My grandfather bought a 1973 (I think that's the correct year) Chevy pickup brand new many many many moons ago. He took good care of it. Growing up we called it Ol' Blue. Well, he gave it to my dad before he died. My Dad's had it for around 15 years. The bad news is that my Dad never has taken care of cars very well. My Dad's doing good to change a car's oil once every two years. I'm not kidding...there are times that he goes longer than that. I'm **** about changing oil etc. only because of my grandfather and my step dad are **** about it. They trained me well. Unfortunately, there is more bad news. The truck was running rough, so Dad parked it at a friend's house...it's stayed there for around 5 years. Dad said that there's mold on the paint. Anyway, his friend told him that he was about to haul it off to a salvage yard. I've been wanting that truck since I was a kid...now's my chance. I told my Dad to hold him off, until I can find a way to get it to my driveway...the truck is 600 miles away.

As soon as my Hyundai sells, I'm going to start on this project. I want to do a full restoration. First things on the list are the engine and the tranny. The engine is an inline six. Has anyone else done something like this? How much can I plan on spending on the engine and transmission alone? At this time, I have neither the tools nor the garage to do this kind of work myself. I'm going to be moving soon...this summer. ...and hope to at least have a garage where ever I move. Would I be better off letting a pro do it? ....or taking a class and figuring it out myself? Any info would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

 

Take a class, do it yourself in tiny pieces as you learn and as you can afford it.

 

Guys and old trucks....seems we all have to do it at least once. At least you have a good one to work on (parts availability). Mine was a 59 Ford.
Engine/trans for those are plentiful, from used to full high performance. Any engine/trans combo will fit, with the right mounts.
Start your research now, learn all you can ahead of time, and have fun!

 

If it's running rough it probably just needs a good tune, maybe rebuild the carb. You can get a manual at the parts store telling you how to change plugs and that kind of thing and pick up a rebuilt carb pretty cheap. Get some help/take a class.

Those things run forever. I really doubt you'll need a rebuild if it was still running. Those are also build like a tank, and you'll see old trucks forever because they're desirable.

Later, down the road, you can start doing more. Paint, that kind of thing. If you can learn to pull the motor even a rebuild won't be as much as you think.

Just hold on to it (somehow). Park it at your folks house if you need to. Or 20 years down the road you'll kick yourself.

 

From what you have mentioned I think the seals are probably gone or about to go and that could stop you cold so look into flat beading it home. If the seals are OK (it will hold fluids) you might be OK to get it home with a carb rebuilt/clean up and soe new tires-those have got to shot by now. If I was doing to restoration I would put either a 327 or 350 in it. Both are readily availible from mild to wild and are cheap to fix and maintain. Your brake lines may also be worn and/or cracked so be sure you can stop before you start. If you have never done this kind of work I would think about having the major items done professionally and concentrate on the cosmetic, trim, body and interior your self. Sounds like fun!

 

You have a perfect type of vehicle for do-it-yourself rebuilding and restoration. Even though it's old, parts are still available, cheap and you wont need much in the way of specialty tools. A well-equipped tool box, a comprehensive shop manual (think Chiltons or Motor manual, or a factory manual) will tell you everything you need to do. The inline six is very durable and simple to work on. V-8 upgrades are a cinch, and you are not stuck with a lot of electronics which often trip up those who want to try their hand at fixing up things.

If the truck has sat for a long time, you will probably need to rebuild the carb, tune up the engine, flush out the gas tank and change all the fluids before it is roadworthy. Check the brakes as well. Lightly rusted drums or rotors are not a big deal, but check out the lines, hoses, wheel cylinders and calipers, and bleed/flush the fluid. Also, pay close attention to the condition of the tires. Tires that are over ten years old, even if they appear in decent condition without cracking or weather checking are on borrowed time. The compounds tend to become rock hard over time, making every turn a screechfest, and such tires tend to do poorly in rain and bad weather. There is also the chance of catastrophic blowouts as well. So after you've got the truck running like a top (it aint hard to do), treat it to some new rolling stock.

 

LMC Truck will be your new best friend. Along with Classic Tube and Jegs.
http://lmctruck.com/

http://classictube.com/

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...10001_10002_-1

Anything 65 through 85 that says Chevy is easy and hella cheap.

 

Thank you for all the comments. ...and thanks for the links hemiheaded18. I talked to my dad about the truck tonight. It's actually a '74...with 250,000 miles on it. I'm pretty sure I'll need to rebuild the engine. The good news is that he said the transmission is in decent shape...it's just the shifter that jams up some. It's been parked for 5 years, but until a year or so ago his friend would go out and drive it around his farm some. His friend couldn't do it anymore due to health problems. My dad has another friend who's into racing and building muscle cars. He's been interested in "Ol' Blue" for a while. He doesn't want it, he just wants to see it restored. He also has a very nice garage, so we're trying to work things out to see if I can fly there and drive the chevy home. (I'm a teacher, so I have the summer off. We're talking about making it a summer project. We'll see what happens. If all else fails, I'll probably have it loaded on a trailer and hauled here. )