First of all, thanks for coming in and viewing my project page. If you get the chance, please sign my guestbook and give me your opinions and suggestions! Afterall, the more ideas I have, the more I can do! So, read on, and enjoy what you see!!!
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The spring of 2001 proved to be the start of a restoration project of epic proportions. I finally kept my word and removed the 4x4 running gear of a 1962 Chevy 1/2 ton pick-up from my dads backyard. He was pleased to have it gone. Once I got it home, I promptly stuck it in the garage - it's new permanent home.
Her is a picture of what I started with.
Not real pretty, was it? Just wait, it gets worse. LOTS worse.
Armed with a power drill and steel brush, I took to grinding the 40 years worth of rust, dirt, bugs, and grease off of the frame until there was shiny metal radiating through. When I had that, it was immediately primered to protect it from further abuse. Months of my limited free time was spent working on this familiar scene.
Even as my kids played around me, I was focused on ridding my beautiful rust bomb of it's outer shell of cancer. Well, not really "cancer" in the true automotive sense of the word, but it sure wasn't good for it! And here is a picture of my daughter standing by the front/right tire shortly after it was stuck in the garage early on in the project.
I took another picture of what I started with to show a different angle. It was a little overwhelming in the beginning. I would start grinding away and by the time I was down to metal, I was out of wire brush! Yikes! But it didn't discourage me. I had support from my wife and encouragement from friends and family. Here is that picture....
And, some miscelaneous others of that nasty frame in the beginning...
After grinding away for a few months, and primering the bare metal as I went along... it starts to look pretty nice. But one day I climbed down on the floor and was horrified. Looking up from the lowest possible point revealed a whole new perspective. I had only done that side of which you could see from above. Now, look at it from below...
Scary, isn't it? It just feels like a never ending process.....
After a while, I got bored with grinding, and decided to rip the wheels off to see what I would be dealing with later. Oh boy, here we go again. NASTY! Just like before, 40 years of grease, rust, dirt, and grime was caked into the brake drums. I wasn't aware that spiders could live in such conditions! After a brief cleaning of the area, I took these pictures...
Overall, not too bad.
Now go to the next page and see some further progress...
PAGE 1 � MOST CURRENT PICTURES
{the build-up - pages 2 through 13)
PAGE 2 � RUSTY FRAME (BEGINNING)
PAGE 3 � PAINTED FRAME
PAGE 4 � NEW TRUCK BODY
PAGE 5 � NEW V8 ENGINE SWAP
PAGE 6 � NEW BLOCK HUGGER HEADERS
PAGE 7 � SUSPENSION BY RANCHO
PAGE 8 - MICKEY THOMPSON WHEELS
PAGE 9 - REMOVE THE BED / SWAP THE CAB
PAGE 10 - MORE FRONT END WORK
PAGE 11 - SUNNY DAY - OUTSIDE PICTURES
PAGE 12 - INSTALLING A SOUND SYSTEM
PAGE 13 - NEW TIRES ON SHINY RIMS
PAGE 14 - DEDICATION PAGE - 2004 HOT ROD SHOW IN THE SEATTLE STADIUM EXHIBITION HALL
PAGE 15 - DEDICATION PAGE - OTHER CLASSIC 4X4 TRUCKS (worth looking into)
PAGE 16 - DEDICATION PAGE - TRUCKS IN THE MUD!
PAGE 17 - DEDICATION PAGE - 60-66 CHEVY TRUCKS!
PAGE 18 - DEDICATION PAGE - HUGE TRUCKS!
PAGE 19 - DEDICATION PAGE - THE WHITE KNIGHT
PAGE 20 - DEDICATION PAGE - 2004 BROTHERS TRUCKS SHOW-N-SHINE
PAGE 21 - DEDICATION PAGE - FUNNY SHIT
PAGE 22 - DEDICATION PAGE - DEMOTIVATIONAL (FROM www.despair.com)
PAGE 23 - DEDICATION PAGE - CLASSIC TRUCKS (pre 1960)
