"The possum" build - 1970 4x4 LWB on mid 70's chassis

[madmopar]

I originally posted this in the 67-72 section, but the crowd over there is more 2wd focused, so I thought this would fit better here:

Original POST:

First off, Hello everyone. I've spent hours and hours reading this forum... I consider myself a MOPAR fan first, but have always loved these old chevy trucks. My granfather had several, and currently has a 68 swb as a daily driver. I remember when I was little, My father had a 71 3/4 ton 2x4 with a flatbed for a wood truck, and a 68 1 ton dually wrecker. I've always liked these trucks, but got drawn into the high price MOPAR crowd as a teen, and have been going that route for a long time. Recently, I picked up a 1970 c10 on a mid 70's k10 chassis at a tow-off auction for cheap. The downside is it came with a salvage title, but thats a minor detail. The upside is that body wise it is very solid. The only real rust issues I've found is a bad bondo job on the lower drivers door, and some rust starting on the kick panels. My original plan with this truck was to flip it or part it out and sink the money in my next project, but after arguing with a couple tire kickers, I decided to build it myself. Defending its honor to the tire kickers made me develop an affinity for it, so I figured I'd keep it and do it myself...

Here are pictures (bad) of the builder. Let me know your opinions. Keep in mind, this is going to be a relatively low dollar build... (hopefully under 5k)













Can anyone confirm that the front axle is a dana 44? I know the pic is bad... sorry. I'll have better pics later.

The truck came as a 2x4 LWB w/ a 350/auto with power steering & brakes. I'll get a pic of the glove box sticker.

I originally named this build Frankenstein MO Build, for my hometown, but I saw another Frankenstein (67) Build, so I'm going with "The possum", because I think it looks like and old possum right now... and for George Jones... The possum.

If you don't know who George Jones is... I feel for ya... but can't reach ya...

[madmopar]

I picked up a parts donor for the project. Its a 1975 c10 flatbed on a mid 70's k5 4x4 frame. I think the front axle on it is a dana 44 too. (Still not 100%) on either of them though, and the rear axle is a 12 bolt. It has warn 1/4 turn lock outs which will be going on The possum... as it has full time hubs on it currently. Also going to the possum are the 350 2bbl (factory ordered with the 1975 truck), the TH350 tranny (I think its a TH350), and the NP 203 Transfer case(for now). I may also use the blazer tank, if its saveable. The filler neck has a couple holes in it... so I dunno what the inside of the tank looks like yet...

I'll get better pictures of the tear down and the parts I'm keeping. These are the CL pics from the PO.








I'll clean this all up and also clean up the engine bay in The Possum before the transplant.

[madmopar]

I think I might rename the project White Lightning. I'm stuck in the office today, and I've been dreaming about paint schemes. I know its a long way off, but here is what I have come up with:





I think I like the gray top with white lightning better.



I might tear the bed off this weekend. I need to either cut the frame and "stretch the cab frame like 68 TT did: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=400629

Or I'm thinking about moving the rear spring hangers forward to line up with the wheel wells in the bed? Anyone ever do this? Is it structurally OK to move just the hangers, or should i move cross members too?

I'm also planning on the 67/68 hood swap that LFD did on his low buk build: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=244455.

I picked up a straight 67 hood to try the swap. My 70 has a pretty good dent in it, so its worth a try, I think.

ANYONE positively ID the front axle above as a Dana 44? I'll try to get a better picture this weekend. Hopefully I'll get a lit of higher quality pics this weekend. I've got a lot of projects going now:

1994 Dakota engine swap (bought 2 trucks to make 1 good one)
2001 Hyundai Elantra door swap (bought it after PO collision)
1973 Plymouth Roadrunner frame up (my high school daily driver)
1981 frame house drywall & shower insert swap (my wife is going to make sure this one is done first, even though its at the bottom of my list!)



My old car as it looked in high school - 10 years ago... now its disassembled in the shop. Probably be another 10 years before I finish it... Maybe my son will take an interest in it...

[Chevymaniac]

Welcome to the forum, it's a great place to find all the answers in regards to 67-72 GM trucks. You got a good foundation to start with. To answer your question, i think the front axle is a dana 44, but if you can get a better pic i will be able to confirm it.

