Project '70 Half Fleet

[BowTieOgre]

Did a little work on Saturday...mostly getting the front suspension parts to be reused off of my thrashed frame and getting it out of the way. Man those frames are heavy, especially if you have to move it by yourself! I tried to bribe a friend but hey, the dolly worked just as well and i didnt have to feed it or listen to it complain about the heat! Once that was done I gave the garage a much needed cleaning.



After recovering from moving 2 frames I put a 2nd coat on my test hood using the roller method. Next is wetsanding and 2 more coats.



Here she is before...



...and after deconstruction




Here is my plan so far....

Suspension -
2-1/2" drop spindle disc brake conversion with 2" drop springs in front, out back will see 4" drop springs and a 1" or 2" block and a c-notch.

Engine/Trans -
'96 LT1/4L60E pretty much stock with a Painless harness and maybe an electrical water pump, throttle body bypass, new MAF.

Body -
'70 grill, wood bed kit with bed fill for relocated tank, one piece windows, brand new bed from Goodmark and maybe a cowl hood.

Interior -
'99 and up GM buckets, Pro-Comp guages, auto column, audio/video/security by Djracer and if i can swing it maybe a compass/temp mirror and lighted visors.

Wheels -
This is one area that is completely up in the air. I really like the look of the Torque Thrust wheels but ive seen too many of them lately. Whatever i get is going to be 17" or larger.

Paint -
If my test piece comes out good im going to paint the whole truck with.....a foam roller! Color is still not chosen but im thinking blue or even dark grey.


Well I just took a Loratab for my back so im off to bed...updates to follow!

[JameslovesJammie]

Definitely give us some pics after your wetsanding and 2 more coats, then more wetsanding, then two more coats...etc.

Really interested in the progress!

[69face]

http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y15...1157935553.pbw
http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y15...1157935501.pbw
http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y15...1157935442.pbw
here are some pics from day 1, 2, and 3 of the roll process. still a bit to go but its going. im going satin black though. rollers rock!

[BowTieOgre]

I got overzealous and jacked up my test piece for the paint but im confident I can make it good again.

Ive ordered a TON of stuff over the past few days. I got a full set of electronic Autometer gauges from Jegs. A full stainless body hardware kit from Totally Stainless. A trans xmember, hidden hitch, motor mounts, rear end conversion (for my Caprice rear) and cnotch from ECE. A rear bed cross sill, shock relocating mounts, 1-1/2" drop blocks and a trans xmember from TruckandCarShop AND 2 magnaflow mufflers off Ebay! Tomorrow im going to a buds shop to blast my trailing and control arms, radiator core and inner fenders and prep them for paint.

Oh and I also got these here in town for a token price...tell me what you think.

[BowTieOgre]

Oh, if I can get Mark (fuelcellguy) to get back with me im ordering a tank asap!

[BowTieOgre]

I started cleaning up the seats because they had been sitting under cover outside at the place i bought them. If you have any suggestions of how to clean them plz let me know. I also prepped and layed the first 2 coats of Rustoleum anodized bronze on my test hood. I like the color, think it goes well with the seats. Im wet sanding tonight...pics tomorrow.

[msgross]

go to the parts store and buy leather cleaner/conditioner. It's almost like hand lotion and really makes the seats soft....

[BowTieOgre]

Well Ive made a little progress, mostly collecting parts but I did get the engine and trans removed from the donor vehicle and have started cleaning it up. The painted frame is in the garage awaiting suspension reassembly...I need an extra arm for that. The boy and I worked hard this weekend and Mom caught us resting our eyes.

[LockDoc]

[QUOTE= The boy and I worked hard this weekend and Mom caught us resting our eyes.[/QUOTE]



I can relate to that. It's really bad when you can't even sneak a nap......

LockDoc

[BowTieOgre]

Well I havent gotten much done with work and watching the boy while mom goes to work and school but I HAVE been buying parts as I can.

Im putting the front suspension back on the truck but am at a standstill until I can get some lower control arm shaft U bolts ordered...Truckandcarshop sent me ones that do not fit. I busted out the dremel tool and went to town on my guage cluster, hacking it down to fit the new Pro Comp guages in. I think it looks pretty good....cept for that blank spot in the middle. Maybe I can get a clock to fill it. Any suggestions?

