Looks great! Lots of really nice work here. Chevy II's are one of my favorite cars, definitely at the top of my list for a future project.

I'm in
 

Anything with a Chevy II gets my attention

A few more pics
 

This picture makes it look funny, but i made a patch for a rusty area under the A-pillar and welded it in.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w..._155556609.jpg

Here it is after it's smoothed out.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r..._161210455.jpg

Then this happened..... I took a stock crossmember (one of the several that Dad had laying around -- thanks Pops!). I bolted it in and welded it into place before removing the firewall and supports (or whatever you call them - -I called them subframe mount framerails)

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7...429279_HDR.jpg

Here is the firewall prior to sandblasting. - - don't mind the damn grass that I can't get to grow....2 years after my garage was built. I'm finally to point of just putting down sod (I think)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1..._150512179.jpg

Oh - I also picked up a cheap "mock-up" engine. I'll tear it down and just use the block and heads to mock everything up in my Chevy II. Depending on what it looks like on the inside, I may rebuilt it with a few upgrades as a motor for my '72 Suburban at some point. I'm not sure what the issue was/is - it was in the core pile at the local salvage yard. It's a run of the mill 5.3 (LM7).

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-G...-no/15%2B-%2B8

I'm waiting for my super expensive firewall to arrive so I sandblasted and sprayed some epoxy primer on the inner structure that I won't be able to get to later.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d...957238_HDR.jpg

It's great that you are taking the time to resurrect this car. The body work is looking really good. Taking the time to do it right and put it all together square and proper will really pay off.

Even if everything fit absolutely perfect (which it never does), there is still so much unseen work that goes into something like this.

Good work.

Thanks - - it's not rocket science, but it does take time to do it right (especially for me!). I laugh every time I try to explain to someone outside the hobby what I'm doing. I'm pretty sure, they don't have the slightest idea, but even with the little that they comprehend they look at me like I'm a dumbass!

That's funny I often wonder if those people are right.

My favorite is when you tell people how much you have in a build and they tell you they could build the exact same vehicle for 1/4 of what you have in it and the best part is when then tell you they could do it in 1/2 the time it took you.

ps Even though I will never re-coop the money I have spent on my cars I just like doing it.

The satisfaction and personal gratification of doing the work yourself is a huge part of it. Indeed.

I see it as an investment. Both in handling/performance and reliability/safety. Production standards have improved, sure. But you never know what you are paying for until you tear it apart. That's true for a 40 year old car, and one fresh out of the factory doors.

When you build it yourself, you know every bolt is torqued correctly, every seam welded proper, every inch of metal is coated, every measurement is square... That's what makes a car last. That is what makes a car safe.

You can buy a new CTS-V for $70k and still just have a production car, albeit a very nice production car, but production nonetheless.

Or, you could buy a used CTS-V for $20k, and put $15k into it with some elbow grease, and have a dialed in, tuned, faster, safer, more structurally sound vehicle for half the cost... And it's still a Cadillac.

I love the CTS-V, so I used it as an example. But the comparison works as a concept.

People who can't replace the ink stick in a click pen, or change a light bulb without calling the landlord, or operate a fork without going blind... They don't, and won't, understand why we do what we do. That's fine. They can buy the new stuff, somebody has to. We need people to buy and wreck new production vehicles so we can get low mile engines for our swaps.

I hear you! --Amen!

BTW - -I've also been pondering a used CTS-V for a DD....Can't quite pull the trigger while I'm building the Chevy II though. I'm trying to stay focused.


In other news - Dad and I tore apart the 5.3 mock up engine, stripped it down to the bare block. Interestingly enough, the bearings looked immaculate and there is no ridge in the cylinders. I think it's definitely a candidate to be freshened up for the Suburban after serving its purpose at a mock up block.......We shall see. I've never built an engine, so I think I may do it just for the sake of doing it.