 4 of my trucks together, hell maybe I’ll even bring the camaro along too.

[57taskforce]

Well I’ve got a few more updates....
All 50 screw holes in the high hump are welded up and the bottom of the hump is painted in chassis saver. I got the backup lights working for the first time since I’ve owned it... I knew the switch was bad as there was no guts in it at all. Ill have to post a picture of it later as I don’t have one on my phone. The plug for the switch was missing and the first inch or so of the wires were badly corroded. Replacement pig tails seem non existent so I had to improvise with two heat shrink female spade connectors. I got the lights to work once and then lost all power to the lower half of the fuse box(took me a little while to figure out I completely lost the bottom)... yea it was pretty much one of those days in general! After tearing the firewall bulkhead connector apart and checking everything there, and splitting the fuse box in half and finding nothing, I went to the Ignition switch and wiggled the brown fuse box supply wire and viola... problem solved. After that fiasco, I loaded the bottom of the high hump up with butyl tape and bolted it back in one last time for a while.(I hope any way)
I’ve also got all the holes cut in the carpet save the the transfer case shifter. I’m sure I’m not the first to come up with this but after some thought, I decided to use some 1/2” and 3/8 stainless tubing and a propane torch to make the holes. I left all the bolts in the floor and laid the carpet in place. Using the 1/2” tubing I was able to get all the holes including the seat belt hardware. It barely fits over the head of the bolts and makes a perfect hole while burning the edges to prevent fraying. I used the 3/8” for the dimmer switch holes. For the transfer case shifter hole I think I may try a sawzall blade locked into a pair of vice grips with the propane torch. My though is I’ll be able to follow the hole in the high hump and hopefully make a pretty nice edge. I hope to have the shifter boots and seat back in by the end of the week. I also got a complete heater/ac box seal set as well as a new vacuum tank, so that will probably be the next big to do. I’m hoping to get get it registered and such in the first week or two of June if things work out right. Not much left to do In this stage of the build. I can’t wait to take it down the road for the first time. I’m also gonna have to do both pinion seals before that time comes.

[57taskforce]

Here’s another from today... I got the seat back in, And the fuel sending unit and dome/cargo light wiring buttoned back up. I had to repair the seat adjuster rod and replace the middle tension spring while I was in there. I also reinstalled the gas pedal. Man this ting is getting close... I need to round up a front bumper, signal lights, and 4x4 brackets here pretty soon. I’ve got a pretty cool old step bumper for the rear that came off of my father in laws K20 before he sold it. The original Cheyenne seat I got back in 2015 looks right at home with the new carpet. It could use a good cleaning but it’s amazing to me how well it’s stood the test of time. I believe it is original because the build sheet to the truck it came from was still in the lower springs.

[cst204x4]

Nice work

[DeadheadNM]

Tyler that looks great! I’ve never been able to cut carpet that well. Check w Lois in ABQ maybe she has a spare front bumper. Text me over the weekend, I probably have spare front turn signal housings and the upper front brackets.

[57taskforce]

Thanks guys! Pete, I’ll hit you up over the weekend for sure. I couldn’t be more happy with how the carpet turned out. I was going thru some pictures today and found one from March of 2015 when I had just bought this truck. Crazy to see the progress just on the interior alone. It’s easy to forget the starting point after so many years of gradual change. Here’s a picture of where this all started.

[57taskforce]

I busted it out of prison today. It’s the first real movement it’s had under its own power since February 2017. I made a few laps around the back lot and nothing broke haha. I’m shooting to get it registered on June 8. Once it’s registered I’ll start shaking it down and making sure there’s no unforeseen issues. On a side note, the hydraboost is freaking awesome. I was able to lock all 4 tires up with minimal effort, it’s definitely going to take some getting used to.