Who has the most "completed" truck builds

[hgs_notes]

Just curious on how many builds anybody has completed on these style trucks. I'm not wondering about who has the most complete trucks that were accumulated without having to fix them up. Just ones where you bought/aquired it, tore it down to clean and paint and actually got it all back together as a running, registered, painted truck.

I'm not making any comparisons here because it took me forever to get one done, and that one still needs a bit more work. Post pics of your work if you got 'em. Here's mine...

[liftmeup]

about 80 or so.. I say build them, The people that part them are just to lazy to make bucks the hard way... grinding and sanding the days away ...

[special-K]

What's a build,anyway? We never called it that until recently and I figure it comes from starting from the ground-up on a dismantled truck making it the exact truck you want not necessarily as the factory built then originally. Not a ground-up restoration.
I've built a few,restored a few,refurbished several,switched things around on a bunch,modified a gaggle,put quite a few back to factory,and just drove a handful.

[big_al_71]

<<<<<<<< checkout my build thread completely torn down redone every nut and bolt and it has been fours years since completed...

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by liftmeup

about 80 or so.. I say build them, The people that part them are just to lazy to make bucks the hard way... grinding and sanding the days away ...

80? I'm betting most of us are lucky to get one done, but 2 or 3 may be common. More than that I think might be rare.

Originally Posted by special-K

What's a build,anyway? We never called it that until recently and I figure it comes from starting from the ground-up on a dismantled truck making it the exact truck you want not necessarily as the factory built then originally. Not a ground-up restoration.
I've built a few,restored a few,refurbished several,switched things around on a bunch,modified a gaggle,put quite a few back to factory,and just drove a handful.

Like I said in the beginning, if you tore it down to clean it, fix up the rust and dents and painted it, then actually re-assembled into a driving truck that sees road time. So back in the day you didn't call it a build. Whats the difference between built, restoring, refurbishing, and putting back to factory as you described? Not trying to get into semantics here, but I think most people understand the difference between installing some options for upgrades and tearing one apart for a complete rebuild. Some will need more repair than others, but the process is the same.

So how many did you tear down, do the body work, paint and reassemble?

Originally Posted by big_al_71

<<<<<<<< checkout my build thread completely torn down redone every nut and bolt and it has been fours years since completed...

I have, it's an excellent build.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

Whats the difference between built, restoring, refurbishing, and putting back to factory as you described? Not trying to get into semantics here, but I think most people understand the difference between installing some options for upgrades and tearing one apart for a complete rebuild. Some will need more repair than others, but the process is the same.

So how many did you tear down, do the body work, paint and reassemble

I didn't mean to get so technical on your thread. I think it's a great idea for a thread.I just see the term "build" thrown around all over the place and have been wondering just what others actually consider a build. I know what it means to me. I guess I just see built and rebuilt as two different things. It's like a house,you can build one,restore one,remodel,renovate one...they are all different approaches,each their own reason,with their own definitions. If you tear one down and put it back up again you have rebuilt it. Like an engine,you can repair it,rebuilt it,overhaul it,do a top-end...all different.

I took a '69 CST/20 Stepside BBC:
Went down to the frame
Cut the frame and did a back 1/2'd it with 4-link/narrowed Dana60
Cut the Stepside down into a shortbed
Sold the motor/bought an LS6
Did many pro-street features
Painted the truck another color
Put 5-lug discs all around
^ I'd call that a build. Not a rebuilt because when it was put back together as my creation that was different than what it started as.
I've done a few trucks with that approach. I recently bailed on one that started with a '71 K/10 SWB Chevy 307/3spd. I had a 383/4spd,1t axles,Stepside to replace the Fleetside,bucket seats,A/C high hump cab light cab,3500 emblems,69/70 GMC front clip/tailgate,etc. That would have been another build.

I see that as different from the '71 Custom/10 SWB K/10 I tore down and put back together just as it came from the factory,or the '72 Custom/20 K/20 I tore down and put back together adding things it never came with. I've freshened trucks up with new paint,repairs,nice wheels and other personal touches. I don't consider any of those to be "builds". That's me.

BTW,I like the way your truck came out. A great look IMO,especially with the choice of wheels.

