I don’t know a lot of history on the truck but by deciphering the VIN number we get a 1972 Chevy 4×4 V8 3/4 ton. The truck had sat in the yard at my wifes uncles house for years. The front end had been partly dis-assembled to facilitate repairs I am assuming, when it was basically abandoned to time and weather. From what I gather from my wifes cousin his dad and uncles had got the truck from a local friend of the family and drove it for quite some time before it took its place as a majestic yard ornament. When we got it, it was a shortbed stepside. We are not sure if this was the original configuration or whether it was the result of a frame shortening session. There are some discernable marks on the frame that could be the remnants of a frame shortening job but it looks to me more like a cracked frame that had been repaired.

There are a lot of trucks around this area that were used on ranches or in the mountains for various laborious tasks, none of them glamorous. It was not an uncommon practice in these parts to put 3 or 4 old trucks together to make a wood hauler, or hunting rig, or feed truck, so you fid a lot of well worn frankentrucks just rusting away. We pulled a 400 small block out of it, again not sure if this was original or not from some of the info I have gathered it seems it may have been a transplant. It has a SM465 4 speed tranny and NP205 transfer case. Front axle was a heavy dana 44, the 3/4 ton type. The rear axle was an Eaton (HO52/72).

Some of this will change as my son has no need for a 3/4 ton running gear, and parts for those Eatons are neither cheap or easy to come by. We will be using 1/2 ton axles. Sticking with the dana 44 up front and a GM 12 bolt truck rear from a donor vehicle. The transmission and transfer case will also stay the same. Planning on 35″ tires on 15″ rims. Space for the tires provided by a 4″ rear block, front spring, suspension lift from Rough Country. Planning on dual shocks on all four corners and dual steering stabilizers. Lots of other changes/upgrade that were not standard equipment on a 72 Chevy truck, like electric cooling fans, 2 stick conversion on the transfer case, and a completely custom built wiring harness, to name a few.

We would like to get some video of some aspects of this project but not sure how that will pan out. There will be lots of pictures though and We do plan on posting the full listing of photos, even the ones not highlighted in individual posts just as a reference if they may be of some use. Descriptions of what has been done and links to where we found information or parts that were used in this build will be included in posts as we go.

So I hope these pages provide some sort of useful info for those that happen to stumble upon it.