1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

I purpously won't call it an restauration, because that commits me to getting the car in showroom condition :)

No, I just want to get rid of the rust, upgrade the brakes to disks, clean up the cab and bed and drive it like I stole it!

here is my first piece of progress, the front end of a '73 Blazer 2wd, should fit like a glove.

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-TKCOJHHO.jpg
It barely fitted into my A4 audi

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-Z3DLU7LC.jpg
It took 4 of us to lift it in and out of the car

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-AKFF3NZA.jpg
Master cylinder with booster and steering rods(?) (sorry, not sure what it's called in english)

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-WKMAC67X.jpg
Safety first! Belts for the wife and seat for my 2month old boy

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

here are some pics so you can see what state the cab is in now...
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-6KAGG8LH.jpg
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-NINHGGNC.jpg
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-VKBZVEXD.jpg
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-ULWQ7TAD.jpg

and my little garden in the bed...
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-N74WT3AJ.jpg

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Looks like you have some work ahead of you.. Be sure to take pics!

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Welcome to the board that cab is gonna need some work..

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

So after a busy and cold dutch winter, I'm going to get started with the project with a big leap. A mate from Riverside, CA. dropped me an email to inform me he had bought a cab for me!! it's from a 70's C10 and it has no rust. So all I have to do is sand blast it and paint!

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-WU6VANGR.jpg
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-78TGZ4RJ.jpg

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Hey from N.C. & welcome,keep pictures coming & keep on truckin'' :metal:

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

last weekend I organized a grease monkey/ smoker BBQ session and invited some friends over for my front end swap.

first we had to deal with some bolts that were grinded off on the '73 crossmember, but fortunatly they didn't give us any trouble.
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-SHEAYBG4.jpg

then we took of the headers and found the were mounted with the original 6 sided bolts instead of the Allen bolts (hope you know what I mean, i have to use an online translater to find some words :) )
this told me whoever put them on had to use a open ended spanner to tighten them..hence the leakage..
we were smiled upon again, because also they came out without any hassle.

I had told my friends I would spray WD40 on all the bolts and nuts of the crossmember earlier that week, so it would come off easily..ofcourse I hadden't and when it was time to unbolt it, I attended to my smoker to check on the meat :)
When I heard a scream I assumed it was because of a rounded or broken off bolt...but no, it was because it was laying down on the ground already.
happily I accepted all compliments on my good preparation, but actually I was wondering why the bolts came out so easily...

It's a law in automotive mechanics..when everything seems to be according to plan, the **** hits the fan! the '73 crossmember fits like a glove, but some of the holes didn't line up, so I widened up 2 holes and have to drill 2 new ones, but I'll do that when the crossmember is in place. I found out the the widened holes still are not correct, so we'll have to take it down one more time :( .

the arrows show the holes not lining up
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-RM38N3YB.jpg

Yeah..diskbrakes!
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-MNDYDJ3C.jpg

the '73 has a sway bar, the '69 didn't..so where to mount??
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-ISOWPCLC.jpg

That's what we call a 10 pound brisket!
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-OGOJP8DL.jpg

That's what we call Texas style smoked brisket!
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-LQ3R4RJM.jpg

2 of my friends took their Harleys along, a roadking and a fatboy (sounds like the title of a B-movie :)
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-JGC7X4WH.jpg

Here a picture of my mate in Riverside Ca. he has the new cab for my truck. bothe he and his brother drive a '69 C10
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-H4KZ4J4R.jpg

he uses it for the heavy lifting :) 2000 pounds of roof tiling!!
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-FF3L4D3E.jpg

more updates soon!

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

That new cab sure looks like it will save ya some rust work..

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Cool :metal: keep on truckin""

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

What did it cost to ship that cab? Must have been big money.

Good project you got there!
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Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Didn't ship it yet, but I reckon it'll cost me about $1500,- all in (VAT, Handling etc) Seeing I'm getting the cab for free, it's a price I'm willing to pay...but first I'll need to get my tax returns :)

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Yesterday had an hour to quickly work on my truck. took off the shocks because I need to replace them anyway and the were rattling about... guess the pictures are clear enough to show why, the nut almost fits though that hole. saw on LMC that the sell shock reinforcement brackets, guess I'll have to get me some of those..or weld something together myself.
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-TABCRQGO.jpg
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-TONTEZNA.jpg

I'll have to unbolt the crossmember on more time because were the back bolt goes through, the front one locks up as soon as I tighten the 3 bolts from underneath
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-OR3EE6LB.jpg

Also I took the swaybar off, because it was only hanging about. will have to figure something out for that aswell.

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

as the evenings become longer and the temp goes up I decided to dive under the truck for a quicky....(?!)

