gravel driveway shenanigans...

another weekend down, another big step on the truck. Last Sunday, I pulled the engine and transmission out, and exposed the frame, and all of the suspension. couple that with some awesome finds at the salvage yard, and I say its a success!

I got a call from the guy at the Yank-a-Part in Poulsbo (town nearby) last week. They got a '71 Suburban in recently that has a lot of good rust free body panels on it, so I decided to head down there early on Saturday morning. GOLD MINE!! I scored a good fender well, a passenger side fender, (mine has some rust issues) and a great set of hood hinges! the hinges on these trucks are notorious for being worn out, sagging, and not aligning the hood properly. The fact that these hinges are in great shape tells me that this front clip may be newer as well, so I started hacking away. all in all, a great score, and at a fraction of the cost of buying new parts and paying for shipping (not to mention most new parts are chinese sheet metal, and much lower quality than original equipment.)

Sunday, I went and picked up a cherry picker from a buddy's shop, and got to pulling the engine/transmission. considering all of the front clip was removed already, it was really about 6 bolts, and some cables/wiring to disconnect, and out it came...

... and that's when things got interesting! Amy came outside to help me, with another set of eyes, at the least, this job is light years easier, and safer... well. we'll get back to safety later :) So, I should preface this by saying that I am performing this stunt--project, I mean-- on a gravel driveway. NOT the most conducive environment for moving heavy objects on anything, even with wheels. I ended up having to hook the cherry picker up to a tow strap, and slowly, SLOWLY pulling the engine and tranny out with my other truck. I wish I had a photo to post of the look on Amy's face when she came outside to the acene of a tow strap, a running truck, and a cherry picker with a 800 lb. hanging from it :) classic. because of the gravel, moving in any direction other than a straight line was not an option. so... we had to get creative. we used a dolly, some boards, a pry bar, some grunting, and a kitchen island. yes, a kitchen island! Amy's response upon hearing my plan... "what do we do if it turns the island to a pile of splinters?!" me: "TAKE PICTURES!"


now everything is ready for prep and paint. I will be attacking the frame, and front suspension, as well as the firewall, first. hopefully before the weather gets very nasty. then, once things are in better shape ON the truck, I will move over to the kitchen island, its okay, its in the garage. The engine is practically brand new, so any changes will be cosmetic, just to dress up the 454 cubic inches of raw power... *insert Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor grunt here* the block will be red, to match the new exterior color. not sure on valve covers yet. and I am planning on replacing the entire belt setup, and accessories, to a more modern setup, both for reliability, and clean looks.

I have an order in for a sandblaster, so I will be cleaning everything to the max. this will ensure flawless paint adhesion, and help my engine compartment look as good as it does in my dreams... now I just have to make it happen and quit just imagining it! A huge thank you to the Amy for helping me out on Sunday. It was fun. enjoy some photos!