Help dismantling my 1970 C20

[Jahloha]

Hey Team:

Over the winter I am wanting to dismantle my truck and get it ready for the restoration, but I am not quite sure where to start...I am planning on swapping out the engine, trans, doing disc brakes, body work and paint, interior, etc.

I mean, where do I start? What should be my process breakdown?

I have been searching for threads that show the process of how to go about this, but was unsuccessful.

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

[Jahloha]

I should expand and mention that I learn most by taking something apart and am very focused on taking notes as pieces come off, especially for the backend assembly.

[RenoKeene]

First take lots of pictures, if you don't have a digital camera go buy one. Even if you don't think what your looking at is important take a pic (or several) of it, it will be important later...trust me.
Second, buy a lot of ziplock baggies, big and small, the kind you can write on. Fender bolts go in a bag labeled fender bolts, etc. DO THIS WITH EVERYTHING! You will not regret it.
I'd pull the front clip first...hood, cowl, grill, fenders, inner fenders, bumper, core support, etc. Then you can pull the engine and trans without too much trouble.
Work your way from the front to the back and bag and tag everything.
This should get you started.

[RenoKeene]

Almost forgot...spend the $25 to become a subscribing member so you can buy and sell parts here, will be the best money spent other than the camera.

[Lee H]

Take many pictures, especially the details, how stuff mounts, orientation, fasteners, fuel line details, brake line details, wiring, etc. Notes are good but after several months or more the memory gets fuzzy, I took about 20 pages of notes and I'm glad I took a lot of pictures to. Also buy lots of zip lock bags, quarts and gallons, and mark very well. For instance, Right head light hardware, Glove box hardware, don't try to mix parts onto fewer bags. Use tags for items to big for bags. When I freshened up mine last year I started with the trim, bright work, bumpers, front clip, drive engine and trans, then moved to the cab, windows, interior, dash, gas tank, AC/heater, then wiring (tagged every end with description) door guts, steering column. Then I removed the doors, bed, and finally the cab. With all the sheet metal out of the way I started on the chassis. I pretty much reversed to assemble. Take your time and have fun. Lee

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Jahloha

I should expand and mention that I learn most by taking something apart and am very focused on taking notes as pieces come off, especially for the backend assembly.

Yes, lots of notes and pictures are important in all phases of the process. I don't know how far down you are planning to strip it but I usually remove the bed and front clip first, then strip the inside of the cab and remove it. There are instructions on each phase of disassembly, if you know how to search for them. First off, it will really help if you do some reading first and get familiar with some of the truck parts terminology. Then, use the Google search box at the top of the page. Type your search terms into the box, click on the circle in front of "67-72chevytrucks.com" and click on the "Google" button.

Keep the search terms simple. Example; if you want info on removing the complete front sheet metal in one piece just type in "remove front clip" or "remove doghouse". Same with the other parts: "remove bed", "remove instrument cluster", etc, You get the idea... Just remember to make sure what you are looking at or reading refers to your year of truck as the search results will include all years of trucks.

LockDoc

[67ChevyRedneck]

I've never had issues taking stuff apart. Putting it back together is always the problem.

Get an LMC catalog. Sounds stupid, but it's one of the best things out there. They have a lot of expanded/exploded views of parts, so you can kind of figure out how they go back together from there.

[PanelDeland]

Some have suggested a camera.I will go one step farther and add an electronic picture frame.It will hold the photos at a larger size and be portable enugh to have next to the truck.
Also grab some totes or boxes to put baggies of parts in.Subdivide them by area of truck,cab,bed,doghouse etc.Then you only have one box to look thru for what you need.Some of the intermediate parts can also go in the box,like the brace for the drivers inner fender etc.
You'll also need room for 3 trucks.One to have for the part you're working on.One for storage and one for body parts too big to fit,like the bed or cab.

[Jahloha]

To all those mentioning the storage of bolts and pieces, do you go the distance to somehow restore nuts, bolts, and screws? Or just pull em out, then put them back in.

[Lee H]

I had all the fasteners replated. After I have bagged and tagged everything, I remove the fasteners from one bag at a time and photograph them from several directions up close (even though some fasteners look alike many have different details on the head), then sort them by plating finish, zinc, black phosphate, etc. When I get them back from the platers I rebag them.

Also, don't throw anything away, even if you place something, until your done.

[RenoKeene]

Originally Posted by Jahloha

To all those mentioning the storage of bolts and pieces, do you go the distance to somehow restore nuts, bolts, and screws? Or just pull em out, then put them back in.

I reused some that were in excellent shape (mostly body bolts) after wire wheel and paint.

[Jahloha]

Originally Posted by Lee H

I had all the fasteners replated. After I have bagged and tagged everything, I remove the fasteners from one bag at a time and photograph them from several directions up close (even though some fasteners look alike many have different details on the head), then sort them by plating finish, zinc, black phosphate, etc. When I get them back from the platers I rebag them.

Also, don't throw anything away, even if you place something, until your done.

Roughly, what kind of costs would this range from?

[Lee H]

In addition to the fasteners I also had the following plated: brake booster brackets, door latches & shims, jack tool spring & hardware, some brake hardware, sway bars & brackets, brake dust shields, front hub dust caps, and some other stuff. Of the fasteners I had to replace I had them plated also for some consistency. I think the plating bill was around $125.