Crocodile Rocks Build Thread

[MattPSU]

First let me start by saying that my wife is an Elton John fan. In "Crocodile Rock" there's a line that goes "...had an old gold Chevy and a place of my own." We bought a house in mid 2011 (a place of my own) and two days before Christmas, I bought this "old gold Chevy," so for now that's what I'm calling my build.

It's a 1972 Cheyenne with a 350/auto, short bed, fleet side and 136,xxx original miles. I'm the third owner, and the first two were family members. The PO bought the truck from his nieces father in-law who ordered the truck in 72. He bought it as a project for he and his son. The boy drove the truck for a little while, and they started to tear apart the interior and they sanded/primed the bed sides. The son eventually got into Mustangs (who knows why?), lost interest, and the 72 was moved to the back burner.

For two + years the truck basically sat, getting driven a little here and there by the father. The UPS guy (Billy) where I work told me about the truck when I mentioned that I was looking for a 67-72. After about 2 months the owner told Billy to have me call him. I called, went to see the truck, drove it, slept on it, and made an offer. We quickly came to an agreement, and the Friday before Christmas, I picked her up.

I'm starting this thread a few weeks after I bought the truck, so I'll be updating it with the pictures & descriptions of what I've done so far to get caught up.

[MattPSU]

Here are some pictures from Day 1.

[MattPSU]

Eventually I would like to do a color swap and repaint the truck dark blue. At that time, I plan to replace the front clip with a 68 front end.

For now I've decided to leave the ochre & white. I'm going to finish sanding the roof and I plan to re-sand the bedsides. I'm thinking that I'll paint these area's using the "Trucks" patina method to attempt to match the natural patina the front end has.

Today I cleaned the driver's side of the hood with 50/50 CLR & water, then scrubbed it with a scotch-brite pad and 1000 grit sand paper to clean up the surface rust. I then polished it. It came put pretty good and I would have liked to have done more but it's mid 40's & windy here today and it's just too cold to be messing around in the shade with water.

There's two before pics and 3 after pics below. Let me know what you think.

[MattPSU]

Here's the pictures from today.

[MattPSU]

So I'm finally ready to start my build after 10 months of saving and planning. I know it's been said on here thousands of times but the knowledge that I've gained from this board is unbelievably valuable. Without spending a dime, I've been able to review all of the different possibilities.

I've decided to do a mild air suspension. I wanted to do an air suspension on my S-10 when I was younger, but at the time, it wouldn't pass the state inspection in PA. Now I live in South Carolina and there's basically no rules. Plus, my wife said to build what I wanted! It'll cost twice or more what a static drop would have cost, but it's what I wanted.

I spoke with Travis at Pro Performance who's been a huge help. Since they sell both Ride Tech and Porterbuilt, I looked to him for his input on the various options and decided to go with Porterbuilt Stage One kits in both the front and back. They'll give me the option to add a notch and drop spindles if I want to go lower and I felt that I'll get more for the money going that way.

I also chose to move the tank to under the bed with one of Boyd Welding's tanks which I got from Travis as well. He had one that a customer didn't want because of some minor scratches. I figured it's going under the bed, who cares? I've also managed to scratch the crap out of it mocking it up!

I planned on pulling off the bed this fall and working on the rear suspension and the fuel tank. Once the back half is finished, I'll pull apart the front and get the suspension taken care of before moving onto the body. While I have things apart, I'm planning on cleaning up and painting the frame & suspension components. I looked at POR 15 and some other similar products, and decided to go with Master Series Coatings. I liked their product and the price seemed better than POR 15.

With the basic plan in place, I placed an order with Travis a couple weeks ago, and with Master Series last week. Everything started to arrive last week - it was like Christmas in September!

