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-   -   Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC) (https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=714038)

GASoline71 01-01-2016 07:33 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Update...

With the silly season over and some free time coming up... I was able to secure a parts truck a couple weeks ago. Bought it from a board member and drove it the 2 hours from his place to mine.

It's a 1972 GMC C2500. The grille is in way better shape than mine and a lot of parts are going to be scavenged off of it for my build. Once I'm done pilfering parts from it I will part it out.

When I was driving it home I stopped for gas, and a young boy in the back seat of the car next to me rolls down the window and asks me... "Is that The Farmtruck?" I got a good chuckle out of that. :lol:

Can't wait to get some stuff done... :)

Gary

GASoline71 01-26-2016 02:32 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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It has finally stopped friggin' raining around here long enough to get some stuff done!

So the 1972 cab has been sitting on the 1969 frame for quite some time. I needed to swap out the Eaton posi-traction unit and 3.73's in the '72 housing and put it in the '69 housing. I bought Moser axles to fit the stock length of the '69 but it has 5 lugs instead of 6. I will be swapping over the 5 lug stuff up front too.

So I pull the pan off of the rear end and what do I spy? A stock posi-traction unit in there! Schwiiing! :metal: So I rotate the ring gear and it is stamped 11:41. Hmm... divide 11 into 41 and it equals... 3.72777777777. :lol: 3.73's! I counted the teeth just to be shore and I'm delighted as hell! I only read about cats getting that lucky with this kind of stuff. What were the odds of that rear end in the frame I bought having a posi-unit and the same gear ratio I have? :lol:

So I'm going to change the pinion seal, put new axle bearings in it and axle seals, and slide the Moser axles in it and call it a day. If it ever craps out on me I will always have my Eaton carrier and Richmond gears as a back up.

So saved me some serious time and money.

I pulled the drum brake backing plates (with all brake harware still attached) off of the '72 and bolted them with new grade 8 bolts to the '69 tubes. I had just put an entire new drum brake setup on the '72 only a couple months before I wrecked it. The parking brake cables appear to go directly into the stock holding brackets in the trailing arms of the '69. My '72 was leaf sprung so I'm hoping all that parking brake stuff will just swap over.

I'm also reusing all of the Inline Tube SS brake lines from the '72. I will have to fabricate up a new rear bracket to mount it from the frame of the '69, since I'm going to install either a Camaro or a Chevelle gas tank back there.

For now it's sitting back on the BFG's and ET slots bolted up. I have new axle bearings and seals on order so will have to pull the axles back out later on.

Anyways... heres a few pics of from the weekend. Don't mind the crack of my buddy's butt hanging out in the one pic... :lol:

Gary

GASoline71 02-04-2016 11:54 AM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Today is one month from the day I ordered this kit. It arrived on my doorstep yesterday evening.

I guess all the talk of CPP having lousy shipping and customer service is correct. Even though I ordered through Summit Racing, I had to have Summit contact CPP 3 times to get any details about my order. Taking a month to ship in stock parts is a joke.

But, I have them and will install them this weekend. CPP will not ever get another dime from me.

Gary

GASoline71 02-07-2016 02:26 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Pulled the springs out of the 1969 front end yesterday. Now I know why there were a crap load of adjustment shims in the upper control arm and hard rubber spacers in the spring on the passenger side. The spring was broken.

Here is a shot of the drivers side stock spring next to the CPP lowering spring.

Gonna do ball joints today and paint some stuff like the 1972 spindles. Pic is the 1969 drums and spindles sitting next to the 1972 disc brake spindles.

Gary

GASoline71 02-08-2016 05:04 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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More progress over the weekend. Plus today is my day off so still screwing around while the sun is out. Which has been a rarity lately. :)

The front end has been a nightmare. Taking apart 40 year old stuff always has bad things rear their ugly head. One of the lower control arms on the '69 frame is cracked from eons of rust where the shaft goes through it. The upper control arms were rust welded to the point they don't even move.

When I removed them the studs that hold the upper arms to the frame pretty much stripped all the threads away. So I'm sure it's just a matter of beating them out and beating new ones in. Fun times.

The arms from the '69 are all not in that great of shape, whereas the stuff from the '72 are in really good shape. So the '72 arms will get a cleaning and be used for this build.

Also the lower control arm cross shaft saddles came off the crossmember and the rivet that centers the shaft fell apart from rust. I'm sure there is an easy fix for this, but maybe I'm just over thinking things. So I have to address that too.

Getting the rear coils out was a bigger job than I wanted it to be. I had to grind off the bolt heads of the lower bolts as they were rust welded into the cups. They've been sitting for 4 days with PB Blaster soaking them. Still nada... so out came the grinder. I got the passenger side coil out and the upper cup off. But the drivers side upper bolt and nut is not budging. So the hot wrench and grinder will probably be used on that one too.

