First things first-
IT LIVES!!!!!
You'll have to excuse the loose exhaust manifold, the oil leaks, and the stink blowing out of the exhaust...
I put my 1 gallon auxiliary tank in the fender, we aired up the saddest tires ever, hopped in, and drove it around the block.
The last time I drove one of these was 20 years ago when I had my '77. It was like greeting an old friend. Dad would've been tickled pink to see it run...
Also on the list today was to remove the flatbed so I could access the frame for cleaning, etc; and so I could clean and refinish the flatbed.
I cut off the tail panel 'cause it was roached anyway, and had some buddies come over to partake in the heavy lifting.
Found a Snap-On double box-ended wrench chilling on the framerail...
By the time the bed was off, it was like 92F outside, so no cab and chassis photos. I did pick up a set of 16" white wagon wheels for a grand total of $80...
Budget- $276.62
Wheels/tires- $80
New total- $356.62
Local powder coating place wants $135/wheel to blast and powdercoat my wagon wheels. Oof...
What says GRM- Wire wheel, primer and paint?
I wouldn't even wire wheel by the 80 grit down the rust and scaling paint, Prime heavily, send it again with 220, rattle can your color and clear
This is not very grassroots of me, but having sanded and finessed and rattle-canned OEM steelies before, hating every minute of it and ending up with a pretty lackluster finish, I'd pay the man. Spend your time doing something else that isn't so cheap and easy to farm out.
EDIT: I misread that as $135/set, which would be a bargain. At $135 per wheel, I would either blast them myself or have them blasted to bare metal, then prime and paint. Hand sanding is the worst part, and the part I would try hardest to avoid.
Not sure if you are still looking for a bellhousing, but there is a complete 400/435 powered D300 in Colstrip, MT for $1500.
Went to one of the local junkyards today- they had a '77 club cab on their inventory. I was hoping the grille would be in decent shape, but it was pretty smashed.
I did find a few tidbits that were needed- a glovebox lid that had good vinyl (mine is pretty trashed), a turn signal lever (mine had the knob broken off), and a fuse panel cover.
$25 for the lot.
Budget- $356.62
Small parts- $25.00
New Total- $381.62
I fired up the pressure washer today and started cleaning all the years of muck and gunk off the truck. Probably about 15lbs of dirt, grease, and mud came off the frame rails. Turns out the cab roof is actually still white under all the scunge, too.
11GTCS
SuperDork
7/6/24 5:40 p.m.
In reply to Recon1342 :
That cleaned up pretty well! I also love how there's a 78 /79 Ford sitting casually in the background.
In reply to 11GTCS :
The Ferd belongs to Mom's neighbor. It showed up shortly after my Dodge did. He's our kind of people; he also owns a slammed Forester, a lifted Forester, and a 2020's Dodge truck with a Cummins.
I knew the cab roof was grungy, but had no clue it would come that clean. This truck used to live at the rendering facility where I work; lots of grease and oils in the air from the cookers.
The Dash:
a short story.
By Recon1342
The Adventurer package trucks had "wood grain" trim everywhere. This was groovy in the '70s, but after 48 years, it was faded and peeling. Restored dash panels are pretty hard to come by, and I did not feel like spending the money on one either. Unbeknownst to me, the factory simply glued a formed "wood grain" cap over a plain black dash. As Bill and Ted said, this was most excellent. I sat the dash outside on a hot day to soften the glue, and was able to peel the cap right off the dash panel. After several hours of careful work with hot water and a hard rubber detail eraser, I was able to completely remove all the old glue and was left with a plain dash panel in really good shape.
Pics-
$100!! That thing is in great shape! My $800 D150 doesn't have a straight panel on it, lol. From your parts list so far, you seem to be good at finding deals. Good for you!
Nice to see your daughters excited about the project. Those are memories they'll keep for life.
In reply to Coder :
My wife says I attract cheap trucks like a dog attracts fleas.
The last three trucks I've bought cost less than $500... total.
Dad's 1992 Ram 50 (my daily)- $300
Neighbor's 1995 GMC Sonoma (kid car) - $1 (Needed some work, and still came out less than $100 to get it driving)
1976 Power Wagon- $100
Don't aske me how I do it, because I really don't know. They tend to just fall in my lap.
Looking forward to more progress on your build as well, it's a good looking rig!
Long time no update.
Also, I suck at pictures.
Today, I accomplished:
Cleaning out the fuel tank and hard lines, replacing the soft lines, cleaning up the frame, and mounting the hitch receiver.
Next steps are primer/metal preservative on the frame, coat the underside of the flatbed, and replace the front right u-joint.
Slow, but progress.
