1980 Scottsdale "Runnin' Lo II"

[bikeman59]

Howdy everyone. This is Vince. I recently joined this site and it's great to see so many like-minded Chevy truck enthusiasts. I've been a Chevy truck fan for years, owned several. My last one was an '83 swb, lowered. I showed it for a few years in the NW, did pretty well. I'll try to find & post a pic. It was called "Runnin' Lo". I really liked that truck and hated to see it go. That was about 10 years ago.

Due to the way life goes sometimes, I now find myself unmarried and broke. But, I'm a happy camper and now ready for another truck project. Through some swapping and trading, I recently picked a 1980 Scottsdale 1/2 ton swb. Below are some pics. It's got some good things and some bad things, but nothing that can't be fixed.

I plan on taking this project through 3 phases over the next few years. It's not a daily driver, so I don't have to rush. I'll do the work as time and $ allows. The truck came with a fairly fresh rebuilt 350, an Edelbrock Performer intake, Edelbrock 650 carb and a K&N filter. It actually runs very well. The body is very straight and pretty solid. There is some rust around the back wheel wells, but nothing that can't be patched. The inside of the cab is pretty crappy, but it can all be worked with.

Phase 1: Here's what I've done so far.
Removed all the glued on molding and glue (messy job), removed the badges, gutted the enterior, mounted the custom truck/van seat frame to a pair of stock bench seat brackets (so now the whole bench slides back/forth AND each bucket will slide back/forth independently), removed and sold the rear bumper, pulled off all the front trim and grill, removed the stock exhaust and installed a pair of Hedmand headers.

On the to-do list: I've already got an upgraded Comp cam kit and have a flip kit for the rear on order. I will be picking up a gasket kit and stage 2 shift kit for the T350. I'm pulling the motor/trans out this weekend to start the cam/trans project. I will power wash the whole truck and engine bay (I think the truck sat for several years due to the amount of mold in the strangest places) and detail the engine bay. I'll also detail/paint the engine/trans. Once the motor/trans are back in, I'll do the flip kit in the back and cut 2 coils in the front - not the best way to drop it, but that's whats in the budget right now. I'll then get some wheels/tires - I want some plain black steelies, 295/50 15's in the back and 245/60 15's in the front, with 4.5 "bac space (I'm pretty sure this will all tuck). After that is exhaust (just glass packs for now), then I'll start on the interior.

At this point, I'll take any suggestions that any of you have regarding my plans. I welcome your input and knowledge.