TRANNY: Originally a GM
Standard 4 Speed (First Gear Is A "Stump Puller") Now
It Has A 350 Turbo with Shift kit and B&M mega truck shifter
MISC: A Double Pully
System Was Taken Off A 73 Chevy So I Could Run A Power Steering
Pump. The Alternator Was Moved To The Left Side And A Shorter
Water Pump Was Used. A Single Drive Shaft Was Also Used.
Click on the pics to see a larger pic.
I am 17 years old (now 21) and live in near Tillsonburg,
Ontario, Canada. I bought this truck on October 31, 1998. The
truck needed tons of work done to it. I bought it and planed to
get it certified then just drive it.
Well when I got it home I drove it around the
farm for a week or two then I started to tear things off and
clean them up and paint them with spray paint. Then the box came
off, then the grill, then the hood, fenders and inner fenders.
Then the inside off the cab was striped of all
the components. The cab was then removed and set on some tobacco
flats. Then the motor was removed and set on a tire on another
tobacco flat.
Then the brake lines were removed and wiring
was removed. At this point I realized I was way over my head and
how the hell am I going to get it back together. After some
thinking I decided that I would get the truck fixed and painted.
The box was full of holes and was junk, so I decided if I was
going to fix the truck up a short box would be much nicer.
So I took the truck down to a shop and got the
guy to shorten the frame. He cut the frame under the cab and cut some of the back rails. I went to pick it up and pay the bill
and the guy told me there was a car rear end in it. So I got it
home and tore the rear end out.
I then took the frame to a sand blaster and
got it blasted and painted with PPG paint. Then I bought a rear
end out of a 72 GMC and got it sandblasted and painted along with
a power steering pump and gear box that I stole off one of are
old farm trucks. I went out and bought new coil springs and a pitman
arm for my power steering box.
Then there's the cab! I went crazy and bought
a bunch of parts to get welded in. floor pans, Cab corners, Rear
and front cab supports, rocker panels, inner rockers, 9 inch
outer door skins and inner skins (BUT I decided i did not want to use the doors because they were all screwed up after i put on the skins so i bought southern doors), and rear side floor pieces. I went to a body
shop and I told the guy what I wanted welded in
and he told me $2500!!! So, upset I went home
and realized that there is no way I am paying $2500 to get
someone to weld the parts in.
So I went out and bought myself a Mig welder.
I then put the cutting wheel on the grinder and cut out all the
rusted out spots, then I got the floor of the cab sandblasted and
epoxy primered.
Then came the fun learning experience!! Then I (I have not had any know-how or
experience at mig welding and body work) began to fit the floor
pans in. But before the floor pans were welded I put in the new
cab supports and made my own plates for more support because the
old ones were rotten. After many days and hours of thinking and
trimming they finally fit properly. I then tacked the pan into
place, then the other side.
Then the floor pieces were welded on and then
many home made patches were welded in. The rocker panels were
then welded in. All the parts were welded in from the inside and
bottom. The cab corners took hours and hours to put in because
the cab had previous damage to it. I think the truck got in a
rear end crash because the damage on the cab was right were the
top-front of the box would hit the cab. It was dented in, on both
sides and the box that originally on it was a stepside and it had
a fleetside on it when I got it. All the parts were installed and
body filled the best I could do. The floor then received 2 more
coats of epoxy primer and then a few more coats of black paint.
For the bottom of the cab I debated about just
painting it but it would look kinda bad with paint on it, there
is just to many welds. So i bought some spray undercoating and
gave it a bunch of coats. I thought it would hide the welds but
it never did.
After the parts were all welded in the cab I
sprayed it with sandable primer and body filled all the dents and
spots.
The frame was taken to the shop and they let
me do all the work myself so it would save me money. I put the
rear end in and new coils in. Then put on new shocks and power
steering box with the new pitman arm. I put all new brakes on the
truck, Every thing new!!
I worked on the frame every day after school
and the days I did not go to the shop I was painting parts of the
cab. For the color I picked is, 1970 chevy "Sunflower
yellow" BUT it was not bright enough for me so I got the guy
to take ALL the black parts out to get a really bright
yellow!!!It also has a pearl white and a gold pearl in it! The
color is so bright my scanner can't even get the color relatively
close. The Cab then took a trip to the shop to be mounted onto
the frame.
I then bought a 4 speed saginaw trany. I steam
cleaned the engine and painted it chevy blue. The motor received
new header gaskets, a shorter water pump so I could use a double
pully system, I installed a HEI distributor and ditched the old
coil setup, changed the alternator position and different
brackets, and a new set of tall valve covers.
Dual exhaust system with
Super Turbo Muflers and 4 inch Boom Tubes!
Every other email i get some one is asking about converting a long box to a short box so i thought i should explain what i did. The frame was cut under the cab and some was cut off the back frame rails. All i had to do was to get a differnt drive shaft. I when to a one peice drive shaft i found in the wrecking yard. All you have to do is find a short box and find the lenght of the wheel base and take the lenght of a long box and subtract the length of the short box and that is how much to cut out from under the cab. Make sure the step the cut and weld a plate inside for strenght. and set a short box on the frame and cut the back off the frame so the bumper will fit on and drill the holes. (NO I DID NOT SHORTEN THE BOX)
Here is my box with oak boards in it.
Click to inlarge!
When i finaly got the truck on the road this year i ended up blowing a head gasket. So i took off the heads and send them to the machinest and found out they were junk so i put rebuilt ones on and i also had to buy new headers because i blow a big hole in them. And my carb is in desperet need of a reabuild. and i could use a nice set of tire the ones i have on are thin and bald. And i also found out i need a new clutch. So, so far i have had bad luck with the truck. So if any of you people reading this have more money than they know what to do with you could buy me a new set of tires or a cluch or a....... just make the cheque out to..... hehehe OLD TRUCKS ARE MONEY PITS!
DEC 2nd 2002 update-
I never Really got to drive my truck must this past summer (2002) I did a bunch of work to it in the spring. I put a 600cfm edilbrock carb on, I put in an electric fan, A 3 gage chrome 2 5/8 cluster by Auto Gage, finaly finsihed the tailgate! (I smoothed out the inside). But unfortunatly when i pulled out of my friends drive way on a major road the tranny blew up and locked it in gear! So i trailered it home and put it in the barn and did not touch it for the rest of the summer (can't afford a tranny). This fail I decided to freshin up the motor by puting in some new rings before i put a new tranny in it. Well I tore down the motor only to find 2 peices of piston skirts laying in the oil pan. So my cheap engine job is not possible. I really makes me mad becasue i just put a new clutch in about 300 miles before it blew and i just only put on 150-200miles on the new heads!!!! :( So My truck at the moment has the entire front clip off and has no motor or tranny in it. Unfortunatly I think the truck will not get a motor or tranny till late next summer or it might not even get one by then. I want to wait till i can afford to get a motor that will make the truck run high 13's or low 14's in the 1/4 mile. I also have a posi rear end to put in the truck some time soon to, I just need 3.73 gears now. So i am sad to say that the truck my not see the road for a while.
July 8th 2003 update-
The Truck finaly received a new motor and tranny. I picked up a new 1989 Camaro 350 create motor and threw a performence cam in and the motor has flat top pistons and has been balanced. The heads
are 305 head and have had bigger valves put in them. I also put in a rebuilt 350 turbo tranny. I have yet to get all the bugs out but the truck will be hiting the road real soon. :)
