You deffinately can't go wrong with this project, good start to a fabulous finish. really look forward to seeing more photos throughout your resto.

drooling on my lap top .... darn thats gonna be sweet, keep the photo's pouring in through---out...:cool:

Thanks alot guys! Next week i am starting the shaving of the firewall process and then working into shaving the driprail, roof seem. Hopefully by the end of January beginning of Feb I will have the cab all finished so i can start buying all new body parts from front to back. I am taking alot of pics so i will have them when i am done and i also enjoy sharing my progress with all of you. Thanks again

DAMN josh more and more amazing!!

This build is just amazing. Really enjoy watching the progress!

Thats what I miss, the room to be able to lay things out and work, I am tightly quartered and no room for a project like that , I wish I was doing that again, you got a nice nice project going on. please keep the finishing photos pouring in, really look forward to more.

knew this guy once who got divorced after putting all the furniture outside so he could work on his car in the livingroom :))

The wheels in the front are 20x8.5 with a 4" backspacing and the rear is 20x10 with a 4.5 backspacing. I think that was what my backspacing is. I am going to go with a fleetside. I just have to narrow my rear end first so the bed will fit. Thanks

Josh

hey josh thanks for the info, on my truck i'm running 20x9 w/5.5 backspacing w/ a 285/50-20 tyre and my rearend is narrowed 4 inches to tuck the tyres inside the inner bed panel. also the mounting brackets look great is there going to be enough room between the tyre and the tank once the rearend is narrowed? thanks again keep the pics comming, later paul

hey josh thanks for the info, on my truck i'm running 20x9 w/5.5 backspacing w/ a 285/50-20 tyre and my rearend is narrowed 4 inches to tuck the tyres inside the inner bed panel. also the mounting brackets look great is there going to be enough room between the tyre and the tank once the rearend is narrowed? thanks again keep the pics comming, later paul

I am thinking that i will have to narrow about 1" per side and that should leave me with about 1 1/2+ between the air tank and the wheel. I hope that i only have to narrow it 2" total cause that would suck doing all that work and then have to go back and change it. In about 1 month i should have enough money to buy all the sheetmetal parts i need so i will be able to finalize alot when that time comes. Anyways talk to you later!

Josh

dunno if the wheels have a possibillity to do that but , couldnt have the inside of the wheel turned in a lathe so they stick in one more inch ?
some wheels have quite some material on the back where they bold up to the axle

Very Nice!!!!!

now i couldnt tell from the pics, but is it going to lay frame?

now i couldnt tell from the pics, but is it going to lay frame?

No it will not lay rocker. Well let me start over. If i put drop spindels on i will lay rocker but i don't quite clear the front tire when i lift up all the way so i put back on the stock spindels which raised me up a little. The truck will sit about 2" off the ground which still looks sick but that way if i ever pop a bag or airline i can atleast drive off the road without ruining all my hard work. In the pics i have on here i believe they are when i had the drop spindels on so I am laying frame in the pics. I don't believe i have shown a pic with the stock spindels on. Anyways i will talk to you later.

Josh

Here is a pic of the height the truck will sit with the stock spindels on. The fender is just on for mock up.

I also just got the cab back off the truck and with the help from POORBOY and a friend I was able to get the cab striped down. Everything is off the firewall ready to be shaved and everything is stripped out of the inside of the truck also. Next weekend i am hoping to have the firewall shaved!

Josh

Hey Josh, the truck looks great. I have a 69 GMC that was handed down from an uncle. My story is very similar to yours and I can only hope that my project will as successfull as yours. I really enjoy seeing your progress and I get inspired to start mine again. I have a '71 short frame now that my cab is on and with that fram is a ton of ideas. I am anxious to see your firewall and drip rail shave as that is one of my first projects for my cab. Best of luck, I am subcribed now and rooting for you.

Jesse

Josh , your project is very impressive, awesome to say the least!!! Saw you are from Atascadero....ahh, it's Lake Naciemento...close by??? I grew up in Santa Barbara and used to go up water skiing all the time to Lake Nas, as we called it. My German Shorthair pointers are from Branson Ranch in Atascadero! Arron Branson.

Just wanted to say AWESOME project Josh! Nice work, wheels, frame...EVERYTHING!

