Here's the story. A couple months ago I found this old 1970 yellow and white Chevy K20 Suburban at the junkyard. It was all original except the 350 had been replaced by a 454! I bought the seat(black vinyl), dash pad(also black), and fan shroud out of it, and I came back for some other stuff a week later and it was gone. Somebody bought it and it sat about 20 miles out of town on some guys land. What happened was, this guy let his friend that bought it keep his trucks on his property and he left 'em there way too long. So what happened? The property owner got tired of 'em being there and called the same junkyard the burb came from to pick it up. :lol: We went to the junkyard today and Dad saw it sitting way in the back, and I told him we gotta buy it before it gets crushed/stripped. Get this, the guy at the yard is selling it to me for $300, with a clear title!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:metal: :metal: :metal: It still has the BB/tranny/x-fer case and both axles. The rear is the Eaton HO52, the front should be a D44. I don't know if it is original, I didn't look for brake drums. It had the red lockouts on it so it might not be. It has four 16.5 slot rims that are painted steel? with 8.75-16.5 tires. It has a real big bumper on the front that I think had a winch before. The rear bumper is pretty big too. It has rust problems at the top corners of the front and rear roof but it's real solid on top and not dented or real rusty, most of the truck has original paint. It has the tailgate and lift hatch, all glass windows are good. Has original gauges, radio, black non-tilt auto column and wheel, black door panels and all rear trim panels, and the glovebox lid with the 4x4 sticker, and it also has the original 4x4 shift knob, I think it has the NP205 t-case. It's weird though, it has front heat and rear A/C. The compressor is gone and so is the heater box, the dumbass that bought it had all kinds of crap thrown inside and messed the center seat up, and I guess he's the one that took the heater box. No biggie, I have a spare. The engine looks like it'll run with some new plugs and basic stuff, not sure about the tranny or t-case. I'll have to check all the grease levels and gears, etc before I try to drive it around. I should have this by next Friday!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait!!!!!!!!:metal: :metal: :metal:

Cool, will go good with your other '70!!!!!

cool cain't wait to see pixs,my 70 K/10 also has the red lockouts.

What a deal!!!

Sounds like a runner. The tranny and xfer case probably leak, but only need an oil change. Unlikely that they'll prove problematic to get the truck back on the road. The interior parts and body are another matter.

I sure hope that 454 runs. That would be sweet. Drain the block and flush the block from the thermostat neck through the block drains before running it, though. Just spray garden hose thru while blocking the water pump intake. New thermostat, too. Probably needs a new water pump.

Maybe have the radiator cleaned by a rad shop. Only $36 here if no repair needed. They use an acid tank with ultrasound waves to loosen any crud in the tubes. Much better than just flushing.

Make sure the tank has good fuel. Rust and congealed gas will clog a carb fast. Best to drain it and have it also cleaned by a rad shop. Perhaps, sealed, too. Then get to the brake hydraulics. Who knows what you'll find there, too. Safety first. ;)

Looking foward to pics.

Great advise from 4x4poet.You`ll also need a black dashpad,seat,and fan shroud.:)

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm gonna put the seat and dashpad back in it when we get it home. :lol: I kept the old seat from my truck and fixed it and put a new green saddle blanket seat cover on it, just never got it put back in the truck. The first things I'm going to do are try and fix the rust areas around the roof, but I wanna try to get it running before I do that! The engine looked complete, had an air cleaner on top of the Quadrajet so at least the carb should be clean enough to fire the engine up. The gas cap was on the filler neck too so hopefully the important stuff is in good shape. I'll change the oil, flush the cooling system, change the fluid in the tranny, t-case, and both diff's., and get the gas tank cleaned. Man it's gonna take some work. The brakes are gonna be fun, I don't know if the return spring for the pedal was broke or if it was disconnected but the pedal was to the floor. I will take a lot of pictures of it when we get it home. I'll probably end up pulling it with my truck since it's only a couple miles to my great Uncle's house, I'll bet were gonna draw a lot of attention. A green truck pulling a yellow Suburban. :cool:

pixs,pixs,we need pixs man the suspence is killing me.

I won't have 'em till Saturday, try not to think about it too much. :lol:

I won't have 'em till Saturday, try not to think about it too much...:lol:

Can you at least draw a picture:confused:

lol!Draw a pic! ;)

Good find... How rusty is it???

If they are cool looking slot wheels, they should be aluminum. Sounds like a sweet deal. Is it already street legal, or is it going to need alotta work?

