Trusty Rusty - 72 GMC LWB

[flashed]

Im in for the rest of this one .

[KY_GMC]

Since the last update, picked up some headers from Summit - Hedman Shorties so that they can be tucked up in the frame rails.





The only issue is that the passenger side is hitting the frame rail. Hopefully this will get corrected once the frame is straightened.

[KY_GMC]

The cab had some rust damage on the passenger side along the drip rail and a pillar. Cut it out and made custom patch panels since these pieces are not available. After a lot of cutting, trimming, and hammering, it turned out alright.





After that, finished welding in the cab supports, filled in all of the remaining holes from the rocker panel installation and then cleaned up the surface rust.

After a good coat of sealer, it looks pretty darn good!




Then, we worked on cleaning up the rust pitting on the cab roof.



The next step is to seal all of the body filler and then apply 2K primer.

More sanding to come!

[flashed]

Its looking very good .

[sduckworth13]

Very nice work! , your truck is looking great.

[KY_GMC]

Took a day of from work last Friday and was able to get some more parts sealed and 2K primed.







It was a nice day and was able to get the parts outside in the sun to cure.

It's nice to finally see some where all that hard work of rust and panel repair has paid off. Can't wait to see the paint on these panels.

The hood is still showing some rust pitting. Picked up some Dolphin Putty at KOI to see if I can get those spots filled. Don't think the 2K will fill them.

The next step is to start blocking and fixing any other body issues.

Still need to get the bed sealed and primed and the hood primed. Now that I know the end is near, we are picking up steam to get this thing finished!

[KY_GMC]

A very nice box showed up on my doorstep today!!



Tom at Classic Gauge and Cluster did an awesome job! Couldn't have asked for anything better than this.

Can't wait to see it against the Hugger Orange dash!

[KY_GMC]

Picked up a 1971 GMC tailgate from a nice Ford guy in Alexandria IN today. He knew what he had but he wasn't out to make a killing on it. He let it go for $200, which I thought was very reasonable! No rust, but there are some dents that need to be contended with. Anybody have any experience pulling dents like these?

Any help or advice on the best way to approach this would be great.











Should I just try to pull the dents from the outside or peel the top off and work from behind?

[KY_GMC]

It's been a while since last post, but work has been taking place, to the delight of my wife!

Got primer on the panels and then the sanding began.

[KY_GMC]

After spending the month of July traveling in Europe and weekend trips with the wife, I was ready to get started on this again. With the front end of the truck ready for paint, started on the fuel filler in the taillight option. This has been done before, so it is not new, but I like the clean look.











Looking forward to trying this out at the gas station!

[KY_GMC]

With the fuel fill mod done, I was able to finish the priming of the bed to get everything ready to paint. This was my first time painting and after a lot of research and discussions with the guys at the paint store, I jumped in an started spraying. The trick that I finally found out was the proper way to set up the spray gun. I found this out during the last coats of prime on the bed and the results were incredible.

I started painting the inside of the cab and the underside of the hood and fenders. The paint store gave me a deal on GM 2185 white paint. I put two coats of the white down before the hugger orange and the paint color just popped. Then the clear was put on after this.









I was very happy with the results. There was some minor orange peel, but nothing significant.

[KY_GMC]

With the inside of the cab and underside of panels complete, the cab, doors, bed and hood were painted. This was a long day of prepping and painting, especially since it was 90+ degrees with midwest humidity!









The paint went down very well and the clear smoothed out with minimal orange peel. If it wasn't for the dust in the paint, I wouldn't have to do any cut and buff. I guess that it was I get for painting in my garage, even though I swept, washed the garage down, put up plastic tarps, filtered the air coming in and going out,....oh well.

[KY_GMC]

With the paint down, I was now ready to put the truck back together.







Since my help was nowhere to be found, I was able to get the bed and cab on by myself. It was nerve wracking moving these painted pieces around hanging from a lift and trying not to hit anything, but I was able to get them on the frame with no damage

[KY_GMC]

Today was spent mounting the doors on the cab and cutting and buffing the hood and fenders.







It seems that everyone that comes down my street (UPS guy, FEDEX guy, garbage man) knows that I am working a truck and keep asking for updates. Today, the garbage man stopped to check up on the progress. And, then a guy with a '58 Apache stopped to check on what I was doing. I just wish someone would offer to help

[flashed]

Wow ,that looks great .

[inrustwetrust]

Looks awesome dad! we'll need to get some family photos with my 65 and old trusty when she's done!

[KY_GMC]

Well, its been a while since my last update, but I have been busy.

After I got the body back on the frame, I started with lining the cab with FatMat Rattle Trap sound deadener.



Got the AAW wiring harness installed.



Rebuilt the steering column.

Got the engine fired up and then found out that I needed to rebuild the carb during the break in. Had to pull the carb off, rebuild it and then complete the break in. Luckily, I had contacted Cliff's Performance and had a rebuilt kit and larger jets for my new 383 engine. His suggestion was dead on. The performance of the engine is spot on!



Rebuilt the vent windows and polished the chrome.



Rebuilt the heater box and heater controls.

I am tying on reusing as many original parts that I can. That means polishing a lot of chromed parts.

[flashed]

Looks very nice ,staying tuned.

[KY_GMC]

So, I have been dealing with trouble aligning the front dog house since the frame is bent. After contacting numerous frame shops, most of the them are busy with insurance work with collision repair. I need to find an old guy with a frame rack that knows how to work on older cars.

So, the next steps were to install the carpet and dash pad.



Re upholstered the bench seat. This went easier than expected. With new foam, it turned out very nice. I think that the hounds tooth really makes this interior pop!




Then after many hours of polishing and painting, I was able to salvage the original grill. Since this is a GMC, these grill are hard to find.



One of the upgrades that I made was to go to LED tail lights. I was impressed with the quality and the performance met my high standards. I also updated the back up lights and the front turn signals.

[KY_GMC]

Last weekend I took her for her first excursion. With new wheels and tires, I needed to get the front end aligned. Didn't want to eat up the new tires. When I called to make the appointment, I made sure to ask for someone who knows how to align cars that require shims and they said that they had a guy.

As I talked to him about the alignment, he knew his stuff. The caster was way off to the minus on one side and positive of the other. Even with the bent frame, he was able to balance the caster on both sides and get it within specs.



With the lowered front end, he also had to add 3/4" of shims to get the camber to line up.

After waiting for four hours, the result was a straight running truck.

[KY_GMC]

This weekend was spent getting her ready for the new exhaust to be put on next week.

I installed the ECE transmission mount and the new rear sport bumper.



I plan on having the exhaust run between the frame rails and bump right above the rear bumper. I want a clean look and don't want the tips to show. Hopefully they will be able to accomplish this.

[Aus69c20]

Great job. Coming along nicely.

[KY_GMC]

Finally got a new dual exhaust put on the truck!

The guys at Flowtek Custom Exhaust did an outstanding job. I wanted the tips to be hidden and they end right above the rear bumper and then turn down. You can't see them from the rear! and the sound is awesome. They even cut in a crossover.

Now it's time to put some miles on this thing and get the engine broke in.

[KY_GMC]

Been trying to get some miles on the truck to get the engine broken in. We decided to head to the Ohio River to get some pictures.

Still have some trim to put on, line the bed and finish the tailgate, but I am happy so far with the way that she looks. It sure is a fun truck to drive!

[flashed]

That is one fine looking truck .