Alex

Josh , your project is very impressive, awesome to say the least!!! Saw you are from Atascadero....ahh, it's Lake Naciemento...close by??? I grew up in Santa Barbara and used to go up water skiing all the time to Lake Nas, as we called it. My German Shorthair pointers are from Branson Ranch in Atascadero! Arron Branson.

Just wanted to say AWESOME project Josh! Nice work, wheels, frame...EVERYTHING!

Alex

Thanks Alex! Yep Lake Naciemento is just 30mins or so away. I love to go to lake. Especially that lake. I am in the process of ordering a new boat so when summer hits i will be there all the time. Hopefully they don't drain the lake to fix valves. You will have to hit me up if you ever come down go to Naci!

Josh

Hey Josh, the truck looks great. I have a 69 GMC that was handed down from an uncle. My story is very similar to yours and I can only hope that my project will as successfull as yours. I really enjoy seeing your progress and I get inspired to start mine again. I have a '71 short frame now that my cab is on and with that fram is a ton of ideas. I am anxious to see your firewall and drip rail shave as that is one of my first projects for my cab. Best of luck, I am subcribed now and rooting for you.

Jesse

Hey Jesse! I think a truck with a little background makes it that much nicer. So what are your plans for your truck? I haven't made too much progress on my truck because i landed a large job in San Jose,Ca which is a couple hours away from home so i only get to work on it Saturdays for about a half a day or so. In about 3 months i will be back home and will finish the truck. Well good luck with your truck and let me know when you post some pics!!

Josh

Josh,
Some of my plans include shaved drip rails, o4 Corvette third brake light under the back window but above the bed rail. My most ambitious idea is to pull the rear sliding glass setup out of an avalanche and mod the system to work in my truck so that my back (large Glass) goes down. I also want to build a custom ram air hood, pull the wing windows out of the doors.
Im also looking for an idea to get rid of any sign of an antenae. Kinda thought of how auto makers used to put the antenea in the windshield. I wanted to see if i could have one made.
My truck is white like yours now but origonally it was the old forestry truck green so it was nick named Ol green. I have a friend in Oregon that has a CNC machine and I think we will cut out In old english the words "Ol'Green" where GMC used to be. Then we will put a backing on it so that it doesnt go all the way through. Or put some lights inside the tail gate. If that makes any sence.
I want everything smooth, door handles, drip rails, markers, stake holes plus airbags and spindles, you know the usual stuff. I plan to bring the exhaust through the side of the bed just in frount of the wheel wells. I still havent settled on a color but I think I will go with a medium gunsmoke grey with a bit of green in it. Drive train will most likely be out of a newer vett minus the rearend wich will most likely be a 9" but that a bit down the line. Anyway, that is a few of the thoughts that cloud my mind for now.

hmmm, was hoping to see some new pics by now ....how is going over there......any new stuff?:confused: :confused:

wow! You have some of the best work i've seen! This is going to be an awesome truck, I'm going to keep checking this one.

Awesome work, some of the best i've seen bar-none.. i dont mean to hijack your thread but.........i've got a wheel question, im looking into 20x8.5 all the way around, probably w/a 275-45 tire, the truck wont be bagged, but lowered 4-5", will those wheels tuck in the fleetside bed, also what is good backspacing for that wheel front-rear

hmmm, was hoping to see some new pics by now ....how is going over there......any new stuff?:confused: :confused:

I wish i could show some more pics but i landed a big job that required me to work out of town monday - friday so i don't get much time to work on it. I try to work on it on saturday but sometimes i am so tired from work i don't get anything done and then sunday afternoon i go back to the hotel for work. I am about 1/2 way done shaving the firewall so maybe in a couple weeks i will have more done. While i am up here in San Jose i am thinking of creative designs for the new dash i am going to build. Talk to you all soon!!!