This weekend I decided to pull the bed with the help of my neighbor and start the tear down. I was really surprised at how well things came apart. I know the PO had the bed off recently, but the other suspension components were never touched to the best of my knowledge. I had to cut one bolt for the bumper, and I broke both the upper bolts on the springs. Other than that, the other bolts for the springs and shocks all came out with just some elbow grease. I forgot how much of a workout this would be which is part of my plan. Hopefully it'll be healthier for me to be wrenching in the garage rather than eating chips on the couch while watching TV.

I mocked up the tank which fits perfectly. I'm concerned about the fuel lines being close to the exhaust. The fuel outlet on the tank it within about 3 inches of the exhaust which I think is too close. Any input/suggestions would be appreciated. I plan on replacing the exhaust at some point, and I'm trying to decide if I want to pull it off now or not. I'll probably be easier to work around without it under there, so it'll probably go.

Needless to say, it's good to get started. I took some before photos so that I can see the difference between stock, w/Porterbuilt stage one aired up and aired down. There were no photos like that on the site that I could find, so I figured I'd pay it forward once I'm done.

- Matt

[MattPSU]

I've gotten a lot accomplished since my last post here. Got everything disassembled, stripped, cleaned, and painted. Lots of wire wheel action. The frame cleaned up pretty nicely. Mostly just surface rust. I cleaned and painted the whole frame from the cab back and I did the out sides and bottom of the frame under the cab.

I used Master Series Coatings which went on pretty well. I used foam brushes to apply it. Lots of them. They're only good for 5-10 minutes then they start to fall apart. I think I went through 20 or so of them throughout the process. I did two coats of the silver primer and two coats of black. You have to be careful with runs using these brushes. I took my time and there's still a lot of little runs and thick spots. Overall I'm pretty happy with how the frame came out.

I also did the truck/trailing arms which I'm not as happy with. Mine had a little more than surface rust which kept them from looking very smooth when it was finished. The day I did them was a little colder and the black coat got some weird bubbles in a couple places. I'm not sure if that's from the cold or something else.

I've never used POR 15 but I don't think Master Series is as hard as POR 15 is said to be. This almost has a softer feel to it. Maybe I didn't use enough hardener.

Once everything was painted, I got started on putting everything back together. While I was at it, I replaced the diff cover seal and I put new brake shoes on.

The Porterbuilt Rear Stage One kit went together well. Thanks to Travis at Pro Performance for answering all of my questions. I can't recommend him enough.

Once everything was back together, I aired the system up. For the time being I'm doing it manually. I don't think my wife understood my interest in an air suspension at first, but she grinned when I showed her it going up and down.

Before I tore everything apart, my frame was 26.5" off the ground. With the bags aired up, the frame is 26" off the ground. Aired out, the bump-stop sits on the axle and the frame is 18" off the ground. I was surprised that I had 8" of travel in the rear.

I then installed my Boyd Welding tank. It sits inside the frame rail and I ran 3 bolts through existing holes in each side of the frame to hold it in place. I still need to run my fuel lines which I'll try to do in the upcoming weeks. I'm also happy with how well it fits. I was concerned about ground clearance with it, but it's not even close.

I also got to meet member Longhorn321. My old tank needed a new home and his truck needs a tank. Hopefully the good karma will help me out!

That's where things stand at the moment. Needless to say, it's very rewarding to have one part of the project accomplished. I'm also very excited to get the front end going, but I'll need to save my "allowance" so that I can afford the front kit, more paint, ball joints, tie rod ends, etc.

[MattPSU]

More pics...

[MattPSU]

Last few pics...

[MattPSU]

Not sure if this will work or not, but here's a link to a video of me airing out the bags.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=...4&notif_t=like

[MattPSU]

Lots of progress since my last post. I removed the front clip & disassembled the front suspension. I also removed most of the engine accessories - fan, pulleys, alternator, power steering pump, manifolds, carb, intake, etc. I cleaned and painted the block the best I could with it still in the truck. I've also cleaned and painted the pulleys, intake & water pump. I still need to work on the manifolds, power steering stuff, alternator, etc.

