80 C10 "Nemo" Build - Started as: Front frame buckled…

[Rickf]

If it was mine and ALL the damage is in front of the control arms, I'd have a frame shop fix it.

 

[89Suburban]

I bent up an old Dodge D-100 r/f frame once. Those frames are known to fold in towards the engine block in an impact. I chained the truck to some bollards in our work parking lot and used a Class B truck with another chain to straighten it out close.

 

[Old77]

I bent up an old Dodge D-100 r/f frame once. Those frames are known to fold in towards the engine block in an impact. I chained the truck to some bollards in our work parking lot and used a Class B truck with another chain to straighten it out close.

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[89Suburban]

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Yeah bitch that's right. Not paying $2K for a frame pull when I can do it for free at work with a case of beer.

 

[Old77]

Yeah bitch that's right. Not paying $2K for a frame pull when I can do it for free at work with a case of beer.

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[Trucksareforwork]

Took a closer look today and see some stuff I’m not thrilled about.

Took the motor and trans out. Frame Motor mounts aren’t tight in the frame, looks like a kink aft of the power steering box.

Gonna shop for a frame. I will just feel better about it if it’s done right and resale will be easier on my conscience.

This is a before shot of the truck. More than meets the eye.

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[Bennyt]

Yep, that truck is worthy of a frame swap.

 

[Grit dog]

Damn, nice looking truck!

 

[Grit dog]

Can’t be too bent if it drives good, don’t chew up tires and obviously by the pic, the body lines look great. (Better than my non bent up squarebody).

I think it would take a lot more for me to even begin to consider literally disassembling the entire truck. But then again, I’ve driven a lot of “totaled” vehicles a lot of miles.

 

[Trucksareforwork]

Can’t be too bent if it drives good, don’t chew up tires and obviously by the pic, the body lines look great. (Better than my non bent up squarebody).

I think it would take a lot more for me to even begin to consider literally disassembling the entire truck. But then again, I’ve driven a lot of “totaled” vehicles a lot of miles.

So that it doesn't sound entirely crazy, because I agree with you in general:

- I already have bed off, front clip off, engine and trans out, and the interior stripped.

- The truck already needed floor pans (prior owner had replaced rockers at some point but the floor pans are in sad shape). That was already part of the plan. I was originally going to do w/ the body on frame, but can do a better job by pulling the body anyways, I think.

- I had also already planned on an R&R on some of the suspension components that needed help (basics like shocks...not doing a front end rebuild).

Given that, I'm not as far from a full swap as it might seem. And, I'd rather sell the truck eventually as a complete and un-damaged truck.

The real rub is I'm only a month from having to move my shop... So I'm going to see if I can get this moving really quickly. I'll put that in another thread I think.

 

[Grit dog]

@Trucksareforwork
Sorry guess I missed that you’re already way over 50% into a tear down already.
With that it makes WAY more sense to do it right. (On an unrelated note, someone did that nice of a job on the paint and body and left behind rotted floor boards? Wtf?)

Timeline sounds like your biggest challenge. And budget. If you’re buying a new frame I suppose you could maybe have one in a week or so plus paint and prep and ….a $5k lighter wallet?
Idk about by you but a straight C10 longbed frame is fairly easy to find here and very close to if not free 99. Some disassembly and a chit load of cleaning prep and paint required….The part out guys around here frequently scrap what’s left of the chassis including the frame.
And of course you’d have to shorten it as well. I’d imagine shortbed frames are infinitely harder to find.
A month?
I’d work on sourcing a frame, and getting it ready to go in conjunction with figuring how to pack and transport the truck in 100 pieces to the new shop…unless this will be a full time adventure with some OT hours.

 

[Trucksareforwork]

@Trucksareforwork
Sorry guess I missed that you’re already way over 50% into a tear down already.
With that it makes WAY more sense to do it right.

Well, I wasn't that far torn down until yesterday. My son and I had taken the front clip off on Sunday and that's when I ran into the frame damage. We pulled the motor and trans yesterday. So, you aren't far off.

Timeline sounds like your biggest challenge. And budget. If you’re buying a new frame I suppose you could maybe have one in a week or so plus paint and prep and ….a $5k lighter wallet?
Idk about by you but a straight C10 longbed frame is fairly easy to find here and very close to if not free 99. Some disassembly and a chit load of cleaning prep and paint required….The part out guys around here frequently scrap what’s left of the chassis including the frame.
And of course you’d have to shorten it as well. I’d imagine shortbed frames are infinitely harder to find.
A month?
I’d work on sourcing a frame, and getting it ready to go in conjunction with figuring how to pack and transport the truck in 100 pieces to the new shop…unless this will be a full time adventure with some OT hours.

I have a line on a short bed frame that looks like it will be good with some cleanup (already bare, no body or bed and only front suspension on it). Hopefully that can work. I throw money at tools and basic parts and at this point can do almost any job needed. My budget doesn't have "new aftermarket frame" level funding.

Re the paint: Well, the paint is a halfway decent single-stage job but it has some trouble spots. If you look closely at the picture there are a few rust bubbles behind the rear wheels that I'm going to address. They also didn't paint the cowl well or behind the cab / in front of the bed, so I'm going to try to address that. Overall it's a good driver quality and with the wheels looks great at the curb. The interior metal and dash are a mess though. I'm planning to keep the paint and so am trying to baby it, but I suspect a nice wet sanding and buff job is coming after the mechanical stuff.

And, yah, no idea why the rockers would be done without the floor pans. I'll see what I can do with that.

 

[RanchWelder]

Everybody thought I was off my rocker suggesting the bad axx frame for $20K...
This truck would be amazing on the custom frame...

I'd custom roller that sweetie in a heartbeat...
Be the nicest junk hauler in my neighborhood, for sure!

This is probably over-cool (Corvette front/rear with a tunnel support):

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https://www.chevyhardcore.com/news/roadster-shops-c10-truck-chassis-is-a-rolling-fortress/

Canyon Racer... you're gonna want a bigger engine too

 

[Trucksareforwork]

Picked up a short bed frame off a farm a couple hours drive from home. Hit the nuts with pb blaster and should be able to disassemble for blasting tomorrow or maybe Monday.

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Back at the shop I ended up flushing out the engine coolant passages with a hose. I had plugged the engine up and filled it with white vinegar a couple days ago. Amazing how much funk came out. (Truck’s front clip and bed sitting in the background)

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[RanchWelder]

Wow, what a find.
Outstanding condition.
Back bumper looks straight.