I'm finally starting to work on Bella.

[Pick]

Bella has been my backup driver since i brought her home. She got a quick carb rebuild to fix the idle problem so i wouldn't have to heel-toe the gas and brake every time i needed to slow down or stop. She also got an HEI distributor to replace the points and make starts more of a guaranteed thing. Other than that, she's just been sitting in the driveway, patiently waiting for her turns when my DD let me down or when i had the occasional need for her bed. She didn't do anything quickly....not take off, not steer, not stop......definitely not stop, actually.....and she reluctantly hit highway speed only in short bursts (and voiced her displeasure by slinging the contents of her crankcase all over the engine compartment and out the exhaust).

Her patience (and mine) is finally starting to pay dividends.....new parts arrived today and her build is finally beginning.

Be patient with us.....we're both obviously a bit slow at times.

[Pick]

So.....I said she wouldn't stop well. Stopping was always a 3 pump proposition. One to start the wheel cylinders out of hibernation. Two to see which ditch she was going to dive for. And 3 to actually consider stopping eventually. It made stopping an adventure at times!

The first logical step in this build seemed to be to do the brakes before considering any additions in the power department. I wanted drop spindles and disks.....and needed to stay on a budget (sort of)......so I finally decided to go with the Tomsclassic eBay 4-wheel 6 lug disc kit. (The contents of 5 of the boxes shown previously.)

Fortunately, Bella already has steelies that should clear discs......in theory anyway......so hopefully we won't have to immediately go shopping for new shoes.

Unfortunately, she also has 45 years of gunk build-up to hack through before shiny new stuff can be installed.

[Low Elco]

Time to whip the 'ol gal into shape!

[Xeen]

Do you plan on completely rebuilding the pickup or just doing a few upgrades here and there and drive it?

[jlsanborn]

Whatchya got in the boxes?!

[Pick]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Whatchya got in the boxes?!

4-wheel disc brake kit, with drilled and slotted 6-lug rotors, McGaughy's 2" drop spindles, e-brake cables, calipers, bearings, etc. And a 7" booster and master cylinder/prop valve too. (pictures to come later this afternoon)

Oh.....and 4 new shocks in the opened box in the corner.

[Pick]

Originally Posted by Xeen

Do you plan on completely rebuilding the pickup or just doing a few upgrades here and there and drive it?

Yes.

It will be a complete rebuild, but it will most likely be done in stages with some driving in between. The first stage is getting the brakes and suspension done so it will steer and stop well. I will probably leave it manual steering for this stage.

I already have a 350 short block on the stand in the garage and new heads in the attic that will be gong together for the next stage....I just have to arrange the funds for a 700r4 (or maybe a 2004r) to put behind it before that stage begins. I'll probably convert to power steering at the same time as well.

Last will be the body and interior. It's very solid, but the PO apparently didn't have the non-power steering or brakes mastered very well.....he bumped into allot of stuff.....not terribly hard, but it's bumped and bruised all over.

Pictures from my previous thread when I got her home:

[big d's red67]

Good luck with the build. Can't wait to see how she turns out.

[Pick]

Originally Posted by big d's red67

Good luck with the build. Can't wait to see how she turns out.

Thanks! Me neither!

[Xeen]

I noticed you haven't mentioned anything about a front swaybar, you can most likely find a used stock GM swaybar and brackets locally for cheap about $20 then just buy new bushings and you are in business.
It will really change the way the truck drives it will have much better manners.

[Pick]

Originally Posted by Xeen

I noticed you haven't mentioned anything about a front swaybar, you can most likely find a used stock GM swaybar and brackets locally for cheap about $20 then just buy new bushings and you are in business.
It will really change the way the truck drives it will have much better manners.

Yeah, that is definitely something to add to the to-do list for the front suspension while I'm at it. Thanks for the reminder.

[Xeen]

If you find a 1 1/16" swaybar locally you can buy new bushings here.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Energy-Suspe...1aabdf&vxp=mtr
They have it in black also if you prefer that color.