Any plans on lifting it and throwing some bigger tires on it?

[madmopar]

I'm thinking 32" or 33"... maybe a 35". Nothing bigger. And just enough lift to keep them from rubbing. I think I'll lift it a couple mor inches in the rear than the front. I'm going for that Pulling truck look rather then the big foot look.

[ChaseDale3and8]

That front is a Dana 44 as far as I can tell. They used that front axle from the early 70's until around '78-79ish when they changed to the 10 bolt corporate axle. One is just as strong as the other. I used to have a '71 GMC factory 4x4. Wish I could have kept it, but had to sell it due to family issues at the time. I put a 4 inch lift on it, and 33 inch tires mounted on 15x10 wheels. I had no clearance issues, so if you want a mild lift and tire size that looks good on one of these trucks this is a suggestion. Good luck with the build, and keep posting pics as you go! ...Joe

[madmopar]

I didn't get much done to the CHEVY this weekend. I spent most of my time working inside on the shower insert(cause its HOT and my wife wants the bathroom put back together) and the evenings and early mornings working the dakota engine swap. Got the dakota to fire up last night by dumping gas in the throttle body... The fuel pump is out, so I gotta rob the one off of my donor truck...


I have some higher res pictures of the CHEVY to post... hopefully later today.


I was considering the frame "stretch" the 68 TT did , and was wondering if instead I could just move my rear spring hangers forward?? Anyone have an opinion on this? My truck fits between the bumpers good, and the front axle is in the right place, but the back axle needs to come forward about 4 inches or so...

If I move the hangers, do I need to move the crossmembers (or add additional) to complement the hangers? ANY ADVICE???

[madmopar]

Here is a higher res pic of my front axle. I think its a dana 44. Anyone confirm?

I'm fairly certain my donor truck has an identical axle... not sure of ratios in them though. I'm hoping one is 4.10 or thereabouts. I think they are both mid 70's axles.



I'll be posting some more pics tomorrow... showing the rust repairs I have to do, and some better pics of my truck & donor truck.

[madmopar]

I can't get the pic to work tonight. I'll get it to work from my office computer tomorrow. Its SUPERFAST!

[madmopar]

Dana 44?

[madmopar]

Here are some more pics. THe truck suprisingly isn't too rusty. There are a couple bad spots on the drivers floor & kick panel area where someone repaired holes with a sheet of thin metal and some rivets... It looks like they sealed it up too. I may fix it right later. The only BAD spot is the bottom of the drivers door. It looks to be made of bondo... I'll probably replace the whole door.

Passenger side:



Driver Side:






My first goal is going to be to get the donor drivetrain in it, that way I can move it around easier. Hopefully I'll get the dakota out of the garage by this weekend, and I can start on this swap.

[madmopar]

Here is a pic of the glove box sheet. Its hard to read because its faded. Its got a lot of options, compared to others I've seen on here. 350 engine, power steering, power brakes, trim packages, etc... looks like it was born red.

[madmopar]

Here are some more pics of progress:

I got the front clips pulled off of both trucks...









I pulled the motor/tranny/transfer out of the donor truck...






You can see the 70 in the back left of this pic:

[madmopar]

First off, I plan on swapping the 75 steering column w/ auto shifter and the brake pedal assembly/booster onto the 70. Also, I am going to clean up the front frame.



After that, I am gonna clean the gunk off of the motor/trans/tranny, and maybe paint them up. Then set them in the 70 so I can move it around easier.

I was wondering, Does anyone know if this crossmember (from an mid 70's blazer, I think) will work on the truck frame? Its a mid to late 70's too... I think. Also, I am going to swap these warn hubs into the trucks front axle to get rid of the full-time setup.

[madmopar]

Well, I did a little to the truck this weekend. My dad mounted the brake pedal from the 75. Its not ideal the way its in - I'll probably be redoing it later, but it will work for now. It locks up the front brakes, but the pedal just nearly hits the floor, and I think if you jumped on it, it would bottom out.

Also I put a couple cans of oven cleaner to work on the front frame section, and another couple on the tranny and transfer. Her are before and after pics. Sorry the afters are cell phone pics... but you can tell its a major improvement.









