New Project/Zero Rust Poster Child

[wfd44]

This is my new acquisition and restoration project. Its a 1980 Chevy C-30 Dump (10') with a 350 and TH400. Its only got 55,000 miles on it. The cab is very solid. The dump body needs some minor patching. It will be getting a trailer hitch and dual exhaust in the near future. But first I need to clean the cab out (omg its nasty) so I can stand to be inside it long enough to get quotes on the welding and exhaust. I can probably fill the 2 yard body just with dirt and crap from the cab.

I will post more as the project progresses.

[atgreene]

WOO HOO, long live the 80's Chevy's!!!:rockon

[Seaside L&PS]

NICE! Does the rearend look funny because it is on the hill or does it need help?
Where in Maine did you find it? I run up to Auburn from time to time to check the places near Maine Oxy, found a super clean 94 F-350 Dump with low miles and a 9' plow just didn't have the cash or the use for it.
Good luck and take lots of pictures along the way! Any chance the color will change?

[wfd44]

It must be the hill. The rear axle is fine.

I found it down in N. Berwick on a little used car lot. Hussey Seating was the original owner.

[LB Landscaping]

Hey Peter, truck looks nice, a buddy of mine only runs 80's GM's, he's got 5 of them and they all look like new. Sorry I didn't call today, got stuck in Gray again. I need to clean out the dump bed before I show it to you anyway, I'll give you a call to set something up. Keep the pics coming, would love to see the progress.

[derekbroerse]

Now that looks pretty familiar!! You'd think that if it was on a dealer's lot that they would have cleaned it out before you looked at it....

Good luck!

[wfd44]

I would call the place a "dealer" in name and state law only. It is really a mom & pop garage that sells a few used and antique cars and trucks. They used this one as their shop dump truck for about 5 years.

I cleaned it out yesterday. Half filled the City mandated trash bin and a 10 gallon shop vac. Tossed on a second hand saddle blanket seat cover (tacky but a definite improvement) and found a 3-ton Hein Warner bottle jack, the prop for the dump body, a set of jumper cable and the lug wrench under the filth. I will try to rember to take an interior shot tomorrow.

I am going to try to get exhaust (dulas with flowmasters) and trailer hitch projects going this week.

[SIPLOWGUY]

Looks interesting, keep the pictures coming!

[skywalking]

Is this truck 2wd and going to be used for plowing? I have thought about getting a dump, but all the ones i find are 2wds. can you please tell me what you paid for it, if not on the forum in a pm.

[wfd44]

The truck is 2wd. It will not be used for plowing. It will be a (hopefully) part time working antique truck and tow vehicle for hauling other antique trucks and/or a camping trailer to antique truck and tractor shows. Eventually it will be restored (budget permitting) but only to the point of remaining a working antique (still able to haul some mulch or a trailer) only prettier. It will eventually be two tone blue with the original medium blue on the cab (except the roof - Basically GM standard two tone of the era) and dark blue on the cab roof and dump body.

[wfd44]

Well, I have been delinquent in posting updates on my project. I have a few minutes so here goes. The high sides that were shown in the original picture are now off and sitting in the garage. I ran around with the 2 inch square tube post sticking up for a couple of weeks. Including a day parked in front of the fire station. Hey, I figure if the City Council sees that their Fire Captain has to run around in a 26 year old dump truck maybe they will take pitty on us and give us a decent raise (currently in contract negotiations - can't hurt might help).

Anyway earlier this week I hacked off the square tube so I can make the 2 foot side extensions removable (again). Originally they were but time and rust had made them permanent; so, I got out the sawzall and proceded to cut them off (note to self .250 wall x 2" sqaure tube and a sawzall = not good). 5 blades and 4 blisters later the tubes have been hacked level with the side rails. Now I just need to get some 1.5" square tube so I can make the post insert into the new 1.5" stake pockets.

Earlier this week I unhooked a (un-fused) remote battery disconnect switch the previous owner had put under the dash. Not only was their no fuse to protect the truck from a possible electrical fire but they only used #4 cable (about 12 feet of it!). This switch was also inline with the cable to feed the hoist. No wonder the hoist would drag the battery down to 8 volts. without the extra cable, switch and 4 extra connections the hoist now drops system voltage to around 11 volts. Not great but better.

I forgot to take pictures with and without the posts. Todays pics show the truck with the side boards that I made up for it today. She's still a bit visually challenged but improving with each project.

[atgreene]

Looking good!

I treated the floorboards on the Topkick with Zero-Rust, I finally found my camera, I'll try to resize some tomorrow to show it being applied.

