Double Jeopardy

[OldChevysRule]

I have been reading other people's builds here and gathering ideas for my own 2 builds. Like a lot of folks on here I am on a tight budget and now that I am about to be the owner of 2 trucks, it is even worse! I figured the best way to gather ideas is to start a thread of my own. My plans are to keep both trucks somewhat like they would have come from the factory, with some modifications to my liking. I want them to still be trucks once completed and to be able to use them as such and still drive them to local cruise-ins. The first truck is a 55 3200 stepside which I would like to make into a heavy half or 3/4 ton truck. The other truck is a 55 3100 stepside which I would like to do a 4X4 conversion on. If anyone has done anything similar to either of these two options and could give some pointers, it would be greatly appreciated. From what I have seen, there is a LOT of talent here on this forum and everyone seems willing to give advice and offer assistance in any way that they can. I will try to load pictures once I figure out how to do it. I saw on another post where someone had told someone else about a couple of different ways to load pics, but I will have to try and find that thread again. More to follow.

[Rednek13x]

if you were not located so far away i could sell you 3/4 ton running gear that i am taking off.

[Kim57]

Welcome.
Sounds like a couple of cool builds.
Kim

[OldChevysRule]

Thanks Rednek. I will probably scour the junk yards and see what I can find. I am kicking myself in the rear for getting rid of the GM 14 bolt 9.5 SF rear axle that I had prepped for the 87 4X4 that I traded for the 55 3200. I have always been a fan of Chevy trucks, so I am trying to keep factory GM parts on my builds to stay true to the brand, keep the cost down and make it easier to find parts. Kim....I appreciate the comment...your build is really nice!!! I am currently deployed to Spain and hope to get to start working on mine again sometime this summer. Spending my evenings reading about everybody else's builds is driving me crazy over here!!!

[OldChevysRule]

I am going to see if I can get this whole photo thing figured out. I created an account on photobucket so that I can upload pics. My profile pic is my 3200, which is currently at my house. Here is a picture of the 87 4X4 that I traded for it.



and here is the 3100 that I am in the process of buying

[dug224]

Originally Posted by OldChevysRule

I am going to see if I can get this whole photo thing figured out. I created an account on photobucket so that I can upload pics. My profile pic is my 3200, which is currently at my house. Here is a picture of the 87 4X4 that I traded for it.



and here is the 3100 that I am in the process of buying

Those old Chevy's don't look rotten enough to be here in Alabama! dug

[OldChevysRule]

Doug....the 3100 looks pretty good and is definitely in better shape than the 3200. It does still have some rust, though. The 3200 has a LOT of rust and may be more than my skills can handle!! I still have to find a decent MIG welder before I can start any metal work. The 3100 isn't even paid for yet, so I am looking at about $1K once I get home, just to get started. Then I will have to buy 1 panel at a time to start patching things up. I will probably hold off on the purchase of the welder and just finish paying off the 3100 and continue tearing the 3200 down. Since I want to make the 3200 a "work" truck, I am thinking about reusing the step bumper on the back and also adding a receiver hitch. Here are some pics from the tear down before I left and what I have to deal with when I get home. I would say enjoy the pics, but there is not much to enjoy at this point! Thanks.....Jason

[Kim57]

Looks like you have your work cut out for you.
Your description says it's a 55 but the right front fender looks like it's off a 57.
Can't tell on the left as the head light bucket is in the way.
Kim

[FarmerSid]

Cool project! It's only welding wire and time. Got enough gas cans on the shelf?

[OldChevysRule]

You are right about the work, Kim!! I hope my patience lasts till completion. I am not sure about the fenders. I do not know the whole history of the truck, but I know a lot of people interchange parts on them a lot. I did notice that the seam where the panels meet around the grille don't seem to match as well as they should, so you could be correct. As for the VIN breakdown, it does match for a 55 and the bed length is the same for the 55 3200, as I think they only had the 7 1/2 ft bed in 55. After that, I think all the long beds were 8 ft. I read that somewhere on the internet, so I am not sure how accurate it is. Sid, I still don't have a welder. I may end up going to HF and get one of their cheap ones to start with. I would like to have a Miller, as I already have an old Miller AEAD200LE arc welder/generator combo, but the Lincolns are generally easier to find on Craigslist. I have been looking at the Lincoln 140HD and the 180HD. As for Millers, I like the 140 Easy set or auto set, whichever it is, but the Millers are usually a little higher. Then I still have to get gas or go flux cored for the wire. Thanks to both of you for your comments. I am sure I will have lots of questions once I get back to working on it, so I may be asking some of you experienced guys and gals for some suggestions. Take care.....Jason

[OldChevysRule]

Sid......I just noticed your comment said gas cans......LOL Yeah I bought them back in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina hit. Then in 2006, when another hurricane was threatening to make landfall, I filled ALL of my gas cans. I have 10 5 gallon cans on the shelf. I also used to have a 6 gallon can and 3 2.5 gallon cans. The other people at the gas station were getting mad at me. There was a 75.00 limit on gas. I swiped my card 4 or 5 times and filled everything!! LOL

[FarmerSid]

Cool gas story. Glad we don't have hurricanes here. Only you know your budget for a welder but wait it out a bit and spend a bit more on a Miller, Lincoln or Hobart. Spend your money once and it will last a lifetime. A few buddies have went the cheap route to only scrap it and buy a same unit but a name brand. No problems since. I spent the money on a Miller and have had no problems. Just my opinion.