The tranny was that pretty blue under all the gunk. The oven cleaner faded it a little, but it looked a lot better all cleaned up. THe transfer was rusty brown with aluminum snouts. I put on some silver over it. I used the same silver on the steering box. I painted the frame with some krylon gloss black.

[madmopar]

I've gotten the motor/tranny/tc re-installed. I've gotta bolt on the accessories. Plus I fit the 75 steering column & brake pedal on. I should have it running again in a day or two. This weekend, I'm probably gonna address the homeade body lift and rear axle placement. Sorry no pics right now. It was too dark when I got done Monday night, and haven't had time to snap any lately. Supposed to rain tomorrow and Friday, so I'll probably have a big update with a lot of pics on Monday... if anyone is even following...

FEEDBACK ANYONE?

[drjeffdc]

That orange truck looks familiar! I spotted it on craigslist also

[madmopar]

Yeah, I got a deal on that one. I used a lot off of it - brake pedal, steering column, motor/tranny/tc... also took the seat and plan to take the front lockout hubs. Also keeping the axles as spares... as I might need spares after playing in the mud... I was going to use the blazer gas tank in the frame, but think it might be too far gone... I'm trying to unload the squarebody stuff on CL right now... very few takers though...

[madmopar]

Well, i got the column swapped. I got the drivetrain swapped in too. Here are the pics:









It moves under its own power!

I gotta put in the cable gas pedal and adjust the brake pedal. It stops the truck, but it bottoms out with the power booster hooked up.

[madmopar]

I gotta find another gas tank too. THe blazer tank in the donor truck is pretty clean inside but the sending unit and filler tube have pin holes in them from surface rust. You can see the orange line in the pictures below - - - my current setup is a 3 liter bottle in the fender well!





I'm supposed to be picking up a nicer hood Friday. My old one looks like something fell on the front corner of it and it doesn't close right... I also have a 67 hood that I might try to convert using the support out of my old one... Thats a long term project though...

I'm looking for some cheap used 33's or 35's with 6 lug wheels too, if anybody local (MO) has any...

[drjeffdc]

Bet ya scuffed a knuckle or two, looks good

[madmopar]

I just realized from looking at my pictures that I left the power steering cap off! I gotta find that when I get home!

[madmopar]

I know the truck is "rough" and I'm not going about this the typical "frame off" way, I do intend to do it right. It will probably all come back apart a few times before I'm done. I'm seriously thinking about selling my old Dodge wood/trailer pulling truck and making this one my *new* "older, but nicer" work truck. My dodge has a 440 in it that will get donated to my 73 Satellite.





...But I'll wait until the license run out on the dodge... Next Feb... before I make that decision final. It will be hard to give up the extended cab (tool storage), dual tanks and big block torque... but maybe I can get similar numbers out of this 350... I'm relatively new to chevys, but as many parts for 350's as there are around, I could probably come up with something stout enough for a reasonable price.

[madmopar]

Oh and by the way... if anyone is wondering, I didn't paint the intake (with little 2 jet carb)and valve covers because I figure they will get replaced pretty soon... along with the heads. hopefully I'll find some VORTECS and a edelbrock performer rpm (to go with the window sticker)! (bottom right)



I've been scanning the local CL for them... might end up ordering the GMPP ones from Summit... or waiting for next springs swap meets...

[madmopar]

Here's an update: I have pics, but they're on my home computer. I'll get them on tonight, hopefully. I pulled the seat and gas tank out this weekend. the cap was left off the tank for a while, and there is quite a bit of rust in it... I might try to clean it up... not real crazy about the idea though. I'm looking for a used blazer tank or a saddle tank that will fit on the passenger side. I have a 16 gallon plastic one, but its got an in-tank pump for fuel injection, and puts off a lot of pressure. I dunno how i'd rig it up... regulator? I might mess with it when I have the bed off. The bed is another nightmare. I took the 3 bolts out that were holding it on... waiting for some help to lift it off. The PO had it raised to match the cab with homemade steel "blocks" One on each corner... they are little flimsy things, and one load of wood on the bed and they all would've been smashed flat.