My other project

[Matthew Brawley]

I haven't been in here and posting much in the last year or so, but that's not to say I haven't been lurking and working on my other project. Besides woodworking I have always been a gearhead, and I have been working on an old truck (1977 Chevy) for a little over a year. I have completely went through the mechanicals on it and rebuilt the motor, transmission and transfer case.

For all of the turners that think the vortex is expensive it is nothing compared to working on cars. I have attached some photos of the progress so far.226229226230226231226232226233

[Chris Walls]

Matthew

Thats outstanding. I love those old trucks too. I think a lot of us would like to have a project like that. I used to live where it was an annual event to go to the street rod show. Great fun. Got to look at some amazing machine's up close.
Chris

[Larry Edgerton]

I really like your truck, but I love Chris's GS! Sold my 1200GT with a tear in my eye because of one too many close calls with cell phone idiots. But if I lived in the UP.....

I restored one of that series about ten years ago. I made it so fast that I couldn't afford to feed it, but it was fun.

I am working on a totally stock 47 Dodge 1/2 ton right now. Have the motor running perfect, just needs brakes and I will play with it for the summer as is.

Of course I have a Land Rover chassis with an aluminum V8 in the barn, and with a little modification........

Have fun, Larry

[David Helm]

Nice job, but I wouldn't call that an old truck. You youngins' don''t know old!

[David Helm]

"I am working on a totally stock 47 Dodge 1/2 ton right now. Have the motor running perfect, just needs brakes and I will play with it for the summer as is."

Now you're talkin' That's the vehicle I learned to drive on, when it was nearly new!

[Pat Barry]

I agree - I don't like that being called an old truck. Lets stick with the term classic. Tell us about the motor. 350 V8, Holley 650 double pumper, etc. By the way "looooking goood man!"

[Matthew Brawley]

Well the truck is 4 years older than I am so I guess old is a matter of perspective but I will go with classic. Thanks for the compliments guys, this is just the first phase I have completed, next is interior and then body work. The motor is a 400 bored out .30 over, Edelbrock single plane intake with a modified quadrajet 800 cfm carburetor, MSD ignition system, and headers. I figure it will be getting about 5 mpg if I am lucky. Connected to a purpose built hybrid TH350/400 Turbo transmission. The last big project on it this spring is wiring in a new digital instrument panel. I will start phase 2 next year but before I start that I have to build a workbench and plane till.

[Chris Walls]

Matthew


When I got out of the service we went to visit a friend in Phoenix, He had just gotten a new 77 half ton , 350, 4 speed , 4 wheel drive. We took it for a long ride up to near Flagstaff, visited Jerome etc. Good times. Larry , I learned to drive on my fathers 50 dodge 1/2 ton , Flat head 6 with a 3 speed on the floor. The GS is a great deal of fun, here in the UP our roads are good and not to much traffic. I LOVE this bike. It's more fun than should be legal. Bought it in Tucson and rode it home. Put 6 days on two lane roads. I mounted a gps on it and that really is the ticket to traveling.

Chris

[Larry Edgerton]

Chris, I have a house/shop project going on here that is requiring all the extra money I can make, but as soon as possible I will have a GS or a KTM Adventure. I was into sport tourers and enduros for years, but like I said cell phone idiots have ruined the street, and I am too old for the dirt anymore.

My last enduro was a Mike Lafferty works KTM 450 destroked to 400, and all the works bits. But I have this problem that my mind still thinks I am faster than my body will allow and was crashing a bit too much. Gave it up before I ended up laying out in the woods somewhere.

The UP is a great place to ride, especially with a bike like yours. I'll be up there this summer with my last bike, a 80's Honda Silverwing GL500. I gave it away twice and it keeps coming back, so this time I'm keeping it. It was a spare that we always called "The Couch". On long rides one of my buddys on sport bikes would ride the couch. and switch off when anyone got tired. I'm going to head out west somewhere with it in the spring. Maybe I'll pass you.....

Matthew, that carb is a great choice if you set it to run on the primarys for a little longer. The smaller bores give faster air flow and good atomization, so mileage is not always terrible. I have had good luck with them in the past. My last truck like yours had a ZZ3 crate motor and I went with an Edelbrock 850 and a different cam so I could pull a race truck. I got 8 on a good day, and 4 pulling the race truck. But it would pull that truck!

Larry

[Bruce Page]

Awesome engine job! When I was a teenager in the 60’s I bought an old 41 Ford pickup with a flathead V8 and 3 2-barrel carbs. I never got it running - I wrecked my dad’s Buick and had to sell the PU to pay for the repairs.:( I would sure love to have that old pickup today.

[Matthew Brawley]

I like the feel of carbureted motors, no guessing about what some sensor is reading. You turn a screw one way or another and it changes how it runs. I really want to do an older muscle car at some point, but I already owned the truck, parents handed it down when I turned 16 and my dad has had it since 82. I have never been huge into motorcycles, always preferred 4 wheels under me.

[Larry Edgerton]

I have never been huge into motorcycles, always preferred 4 wheels under me.

My brother is the same way. He has won world championships off road, CORR and WSORR, and is a far better driver than I, but if I could get him on a motorcycle he was all mine.

I like carbs too. That Rover motor I have will be converted from FI to carburated before it goes in anything. The simplicity is nice. Well, simplicity may not be the right term. FI systems are not all that complicated, but you have to be a electronics/computer sort to sort them out. I played with supercharged/turboed Miata's for a while, but I had to have someone else program the ECU. Probably could have learned it, but.......

Nice looking truck you have going there, thats for sure. You are doing a great job and seem to be ready to go the distance. Seems funny when you are my age that things that you bought new are classics.

Keep us posted, Larry

[Royce Meritt]

Gotta agree with some of the others. That's a GREAT looking truck! However, I remember when that wouldn't have been considered and OLD TRUCK!