CarTech®, Inc.
838 Lake Street South
Forest Lake, MN 55025
Phone: 651-277-1200 or 800-551-4754
Fax: 651-277-1203
© 2018 by Kevin Whipps
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission from the Publisher. All text, photographs, and artwork are the property of the Author unless otherwise noted or credited.
The information in this work is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. However, all information is presented without any guarantee on the part of the Author or Publisher, who also disclaim any liability incurred in connection with the use of the information and any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Readers are responsible for taking suitable and appropriate safety measures when performing any of the operations or activities described in this work.
All trademarks, trade names, model names and numbers, and other product designations referred to herein are the property of their respective owners and are used solely for identification purposes. This work is a publication of CarTech, Inc., and has not been licensed, approved, sponsored, or endorsed by any other person or entity. The Publisher is not associated with any product, service, or vendor mentioned in this book, and does not endorse the products or services of any vendor mentioned in this book.
Edit by Paul Johnson
Layout by Monica Seiberlich
ISBN 978-1-61325-486-8
Item No. SA454
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Whipps, Kevin, author.
Title: How to Restore Your Chevy Truck 1973-1987 / Kevin Whipps.
Description: Forest Lake, MN: CarTech Books, [2018]
Identifiers: LCCN 2017051160
Subjects: LCSH: Chevrolet trucks--Conservation and restoration--Handbooks, manuals, etc. | Chevrolet trucks--Maintenance and repair--Handbooks, manuals, etc. | GMC trucks--Conservation and restoration--Handbooks, manuals, etc. | GMC trucks--Maintenance and repair--Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Classification: LCC TL230.5.C45 W45 2018 | DDC 629.28/732--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017051160
Written, edited, and designed in the U.S.A.
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Title Page: In order to determine if you have enough base color coverage, you can take a handheld daylight lamp such as this one and shine it over the panel. The light puts out a color temperature similar to the sun, so you will see any light spots in the finish. You can add any needed color so you have complete coverage.
Back Cover Photos
Top: Interior restoration is an important part of the entire restoration process. To remove the bench seat, remove the four bolts that hold the seat to the floor of the cab. Two are located just below the front of the seat toward the outside edges but parallel to the dash; the remaining two are behind the backrest.
Middle Left: The problem with the gauge cluster starts with the bottom left corner, just above the air vent. There’s a good inch or so of cluster that’s completely obscured by metal, and it won’t budge. And you’d think you could roll the cluster out from the top, but you can’t. Not yet, anyway.
Middle Right: You need to replace any piece or sheet metal part that’s corroded. The guide coat allowed us to identify the damaged area. A rotary grinding tool with a sanding disc was used to knock all of the black guide coat areas down to bare metal in preparation for metal repair. For most other bodywork, you need to need to use 80-grit sandpaper on a long block to sand down the guide coat to identify the low areas, and often you can finish up guide coat sanding with 200 grit.
Bottom: Three coats of black base paint were applied to this truck before he put down the clear coat. Each time he’d wait until the paint “flashed” off, then tack rag again, and spray.
DISTRIBUTION BY:
Europe
PGUK
63 Hatton Garden
London EC1N 8LE, England
Phone: 020 7061 1980 • Fax: 020 7242 3725
Australia
Renniks Publications Ltd.
3/37-39 Green Street
Banksmeadow, NSW 2109, Australia
Phone: 2 9695 7055 • Fax: 2 9695 7355
Canada
Login Canada
300 Saulteaux Crescent
Winnipeg, MB, R3J-3T2 Canada
Phone: 800 665 1148 • Fax: 800 665 0103
CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Finding a Project Squarebody
Overview of the 1973–1987 Chevrolet Pickup
Customized Versus Stock Trucks