Mr_Vaughan
Member
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2023
I've decided this is a good place to post about all my truck related work. I've had it for a while, and there's a story somewhere on this page about how I got it, but i'll give y'all another run down.
In 2023 as the conclusion to my road trip to New York, I brought this truck home from New York. it was my grandpa's, and it had been parked for around a decade. it got a new fuel system and a few little things to get it back, and has been an ongoing project since. it's a '76 C20 with a 292 I6, SM465, and 4.56 gov lock 14 bolt. slow and gutless, but a nice truck. it has an 8' service bed that's more rust than steel, and the body only gets worse the further forward you go. it has a mismatched fender and doors that I put on it, and a monstrous brush guard I built.
this was on the way home from New York, with the hood off due to overheating and the original fender still on.
Squarebody hood off by Levi Vaughan, on Flickr
My senior picture with the truck
1000001371 by Levi Vaughan, on Flickr
our whole "gang" at school - My brother's blazer, my friends f250, and another friends thunderbird. all from the 70s.
1000001436 by Levi Vaughan, on Flickr
it's been through many an upgrade since i've had it, but i can't hardly remember most of them.
I put a new radio in it, because the old one was questionable and i wanted bluetooth. a couple hundred bucks got me a retrosound head unit, and my brother had some old skar 6.5" speakers in a homemade box that he donated to the cause. it sounded good, but unfortunately the fact that i have the speakers behind the seats obscures a lot of the upper frequencies especially when the engine is loud (3k at 65) and so i added some little ones in front of the seat that allow better clarity, with the rear ones hitting hard. it's a well balanced system and i couldn't ask for any better in such an old truck.
the bumper itself was a fun task, i built it in my welding class. it was on one of my dad's trucks in new york, but i cut it apart and rebuilt it to fit the truck. it's something like 6 inch angle iron 3/8" thick, with 1,4" thick 1 1/4 angle iron framing and expanded steel over the whole thing. it weighs about 300 lbs, and could probably hit a cow and come away unscathed.
recently, i put a different engine in it. it has been worn out since ive had it, and it got to the point i couldn't justify driving it as it burned almost as much oil as it did fuel, and it burns a LOT of fuel. i stayed with a 292, just one in better shape. along with the engine came a new clutch, as the old one had been slipping slightly and i figured it was an opportune time to change it.
with the new engine, several issues became clear: the exhaust was LOUD, as it would no longer keep a seal on the meanifold.
the rust was starting to bug me more and more
the power steering still leaked badly.
the alternator, a source of consternation, was acting more erratically than ever, charging from 10 to 18 volts with no rhyme or reason.
ill cover the fixes to those in another post, gotta go be a student.
In 2023 as the conclusion to my road trip to New York, I brought this truck home from New York. it was my grandpa's, and it had been parked for around a decade. it got a new fuel system and a few little things to get it back, and has been an ongoing project since. it's a '76 C20 with a 292 I6, SM465, and 4.56 gov lock 14 bolt. slow and gutless, but a nice truck. it has an 8' service bed that's more rust than steel, and the body only gets worse the further forward you go. it has a mismatched fender and doors that I put on it, and a monstrous brush guard I built.
this was on the way home from New York, with the hood off due to overheating and the original fender still on.
Squarebody hood off by Levi Vaughan, on FlickrMy senior picture with the truck
1000001371 by Levi Vaughan, on Flickrour whole "gang" at school - My brother's blazer, my friends f250, and another friends thunderbird. all from the 70s.
1000001436 by Levi Vaughan, on Flickrit's been through many an upgrade since i've had it, but i can't hardly remember most of them.
I put a new radio in it, because the old one was questionable and i wanted bluetooth. a couple hundred bucks got me a retrosound head unit, and my brother had some old skar 6.5" speakers in a homemade box that he donated to the cause. it sounded good, but unfortunately the fact that i have the speakers behind the seats obscures a lot of the upper frequencies especially when the engine is loud (3k at 65) and so i added some little ones in front of the seat that allow better clarity, with the rear ones hitting hard. it's a well balanced system and i couldn't ask for any better in such an old truck.
the bumper itself was a fun task, i built it in my welding class. it was on one of my dad's trucks in new york, but i cut it apart and rebuilt it to fit the truck. it's something like 6 inch angle iron 3/8" thick, with 1,4" thick 1 1/4 angle iron framing and expanded steel over the whole thing. it weighs about 300 lbs, and could probably hit a cow and come away unscathed.
recently, i put a different engine in it. it has been worn out since ive had it, and it got to the point i couldn't justify driving it as it burned almost as much oil as it did fuel, and it burns a LOT of fuel. i stayed with a 292, just one in better shape. along with the engine came a new clutch, as the old one had been slipping slightly and i figured it was an opportune time to change it.
with the new engine, several issues became clear: the exhaust was LOUD, as it would no longer keep a seal on the meanifold.
the rust was starting to bug me more and more
the power steering still leaked badly.
the alternator, a source of consternation, was acting more erratically than ever, charging from 10 to 18 volts with no rhyme or reason.
ill cover the fixes to those in another post, gotta go be a student.
1000001412
1000001755
20250403_202542
20250403_212500
20250404_000645
20240615_084704