Josh

Awesome work, some of the best i've seen bar-none.. i dont mean to hijack your thread but.........i've got a wheel question, im looking into 20x8.5 all the way around, probably w/a 275-45 tire, the truck wont be bagged, but lowered 4-5", will those wheels tuck in the fleetside bed, also what is good backspacing for that wheel front-rear


Thanks for the complements! The wheels you are talking about should fit fine but you need to check the back spacing on the wheels. 8.5 isn't very big so you could get a slightly deeper offset and still clear the fenders. This is my first truck i have built and don't have alot of experience with what tires sizes will work so you might want to ask a few other people for there opinion before you buy something. I wanted the deepest offset i could buy in the foose wheels and i am going to have to shorten my rearend to clear the fenders. Well good luck on your truck and post some pics when you get the new wheels!!!!

Josh

any new updates????

Sadly there isn't any updates. I have been working out of town and haven't had much time to work on it. I have the firewall almost completely shaved. After i get it done i will post some pics. The only good news i have is that i have been putting extra cash away so when i am done with this job in San Jose i will have enough $ to finish the truck with an LS2 motor swap!

Hey don't sweat it, most of us has the same problem, hang in there your off to a great start. I'll just check the thread time to time, just don't hold out on us.

How do you get your welds so dang nice? I've started learning to weld and mine just look like a big slug. Your work is awesome.

... I am hoping to have it completed by end of March or first of April ....
Josh

I remember when all our hopes got up back on page 3. Those were good times. I miss those times.

:whine:

:agree:

Yeah I agree. It is very depressing thinking about my truck just sitting in my garage collecting dust. I try to work on it every weekend i am home but it doesn't always work out like that. As soon as i get done with this job i am devoting all of my time to the truck. I haven't lost motovation just don't have the time. That really sucks:whine: .

Josh

Updates?

DLB

Hey Josh, I just finished reading most of your build. Nice to see another local doing a frame off. Don't loose patience. I wanted my '54 done for the Memorial day show. Maybe I'll make Hot El Camino nites? When my trucks done, I'd like to stop by when you're working on your pick up. How's your buddies A.D. coming along? Daniel U

Hey Josh, I just finished reading most of your build. Nice to see another local doing a frame off. Don't loose patience. I wanted my '54 done for the Memorial day show. Maybe I'll make Hot El Camino nites? When my trucks done, I'd like to stop by when you're working on your pick up. How's your buddies A.D. coming along? Daniel U

Hey Daniel! Sounds good, when we both get our trucks done we should take a cruise together! I haven't lost motivation just the time to work on it. I am excited though because this weekend i get to work on it all weekend. I am hoping to get alot done. So where are you from on the Central Coast? Talk to you later

Josh

Updates?

DLB

Not yet but by the end of this weekend i should have the firewall done and maybe start shaving the drip rail. I will post the pics of the firewall when i get it done.
Josh

Hey Daniel! Sounds good, when we both get our trucks done we should take a cruise together! I haven't lost motivation just the time to work on it. I am excited though because this weekend i get to work on it all weekend. I am hoping to get alot done. So where are you from on the Central Coast? Talk to you later

Josh
Paso, just up the road from you. I think that'd be fun to do a local cruise. There's a guy from Clovis (Cal 58)I'd like to meet building a 58 with a 55 front clip too. Another from Hollister (stvst)with an AD truck. All within cruising distance. How much longer until you're on the road? I'd like to make the El Camino cruise in Aug.

Paso, just up the road from you. I think that'd be fun to do a local cruise. There's a guy from Clovis (Cal 58)I'd like to meet building a 58 with a 55 front clip too. Another from Hollister (stvst)with an AD truck. All within cruising distance. How much longer until you're on the road? I'd like to make the El Camino cruise in Aug.

I still got a little while before i get it on the road. I was thinking about if i get the motor and tranny installed that i would take just my rollin chassis to the car show in Atascadero. We will see. When is the car show exactly? I was in it last year with my chevelle. Maybe i will see you there.

Josh

http://www.atascadero.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=327&Itemid=890
Here's the link

Man is it good to be back working on my truck!!!!!! I have been making some progress lately and thought i would share. I have shaved the firewall, almost done shaving the drip rail (I have another day or so), and i have completely comited my self to designing and building a complete new dash. My friend and I removed the dash yesterday. So now I have to make something work or I am screwed. We got alot built yesterday though. We built a the first part of the new dash and designed the two "humps" for the dash. The entire dash is going to be made out of steel. No fiberglass and wood. I am going to keep the dash pics until the dash is all built. I think it will look alot better having a start to finish pics but i will give you my inspiration pic that i am going towards. I am also ordering all of my sheetmetal body parts next week so I can start finishing the door gaps with new door for the drip rails. Anyways here is a few pics of the old dash and I will get a few shots of the drip rails and firewall.