[jlsanborn]

3/4 ton stuff uses a 1-1/4" sway bar. I got mine of a Burban in the boneyard for $9. ECE offers a couple kits with all the brackets, bushings and hardware but that'll set ya back about $50

[dfwright]

Sounds like a good place to start..., or stop, as the case may be

[Pick]

Originally Posted by dfwright

Sounds like a good place to start..., or stop, as the case may be

I think being able to stop will be a good thing. I'm going to miss some of the adventure and excitement, but i am pretty sure I'll get over it quickly.

[Pick]

OK, so progress is relative.....today netted alittle. Stuff is cleaner, at least clean enough that nuts and bolts have a hex shape again so they can come apart.

And there's the spare that finally saw the light of day......

And pics of new, shiny stuff.

[Syndrome]

Nice, looks great so far. Good looking truck. Does she have any body rot?

[jlsanborn]

Ah, that's great work man! Grab a 4-1/2" grinder and some wire wheels. You'll be painting that stuff. Oh, don't forget some safety glasses too! Box of new spindles is like fresh baked bread... Mmmmmm!

[Pick]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Ah, that's great work man! Grab a 4-1/2" grinder and some wire wheels. You'll be painting that stuff.

Wire wheels are definitely in my future!

Oh, don't forget some safety glasses too!

Good advice! I'm a machinist, so I think safety glasses have almost become part of my anatomy. My wife gives me a hard time because she finds safety glasses and yellow/orange ear plugs everywhere.

Seriously though, that is something everyone should make a note of: Getting metal slivers pulled out of your eyeball is NO FUN! (trust me on that one) And that's nothing compared to the other worse possible outcomes!

Box of new spindles is like fresh baked bread... Mmmmmm!

Most definitely!

[Pick]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

Nice, looks great so far. Good looking truck. Does she have any body rot?

Thanks! Not really any bad rot anywhere (thankfully). That's one of the things that lead me to buy this one. I'm going to have to do the cab corner on the right side since it is "gonked" so bad, and I may need to do the outer rockers when I get that far (inners look and feel good), but overall she is surprisingly solid. The floors, body mounts, etc. all look very good so far.

The right front fender cup is rusted and gone below the battery, but it is "gonked" badly enough that I don't think I could have saved it anyway.

[Low Elco]

If you're upgrading, the big swaybar is a good deal, also, there's a cheap shock mount mod for the rear ( search the Crusty Rusty Leaky Squeaky thread) that makes 'em work a lot better for peanuts, especially if you use Monroe Sensatracs. I recently found a thread on a 3rd gen Z28 rear swaybar mod that I'm hot to try. Congrats on all the yummy new parts! That's a clean 'ol truck!

I'm a machinist as well, my wife's always hollerin' that I need to put my glasses on! Ironically, the one time I got a spiky piece of Bondo in my eye that required professional removal- I was wearing my glasses.

[Pick]

I have the drawing of the rear shock mount mod laying on my tool box. It is definitely on the to-do list for the rear. At the moment I have re-labeled Monroe Gas Magnums 'cause they were cheap ($6.77 ea) at RockAuto.com. I hoped that opting for the bargain wasn't going to bite me too hard. We'll see! I figured it was a cheap enough gamble.

Sway bars are also on the list. I've been looking at various rear sway bar designs and configurations to try to come up with one I like....both in function and looks. (it is a curse!) I'll share if I come up with something useful.

[Pick]

I have pictures......but my phone is refusing to allow me to get them, edit them, and post them.......so I guess they'll have to wait 'til it's in a better mood.

So far, all of my time on the truck has been spent chipping Georgia clay off of stuff......disassembling the stuff........and then chipping more Georgia clay off of other stuff....disassembling some more........and then I broke out the angle grinder and wire wheel and let it eat.

I thought my wife was going to have a heart attack when she came outside! I had a covering of a little grease and a ton of red clay from the top of my hat down to my socks.

The good news is that the front suspension is completely disassembled and ready for a serious cleaning, painting and rebuilding. It's amazing how sloppy and loose things got when the red glay and grease mixture started breaking free.

Pictures to come later.......and hopefully reassembly to follow soon!

[Pick]

Time lapse pictures......sort of....I obviously have lots more to do before reassembly but I'm sneaking up on it.

[swamp rat]

Sweet little truck!