[lilpup69chevy]

lookin good

[texas69truck]

I used autometers in my truck with your same gauge set up. i used a water temp in that middle hole and put a clock in one of the smaller bottom ones, couldnt find a clock to fit that one.

[BowTieOgre]

I was hoping to get a water temp or fuel gauge (yeah right!) for the center but Autometer's mid size selection is fairly slim. Looks like I might just custom make something for my idiot lights plus a clock.

[Shock_Me]

Hey Bowtie,
I think I read somewhere that those replacement lower control arm U-bolts are slightly larger than the originals now. Probably need a die grinder to enlarge the holes on the crossmember a bit. Or just ream them out with a larger drill bit.

[desertrat]

The gauge cluster looks good! I was working with with my cluster this weekend and couldn't get the bigger gauges to fit real nice. I'm starting to wondering if my gauge bezels are a little differant than everyone else's ( I have the silver Ultra lites)

[BowTieOgre]

Originally Posted by Shock_Me

Hey Bowtie,
I think I read somewhere that those replacement lower control arm U-bolts are slightly larger than the originals now. Probably need a die grinder to enlarge the holes on the crossmember a bit. Or just ream them out with a larger drill bit.

Well I ordered the 1/2" version out of their catalog and my old ones were thicker, longer and had a larger radius. The pic depicts the old ones in blue and the new ones in red...they wouldnt even come close to fitting around the control arm shaft.

[BowTieOgre]

Originally Posted by desertrat

The gauge cluster looks good! I was working with with my cluster this weekend and couldn't get the bigger gauges to fit real nice. I'm starting to wondering if my gauge bezels are a little differant than everyone else's ( I have the silver Ultra lites)

Thanks man. I still have to trim some metal to get the outer 2-5/8 gauges to fit right but its pretty much there. My 5" gauges slid right in the holes on the bezel but required the thin metal insert and the thicker rearmost metal backing to be trimmed up.

[lytemup454]

what does the roll on paint look like ? any pics yet?

[BowTieOgre]

Originally Posted by lytemup454

what does the roll on paint look like ? any pics yet?

Doesnt look too bad but I didnt get far beyond the pics in post #6 above. Right now im focused on mechanical type work. I will post when/if i pick the roller back up.

[Hart_Rod]

Some how or another I missed this thread! Where did you get all those parts????!!!!!!

[BowTieOgre]

Originally Posted by Hart_Rod

Some how or another I missed this thread! Where did you get all those parts????!!!!!!

I figured out that every time I take a trip the next county over I end up with more parts, in theory it will only take 2 more trips to be able to put together 2 whole trucks!

[Shock_Me]

Originally Posted by BowTieOgre

Well I ordered the 1/2" version out of their catalog and my old ones were thicker, longer and had a larger radius. The pic depicts the old ones in blue and the new ones in red...they wouldnt even come close to fitting around the control arm shaft.

Yeah, those are quite a bit smaller. Definitely the wrong part.
Good luck with the project, it's looking great so far!

Pete

[va_tlc]

very nice . looks as if ya picked up plenty parts. i really like the dash

[BowTieOgre]

Got some items marked off the long list this weekend. Enough of the suspension is on that I now have a "roller". I have to admit I had to reinstall a few items because I didnt know exactly how they were supposed to be put on but a quick search in the forums yielded some handy pics and I got her straightened out.

Next step is finish the steering, run brake a fuel lines and install that wonderful FCG tank. Ive got a LT1 bolt set on the way so I can reinstall all of my accessories, brackets, water pump, etc. and the new throttle body, plugs and wires are waiting in the wings.

As soon as some funds are available a set of calipers for the front and back are in order.

Has anyone used the aftermarket trans xmem from Early Classic? I slid it into place and the dang frame holes dont line up with the xmem holes! I could drill new holes but I dont the idea of drilling holes within 3/8" of another hole...seems like asking for trouble.

[Spray-Bomb]

On your gauge panel, you could put a pic a your kid or somethin in that middle hole

Just a thought