I keep telling myself how much fun this is. :lol:

But progress is being made!

Gary

GASoline71 02-25-2016 02:20 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Installed the rear 4" drop springs with new clamp/retainers and hardware. Springs are from CPP and the clamp kit was from LMC. Bolted in EZPZ. Way easier to bolt in then it was to remove the stock springs and clamps. :lol:

Installed new upper and lower cross shafts up front. The lower shafts were a tad different, but after I started to install them it made sense. The seals are a bit different and improved over the stock shafts so they needed to machine a deeper shoulder on the shaft. Still bolted in and lined up just fine. You can see the difference in the pic.

I bought new 9/16" grade 8 lower control arm U-bolts from Summit Racing. They are actually for later model trucks but will work with my 1972 shafts. The holes through the crossmember and through the cradles of the 1969 frame are already large enough for the bolts no problem, so I didn't have to drill them out. The thick grade 8 washers did not come with the bolt kits. I sourced those locally (Ace Hardware) and they will have to have a tad bit of grinding done to them to line up correctly in the crossmember.

If anyone is interested, the U-bolts are made by Dorman and here is the Summit Racing part number: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/rnb-13503 They are only $8 bucks per side. So for $16 bones and $5 more for shipping you're done. Nice and cheap!

Will install the front drop springs soon. Just gotta get new disc rotors and calipers and I can then bolt everything up front back together.

Gary

GASoline71 02-27-2016 05:15 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Got what was left of the lower control arm crossshaft centering rivets removed from the frame.

Have them mocked up with the new 9/16" U-bolts I got from Summit Racing. Have to work swing shift today so will probably have the arms installed tomorrow or Monday. :)

Gary

GASoline71 03-08-2016 05:17 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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More progress...

Gary

GASoline71 03-09-2016 01:23 AM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
Thanks you'se guys! Yep... swapping all my old 1972 stuff over to the 1969 frame. I used the 1972 upper and lower control arms (installed new Moog ball joints) and put new cross shafts and bushings in them. I used the stock 1972 spindles and 2" CPP drop springs. I just bought new rotors, bearings, calipers and pads today.

I also picked up new Moog inner and outer tie rod ends today as well. I'm using all the 1972 steering linkage and the 1972 power steering box too.

I had bought new upper cross shaft mounting studs that go through the frame, but ended up just using a thread chaser on the old ones and bought new locking nuts for them.

It should be sitting on all 4 paws very soon. :)

Gary

GASoline71 03-09-2016 04:03 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Some more done today before swing shift. New rotors (and new bearings), new shocks, and calipers mocked up. I cleaned up and painted the disc brake backing shields as well.

The 1969 frame has the brake hose tabs on the rear of the crossmember, so I need to weld on new tabs in the front of the crossmember to run my disc brake hoses like they were on my 1972.

:)

Gary

GASoline71 03-21-2016 05:00 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Lotsa stuff happened over the weekend. Ol' Creeping Death is sitting on its own paws bearing it's own weight. Been almost 2 years since those ET's were bolted to it.

Got some new bushings and grade 8 fasteners for the stock 1 1/16" sway bar too.

Gary

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GASoline71 04-07-2016 03:53 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Working swings this week so got a little more progress done in the last couple of mornings.

I got pretty much everything I need off of the old bent frame with the exception of removing the bed, the front 2 saddles for the bed mounts, and the rear bumper. Everything else frame related is being cut up and going to scrap. The empty rear end housing, leaf springs and drop shackles might be spoken for, but I won't know if he's serious until I finally unbolt them from the frame.

I am going to use the driveline and original style carrier bearing and carrier bearing mount from my 1972. So I removed the rivets holding the 1969 carrier bearing mount and mocked up the bolt in one from the 1972. So far it looks like it will fit fine. But I won't know if I need to modify the length of my 1972 driveline from the leaf sprung truck to fit the 1969 coil sprung truck until I get the engine and transmission set into place. Luckily there is a driveline service shop just over an hour from my house that can do all the modification I might need. Or even build me a custom unit.

I have a couple more threads going in the main section only because I wanted help and opinions away from the build thread. But here they are if anyone might be interested.

Paint code thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=700867

Moving or not moving the fuel tank thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=703245

That's all for now... :)

Gary

GASoline71 04-20-2016 01:39 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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The bed made it's way off the old frame over the weekend. Also the rest of the frame got hacked up to haul to the scrap heap.

I dig the spot on the front of the bed where the build sheet was taped from the factory as it rolled through the assembly line. I'm assuming the shot of white paint was to show that it was gonna have a white top. There is also a "painter's mark" on the passenger side. Cool what you find on these old rigs when you blow them apart.