Man that is a sweet dash whats the rest of the truck look like???? BTW looks like a lot of work...

hey josh , cant wait to see the progress ,i love this build.can you give any tips on shaving the drip rails?

No turning back now!!

hey josh , cant wait to see the progress ,i love this build.can you give any tips on shaving the drip rails?

I only have a few tips. 1 is to only cut off about 4-5" at a time then tack it up. 2 is turn down you welder so it isn't very hot. The metal is kind of thin and since you are tacking the edges of the metal it burns back really easy. 3 is after you tack it all up and start grinding is smoth be carefully not to grind to much. Especially on the edges of the door. Good luck and it was pretty easy so you should be fine.

Josh

No turning back now!!

I know. I guess we will see if I made the right choice:confused:

Josh

My question now is how are ya gonna keep the water out .......... This is a complaint that everyone with shaved drip rails has asked....

My question now is how are ya gonna keep the water out .......... This is a complaint that everyone with shaved drip rails has asked....

Well that is a good question. I guess it is a good thing that this is mainly a show truck and will not be driven in the rain.:lol: . No really that is the first time i have heard that complaint. I will have think about that. The only thing i can think of is that even shaving the drip rail the door is still recessed a 1/4" so water will still run over the top of the door in theory and a good tight fit with the weather stripping and the door jab will also probably help. I will let you know what i find out.

Josh

Please do keep me uptodate on the water as I would like to shave mine but it rains most of the year here in oregon..

Josh - Your PM box is full.

R

as for the driprail thing. A buddy of mine who has done a lot of customizing has said the same thing about cutting off a little bit at a time, but he recomended doing 2"-3" pieces. a bit more time consuming, but you'll have less distortion along the rail line once you're done. He told me first time he shaved a rail off a 68 was back in the late 80's only he didn't think about the construction of the truck, and he cut the whole front rail off. that rail is made of 3 pieces (or two depending on where) of metal flanges coming together, one piece being the headliner. he said as he finished his cut, he realized the headliner was now dropping in the cab and was a real bitch to get back together.

Anyways, back on topic, he also suggested that I take some flat sheet and cut it into strips to help secure the opening where you cut the rail off. He sugg that I drill small alternating holes on either side of the rail line to spot weld the piece on the inside, to help hold the shape and to fill that area better. He said a slight z shape would do well, then once it's spotted in place, you can weld it up.
Another trick to getting that nice shape, is once you have the rail completely shaved and ground it to get some small wire, or larger half round and bending it to shape and then welding that over your shaved rail. It will have a nice crisp line and easy to work in the paint stages. (of course that's an old rodders trick to making peaked hoods)

Do like abadsvt said and turn your temp way down, it also helps to place a wet towel around your work area to help absorb some of the heat, or use some of that high dollar heat-fence. if you use the towel be sure to ring the towel out and keep using cold water.

Also as for the water getting in, you can take a look at the construction of the truck and there is a space where you can put a second weather seal in the door jamb. There are a few areas where you might need to modify it, by cutting and reshaping, or by building metal up, but it will make for a good seal and I'm sure if it's water tight in FL, it would perform well in OR as well!

|M|

Killer truck, nice job on the frame and the rear cantilever bag set up, that front crossmember is awsome, nice job on the tank mounts too, I like to see people doing things the right way.:bling: :metal:

Well I am STOKED!!!!! I just picked up a bunch of new sheetmetal from goodmark. I picked up new 67 fenders, rad. support, doors, fleetside bedsides, front bed panel, and new inner rocker panels. Then when i got home i found a set of new rocker panels, new door hinges, all new door locks and latches. Then coming tuesday i have a new 67 hood, rear roll pan coming. So all i have left to buy is the tailgate which i can wait on. They were out of stock. Anyways i just had to share and in a few weeks (i have to work out of town next week then the following week is vacation time) i am going to do a complete sheetmetal mock up to see what the truck will look like. I can't resist. I will definately post pics though.

