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"New truck"

hickslawns

hickslawns

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I'll keep it brief. Been planning on restoring my 78 Chevy. Long story short- frame is too far gone. Started my restoration with a 1984 donor truck today. Good stance. Good rubber and rims. Body needs loving but I've seen (and owned) far worse. Don't expect updates or restoration to happen fast. Going to drive it, enjoy it, and build it a piece at a time. If you think it will come together as fast as Jon's El Camino. . . Don't count on it. Lol

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hickslawns

hickslawns

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Haha. In the original '78 I remember hauling balls back from OSU campus in Columbus one morning when I was late for work in Lima. I was dating a girl and spent the weekend down there. That was before rust repairs and the old bed sides were flapping all the way to Lima at 80-90mph. They aren't the best trucks for the highway. Took me 4hrs to make it to the last event in a modern/comfortable truck. I don't see it happening unless it is on a trailer behind my dually. lmao
 
hickslawns

hickslawns

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oakswamper said:
Nice, I've owned both. I would love to have the 84 back. If you get sick of it let me know :smiley_bril:
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Good luck with that thought Carl. You will be the first I contact, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. lmao

Truthfully, I have a ton of sentimental value with my 78 Chevy. So much so, I bought this 84 and plan on using as many parts off the 78 as I can. I know 80-90% of the truck will NOT be my old 78. At this point, all I can do to keep the 78 alive is to scavenge it. Ok. Technically, I could strip it down to the frame/rebuild the frame/spend tens of thousands. . . .I just couldn't justify it. Sort of like an old dog you don't want to put down. But. . . It isn't a dog. It is a truck. The engine on the 78 was out of a 1983 1 Ton church bus which wasn't even the original motor for the bus. The transmission was out of an El Camino where we swapped the output shaft so it mated to the transfer case. Transfer case? Third one. Axles? Not original. Bed? Off an 86. Doors? Can't remember. Hood? Not original. If the only thing from "the 78" that goes onto the 84 is spare parts. . . It sort of will be a continuation of the legacy of the 78. It is the most fitting tribute I can offer my old girl.
 
oakswamper

oakswamper

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around Toledo
My 78 had the 454 in it, ran great but you couldn't pass a gas station with it. If the engine you have in the 78 is a 366, you've got a good one. Those things were bullet proof
 
hickslawns

hickslawns

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Ohio
Yes indeed. 78 Ford. My 78 is a Chevy. I did restore a 77 Ford F250 Hi boy though. That was a fun one. Pushed snow like a beast.
 
hickslawns

hickslawns

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Ohio
giles said:
So let's see "The 78"!
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I will need to dig out some pictures and scan them. Not sure where to look for them. They are boxed up in the basement somewhere. The one I had was done in the late 90's. 2 months after I had all the paint and body work finished. . . .Some lady ran a red light and totaled it. I bought it back from the insurance company and put it back into service but it was never the same.
 
giles

giles

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The real Amish country
hickslawns said:
I will need to dig out some pictures and scan them. Not sure where to look for them. They are boxed up in the basement somewhere. The one I had was done in the late 90's. 2 months after I had all the paint and body work finished. . . .Some lady ran a red light and totaled it. I bought it back from the insurance company and put it back into service but it was never the same.
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No need to go out of your way, just trying to fill in the blanks. I like things like this.
 
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