Also had to break out the cheater bar for some "persuasion" on the front spring eye bolts. The rears were pretty easy since I had installed drop shackles in the past.

Gary

GASoline71 06-14-2016 08:23 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Quote:

Originally Posted by swamp rat (Post 7622434)
Updates??

Thanks for the bump Swampy... :)

Made progress over the last couple of days. Got almost all of the Stainless Steel brake lines installed into the rig. The kit was originally installed in the '72 with a leaf sprung rear end. So I had to do some modifications to the lines and the brake hose tabs. I remounted the CPP power brake booster, M/C and prop valve to mock up the lines.

I had to move the brake hose tabs from the rear of the 1969 front crossmember to the front of the crossmember to accommodate the 1972 brake lines that go out to the calipers. So before I scrapped the 1972 frame I had robbed it of the tabs to weld onto the 1969.

I also had to get creative for the rear brake lines as I still wanted to use the 1972 brake lines but the 1969 hose tab was in a completely different location. So I cut the tab off of the axle tube and then welded it onto the 1972 bracket that held the brass fitting that the lines for the drums screwed into.

Now th long brake line that runs along the frame to the rear was way too long, so I had to cut it shorter, bend a 90 in it, and then double flare the end to fit into the stock 1969 frame mount location.

So a little fab work and some patience and I got all the brake lines in. Now the engine and transmission will slide in between the frame rails very soon. I'd like to leave them out while I do all the cutting on the cab for rust removal, but I'm strapped for space, and I've been tripping over the engine and tranny since I removed them.

So it's been a great couple of days!

Gary

GASoline71 06-14-2016 08:24 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Couple more pics...

Gary

GASoline71 06-17-2016 12:57 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
LOL... :lol:

Well poop again... Guess I'll get after it to see if some of the metal is bad beyond the frame rails. There is surface rust of course... but... it is an old GM truck... so I need to really check.

Rust never sleeps.

Gary

GASoline71 06-17-2016 09:28 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Cut the passenger side rocker panel off today. Was able to assess what a rusty hunk of junk I'm working with. LOL. :lol:

I only have one pic for now.

Gary

GASoline71 06-18-2016 08:29 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Thanks Oly! There are quite a few local PNW cats on here. It's pretty cool! I am planning on attending some shows and get togethers when she's runnin' again!

I have a few more pics of the rust from the passenger side rocker panel during and after removal.

Gary

GASoline71 06-20-2016 07:09 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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The sheet metal fairy came! :lol:

I went over to Dreamers Rods & Pickups NW in Everett, WA and picked up a lot of tins to get the cab floor, kick panels, cab corners and rockers all fixed up.

Time to get after it!

Some of the metal in the floor is a tad pitted in some spots, but there is still good metal until about 2" from the edge of the inner rocker. I bought the front cab floorboards just in case it gets a little hairy in there and I need more metal. If I don't use them, they will be up for grabs here in the local WA North Puget Sound area.

Gary

GASoline71 06-22-2016 11:30 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Score! Finally found a drivers side front fender! Been looking all over hell and back for a GMC font fender in decent shape. I got more than I could ask for as this one has NO rust, just a couple small fixable dings. I had to make a 3 hour round trip for it, but it was worth it!

Gary

GASoline71 06-25-2016 12:55 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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More metal carnage! :lol:

The inner rocker and the rest of the cab floor was cut out yesterday. Whoever was in charge of spot welding these cabs together needs to throat punched HA! Just when you think you gat them all, there will be 9 more in a 1" space to hold 2 panels together.

Anyhoo... I cut the rear cab corner off as well. The rear cab support was pretty much shot so I cut it off and fabbed up a new piece and welded it on. Hit the whole shebang with Rust-mort and let it dry overnight. Will shoot some primer over it all later today and see about fitting some new metal! :metal:

My stepson has been a big help (that's him in one of the pics using a cutoff wheel) as these almost 50 year old knees and back don't care for too much of working on the floor. Also I have Livrat on speed dial, and he has been of great help to walk me through this whole process! Thanks Mark!

And again, thanks to all of you who have posted up in this thread! I appreciate it all! Creeping Death will ride again!

Gary

GASoline71 06-25-2016 12:57 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Awaiting primer and new metal! :metal:

Gary

GASoline71 06-27-2016 07:22 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Got the outer floor extension mocked up and made a mistake on the measurement of the area that meets the pinch weld in the toe-boards. I cut it just a little short... :lol:

So I'll have to cut a small chunk to weld into that small gap. Oops! :dohh:

I have the outer cab extension marked from below as I scored a line along the cut out area. If that makes sense. But I'm going to add a 1/4" to that scribe mark so I don't cut it too short as well.