My handwritin ain't too good, so a drawin picture is out of the question. I'll take the camera and see if he's open tomorrow.

bagged91, it's not in good shape in the roof areas, but it's fixable and is in way better condition than the cab on my truck. Overall the body is in good condition with the exception of the roof.

Jake, I know they were slot wheels, but they were rusty and had been painted white. Sounds weird but that's what me and Dad saw. They are 16.5" wheels that are 8.25" wide and they have 8.75-16.5 tires that are at about 30% tread and holding air. There was another one in the spare tire holder in the back that had a big blowout in the tire, so there's a complete set of 5 wheels. I'm keeping those wheels on there since they look cool and I don't have any spare 8 lug wheels or tires. I'll paint 'em silver when I can get around to it. This Burb is gonna be a whole new project. Full brake system needs to be gone through, fluids changed, cooling system flushed, probably 2 hours worth of cleaning the interior out, etc. I sure as hell hope that big block runs good!!!! :metal: There was all kinds of crap thrown inside, me and Dad were cleaning it all out at the junkyard there, so most of the big stuff is out except for the stuff that's staying like the gauges, radio, glovebox lid, and all the hardware that was taken loose. This guy had a big diesel tank from the back of a pickup in there with another gas tank shoved against the center seat(seat is OK!), junk engine gaskets, etc. I found a big logging chain in the back and some hard hats, this used to belong to a construction company according to the records that were in the glovebox. There was a spare belt for the engine that had "Old Yeller" written on the paper sleeve too. :lol: Pics will be here soon, stay alert guys!

Tell ya what, since I'm a nice generous kind of guy, I'll buy the 'Burb off from you for $301, therefore you will be making profit. Not only that, I'll let YOU ship it up here to Maine, in to my driveway, at no cost to me. Sound good?

Hell no! :lol: I should have it here tomorrow, but we're having a big paintball war at a ranch for one of my friend's graduation party. :metal: So it's gonna take awhile longer, as usual.

Have fun, and get the pics ASAP.

I knew some crap like this was gonna happen............Yesterday morning I went and checked it out again, yes it has the original front axle and the 205 T-case. I would've bought it last week but Mom wouldn't let Dad buy it for me. Well the guy at the yard said someone wants the steering column and steering box. I was pissed, and I didn't have enough $$$ and still don't. Damnit I hope nothing's missing off of it..............Will post back ASAP when I find anything out.............

Damn that sucks. Hope its in one piece when you get it.

Uh oh. Mom ain't keen on the obsession. :eek:

Well the guy never came to get the parts!!!! YES!!!! :metal: Dad went out there this morning to talk to him, and the guy at the yard is gonna make sure nobody messes with it. Dad's gonna drop off half of the money for me tomorrow while I'm at school. It'll be home soon!!!!!!!!!!

Well thats good. Congrats. :metal:

Thanks dude. I can't wait to hear that BB rumble, it already has a dual exhaust with long glasspacks that's still in good condition. :metal: I might have trouble with the pass. side hub, I couldn't get it to go into the free position with just my hands. The engine will crank over, when I looked at it Saturday morning I turned it with a breaker bar. The tranny and transfer case go into all gears/ranges too. It has a TH350, hopefully it'll work OK. There was clean red fluid on the dipstick, and the engine was full of oil too but it needs to be changed bad.

Whew that was close,now go get that sucker so we can see it.

I'll take pics if the yard is open late, he usually closes at lunch time and I get out of school at 3:37. Our last day of school is thursday so it'll be friday at the latest!!!!! Class of '06 rules!!!!!! :metal:

Buy it. How hard would it be to find a steering box and column if you looked around a little? I'm sure if you looked around, you could find an old truck with all the parts you needed and get the parts cheap, or the whole truck for that matter. Being cheap rules.

Yeah I was thinking about going ahead and buying it, Dad doesn't want me to because it won't be driveable. I got pissed because he told my Dad that he wouldn't sell any parts off of it, and did it anyway. The dumbass that bought the parts needed 'em for a 2wd, well most of us already know the 4wd steering parts won't work on a 2wd!!!! (insert Carlos Mencia "der derder!!!!!!" sound here)

Maybe the parts will wonder there way back to the Burb. If he finds out they don't work, he may come back and throw them inside it or something. You never know what might happen.

