'72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

I bought this as a core for my build about two years back and finally started on it this winter. I was waiting for my new garage to be near complete enough to be decently set up and simply having the time.

As you can see it is essentially one of those "lift up the ashtray and slide a new truck under it" projects!! It had about 40 years of being well pickled in salt and it shows. Original thoughts were that the body was all pretty much scrap but should be enough there to build up a rolling chassis at least - wrong! Even the frame was rotted beyond repair in a few critical and well hidden areas - oh well. There will be a few odds and ends that I can make use of such as the rear end and parts of the front end, etc. but the rest will be pieced and purchased separately - thank god for Bill's Truck Shop in Oshawa!

Got a frame out of a '68 3/4 ton from Bill's that is out of California and mint shape so started from that. In the process of of building up from that now using some of the old and lots of new. Plan is to have the rolling chassis built up for end of summer and ready to start doing body components in the fall.

Some details of what the plan for it is:
- 350HO (330 hp) turnkey crate engine with TH400 behind it
- Headers with crossover dual exhaust
- Keep original 3.08 diff and upgrade to Eaton posi
- Stock suspension but all new - no drop mods
- Autometer electronic gauges with carbon fiber dash bezel
- Paint-trim will change at least a dozen times before I get there but sure as hell won't be yellow!!

A few pics of the project up to this point - will try to add more from time to time as things get built up.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

I've been dealing with Bill for 24 years. He is awesome. Nice to see someone building a long box.

Also, I may have some stuff for you as you are building a stock truck. I have a few things lying around that need a new home as my 71 GMC is going in a racier direction. Feel free to message me if interested.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Welcome from Texas!! Nice to see another 4-eyed saved!!! :gmc:

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Tks

For every 4-eye we see about ten Chevy's out there so just makes them that much more special ... and I do love 'em!

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

cool...lets see some more...

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Will do, probably around mid to end of August I hope to have rolling chassis complete. Will update photos then.
Have been away for work about 80% of the time so haven't been able to make much headway the past few months but August will be my planned therapy time!

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

A few more pics of where things are at for the moment. Pretty close to complete rolling chassis, a couple of brake lines to finish and the driveline to bolt up. The rear tracking arm doesn't quite match the dimension having moved to a '68 3/4 ton frame (about 3/4 inch too long bolted up) and different mounting position on the frame rail. Thinking about modifying it by cutting and welding up outer/inner tie rod ends with adjusting link to get an exact fit and advantage of having that adjustment available for varying loads and conditions later. Now have the GM Performance 350HO full turnkey crate engine sitting on the floor (330HP / 380 ft-lbs) so should get that sitting in place in the next week or two. TH400 is currently being built and should have that ready to stick in in a week or two as well.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

lookin' good!

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

The GM Performance 350HO crate engine sitting on the floor waiting for attention:gmc2::hot:
It's a kinda-sorta turnkey engine .... you get the basic short block and the turnkey part comes in a box behind it on the pallet:two:
Makes it more fun that way so it's all good ... get to plink around a little bit at least with the engine. And yes, it does have the Chev stuff all over it but we won't hold that against it:sexy:
For $5500 CAD complete brand new it's pretty hard to justify building the whole engine plus accessories yourself and I would have had to upgrade with a PS pump and drive mounting on the original anyways. Would have been fun to build but not exactly cost effective.
Same thing for the TH400 that is on it's way from http://www.brianswayneonline.com/
Couldn't build it anywhere near as well or for half the price that he does them and it is spec'd for this particular project.
Gettin' closer to body time which will keep me occupied for the winter:exit:
Next photos will be power train installed and complete with rolling chassis finished, hopefully in a couple of weeks.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Well Gil (the automotive brains behind the operation) and I managed to get the engine and transmission mounted up this week. Installing the accessory drives and pulleys, etc. on the front took a bit of time but went ok. Could have circumvented a good deal of unnecessary emotion and drama if we had read the instructions at the BEGINNING instead of the END! There are some guy things that just never change no matter how hard we try.
Will have to slide the transmission back again for a bit to make a slight modification to the flex plate. The torque flange plate has 7/16 holes and is beefed up to about 3/8 thick so the little 3/8 bolts and nuts that are std just ain't gonna cut it. Will enlarge the flexplate holes to 7/16 and try to find some 7/16 nuts/bolts with the GM style flat washer surface integrated to the head of the bolt/nut. Tons of those in 3/8 but not sure they exist in 7/16. Want to stay away from individual flat washers if possible. Any suggestions?

