New old fart

Hi, it's just me, Ron, better known as T Shirts'n'Jeans from my ministry formed over 9 years ago after being asked to send a pic to a producer dressed in the style of music I write/play/create, and I couldn't figure out the 'style' except that I write in the style I'm comfortable in and that's t-shirts and jeans.
Anyways, I hit the bit fat ol' 5-0 this last July and have been working on cars, trucks, trailers, big rigs, motorcycles, dune buggies, mini-bikes, you name it I've probably worked on it (as long as it has wheels and doesn't fly that is).
Currently my 15 year old daughter and I are working on an old beat up 73 K5 Blazer 4x4 that has been 'Bubba-fied' by my oldest son's good friend Bubba (of course), and that poor truck is so messed up it should be shot. BUT I see potential in everything so we're attacking it with everything we have. I traded my son my boat for the Blazer and a Yamaha waverunner and since I've had the truck it hasn't run, the tires are all flat, the engine has been left open to the elements, and the best thing about it is the brand new battery in the engine compartment! Well today we got it running! It sounds strong and I finally figured out the transfer case so the thing would untrack and it did so we do have a running 350, and at least reverse and first in the ****** (auto), and that should be all we need for now.
I just traded for another 86 Suburban that was almost as bad, but the body is straight, good tires, good gl***, and great interior! I swapped out a grunged up plug for a good one and the engine is strong (though being fed by a very screwed up quadrajet with only the front two barrels working), newly rebuilt 700r ****** in front of a leaky transfer case. And this is the third one on my property and one of two that actually runs. All are 4wheel drive and we have enough to make one very nice truck and one awesome river wagon.
Also in the works is a 65 GMC long fleetside with a 65 Chevy parts truck, both almost complete (body that is) but no running gear. The GMC will be my project since it's the only one with a ***le, and my daughter and I are doing the K5 project to practice before we dive into the GMC.
Ok, you guys/gals are bored enough. Feel free to ask any questions you like, I may answer in baby babble since I'm raising my 16mo old granddaughter and we are together 7 days a week (sometimes more) and 24 hours a day (sometimes more if we skip lunch)
Looking forward to checking out the rods here and there and hopefully posting lots of my own pics during the teardowns and builds I have going on.
Great site btw, God bless, Ron.

 

Welcome from Iowa man! Your not old, just experienced! Thats the excuse my dad who is turning 50 in april uses! lol

 

Hey buddy hi from Omaha. You have the workings to build what I built 20 yrs ago.
I had a 63 gmc that was getting wore out underneath. I had bought a 71 gmc for the 12 bolt, the v8 and disc brakes... hang on a minute I didn't do it

I got sidetracked

A neighbor was removing the 400 smallblock from a 75 full time 4x4 suburban that had the hd brakes and the bolted cap hubs.
I started taking some measurements and hatched a new plan.
I stripped the suburban body from the frame and torched off all the body mounts
I drilled out the rivets holding the body mounts of my 63 to the frame. I left the cab attached to the mounts since the rubber was hard and the bolts were frozen.
Both trucks had the same frame width, I used the axle centerlines as a reference to mount the cab. It seemed logical but was a mistake
I transfered the 63 cab to the 75 frame in a day with some buddies but ran into a hitch mounting the box
oops...The 75 had 1-1/2 to 2" more kick-up in the rear frame over the axle causing the box to sit higher than the cab. I had to unbolt the cab mount brackets and raise them 2" from the top lip of the frame then ad bracing to the steel brackets to stabilize them. The same thing could have been accomplished with 2" body lift pucks if I could have gotten those bolts loose.
oops...When mounting the bed I noticed the wheels were going to look ****y in the wheel openings using stock axle centers. The 60-66 gm trucks have a swept back wheel opening that when adding large tires looks like the front of the fenders are too close to the wheels. I centered the box using the bottom of the wheel openings as a reference so that the 2 lower corners were the same distance from the tires. Then I unbolted the cab and moved it foreward from the stock axle centerline till the front fenders looked right. this was the last time I had to move the cab.

I had to fab something up to get the radiator support to mount to the frame.
The bumpers sat up too high and stuck out a few inches in front and a couple feet in the rear. I cut the 75 bumpers off by slicing straight through the frame a couple inches past the bumper. I cut the frame sticking out off the frame about flush with the end of the sheetmetal and capped it with some plate salvaged from the frame s****. Then we held the bumpers up and welded the frame stubbs I left bolted to them to the plate welded to the ends of the frame...dropping them a few inches then boxed the splice.

I drilled the rivets out of the 1975 firewall reinforcement plate behind the master cylinder and removed it.
I pulled out the stock 63 steering column, foot feed hangers, and parking brake. I bolted the 75 parking brake to the 63 kick panel using some spacers to clear the foot vent...now it has foot parking brake.
I installed the tilt column from the 75 by sticking it through the hole, bolting it to the rag joint, and used a bungee to hold it up to the dash for now.
I removed the foot feed hanger from the 75. it bolt to the dash and through the firewall and reinforcement.
I placed the reinforcement on my firewall using the steering column as a guide then screwed it temporarily plug welding through the drilled out spot-weld holes later.
Then I went inside and installed the foot feed hanger from the 75. the 4 front bolts stick right through the holes for the master cylinder and the rear I had to make a bracket to bolt to the dash.
everything around the column went together as a system with very little figuring and I only had the torches and a stick welder
having the 2" body lift allowed 36"x12.50-16.5 hummvee tires to fit without a suspension lift...
The fronts fit perfect. On the rear the fender lip was rubbing and I think the stock fender braces had to be removed so I worked it over with a hammer and dolly then added a 3' stick of 3/4" conduit to the inside of the box side higher than the tire and bolted it through the box sides with 3 stainless bolts per side to stiffen the box side after I took the lip out of the wheel opening.

I remember the radiator support now...
the 63 had radiator saddles that sat on the frame. I made brackets to hold the 63 radiator up on the rad support but it was fail.
I then welded up the radiator support and took out the riveted crossbrace rods using a 70's ford radiator bolted directly to the radiator support. I had a radiator shop reverse the location on the radiators pipes to match the chevy....perfect.

All-in-all after I was done I had a highboy 1963 GMC with a 350 4barrel automatic and ignition on the column, foot operated parking brake with a modern unlifted stock 4x4 ch***is, tilt steering, power brakes. drove it till it rusted out.
P.S. I also pulled a steel box floor from a 1970 chevy that bolted in, in place of the wood floor.