"Crewcab Jake" the 84 to 74 conversion
2 Attachment(s)
Since Scarlett sold I had some money in my pocket and a empty spot in my shop. So the question I had been asked by many, is "What's next?" I want sure what the answer was, but I have the desire to build something different.
I looked at several Blazers, but everything I found that was cheap was rusty. The nice projects were expensive, the the already finished were really expensive. I considered an extra cab, but once again cheap was rusty, nice was expensive. That left me with something I have wanted for many years, a squarebody crewcab.. I had hoped to start with an all original 73-80 with nice paint. Those have become scarce, and all the likely candidates would require me to fly out and look it over. That wasn't a viable solution, so I looked in my region. I realized pretty quickly that it wasn't going to be easy. It was becoming frustrating until I got a text from a buddy. |
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
4 Attachment(s)
My philosophy has always been "but as nice as you can afford " when it comes to paint. This truck was the exact opposite of that theory, but it was close by. Something compelled me to go look at it. I text the owner and he sent several pics. He was very open about the issues that needed attention and shared several pics.
I had planned to convert it to a short wheel base, and that was already done. I had planned a full restoration, but a complete paint was not part of that plan. |
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
1 Attachment(s)
Heres a sneak peak at a rendering for Jake. Josh Meyers is the artist.
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
Reserved 1
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
Reserved 2
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
Reserved 3
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
Reserved 4
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
Reserved 5
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
Wasting no time! Along for the ride on this one too. Looks like a solid rig and may have some different challenges than the last couple. Looking forward to see what your vision is for it.
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
I am in as long as you promise to keep the "Back Off" mud flaps on it.
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
I am in, with or without the mudflaps! :D
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
Im mudflap in-tolerate......but in for this build.....lets go............
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
I'm following!
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
Looks fun, tagging along too.
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
Quote:
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 crewcab
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
This is going to be nice. Excellent that the CC is already shortened! Best of luck! Enjoy! Also, are you going with the early 70s interior as well?
Mike |
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
That looks like a really nice one to start with. I never thought that 73-80 crew cabs would be hard to find but they sure are. I'm in to watch this too.
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
Quote:
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
Quote:
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
Quote:
Quote:
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
Quote:
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
Joining in
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
Nice! I feel like I saw that truck either on Craigslist or my Facebook feed. I remember thinking it looked pretty good for the money. I just don’t have room for any more vehicles at my house. I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with it!
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
Quote:
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
7 Attachment(s)
Jake came with manual roll up windows. I want full power options, so I decided to find a set of power doors. Since they will all need painted it doesn't matter if they aren't match. I scored two rear doors, four panels and a harness from my buddy Berdo.
I made a trip to the tiny town of Nada, Texas and got a passenger front door, power panels, and a 73 core support. Piece by piece the parts are accumulating. |
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
Maybe it's me, but since the last truck was "Elwood" and this one is "Jake" you must be a Blues Brothers fan, so maybe an obvious color choice for this one is blue? Anyway can't wait to see another beautiful truck out of your shop.
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
Quote:
We considered several options for Jake, but my brother in law suggested Jake. It took some time, but Jake was voted in by the family. |
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
4 Attachment(s)
I got a message from a buddy of mine the other night. He said I have something you need, and sent pics. He was right. It was a 1979 tailgate that had been in storage for decades. A family friend had taken it off of a truck that was turned in to a wrecker. Its been collecting dust every since.
He added that he had an 85 GMC that had cool original paint, but the tailgate had been damaged. He had located a replacement band, but not a good 81-87 tailgate. It just so happened I had the correct one that he needed. It was in restorable condition, but it needed some love. I went by his shop and we visited a bit to get caught up, then we did some horse trading. He got the gate that he needed and I got one as well. I came home with a GM unit that is in excellent condition. It has some surface rust from storage, but the Silverado band is in mint condition. |
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
Very Nice Ken!
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
I was in your shoes. Got frustrated and bought a truck from New Jersey. Then a few months later low and behold I found my exact wish only about 1.5hrs away!
They're out there! In mislabeled for sale adds! |
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
PS- I'll have an extra set or two of all 4 wood grain 73-76 door panels once I pick the 4 I want.
So if you can find doors(good luck!) I may be able to help out with the door panels. |
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
Quote:
As much as I love the early interior, I am probably going to with the later door panels. Good stuff is near impossible to find, and its never cheap. Quote:
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
8 Attachment(s)
So me and my buddy make a mutually agreeable deal. We shook hands and walked away happy. I couldnt wait to get home and confirm that the early gate would work on the later bed. I knew there were changes along the way, but I couldn't remember exactly what and when. I called my buddy Chris Lucas and he reassured me I was safe.
Once home, the 79 tailgate dropped in place on the 84 trunions. I did have to remove the rubber rattle stops from the top of the bed to close the gate. Beyond that, it looked as if it was made for it. After giving the band another good cleaning, I realized it was virtually flawless. The upper and lower trim is mint as well. I stood back and take a few pics. |
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
2 Attachment(s)
I was excited that it fit so well, and closed up nicely. I had thought maybe the old bed was tweaked, but this gate lines up nicely. After admiring my new purchase for a moment, I could resist digging in my parts stash. My buddy Keith found a NOS Cheyenne band a few years back and i picked it up from him. Its got some shelf scuffs in the clear, but its still in mint condition. I had to know what it looked like on this tailgate.
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
1 Attachment(s)
So the question is, which one looks best. Keep in mind the truck will be factory red and have all new 73-80 trim on it. Top or bottom?
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
Toss-up; but partial to the narrow one!
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
Quote:
|
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
:agree:
Both look good, but I like the narrow one. You just don't see those that much. |
Re: "Jake" the 84 to 74 crewcab
I like the narrow one too!!!
|
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:12 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 1997-2022 67-72chevytrucks.com