Next up is headers and exhaust. Would appreciate any suggestions for which way to go, Sanderson, Hedman, etc. Don't need to go with ceramic coated or anything like that, this isn't exactly wild power and performance we're talking about here. Looking for a nice clean fit for the headers and a bit of heat rejection management.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Been a while since last update.
The chassis is now complete and rolled out into storage (Tempo winter vehicle garage) to bring the body sections in to the garage to work on.
The chassis before we rolled it out ...

Got the exhaust system completed, Sanderson CC17 headers with 2.5" Flowmaster system and Super 44 mufflers. Added braided flex couplings while fabbing the head pipes for a bit of insurance - the rubber mounts with the Flowmaster kit are so solid you could jack the truck up on the exhaust system and nothing would move!


Finally got the brake lines completed after a lot of messing around, pre-formed lines where half fit and half don't, a cheap flare kit that didn't make a single flare successfully (I knew better) and finally an Eastwood lever/cam tool with copper-nickel line and Eureka, didn't miss a single flare. Should have done this at the start and saved a pile of $$ and frustration. Highly recommended for anyone into this stage of things.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

So now we're into body work, finally!
Got a California cab complete with doors from Bill's in Oshawa, inner fenders in great shape, new aftermarket outer fenders so have enough to complete the front half. I'll go get a California box later when we get to that stage, only so much room to store this stuff and the more congested things get the more likely it is that I'll just run over it with the backhoe plowing snow!

The cab and doors are in great shape, lots of dents but no rust. Got everything sandblasted and epoxy primed right away so real nice to work on for sure. Got myself a stud gun for pulling dents so hopefully it resembles a '72 when I'm done and not a '64! It's called learning on the fly I guess!

Priority now is to just get the cab done and pre-painted (interior, firewall, underside) so I can roll the chassis back in and mount the cab onto it. Then the fun begins doing the control stuff and wiring. Was hoping to be at that point for the winter to have the cold months inside and heated to work at that but fell behind on the schedule. Such is life!
:waah:

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

lookin good!...I wish I was done my chassis. I got my cab floor from Bill's this summer, hoping to get a front clip soon..

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Well after what seemed like an eternity I finally have something to update this with.
After more than a year of this love / hate relationship with the cab it is done, I'm not a body work guy but I pushed myself to do it. Couldn't count the number of times I was so close to loading it on the trailer and taking to a body shop to let them do it. I knew if I did though that I wouldn't want to drive the thing when it's done ... whenever that might be! Yes, my wife is correct .... I am a cement head at times. A body guy would find a million defects in it but I'm happy with it which is all that counts I guess. Didn't think it would come out as good as it did to be honest. Good coaching (Gil), good paint, good gun stacked the odds a bit better leaving the only excuse as the idiot doing the work - me.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

So today was instant gratification day!
Years ago worked for a shop foreman who was a great old guy with the coolest funniest one liners. Would often come by and say "jeez, looks good when you put the big stuff on huh?"
Today was one of those days.
Had to McGyver my McGyver attachment for the backhoe to lift the cab and set it on the chassis. It's an old Hiab boom that I fabbed to fit where the bucket attaches on excavator boom. I used a 2x8 plank and temporary welded angle iron brackets to the top of the boom with screws from underneath into the plank. Couple pieces of carpet on the plank the protect the contact edge on the door seal flange and Bob's your uncle! That's a lot of McGyvering but hey, whatever works!
Stuck the rad support on as well ... ironically one of the very few parts from the original donor truck that gets used. Some major surgery on it but it came out ok.
So feels pretty darned good having the whole thing back in the garage where I can finally get back to sparks and bolts ... my comfort zone:two:
Getting everything lined up and coordinated so I'll be able to spend the winter putting things back together. Picked up a complete retrofit wiring kit from American Autowire - sweet! Gonna get an aftermarket complete AC kit with the flat bulkhead plate at the firewall and a complete Autometer dash. Most of the rest of it is sitting ready to go. Will get the inner and outer fenders painted and ready to install before winter gets here so I don't have to try and do that in January. Have new outers and inners (used in good shape) are epoxy primed ready to prep. Got plenty of heat in the garage but still, this is Canada and January ain't the time of year to be starting that stuff in your home garage.
Final paint is going to be the stock two-tone orange-white scheme. What's on there now is 524 hugger orange.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

I don't let anyone work on my stuff, unless it's some extreme odd deal, like balancing a crankshaft.

