The Rusty Restoration Project...
 

As some of you may know from reading my earlier threads, I am a bit new at the truck rebuilding thing. I have come to the conclusion that I am going to have a really hard time finding a decent cab in the NY area, and am going to try and fix mine. A lot of the stuff that I need to take care of is repairable, although some of it is not going to be easy.

I am learning how to weld, and going to start taking a stab at body work on this 71 C10 pickup that I paid WAY too much for. I came across a new issue which I really don't know how I missed it before.

Any suggestions on how I should repair the inside panel of the roof of the truck? It has some rust near the front window, especially around the mirror.

I took off the mirror and the visor and grinded it down a bit to get an idea of how bad it really is.

I will post some more info about the build in this thread.


See attached pics.

Thanks!

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

So this is what the 71 truck looked like when I first got it home. It had a 305 engine that I was told was pulled out of an 85 Camaro. I think the kids I got it from wanted to try and hot rod it or something. I don't think they were interested in restoring it for certain. The 2nd pic is after I took off the hood and grill.

Later on a picked up a 350 engine from an 83 3/4 ton truck off of Craigslist. I took it apart and had it rebuilt. Ordered a towing camshaft and new lifters from Summit. Also replaced the pistons, oil pump, and oil pan. Pics 3 and 4 are the before and after shots of the engine. I was going to get an aluminum intake manifold, but to save a few $$$ right now I decided to stick with the stock one. I can always upgrade it later.

I do have a question for anyone who might know the answer. The fan that can with the 350 engine has a clutch on it. My friend likes the fan that came with the 305 better, not sure why but he thinks it is a better designed fan. I cannot add the clutch to the 305's fan. Any thoughts on whether the engine is better off with a fan/clutch compared to just the fan by itself?

Thanks!

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Looks pretty nice DD1 good luck. looking forward to the build.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

I'm in NYC too. I've got a '71 cab for ya, if you want. I PM'd you.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Brooklyn in the house... ;)
Clutch fans usually have more blades and should cool better.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

LMC has a repair panel for the inner roof rust. its pretty common in these trucks, the panel is $99 ill try to link it or add the pic of the catalog. looks like you might have found a friend in jimbabwe ! glad to see your working on it and learning to weld,

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Thanks for the info. I figured there was a panel for it, but I had not noticed it before in all the times I had looked at that page. Probably b/c I did not need it. If Jimbabwe's cab is as clean as he says, it might just save me a lot of trouble and work.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Ah, I never noticed that panel either. Good to know. I would think welding that section in would be way easier than swapping everything.
I just shot some pics. I'll resize and send 'em out to you.
Jim

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Thanks, Jim. If that section was my only problem, I would agree with you, but I now need to replace the inner headliner section, the right and left outer floor w/inner rocker panel, the door pillar, cab supports, and on top of all of that, the inner cowl panel is in really crappy condition. It's a lot of work and a lot of parts to buy.

Check out a previous thread I had started. You'll see some of what I am talking about.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=498408

Looking forward to your email and checking out your cab.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Street Smart, thanks for the tip. Nice to see some people from this area on the board. I will have to ask my friend why he likes the other fan better, but I was thinking that the clutch is better. I will have to see if it has more blades. I will take some photos of them and post later.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

I have a shop in brooklyn, if there`s something i can help you with let me know.
http://streetsmartny.com/ We don`t do interior or body work, but just about everything else.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Good to know. I bookmarked your site. Thanks.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

General question: I am really interested in getting Jimbabwe's cab. Going to go look at it this weekend. It's an a/c cab. Anything else different besides the heater box? When I am looking at cab's in general, is there a major difference in the cabs between the different types of trucks (C10, K10, C20, etc), or do I only need to pay attention to the year (67-72)?

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

DD1, the '71-'72 cabs have the throttle pedal mounted from above, while the earlier ones mount to the floor. '71 and '72 have a vent in the door pillar for the fuel tank, above the VIN tag, which is single, as opposed to the two tags on earlier models. '67 and '68 have a lever attached to the bottom of the dash for emergency brake as opposed to the foot pedal. The '71 and earlier rear view mirror attaches to the windshield header (roof) while the '72 attaches to the windshield.
What else...?

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Thanks, Jim. I don't have any other specific questions, mostly because I don't know what to ask. I just sent you an email about stopping by this weekend.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

HIgh hump/low hump, and 67 early small rear window. Some had a headliner so there may be screw holes in the inner roof skin. otherwise jimbabwe has it all covered. anybody got anything else different? Do you NYers have to title the cab alone or can you swap cabs up there and keep the old vin? we (OK) are supposed to go by the cab vin but alot of people have rivet guns so you know what happens.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

We pretty much have to make sure the title matches the VIN on the cab. If we swap the VIN plate, it not going to make much of a difference. Jim actually checked with some cops, and he was told the vehicle is so old, no one will care.