Robert ...I would take jakes advise the guy that bought the parts cant use them. If I were you I would try to track him down and maby do some research on the parts he needs,Maby find the stuff he needs and strike a deal. Like you all he is trying to do is fix an old truck but doesnt neccassarily know what he is doing. Like him buying parts that ''you'' know he cant use. Knowledge is everything.....BUY-THE-TRUCK...LOL..GOOD LUCK....

Yeah I was thinking about going ahead and buying it, Dad doesn't want me to because it won't be driveable. I got pissed because he told my Dad that he wouldn't sell any parts off of it, and did it anyway. The dumbass that bought the parts needed 'em for a 2wd, well most of us already know the 4wd steering parts won't work on a 2wd!!!! (insert Carlos Mencia "der derder!!!!!!" sound here)

Not everyone wants to be a parts dealer but arnt the parts on it well worth the purchase price.

I just picked up a 2wd 70 GMC that needs a lot of parts, To me it could be a gold mine of items. And I am sure that there are places you can find a steering gear. What other years might swap into it. perhaps the 80's burbs/blazers?

In other words, if the body is in good shape and the interior is decent, (For guys lke me missing the back seats) it might be worth the rest of the purchase.

Austin and Beeville are not that far away. if you get it and part it let me know if you decide not to get it take some pics and send them my way. I'll take a day off and come down.

Send me a PM if you dont pick it up. But it sounds like, from your earlier posts it was wellworth the askign price.

Good luck.

Thomas

Hello I don't see any pixs yet, But I'm a patient man,I'm still waiting.

I'm gonna try to make a deal on it tomorrow morning, will take pics. Hang on y'all................

Is there some higher force of power at work here?!?!?!? I got woke up at 6:30 this morning by a LOUD crash. No, wasn't a wreck, it was thunder. It rained like a SOB from then till 11 this morning, we got 5 inches of rain today. And of course now he won't be open till monday. Damnit I hope he doesn't start crushing yet................

:lol:

The force at work is the "snooze ya lose" force.Go buy the dang thing before some other part that`ll do no one any good comes off of it!

Is there some higher force of power at work here?!?!?!? I got woke up at 6:30 this morning by a LOUD crash. No, wasn't a wreck, it was thunder. It rained like a SOB from then till 11 this morning, we got 5 inches of rain today. And of course now he won't be open till monday. Damnit I hope he doesn't start crushing yet................

This post is going to make me about as popular as a whore in church. I think the force at work is the angel that's trying to protect you and you got him working overtime. To make sure I'm on the right page. First off the truck is not running so that you can check any of the components of the drive train. It is now missing the steering box and column so you need a wrecker or at least a tow dolly to move it. In the almost month you have been trying to buy this you could not come up with $300 to buy it or at least half down to get the yard man to hold it for you. Your dad is not for it since it don't run. (this is the big one) Your mom is not for it anyway you go about it. You need at least one of them in your corner. If this truck was a construction vehicle as you think it has probable been rode hard and hung up wet more than a time or two. Used parts that are in good shape are going to be hard to find and costly. New is worse. If you have good luck and get it to run without spending a lot just feeding that 454 is going to be a ball buster. I have a 77 model with 61000 miles 2wd drive and about 6-7 mpg is as good as it will do. It is not my intention to shoot down your dream. Just take a long hard look at the big picture. Good luck.

Robert, could you buy it and hide it at a friends house or something so your parents won't be b*tching at you 24/7? :lol:

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!! The only thing missing is the column, the steering box and linkage wasn't messed with, Dad just thought the box was missing since the column was. I'll get another column for it later though. YEP, I bought it. For $200! Dad said to get it since the steering box is still there so I damn sure did. Gonna pick it up sometime this week!! :metal: :metal: Yeah it has rust problems but it's not too far gone to fix. You can see the radio and dash in one pic, the glovebox door is sitting on the center seat and I have the original owners manual too. Anyway here's the pics:

More

last pic. will take more when it gets home! :metal: :metal: the rockers on this are really solid, but the roof and upper door sealing areas are getting pretty rusty. the rust spots are the first things to be fixed, other than getting that 454 running! oh yeah this Burb has the manual throttle option, probably for running the PTO. i found the chrome bezel and plastic THROTTLE plate for the dash on the floor, glad it didn't fall out.

oh yeah anybody ever seen wheels like that before? i thought all the slot wheels were made of aluminum?

no underhood pic? good score

Whew,Glad to finally see pixs,I think mine had more lower rust than that,Good to see it's not going to the CRUSHER and for only 200.00 WOW! Great score.Man what a rear step bumper.Sweet.Keep us posted for progress.Thanks for shareing.

