Project: GOOBER, 1971 GMC

[jgammill]

This all started when I was 16 and purchased a 1980 k30 for $500. Did everything on the cheap and welded up the axles and threw on some 38 claws that I got for $100.



I drove it like that for a few years adding a few things, like full hydro steering, cause I couldn't steer it with the front being welded. :shaking: Then I went to the river with some friends and he had a built jeep and I decided I wanted to build one. Being young and dum and in a hurry I just shortend the frame 40 inches and threw the jeep body on and bought some 38 inch boggers.



Proceeded to drive it and upgrade it as I went for several more years. But I always regreted using that frame after I was done.

This is what the jeep looked like in its last stage.



My buddy driving.




Then a couple of years ago I became friends with a guy driving an old chevy at Clayton and fell in love with his rig.

[jgammill]

That brings us up to the current chapter of this rig. I found a buddy that had this pickup setting in his pasture and picked it up for $300. Put a battery in and some propane and drove it up on the trailer.



It sat at my place for a couple months while I was gathering parts. But when I broke my transmission case again on the jeep I decided it was time to tear down.





Once the jeep was completely tore apart I pulled the 71 in and tore it down.



Once I had it down to a bare frame I cleaned it up and fully boxed it in. ( wish I would have just started fresh with tubing now).



Then I got started mocking the front axle in place. Plans are to just run the 56" leaves up front and 4 link the rear on coils. Maybe link the front next year.







The front is done.

[jgammill]

Now I'm working on the rear suspension. I got the rear axle cleaned up and ready to be trussed.





Then I worked on getting my link tabs and brakets built.





Mocked up.



Took my links to the machin shop to get tapped. Still waiting to get those back.



Then I bobbed the rear frame off and started planning out my coil buckets.




The other specs are: dana 60 full chromolly and 35 outers, welded. Rear 14 bolt welded with 5.13's. Full hydro steering, TBI 350, th 400, np205-203 doubler, running 44's with recentered double beadlocks.

[jgammill]

I got the rear coil buckets done this weekend. I had to build them so I could build a small frame on behind them to support the end of the bed. The springs are off the front of a TJ.



I also got started placing the drivetrain. Haven't started building any mounts yet, it's just on stands right now.



Hope to get it all mounted this week and then have to pull the trans and put a new case on it because the old one is cracked on the tail housing.

[jgammill]

Got my links back from the machine shop.



And installed them.

[jgammill]

Finished up my motor mounts.



Then on sunday I had my buddy come out and swap all the guts out of my transmission into my new case. While he was doing that I got my bed bobbed.

Before:



After:



Once I get everything mounted back on then I will check for clearance and do some more cutting on the fenders. Right now I just cut enough to clear so I could mount the bed.

[jgammill]

I made the rear frame section to support the back of the bed and connect the fram together.



Then I made up my rear drive shaft and installed it. Had to order the front shaft with 1410's because it is at more of an angle than before.



Next was to get the exhaust done. I had to do a 2 into 1 because of clearance issues with the tcase. Running a offroad Flomaster 40 series muffler with it turned down. You can also kinda see the rear support I made for the back of the NP205. Just used a leaf spring bushing and built a bracket coming off of the crossmember in front of it.



Now I'm preping the cab so I can set it on tonight. Going to have to cut alot of the floor out so the tranny and cases can set up higher.

[jgammill]

Got the cab half way setting in place. Still need to do some more floor cutting and fender trimming to make the body mounts line up but you can get an idea of what it will kinda look like. Also spent alot of time cleaning up under the hood. Pulled out the wheel wells and anything else that wasnt needed under the hood.

[jgammill]

Well I got to work on it all weekend and got alot done but only took one picture. After getting the cab in place I decided to move the radiator forward 4 inches to give me more room from the engine. Also made up a fan shroud for my electric fan. This is the only picture a got.



The other things I got done were, steering wheel and orbital all hooked up, hydroboost bolted in, hood pins installed and wiring harness installed. Hooked up the battery and fired it up. No leaks anywhere that I could see. Also started installing my seats that are out of a 97 chevy with the fold down console. It's been a real pain because the tranny and tcases set so high in the cab, but I have the drivers side with console mounted already. The passenger side should be real easy. But I have to redesign my shifters for the tcases first because they set just under the seats right now. Other than that I just need to run the brake lines and it will be ready to go.

[jgammill]

I got my shifters installed. First is my transmission shifter and beside it is my cutting brake for the rear axle. Also made up some quick tcase shfters but they are nothing special. Having to rush things now because I'm taking it out this friday for the whole weekend.



These are my $40 seats out of a 97 or so chevy. Major pain in the ass to get mounted because of the tranny and cases sticking up into the cab so far. The passenger seat will be easy though.

[jgammill]

UPS man just showed up with my front driveshaft. 1410's on both ends, so I can get the travel out of it I need, and 11 inch long travel splines. Also got a new dana 60 1410 yoke. Sucks that they said they no longer make the yoke with the ubolt style. Had to get straps, but I have never seen straps this heavy before. This is the first shaft I have ever bought before. I always build them myself but I didn't have the right joints to get the angles this one will be running.

[jgammill]

Moved it around to the other side of the shop. Finished up my brake lines, hooked up the trans shifter cable and throttle cable. Still need to trim some more fenders.



And of couse the madatory poser shot. But I was really testing for fender trimming.