Look'n very good in the neighborhood!

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

lookin' good! great job on the paint.:metal:

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Thanks!
Patience is not a virtue I have a lot of so it feels good to have come out the other side with a decent result. Wasn't so sure that was going to be the case:ito:

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Things are moving ahead slow but sure.
Main thing is it is now running, everything good, no leaks, engine-tranny-diff-rad-PS
All working and rolling nicely.
Installed a Russell / Aeroquip fuel inlet to carb - a few adventures in plumbing but came out ok.
Bigger adventures in plumbing with the lower rad hose - not the first and certainly not the last to go through this issue with the 350 SB and the turnkey crate stuff didn't help with the challenge. The aluminum front housing for the accessory drives makes clearance coming off the water pump super tight. Ended up using two identical hoses, cut the sections from each to make it fit with a straight section of steel pipe in between to get the angles right. Spent hours going through threads on here seeing what other guys did to get around that.
Love the sound of the exhaust, came out better than I had hoped - Sanderson headers with Flowmaster dual 44's .... neighbours are going to love me now - not!!
Got the cab floor completed with Buzzmat insulation ... didn't feel like paying mega $$ for Dynamat for essentially the same thing and local shop had it in stock for a reasonable price.
Gas tank is in and fully connected running fuel to the pump. Not sure what I'll do yet with the EEC ports and fuel return which I no longer have with this setup. Don't plan on putting the charcoal canister back in either. Could just plug them and make up a vented cap I guess.
Next up ... steering column (new aftermarket tilt), bleed brakes, throttle cable and pedal linkage. Still waiting for a few small parts on backorder from Bill's and I can tackle those. Gotta paint the outer fenders before snow flies here but the innners are done now with matte black, same as rad support.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

A bit more progress to update.
Inner and outer fenders mounted loose - will shim and align a bit later with cab and rad support mounts.
Steering column is in and all connected, works nicely.
Transmission shift is complete using universal rod and linkage kit, highly recommended retrofit solution for those not religious about stock solution. Had a bit of an issue removing the original link on the selector shaft, snapped the end off trying to remove the nut. Had to replace the shaft so drop the pan, etc. Not that big a deal but a bit of a pain nonetheless. It all moves and shifts beautifully now with the aftermarket linkage kit from the column thru down to the shaft and transmission internal.
Brakes are bled and working so at this point engine is running well, transmission shifting from the column, brakes all up and functioning.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

