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Finished - 1978 Chevrolet Truck - Frame Off Restoration - Pancho Finale

Hey Everyone,

The time has come (finally!) where I can say "restoration completed." There were plenty of times I wanted to say it, but deep down, I knew there were still things to finish.

So what does a man say after tearing a truck all the way down to the frame, then rebuilding it bolt by bolt? "I'm tired," that's what he says! What a journey!

The Journey

Build Thread

Sale Thread

Here's a video that takes you through the journey, from start to finish:

1978 Chevrolet Truck - Frame Off Restoration -...

383 stroker engine
AFR 195 Street heads
Comp Camps 262h roller cam kit
Comp gold 1.6 rockers
Edelbrock carb
Edelbrock intake
Edelbrock high flow water pump
Edlebrock fuel pump
Approximately 480 horsepower
Headman headers, xpipe with Corsa DB exhaust
Aluminum four core radiator
Billet specialties overflow tank
Billet Specialties brackets and accessories
Billet pullies
Professionally rebuilt 700R4 with lockup and corvette servo
Hughes Street Master 2,500 rpm stall converter
3.73 posi-trac gears, professionally built
Even the drive shaft was powder coated!

Brakes

Converted rear to disk brakes
Polished GM Calipers at each wheel
Slotted/cross drilled rotors
Polished resevoir
Proportioning valve for four wheel disc brakes
New Stainless steel brake lines

Interior

Updated with complete Vintage Air AC kit (nice and cool!)
NOS Dash pad
NOS Dash pad insert
NOS Door panels
NOS Door panel inserts and trim
Power windows
Power door locks
Custom billet window/door lock switches
Fatmat base, Second Skin audio secondary, followed by Second Skin density foam for sound proofing.
Alpine am/fm/mp3 deck with remote
JL Audio amplifier
JL Audio component 6.5s (in kick panels)
JL Audio component 6x9s (behind the seats with custom brakets)
Powered compact subwoofer to bring out the base
New plush light gray carpet (the thickest most expensive available)
GM Floor mats
Under dash lights so you can see when getting in or out of the truck
GM low back bucket seats with all new vynil covers
GM center console with custom billet aluminum cup holder
NOS Gauge bezel
NOS GM speedometer (rare ebay find!)
All gauges work correctly, including rare correct GM tachometer
Rare wiper delay switch
'59 impala steering wheel
Tilt steering
Billet gear shift, signal lever and tilt lever
All new glass, including door front and rear window, with light tint
All new weatherstripping
GM NOS vent windows
Custom Ostrich skin sun visors
Chromed glove box door
New Retro seat belts for bucket seats

Body

Frame sandblasted, then epoxy primered with Dupont (expensive!) and top coated with GM Restoration satin black
The entire body was sandblasted and coated with Dupont expoxy primer
The bottom of the bed, cab and inner fender wells were then coated with POR-15 black chasis paint
Made a trip from Texas to Iowa to pick up a barn find that included two nos inner wheel wells, to NOS outer front fenders and two NOS doors. All documented in the build thread and on the truck!
Bed was epoxy primered then professionally coated with lining
New front and rear bumpers
NOS drip rails over doors
NOS "Silverado" fender emblems
NOS aluminum cab trim
Immaculate aluminum tailgate trim
NOS GM grill.
NOS GM headlight bezels

Electrical

The electrical system is all new, courtesy of Painless Wiring. Powered by a red top Optima battery.

Suspension

All new suspension components, including tie rod ends, bushings and ball joints
2.5 inch lowering spindles on front, with new springs
Rear dropped four inches with shackles and removed one leaf spring
New shocks all around
15 inch GM rally wheels, powder coated.
New rally wheel caps with spinners for that classic look
Brand new BF Goodrich 275/60/15s
Front end professionally aligned

Lessons Learned

This forum is your resource. There is nothing that cannot be done on these trucks, that you cannot find find information on here, or someone here who knows.
Start with a good base. Pancho was not the best base to start with, which in turn added to the overall cost of restoration.
Refrain from adding finished body panels until *everything* under the hood is done. There is nothing worse than doing finish work under the hood in tight places because you were too anxious to get those fenders on!
Ensure your motor is the way you want it before buttoning everything up. This cost time on my part, because I decided to go back and swap in AFR 195 street heads and change over to a roller cam. Working in tight spaces is not fun!
Try and do something, no matter how small, every day. There were days I was absolutely exhausted and just wanted to rest. On days like that, I would force myself to do smaller tasks, telling myself "anything I can get done today, I won't have to do tomorrow."

Thanks and Credits

Our Father in Heaven - for guiding me to the solution all those times I was ready to give up. I pray He will forgive me for those moments when I lost my Christianity.
My family, for their wisdom in understanding I was absolutely nuts for taking on a project like this, and their understanding help in making this dream come true.
The owners, administrators and moderators of this forum who work tirelessly to make this site an amazing resource and a place that makes us feel at home.
The online friends I've made here who provided encouragement, a kick in the pants when needed and help when I was at my wit's end.

Hope you guys enjoyed the build, the photos and the end results.