Chapter 9 Whats it going to be? Finish it or Part it out?
Well during the times that all the other things were going on. I had gotten the NP205 rebuilt, The TH350 gone through. Tore the motor down, re-gasketed it and added all the Aluminum. ( worked at Zig's street rods for awhile and got some great ideas plus a few good deals on some motor parts I used on the 383 that came in the original black 72. I acquired a freshly rebuilt Dana 60 front strange axle shafts and track lock in it, and a Rear 14 bolt with Detroit locker and rear disk brakes already installed, Came with the crossover steering already on it. All running gear only had like 500 miles on it since rebuild, another buddy wrecked his truck 3 months after finishing it while drinking and driving. I bought all the running 1 ton gear out of it for my truck.
The truck sat in this condition for quite some time. Waiting for the tile column and a master cyl/booster set up that would be equal to the work already done on the truck to this point.
These were both pretty large purchases so I just didn't have the extra money to spend on them. Since the truck had been on the back burner for so long and the build up to this point had not been to fun. I was at the point that I knew to finish it the way I wanted I was looking at 7-10k.
My wife knew I had just let it sit while we were working on the house. I had saved the money a couple times but then we used it for the down on the house, then used it to pay cash for our quad hauler enclosed trailer, then this, then that.... well it never ends. I looked at the truck one day while I had some money in the bank again. I asked her then... what should I do.. I need to either buck up and spend the money or part it out and get some back. But just looking at it is just getting to me.
She then said the magic words.. well what do you need to finish it up? I told her. she said get the column and brakes done for now.
I looked for the best price I could on these items.
Polished stainless tilt from Flaming river was 720.00
the Polished stainless steering shaft and joints another 300.00
the Billet Master Cyl, and Polished stainless 8" dual booster another 485.00.
After having to send the joint back once and get a different pedal rod (which still didn't fit) I fabbed one up and installed it all.
Now it will steer and stop so I worked on getting the brakes working, and getting the engine fired after sitting since 2003.
The brakes gave me some trouble but I finally got them working and pulled the truck outside for the first time ever, to clean some dust of of the thing.