Sorry, forgot pics of the engine compartment. I would've taken more of the inside but it was close to closing time.(they're only open in the morning) Me and Dad are going to pick it up tomorrow morning!!! I already gave him the cash this morning so we'll have it home quick. I'm keeping both bumpers on it, just gonna repaint 'em and take off the extra crap that's on that winch bumper. Later on I'll put some Crosby 10ton shackles and weld new steel guards on it and beef it up more. I'll probably sand and paint those rims silver and put some big Gumbomudders or SuperSwamper TSL's on 'em. This'll by my mud/wheeling/hunting truck. :metal: More pics will be taken tomorrow. I'll have this thing running by the end of the week, I just gotta go get a steering column from the OTHER junkyard now. :lol:

Might want some gauges too :lol: Wow $200=can't go wrong! The grille looks straight as far as I can see. Looks like all the trim might be there. Why the heck did that thing end up in the yard? Your biggest problem might be rust around the roofline and windshield. I bet you could do a couple weeks worth of work to it and sell it for $1000 worst case scenario. Looks like a keeper though!

Those steel wheels were sold in the`70s for work trucks mostly.I`ve only seen them on the rear of 2wds for towing.I always wanted some.They just came primer grey,you paint(or not).

Frizzle fry, the gauges are right behind the 4x4 shifter, you can bearly see 'em in a couple pics. :lol: All the body parts are straight on this Burb, no dents anywhere that I could see. It's gonna stay in the family for a long time, this'll be my second truck. :metal:

Thanks for the info on the wheels Tim.

EDIT: still not home, the steering shaft wouldn't fit on the box. DUH, the shaft came from a truck with manual steerin. Gotta get one for pwr. steering and a column too. I'm getting it towed to my Uncles place tomorrow around 9, will take more pics. I also found more stuff missing, the wiring connectors for the brake switch and steering column were cut off, and a bunch of the hardware for the front seat and glovebox were gone too. The wiring under the hood is a nightmare, at least 15 different colors of added wires with wire nuts everywhere. They tried to wire in a 66A internal regulated alternator, not sure that it ever worked(or ever will) the way it is.

Cool old wheels. Good deal for 200 bucks. You even got high-quality porches on the front and back with it. :lol:

this is just a guess but the wheels look like dually wheels flipped outward? still looks cool. man i gotta find a deal like that to make a new surf fishin rig out of. good luck.:b69:

Robert... Your best bet for the wiring is get a painless unit or even make your own if you cant afford one. there are so few electric options on your truck all you need is a good fuse block and start from scratch. Atleast then you know what you have got. I know it sounds like alot of work but it will probably be easier then trying to figure out the birds nest your faced with...Especially if you plan on keeping it....Throw some paint on it and get some patio furniture and a barbecue for the porch and that baby will be the envy of your neighbor-hood...

Thanks y'all. Yeah those do look like dually wheels but they're just regular steel wheels. I'm guessing they're 8.25" wide, so 33's or 35's will fit on 'em good. The factory wiring harness has been spliced into in a lot of places, but not destroyed. I think I'll just try to fix it, it's not really that bad. It was mainly the alternator harness that was screwed up. Oh yeah this has the dual battery option, the trays are in good shape. And at least the manual throttle cable is still there, I think there's a PTO on the T case, I hadn't looked yet. Right now this is the stuff I need to get Ol Yeller running and driving:

fix rust problems ASAP so they don't get away from me
+ battery cable DONE
steerin column + shaft(if anybody has one let me know!)
re-wire underhood harness
wire up starter DONE
work on distributor DONE
rebuild carb DONE
change oil(good enough to run for awhile)
drain tranny and new filter(i pulled the dipstick and there's clean red fluid in it!)
pull covers and change fluid on axles, change T-case oil
check U joints DONE
flush engine block DONE
get used radiator DONE
buy new belts DONE
go through brakes
pull wheels off and oil studs DONE

This is gonna take some time, but i just wanna hear that 454 rumble and get to drive it around!!!!!!!

Well guess what. I was cleaning all the junk out of it and found the envelope for the title on the floor under the center seat, but the only thing in it was the receipt for the license and a maintenance log, here's what it says:

73,110mi. plug wires, cap + rotor
packed front wheel bearings
1 new U joint(front)
new axle and universal for left front

Hell it has a new axle on the drivers side! :metal:

12-16-1995

73,925mi.

