Down to the frame she goes!

[ehuppert]

Been threatening to strip the 1008 down and rebuild from the ground up, turned out Saturday was the day! Got my three sons to pitch in, started ninesih and finished just prior to dark! Stripped off nose, cab and box. Engine, trans and transfer all out. Waiting for a machine to lift cab off as a little too heavy for the four of us!

Plan is to media blast everything and replace parts as needed. Intend to epoxy primer the frame and topcoat, probably with rustoleum.

Already have doors, fenders, cab corners, rockers, hood, brand new GM tailgate...... Will be buying box sides, inner fender liners for the front and lots of bits and pieces! Back bumper is toast, so will be looking for another CUCV bumper! Going to have to repair drivers floor and the cab support. Aside from lots of rust most everything is in decent shape. Will be installing a fresh 400 SBC to replace the 350 (sorry!) yet to be built..

Many have said to just buy another truck, but this is my work and plow truck! Owned for ten years now and the money i'm going to spend would not get me a decent 1 ton. This thing is crusty, but a lot less than vehicles 20+ years newer!

So, radiator support frame brackets are shot. Could rebuild them but would prefer to remove rivets and install new brackets. Looked a bit online, but nothing popped up quickly. Anyone been there done that????

time line is....before the first snow! 800 ft of driveway is not happening with a snowblower!

Thanks, Eric

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Sounds like fun! Wanna do mine next?

:drink:

 

[cucvrus]

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?172205-MR-Rusty

Been there done that and have many/all the frame brackets you need. Let me know what you need. Even have a nice M1008 cab with solid floors/rockers. That was easy.\

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?140975-Meet-Mr-Rusty&highlight=mr+rusty

 

[ehuppert]

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?172205-MR-Rusty

Been there done that and have many/all the frame brackets you need. Let me know what you need. Even have a nice M1008 cab with solid floors/rockers. That was easy.\

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?140975-Meet-Mr-Rusty&highlight=mr+rusty

I'm in the thinking stages at the moment. Meaning i go outside and look at the truck and think wtf! haha

Once i get the cab fully off i can get to stripping, scaling and blasting. Definitely will need some brackets and widgets. Am going past you next week (en route to in-laws in Pittsburgh) but don't really have a complete handle on what i need!

Eric

 

[nyoffroad]

A few months ago I was at a spring auction that has 100's of vehicles, I was surprised to find an 86 M1008 complete and solid with a snowplow I bid it up $1700. and it went for a bit less than $2000.! It would've been a great replacement, all set and ready to roll. If I had a need for it I would've been bringing it home but I already have two of them.

 

[Prospect62]

I already have two of them.

Wanna sell one?

 

[nyoffroad]

Wanna sell one?

Not at the moment. When you remove the cab from the frame are you planning on replacing the rockers off the frame? If so you might be surprised at how much the cab flexes and the door opening changes! I've done this a couple times and found that welding a piece of angle iron across from the A pillar to the B will hold it rigid and save some headache. I've removed cabs by placing a sheet of plywood on the frame and laying the cab on it's back and then sliding it backwards onto stands. I've also jacked them up and slid boards between cab and frame and supported them on jack stands, remove rear tires and pull frame from underneath.

 

[ehuppert]

Rockers, cab corners and floor repair will be done once cab bolted back on frame and doors fitted! Also have one cab support "outrigger" to be repaired. Going to spend today straightening out all the parts pulled off so i can get a little organized! Away nex week, when i return cab will be removed and the real work will begin!

 

[cucvrus]

Never think of it as work. Think of it as your hobby. Some guys sit and watch ball games. I sit and watch rust disappear and machines put back to useful pieces. Many people waste a lot of time and money doing less with more. They key is to make more with less and like doing it. Have a Great Day. Maintain the old design and it will serve you for many years.

 

[nyoffroad]

I seem to spend a lot of time cleaning the garage and putting tools away, I have no idea how it gets so messy

 

[ehuppert]

My wife thinks i used up all my hobby time on the musclecar this year! Six weeks of thrashing in the spring which should have really been done over the winter! It's a bitch getting old and slow!!!!

Had hoped to have the dustless blasting outfit do the CUCV, but mission creep on the camaro depleted the coffers this year. Unfortunately the CUCV is a necessity as it's my plow vehicle and firewood hauler. I'm a year ahead on wood, but the snow will be an issue.

Have a trip this week, but will be lifting cab off so i can get moving on the frame work. Of course the box turned out to be a little worse than i had thought. Floor is solid, but supports are all crappy. They're available, but by the time i total up all the bits and pieces it may be quicker and easier to find another box. Really the least of my worries though. If nose, cab etc are all back together i can throw the crappy box on for the winter, no biggy!!!

 

[ehuppert]

So, cab coming off tomorrow after work! Other stuff going on and this miserable heat has led to some procrastination! The truck makes it to the "shade" around fivesh, right about when i get home from working on other peoples junk at the shop! Not a real good recipe for motivation..... Wedding this weekend coming up, so out of town again! At least it's only two hours away as compared to last weeks eight hours each way trip!

Will have to figure out how to post pictures so i can provide entertainment to the masses!!!!

Rick, am sending you a pm if i can figure it out!

Eric

 

[ehuppert]

So, the saga continues//// After a hot and medically challenging summer I'm back to it! Ended up with another frame and cab (thanks Rick!) as mine would have required a LOT of work (easy button?) Frame, cab and all the parts on hand were treated to a day of dustless blasting and were promptly epoxy primed! Then, chassis paint on frame and bottom and front of cab. Several weeks later the cab shell was painted forest green!

Today the frame and cab were married (somewhat) and pushed/lifted into the garage!!! Cab corners are getting replaced and then reassembly begins...


Any ideas for sourcing body mount bolts? A quick google search isn't showing a whole lot? Already have poly mounts, but my bolts are kind of shabby....

Eric

 

[SETOYOTA]

How about a few pics?

 

[cucvrus]

I have body bolts. I just run the tap up thru the cab nuts and use grade 8 1/2" x 13. I think they are 5" long. But they work great. And some pictures would look good. I have another nice cab here now. Have a Great Day.

 

[ehuppert]

After surfing the web i came across some bogus info and decided to start digging through the boxes of parts to find the rusty body bolts. 1/2 x 13 x 4" long.... (thanks for the reply rick!) Mcmaster will be getting a order once i figure out most of what i need!

Now that the frame and cab are inside and on rolling casters it's time to get all the parts laid out so i can get some semblance of order. When my boys helped deconstruct i had dreams of bagging and tagging parts as we went. Then i lowered my standards to boxing in order of take down. Well with four of us chugging away i was just fortunate to get the stuff off the ground and into ANY box! It was a FULL take-down in one day!

My garage is small and in the basement, so minimal painting inside! Painting the cab was more about jams and window channels.

In addition to cab corners needing replaced the right rocker panel blasted through during the media blast.... guess that's another add-on... no biggie.

Front diff is wire wheeled, blasted and painted, hope to get rear diff done this week. This working stuff is really getting in the way of progress. And after working on other peoples vehicle I'm not always enthusiastic at the end of the day!!

Eric

 

[ehuppert]

Quite a ways to go, but starting to reassemble, finally

 

[kubotaman]

Looking good

 

[frank8003]

Truck real nice and photos withs sons are forever,
Thanks

 

[dougco1]

Nice job, It looks like another one is going to be saved.