1st Timer 72 Slow Build

[imholte]

I recently bought a 72 1/2ton 4wd and have been itching to get to work on it when the money allows. Its got a 350 and an alright body, not too much rust or body damage.

Thinking of getting it running good first. Never had a carb truck before, Would it be better off just to buy a new carb? If so what would be a good one to get.

It needs a new exhaust, thinking of duals out the rear,

I look at the other pickups on this site and it is amazing how beautiful they look, someday....

Will post some more pics next time I have it out of the garage.

[72armyswbtruck]

Nice looking truck,

from Idaho

[imholte]

Here are the new pictures of it from today. There is quite a bit of oxidation on it, but I have been slowly using some compound on it and it is bringing back some of the shine, needs paint in the long run but for now it will work till I can get the engine and everything running great.

Anyone have ideas or info for a new carb?

[lukecp]

Nice truck....looks really straight, rust-free, and unmolested.

For the carb, I'm a big fan of Edelbrock carbs myself, because they are really easy to set up and tune, and are pretty reliable too. If your truck still has the original Quadrajet they do fine if they aren't too worn out with a rebuild, but they are complicated and difficult to mess with unless you know them pretty well. An Edelbrock 1406 is set up just about perfect for a stock 350 out of the box, and the electric choke on them works pretty good too.

[imholte]

Well then I think I will buy a 1406 edelbrock. It will add a little spice to by stock engine compartment.

Need an exhaust too. Thinking of duals out the rear. What is better to do, go to a exhaust shop or order online? What have you found to be a good setup. Got duals out the rear of my 97 with flowmaster mufflers and it is pretty quiet, this one can be my loud rig. HELP

[imholte]

Well I ordered my edelbrock 1406 and spread bore to squarebore adaptor and they have arrived, yes. Well I go to install the carb and I only got 2 bolt studs instead of 4. So I dont know if I can get them locally or have to have jegs send me more. Well the lines (fuel line, line to booster) on the qjet have to be changed for the fittings on the 1406 are different sizes. Also I have an extra vacuum hose that does not fit on the 1406 so I will have to figure out what the deal is with that.

[imholte]

Alright I got the carb in today and got the truck running.

Napa ended up having some studs for the carb so that saved me some time and money from having to get them from Jegs. I had some trouble with connecting the throttle and transmission cables to the carb, but I think I got them right, will find out when I drive it I guess.

I still have one vacuum hose that has no place. i cannot figure out what to do with it. I posted a picture of it, anyonw know where is goes or what to do with it.

Also some pics after removing the oxidation. It still needs new paint but this will be fine for now.

With that new carb in there it makes the engine compartment look even worse.

[lukecp]

I'm not sure what that vacuum hose is for, EGR maybe? It might be a good idea to post this question on the main board since it gets a lot more traffic. You also need to plug the empty vacuum port on the front of your carb, to the left of the large vacuum hose. You should be able to buy some rubber vacuum nipple caps in the Help section at an auto parts store for a buck or two.

Another upgrade that will make your truck run a lot better is getting an HEI distributor to replace your points distributor. It will start better, get better fuel economy, and have more power. You can get a used one at a salvage yard for $50 or so usually. You'll also need new plug wires, and the gap on your spark plugs should be increased to .045" or so. There may be a thread in the FAQ section about the HEI upgrade.

[imholte]

Thanks for the info. I got the port plugged and the guys at the main board helped me out and solved the extra vacuum hose problem.

It runs smoother and doesnt stall when I floor it, but it still needs some work. Just doesn't seem to have alot of power.

[imholte]

Havent been too busy with the pickup since the temps are down to 15F at night and that is just a little too cold for me to be wrenching in the shop. But I did make some progress. I ordered a new radiator from LMC for the old one was leaking in a few spots and full of corrosion. Aside from a small leak from the thermostat housing everything is in good shape.

Also removed the vinyl floor to see the condition of the floor and how much rust there was. I have not found much rust on this thing, not sure if it was kept in a garage the whole time but it is in really good shape.

The body around the tail light has been damaged some, curious to know if this can be banged out or would it be better to put new sheet metal in.

