First Project. 1956 GMC Pickup

Since my nephew is on a strict budget you have to search for the deals. Even when you don't have a lot of cash and something pops up that you can get a deal on you have to go for it. We are both looking for stuff and asking friends if they have what we need. I lucked out when I seen an ad on Craigslist for a 350 turbo transmission. He had it listed for $150.00 . I emailed the guy and he was nice enough to let the trans go for 100 bucks. Only issue he is in Georgetown Ohio. Once again I jump in the wife gas saver and head north.

It was rush hour so I figured I'd run down Rt. 52 following the Ohio River. I'm not much on sitting on the highway doing 25 MPH beside it was a nice day and we got to see some cool stuff.


Don't ask me why I snapped this. I guess I'm easily amused at anything doing with cars.


We jumped up a couple back roads and hit old highway 30. If anyone has a chance to drive up this road you should. It was the first time I had ever been on it but I'm going to make it a club run this summer for the guys to get together to cruise up that way. There where miles and miles of these rock wall that where well over 100 years old. A super wide creek that flowed over shallow rocks as well as old log cabins and other things that a history buff like myself just goes nuts over. Not many pics but here are a few with some cars I seen.






This ragtop and T/A was sitting out front of a junkyard. The number is on the wall behind the T/A if anyone wants to call about it. The Chevy took a hard hit but it had some nice parts on it.

We made it to the guys house and we walk in the garage. He's a gearhead with a 70 Nova. 48, 49 ? Ford Truck and a early 50's Chevy. He let me look around at his projects and we talked for a long time. He was one of the nicest guys I've ran across in a long time. We took some pics but it was getting dark and the camera was not working very well.

With all that the diamond in the rough that Earl needed, the 350 turbo loaded up and ready to head back to Kentucky.

So pumped can't wait to get to work today!

Steve, I may have a extra 327 laying around......Gotta see what year, if it's a Large or small journal......

Thanks John but he's got a 350 4 bolt main. He got it last night.

Earl, Amy and myself took off to Louisville for the swap meet. Earl made out like a bandit. He's flipping the rear end over the springs for a drop so he needed some axle saddles or brackets, whatever you want to call them.




Both cab corners are shot. I told him even with new cab corners we may even have to add metal to the top after we get all the rust out.




We not only found the cab corner but they cover the whole mess.


I was telling him about the YOM law in Ky. You can run a tag with the same date on it as your car/truck if you have historical tags. He thought that was really wild so he dug through every tag he could find trying to find a Campbell County, Kentucky tag. I did not think he would find one but he did. $25.00 though. He ask the guy if he'd take 20. The guy said no. Earl ask 22? Guy still said no and so we walked off. After looking through the other tags he couldn't find another one and went back and paid the asking price. He's got it hid some place for safe keeping so I'll have to get him to dig it out to get a picture.

You know I like them!! Good Job

Here's the tag earl bought.

Earl is learning how to do some tin bending. Here he is on the English wheel.


Even his girlfriend gave it a try.


That piece of metal that was cut and used to fill the gas filler hole in the cab. The gas tank is coming out from behind the seats. I shot some white paint on it to keep the weather from rusting the bare metal. I don't guess it really matters much. The whole cab will be blasted.

That's a lucky young man to have you all around for guidance.

 

Thanks Chris but really I think we are the lucky ones. Everyone in the house loves him to death. My youngest starts yelling when the driveway buzzer goes off and he see's Earl coming up the drive. Earls home! Earls home! With a smile on his face he waits for him to walk in, giddy to see him. Emotional scares run deep. Something I can relate to. It's a fine line I walk trying to show him there are people who care but not open up issues that may bring him down and not to act like a father to him when I'm not. At times I just want to grab him and give him a hug, when he's not home call and check on him. I don't but it runs through my mind every day.

I like to think I'm really lucky they show me every day that there are people in the world that really do care and love!

School time.  I took two pieces of scrap and told him to lay me a small stitch. The heat was up hi but on purpose. He laid the line down until he blew threw it. I explained that once you see the metal blow through like that you will know it's too hot or you are moving too slow. I ask him to fill in the blow through, he did. Then I started adding scrap on to of scrap explaining the thinner metals as I handed stuff to him. With the heat up he never blew threw the metal again and everything he welded burned in good and strong. He still has to learn a lot of stuff but he picks it up fast. I see no issues with him welding up all the holes in the firewall with only a 20 or 30 minutes schooling, he has the basics down pat.

I even gave him new pair of welding gloves and apron. He ask if this was for rookies. I laughed and thought about it for a while. While he was welding I told it was all good until he gets a big piece of hot slag fall into his gym shoe while he's welding. I have done that more than I care to talk about.


Here is a shot of all the scrap metal just stuck on wherever. Crazy set up but it's all about having a little fun while you learn.




Next time school is in session he will learn how to do some hammer and dolly work on his hot welds.

The only school I have ever been excited to go too! Learn more too.

   

Looking good! Learning new stuff and working on a super tight budget are what makes projects like this fun. I'm on nearly a $0 budget on mine this time around, and having a blast!

Nice score on the TH350 and keep up the good work, Earl and Steve!  

Later,

Lee

Earl did some more welding on his firewall and got his engine in the pole building and up on the engine stand. No rebuild just stripping it down for a good cleaning. Getting a little ahead of himself but on rainy days such as today he can work on it.

Way to keep moving on it, Earl!

Later,

Lee

With this being Earl's first build I didn't want him in a car/truck without some creature comforts. His daily is a Neon. I didn't want to shell shock him with something that was hard to steer and stop so for the first time around he's going to get power brakes, power steering, better suspension, disk brakes and more. Next build or two he can see if he wants to go the more traditional route and leave the stock stuff. We started off with the tape to see how high it sits now and we will see where it drops to. Right now it's hard to climb up in it without getting nose bleeds.

I explained he needed and F body clip or a Nova. He ask where do you find something like that? I told him they were getting hard to come by. His eye flashed around while he was thinking. I told him to walk out in the woods about 50 feet. I had one in stock.    I wrapped a chain around it and drug the Nova frame out so he could clean it up for the weld in.