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

edit: This thread is the story of a rebuild after a wreck. This thread has been trimmed down for the front page viewing. Click here for the original discussion thread.




As some of you will remember from this thread, I wrecked my beloved '72 GMC 1500 Super Custom. Happened a little over a week ago. The grieving period is over and it's time to get our hands dirty. :metal: So I did a little measuring and some assessing as to how much damage has been done. The tear down will start this weekend. Frame still might be tweaked, but won't know for certain 100% until I get all the sheet metal off.

So here are some pics from the damage assessment my wife and I did. I removed the fan shroud so I could at least drive it without the fan hitting it, and had my wife follow me on a short run. Truck does go down the road straight, and there are no wobbles. But the tranny selector is all screwed up as the linkage is tweaked. So... lets dive in!

Gary

Pics #1 and #2 are of the drivers side wheels. The beads collected a lot of crap as I slid into the ditch.

Pic #3 Hood and drivers side fender

Pic #4 Drivers door to fender contact. Check the gap in the hood too!

Pic #5 Drivers door hinge ripping from the door.

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

Next set of pics...

Gary
Pic #1 inner fender ripped away from fender

Pic #2 Passenger side hood. This also worries me. Not sure if that' gonna be able to be straightened back out correctly.

Pic #3 Passenger side bed to cab contact.

Pic #4 Drivers side inner fender buckled. This will be gone when I install new inner fender.

Pic #5 Not as noticeable in the pic. But radiator is kicked back and up on drivers side. Passenger side rad tank is tweaked where it meets the core.

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

More...

Gary

Pics #1 and #2 Are of the sway bar. Good thing it's a thick one. The crash moved it, but didn't bend it.

Pic #3 Fan to shroud contact. Snapped before I removed the shroud.

Pic #4 Hood pin tweaked.

Pic #5 Check the gap on the hood and cowl.

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

Last pics...



Pic #1 You an see how the shifter has to go past the indicator to put it in park. Reverse is where park is now.

Pic #2 You can see the dramatic lean to the drivers side. The front bumper is actually shoved under the truck a bit and the bumper braces are tweaked pretty good. The grille and everything else on the front should be savable.

So... that's a quick down and dirty of what we have to work with. We'll know more as we do more.

See you soon with an update!

Gary

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

During the rebuild up, I'm thinking of doing some of the stuff I've been putting off for years. Cutting the rust out of the cab, new tail gate, relocating the gas tank to the rear for better weight over the axle, new front control arms, and a flip kit for the rear leaves, etc... lol :lol:

The list just keeps getting longer. :)

Gary

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

Jim! Thanks for that quick write up! I have a feeling that the frame is indeed bent. Never thought about the sway bar having a couple of "tells" that the frame could be off.

I have one question... can I take the rig to a frame shop with all the sheet metal off the front? Or should I leave it all intact and take it to a shop first?

Thanks!

Gary

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

So today I went out to lunch with the wife. After I dropped her back off at work, there is a hot rod shop located right behind her work place. So I strolled over there and talked to the owner.

We discussed the fact that my frame might be bent, and they are in the business of straightening frames on old vehicles. They actually specialize in custom rods. So they aren't doing any insurance work to stay afloat. He showed me their operation and I was quite pleased with what they have going on.

He asked when I could bring the rig in for them to look at it. I told him that the drivers side door will not stay closed so I would either have to rig it shut with rope, or put it on a flatbed.

He asked where I was located here in town, and I told him. He said he can make a trip out to my place to take a look at my truck to save me the trouble of trying to get it there. I thought that was a really cool gesture. So he and his bodywork guy are gonna swing by on Monday to have a look. Then we'll decide where we're going from there.

He also got me a line on a 1971 Chevy C10 Longbed as well.

