Making chicken salad out of chicken shizzz

[83chevyk5 [Veteran Member]]

Looking awesome!

[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

Those do look good. Should be quiet, too.

[fun in dirt [Veteran Member]]

Still working on it!
* Brake system completed - Copper/nickle lines are so much easier to bend & flare! Ended up replacing all the calipers too, even though only about 6 yrs old, they were pretty crusty around the piston from those years of mud & water. Lever lock, just like on Blazer, plumbed for an emergency brake since all that stock emergency brake went away with the rear caliper conversion; and it's super handy when winching someone else out.
   
   
* Fuel system completed - No tank behind the seat, went with a factory type Blazer tank between frame rails. Modified fill neck with a Tanks Inc short neck & cap.  There will be a stainless access door in bed floor.
   

[fun in dirt [Veteran Member]]

* Refurbished an original '69 grill to go in it - many hours in stripping, repainting, polishing; but worth it as they are hard to find & stupid $ for a new repop.
   
* Shift linkage fabbed from steering column to transmission.

[Brake Weight [Veteran Member]]

Nice work.

[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

[fun in dirt [Veteran Member]]

Not a lot of progress lately, but have been hunting & buying a few more parts.  The hardest thing to find has been top bed trim.
We even went to a huge swap meet in Moultrie, GA several weeks ago on the hunt.  Only found one set, but it was NOS still in the GM package & I'm NOT paying $500 for 2 top pieces of trim   .  When got back from there, decided I might as well just order some aftermarket re-pop, but then they wanted $250 shipping ... so right back at that $500.
But patience is always best ... last week a LWB truck bed came up for sale 2 hours away that had perfect top trim!  Will get what I need off it & re-sell the bedsides.
   

[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

You got lucky.   

[fun in dirt [Veteran Member]]

A little at a time...
Did get the tubing & receiver fabbed together so can drag a trailer, and eyelet below that for shackle install point so if never need a snatch strap hookup.  Similar setup worked awesome on the Blazer so going with that again.
   
Chevy trucks in '72 did not come with a rear bumper installed from the factory, but this one had a period correct dealer installed one. I liked the overall look of it, but it sat too low from tailgate originally. That got reskinned on top with treadplate (which will match front bumper) and picked up about 1.5" from 70s mounting point. Still a big rear bumper, but I'm going for form & function. The wide step will be handy & it fits this truck's overall look better than the tube bumpers I usually lean toward. (It's all welded up & epoxy primer now, but you can get the idea.)
   
I have thought about the interior a lot. After finding a like new saddle colored dash pad at the swap meet in GA cheap, that confirmed the brown I was already leaning to.
I spotted a can of Rustoleum multi-colored (as they call it, but it's actually brown w some lighter tan particles) textured paint that I had never seen the other day. After spraying a test piece I was sold on the look & color. Instead of the fake wood overlay like of other Cheyenne optioned trucks, I'm going with this on the instrument panel, glove box, & metal door panels. The existing seat was in better shape than I originally thought after cleaning it up & had a near perfect re-cover job already, just the totally wrong color (gray).  For the time being I wrapped it in Mexican blankets. The seat is something I can snatch out easily & get recovered after truck is running. I'm really excited about how interior parts are coming together & what it's overall look!
   
   

[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

What can I say? I love EVERYTHING you just posted.
Y'all will be out and about in it before you know it.