Josh

sweet, get some new pics up

Any pics of the goods???

Can't wait to see the mock up.

Well i finally got the bed some what adjusted. It took alot of notching the bed to fit but she fits nice and snug. The best part is that i don't think i am going to have to shorten my rear end. I thought i was going to have to but i was measuring the wrong thing. I felt stupid:crazy: . It is a tight fit and i might have about 1/2 - 5/8" of space between the wheel and the bedside but IT FITS!!!!!!!!:metal: I have to make a few bed mounts for the bed before I can mount the bed. When i was replacing the rocker panels i noticed alot of rust on both the cab corners (front and back). So i wasn't able to install the rocker panels because i wasn't expecting all this rust. Oh'well just a few more things to do and my list is getting pretty long. Hopefully next weekend i can replace the rockers and cab corners. Here is a few pics of it just mocked together. I took alot of pics of really similiar angles because i just love the way it looks from those angles.

Your truck looks great! I wonder how hard it would be to get a frame like that in Canada?

Ahhhhh Yeeeeya :metal:

looks awesome

Looking sexy!

All I have to say is....:metal:

That thing looks sick that low! Congratulations on one sweet looking P/U!

damn that looks good

i think i feel in love!:bansex: :

How did the panels fit? Particularly the doors?

man that looks stunning.

I love the look of shiny new sheetmetal, :D.

R

How did the panels fit? Particularly the doors?

Curious about this as well...:confused:

How did the panels fit? Particularly the doors?

The door fit good. My driver side door fit really nice but the passenger side door needed a little adjustment but i got everything to line up pretty darn good and it was only a mock up. I would buy them again and it is sweet having new doors with no rust anywhere:metal:.

Josh

josh... im golden!! your truck is looking amazing, all the hard work is very much worth it.. that thing is LOW!!!

abadsvt, speaking of fit, how did you like those front fender[s]? I bought one for the right side and it took longer to make it right than it would have to fix my old one I think. The worst part was the curve to the side of the headlight [the side brow?], anyway it was creased there and had to be massaged. Plus I had to do some work to make the grille match to the fender properly.

abadsvt, speaking of fit, how did you like those front fender[s]? I bought one for the right side and it took longer to make it right than it would have to fix my old one I think. The worst part was the curve to the side of the headlight [the side brow?], anyway it was creased there and had to be massaged. Plus I had to do some work to make the grille match to the fender properly.

Well i cant comment to much on the front fenders yet because i don't have the hood on yet. It looks like i won't have much of a problem getting everything to line up or that is what i am telling myself:hm: . It might be a few weeks before i test fit the hood but i will let you know how they fit.

Josh

good work on the truck josh, cant believe i have not seen this one yet. I love all the hard work you have done to it.
Good job and keep up the good work!

Well i finally started replacing the rockerpanels and the more i took off the more i found. I found alot of rust along both cab corners and behind the rockers. Not my idea of fun but i got everything cut out and replaced with new sheetmetal. It took me a while because i wanted everything nice and tight and wanted to keep the proper door gap between the door and rocker. Here is some pics of driver side that i got replaced. Forgot to take some pics of the lower cab corners that i replaced but i did it correct. I promise! Next weekend i will hopefully get passenger side one done.

Nice work. Won't have to worry about that again for a while...

i dont know for sure, but i thought you were suppose to use the other kind of shockwaves if you wanted to do a lever/cantilever setup??? i think that the sleeve types can't hold that much weight. i may be wrong. your truck looks wicked good. you did some fantastic work. what ratio did you make your lever triangle thingys??

i dont know for sure, but i thought you were suppose to use the other kind of shockwaves if you wanted to do a lever/cantilever setup??? i think that the sleeve types can't hold that much weight. i may be wrong. your truck looks wicked good. you did some fantastic work. what ratio did you make your lever triangle thingys??

I am pretty sure Josh kept the ratio close to 1:1. This is acceptable for this style Shockwave... they have a 1500lb. load capacity. It is much more common to see guys running the double convoluted style bellows on canti-levered rocker arm set-ups. Here's a link to an extremely nice tri-five with a rocker arm set-up similar to Josh's. http://www.ironworksspeedandkustom.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=3&page=1