As I dropped the crossmember to drill out the front holes a bit more I decided to clean it up a bit. 1 can of brakecleaner and a stealbrush later it looks a bit better.
now I'll hose it down with "tectiel" (I guess its a kind of Boeshield, a black thick spray rust inhibator).

doesn't have to be showroom condition, just need to get through the next M.O.T.
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-XHZAPEQH.jpg
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-GNTVB3BM.jpg

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

another day in paradise!

finally found time again to do the last bit for the front end, realining the holes.
ans presto! it fits, so now on to the next stage: brakebooster with master cilinder, brakelines and hoses.. hopefully this will all result in a truck that'll stop when I tell it to :)

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-RTQHEDIR.jpg

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Saterday I picked up my new mastercilinder with brakebooster and as always when lookings are looking up, the sh*t hits the fan. My old master cilinder came off without any problems, but then I realised that it was bolted onto studs and the brakebooster also has studs..
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-87RLIAEA.jpg

first of all I can't make out from my service/repair manual where those studs are connecting on the inside of the cabin and second of all, I think it will not fit because of the steering colom bolt (cirkeled in picture)
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-HFIKI4FM.jpg

I've tried making an picture from the inside to see where I should be drilling or whatever to make it fit, but I'm clueless. did I in fact circle the stud connection on the inside or is it somewhere else?
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-8KO37G86.jpg

who has experience making and '71 brakebooster fit on a '69

any help is highly appeciated!!

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Ahh I should google before asking :)
I see there are brackets for this conversion.

which to use and where to order the correct ones?
I have a friend who's quite good with welding, I'll check with him as well.

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Here is what it should look like.
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i6...9/100_0528.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i6...9/100_0529.jpg

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Ok, bracket ia underway, so as soon as that comes in I can finalize the brakes. but I have one question; look at the below picture and tell me if this is an Proportioning valve or a distribution block?
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-KQPNG6CQ.jpg

Do I still want to use it now I have discs in the front?
and how do you bleed it, or is that not necessary?

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

It is a proportioning valve you will need one that is for disk brakes. I also found out that there are 2 different boosters a Bendix and a Delco there is 1/2" difference in the bolt pattern I found out by getting the wrong one the first time luckily Auto Zone took the first back. You will also need the Master cylinder for disk brakes. The bracket I sent you is for a Bendix booster

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

I the middle picture you will be using the 2 studs above where the master was bolted on and the 2 for the master.

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

ok, at least i don't have to buy a new one...is there any whay to test whether it's still functioning normaly? or is it trail by error once installed?


Great..I'll assume my new booster is a bendix then :)

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

I have never seen one go bad, I used one from the 72 I got the brakes from or you could buy a adjustable one but I don't see why the one you have wouldn't work.

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Here's an update with some pictures.

Time is an issue for me, between my work and family there is hardly any time left to muck around with my truck..I hope it'll improve as my son gets older :)

good news, my new cab is on its way. being shipped over from LA to Rotterdam it'll take 6 weeks to arrive, and then we'll take it over to a friends place who has a big garage were we can do the swap. have been tinkering with the brakes a bit, got the bracket and it fits, so all i had to do is get the brake rod to fit between the bracket and the lever. got a mate who welded a ring on it, so I should be able to install it this weekend...

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-NNDNUSPW.jpg

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-4FMQYP6D.jpg

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-E8PP8SZW.jpg

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-G4SEI4OQ.jpg

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-VLW6GLKQ.jpg

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-CYKJPECQ.jpg

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-P73O4IZ3.jpg

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-HVRE3SWJ.jpg

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Click here and you will find instructions step by step

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Ahh spacers! that'll do the trick :)

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Glad to see the booster bracket worked for you nice work

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

and a big thank you to you Frankie!

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

I didn't want to keep you from this update, although pictures will follow next week.

The eagle has landed! the cab is now sitting in a storage area in Roosendaal (the south of holland) ready to be picked up. I'll have to take a day off next week together with a mate to go collect it.
all and all, so with taxes, handling and admin cost it comes down to $600,-

we'll take it over to a garage we have to check it out and plan the next step; sanding or blasting..
seeing I don't care for cosmetics I say: blast it, then put some industrial grade epoxy primer on it and fling some paint at it. it's a truck, all I want is that it doesn't rust :)

but my mate said that if I blast it I will have to re-kit al the welds..but what is the kit for anyway? is it because everything is spot welded and you have to close off all the creases?

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Not sure what he means by a kit either but I know if it is done to aggressively it can warp the metal. Do they do soda blasting over there ? Don't know much about it but I think it is easier on the metal.
i found this link hope it helps

http://www.sodablasting.gr/en/the-co.../item/3-gritco

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Hi Steve,
If you blast off the kit and not re-kit the welds water will crawl between the panels and they will rot.
Also if you use industrial grade grit to blast the cab chance is high you will blast a hole in the metal. That's it how agressive it is. Especially the roof is fragile for heavy sandblasting..
You can also use glasparels of pindadoppen, or call a firm like straalbedrijf Warmerdam in Hillegom to inform about the costs if they do it for you....

good luck, Steve

Sorry for the comments with some dutch words guys..

