Strip and Rebuild

[MrCTS]

So the wife and I were given a truck by her brother: A green and silver '96 Sierra Z71 2 door. I bought a 1997 Chevy 1500 Z71 3 Door. This is a work in progress. All pictures will be added as work continues

Going to refer to each as the sierra and the chevy. Bought the chevy for the engine really, with the plan of just taking the engine out and putting it into the sierra. Well I decided that I was going to strip the beds off and check the frames. Sierra had the better frame, bed, and fenders. Chevy has the better cab so pretty much this is going to be the Frankenstein truck. Taking the best of both into one.


First got the truck

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Stripped the bed off. Looked like swiss cheese.

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OH MY GOD IT'S NAKED!!!!! (Yes, I know I'm an idiot.)

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Took the top off

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[MrCTS]

Made a couple updates since the last pictures. Well.... one update just no picture of the other.

Engine out and just pressure washed every square inch other than the rubber tires. The rims I did get.

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[MrCTS]

Stripped a good bit of the rust that was loose and could chip off easily. Taped everything off, ready to roll.

Got all the rust beat off

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Moved it outside. Had a machine in the paint booth that I didn't want to fire up the big forklift to move.

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Let's see if I remember chemistry now... (haha)

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Mostly done

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While I was doing this, the wife got the other truck torn down & ready to lift the engine out and the cab off. Let's see if I can beat the snow...

 

[MrCTS]

Small update: Everything is going well, discovered some places on the frame that the Chassis Saver did not stick to quite so well and Ohio weather strikes again. Raining like a son of gun so I can't exactly paint it back on until everything dries a bit more. But on the other hand, it is quite dry in the barn so I was able to get the gas tank coated, along with the straps that secure it to the frame. Ended up having to use both straps from both trucks to make one. They were rusted pretty good but it's all nice and sturdy. Now for the reassembly and transplant of the engine over to the freshly done frame then spray the bottom of the bed and the bottom of the cab just to be on the safe side. May not need it but hey, I got extra left over, got over a 1.25 gallons left so why not use it. Afterwards going to work on the trailer that's in the pictures above when we were spraying the frame.

 

[MrCTS]

Well got the engine mated to the tranny, cleaned and set on the frame. Just connected fuel lines and tranny lines, power steering lines. Pretty much got everything ready to set the cab on and get that bolted but waiting on new bushings to be delivered to my work (don't trust my neighbors to ship it home) then will be a move on. Apologies for no pictures, my wife was supposed to be in charge of that this time and wasn't taking any at all lol

 

[MrCTS]

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Well we were moving the frame around to a better spot to pull the white cab off to clean it up and set on the other frame.. well.... the frame didn't eat it's Wheaties this morning. But got the cab pulled, tipped on the back, and power washed ready to paint with undercoating. Coming together pretty well but can't escape the fear of getting everything together and then the damn thing don't fire. Supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow and good for painting so hoping for the best. Trying to do the most I can before Wednesday. Father in law is taking the keys to the front loader with him to keep brother in law off it and this way I don't have to worry about trying to get something done and running out of things to do until cab is set.

Also got the new bushings delivered for when we set the cab back on.

 

[MrCTS]

Got the bottom of the cab painted, and the bottom of the bed. Cab set back on trying to run the wiring back to everything. Running into some problems getting some of the wiring back to the tranny and transfer case mainly due to me having large hands and very small space underneath the cab.

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[MrCTS]

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Got the core support on, have the condenser thing (radiator looking thing) and I have lines that just will not see things my way, including with some "sweet talking". Waiting on that, have the radiator in (picture to come tomorrow), finish plugging things in, mount the fenders on and swap a sending unit in the tank out for a good one (the one in it is intermittent and seizing on me, tested and just needed a replacement)

Sorry but I have to sound like a kid on Christmas but it's taking shape and looking like a truck again (keep in mind, this is my first truck ever and I've never in any way, shape, or form a mechanic)