Cleanup process?

[LuckyLightning]

Hey everyone, I've had my '63 longbed sitting on the family farm (central Texas: 100's in the summer, low 20's in the winter) for about 10 years now. I rolled it and bent the frame and just sort of gave up on it for a while.

But now I'm going to start on it again and I have some concerns about how to go about dusting it off and determining the salvageable parts.

Since it's been sitting for so long, do I need to do anything with the fluids? Changing the oil seems obvious, but what about transmission and rear differential? Should I consider flushing the radiator? Also, should changing the oil be the only thing I do, or should I just have the block stripped and cleaned?

Since I rolled it, would the suspension be any good still? Aside from obvious defects (cracks, breaks, etc.) should I look for anything else in the shocks and springs? Or is it just a good rule of thumb after rolling a vehicle back onto all four tires to replace it all?

[zenish]

didn't rolling it kinda damage the body?id use it as a parts truck.

[LuckyLightning]

Yes, the body is damaged a bit. A lot will have to be replaced, but what I want to know is what parts would still be good, and which ones wouldn't be and how I can tell.

[Frizzle Fry]

The ones that aren't bent or rusted are good

[SIR]

HOWDY...BRUCE HERE,did you go ALL the way over or just "flop" it on it's side?? got any pictures?
is it still a "roller" ? EVERYTHING can be fixed with time and money...if the cab is intact you should be able to bring it back....

BRUCE...

[LuckyLightning]

Thanks guys. Yeah, there are pictures in the Welcome area. And yes I did roll it all the way over back onto the wheels.

The cab got bent up a little, I think when the back end of the truck slammed against the embankment is when the frame got bent and the bed hit the back of the cab and then when it rolled it was mid-air but not enough for the cab to have complete ground clearance: it shifted and the windshield is almost completely popped out of place (and cracked very badly too). The driver-side door was open too during the roll, so I think that also contributed to the shift in the cab when the door touched the ground.

Hopefully here you can see the back of the cab, on the passenger side, where the bed hit it.


And here you can see how the windshield is popped out.




It just seems like the structural integrity of the cab itself has been compromised, even if I were able to hammer back into shape.

[bpmcgee]

Lucky,

I'd be concerned too. I don't see how it could have rolled over, putting all that stress on the cab, and still have all the openings line up.

Brian

[Fred T]

You're right, the cab is compromised. If the door frames are bent, it's a lot cheaper and easier to get another cab. Add to that a bent frame, and I would start by removing all the good parts.

[Frizzle Fry]

parts truck

[LuckyLightning]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll be dismantling the truck next week. I found a '64 with a good frame and other misc parts. I also found an '84 3/4 ton suburban that I'll be taking the 4wd components (and power steering!) and placing them on the 63/64 truck.

I'll take another hard look at the cab once I've got it off the bent 63 frame. Only in certain places does it look "shifted", so it might not be salvageable like Fred said. I'll post pics of my progress.

So how badly have I screwed myself with the fluid issue? It's been sitting for 9 years...