Ran over this morning to try and get my electric fan hooked up on a thermal switch. Was in a rush but got what I thought was all hooked up but it never came on. Maybe the motor never got warm enough, even though I had the pot turned down all the way. But the temp never got over 160 before I had to leave for work.

[jgammill]

Had to rush it but took it on it's first wheeling trip. 03/12/2012





The next day we were tweeking on our rigs until 10am or so and then went wheeling. Got to test out my flex and tire clearance on a trail.




We headed up a hard trail and told our buddy, that is still open diffs, to go around and go up the easy trail and wait on us. Then we get a call about half way up the trail that he had rolled.



It rolled twice and landed on the small burm. Otherwise he had about another 100 feet to barrel roll down. He said it died right when he was getting to the top and he couldn't stop it rolling back. We got his spare on and drove it back to camp. The main damage was above the windshield.

After that we went back on the trails and had lunch and then it started raining on up. Wheeled all afternoon and the rain got harder and then everything got real nasty and of course we were on the back side othe the place.



The slightest side hill would send you sliding. One of the guys in our group slide off a the trail into about a 5 foot deep little creek.





It took three 15,000 lb Warn winches to get him pulled back up and out. Got it running and continued on. We couldn't even take the main road becouse it is on the side of the mountain with and is slanted just a little. We were afraid we would just slide right off. Made our way down through a creek and had some full throttle hill climbs along the way but we finally made it out a couple hours after dark. Had to leave on rig out on the trail because he didn't want to chance rolling it on the last obsticle. They went back and got it the next day when it dried up some.

[jgammill]

It's amazing how different it looks with the grill back on it.



All loaded up and ready to head out to Monkey Creek for the weekend. 03/17/2012

[jgammill]

This is the only picture I have right now from that weekend.

Had to show the Jeep boys how to climb!

[jgammill]

Here's a little video that shows how much my wheelbase helps. That is my buddy in the red jeep. We had the same wheelbase when mine was still a jeep. He tried for 10 minutes and never made it up. Video dosn't do justice. There is a couple foot straight ledge at the top. It was fun to rub it in his face!

monkey creek 03-17-2012 - YouTube

[jgammill]

04/26/2012

We went out to a place near my house over the easter weekend to do a little playing. Haven't had any time to work on the rig lately, been busy getting ready for harvest. Still have a lot of things I want to do.

off road Easter weekend - YouTube

Also found out it was a little softer than I thought down in the bottom. Never had been over there after a good rain. Now we know to stay away from there. Luckily my buddy had his winch. I really need to get mine installed!

[jgammill]

Ever since I installed the wiring harness into my factory gas tank sending unit for the pump, it has been leaking into the cab when it is full and on a angle. Finally decided to mount a tank in the bed under my tool box. I had to cut a hole in it and weld the reatainer ring in to hold my sending unit out of the factory chevy tank. I also had to move and extent the fill neck to keep it out of the wheel wells, when ever I get them built. I also installed a sight tube on the side sense my guage doesn't work. Tank should be aroung 40 gallons.



Also bought 2 new tire for the front to replace the old Dick Cepecks. They are splitting REALLY bad and leaking from the thounds of cracks in the sidewalls. Haven't got them put on yet.

[jgammill]

08/20/2012

Finally had time to mount up my new tires to replace the old front ones. I ended up with the new ones on the back and put the used tsl's up front.





And finally got my rear limiting straps put in and tested.



Also got my old gas tank pulled from behind the seats and installed my steering cooler. Next on the list is probably the rear wheel wells or install my new shifter.

[jgammill]

I started this build in January 2012, This is where it's at as of today. Still a lot of little things to do buy I am really pleased with how it hadles everthing.

Got my new Winters/Art Carr shifter installed. Soooo much better that that crapy rachet shifter.

[RatRod68]

I absolutely love it. Do you happen to wheel with a guy named Dan?

[jgammill]

Nope. Never wheeled with a dan that I know of
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[RatRod68]

anything new?

The guy I bought my explorer from lives just outside of Tulsa and built a killer CJ similar to the black one in the hill climb video. He always took the exploder out with a bunch of Jaheeps that were all pretty built, so i didn't know if you all ever wheeled together.


How much work was it to adapt the 88-98 seat into the cab?

[jgammill]

Originally Posted by RatRod68

anything new?

The guy I bought my explorer from lives just outside of Tulsa and built a killer CJ similar to the black one in the hill climb video. He always took the exploder out with a bunch of Jaheeps that were all pretty built, so i didn't know if you all ever wheeled together.


How much work was it to adapt the 88-98 seat into the cab?

I am 4 hours south of Tulsa. Dought I've ever wheeled with him unless he happened to be at Clayton when I had my Jeep. First trip to Clayton with the GMC will be this October.

The seats were kind of a pain in the ass. But thats just because I cut out the floor and moved my transmission and tcase's up into the frame so I would have a flat belly. If the floor would have been stock I think it would have been really easy. The passenger seat just set in perfectly and drilled the holes and bolted it down. The driver and middle are together and I had to build a subframe to hold them over the hump. One thing about these seats though, they make you ride a lot higher in the cab and with the fuel tank behind you, you set closer to the steering wheel. If I had not put in the tilt wheel from the 88 I would not be able to drive it, probably. And you still couldn't drive my rig now if you have much of a belly. But it fits me perfect and puts me higher to see out better.

[jgammill]

Here's the only thing I've gotten done in the last week. I just got over a stomache bug. Finally got my rear shock hoops built. Tried to make it so I can still use the bed. Tomorrow I will be building the rear wheel wells.