[Kim57]

I only brought up the fender question because it looks like it has the indentation in for the 57 grill.

Kim

[made2drag]

on the welder....check out some pawn shops...i bought my Lincoln 120 volt welder used from a pawn shop for 125 bucks....i have used it for at least 5 years now with no problems. I have a friend who bought a Harbor Frieght welder and he said he couldnt get it to weld right...i went over there and i couldnt get it to weld right either... of course, im still learning on mine too and not the greatest welder, but im getting better as time passes. Ive got another buddy with a huge expensive Lincoln welder. I tried his and i couldnt believe how good my welds looked when i was done!!!

[made2drag]

Welcome to the board by the way, from the montgomery alabama area

[OldChevysRule]

Thanks the welcome, made2 drag. I didn't catch your real name. As for the welder, I routinely check pawn shops for good deals on tools. The only problem is I always seem to find the good deals when I don't have the extra cash to buy it!! Most of the pawn shops close by me that keep a lot of tools have them overpriced, so that doesn't help. I also check craigslist daily. I keep seeing a NIB Lincoln 140HD for $275, but the ad will disappear after a few days and then pop back up a week later. I tend to shy away from stuff like that, because of spammers or just plain crooks. I don't like dealing with either of those. I don't recall if I have checked out your 56 build or not, but I will check it later and see. I have read through so many builds on here, they start to run together after a while! Take care....Jason

[made2drag]

"I keep seeing a NIB Lincoln 140HD for $275"

call him up and see if he is willing to trade for something....who knows it could be someone who has no use for the welder, and would rather have something you dont need anymore.

dj

[OldChevysRule]

While I am in Spain, reading about everybody else's builds while mine just sits, my thread is getting buried!! I had to go to page 3 just to find it, so I figured I better post something just to keep the thread going.. I noticed several people on here post their inspiration pics, so I thought I would do the same and also ask for some opinions. This first picture is similar to what I want my truck to look like except I plan to paint the bumpers black as well, minus the lowered stance.


Then, I saw some pics on the internet that I kinda like and thought that I could incorporate some of that into mine.









I started thinking about painting the top of the truck black as well, but wasn't sure if that would be too much black and detract from the headlight bezels. I want the bezels to stand out against the orange paint. What do you guys think?

BTW...........I know I posted a couple of pictures of those four letter "F" word trucks, but the body lines on the hood are similar, and I like the breakup between the two colors.

Jason

[Kim57]

All those are nice pant schemes but I like the first one the most.
Kim

[OldChevysRule]

Well...I finally got to work on the truck again today. Does anyone else's TF truck have all the bolts facing the same direction? It is like the truck was assembled by starting on the driver's side and moving to the passengers side. I didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked to. It seems the more I remove, the more rust and problems I find! I have one fender which is welded in place....ugh! As luck would have it, I am out of small cutting wheels for the dremel and the 4" grinder is too big to reach in there. I read on another forum about removing the steering column....if I recall correctly, there should be a pin that can be knocked out to separate the steering box from the steering shaft. Can somebody clarify or elaborate on that? Thanks.....Jason

[dug224]

Originally Posted by OldChevysRule

Well...I finally got to work on the truck again today. Does anyone else's TF truck have all the bolts facing the same direction? It is like the truck was assembled by starting on the driver's side and moving to the passengers side. I didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked to. It seems the more I remove, the more rust and problems I find! I have one fender which is welded in place....ugh! As luck would have it, I am out of small cutting wheels for the dremel and the 4" grinder is too big to reach in there. I read on another forum about removing the steering column....if I recall correctly, there should be a pin that can be knocked out to separate the steering box from the steering shaft. Can somebody clarify or elaborate on that? Thanks.....Jason

Jason: I have the assembly manual for the truck if you want to borrow it. dug

[OldChevysRule]

thanks, dug. I am in the disassembly process right now, but the manual may be helpful for divorcing the steering box from the steering column. the next major task is to get the cab off the frame. Then, I can start working on the frame and cutting and replacing panels on the cab.........or get another cab....not sure yet. Jason

[OldChevysRule]

I don't have any real updates or progress on my build....I have been scouring the local u-pull-it yard and have located some items of interest. I also made a trade agreement yesterday for a TH400 that needs to be rebuilt. I am going to try to pick that up today after work. Since my intentions are to someday pass my trucks (if ever finished) down to my sons, my oldest informed me a couple of weeks ago that he wants the 3200 to be a 4X4 as well. It is a good thing that I am still in the teardown phase! Now I just have to keep looking for 4x4 related parts on my boneyard visits. I may have to hit up the 4x4 forum on this site and see what would be the best axle to use for the front. I am thinking maybe a Dana 44 or similar. There has to be some straight axle configuration out there that has a narrower track width and passenger side chunk. Another local rodder/enthusiast told me about another local guy who has a lot of old iron sitting around. I went and met him yesterday. He has some really interesting old stuff. He is currently in the process of putting a 55 second series on a 2004 Corvette chassis. Should be a pretty interesting build. Sorry for the rambling. Any inputs from the members here is always appreciated. Jason

[Pfdchief]

I have a set of long box step in very good condition if your looking for some, let me know

[OldChevysRule]

Are you talking about the fenders or the bed sides? I found some bed sides in CA, but the guy only wants to sell locally and doesn't want to ship them. I am trying to keep costs down as much as possible, so I am trying not to buy NEW sheetmetal except for patch panels and such. I am interested, though. PM me the info and we will see if we can work something out. Thanks......Jason