Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Well that escalated quickly.:lol: Turns out I wasn't able to fit 3 of those seal tight elbows on the one side. Then I got to thinking, why not put 2 on both sides?:crazy: That way I can even run an amp power wire up through one of them on the passenger side. Plus you never know when you might need to snake a wire through for something.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Great idea, always provision for extra. Now your gonna have to start thinking about door wiring lol.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

I'm not sure there will be any door wiring. I think I'm gonna stick with crank windows and manual locks. Although there is plenty of time for me to change my mind.;)

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Today I pulled the trigger on a wiring harness so that I could get it all mounted up from the inside. It is a 21 circuit E-Z Wiring kit that I picked up locally for $375. Seems to be pretty good quality and I'm quite happy with it.:metal:

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

I've heard those kits are good quality. And a quick tip I learned. Install your fuses last. Turn on the ignition. Plug then in one at a time. If one pops, you know where to look/trace.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Thanks for the tip. Makes good sense to me.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

I spent the afternoon in the shop today. I managed to get the passenger side of the cowl fitting much better. From factory, it was almost as though the piece was formed incorrectly. It was twisted towards the front of the cab and sticking out to far to the side. I assume that is why there were SO MANY SPOT WELDS on this side.:lol: I had to make two relief cuts but it is sitting much better now.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Another fine repair! I gotta ask... How do you get your metal so freakin clean?! It practically looks like surgical steel!

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Haha I have a black, very course puck type of paint stripping wheel on a drill as well as a wire wheel attached to a drill. I like the shine it gives, it makes it easier to find lows and highs so I can address as much as possible before I do any filler.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

This is the one here

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Looks awesome man! Really enjoying all the firewall pictures. I added the round corner on mine to make it look more symmetrical, but you took yours to another level. Keep it up!

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Thanks for the compliments. I'll have to check your build out.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Today I got the last hole from the original heater fan filled in. I also cut out the small reinforcement plate for the corner of the cowl and cut/welded in a new piece to mimic the driver side. I still have to add the flange from cowl to cab so I can install it but I am getting close.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Looking great!

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Thanks. I see you have been making good progress on yours as well. Keep it up!

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

I have finished the re constructive surgery on the passenger cowl tonight. Looks damn near like the other side now. Next I've got alot of welding ahead of me, all of my spot weld holes are much to big to plug weld nicely so I have flattened off and folded over the end of a copper pipe so I can weld all the old holes shut and drill new ones.:crazy::lol: Another reason that im happy I have removed my cowl is that now I will be able to get the wire gutter much straighter when I weld it back on. That one picture shows just how far off it was before. That mark in the center of the hole was the edge of my spot weld cutter.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Oh boy was that ever fun! Welding 100 holes shut just to drill 100 smaller ones.:lol: I'm very close to getting my cowl back on now. I've busted out the brush on seam sealer and sealed all the seams under the cowl. Now it's just some weld through primer, then some paint and then I can begin the 100 plug welds, though I'm probably only going to get about 10 in before I run out of shielding gas.:waah: Oh well the weather is starting to smarten up around here finally so I can always start taking the front end apart and get ready to mock up for cab corners and rockers.:metal:

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

That looks sharp. I'll bring my cab over next lol.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Haha I've got the whole rest of my truck to finish first. :lol: How is your engine coming along?

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

I am going to change the oil pump. Don't like the noise it makes. So in other words slow

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Yeah I saw that. That's not very cool. At least you found it before the engine was installed.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Great milestone. Looks really good Kyle.

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Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Thanks TA, I got the weld through and the paint all wrapped up tonight. Tomorrow I will start welding it in. I wont get very far with my small amount of gas but at least it will be a start.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Hmm, who would of thought that when you welding gas gauge is almost at 0, that you could still do 100 spot welds? Awesome news for me as I just finished welding my cowl back into position!:metal: So excited to see it back on and looking so clean.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Nice. Are you going to remove the outer roof panel to clean it up under there and check for thin metal and paint as well?

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

I was considering it but if I stick my finger up into the visor hole as far as I can reach, there is nothing but smooth clean metal so I think I'll leave that part alone.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

My cab has holes from cab lights and I have a new roof panel so I may just change it. Not looking forward to that one.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

One of my friends had removed his roof panel from his cab. It wasn't too bad. He even had done it in a way that he could have used the original. Then he went and quit the project and scrapped it. :crazy::lol:If you do it, I assume that you will be welding the rear roof seam? Being that there is no other option.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

That's some good looking metal work right there. Cool ideas too.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Thank you sir.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

I get one mod done and it it just leads me right into the next one. :lol: Maybe one day I'll get back to the rest of my rust repair. I have never been a fan of the wire gutter and I've seen many guys on here close it up and I just had to follow suite. It just finishes off the look the firewall so well IMO. Now just a few days of welding and grinding.:waah: Have a good one guys!

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

I need a popcorn GIF. I'm just sitting back watching you work the metal. Fantastic work.


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Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Seriously. You are definitely a detail oriented guy, well, at least on this truck you are!

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Thanks guys! So awesome having an audience.:cool:

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Just read the whole thread thanks to being slow at work. very nice work going on here.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Haha I've been doing alot of reading on here as well for the same reason. Thanks for the compliments.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

I like your choice in mods. I wished I would have shaved the gutter. Your firewall is going to look so clean.. What's next on your to do list after the firewall mod?

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Thanks, I'm pretty happy with how its turning out. Next I need to get all my front sheet metal so that I can install my rockers and cab corners and such. I want to have it all hanging to help with alignment.

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

Well its been a little bit since I've posted. I have just about finished up grinding the gutter shave pieces down. Then things have gotten slow as I have been replacing our old, worn carpet in the house with some engineered hardwood that I scored for free from a friend of mine. Its used and has some light scratches but is MUCH nicer than the carpet. On top of that I've got some other house upgrades to do this summer like a new back door and a deck so work will be a little slower on the truck. I did manage to spend a good chunk of today working on the truck, just not on the cab. I ended up scoring a square body junker through a friend for $100. I kept the front crossmember and rear differential off of it. I'm going to use the newer style crossmember for the fact that it will give me rubber bushings on the control arms and disc brakes. It also came with 3 5 bolt rallies and the guy is going to get me a forth so I'm thinking of doing a 5 lug swap while I'm at it in case I want to upgrade the rims down the road. Since I have no pictures of my progress, I thought I'd throw one up of my dads 1969 CST that he put a 348 into. Enjoy. P.S Don't mind the dust and mess around it:lol:

Re: My 1970 GMC Project
 

The chevy truck nut doesn't fall far from the tree, huh!? I see your dad has good taste in classic trucks also. What are his plans for it? It appears to be a beauty!:metal: