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

Thanks swampy... feels great too!

Gary

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

Nice talking to you on the phone.
Skimmed through your build. Great work.
You'll have it back on the road in no time.
Sub'd

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

Good talking with you too! Best part about working on these trucks is the people I have met! :)

Gary

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

Wow, that's sucks. Glad you walked away. Glad to see you keeping the truck alive.

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

Pulled the doors off today and will tear them down tomorrow. One needs a new lower door skin and they could probably both use lower sheet metal on the inside.

Got my Holley back from my carb guy today. Fresh R&R and decided to try something a little different this time. I've always built my SBC's for top end performance... but in this truck, I need some grunt down a little lower. So I changed out the 750cfm main body for a 600cfm main body. We'll see how this experiment goes. I can switch back to the 750 main body if I really don't like it all that much.

I think the smaller CFM will make a lot snappier and I'll still get the revs out of it I want. :)

Gary

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

Door day.

Taking the drivers side door apart. Looks like the inside door bottom needs to be cut out and replaced. I'm hoping that the original outer door skin can be reused. There are 2 small rust spots where it's bubbling a tad in each lower corner of the outer skin. So keeping fingers crossed that just a couple small patches and the rest can be reused.

The upper hinge pocket is toast. Don't know how I'm going to repair that. Will have to get creative I guess.

A shot trough the PO cut speaker hole shows A THICK undercoating from the factory.

Now I gotta get the wing assembly out and the regulator and latch mechanism.

Baby steps... :)

Gary

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

Yea i had that grittie worthless insulation crap sprayed inside my doors too.

Just a fyi, if you can get away with it try and just replace patches on the outer skin and treat the folds with a rust mort of some kind that is liquid and seaps into cracks ect.

I cut about 2" below the body line and took my lower skin off, what i didn't know is that the door skin has a contour front to back and sticks out about 3/8"further in the middle than the ends, when i cut it off the door skin the built in stress relieved inward and whamo no more contour front to back, it went straight across. Welding a replacement skin on and even being super carful to not let it get hot it still wants to go further inward so i cut and removed that skin and started a second time. I followed the advice of another forum member and bought a length of 3/4" angle which was lighter duty than i wanted, i shrunk one edge to put a contour into it, clamped into place and then drilled 1/8" holes, then i took the angle off and drilled the skin up to 1/4" and reclamped the angle then spot welded the angle in place, then i spot welded the skin in place, it still shrunk inward enough that i want to start over again and plan to soon. The point of this is that replacing the lower skin is a pain in the A** so avoid it at all cost.. :)

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

i dont know if it would work or be worth it i have a 1969 c10 long box frame sitting in my back yard im in canada about a 11 hour drive from you and to help a guy out i would give it to you no charge
i went a diff way with my truck and i hate to throw away a good frame so if you need it and can come get it i would give it up no prob
Attachment 1445860

Attachment 1445861

Attachment 1445862

Attachment 1445863
it has disc brakes off a 84 silverado

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

oops guess i should have read further before i offered up the frame didnt see that you fixed it lol

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

That's exactly what I was wanting to hear. Too bad you had to go through all that swampy. But I intend to just do the small pitted areas and replace the lower inner of the door. Luckily that sprayed in mess doesn't go all the way to the bottom of the door so it shouldn't interfere with what I have to cut out.

Appreciate the heads up on the door skin. I really wasn't looking forward to replacing it. Still, I will have to be careful in bending back the lip around the lower part of the door to get the inner part out.

I've heard and read good things on using Rust Mort. So I'll be using that as well.
No worries my friend! Thank you for your generous offer. But like you read, I have had a '69 C10 frame for over a year awaiting the cab and bed from my '72. Trust me... there will be someone from this forum that will want that frame. Especially with the disc brake swap up front already done!

Thanks!

Gary

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

Getting that wing window out was a BEEOTCH!

Glass and regulator wasn't much fun either. :lol:

I'm sure it will be even more fun going back in!

Gary

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

Jumped over a big hurdle on Monday.

Finally amassed 6 of my buds to help life the 1972 cab onto the 1969 frame. Then we stuffed it into the garage.

Creeping Death will roll again!

Gary

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

Cool, progress being made. I always liked the color combo on your truck

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

Cannibalizing parts off of the '72 frame to use on the '69 frame.

The sway bar is still straight and I needed the sway bar frame mounts from the '72 frame. Of course they are riveted on. I forgot what a PITA these frame rivets are to grind away and punch out. lol:

Now I need to remove 2 rivets on the '69 frame to bolt the sway bar frame mounts to.

Started removing the spindles and upper and lower control arms from the '72. I will probably use these on the '69 frame, plus all the steering components from the '72. New bushings and new ball joints as well. I am going to upgrade the steering box to a late 90's Jeep Grand Cherokee steering box. It is the exact same box as the ones on our trucks but has a quicker steering ratio. My buddy did it to his '72 Monte Carlo and it is a super simple upgrade for a dirt cheap price. I'm going to put a new column in the truck as well.

Something I forgot about that I thought was kinda cool. There is tag on the drivers side rotor that reads "CD" not sure, but these could be the original rotors from '72.

Just plugging away... not to beat a dead horse, but is feels awesome to make progress.

Gary

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

Great story and I really like your determination, I'm going along for the rest of the ride.
You should flag your own post and get this moved to the projects and builds section because there are probably a lot of guys that are missing out that would like to follow along.

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

glad you're making progress, mine is sitting in limbo awaiting kitchen rebuild for the wife
Always liked that color, good work

Glad it was moved to the projects and builds

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

jaros... I couldn't have wrecked this truck at a worse time. We were dumping money into our old house getting ready to sell it so we could move. Time and money were at a premium and the poor truck was torn apart and back burnered.

Fast forward 1.5 years and we've sold our old home, bought a new home and moved into it back in May. FINALLY able to clock in and do work. Hard to believe it has taken this long to get back into it.

I get more nice compliments on this truck with the Medium Green and black top color scheme. So I will be repainting it the exact same colors when I get to that point. :)

Gary

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

lots of work, but worth it in the end!;)

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

I would say that rotor is more than likely original. That groove corresponds to the minimum thickness required, which is stamped onto the hub there somewhere. These rotors may have been available as NOS or something for a while, but long ago they went to a flat surface with no groove. All my recollection, anyway...could be wrong.

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

Sweet! Thanks for the info on the rotor. I recall the groove in the early disc brake rigs. I had a 1971 El Camino that had the same groove in the front discs.

Kinda cool to see some OEM stuff still on this truck after all these years. But alas, as I upgrade stuff... it will all be gone. :)

Gary

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

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

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

If you do away with those side steps and want to sell whatever they are mounted with let me know ,I want to mount some on my 1 ton .I have the steps just dont know how they mount.That is a very nice parts truck ,hope you get yours back between the ditches soon.

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

Awesome parts truck Gary, especially when you can drive it home!!

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

Score!!!

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

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