Time Capsule Discoveries

Today I began some interior work on the truck. I am thinking I should replace the "resto" name tag with "Rusto." I knew all along that this truck had rust in the usual places (rocker panels, kick panels, etc.). Knowing it is there, and removing flooring to see it, are two very different things. I can put my hand through some of these holes! well... once the shock was over with, after removing the rubber mat, and all the sound proofing on the floorboards, I got to taking the seat out of the cab. It all came out pretty easily, no surprises.... UNTIL I actually got the seat out and into the driveway. In the framing of the seat, on both the back and bottom, I found these build sheets! these are documents placed into vehicles as it is on the assembly line. Build sheets note every little detail about each vehicle, including build dates, model numbers, trim package details, which GM plant, etc.
Cleaning everything down to bare metal allows me to line up a gameplan for what to replace, what to refurbish, and how to prep for paint. I am starting to enjoy the challenge of doing a full restoration while leaving the truck a 'driver.' As for the cab, I am going to cut out all the rusty pieces, and weld in new "patch panels" (replacements). Under the dash, I will replace all the duct work, reinsulate everything, and I will install a product called Hushmat. Its a soundproofing mat that goes under the carpet and along the firewall. This will help make the cab nice and quiet while allowing me to get my loud exhaust fix everytime I set off any and all car alarms in a given radius :)

now that the holidays are over, and I am done having the road trip of a lifetime, (more to come on that later), the updates here will be a little more frequent. thanks for keeping up, and look out for ugly trucks with a lot of horsepower! oh-and the cute... chick? is apparently Rhonda... she has been under my seat for a LONG time, clearly!

Resto Progress

Over the last seven days, I have been braving the unusual cold here in the NW. last weekend, I took the bed off of the truck to get some frame cleanup started. considering the age of the truck, I found the frame in pretty good shape, a little surface rust, and a bunch of road dirt, but no surprises here.

I'm going to eventually consider this a frame-off restoration, but the fact that this truck needs to stay available as a driver, this will happen in a few different stages. this stage is the buns of steel phase, I am working out all the parts of the rear end... ok, this is going south fast....

basically, I took the entire rear half of the truck apart. I cleaned, replaced, and restored everything and am now working on putting it all back together. everything is coming together pretty well. since these images, i have stripped and painted the under side of the bed, so it is ready to be put back on the frame.

I'll let the images do the rest of the talking for now... enjoy.

The Story of the 71

The 71 gmc pickup that is now a primary factor in my current insomnia (in a good way), has a great story of originality, and how it became a part of my stable of vehicles.

First, I came across a craigslist ad that had no picture, and just stated that this guy was willing to trade his 71 pickup for a toyota 4x4. it may have well stated, "Jason, I would like to take your toyota money pit off of your hands for your next "71baby." There were some key numbers involved in this transaction, 71 and 454. Those of you who know me, know that these numbers are like kryptonite to me, even separate, but together... so I drove a new project home that day!

The previous owner had given me all of the paperwork on the vehicle in a folder, so when I got home with the truck, one of the first things I did was start thumbing through this truck's paper trail. Much to my shock, on the bottom of the pile was a bundle of papers held together by an old rubber band. I unwrapped the bundle to find all of the original paperwork from 1971! these papers included the original Vehicle Warranty, with ID card, the original Owner's Manual, and the original Bill of Sale!! Through a little research using names mentioned throughout the paperwork, I discovered that since 1971, this truck has remained in the same family. A one-owner? not technically, but we'll call it too close to deny.

So through some couch craigslist surfing, I managed to get a new project truck that has a solid background of originality, and enough horsepower to blow the doors off a 5.0 mustang (this has been thoroughly road tested.)



The condition of the truck...

for now, this truck is somewhat of a sleeper. with the exception of the engine and transmission, this truck is totally bone stock, same as it was in 1971. the paint is rough, the interior has seen better days, and there is a little rust in the usual spots. HOWEVER, this engine and tranny combo is one of the strongest I've ever driven, much less owned. The previous owner did a build job on a 454 the right way! cam, heads, steel forged crank, dome top pistons, edelbrock high rise intake topped with a 650 carb. killer combination! not to mention it all had 360 miles on it the day I drove it home.

So here are some pictures of the truck, mostly in the condition it was when I drove it home. We'll call these the "before" shots.

just set up this new blog for my projects: truck, house, and any other random stuff I find interesting in my daily ventures... ENJOY!