Here are a few pictures of the truck in the garage. i took these right after i stripped the cab of all the nasty wet shag carpet and falling down head liner. I recently got all the crap out of the bed that i inherited. The frame is in incredible shape and the body only needs a few patches so far. the cab needs a few holes patched but nothing too serious that i have found yet. PS. i hope the pictures come up because i have never posted pictures on a forum before. Matt
congrats on your new truck!!! now fix it up and get it running! What are your plans for it? How close is it to running / starting / moving? Cant wait to see your progress
Metal etch (phosphoric acid) will do wonders to stop that surface rust. Also, removing all that nasty pink (residential) insulation out of the dash and out of the kick panels. That insulation holds water like a sponge and takes forever to dry out...
Nice Rig ! SHAME on whomever let it settle into the mud , it was prolly a nice rig when he abandoned it...
Re:Settled The truck looks lots better sitting on concrete CarCrazy. Much better without that gypsy shell on the back too.
Christmas came early, eh~ Now I believe you have to be as happy as the rest of us, no? Just remember to tell the wife you love her and occasionally show up at the dinner table! This site is outstanding for all the help you would ever need to get that thing done however you want it.
thanks guys. yes i am very excited about the truck. its one of my top three "obtainable" dream rides of mine so yeah excited might not justify it. The truck is definitely much happier on the concrete and covered. The stacks are part of the exhaust or atleast were functioning but the crappy welds were no match for rust. the old truck lid is gone as well as the mountain of stuff in the bed and finally drying out. My father and i have sprayed down all the nuts and bolts with Marvil Mystery and now organizing the garage for the project. As far as future of the truck as of right now the plan is to fix the rust, get everything solid and safe. After that, it is all about using it atleast for a few years. I know purists will hate me but because the 292 engine, 3 speed trans and 10 bolt eight lug rear end are not stock so they are coming out. In their place i have a 327, 700r4 and 12 bolt sitting at a buddies place with my name on them. All need to be rebuilt but it gives my father a chance to relive a bit of his history and for me to learn a bit. Thanks Matt
Matt : STOP NOW and order up the " Trial Package " of KROIL from KANO LABORATORIES in Tenn. ~ you'll get one Foo-Foo can , one gallon can and a pump oiler , it'll make a true believer out of you . Kroil is orders of magnitude better then PB Blaster , Freeze Off etcetera , you have to try it to believe it . I'd not be in much of a hurry to junk the long stroke , thinwall 2929 C.I.D. InLine 6 Banger you have now , it's a lightweight , sturdy engine that has GOBS of usable torque and delivers good fuel economy too ~ plus it'll bolt up to any modern GM slushbox tranny , making it very versatile indeed . You can re-spray it gray when you have the manifolds & dizzy etc. off for routine cleaning and mtce. , then it'll look period correct and be able to easily keep up the to-day's traffic . Just give it a try before going the (yawn) SBC route like _everyone_ else . Be different ! be Daring ! etc. .
Haha, after reading quite a few of your other posts Nate you are one of the purists i was talking about and waiting for. I would agree with you about the inline six for my immediate future plans for the truck but i fear that down the road when i decide to build it a bit more i will have to drop alot of money into the 6 in order get the same out of it as the 327. From what i have read you have a very strong truck with an inline but i'm not sure i want to take on that mission.