I'd say it was a banner day to say the least. I'm pumped t get the ball rollin'. :)

Gary

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

Well... Sorry for the late update. Getting geared up for fishing season, and a lot of stuff going on. The shop owner swung by the house and took a look ath the truck. He pointed out some pretty bad spots on the frame. It is shifted to the passenger side more than an inch, and the drivers side framerail is actually twisted. The drivers side shock is compressed all the way down, and the passenger side is pretty much in the normal position. Once he pointed out the twist, it was completly noticeable. He did say that with the equipment they have at their shop, this would be quite a challenge as this is the worst frame tweak they would try to tackle. We drank a couple of beers together and discussed it, and I told him I'd let him know what I decide to do. What a cool cat. :)

So one of my buddies and I took the hood of last night, and now I will start the front end tear down. I will have more pics for you guys either tonight or tomorrow. I'll take some measurements and alos try to document the bent frame. Not 100% sure on where to go from here. If I want to save this frame, I will probably have to find a no kiddin' shop that does frame work. Or... find another frame, or another truck.

My wife was in tears as I told her the news when she got home from work. She is really hoping we can save this truck. I am too... but I'm keeping all my options open. She really loves the old heap, and she loves my truck as well :lol:. So I'll post more up for you fellers later on. :)

Gary

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

Removed a few things today. Bumper, grille and cowl. Bumper is junk, along with the brackets. Grille and cowl are straight. Core support is a little tweaked, but can probably be coaxed back in to shape. It will probably straighten out a little more once I unbolt the fenders.

I was happy that the front marker lights didn't get jacked up too.

I took a couple shots to show the frame damage as well.

Gary

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

More pics...

Gary

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

Great news!!!

Some car show friends of ours saw the post about my wreck on FB, and got a hold of me the other day. He found a 1969 C10 long bed frame with trailing arms! If everything goes right, I should be headed out to pick it up this weekend! Pretty stoked about that!

I wanted to also take a sec to tell all you cats that have given me some positive reinforcement and sending good vibes. It helps... all of it. I was pretty dejected and depressed about the wreck, and my first reaction was "screw it, I'm done." Without the positive support from my wife, my best friend, my parents and ALL OF YOU CATS... I would have given up. Thanks a million for keeping the fires lit! :)

Gary

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

Turns out... the guy that has the frame has a body shop he runs with his dad and uncle. So for a few more bucks he's going to degrease/prep the frame and shoot it with a primer, and then with an automotive chassis paint! It will be so nice to take stuff from my clean truck to a clean frame!

I don't think I am... I'll have to go double check. Thanks! :)

Thanks you'se guys.. I am going to stay with the original "Medium Green" color and keeping the black top as well. It was originally White top/Medium Green body from the factory. But the Previous Owner painted the top black. It was one of the things that made me want this truck. :)

Oh... and here's an old guy tip for you younger cats... when tearing a rig down, get a couple boxes of Ziploc bags. I use sandwich size and quart size. Plus a Sharpie... to label EVERYTHING! Because after a project sit for weeks, months or years... you'll forget where things go. Also get some masking tape and mark all your electrical lines and vacuum hoses. You'll thank me later!

Gary

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

Some more progress...

Now that the front clip is off, I can get to some areas on the frame with the camera. Also, now that the twisted sheet metal is off, some of the parts like the rad support are back in shape. I'll be able to reuse it, along with the mounts as well. I had replaced the rad support mounts back when I first rebuilt the truck 8 years ago.

Anyhoo... Here goes:

Pic #1 you can see the big tweak on the top of the frame rail with the paint peeling away.

Pic #2 you can see the paint came off where the frame tweaked right behind the power steering box.

Pic #3 you can see how the frame rail "rolled" and how the linkage for the TH350 is tweaked because of it.

Pic #4 is the young'un ('06 K2500HD) lookin' in on the old man... :)

The engine stands are moved (and I hope they are not bent), and the passenger side motor mount is broke. The battery tray is tweaked, I think because of the force of the heavy battery slammin' around. So it will need some re-tweaking and a few new welds to hold it all back together.

Progress is slow... but hey... it's progress. :)

Gary

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

Thanks for the bump 'rat. I'm in "frame paint jail" right now. It's taking a little longer than I expected, but have been assured it's coming along. :)

I'll hopefully have an update soon with a pic of a new frame sitting in my driveway. :cf:

This weekend, going to tear the carb off and go through it to get it ready for storage. Drain the gas tank, and remove it since I'm going to put a tank under the bed..

Gary

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

Got a pic of the frame before it goes in to prep for paint. Gettin' closer! :)

Gary

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

It is nice there is still a decent amount of used parts available for these rigs. Thanks mang! Funny how now that my truck is apart in a bazillion pieces... I'm rethinking my build already... ;)

Gary

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

A little slow on the roll here... I got my frame about a week or more ago. Turned out exceptional! The cat did a bang up job, on the prep and paint.

With it being the summer, and camping/boating and all the other summer stuff... finding time to get to it has been hard. I don't want to rush it since I have a few things I want to do to the truck before it's back on the road.

I do need to cut the rust out of the rockers and floor and replace with patch panels. Would you cats suggest I transfer the cab to the new frame first before I tackle that? Just in case the old bent frame is wonky enough to screw up my panel alignments?

Gary

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

Forgot the pic... lol... :)

Gary

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

Wow... bumping a year old thread. Hard to believe it's been almost a year since the hot rod went for a ride in the ditch. :(

So... life happens. Busy summer last year. Getting our little house prepared all fall and winter long to try and sell very soon so we can move into a bigger place. The truck has been torn down part way and forgotten since last May. Only remembered when I have to trip around it to get to things out in my tiny garage. But... times they are a changin'. :)

Lots has been happening. The highs and lows of a project that came to a screeching halt (literally) and back shelved as life revolved around us. Almost selling it "as is" and taking a huge loss in the process. Twice. I have to give credit where credit is due... to my wife Angie and my best friend Matt. With those 2 keeping the fires ever so lightly lit... they kept hope where I was hopeless. They talked me away from the ledge as I had all but given up. As so many of you know the exact feeling as a project just seems overwhelming. But... I weathered the storm and am now starting back at getting this thing on the road. To do tasks I have been meaning to do, like tackle all the rust, move the gas tank under the bed, and lower the truck with a 4"/6" drop.

There is a lot of work ahead. I am still readying our house to sell as well. Then I will have to move this project to new digs in the near future. But I accept the challenge. :)

I have been absent from the board for quite a spell as I lost the desire for my truck. Cruising the board only made it worse for me. But that changed as well. I'm back and participating and have a new found joy in my truck and my truck friends. :)

Anyhoo... here it sits. Just as I left it back in May of last year. Notice the spark plugs not in their holes and the uncovered exhaust ports? Yeah... me too. Stupid thing to do over a damp PNW winter. But, it was a mistake I made out of haste and really not caring anymore. Will it cost me? We'll see. I squirted some 30wt in the holes and let it set over night. The engine turns easy by hand... so all should be okay.

Glad to be back. Ol' "Creeping Death" will roll again.

Gary

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

Thanks you guys. :)

So I tore off the old seat cover that has been on the seat since I bought the truck. Figured there would be houndstooth cloth panels in the original seat. But to my surprise there is a scroll pattern. :) Is this original?

Gary

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

Another pic of the scroll pattern in the vinyl that is between the cloth panels. Looks original to me. But I've never seen the cloth with a "scroll" pattern like this.

Gary

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

Chris, SMS is sending me a couple of cloth patterns to see what matches up with what I have. Yesterday I found out there is a local upholstery shop here that does fantastic work. A friend of mine is restoring a 1964 Bonneville and he had this local guy reupholster his seats. Very nice work! So I'm going to check with him too to see if he has availability to the cloth as well. If not, I might just order some from SMS and then have the local guy redo the seat. Thanks again for the lead!

Thanks lefty! The house has been a monkey on my back for well over a year. Wrecking the truck when I did was the worst possible timing. But things are rolling along!

Thanks Rat! Yeah... the cab and bed are still on the bent frame. Hoping to get the frames switched out soon. Today I have a buddy coming over to help with getting the seat, gas tank, steering wheel and brake booster/MC off of the cab. Then this weekend I'll strip the doors off. Pulling the engine and transmission next week. Then after that I will make preparation with a few buddies to help move the cab and bed to the new frame. :)

I am glad they kept me thinking straight too. I was totally dejected and wanted to wash my hands of the whole deal. Boy am I glad I still have this truck! :)

Thanks Lee... I got a lot accomplished in the time the truck was "forgotten". But now it's moving from the back burner to one of the side burners. After we move... it will be on the front burner. :lol:

Gary

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

Thanks flashed! Really looking forward to that da. But for now... baby steps. :)

Made some more progress today. I'm working swings so I had some time this morning to mess around. Got the seat out and the steering column out. Also removed the old crappy Kraco stereo that was in there.