I then moved on to the frame and firewall. The frame from the firewall forward, as well as the upper and lower arms & spindles, have been cleaned, de-greased and wire-wheeled. Again, a very time consuming, dirty process.

Since I had easy access to it, I started to strip the paint from the firewall too. There are a few rust spots and I was able to find another board member (Ed - 68corvair) whose going to help me weld in patches where the rust has eaten through. We may even do some firewall shaving. We'll see what we can get done while he's available. Hopefully we'll get to that in the upcoming weeks.

In the mean time, I ordered the Porterbuilt Stage One front kit from Pro Performance. I plan to paint the frame & suspension components over one of the next few weekends depending on the weather which should have everything ready for reassembly once it arrives.

I also need new front brake lines & hoses, and I managed to mangle one of my transmission cooling lines so add those to the list! I'm planning on going to the Run to the Sun in Myrtle Beach in mid-March to pick up a few other "Shiny" items like valve covers, air cleaners, etc. to finish up the engine compartment.

My short term goal is to have it back on the road to be able to use it some this summer, and maybe even take it to Charlotte for the get together after the Power Tour.

[67cheby]

Nice work, keep it going !

[chevy88]

Nice progress, keep it up.
Posted via Mobile Device

[MattPSU]

Thanks for the encouragement, guys.

I finished up painting the frame and upper & lower arms this weekend. I also did the lower half of my firewall while I was at it. I have plans, with the help of member 68corvair, to fix some of the rust in the cowl & upper firewall and possibly to shave the firewall in the upcoming weeks.

My Porterbuilt stage one kit for the front should be here in a week or two, and I have new brake lines/hoses and transmission lines coming as well. New ball joints, control arm shafts, tie rods, etc. are ready to be assembled, which I'll start on this week.

I'm happy with the Master Series coatings that I used for my frame with one exception. Both times I ordered satin finish, but as you can probably tell from the pictures, the second kit wasn't satin. It's gloss. I contacted them and I'm waiting to hear what they have to say about it. At this point, I'm not sure I want to re-do the front or the back, but I hate the idea of them not matching. I doubt anyone will ever know but me (and those of you who read this, of course), but I'll know the front and back are different.

- Matt

[Ghostryder79]

Looks like a good place to start. I like it!

[yote1234]

nice start,

[MattPSU]

I have accomplished quite a bit since my last update. Ed and I shaved the firewall, I got the Porterbuilt Stage 1 front kit installed, new brake lines, ball joints, & tie rod ends all installed, and the engine back together. I'm really happy with how it's all come together and how much drop this kit gives me. Just like the rear, I have about 8 inches of travel. I hope to have the firewall finished up and painted this weekend so that I can finish up the engine compartment and get the front clip back on in the upcoming weeks. Hopefully I'll be done in time to make it to Andy's gathering at the end of May.

Here are some pictures...

[MattPSU]

Pictures of the bump stop trimmed.

[MattPSU]

Some aired up pictures...

[Pro Performance]

Looks good Matt, the truck is coming along nicely!

[MattPSU]

Originally Posted by Pro Performance

Looks good Matt, the truck is coming along nicely!

Thanks Travis. Slowly but surely and with your help of course. - Matt

[MattPSU]

Aired out pictures...

[MattPSU]

Got it all back together over the last few weeks. I'm hoping to take it to a few things in the upcoming weeks and I was excited to get it out of the garage for a few pictures. One of my goals was to have some before, after aired up, and after aired out pictures of my truck with the Porterbuilt Stage One kits installed so that anyone thinking of going this route could see what it would look like. Before I bought these kits, I couldn't find any before after pics for reference. Hopefully someone will find these helpful. I'll get some more pics posted this week of the last few steps i took to get to this point. - Matt

[VA72C10]

Nice progress and love the before, aired up, and lowered pics...a great reference for others!

[Hardesty454]

Great progress!

[fastnotch89]

Coming along nice