5qts 10W-30
1 can Engine Restorer :lol:
PF35 filter

9-17-96

power steering pump+fluid

9-3-96

new rear brakes

7-5-97

75, 205 mi. front brakes- shoes + wheel cylinders

At least it was taken care of! The 'Burb only has about 76,000 miles on it so that stuff should still be in good shape.

Use oil on the studs. Antisieze is too slippery and greatly affects torque values.

I've always used never-sieze on wheel studs, that's what the tire shop here uses too. Didn't know it would hurt anything, thanks for the tip. Anybody know how much work is involved to pull the front hub and replace a wheel stud?

Antisieze won't hurt the threads. It just is a little tricky to keep lugs tight on studs coated with antisieze. Use it sparingly, if you follow the tire shop's advice. I have a tire shop here that recommends the same, I just disagree since I know how antisieze makes the threads too slippery for using the torque settings called for in the Chev Svc Manual. I have to use more torque with antisieze and I don't like doing that when mounting wheels since I worry I'll risk stressing a stud past its stretch limit.

When I got new tires put on my truck the tire place used so much of it that it was dripping all over the lugnuts and when I started driving the truck it got slung all over the wheels. THAT was too much. I just brush a little bit of it on each stud when I do use it.

A little update on the 'Burb here, I wired up the starter temporarily and dropped in a battery and the 454 cranks over with good compression and sounds like a new engine trying to start. I had to order new plug wires and they won't be here till the 7th. The cap, rotor, and points look new. I'll probably have to change the plugs though. I still got plenty of work to do! I'm gonna take one of the lock cylinders to the locksmith so he can get a set of keys made, that way I don't mess up the dash trying to get the ignition switch out.

Congrats man, that is a killer deal for that kind of money. Sure it has issues but what doesn't at that age. I don't think you will have any problem getting your money back out of it if you unloaded it down the road.

Thanks man. Yeah it's gonna be another good project. I was planning on fixing it up and re-selling it, but I know that ain't gonna happen. I'm keeping it! :lol: Hopefully I'll have it running by tomorrow when the wires get here. Yesterday I put a fan on the engine and got a belt for the alternator. I also checked the gas tank and it's bone dry, hopefully it's not rusted bad inside and I think the fuel pump is OK. I also checked the fluid in the axles and it's almost full with clean gear oil. The transfercase has gear oil and transmission fluid mixed in, I guess the seal went bad between the tranny and transfercase or something. I'll post an update tomorrow after I try to fire it up. :metal:

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!! Got the wires yesterday(about $25) and did some more stuff to the engine and got it to fire up. It runs GREAT, no knocks or oil smoke! Had about 50lbs of oil pressure at an idle. We didn't run it long since it didn't have a radiator or fan hooked up. I had a gas can sitting under the Burb and the fuel pump was pulling fuel out of it so that's good. Here's what I did today:

bought and installed an almost new(used) 4 row radiator-$45
got the right steering rag joint and 4spd column temporarily installed
installed an old 4 blade fan on the engine and put a belt on it
tryed to clean the inside so i can get the seat back in

Stuff I need to buy to drive it:

67-70 auto steering column
get locksmith to make a key for the ignition

That's it! The brakes seem to be working but I'll end up pulling the drums sometime and rebuild the cylinders. I got all the hoses installed today and ran it for about 5 minutes, it ran good except the choke on the carb won't open up by itself, had to use a screwdriver to hold it open.

:c2: You're doing good!

Glad to see you Got 'Er!

Thanks y'all. It just drove today under it's own power. I needed to move it out of the way, had to drive it forward about 20ft. I won't drive it on the street till I get the right steering column though. I crawled under it and put the tranny in drive(with the engine off, i'm not that stupid), then I hotwired it and drove it forward while sitting on a 5 gallon bucket. If you've ever done that, youuuuuu might be a redneck. :lol: I'm probably gonna put the bench seat back in it tomorrow after cleaning out the inside and then start working on the brakes. It does have a little oil smoke now, but it's no where near a bug fogger. :lol: Most of it was oil and grease burning off of the manifolds and exhaust.

Now I have the title!!!!! Found out the guy that had it lives here in town and I went and got it earlier today. He has a '69 LWB C10 that's hugger orange with black racing stripes but he doesn't drive it much 'cause of the gas prices. Anyway he handed it straight over, turns out he never got it transfered so I'm the official third owner. The original owner of Old Yeller was an older man that had a construction company and took good care of it, then he sold it to a portable building company in '89, now I have it. Gonna get it transfered in my name next week! :metal: I just ordered a set of door locks for it today, still need a steering column and 4x4 auto shift rod though...:whine:

Well here's some pics of the glovebox. This was actually a well loaded option truck back in it's day. The 4x4 instruction sticker and Chevrolet Custom emblem are in great shape. It's hard to see the options in the pics so I'll write 'em out.

