For Gramps (1970 C20 RestoMod)

[Jahloha]

Hey Forum:

THE STORY

Long time ghost reader, just turned member here. I am happy to finally participate and learn from all of our knowledgable members.

Long story short, in 1969 my grandpa bought a $1.00 raffle ticket from a coworkers daughter and six months later, he received a call informing him he had won a brand new 1970 Chevrolet C20. Thinking it was a joke, he hung up. They fortunately called back multiple times, got his address, and the truck was delivered that week.

My father was not around, so my grandpa took on those responsibilities. This truck is what we would use to drive around, do work in the mountains, and everything in between. His life is wrapping up and he finally made the call and asked me if I wanted to have the truck. I flew back to CA, picked it up, made the trek back to Utah and now have my dream truck in front of my house.

THE HOPE
I want this to be my daily driver, capable of going 75 on the highway, but also be able to tow the occasional decent sized load. I also want to be able to toss my wife the keys and have zero doubt that she can drive and be safe, no breakdowns, safety issues, etc.

MY BACKGROUND
My grandpa passed on a deep knowledge in electrical, carpentry, and problem solving skills to me, which I hope to use in this restore. But I know I do not have many of the tools necessary for some of the work. This will be a challenge that will be overcome depending on help I can get from friends, cost to farm out the particular project, and how much time my family can allow me.

YOUR HELP
From your experience on our trucks, if you were to give a brief (two or three bullet points) of projects you would for sure farm out, what would those be? Also, if I were to ask a shop to help me with the restore, how can I reduce the cost of that (i.e., taking the engine apart for them, the panels, etc)?

THE PICS
I have more, but not on my computer. I am excited to share the development of this project, in memory of my grandpa.

[Jahloha]

UPDATE: Winter Plan & Cab Break Down

Today I finally came up with a plan to continue working on the truck throughout the winter. I want to have the bed, cab, and front clip removed from the frame before it really starts snowing (2-3 weeks). That way I can store the chassis inside our 2 car garage and be able to do work on it throughout the winter. I plan on building some saw horses on the side parking strip to place the bed on, then other body parts inside the bed, all covered with a tarp. What I will do with everything else? (bench, electrical, whatever else comes, well...I will leave it up to that.

So today I wanted to do a quick rust analysis, so I removed the bench seat to investigate any floor panel issues. Knowing the truck has been in SoCal for its entire life, I am happy with the minimal rust, but know also don't want to be naive. Tell me what you think:

Floor Overview:


Tire Jack (behind passenger, next to gas tank):


Passenger Side Kick Panel:


Passenger Side Door (bottom left corner, this was caused by no window guard I believe):


Driver Side (just above kick panel, near high beams (which I dont even know if this is a standard feature or Gramps special):

[Tachout]

Very Cool Project. I am just over in Sandy. When you are doing things, if you run into an area you could use help, or before you take it to a shop, shoot me a PM. Knowing what you are going to go through, there are a few things that I could help with before taking anything major to a shop. Also I can recommend a good machine shop that can help with any machine work you might need.

[Jahloha]

UPDATE: Bench Seat, Bed Condition, & Bolt Question

The bed is in great shape, Gramps carried a camper for nearly the entire life of the truck, so it wasn't exposed to the elements:


After ripping off 3 seat covers, the bench seat practically vaporized when I removed it, but the springs are in decent shape. I am hoping to find a decent upholstery person in Utah to help me fab up some foam and fabric. Most likely a clothe (leather is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer):


I found these two bolts in the cab floor panel, one at the drivers feet and the other at the passengers feet. What are these for?

[Tachout]

There is a good shop to get your seat done if you are sold to sub that out. The shop did the top on my Corvette and they have done some other work for a couple friends of mine. I will see if I can find their contact info in the morning and send it to you. Honestly I think you could do your own seat if you can do all the mechanical you have already done.

[Jahloha]

UPDATE: The Holy Grail? Found Original Paperwork, Build Sheet

I have been ghosting this forum for a long time, in preparation for this project. I often read of our members searching for their build sheets. What information does this provide outside of the original dealer, build location, etc.? Or is it just a keep-sakes? I am trying to hunt down a decoder for each box on this sheet. Let me know if you know of one.

Left Half:


Right Half:


I also found the original Owner's Manual, Clardy's Manual (is this common?):

[DEISS]

Hi from Ca., what a great project and a super nice truck, I've got a future "Grand Pa's" truck project that I'm gathering parts for as well, and will be following your progress, have a good one, Jack.

[Ol rusty]

That's a pretty solid foundation to start on. Lots of guys would love to have a cab with that little rust. You can tell your grandpa took good care to maintain that truck properly. And finding the build sheet and all the original manuals, the back story to the truck, you got something special there. Good luck on the build.

[Jahloha]

Update:

Well, it was my first time, but I got the front clip removed and its such a pretty sight! I am excited to pull the engine and start cleaning up the obvious years of oil leakage all over everything.

I am working as fast as possible to get it down to the frame before the snow permanently comes for a couple months. Luckily, my wife is supportive and is letting me store the pieces in the garage for now.

I want to make sure to appreciate everyone on this site for the reading material that prepped me for this step. The hardest part was lifting the clip off the truck, I couldn't figure out how to remove the rad, so that added some weight.

Let me know if you have any questions regarding what I did, seeing as its fresh on my mind.

W?O Front Clip:


Pieces Removed:


MAHALO!

[mcbassin]

Very cool story and project. I'm in

[Jahloha]

UPDATE:

It took me two days and a grinder, but the saddle tanks are off. I love working on my truck and it drives me crazy when you are in the middle of a step, but cant work on it because you are missing a piece or tool.

