76 Jimmy- Jimbo Build Thread.

[Smokinthehippies]

well so i've lurked on here for a lil bit. definitly gotten alot of great ideas from you guys. and figured i'd start my own pic whoring thread since i'm finally getting started on my k5.
its a 1976 Jimmy that was a former CDF vehicle so that makes it smog excempt. a buddy of mine bought it and used it as a DD for about 4 months in HS. when he joined the army i bought it off him for $500. its been in pretty much the same condition for a while before he bought it.

anyway. so i took it wheeling once, had a bunch of problems with the vaccum and could barely keep it running. also on the way back, noticed a severe loss of power and lots of smoke coming out.
bout the same time we moved to a house with a garage that i could keep my tools in so i decided it was time to start working on it.
i bought a gm crate long block of craigslist for $50. i'm trying to get it rebuilt right now. probably gonna happen with my tax return if everything goes to plan.

right now in the down time i'm working on gutting out & sealing up the interior to be herc lined. i'm gonna do a complete rewire while the engine is getting built that way when it comes back i can throw it in and hopefully fire it up.

thats enough talking for now. i'll throw up the few pics i have so far.
if you guys can think of any tips or ideas throw them out there for me. i have lots of ambition for this project without really knowing the things i should do.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

first time out. def want to do some lockers when i swap axles.

of course i have some cancer. not too bad. i think it all should be easy to patch up. majority is in the door sill areas with a lil bit near the tranny hump on the pass side.

my new racing seat...

where it sits now.

the old 400. i know the valves are toast on atleast 2 cylinders. and the rings are shot in 1 cylinder.
after i pull it out and get this truck going i'm gonna rebuild the 400 and put it in either an el camino or chevelle.

you can see the bass ackward wiring situation here. its much much worse in person. one of the PO's had a spool of red wire and just went ape****. lol

and the very bestest part of the truck. the stacked blocks in the rear with the front on blocks as well.
thanks who ever thought that one up. but oh well. it will be fixed when i get the 14bolt swapped in.

where i am now with the gutting. started sanding on saturday, got majority of the drivers side seat area done. i'm trying to decide if i should stop there, or go up a lil bit higher under the dash.


anyway. so thats what i've got so far and what i'm working with. we'll see how it turns out.

 

[bp71k5]

Looks like a decent truck. I think id fix whatever things might be unsafe (like the stacked blocks) and enjoy driving it. I guess if you dont like mud or rain, the next couple months might be a good chance to fix some extra stuff that takes a bit longer.

If you like mud, today seems like a good day to find some.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

i would if the 400 would still run.
the drive from morgan hill to sunnyvale when i moved was about the last lifeline it had. wouldnt run anymore so i started pulling parts to get it ready. i dont think itll go anywhere now til i get the engine swapped. after that part i'm going to try nad keep it driveable while i work on it.

and yeah today is def. a pisser.

 

[StevoandaRedK5]

Looks like the body is in fair shape. Definitely a good start!

oh and btw, for that rewire, i'm gonna recommend the full harness from EZ Wiring. Fixed all the problems I had with PO hackjobbery and shorts.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

thats exactly what i'm planning.between you and chevy305 i decided on it. plus for the money its impossible to beat!

 

[Smokinthehippies]

So I bought a 4pt cage out of a 73 blazer on craigslist. I got the front cab area finished wit duplicolor spray liner. And then my appendix blew up. So I've been sitting for over a week. I wantto try and get the rest if the bed sprayed as well as getting the cage bolted in. I also sold the block that I was I was going to rebuild, and instead I'm just going to buy a runner off craigslist. I found a rebuilt 350 with some boltons that I'm pckinh up tomorrow. I'm hoping to have it back under it's own power withing the month. Just be hard since. Can't lift more then 10lbs for 6 weeks.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

Picked up the 355 tonight. Has rv cam. Holley 650 double pumper edelbrock manifold. Custom heads with 2.02s. Just need to clean it up. If I can find my camera I'll throw up some pix in the next week.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

got a few more parts in for the engine. i'm keeping the bottom end the way it was when i bought it. but i have a new cam coming in today. got the custom heads from my buddy. i need to get the cam in, then all i'll have left to buy is a water pump, new pushrods, and some odds and ends.

making head way on it atleast. i also found out that the roll cage i bought wont drop in, becuase since it came from a full vert, it wont slide in the thru the bed of my 76. so i have to play with that once i get the engine in.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

first time with the top off in over 2 years.

you can see where someone took off a roof rack, and filled in the holes with bathtub caulking! holy jesus.

the roll cage i bought to throw in. i want to add a few cross braces as well as tie it in to the back somehow.

 

[Mr-Jack]

where'd you get your cage from? My buddy's been looking for one so he doesn't have to deal with building his own.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

where'd you get your cage from? My buddy's been looking for one so he doesn't have to deal with building his own.

craigslist man. a guy local to me even delivered it to my house since i dont have a truck right now. i paid more then i would have liked, but it seems like a solid starting point that i can tie into later on. atleast i can get harnesses mounted up sooner too.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

Mr. Brown brought me a gift on my lunch break.
my new cam lifters and break in lube.
the grind i got should be good from 1750-4500 rpms. which should match perfectly with the heads. we'll see.

 

[redbird00]

looks good, any idea what brand cage that is. i'd like one.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

FROM WHAT i understand it was made by a 4x shop about a hundred years ago. its already on its third owner. lol
but i doubt it will be coming out by the time i get it in. lol

 

[Smokinthehippies]

finally got the rest of the cab and bed finished with the duplicolor spray liner. i'm sure i'll do some touchups, but its enough for now.

i also took the seats out of my daily driver to mount in here. i need to have a mount set made up, but they should work out nicely. alot better then the old ones tha it came with.
i havea buddy who might come help me get the cam installed this weekend, so that would help me get closer to the fire up.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

got the cam swapped in, timing set back together, new lifters, pushrods in and heads set onto block. my head bolts should be coming in sometime this weekend. once i get the heads bolted down, i need to get my old engine out, steal the intake manifold, and all the pulleys and whatnot.
i'm hoping to have engine fired by memorial day. since i'm very close now.

 

[NorCal_Chris]

How did the finish on that duplicolor stuff come out? I need to take care of the rear of my truck. did you spray it? I saw it at kragen with the option roller thing. what did it cost you to do the inside?

 

[Smokinthehippies]

I used the duplicolor spray paint type, like $8 a can, i think i used about 6 cans total. maybe more or less.

its ok... basically a thick consistency matt black paint.
i used the herculiner on my dodge and it was a much more durable/rubber feeling finish, where this just feels like spray paint. so idk.

if it doesnt hold up i'll just suck it up and do the herculiner again.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

a preview of where I am with the engine. Long block complete. Gotta work this weekend. Hoping to have an engine removal party the following weekend. Get old block out. Transfer over all the accesories, intake and hat nots. Clean up engine bay, and get the new one back in. Want power by memorial day.