Restoring Rusty

[Gregski]

so getting a bit concerned about my front end it appears to have dropped 4" when it should have dropped only 2" I think I am seeing a bit of negative camber, you know the top of the wheels leaning inward, your thoughts?

[Gregski]

Random Update # 1014

Here's what I scored at my last Pick N Pull visit, a tinted slider rear window off of a '79 (after market I think, maybe stock option I don't know), I think I paid $45 for it, already can't find the receipt

I never took one of these out, so I sacrificed the rubber seal to get it out, but I figured I would put in a brand new one anyways, I think LMC Truck has them for like $30 bucks

[Gregski]

also scored some Vortec L31 Cylinder Heads part # 12558062 off of a 1999 Suburban for $90 bucks for the pair and $5 bucks for the set of head bolts

I think the SUV had 222,000 miles on it (just a baby, ha ha)

the cashier wanted $4.00 bucks per push rod so $64 bucks for the set, so I said no thank you (I planned on getting new ones anyway I just wanted them for reference)

~ Hey me, it's me from the future, it's four years later (9/22/2018) and I gotta tell you these heads did not turn out, they were both cracked, warning to all you ambitious junk yard pullers out there, I do not recommend hunting for used Vortec cylinder heads, I pulled 5 pairs, and all were cracked! ~

[flashed]

Nice score on the slider window ,I see van Rally wheels in that yard ,they are getting scarce out here.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by flashed

Nice score on the slider window ,I see van Rally wheels in that yard ,they are getting scarce out here.

Thanks, and I always get a kick out of what guys see in the background of my pictures, it cracks me up each time, like you and the wheels, needless to say made me look! ha ha

[Gregski]

ah what the heck lets take a closer look at those beauties, yup kept the rockers

[Gregski]

so this is what Chevrolet Performance horse power looks like (ha ha)

and this is the exhaust side

[flashed]

Also those van side marker lights look to be in good shape and to me they look better than our truck ones .You are so lucky to have those yards to shop in .We have none close by anymore as the land became too valuable .I usually look for good yards when we are traveling on vacation but the down side to that is we are usually driving our 72 Malibu convertible so I cant get anything big.I always enjoy your posts and the pics ,you are very entertaining .

[68post]

Good score !
Will you be taking the heads to a shop soon ? I'd be interested in how they find their condition to be (please don't tell them the accurate mileage on those ).

[Gregski]

goodness how many sides do these things have, here's the intake side(s)

we will learn later the intake manifold on the Vortec heads is only held down with 8 bolts, two on each end and none in the middle

remember that (yes it will be on the test)

[Gregski]

also snagged the valve covers and bolts, since the Vortec heads sport the four bolts down the middle style covers

didn't even charge me for the extra dirt and grime they came with, score!

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by 68post

Good score !
Will you be taking the heads to a shop soon ? I'd be interested in how they find their condition to be (please don't tell them the accurate mileage on those ).

I wasn't planning on it, as I know how that will go... um yeah you need new guides, seals, seats, valves, and springs, and oh by the way one head is warped and the other is cracked...

ok, can I have them back sir?

um, no we threw them away

RIGHT !!!

Seriously though, machining will cost me more than buying them new for $660 bucks

[rusty76]

Nice score on the parts

[Jake Wade]

I would at least do a close visual, especially the area between the two center exhaust seats.

[69heavychevy]

Remove the valves and check the valve seats, especially the exhaust since thats were they tend to crack. It took me three tries to find a good set at my local pick n pull. I did check them before I bough them though. I bought them when they had their 50% off sale so I got a killer deal.

The truck I pulled them from also had 200k+ miles. All I did was check them with a straight edge, lap the valves, and used umbrella seal. Havent had any issues with them and cost me a total investment of about $100.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Jake Wade

I would at least do a close visual, especially the area between the two center exhaust seats.

Yes I plan on cleaning them and testing them and checking them (with you guyses help of course)

[enaberif]

Not sure what your plans are but if you plan to use vortec heads and use a carb you'll need a special intake manifold.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by enaberif

Not sure what your plans are but if you plan to use vortec heads and use a carb you'll need a special intake manifold.

Yes sir, a Chevrolet Performance dual plane intake part # 12366573 is on the horizon.

[Gregski]

you ever had one of them days where you may actually have time to work on the truck but you aint got no money to do anything

well today was one of them days, I literally walked out of my garage to the garbage bin with my old dash in one hand and an angle grinder with a 4" cut off wheel on it, I was sick of starring at this ugly rusty cracked up piece of junk, the plan was to cut it in half and shove it in the trash bin

then it hit me a little voice in my head said, hey how is that aftermaket Weiand intake manifold working out for you, how about them aftermarket arm rests, and don't forget them McGauphys front coil springs, not to mention a new dash runs $260 bucks plus shipping and tax

[Gregski]

so I looked at the dash and I said whats wrong with this thing, well the padding is cracked to smitherinez

oh, so what do we do Greg?

well we get rid of the padding so we get rid of the cracks

that's what we call an Eureka Moment folks, they are few and far between so take a moment

and so we busted out with the metal spatula and emabarked on a couple hours of scrapping and scrapping

[Gregski]

progress was slow, but quickly we learned that this thing naked has some potential

first it eliminates that three inch gap opening around the gauge cluster bezel

second with the dash molding bar it covers up the two AC holes

so the plan is to scrape it nice an smooth, then use some acid to get rid of all rust, then primer and paint it

couple pics to remember where the clippy clips went

[Gregski]

so I got her all stripped of the padding but it got too dark for more pics, so I brushed on some Phosphoric acid to give it a head start over night, and next time we have time to work on the truck we will use a wire wheel to give it some love

question for you all is, if we paint it what option would you go?

1. Green to match the rest of the truck?

2. Black to match the black interior bits like door panels, seat, kick panels, etc.?

3. Black but use some textured paint to give it some pizas?

[Jeramy]

would have to see it stripped the rest of the way and sitting back in truck to decide

[enaberif]

Do you plan to leave it as pure metal or put foam/vinyl over it? If pure metal I'm totally interested in seeing this as I've seen a few people think about it and I've thought about it too.

[Chaplain]

Hmm...