Gary

GASoline71 06-28-2016 06:33 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Me too! I can't imagine not having this rig. Even though the only original parts to the truck are the cab, bed, passenger front fender, engine and transmission. :lol:

Got the outer cab floor extension all cut and clamped in ready to weld. Working swings this week so I ran out of time to start the 348,000 tack welds on the panel. :lol: So will start that tomorrow morning.

However, I might just hang the door first to ensure that the rear pillar is not wonky so everything still lines up.

Gary

GASoline71 06-29-2016 08:50 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Starting the tack weld madness today until I ran out of wire in my MIG. :lol:

Anyways, I got quite a bit of it welded in, and there is also a shot of the inner rocker being held up to the new metal to see how rotted out it was.

Gary

GASoline71 07-04-2016 10:20 AM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Weld, grind, weld, grind, weld, grind, weld, grind... :lol:

Almost have the outer cab floor extension welded all the way in. Have some more welding to do towards the rear that is behind the cab corner by the seatbelt mounting hole.

I refabricated the rear section of the cab floor by making 2 separate small pie cuts and then hammering the corner how I wanted it. The patch panel doesn't meet up correctly at the rear cab mount so some "massaging" is in order. That rear floor part and the cab support holes are about the only things that are "wrong" with this patch panel.

It is a really nice option to have this entire outer floor section instead of just the inner rocker and a bunch of hand formed metal pieces to fit the other spots. I would definitely recommend spending the 70 bucks on this panel if you are in need of inner rockers along with an outer rusty floor. Here is where I got mine... http://www.dreamershotrods.com/outer...dgmctruck.aspx Dreamers Rods and Trucks in Everett, WA is the closest place for me to drive to for parts.

Welp... back to more welding, grinding, weld, grind, weld, grind...

Gary

GASoline71 07-11-2016 05:58 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Skip... I agree... this truck will probably never be "done".

I finally got ALL the welding done on the outer cab floor extension today before swing shift.

Gary

GASoline71 07-12-2016 06:54 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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More metal thrashing to day.

Cut a hunk out of the bashed up hood to make a floor pan patch panel.

Got more grinding to do, as well as a few more welds. Also have to fab up a small strip to weld into the area where I came up short on the outer cab extension.

Gary

GASoline71 07-12-2016 08:12 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Also... I forgot to post earlier...

I don't normally preach to anybody about safety and PPE. But I had never used a face shield while grinding or cutting with a wheel until I started this part of my project. My wife got me a face shield for my birthday and it just save my face and possibly my right eye.

Was trying to get a cutoff wheel into a tight area in the toe boards. The wheel grabbed metal and came apart. Shrapnel hit the face shield and also my left shoulder. The Carhartt "Detroit" jacket I was wearing kept anything from embedding into my skin. I do wear safety glasses as well as the face shield. But you can tell from the pic that the face shield got whacked pretty good. Even for a glancing shot.

So... wear them face shields! Today this one saved my butt. Err... face as it were. :)

Gary

GASoline71 07-13-2016 06:40 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Welded in the kick panel today. I will finish that small patch in the toe board and do the final welds and grinding of the floor tomorrow. Then hopefully I have enough time to get the new pillar welded in.

Gary

GASoline71 07-14-2016 06:51 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Hung the passenger side door today to check alignment before I start the cab corner and the front pillar. I bolted it up on the exact marks I made before I disassembled the cab and I was nicely surprised that the gaps all line up great!

I never braced the cab at all when I cut into it, but made marks with sharpie pens all over the place and took lots of measurements.

Gary

GASoline71 07-16-2016 01:32 PM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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So I also hung the passenger side fender to make sure everything lined up with the lower pillar repair before I welded it up. Gotta admit it was kinda cool to actually see the fender and door on it at the same time. :)

Lower pillar repair turned out better than I expected.

Gary

GASoline71 07-17-2016 09:52 AM

Re: Out of the Ditch = The Rebuild Begins ('72 GMC)
 
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Thanks Swampy!

I got the cab corner in yesterday and it proved to be a challenge. The patch panel isn't even close to being useable without modification. The body lines don't line up at all and the rounded area tends to be a little flat towards the door area. So with some tweaking and grinding I got it to line up to what is useable to me. The lower edge that goes across the back of the cab isn't correct so I'm glad the bed will hide that, because getting it to line up at all is kinda hard.

Now all I have left is the outer rocker, and I'm figuring out what I need to cut, grind, and modify to get it to fit right. My door fitment is a pain in the a$$, but I think they are for everyone. ;) But I'll slug this out in the next couple of days so I can get started on the drivers side. :)

Oh, and the pic of the floor is from all the metal I ground off of the welds. It is amazing to me how much comes off after you weld it on. :lol:

Gary


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