Truck update

[Stephen717]

Thanks I should be moving around without crutches soon enough. Barnfind46 I'm glad your wife is doing better. Today's update consists of me stabbing my thumb with a screwdriver while dealing with brake springs, and finding chunks out of all 4 shoes so it looks like I'm ordering new ones along with emergency brake cables and wheel studs. Also the wheel cylinders are rusted stuck on the backing plates so I have to figure out how to get those off. On the bright side the self adjusters are working beautifully now.

[Steeveedee]

Use a 6 point box wrench or socket on the wheel cylinder mounting bolts. What's the the worst that could happen? Twist 'em off? Oh, noes!

[Stephen717]

I would but they're stripped. I'm thinking either heat and vice grips or drill them out and get new bolts for the new wheel cylinders. The oh noes thing got me to laugh though.

[Steeveedee]

Get a left hand twist drill bit if you're going to drill them out. If the drill catches just right it can unscrew them for you, and if not, the head is drilled off anyway.

[Stephen717]

That's... Actually a really good idea. Thanks

[Stephen717]

So I got the first wheel cylinder drilled out. Had to keep going up in size on drill bits until the bolts finally cut loose. Tried an extractor and it broke right off. Going to leave the other drum together until I can afford the shoes and parking brake cables to put everything back together, that way I'm not putting everything on the backing plates with the old cracked shoes just to redo it in a couple of weeks with new stuff.

[Stephen717]

Still haven't done much but I was cleared on Thursday to get off the crutches so that's something. I also finally got the passenger side backing plate off and replaced with the new one. It also looks like my parking cables are still good so I only have to buy wheel studs and shoes to put everything back together. All in all even if it's taking me awhile I can't be happier with the results I'm getting. Can't wait to get her back on the road.

[gmc684x4]

looking nice

I am looking at the same boat waiting to be able to get weight on my leg to get back to wrenching on my projects that a very busy life has kept me from I have parts to get two trucks running this year so aim for them first

[Stephen717]

Well I hope you have a speedy recovery and can get your trucks running this year, I applied for a second job today and hopefully I get it as it'll help me get my truck on the road sooner. It'll just make for longer days and shorter nights

[Stephen717]

So I did one of the things I always wanted to do and got rid of the drip rail above the windshield. In the process I also found a lot of rust in the roof of my cab. Just one more thing to fix.

[Truckenrc]

Loving the updates on this build, I too am suffering a leg injury and havent been able to get much work done on my c10. So I know the feeling, keep up the positivity and keep building!!

[Stephen717]

Thanks for the kind comment and I hope you have a speedy recovery. I have a spare 69 hood that I'm going to try and sell for what I got it for and since I have a good set of doors the roached ones that are currently on the truck will supply the spare metal to fix the roof. Then I really need to find a local sandblasting service to get the cab and bed over to so I can see just how much metal I need to fix before moving on to prep and paint work

[Steeveedee]

That roof looks nasty. Good thing you already have some metal to add. Are you going to weld it yourself?

[Stephen717]

Yeah, I've been getting welding practice on other projects and successfully welded the 67 fenders I have, the roof hopefully won't be too hard. And I also plan to do the body prep and paint myself as well. There's not too many people at car shows in my area who can say they've done everything themselves from the ground up. So I'll get the pride and satisfaction of being one of the few who can say it.

[Stephen717]

My problem for a long time was that I was going back and forth on different paint schemes and color combos but I think I've just about figured out what I'm going to do. Something along the lines of a classic shop truck. Hand painted decals on the doors, pin striping on the hood, still playing with color ideas in my head but I'm liking the hugger orange and white combo. And I plan on matching the paint on the camper shell and refurbishing it (even though it's not going to be a permanent feature on the truck. It'll be nice to have if I want to get away for the weekend to go camping or to a different state for a photography shoot.