I don't have a rivet gun, but Jim has a title, so it does not really matter. Although, my 71 will become a 69 if I don't swap VIN's, since the prior owners of his swapped the VIN plate on his 71 cab with a 69 plate. I'll worry about that later.

Looking forward to getting a new cab, although actually lifting the cab's on and off the frame will be a challenge due to limited space. I have a large garage, but it is long, rather than wide and there is other crap in there as well. I could move some of it outside, but it is cold out there, and I don't want anything exposed to the elements.

Any thoughts on sodablasting yourself compared to having it done for you? I found a place that will sodablast on site.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

So, I would like to get some opinions on the fan I should use with the 350 engine. I have the fan that came with it which has a clutch. It is a 3 blade fan.

I also have the fan which came with the 305 engine that was in a Camaro prior to being put on the truck, which is the way I bought it.

A friend of mine thinks the fan from the 305 is better.

I took a photo of both of them, both sides of the one from the 305. Which fan do you think is better?

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

I also have a question regarding the a/c cab compared to non-a/c cab. I am probably getting an A/C cab in the next couple of weeks to replace my non-A/C cab. The heater box on the A/C cab has a crack in it.

I don't plan on installing air conditioning on the cab, at least not for a long time, if ever.

My questions is, can i install my non-a/c heater box on an a/c cab, or do I need to get a heater box for the a/c cab?

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Wow I think that 4 blade is an antique 6cyl fan. check the pick that is on an all original 1950 216cui 6 that i got for my brothers car.

Definately use the clutch fan 3 blade, although most V8 fans ive seen were 5 blades, I'm sure you could probably locate one pretty easy and cheap. think i have one laying around i'd give you if you were closer.

I believe the firewall is specific to ac or non ac so you will need to use the appropriate one for the cab, the heater/ac boxes can be easily repaired with a little fiberglass work and spray paint. they're pretty hard to find in pristene condition. later

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

I did some media blasting on mine with black diamond media from tractor supply, I tried to contain it with a big tent i made out of pvc pipe and plastic drop cloths, i made a huge mess and got rather frustrated with my blaster. If i had the $$ I would definately have someone else blast everything for me but im on a pretty tight budget. my 2cents

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Thanks for the info, 67. The four blade fan does look very similar to the one in your photo. I wonder if they took the fan off the 6 cylinder engine the truck probably came with and put it on the 305 engine. It would not surprise me. I have some other parts that came with the truck (in a box) that indicate the prior engine was definitely a 6 cylinder.

Yeah, it is sounding like outsourcing the blasting is the way to go IF I can afford it. I would probably get a soda blaster, but it would still be messy. I'll have to price out the cost of having it done VS doing it myself.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Looking for any suggestions anyone may have as to the easiest way to do a cab swap. Unfortunately my garage is long, but not wide. Have plenty of outdoor space, but it's cold out there.

Thanks!

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

The two most common methods ive seen

1- invite 3 friends over and supply the beer

2- Use an engine hoist from the side.
I did it with yellow tow straps wrapped around the roof (only works if the truck is low enough).

Ive seen others roll down the windows and stick the hoist inside the cab to lift, I guess they chained or strapped to something inside the cab, possibly to the seat belt anchor holes in the floor and cab support holes maybe.

Ive also seen one guy put the hoist in the window and put 2x4s on top of the hoist arm as spreader bars against the roof.

you may be able to lift from the front with an engine hoist if it extends far enough and has a decent weight capacity at full extension. (in your narrow garage)

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Check that one out, pretty crafty.

you can use the search at the top of the page to search most anything, and most of the time get ideas and answers to common problems. doesn't always have what you need but alot of the common Q's. just make sure to check the "67-72 chevy trucks" bubble instead of the "web" bubble. later and good luck!

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Thanks for the tips and the link. I had seen someone mention the hoist through the window trick before, but could not find it. I wonder if that would work going through the windshield and the back window (after removing the glass of course ;) )? I may have to give it a try on the old cab first.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Okay, so after a couple of weeks of trying to decide what to do with my build, and going back and forth between buying a cab from someone, buying another truck to take a cab, and spare parts from, as well as just fixing what I have, I have finally been convinced (for now at least...) by some good friends to just suck it up and try and fix what I have. Of course we will see how long this lasts.

I was also somewhat inspired by another board member who actually fixed all the stuff on his truck that I need to fix on mine. Of course, he has tons more experience than I do with this stuff. So, I purchased my welder and related material from HF, and am waiting for my welders stand to come in (it was $39.99 at HF, could not resist). Tomorrow, I also start taking welding classes at the Bergen County Adult Ed school; so hopefully that will get me even more motivated to do stuff.

So, on the list is:

• Sealing up the vent panels. Replacing the front of the inner headliner.
• Replacing the outer floor sections on each side.
• Repairing the inner cowl, & lower cowl panel.
• Replacing the lower door pillar.