The saddle tank nuts came off relatively easy and the body bracket did as well; but once the nuts were removed, three of the bolts had rust frozen to their holes that run through the tanks. So I had to grind the heads off, only two minor scuffs on the bed, so I consider it successful.

The tanks are both in good condition, but I am not sure if they will go back into the truck. They definitely will go back in if I can figure out how to install sending units so I can use these and remove my in cad tank. Let me know if you have done this.

I also read there might be clearance issues once the tanks dropped, but I didn't find that to be the case on my truck. So it made this removal even easier.


Mahalo!

[Jahloha]

I am removing the bed this weekend, now that the tanks are removed, I have access to the last two bolts in the bed. I am very excited to get the bed off. Gonna give some neighbors a holler and most likely place the bed on some saw horses.

[Jahloha]

Tonight I was able to get out and remove the lower body trim on the truck. It was pretty straight forward. Once completed, I will not have the trim on the body; but figured they might be someone looking for a complete trim package, so rather then just tear them out, I removed them all, in case someone needs them.

Before:


After:


I also removed all door and window handles, along with the door interior panels. Again, straight forward. Best way to remove the handles, without the specialized tool, is using a shop rag.

Panels Removed:

[litew8]

If you'd allow, a couple statements and a few questions.

You appear to have the same bench seat style as mine, original also, but different color it seems. Was your Gramps an Engineer? Are you? You appear to be well written, complement. Are you looking to restore to original OE 'look' or custom? What's your budget?

[67cheby]

cool story , great project

[Jahloha]

UPDATE:

I have been thinking about how I want to store my bed this winter. Seeing as it is going to be outside, I required three things for it to be stored:

-that it stay dry
-that it would allow me to store body panels inside the bed
-that it be safe and sturdy

I finally decided to build a simple frame out of some 4x4s and 2x4s. I almost bought treated wood, but decided that the normal wood would not rot out, with only a few months exposed to the elements.

This is what I came up with. Each 4x4 is 32" tall. The box itself measures 48" by 81.5" (this length would place the first and last bed rail on the 4x4s for maximum support.

I will be getting some neighbors help later today or tomorrow to lift and place the bed. I will buy a tarp between now and then.

Overhead:


Side View (I left a 2.5" clearance from the ground for any snow that stays on the ground)


Mahalo!

[litew8]

Thanks for the PM. I only question because you initially asked for the forum's help, without further info, it makes understanding your intended direction a little more difficult. Good luck, though it doesn't seem you'll need it.

[Jahloha]

Originally Posted by litew8

Thanks for the PM. I only question because you initially asked for the forum's help, without further info, it makes understanding your intended direction a little more difficult. Good luck, though it doesn't seem you'll need it.

Of for sure. I do not plan on doing anything too crazy in the restoration. The list is:

-disc brakes (hopefully all four corners)
-chassis rust prevention
-remachine the engine
-exhaust
-rust attention on doors and back pass panel
-700r4 swap (i am gonna leave the Eaton rearend (still need to figure out my gears)
-HD or custom springs to raise the truck and level it out
-bench restoration (I think I am going to tackle this, maybe)
-paint (if a buddy can fit me into his schedule, if not, Ill ride patina for awhile)

My goal is to have this done by early next summer, so I can drive back down to SoCal and go cruising up PCH with Gramps one last time.

I appreciate your interest in my build and I am now 3/4 through your build. Very impressive! I may not be the most skilled on the forum, but with everyone's help, I can be. So I am excited about this.

Mahalo,

[swamp rat]

As far as rust is concerned that truck is a great start. I'm subscribed!

[70's luvr]

Awesome project! I'm a month behind you on the same truck but look to catch up soon. Thanks for the updates.

[Mr Chevorlet]

Good looking truck to start with,

[Jahloha]

UPDATE:

Finally got some hands to help me remove the bed. Way easier then I expected it to be. The home made bed storage worked just fine and is very sturdy, I shook the heck out of it; but I do wish I had made it about 20" not 32".

I now have full access to my rear end and I will be trying to find my rear end code stamp to identify my gear ratio.

Both rockers look to be in good condition, the one rust spot on the pass side seems to be only surface and has not eaten through. Although I have never done a restoration before, I have read enough on here that the rockers and kick panels are rust attractors, I am happy with this find.

Here are some pics.

Bed Storage


Underside of Bed Storage (notice main brace runs parallel to bed support)


Bed Removed:


Another Bed Remove Shot:


Mahalo!

[Jahloha]

A few follow up pics:

Chassis near cab:


Driver Side Rocker:


Passenger Rocker:

[67swb72klb]

great story and a realy nice solid truck

[Jahloha]

Originally Posted by DEISS

Hi from Ca., what a great project and a super nice truck, I've got a future "Grand Pa's" truck project that I'm gathering parts for as well, and will be following your progress, have a good one, Jack.

Originally Posted by Ol rusty

That's a pretty solid foundation to start on. Lots of guys would love to have a cab with that little rust. You can tell your grandpa took good care to maintain that truck properly. And finding the build sheet and all the original manuals, the back story to the truck, you got something special there. Good luck on the build.

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Very cool story and project. I'm in

Originally Posted by 67cheby

cool story , great project

Originally Posted by swamp rat

As far as rust is concerned that truck is a great start. I'm subscribed!

Originally Posted by 70's luvr

Awesome project! I'm a month behind you on the same truck but look to catch up soon. Thanks for the updates.

Originally Posted by Mr Chevorlet

Good looking truck to start with,

Originally Posted by 67swb72klb

great story and a realy nice solid truck

Thanks everyone. I am excited to get a finished project with everyones help.