So next up ...
Throttle pedal and cable is in but need a bit of hardware to complete at the carb. Have to source a ball stud for the linkage to fit the socket on the cable and a spring clip retainer that slides over the socket end on the cable. The ball studs are easy enough to find but that spring clip retainer not so much. Also need a retainer bracket off the carb mount that the rubber grommet on the throttle cable slides into - will probably fab one up with adjustment on it so it all aligns properly.
Also have to install an offset oil filter adapter to move the filter in closer tight to the oil pan. They have those for exact situations like this where the filter is less than 1/2" from the exhaust header and in my case right up against the collector pipe.
Then on to wiring and controls. The American Autowire kit is ready to go in, getting a Grant Collector's model steering wheel for Xmas (she asked what I wanted so!!!), will order the aftermarket dash shortly and most of the rest I have here ready to go. Have been away most weeks thru the fall for work but will have a few weeks over the holidays to get a good run at working on things and moving ahead.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Things are moving along at a snail's pace but at least moving.
The AAW Classic Update wiring kit is mostly in. What a dream to work with!
I got an order of Flextral F6 braided split loom as well to keep things as clean as possible. Makes a nice finish and simplifies things.
Received the dash and gauges from Classic Dash with Autometer Pro-Comp gauges. Was able to get the speedo in km/hr which is a bonus for living up here in Canada. Got the matte black dash and thought about painting it but think I'll leave it as is. Interior of cab will all be orange / black so this fits well.
Received the new steering wheel as well from Grant - took two months on backorder but worth the wait. Still working out some mounting issues with that aligning the spline hub 3-bolt locator to the 5-bolt mount for the Signature series wheel. Getting the turn signal return cams aligned with all of that seems to be one or the other - either the wheel is aligned correct or the turn signal cams are but not both. We'll see what Grant comes back with but will probably require some ingenuity to make it fit correctly.
So aside from that it now starts/stops with the ignition switch (instead of my jump switch), alternator charging, all running well and no leaks. Just about time to sit a pail upside down in the cab for a seat and take her for a tour around the yard to see how she rolls around. Will wait until the snow and ice clears out though I think.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Forgot to mention what the solution ended up as for the throttle cable and linkage. Messed around with stock cables for too long and ended up getting a Lokar stainless braided cable and linkage assy - perfect!
So that's Lokar for the throttle, Lokar for the transmission shift linkage and won't even bother messing with stock stuff for the park brake cable assy .... just go with Lokar again. Checked on the stock park brake cables and there are about 20 different versions depending on year, 1/2 or 3/4, etc. Seeing as I have a '68 3/4 ton frame with a '72 1/2 ton cab on top, 350 sbc turnkey crate, etc I can't be bothered guessing at that .... Lokar.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Staying grounded:gmc2:
A bit of overkill maybe but you can't have too many grounds and I don't plan on chasing any gremlins with bad grounds down the road.
Used 1 gauge and 4 gauge welding cable with crimped / soldered / heat shrinked terminals
- Battery to block and block to frame - 1 ga
- Both frame rails to welded studs on underside of rad support (2) - 1 ga
- Both frame rails to underside of cab (2) - 4 ga
And just for looks ... the stock braided straps back of head to cab - whatever:ito:

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Where abouts in the Ottawa area are you? Great looking project.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

I'm in Chelsea on the QC side ... 30 mins north of downtown.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Got the dash wired up. Put in a set of different led's than the mini black ones that came with the classic dash kit. Turn signal x2, blue hi beam and red brake - either park on or proportioning valve warning. Now the fun part - testing and debugging!

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Finished install for the steering wheel. Wasn't happy with the std mount adapter with rubber collar that came with it so got a billet adapter mount that matches the wheel and looks much better. Ends up bringing the wheel about 2" closer to the column also which is almost exactly stock position.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Looks good- you're doing it right!

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Thanks Tigger!
Hopefully one day mine will be the same colours as your "tigger" truck!
Still have a long to-do list before I get to that point though.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

A bit of a story around dash indicator panel lights.
I decided to go with a bit larger and nicer looking led panel lights for the dash, seemed simple enough and pretty common, found a set on Amazon. Installed those and plugged it all in for first power up, blew the fuse for turn signals right off the bat. First instinct was problem in the steering column so went through process of branch isolation and all ok in the column .... thank God. Narrowed down quickly to the dash and found that the flimsy termination at the led pins on the back either breaks to open circuit or in this case shorts across the pins and grounds. Tried to solder and heat shrink better termination but more of the same. So thought about going with a sturdier light setup I found at a local electronics supply store but they were 1/2" and didn't quite look right so stopped myself before I drilled those holes out .... thank God x2. So now what, I've got 5/16 holes that are larger than the original 3/16 leds that came from Classic Dash and kinda hard to make that grow back . More online searching and found some solid light assy's (Ron Francis) that are 5/16 and a diffused lens so not as bright as the leds that were a bit too intense, another issue. Found out that the led's are available in both low and hi intensity after the fact but still, want to be careful with how the terminations are done on the back.
So in the photos below to give you an idea, left to right ...
1/2" with diffused lens - well built but too large in my opinion
5/16" led - fragile wire termination and a bit too bright, nice looking
3/16" led with original dash kit - small, unsure about wire termination, wanted better look
5/16" with diffused lens - solid wire termination, looks good (to me)
So wiring is done, everything works and fuses all good.
For anyone doing the aftermarket or custom dash thing ... not all panel indicator lights are created equal, shop carefully especially online.

