I'm on Chevytalk and FSC and posted my junker 3500HD project there, I guess I didn't here cuz it seems like having two threads going in other places was enough and since it's not gonna be slammed, it kinda don't fit in. Whatchoo guys think?

Richard

I was reading your thread on fsc and why wouldn't you post it up on here you might sell some parts off your doner truck

yea for sure.. it doesnt have to be a hammer project to be on here.

I like all projects, start a thread. Not everyone is looking for slammed stuff. Broaden are membership base.

^^^I agree^^^

Frankly, I'm a little burnt out seeing the same old thing day in and day out.

Sweet...why the hell not then. I like having it posted in a few places because it helps me get ideas as I go along. So here's an exact copy of my original post from the other forums:

Can I honestly say the project started, just because I moved the trucks inside the shop in an attempt to force me to begin?

The subject: 1994 Chevy C3500HD cab & chassis

This is when "HD" really meant something on the end of the name. Completely different frame and suspension from the lighter trucks, they have 3" wide rear leafs with a whole separate overload pack; the front axle is a straight beam/kingpin setup which is also leaf sprung, and they come from the factory with 10 lug 19.5" wheels (the front pattern is a large 5 lug on the same 10 lug wheels.) They are in the 14,000-16,000 lb GVWR range; I don't have the specs in on this exact truck yet.

This truck came with a 6.5TD and NV4500 5-speed. The 6.5TD is blown and long gone. It also had a Western Hauler style flatbed which is gone. My plan is to convert it to my new yard wrecker/trailer hauler, using the Hytech Sneeker wheel lift unit off my '98 crew cab. I'll use the Vortec 7.4 engine from a '96 C3500 and either the existing NV4500 in the HD, or possibly the NV4500 from the '96 C3500 as well. I may slice-and-dice a flatbed I have on a '91 C2500, and mount a 12,000 lb. Warn Industrial series winch on it. I'll likely do the interior upgrade with the later model dash and door panels, converting to power windows/locks while I'm at it. I'll have to use a side mount gas tank, which will likely come from a '92 C3500 cab & chassis here. I'll finish off by installing the near-new Goodyear 245/70/19.5 GSS-647 tires that are currently on my '98.

I may even swap the entire '96 C3500 cab over to help facilitate the new interior swap (the steering column supports are different) and to keep the VIN/engine info the same for emissions test purposes.

Every project needs "before" pictures:









The '96 C3500 engine/possible trans donor:


It's going to be a slow project; I'll probably try to get it together for pulling the trailer first, then figure out how to chop up the wrecker unit to go on. I need to do it in a way so that my current '98 crew cab wrecker has minimal downtime during the swap.

Wish me luck and patience, I'm gonna need it! You can wish me money, too; it sure couldn't hurt...

(p.s. this is going to be a low-budget project, so don't be appalled when you see non-critical things cobbled together, or the whole truck liberally doused in flat black spray paint!)

Richard

Man, the picture resizing on here sure makes that junky old truck look worse. Like the fender flares look fresh out of the microwave or something? They're only 640x480, resized to look good on other forums, but the narrow display here hoses 'em still.

Anyway y'all try not to laugh too hard at my old junk! It's going to be a slow project but I'm hoping to have it done within a few months; my lot is getting too full to be moving trucks around with a crew cab wrecker, and that truck also isn't roadworthy to be pulling a trailer.

Richard

Don't look much worse than mine.

it is going to look good when you get done with it

Moved a few trucks around again to make an empty bay for parts, and began blowing the HD apart tonight. DESTRUCTION! Oh, learned that HD's have a unique core support, elongated at the bottom, glad this one is still in fairly good shape.

Hood, fenders, inner fenders, grille, filler, wiper cowl, condenser, engine wiring harness, wiper motor and linkage, heater hoses, A/C hoses, almost everything under the hood removed:




Cleaned the junk out of the interior, hooked the shifter back up, it seems to catch gears easily but that doesn't mean much. Gives me hope though the transmission may be OK.


Piles-o-crap adding up:




Richard

oh your gunna have shit stacked everywhere.

Progress is looking good!

Just so you guys know to see the full size of a resized picture just click on it, and then it will open in a new window

That's what she said.

OK, jumped back on the truck this afternoon and made some more progress.

Blew the doors off, pulled the steering column, ripped out the complete interior - dash, harnesses, AC/heat ductwork box, all interior plastics, everything. I have to drill out the spot welds on the steering column support to put in the new style one, so the pad and the mount will come out next. Under the floor mat was some seriously wet insulation, which had attacked the floor in several spots. I'll be wire-wheeling it and painting the floor with POR-15. Right now it's just scraped a little bit and vacuumed out. Had a LOT of dirt packed in the door sill areas.


Core support out finally. Took the exhaust out, too. I was getting ready to fight the always-rusty flange between the head pipe and catalytic converter, but I banged on the exhaust a couple times with a hammer and the joint in the front of the converter just popped out. Still had to sawzall the tailpipe off to get it out of there, though.


That's it for now...

Those of you that like your rubber floor mats for use in wet/muddy conditions, you might want to peel yours up and check under it some time. Unlike carpet, once it gets wet under there, say from a leak in the windshield seal, cowl, heater core, cab clearance lights, etc...it has nowhere to go. It can't evaporate, so it just sits there and destroys the floor.

Richard

OK, not a very exciting update, but I did a bunch of work today. It just doesn't look like much.

Finally got around to pulling the clutch master, hydro-boost, brake master, etc. Small amount of surface rust on the firewall; I'll be doing the firewall in POR-15 anyway. Pulled the fuel lines and the harness along the frame rail; the absolute only piece of wiring left on the whole truck is for the cab roof lights, and the only lines left are the brake lines.


Hit the floor pan with a wire brush wheel in the drill. Knocked all the loose crap off; it still looks bad but it'll be fine for the POR-15. That rubber floor mat really held in the moisture and just about ruined the floor. The only teardown left to do inside is drilling out the welds on the steering column support.


Hit the welds on the old torched-off flatbed mounts with a grinder, then beat them off the frame with the 12 pound sledge. A little bit of grinding to clean the chocolate bar welds off the frame and all is good. Fuel tank bolts are soaked down in PB Blaster because it's coming down next.


I'm probably going to go ahead and pull the cab off the frame so I can do the entire frame in POR-15. I've been trying to talk myself out of pulling the cab...but jeez, I'm so close, why not go ahead and do it.

That's it for now...had a few customers today so I had to step away from the project a bunch. Not complaining about makin' money though.

Won't be much longer and it'll start going in the opposite direction from teardown!

Richard