[wfd44]

As soon as I get the RF corner of the bed floor patched and a couple more on the outside corners I will start spreading the dark blue zero rust. Then it will be time for some more pictures. I already have 2 customers wanting a couple of yards of loam each as soon as I get it ready.

I am still interested in some work as a hired gun driving a dump truck on my day off too.

[wfd44]

Here is a shot after pressure washing and wire brushing to remove as much scale and loose paint as possible in preparation for liberal application of Zero Rust

[wfd44]

Bed floor and 2 outside corners got patched before the pressure wash and wire brushing. These two pics are after painting with Zero Rust. I was kind of shocked when I opened the can. I thought it was supposed to be darker. But when I looked at the paint chip in natural light it is pretty close. Oh well when the truck goes in for bodywork I will have the body shot in dark blue with the cab two-toned in the original medium blue and the same dark blue the bed will get. But I need to start generating some dump truck revenue first.

[atgreene]

Looks good. We'll have to start calling it the blueberry!

I've only done the floorboards on the Topkick with Zero rust so far. I need to get some plows painted soon. though. So it should work good.

[wfd44]

My wife got home from work Thursday just as I was taking a bath with laquer thinner (in the garage) and said "it looks like a Smurf". :(

Needless to say I was not amused...

[wfd44]

One of the guys I work with wants me to haul some loam for one of his side jobs the end of this week or beginning of next. I just sat down and figured out the approximate weight and discovered she's going to be pretty well freighted with 2 yards of loam on board. If the business grows (and goes where I hope it does) the truck will need to be upgraded sooner rather than later.

[cat320]

My buddy had an '84 K30 and i was hauling 3+ yards with it with no problems but he uped the springs all around.The obly problem is the hoist could not lift the weight. Nothing like those old chevies.

[atgreene]

That's always an issue with the one tons. The DOT boys love to see thm coming with a load because the loader operators at the pit tend to round them up too much. We're going to screen some more loam (trommel screen) thurs. or fri and with this rain, it's gonna be a little heavy.

Do a couple test runs across the scales so you can see what different material are going to weigh-up.

Did you go back to the 2? bagger last week? I just saw the pics on http://portlandfirefighters.com/fire_in_westbrook.htm

Pretty impressive fire load.

[wfd44]

The unloaded weight is 6700 pounds. I've got estimated weights for most common materials and will be running across the scales a time or two to home in on how close I am to legal. Too bad Donny wasn't ready for loam & mulch last week when it was dry.

I didn't go back for the fire. Urban renewal at its best. The crew that was on only got about 3 steps inside the front door and got driven back. They had hand picked a couple of crews (some of our full timers and Ladder 3's crew) to go in for a quick search for the "missing" resident. Just as they were getting ready she returned home from a friend's house up the street. This was followed by the abrupt structural failure of the entire proposed search area.

Just goes to prove why I'd rather be lucky than good.

[derekbroerse]

My wife got home from work Thursday just as I was taking a bath with laquer thinner (in the garage) and said "it looks like a Smurf". :(

Needless to say I was not amused...

La, la, lalalala, la, lalalala..... hahahaha

You're right, kind of a scary shade of blue, but a 110% improvement over rust believe me. Keep it up.

I don't know about where you are, but here, we can register a truck to whatever GVWR we want, within our personal licensing...

I'm a little surprised the truck is that heavy too, mine (4wd w/air) is 7100lbs empty...

[atgreene]

From the pics, it was quite a rager.

The only good that you get by registering up to the max is so you can haul a trailer, as the trailer is part of your overall gcvwr. DOT uses the tag on the door or glove compartment on axle rating to determine your actual allowed load. If they weigh an axle and find it's over, soooo looooonnnngggggg.

They don't often weigh around here unless you look bad. I've always been told by the "experts" (you know, "them or they" whoever them or they are) put heavy spings under everything so it sits normal with a moderate load.

Good luck.

[wfd44]

As Alan said we can register for whatever we want (to cover trailers etc). If you register for 10,001 and up you need a "commercial" inspection sticker. The truck had a new sticker on it when I got it and GVW is 10,000 anyway. The only trailer I plan to haul is my camper and while that will put me over my registered weight but shouldn't draw a whole lot of attention either.

Derek, your K-30 has the late style nose. According to all of the information I have when they changed the nose in '81 they shaved 3-400 pounds off the trucks in the process.

P.S. I am the one that has the brochures you were looking for. I will try to get around to doing some scanning today and send them along. My appolgies for not getting to it before. Unfortunately procrastination is a disease which has no cure.