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

I mean something like this:
[img removed due to login error]
And the stuff i think of blasting with is glasspearls
http://www.wikor.nl/images/blasting_...beads5b15d.gif

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

I think it's kind of cool.

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

well, seeing we think american english is cool, the only response I can think of is: whatever floats your boat :) :)

but back on topic, the pick up of the cabin has been posponed by a week. we were going next wednesday, but I've got some seminars where I have to attend so we'll be going the wednesday after that, so the 14th.
(must be good seeing my house nr. is 14...)

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Wednesday we rented a truck and set out to Marlog Carhandling in Roosendaal, in the south of Holland to pick up my cabine which had cleared customs and all the paperwork was done. when we finally arrived there (for us 2,5h drive is far far away) we saw some beauties being brought in from the motherland
a (for dutch standards) BIG Winnebego with some work :)
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-BTADRMWM.jpg

a truck loaded with toys, mostly Cali plates:
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-B73KA8WQ.jpg

in the warehouse there was some more:
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-EMO3XVS4-1.jpg

but this is what it's all about!!:
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-S4TV6B3Z.jpg
A bit dirty, but no rust!

I was a bit in a hurry, because we're in Poland now to celebrate xmas. so detailed pics will follow.

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

I have heard a lot of classics are going over seas. So much for Europeans liking small cars. My son is stationed in Aviano Italy they had his Harley Road King and Volvo 4x4 wagon sent over he said he would of been in trouble it they would if brought his Ford Excursion over there with the roads in some of the town being so narrow.

Glad you got your cab now you can get started on your build. What is the weather like out there?

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

that is indeed a problem in most european cities, especially those who have a 800 year old centre..made for knights on horses and damsels in distress :) A Fiat 500/Mini Cooper is the best way to get around there (watch the classic Italian Job)

whell we're on the same latitude as Newfoundland, but have a far softer (read: rain, always rain) climate. right now its running in the high 40's F and the expect it to reach 50 on newyears day...last year we had about 5" of snow throughout November, but haven't seen any yet this year.

so far the weather update from the Netherlands :), here's some close up pics of the cab. it has some dents and bruses, but nothing major...atleast I'd like to think so.

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-VCZZHQX3.jpg
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-DVEINQDY.jpg
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-C4NZ3KMZ.jpg
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-R4DQ6GNN.jpg

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

I dosen't look like it will take more than a little massaging should take care of it

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

Sunday I decided to empty out the cab so when time permits I can get it glasspearl blasted. What I found was 1 american cedar pencil and a penny..but no rust!! well, there is 1 little spot, but I cant be worried about it to much.

little bit of surfice rust under the hinges
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-6ZVE76KG.jpg

Can corners...hard (I thought this would be the most likely place to find rust)
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-6CXDHNIY.jpg

the only spot of rust where you punch through the metal
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-LGVADHQP.jpg

nothing above the window (check earlier picks to see how my current cab looks..hahahaha
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-3YZFS4SH.jpg

rocker panel 1 hard
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-O7QSYURN.jpg

rocker panel 2 hard too
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-HJ83UVHC.jpg

the VIN is a bit unclear to me, I see it's a GMC, 2wd, V8, 3/4 ton, but then the number shows 41, which I cannot link to any model..was it a stock camper buildup?
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/GroteFoto-NCW3SNI6.jpg


further more I finally found the correct Allen bolts (we only sell metric sizes in this country) for my headers and orders new brake hozes. I'll pick those up and inmediatly take a couple of yards of brake lines.

all I can hope for now is that the coming weekend will bring nice enough weather to work outside.

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

So to get the truck to the place where we're going to do the cabine swap, it first needs to run..an have it's M.O.T. (I know they call it that in the UK, not sure if you have that in the states?) or safety inspection.

Sunday I wanted to get my headers back on, but somehow the new '73 front end is bigger, or just a little in a different spot because my headers wouldn't fit anymore! the collector is up againt the front-end and there is already a dent in them.
http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-BQXPUI6S.jpg

so to get them to fit, i would have to almost flatten the nr. 2 pipe..which is not an option. I'm now looking at 2 possibilities; either replace them with stock manifolds..which somehow are hard to come by second hand here in Netherlands..or reweld my headers. Coming saterday I'm taking the headers over to a mate who has a TIG welder and knowledge of welding stainless steel. keep your fingers crossed.

Re: 1969 Custom/10 clean up
 

I put a 72 crossmember on my 70 and the new headers fit fine a little close in the right side but didn't hit anything According to Summit they should fit 67 to 74. These are the ones I bought ( http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SU...UP&prefilter=1 ).
If you can find another 73 measure from the motor mount to the back of the cross member but if your motor mounts bolted up some thing else might be wrong. Check the motor mounts make sure one didn't collapse or soft.

Here are some pix of mine.


http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i6...0/DSC00831.jpg

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i6...0/DSC00830.jpg

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i6...0/DSC01136.jpg