Build thread for the 72 GMC, finally. Thanks John!

Watching the vid, some observations

I like starting at the bottom because gravity becomes my friend once the bottom is in place.

I have a bunch of old toothbrushes that I grind the end of the handles down to act as pushers if I need to attack  the rubber for some reason like pushing in those upper corners from the outside. I also have a couple of metal spatulas bent in various shapes to help with unruly rubber like where it does not go in place as the string passes. 

The video does  mention a "ledge" that needs to be seated if the rubber is in the correct place. Is this something you can verify? From the outside it looks like the rubber seal needs to be 1" higher at the top of the windshield/roof panel. Your daughter does call it out.

That piece of paracord should be dripping lube. Same with the rubber window seal. Whenever I do this it tends to be  real messy. A lot of places you kinda have to "walk" the rope out of the rubber to get the seal on; not always the smooth pull as shown in videos. 

Also - Get a couple of pieces of 1" dowel, or failing that, just a stick from the yard, to make into handles for the cord.  Will be WAY easier on the hands.  

"We're not hiring anyone!"

The gasket does not look symmetrical- I have no idea but are you sure you have the inside inside?

jfryjfry said:

The gasket does not look symmetrical- I have no idea but are you sure you have the inside inside?

Yes, the outside of the bottom portion is hugely wide. It would have to be "inside out" to be "backwards" if you catch the drift.

Just mocked up, but it looks pretty good. I'm still thinking white grill and gunmetal bumper. Thoughts?

I think it looks pretty impressive. Remaining color choice details  are up to what makes you and the school  happy, I don't think you can go wrong at this point.

In reply to tuna55 :

I'd go white grille for sure but see how the black bumper "feels". Then keep it or change it some more. 

I actually really like the industrial grey against the yellow 

Finally got the headlight surrounds in, as well as a few other things you can't see.

Does anyone remember the original grill? There was some black involved.

So maybe the chrome bits of the grill showing above get painted gunmetal along with the bumper and the black parts of the grill get painted white

Wait, did i miss the part where you succeeded with the windshield battle????

edit: nvrmnd.  zoomed in.   it will happen!

Bump.  where's Tuna been at?!?!

Long time since I updated. I've been busy.

I spent hours aligning the driver's fender and door, which meant they were installed and removed over and over. I had to grind some new stuff in the radiator support to make it longer up properly. I spent weeks cutting and welding the cab years ago so that the seam would be perfect, but right now it's looks pretty terrible. I tried the modern slip on weather stripping but the door wouldn't close, so I took it back off for now. I recovered the seat and it looks pretty good. I ordered new brackets because these are too tall. The steering wheel is in place, but I rubbed off the black factory finish when I tried to clean it with acetone. I was forced to take apart the heater controls, because they had failed. I'm going to have to order arms and some custom stuff to make it work again. The ignition switch is in tonight with some help from tunakid 4, and the light switch is in though I cannot find the knob. I have a lot to do yet, and it's all annoying.

It's been a drag at this point, honestly. So much little detail stuff that the big stuff looks like mistakes everywhere.

Say it with me:

"Five years from now, when this is peppered in door dings, rock chips, and blow-by residue, how much am I really going to care about (random_imperfection)?"

It looks good.  Get it done enough and enjoy it.

I had my doors set up beautifully, and then I added the Precision brand door seals, and then had to readjust the doors so they could at least latch.  Big-ass gaps now.  But the seals are "settling" slowly.

I did all-new heater control arms, but had a hard time getting the replacement knobs to sit in a way that looked nice.  I "endure" it.

Having said all that, my '61 Apache burned me out big time; I comitted to take two years of "no major car project" just to find my Mojo again.  This is the first time in over 30 years where I have not had a "project car" on the go of some sort or another.

It looks good.  It will look better over time as you "get used to" or "ignore" the imperfections. 

To all of us out here, it's "Dead Sexy!"

Tuna:

Take a moment to appreciate the miracle that has happened to get where you are. It might be time to put the thing on the road and make it as "perfect" as you need it to be as you drive it. I closed the toolbox for two summer driving seasons and just drove the project to see if I even like the thing. I do, but it recharged my battery and told me where to focus my energies going forward to make it more fun to drive. Hint, its not the small details that I can ignore.

And yeah, cause I can't tell from the pics: "Is the windshield in?"

EDIT. I can see it is still not roped in.

Pete

Dear God that thing looks so good

I made some progress after I posted that. The dome light is in and the sun visors are in. The pedals are in.

The list is still pretty long. I need to figure out how to remove the shifter to bend it into a happy position. I also apparently don't have any rear bumper brackets somehow. I thought I did but they were for some other type of bumper I guess.

I will have to order vents for the dashboard, I thought I had those but I don't. The ones that came on the truck are disasters.

I still have to put the instrument panel together, I had a gauge project long ago and I need to get back onto that pretty soon.

Fabricating a battery tray for the little battery and doing the underhood wiring are getting there soon.

And of course putting in the windows for the side of the truck, I really don't want to do that but I have to do that soon. I got the passenger side mirror on, so now there's no more excuse.

You've come a long way - be encouraged.  Look at what's going on.....

1. Full-time job/career
2. Wife/spouse
3. Kids, school, activities, life 
4. extended family
5. health and sanity
6. you mentioned a church involvement?
7. Truck project

It's a major juggling act on your end. Give yourself some grace.

I travel for work every other week and try to squeeze in my 240Z project.  Things take time.  It frustrates me too the time that drags on.......

Thanks!

Yes indeed. My three boys are in Trail Life, and I am the committee chair and the woodlands ranger. My daughter does dance three times per week. My eldest son does trumpet, my next oldest volunteers at an aquarium, my next youngest does archery. I'm an ordained Deacon at church. Lots to do. All my side hustles cost money.

But it's frustrating. The list is long. Lots to do. Hopefully it's this year to get it on the road.

Always remember that these trucks were far from perfect when they rolled off the production line.

It looks amazing from out here.

No good pictures.

Test fit rear bumper. Test fit turn signal lights in grill. Realized po wrapped every wire under the hood in electrical tape, removed it all and began routing all of the wiring.

Does anyone know of a good fake battery cover to hide a modem battery?

This was all removed from the wiring under the hood

And the result

Self fusing silicone tape or the split braided loom is what I typically use. Looks right underhood for the era as well.

Im soo glad to see where the truck is at these days. I still have a chunk of your leaf spring on my desk. 

In reply to tuna55 :

If you can't find what you want for a battery cover, it sounds like a fun 3d printing project. I'd be happy to print one out for you. Username @ gmail, give me some dimensions and a pic of what you want it to look like.