On another note - alternator charging.
The sbc turnkey crate came with a Delco CS series alternator which they call a "one wire" setup. Wired it to what I assumed (never assume) was correct with main power to battery and the "S" sense wire to the power post, the other 3 wires are unused options. No charge. Read back through manuals and the "L" wire normally used for the alternator light in the dash needs to be connected to ignition source with a resistor inline if no light connected. 14.6 volts. So by my counting which ain't always the greatest but ... that makes 3 wires to get this "one wire" alternator charging.

Got a set of Hella H4/H1 hi/lows to fit the headlight pots and built a breaker and relay setup to power them. Will post pictures of that shortly when it's all wired up.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Bosch relays and breaker mounted inside rad support on left side. Will clean up the wire routing later.
H4 hi-lo and H1 hi beams and lotsa lumens ... could light up a buck 300 yds across a field after midnight ... but I would never do that!

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Took the original old bench seat apart to see if it is worth re-doing. Frame is all good apart from rust, no broken or bad springs so just get it sandblasted and epoxy primed. The foam ain't new but better than some that I've seen looking at posts on the subject here. Could probably clean that up and make it work under a new set of upholstery. Want to go with black vinyl and orange/black houndstooth inserts.
So here's the question .... having spent hours going through threads here on the subject, what model is this and what bench cover to order? Apparently there are several different bench models, 1/2 foam, full foam, 1/2 spring, etc. Also read that it depends on year because there's a difference there. This one's from the original '72, base model truck. Are there nicer (fuller) benches than this one cause it seems comfortable enough but the foam is kinda minimal.
Should probably do a separate thread with the questions I suppose.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

MAIDEN VOYAGE:metal:

Well not much of a voyage really but 30' outside the garage door under its own steam for the first time so I guess that's a milestone of sorts. Looks like I have a blown rear brake wheel cylinder on one side .... brand new when I put it in but that was 2 years ago. Dagnabbit!!

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

lookin good..:metal:

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Nice build

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Finally got the seat finished. I got the frame and mounts blasted and powder coated, came out nice. Was lucky, no broken springs, all intact. Did some minor repair to the foam, patched in a few high density sections where it was worn on the driver side. Used a combination of bread knife, electric knife and 4.5" flap disc on grinder. Tried putting a 1" topper low density foam on both bench and back nicely bevelled to contour edges but covers were way too tight so cut them off. Flap disc works great but man what a mess!! Glued in heavy canvas for back of both foam cushions instead of burlap ... worked great.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

So here's the finished seat. Got the covers from vendor Truckseats, awesome! I used 1/8 steel rod for the inserts for the hog rings which worked out good, nice straight even pull all around the cover instead of waves through each hog ring pull. Only negative is that the houndstooth inserts on passenger side (bench and back) don't line up perfectly but the driver side is perfect and everything is stretched, centered and aligned evenly so not sure if it was a defect or what. Thought about pulling all the hog rings and trying again ... for about 3 seconds and said nah, will be just fine and I'm pretty happy with it over all. Good thing I took that 1" topper foam off because it sits really high ... I've read a lot of comments here on the same thing.

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

So back to body and paint, running out of excuses and finding other things to tackle, just do it. Can you sense the void in motivation for body and paint?? I did get the doors done and they're painted complete orange/white. Next step is shoot the white sections on the cab and then clear coat it. Doing single stage with clear on top of that mainly due to durability issues with SS alone. Find that it chips and scratches if you as much as look at it sideways. Then mount the doors, then line up the fenders and gap everything so I can get the lines for paint/trim on the fenders ... doors and cab already have factory holes which should help. Once the lines are done for the fenders take them off and paint/clear those then put em back on. Then we get to the hood ... I now have 3 hoods for this thing. One is the original from yellow truck which is trash, got one last year that looked ok but after I got it blasted and epoxy primed found one front corner badly banged in that had about 3/4" of mud over it (no kidding) and got another one this winter that is all original (zero mud) with GMC holes with surface rust only. Can't say I don't have options!

Re: '72 GMC long/fleet in Ottawa area
 

Nice work, I like the seat did you do it yourself?