How to Restore Your Chevy Truck: 1973-1987
How to Restore Your Chevy Truck: 1973-1987
ITEM 304TOT
By Kevin Whipps
Whether your 1973-1987 Chevy truck is a regular, super, or crew cab with a short or long box, this restoration guide provides the pertinent information and instruction to restore your squarebody truck to original condition.
Seasoned truck magazine writer Kevin Whipps explains real-world techniques for restoring classic Chevrolet and GMC trucks at home. In How to Restore Your Chevy Truck: 1973-1987, you are shown how to comprehensively inspect, properly assess, and accurately budget your restoration project. You are also guided through each major portion of truck restoration, including the engine, suspension, chassis, bodywork, paint, brakes, steering, transmission, driveline, electrical system, interior, and more. Special coverage is dedicated to the replacement of body panels and repair of the box, cab, and other body parts. When pro-caliber bodywork has been performed, you have an excellent foundation for the paint, and in turn, you’re shown how to prep, shoot, and buff the paint job. As an on- and off-road utility vehicle, Chevy/GMC trucks have been towing, hauling, and operating in a variety of conditions. After all of these years of hard use and exposure to harsh conditions, many of these extensively used trucks are in desperate need of restoration.
When Chevy released its third-generation C/K pickup trucks, the stout and sturdy performers captured the attention of Chevy and GMC truck enthusiasts. As a result, millions were sold during their 18-year production run. The new cab design featured rounded windshield corners, a rounded cab roof, and sloped and rounded doors, so they were called the “rounded-line” trucks by General Motors. Enthusiasts, however, didn’t agree. Because of the overall squarer appearance of the trucks, they were soon called the “squarebody” by enthusiasts and journalists alike. Although the older Chevy/GMC pickups are more exclusive, the third-generation pickups are plentiful, increasing in collector value, and, fortunately, they have parts that are readily available.
Chevy/GMC trucks are extremely popular as stock restorations, fast street trucks, and off-road-duty trucks. But before you can build a specialty truck, you need to have a solid, reliable, restored truck. This book provides the invaluable information and step-by-step instruction to return these trucks to their original glory. An authoritative and comprehensive restoration guide for the 1973-1987 Chevy/GMC trucks has not been available until now.
Sftbd., 176 pgs., 8.5”x11”, 505 color photos
Enthusiasts generally refer to them as Squarebodies, but General Motors called them the “Rounded Line.” Regardless of label, the 1973–87 Chevrolet trucks make desirable restoration projects. As author Kevin Whipps explains, “Tons of these trucks are out there in every incarnation possible.” Their availability—and likely more reasonable price—may encourage you to buy one, restore it, and maybe see it in Vintage Truck. However, as Whipps indicates, a restoration is a “massive undertaking.” This book, part of CarTech’s Restoration Series, is the ideal guide to help you along the way. Twelve chapters, loaded with nearly 600 color photographs with informative captions, provides hands-on, step-by-step restoration instructions. Especially helpful is the sequential numbering of photographs that provide a visual guide to specific tasks. Chapter 1 is about determining what truck best fits your needs—consider years, body styles, and conditions. Chapter 2 covers what a restorer needs to develop an organized and methodical approach to restoration—setting a budget, preparing the workspace, and selecting tools and equipment. Subsequent chapters address conducting a restoration: Bodywork, Paint, Engine, Transmission, Drivetrain, Brakes, Suspension, Electrics, Interior, and Miscellaneous Mechanicals. A helpful Source Guide lists 46 businesses with their locations, if applicable, and internet addresses.
Book Review by Robert Gabrick