KE260FXXXXXX

Custom Bench Seat Tinted Glass
Center & Rear Seat Rear Center Seat BE
Body Side Moulding Body Side Moulding
Air Conditioning RO Door Edge Guards
FRT Wheel Lock Hubs Frt & Rear Shock AB
Manual Throttle Brake Booster Equip
Turbo Hydra-Matic 350 Cu. In. V-8 Eng.
Auxillary Battery Power Steering
Radio-Push Button Heavy Duty Battery
Custom Group Ammeter-Oil Gauge
Black Vinyl Trim White/Light Yellow

I think body side moulding was listed twice since it has both the upper and lower moulding. Oh yeah all three door edge guards are gone, someone knew they were worth something!

Nice deal on the 'burb I guess I need to start looking farther south for a deal and maybe come up with something like you have. Not easy getting parts here in Houston. Send some updates when you get it on the road.

t rex

SHEEESH....

A little paint and its like brand new!!!

Been watching this thread, nice progres.

Fun reading as things come together. :metal:

Makes me wanna get my K20 burb back on the road.

Thanks y'all. As far as I can tell the brakes on it are working and the booster works great, just having trouble with the pedal coming back up. I think the original brake return spring broke, looks like someone put a smaller spring in it's place. Once I get the column and find a shifter rod I'll take it for a test drive. It'll be a pain since there's no power steering. I have the original pump for the 350, but since it now has a 454 I need a BB pump. The tranny looks like it needs the pan pulled and a new gasket put on, and I'll buy a new filter and change the fluid. The engine needs an oil change and a new filter too. I think the gas tank is OK, I put two gallons of gas in it and the fuel pump is pulling it out, just need an inline filter. I won't be using the 4wd for awhile, still gotta fix the driver side hub lock and the tires on it won't be good in the mud anyway, but they're good enough to get it on the road. If it doesn't rain tomorrow i'm gonna change the oil and filter, and if autozone has the pan gasket and filter I'll change the transmission fluid.

Little update here........yesterday i drained the tranny fluid and pulled the pan. the fluid looked a little on the burnt/old side so it's not going back in. i cleaned the pan out, installed the new filter, etc and that's all i did. the tranny still works, back when i first fired the engine up the 'Burb drove forward while i was standing on the front bumper. i forgot to put it in park. :lol: i still need to fix the hub, rebuild the wheel cylinders even though they seem to work, put the front seat in, get the column and fabricate a tranny shift rod. :metal:

Well it's been awhile since I gave y'all an update on the Beast, I figured i'd let y'all know how it's been going. I finally got a key made from the original passenger side lock cylinder, so now I can finally start it while sitting inside the truck! :metal: It also works the rear tailgate/hatch window lock so I have two keys now, one for the new front door locks and one for the ignition/rear gate. I had to buy a new set of locks because the driver side lock was missing. So far the electrical system seems to be OK. The wipers/washer pump works(which was surprising!), headlights/taillights/etc, the fans for the roof mounted A/C work(even though all the underhood A/C parts are gone, dam#it) I need to find or buy a new front charging harness as the original dual-battery harness was gone, including the wiring to the pass. side headlight and sidemarker. I rebuilt all the brake wheel cylinders and replaced the master cylinder, but fluid didn't come out of any cylinders when we tried to bleed the system, which means the hoses are collapsed. :( Front hoses from Autozone are $30 each and the rear is $20 so they'll have to wait awhile. And yes I did bench bleed the MC so it's operating like it should. I also pulled the nasty moldy HOUSE CARPET out that was covering the front floor pans, under the front seat, and tranny tunnel. The floor is actually very solid with the only rust being near the rockers/kick panels with the usual redneck pop-rivet sheetmetal repair which is good enough for right now. The spare tire well is completely rusted out, and has a piece of sheetmetal in it's place to hold the tire in which also works, but I will get both of those fixed the right way when time and money allow me to. The monster 454 is still running GREAT. I finally got the gas tank cleaned out good and put new rubber hoses from the steel lines to the sending unit, and it picks up gas from the tank now instead of a 5 gal. can. :lol: That's it for now, if the stupid weather clears up I'll have some pics of it later, including pics of the engine.