[imholte]

Next up is the sbc. It smokes quite a bit on start up and seems like it doesnt have much power, better to fix it now before it leaves me stranded up in the mountains while hunting. It needs to be rebuilt or replaced. Not sure which route I want to go. The 260hp GM crate sounds like a good deal, but I have a few gearhead friends that rebuild engines and would like to get 350hp or maybe 400hp out of it. Cost is an issue, so it might be a while before I get the money saved up to have it done.

Does 400hp sound a little to farfetched?

[imholte]

My steering column has locked up and I have not been able to drive it for a while. Instead of trying to rebuild the column my self I figured that I would buy a new remanufactured one from brothers, but with tilt.

I ordered it on the 4th of the month but they say it is backordered. This sucks since the weather is nice and I want to drive it.

Oh well hopefully they send it soon.

[49m]

I would rebuild it or find a built 350 on ebay. I got a built 350 for 1200 on ebay

[72BlckButy]

Looks like a great project.

[imholte]

Well the steering column was still on backorder and I didn't want to wait until it wasn't so I took a can of WD-40 to the column and low and behold it works!! Cancel the order for the column. It still needs to have a new one with tilt, but that can wait till I get other things fixed.

With the money that I was going to spend on the column I ordered and new front bumper, mirrors (rearview and side), a new heater control unit, armrests, and side markers. I would have ordered a rear bumper but not sure if I can get proper brackets for it, might have to fab some up.

Also put new shocks all around, it sure makes a big difference in the ride. The old shocks were shot, they would not even rebound from being compressed. I also removed both door panels and repainted in rattle can gloss black, sure makes a difference in the cab, though it still needs alot more, doesn't look quite as bad, even the girlfriend hopped in and commented on it.

It is great to drive it around town. I even washed it the other day.

[imholte]

Originally Posted by 49m

I would rebuild it or find a built 350 on ebay. I got a built 350 for 1200 on ebay

weren't you worried on the quality of it?

[imholte]

I also dug a little deeper around the cab in search of some rust and found a few bad spots in the channels along the rockers. It will be some time before I can get to these (have to wait till I get a welder). Is there anything that I can do to get this to stop, por15?

Both the drivers side and passenger side have rust in them.

[49m]

No the guy had sold many motors and 100% positive feedback

[ksbeatty]

It sounds like you have the bug. There is no pill to get rid of it either. It is a sickness and you will never be done with the truck. Enjoy every minute of it.

[lks dcvn]

That little rust in the MidWest would be considered a 'rust-free truck' - no joke.

We are so used to seeing/finding rust that we either ask where did it come from (usually out West) - or how extensive the body work was to remove it...

Nice job so far.

[imholte]

Originally Posted by 49m

No the guy had sold many motors and 100% positive feedback

Would you share his ebay name with me? Might be looking into a rebuild soon.

[49m]

if I can find it I will send you it.

[msgross]

Nice truck... just noticed your build, I agree that I would call that a "rust free" truck, at least the cab is... (look at mine for a "non-rust free" cab!)

Does it overheat any? If so then you should find a 4WD radiator shroud. I would also find an original grille, sorry but yours is a hybrid billet piece....

How much do you want to spend on the engine? If you want 400HP I would stroke it into a 383. Will cost you some money in machining but you will have more power and torque than you will need....

GM crate motor would be a nice swap for less than $2500 and you could sell your engine for a few bills too...

As for the dent, you could find a buddy with a stud welder and pull the dent out, or replace the back piece with a repop one. Or just leave it....

Good luck...

[jamie72]

mikes right on... nice build i`m getting ready to take the gm crate motor plunge myself, good luck..

[imholte]

Originally Posted by msgross

Does it overheat any? If so then you should find a 4WD radiator shroud. I would also find an original grille, sorry but yours is a hybrid billet piece....

I took the shroud out when I put the new radiator in, just haven't put it back in yet. Yeah I am not a fan of the grille, its dented a little here and there and will eventually get replaced with a proper 72 insert, but for now its a grill and works fine.

Thanks for the info on the engine, I think I have alot of thinking to do to figure out what all I want and what I can afford. I would rather take some time to get what I really want even though it would be nice to get a new engine in it now. More time = more money= more power