[Stephen717]

Ok so this has been a long time coming according to my last post. still haven't fixed the roof, the new clean doors I have need patched on the lower outer skins (have patch panels on order) the split rims are gone but I need to get spacers to run the front aluminum 16" rims until I can afford to get some 17" rims. and while I would love to have slot mags I think I'm going to have to settle for pacers 342B black d ring wheels cause they'll fit, look good, and most importantly they fit my budget. I have the brakes 80% done, just trying to find parking brake cables that'll work and the lines that follow the eaton axle in the rear. and the camper shell (which I'm still not sure whether or not I'll keep) has turned out to be a great thing for keeping my parts out of the weather. I also looked at my big block yesterday and it looks like it survived the crash. so hopefully it doesn't take too much to get that thing refurbished and in my truck eventually. for now though the plan is to get the brakes finished, get the wheels so I can roll it around the shop, get the drive train swapped to the new frame, then get the cab moved over so I can fix the rusted areas on it before putting the bed on it.

[LockDoc]

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It sounds like you have some good ideas. I hope you are feeling well enough to work on it. Keep us posted on the progress.

LockDoc

[Stephen717]

Ok so, due to some unfortunate circumstances I am gonna have to take a step back from my project for awhile. I was recently let go from my job for reasons that I don't want to get into and I have to get my truck home from where I was previously employed asap. That said I already have use of a trailer and I have a friend who's going to help me get the body swapped over to the new frame until I can get moved and get a garage to work on the truck in. But I am in search of a cheap set of 17" wheels with an 8x6.5 lug pattern. I only need 2 and the tires only have to be good enough to hold enough air to get the truck on a trailer. If anyone has a set of knows where I can get some wheels cheap it'd be a huge help. Thank you all for the continued support on this thread.

[Stephen717]

So things are going good down south. Getting the house cleaned up, lightbulbs changed, shop converted from a wood shop to a metal shop, and in the process I've learned that we have a generator for if we lose power, so that's nice. But anyway, I'm headed back to West Virginia either the second or third week in January and instead of leaving my truck up north until March we've decided to bring it back on this trip. And once I get the barn door on the shop moved from the side to the front I'll be able to pull the truck in so it's out of the elements while I work on it. That's all I've got to update on for now though. Can't wait to see it again and I can't wait until I finally get it back on the road

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Stephen717

So things are going good down south. Getting the house cleaned up, lightbulbs changed, shop converted from a wood shop to a metal shop, and in the process I've learned that we have a generator for if we lose power, so that's nice. But anyway, I'm headed back to West Virginia either the second or third week in January and instead of leaving my truck up north until March we've decided to bring it back on this trip. And once I get the barn door on the shop moved from the side to the front I'll be able to pull the truck in so it's out of the elements while I work on it. That's all I've got to update on for now though. Can't wait to see it again and I can't wait until I finally get it back on the road

Man, you've had a lot of stuff going on. I would be nuts by now...... Good luck on your latest journey and it will feel great when you do get your truck back on the road.... I can tell you that.

LockDoc

[yuccales]

Your build thread has been a heck of a good read so far. Looking forward to your continuing progress. Hope 2021 is a good one for you and your truck!

[Stephen717]

Thanks guys, it has been a wild ride since I joined on here and the last of 2020 was hectic to say the least. I'm glad I was able to bring a guitar with me when we first came down here and that I've been able to read the forum. I'm definitely gonna try to keep this thread updated more often once the truck is down here

[May70]

Don't let it kill that desire to put that ride back onto the road.

[Stephen717]

Hey guys, so I have been rather busy. The truck is still in West Virginia cause I can't afford to get it down south but I got it moved from my cousins shop to my grandmothers house so my cousin and build an addition. I also got my 454 from my wrecked 97 k2500 and I have it on the stand tearing it down for a top end rebuild. Other than a broken spark plug I can't find anything wrong with the motor so I'm guessing that it survived the crash. That's about all I have to update on. There's so many motorcycles and hot rods and old trucks down here I'm getting so many new ideas about what to do with my truck.

[LockDoc]

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Sounds good! Progress is progress, so you are headed in the right direction.

LockDoc