Seeking Advice on Restoration

[caw_86]

Thank you! I just took some better pics of the actual body and one of the wheel well. I race go karts and am getting ready for that race so I cant jack it up and take a good look just yet but I definitely will tomorrow! The trucks only been sitting for 3 years so most of this stuff is newer just been sitting in the elements.

Take good care of that hood, the 442 style is quite desirable and no longer available

 

[GrimsterGMC]

Some bad pictures but its pouring rain so until it quits this’ll do! Thanks for all the advice everyone.

The very first thing I would check before driving it is the rear u-bolts where they pass through that plate under the axle tube. The bolts will look fine but those plates fill with mud and the u-bolts rust through to almost nothing where they can't be seen.

 

[KleenScottsdale]

I wish my frame looked that good, LoL.
Welcome. This Forum is a wealth of information to keep your OBS stepside going for many years of enjoyment. Good luck with your project.

 

[GMTGT]

She’s just a bit dirty but looks like a solid starting point. That rust does not look concerning at all, I’d say surface rust at worst but you’ll know more once you get more familiar with the underbelly.

I’m in the midst of a garage restoration of a 96 K1500 2 door Yukon GT, and this truck spent a total of 12 years in storage on the Oregon coast before I got it. Everything (literally) that was unpainted has scale, pitting and discoloration. I’ve been slowly replacing rusted parts here and there, but fortunately for me it was largely unused while it was stored and is all original (even including the spark plugs!).

I’d pay close attention to the metal brake lines and fuel lines, if it’s been in a moist environment those are some of the first things to rust out. They were untreated and unprotected steel from the factory so if they are compromised, that may be one of the first things you might want to consider replacing. A good stainless kit is not cheap, but these are one of the most important systems in your truck so they deserve attention.

Most of the rest is just going to be manual labor- scrubbing, scraping, brushing and cleaning. Fortunately for you, elbow grease is free!

 

[Bstreet91]

The very first thing I would check before driving it is the rear u-bolts where they pass through that plate under the axle tube. The bolts will look fine but those plates fill with mud and the u-bolts rust through to almost nothing where they can't be seen.

+10000 on this comment! I found out the hard way about rusted U-bolts. Pulling onto a highway I felt a shudder in the rear end but once I finished the turn onto the highway all was good. So I thought. Needing gas, I stopped a mile later at a stop light and proceeded to turn into the parking lot. Well…. The front went one way the rear axle pretty much separated from the frame of the truck and while not out from under, the rear end was cocked almost 30 degrees. I cannot imagine if that would have happened at highway speeds literally seconds before. Took some work but me and the tow truck guy wrestled the rear end back even then strapped with 4 straps to get the rear end steady enough to load and unload. SO, Check those U-Bolts!!! If there is any question about condition -REPLACE.

 

[BC99]

Welcome. My shop teacher told me a very (very) long time ago this easy wisdom to live by. There are no stupid questions ever. That is how humans learn. Stupid people are the ones that never ask a question and proceed to make mistakes all by themselves. Lots of good advice offered here. My little piece is to say primer paint is just that. porous paint to prep a surface for finish paint. Being porous it can absorb water/moisture like no finish paint ever could. When I was about your age I had a little 70s Mustang. I did some front end sheet metal repairs couldn't afford paint to finish. I figured "next spring I'll have the dough" and left the fenders in primer. Grey primer. Come spring (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. We don't tan we rust) what I had was the ugliest Mustang around. Red with grey fenders that had a rusty rash like no other. That took a hell of a lot of sanding to find metal again. I was fortunate that I only waited 4 months and after all of the paint was gone again, I sanded like crazy right into the metal. After I re-primed again and then sprayed the fenderrs with almost matching red Tremclad. That sealed up the 'paint' for future driving and work.
Anyone who would tell you to "just spray your frame with primer" is clearly someone who never asked questions.

 

[haroldwca]

Hello to my friend from Georgia. I bought a 1972 Chevy C10 from GA back in the early 2000s. The truck was rusted from sitting, but the frame looked like it just needed a wash and wax. Yours looks almost as good. Just hit it with a wire wheel (use a wire brush for harder to reach areas). I am redoing a '94 Blazer whose frame looks about like yours. I used the wire wheel / brush approach, then sprayed it down with a product called Ospho. It's a solution of phosphoric acid. When sprayed onto oxidized metal, it will convert the iron oxide to iron phosphate which is stable. Obviously, proper prep is still required for a premium job, but you can hit it with a coat of direct to metal primer (DTM) to stabilize the whole area until you move on to the next phase. And DEFINITELY examine your U-bolts. My Blazer's U-bolts were similarly degraded as some of the photos have shown. I would have never known had I not pulled the axle to rebuild the differential. Be sure to dig into the accumulated crud that is undoubtedly piled up on the axle plates. It can hide bolts that have rusted to half their diameter or worse. New bolts are around $40 / set. Cheap insurance. Keep us posted !