Hello all, I'm starting the process of restoring my grandpas pickup. Any advice would sure be appreciated.
I will throw in my two cents (which is more like two bits)... The first thing you should do is buy Tom Brownell's book "How to Restore your Chevrolet Pickup". Read it thoroughly before you do anything to your truck. You need to decide if you want to do a restoration or a rebuild. Then buy a copy of the Factory Assembly manual and the Shop manual. All are readily available. Second, get as many parts catalogs as you can; Classic Parts (our host), Jim Carter, Bowtie, Brothers and LMC at the least. Look at the costs associated with replacing any parts you may be contemplating. Can you afford the kind or restoration you have planned? Third, do you want to still drive the truck while you are fixing it ? If the answer is yes, then work out a strategy for reworking one section at a time. A total "Frame off restoration" will be impossible if you want to keep driving the truck for the next 2-6 years (depending on how much time you can devote to this project). You must have a lot of space to do a total frame off. You must be very well organized to keep track of all the small parts. And lastly, you must take a lot of pictures before you begin any disassembling. There is also a significant cost associated with the tools you will need. A high capacity compressor, sandblaster, paint guns, a variety of pullers and specialized tools are just a few. There are a lot of things to think about before you start taking parts off. Good luck. Greg
I Kinda jumped the gun a little. I dissasembled the front end before i wrote the post. oops. I did put it back together so i could take pictures though. I have the assembly manual on order. it should be here tuesday or wednesday. I want to do a restoration just because it has sentimental value. I would like to be able to move it around if need be so i kept the rest of the truck so it is moveable.
BD, We need some pics! Let us see what you have and we can get motivated with opinions. Are you going to do a true restore or do you want to make it safer to drive than original? Do you want to run in the left lane or is the right land fast enough for you? Tell (and show) us more! Gater BTW, Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you.
Yes, BD WELCOME! You joined in time. Most of us on here already took the flack for using the "r" word. If you're like most, you'll change some things. Besides all that has been already mentioned, I'd like to mention again~ WE need pictures. Please? There is a lot of information to be found right here!
Welcome Hi there newbie, one piece of advice.......ignore the "GMC" guys! they are just soooooooooooo jealous of our chevy's!!!!
welcome BD dont ignore anybody on here GMC or otherwise (except F*#D) they all have something to offer of importance, even tho at times you may not understand what they are saying. just save it for later!
The right lane is just fine for me. lol. I want to to a restore on it. It will mostly be used for shows and sunday drives. This is more of a dedication pickup to my grandpa than being a daily driver so I'd like to keep it as original as possible.
Tributes Well, BD~ You need to get with Ken's 50. He did just what want to do. His truck was a project that his dad had in the works. I believe everyone on here would say he did a class act job on it. Our master (Nate) will be happy to hear you are using the "r" word correctly!
Welcome BD - I bought some of those 4 wheel dollys from Harbor Frieght and put one under each wheel and found them imensely useful. I can turn the entire truck around end for end in my two car garage, just by pushing. Best of time to you. This is one great useful site.
Ziplock baggies are your friend. Take digital pic.s of each assembly before you take it apart. Put ALL hardware in baggies and label the parts/location. This will help with later frustration. If you get replacement hardware, bolts, etc. put the new with the old. Organization is key. I put like things together.....weatherstripping, trim, etc. so you know where to look when you are ready to assemble.
Check out my builds to get an idea... http://picasaweb.google.com/rpettycustommurals/DaveS50 http://picasaweb.google.com/rpettycustommurals/JimS53
Welcome and Just decide what you want You will get lots of advice here. Ol Chevy is right, use baggies, but before you get very far, organize some space for the baggies (shelves and parts bins). This can be nearly any kind of bin from jars to cans, or whatever. Keep a couple or 3 indelible markers around and label everything. Mark everything where it was before you loosen anything so you know where it fits back up. You will lose some marks, you may make some marks with a punch where appropriate. It took me 3 years to tear my truck apat and re construct it. I still got lost a couple of times. I made several friends along the way and since. Take lots and lots of pictures constantly. Lots of detail close-ups so you can figure out how things go back together. Evan, Nate and Ken and several others are real AD experts here. We all want to see grandpa's truck on the road again and looking great! Remember once you get started, we will not let you quit, and this can take all of your spare time and money (you can decide which way to take it). get ready, then get after it. you will love the truck when you are finished. Jim
Thank you for all of your input. The parts i took off i did put in baggies. I can't use dollies because my driveway is gravel and it wont fit in my garage. So I'm at the mercy of the weather when working on it. I can tell you it does not have very much rust, the rust that i have found is in the lower cowl panel behind the fenders. But the dents that are in the fenders are about 4-6 inches deep. I figured if I could get the front axle done I could wait on the body work until later. Any suggestions? Thanks again for all your help.
Welcome bd ! I echo most of the comments allready made ~ before you take it all apart , tune it to the Nth degree and drive it a while , making notes on things as you notice them . Consider using modern radial LT tires for safety's sake . I'm sure your granpa will be quite proud of you ! . NO question is ' stupid ' nor too mundane to ask ! thet people here really do know every darn thing about these old trucks and can help out plus supply parts suppliers , the host of this site is very good for everything _except_ rubber ~ go to Steele Rubber Co. and buy ALL rubber bits there , it's American made and fits right , doesn;t rot like most repop stuff . Speaking of re-pop , don't replace the old parts with re-pops unless you must as the old rusty , dented worn out parts can usually be rebuilt or repaired and are ALWAYS better quality . We really do need pictures...
Just put some pictures in my profile page look and see what you think. I'll get some more pictures tommorrow.
Pictures ? BD ; Yoiu'll need to provide links as some of us grayhairs can fix these trucks in our sleep but cannot find the pictures.... Have pity please
