1975 GMC K25 Sierra Grande

[jon75]

It's been a busy week for me. I got a job doing a Northstar engine on a Cadillac for a guy, so the engine is on its way from Phoenix as we speak. I have been working hard to get our kitchen cupboards sandblasted to bare oak so that I can clearcoat them back to a nice natural look. I acquired a 1975 GMC 4x4 truck and have been putting some time into getting that in good running condition. I popped it into the garage and put a heater core in last Thursday. Friday, the kid (8 month old boy) and I went down to the Home Depot and picked up a 60 gallon air compressor to feed the need for air! He was a trooper all day and was right there with me as we trotted home in the new/old truck. This weekend was all about sandblasting and plumbing in some air hard lines for my compressor and moving my hose reel to another part of the garage. I also have to make a claim on my phone as my screen is broken (thanks dog). So, if you haven't heard from me, I've been busy.




That's what I call level!

My simple stalk with water drain at the bottom.

[jon75]

Originally Posted by Willowrun

Good to see you bringing the GMC back to life. Keep the updates coming.
Posted via Mobile Device

Hey, thanks man. I appreciate you stopping in and checking things out. I actually moved to Orange County California from Grand Rapids, MI. Enjoy the state for me, I miss it!

[jon75]

Howdy all. I haven't had a whole lot of time to work on the truck the past couple of weeks. The last thing I did was replace the heater core. I wanted to take my time with it, but unfortunately a paying job came up and required the garage space. A neighbor of mine needed a Northstar engine changed in his Caddy and is paying me $1000 to do it.

However, I was able to take an afternoon off and run to the local pick-your-part for their half-off weekend and grabbed a few items for the truck. I got a MINT dash pad from an '86 Suburban. I could not believe my eyes when I saw how nice it was. The whole truck was actually really nice, but I had to stop somewhere. I ended up grabbing the factory cassette player, dash pad, instrument cluster and cluster bezel. I realize some of my gauges are different, but I'm only going to use certain ones. More to follow once the dash swap is done.

By the way, I've been thinking about doing a grey and gunmetal blue two-tone job on the truck for paint. What do you guys think?

[rgunlock]

Sounds like some pretty good scores on those parts. Will you use the dashpad as-is, or do you need to paint it for your color scheme? I like the gunmetal blue & gray idea, had even kicked that combo around for mine but I'm still changing my mind about every other week on color.

[jon75]

Originally Posted by rgunlock

Sounds like some pretty good scores on those parts. Will you use the dashpad as-is, or do you need to paint it for your color scheme? I like the gunmetal blue & gray idea, had even kicked that combo around for mine but I'm still changing my mind about every other week on color.

I reserve the right to change my mind all the time too! I am still debating whether to do the side trim or not.

For now, I will just be installing it. Later on, when things start to finish on the mechanical side, I will worry about making it match. I'll probably start working on installing the stuff tomorrow and I will do my best to get more pictures of stuff.

[jon75]

Nothing has happened on the truck lately. I've been busy with school and sandblasting our kitchen cabinets. I found a great deal on a '99 Silverado that I wanted to do a chassis/drivetrain swap but the wife said absolutely not.

I have one of two options that make sense to me...I keep the truck and save for a while until I get enough "stowed" cash to buy something or I sell the truck. I'm not into driving a truck forever that gets 8 mpg highway and can't go much over 60mph. I guess I will check back in when something happens, but I'm frustrated at this point.

[rgunlock]

Don't think I ever saw you tell why you got the truck. Just wanted a beater and getting it back to dependable? Or like this style of truck and wanted a project? A lot of us get stuck when it comes time to purchase the big ticket items, but if you have another daily driver take your time.

[jon75]

I purchased the truck to use as a daily driver/work truck (work truck as in, to use it for hauling things, etc) and also use for vacations to the mountains. I know that taking my time will be the best option to get things done, but where I live makes this a challenge. I live in a condo association that only allows 2 vehicles per household and a 2 day limit per week on guest parking. I have to park it across the street at a local grocery store (where most people in my association store there extra cars) to avoid getting towed.

The frustrating part is that my wife doesn't see this as a priority, just more of a hobby. So even though we have over $20k in the bank, she's not willing to let any of that go to the truck at all. Like I said before, I am going to have to start stowing cash away to get the drivetrain I want.

[thirdstreettito]

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