[Mr Chevorlet]

I am on my forth frame off restos and last one! and its the 67 truck

2-1972 blazers and 1-1969 long fleetside and then the 67 i am working on now. Like i said this will be my last and final build ever. It takes to long for me to do one.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by special-K

I took a '69 CST/20 Stepside BBC:
Went down to the frame
Cut the frame and did a back 1/2'd it with 4-link/narrowed Dana60
Cut the Stepside down into a shortbed
Sold the motor/bought an LS6
Did many pro-street features
Painted the truck another color
Put 5-lug discs all around
^ I'd call that a build.
Me too

I've done a few trucks with that approach. I recently bailed on one that started with a '71 K/10 SWB Chevy 307/3spd. I had a 383/4spd,1t axles,Stepside to replace the Fleetside,bucket seats,A/C high hump cab light cab,3500 emblems,69/70 GMC front clip/tailgate,etc. That would have been another build.
Yep, but didn't finish?

I see that as different from the '71 Custom/10 SWB K/10 I tore down and put back together just as it came from the factoryYep, thats a build,or the '72 Custom/20 K/20 I tore down and put back together adding things it never came with.Another build I've freshened trucks up with new paint,repairs,nice wheels and other personal touches. I don't consider any of those to be "builds". That's me. Agreed, if you didn't have to tear it apart, that is less than a "build" in my mind.

BTW,I like the way your truck came out. A great look IMO,especially with the choice of wheels.

Thanks, I'm pretty happy with it also. Still a few things to finish up though. The wheels were more of an economic decision. The tires are like new for tread and if I replace the wheels I'll probably go with 17". So I kept what I had and I'm polishing them up. So it looks like you would be at 3 and a half? That is a lot of truck builds for a hobbiest I think.

Originally Posted by Mr Chevorlet

I am on my forth frame off restos and last one! and its the 67 truck

2-1972 blazers and 1-1969 long fleetside and then the 67 i am working on now. Like i said this will be my last and final build ever. It takes to long for me to do one.

4 is a lot. Thats a lot of shop hours for sure. I'm still finishing a few loose ends on the truck and pushing through on my Jimmy. I think the Jimmy will be the last truck I do also and I look at that as a long term project. Once it's painted and back on the road, that will be the end of what I think of as stage 2. Stage 1 was getting it from the junkyard to a running driving truck. Stage 2 is basically restoration. Stage 3 will be my experimental phase. I want to do more fabrication such as link style suspension, coilovers, home built bumpers, sliders, roll bars, etc.

So anyone dismantle and then rebuild more than 4 of this style truck that wasn't getting paid to do it?

[msgross]

don't look at mine... it should be called the "teardown" instead of a "build"

[hgs_notes]

It's not a competition. Some members just have more abilities, resources, time, money, help, passion, whatever. And I'm not knocking anyone that is still wanting or trying to do their first one. I've had my truck since highschool in 1983 and I'm just getting it finished now. I just think its a huge accomplishment to do it with one (was for me anyway), let alone 4 or more.

[PHAT TONY]

My Blazer was 3 1/2 years, the red 4X4 was everything but taking the cab itself off, 1 1/2 years, farm painted grey to torch red, lost 99% of the pics! That's 2 personal big ones, done 3 off-frames for customers in the same time frame

[special-K]

Yeah,3.5 sounds right. Maybe 3.1 . Maybe the one past three should be called a gathering of parts,except I have elbow grease into a completed/painted frame,stripped to bare metal/primed cab,fenders,hood,& doors,and a rebuilt engine on the stand. I think many would have abandoned it if they were in my position,but I am determined to keep going. I hope to still do many more in the future,once cash flow gets better. I had a running/driving '72 SWB 6 cyl/3spd in primer I was going to do a simple swap of a 350/TH350,bolt other wheels & tires on,4/6 drop,cheapo paint on when I found the frame that already had the drop on. I decided to take all the spare parts and build one. I should have kept the '72 and done all that so I'd have something to drive while I built the '67 GMC. I sold it way cheap to a friend who now has a beautiful and hot little '68 (looking) frame-up build with a ZZ3,4 on the floor,and posi. At least I got to help just to keep my hands in it. It seems when I'm not doing my own stuff I'm helping others on their. More the latter these days.

[notsolo]

I like the phrase the Gathering of parts, it's easy to collect em its another matter to reassemble (correctly) after the scattering of parts.

[Leroy-B1]

I know 71 Super is on his third...with two in the wings that I know about he may have did others before I met him