I have decided not to do a full restoration tear down. I am leaving this up here for information purposes.

These are some examples of before and after. (these are not my truck)

Before – Frame with surface rust (Pretty much what mine looks like) 

After Blasting and Powder Coating (What I want mine to look like) 

Big different right….this is what powder-coat looks like

Body Rust repair is the big one. These trucks features a double wall construction, which helped them be stronger, but had areas that harbored water. This is a excerpt from a articles on Hemming’s about these trucks:

“Chevrolet truck bodies used double-wall construction in the cab and on fleet side boxes, making them sturdy but also giving moisture and dirt a place to hide, promoting corrosion. The cowl is hollow to allow air to be drawn in at the base of the windshield and ducted into the cab through vents, as well as into the rocker panels. Water leaks are common at the body seams where the cowl connects to the cab, and the inner cowl area is also a favorite place for rodents to call home. As mentioned, rust is a major killer of these trucks, and common areas include: the lower front fenders, lower radiator support, double-walled sections of the front inner fender wells, the cab floor, the boxed section cab mounts below the floor, the rocker panels, lower doors, cab corners, lower rear fenders on step-sides and around the wheel houses on fleetsides, as well as the lower portions of the tailgate. Though these trucks were prolifically produced, rust-free used parts are tough to find in Northern and Eastern sections of the U.S. However, the aftermarket has enthusiastically supported these trucks, with repair patches and replacement body panels.” from Hemmings“

So, mine has this rust problem around the cab corners….the floor is okay in the center, so all of it will not have to be replaced. But, all rusted panels will be. So, this is the first major rust issue I will be tackling. Of course a body shop will be doing this, I do not have the tools to do this. This will require the removal of the cab and bed from the frame, which is okay, since the frame restoration will be done while the cab and bed are getting fixed up. I will be doing the frame restoration. which is really number two on the big project list. At this time I will be putting on the new front suspension – rear suspension and all fuel, brake and misc. other items on the frame after it is media blasted (this removes the rust and takes it to bare metal). I will be doing this in my garage….might be sand or other media everywhere but it will be fun…..lol. Then I will paint, powder-coat or use some other protective material to make the frame look new again. I am looking at powder-coating it….but not sure how much that will cost me. But, it will look brand new if I go that route.

Relocating that gas tank. The gas tank in these truck is behind the seat….NOT GOOD. So I will be moving it to the rear of the truck as in modern trucks. I plan on making a side filler fuel cap like on a suburban truck with a door. A lot of people go with the fuel door in the bed, I plan on putting a wood bed in this truck and don’t want the fuel spillage to harm the wood, so I will have to figure out how to put it in the side of the bed. I don’t mind having the door in the side of the bed.

Once all this is done hopefully the truck will be back together and back driving. After the cab and bed get rust-free and dent free I will have the truck primed and maybe painted and coat of black paint just to protect it while I finish some other things. We will see.

Other stuff will be of course engine and transmission and wiring….alot of other things.

More to come…..

Well the more to come has been working on building a new home for the truck.