We will see how it goes. Today, I just spent a couple of hours messing around with paint. Sprayed Rustoleum High Heat on my headers, and primed my power steering pump with Rustoleum Rust-to-primer. We (my wife and I) thought about painting the engine, but we decided it is best left for a warmer day, as we would like to have proper ventilation when we start it. We also tested the color of the engine paint I plan to use on the power steering pump. The lower engine will be a kind of glossy silver / metallic color.

I have attached pics of the parts we painted, and also of my wife painting. She's an artist, so I use that as an excuse to get her to work anytime painting needs to be done. Oh yeah, we also primed the hood hinges.

Nice to have a supportive wife, who does not mind getting her hands dirty. She still groans sometimes when she sees the costs racking up. I just signed up for Premium membership on this board so I can sell some spare stuff to offset my costs.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Can anyone tell me where the best place to buy POR 15 is? Who has it for the best price?

Thanks!

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Might want to try Autobodytoolmart.com. They are a site sponsor. Prices are pretty reasonable and they ship pretty quick. I buy most of my auto body supplies from them. Looks like it's 46.99 a qt.

http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/por-...t-p-14094.aspx


Steve

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Thanks, I'll check it out. How many quarts do you usually need for a frame?

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Ive read on here you only need one quart for a frame. Might need some extra is your doing other parts.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Ok, so after checking the prices for patch panels for the inner cowl and the inside headliner, I decided that it was way too expensive. I don't mind learning how to weld, but I don't want to have to bend and shape sheet metal in all sorts of funky shapes.

So I ended up picking up the A/C cab from Jim (Jimbabwe on the board) after all. My friend Eric and I went down to his place; the three of us got it loaded up on Eric's pickup truck, and off we went...

Thanks for all of your hospitality today, Jim!!! I really appreciate it! And thanks for letting me use your kitchen for my work conference call!

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Over the weekend, I built a hoist for the cab and a cart to rest it on. I got the idea from a post from another user who showed how they lifted their cab. I studied the photos and built the same thing. I am actually surprised at how well it turned out; not that i thought it would not work, but usually when I try and build stuff like this, something major always goes wrong. We had to make some minor adjustments to the cart today, but nothing more than a 5 minute setback.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Finally we got the cab home. Parked Eric's pickup in my back yard, and got the engine hoist, and the cab lift and cart ready. We had to move up the lower support brackets on the cart for the hoist's legs to fit under, but aside from that all went smoothly.

We learned quickly we had to move the cab to the edge of the lift gate to get the engine hoist to fit. I was really happy the hoist was able to go as high as it did. That I made the cab lift about 12" high helped a lot also. Once the cab was high enough, Eric moved the truck and the cab just hung there.

I have some video my wife shot; will upload and send a link if anyone is interested in seeing it.

I accidentally deleted the photo of the cab sitting on the cart; will take another one tomorrow.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Sweet, the cab looks pretty nice. are the floors and all good in it? hard to tell from the pics. I know how you feel on the cost I think I'll have $500+ in repair panels in my cab when I'm done. Thats not even counting the complete roof I cut off another cab to replace mine with, then considering the countless hours of measuring, cutting, welding, and grinding.
Nice work on the hoist rig too!

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

You're quite welcome. And thank you, too!
I was wondering how the unloading went. Looks like it was probably a bit easier than getting it in there. Good thing I ate my Wheaties.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Thanks, 67! The cab is in pretty good shape. It does need some work, but a lot less than my cab needs.Someone started a repair on the D/S cab corner, and it looks like they did not finish it or maybe even did not do it right. Also, the firewall has about a 1/2" separation from the floor on the passenger side b/c Jim drove into a pole when his brakes failed and the frame got bent and twisted.

The inner rocker panels could probably stand to be replaced, but they are also in decent enough shape that it's not a priority. As I get into it, maybe I will decided to replace it. Overall it still seems like it won't be too difficult to fix.

I am just glad I don't need to mess with the inner cowl, door pillar, and roof anymore. I figured I was better off getting this cab than spending $500 on panels and still having to weld, grind, and sweat over fixing my cab. I also don't have the patience for all the measuring and grinding...

Thanks for the comment on the lift. I am truly amazed at how well it worked. I am so glad I found this board; I would never have been able to figure it out on my own. I was actually contemplating buying a cab lift online that is very similar to the one I built, at least the same concept, except made out of steel for $170 I think. This was much cheaper.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

In retrospect I kind of wish we had brought the cab hoist to your house. If I had known you had an engine hoist, I would have prob tossed it in the back of Eric's truck. I did not feel like loading up the entire engine hoist at 8am, when there was a possibility we might not be able to use it.

It was ABSOLUTELY easier than loading it up. We were down one man, so we had to make it work. I really did not feel like calling my neighbors for help.

Re: Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...
 

Here is a link to a video I created of the transporting of the cab... I had to remove the audio from it; got an email from You Tube that the song I inserted is owned by the IDOA and they may not like it. Just play "Great Balls of Fire" in your head about 1 minute into the video for the same effect.

http://youtu.be/PKr4Ngs6KlU...