I also got under the dash and started yanking a lot of dead headed wires out from who knows how many PO's before me. Anyways... I ended up carefully pulling out the intact wire harness that goes to the dealer installed cruise control from 1972. I still have all the parts from the whole unit. I am not 100% sure it even works. But I have all the parts. I am thinking about getting rid of it as it just takes up more room on the drivers side under the hood. That area is already busy enough with the alternator, power steering pump and power brake booster all located over there. So if there is an interest here I am probably willing to sell the whole get up. Not sure what it's worth but will let any interested if I decide to cut it loose. :)

Gary

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

Yup, it's factory, heres mine. A little different design, but mines a 69..

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

Funny you mention that. My good friend Matt and I were talking about it at work last night. He said the exact same thing but added "Mark my words..." at the beginning. :lol:

So I took the harness and threw it in the box in the shed with all the other cruise control parts for a later date. Maybe even on a different truck. :)

Gary

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

Ripped the floor mat out and found a bit more rust than I wanted to see. But a lot of it is surface rust in the floor boards. Of course the rockers, kick panels and forward floor corners need to be replaced. One of the many PO's put some sort of plastic foamy liner under the original mat that did nothing but hold moisture. It was still damp in spots when I pulled everything up.

Was kind of "theraputic" to get back into this thing and spending a couple hours on the old heap. It's awesome to have the flame roaring again to get this sucker back on the road.

Also a member that is local to me has most if not all of the sheet metal and bumper that I need. I'll be making a road trip soon, to meet him and pick up those parts. :) Again this board is amazing how it networks us all together! Not sure if he wants to be named as he got a hold of me via PM. If he does, I will give credit where credit is due. :)

Thanks for all the well wishes and kind thoughts from all of you. I can't even begin to tell you all how much it has helped.

Gary

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

Anybody need a pair of door jamb tins? I'll let them go super cheap!!! :lol: :lol:

Gary

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

Gary keep up the great work ! Simon says he will come over and lend a hand "paw" if you need any moral support...:metal:

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

Received an envelope from SMS Auto Fabrics yesterday. I would say the material they have for my bench seat is a dead on match! :)

Gary

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

Quick update. Been a bit... We just sold our house and bought another one with a few acres. It's been a thrash-fest around here getting ready move. If you ever think you have too many car and truck parts... move across town... then you'll know you do! :lol:

Will be back into the rig sometime in late May early June after all this house stuff settles down.

Gary

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

Here we sit at the new place. Slow and steady wins the war... I guess. :lol: Poor old truck has been relegated to sitting under a tarp alongside the house until there is room in the garage from all of our junk that is still staged in there after the move.

But... we are getting closer to yarding out the engine and trans, and getting ready to swap to the new frame.

Also... I attached a couple pics of the hood taken from the rear near where it would mate up to the cowl. The drivers side is still in good shape. But the passenger side is the one that is tweaked from the wreck. It's pinched right along the crease line in the hood. You cats think this can be bent back into shape?

Gary

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

SPID says stock colors are Medium Green and White. The black top was there when I bought the truck. I do believe that there was a possible dealer option to have the top painted black, but I cannot confirm nor deny if mine was done in 1972. :)

Gary

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

Made some progress yesterday as my buddy Matt stopped by and we yarded out the 355 and the TH350. Which was one of the biggest obstacle for me to get moving on this. Feels good to get over a big hurdle. :)

Gary

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

Progress! :hot:

Working swing shifts this week so got some stuff done this morning.

Removed the heater box and core, Removed all the front SS brake lines I had installed about 3 years ago. Sucks that the fittings are a tad rusty , but the lines look fantastic. Finally removed the fuel tank as well. Looks like the cab will be moving to the 1969 frame next week! :D

Gary

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)
 

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)
 

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