# New Project: Operation Ugly Truck



## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

So we picked up a new project which we fittingly named Operation Ugly Truck. It's an 02 GMC 2500HD 4x4. It has 86k miles and needs some work to say the least but for $2K and an $85 tow I figured it was a pretty good deal. It needs exhaust manifolds, brake lines, tires, alternator, tensioner pulley, heater core and most of all too be cleaned up because it was pretty rusted up from sitting for a year and a half. I'll try and keep a constant flow of progress pics.

First pics are the truck before the body was pulled off and where I started cutting around the grommets for the wiring harness that I'll repurpose for the flatbed I'm going to build for it.


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

Here's a couple more pics of after we went at it with hammers and air needles to get all the scale off, You can see there is a good amount of flake on the floor under the truck. The rest are of the progress we made in the last two days.

We're taking our time and cleaning the frame up good before painting. I trimmed up the rear cross member with the plasma cutter to remove the rot. We'll be adding two more 4" channel cross members to stiffen it up.


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

Here's a better pic of the rear cross member after I trimmed it back to were it was still thick. There's a whole lot of rust to deal with on this one


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## jgoetter1 (Feb 23, 2007)

How much do you expect to spend?


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## deere615 (Jun 1, 2007)

looking good can't wait to see this thing done!


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

jgoetter1;1431487 said:


> How much do you expect to spend?


I figure if I'm into it for $5-6g at the end of the day I'm pretty happy but I think I'll be done for around $4g total. I have all the steel stock to build the bed, etc. Most of the money will be into motor work cause I'm thinking I might as well do the head gaskets and intake gaskets while I'm at it. It also came with an 8' curtis thats in much better shape than the truck.


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## thelettuceman (Nov 23, 2010)

Can't wait to see the finished project. I admire your handy work and skills.


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## NBI Lawn (Oct 15, 2007)

Should be a cool project and even if it isnt you still got a good deal. What is that handy tool sitting on the tire?


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

NBI Lawn;1431743 said:


> Should be a cool project and even if it isnt you still got a good deal. What is that handy tool sitting on the tire?


That is a Air Needle Scaler. Welder's use them for cleaning up there welds, etc. It works great for getting into spring hangers and stuff. Especially nice when cleaning up rivets on spring hangers.



thelettuceman; said:


> Can't wait to see the finished project. I admire your handy work and skills.


Thank You. Since we're lacking in the snow department it's nice to have something to do everyday.


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## comeeonn (Dec 4, 2009)

nothing makes me happier than someone bringing a chevy back to life. keep up the good work and keep the pics comin!


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## musclecarboy (Aug 19, 2007)

Looks like the hitch is holding the frame together! Cool project for sure


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## S-205 (Feb 27, 2009)

How did a relatively newer vehicle such as that get destroyed so quickly! Congrats on finding a deal even if it requires some work.


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## dieseltech (Sep 7, 2011)

Maybe a shop cleanup is is your future as well : )


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## SharpBlades (Sep 13, 2009)

Looks good. I wish I had the shop space and time to do that... It's a great way to have a nice vehicle for a relatively little amount of money


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## Mark13 (Dec 3, 2006)

dieseltech;1432516 said:


> Maybe a shop cleanup is is your future as well : )












Glad to see your saving the truck and fixing it up, looking forward to more progress pictures.


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

dieseltech;1432516 said:


> Maybe a shop cleanup is is your future as well : )


My dad is a little bit of a collector which makes things a little congested hahaha if you think the shop is bad you should see my yard


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## unhcp (Jan 20, 2010)

looks like a good project to keep you busy


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

Took some more pics of the truck. I had to bolt in a piece of 4" C-Channel to relocate the shock bracket because it was completely gone and I wanted to stiffen the truck up a bit. Just have to get my welder back so I can weld her in.

At the end of the day I also fabbed a bracket for my curtis touchpad so its on the door but fully removable when the plow isn't on the truck.

I hate holding controllers in my hand while plowing. I'm only 22 but I learned the old school way and I was never a fan of the fishstick I had for a couple storms.


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## cwby_ram (Jan 15, 2011)

Subscribed, looks like this'll be a good project!


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## White Gardens (Oct 29, 2008)

At least the cab looks like it's in great shape.


......


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

White Gardens;1437878 said:


> At least the cab looks like it's in great shape.
> 
> ......


The cab is flawless besides a couple small dings.


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

Finally got some time to post a couple more pics. I've mostly been doing mechanical stuff to the truck like the new brake lines, rotors and pads. I undercoated the back of the frame and started welding the flatbed together.

The flatbed is 96" x 83". The outer frame is 4" heavy stock c channel and the inner framing is 3" heavy channel. I used 3" in the middle so I could set in the deck boards. The original plan was to deck it with 1/4" steel diamond plate that I had but I really did not want to lose the extra payload. If your wondering why the channel is different colors its because my dad took out about 200' of commercial pallet racking and that's what I used.

Enjoy.


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## sidthss (Oct 23, 2009)

What did you use for paint/primer on the frame?


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

sidthss;1448193 said:


> What did you use for paint/primer on the frame?


I used regular red metal primers and matte black paint and rubber undercoated over the paint.


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## NickT (Feb 1, 2011)

I'm in looks like a great project


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## Bmxdkj (Jul 27, 2008)

Now that's funny! I have the exact same project going on and mine is also called ugly truck....here's some pics of mine. Check your floorboards for rust/rot. My truck has around 40,000 miles on it and the drivers side floor is junk, and the passenger side is just starting. (See my pictures) Good luck with your build!


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## Morrissey snow removal (Sep 30, 2006)

looking good should be a nice truck when u are done


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

Bmxdkj;1448537 said:


> Now that's funny! I have the exact same project going on and mine is also called ugly truck....here's some pics of mine. Check your floorboards for rust/rot. My truck has around 40,000 miles on it and the drivers side floor is junk, and the passenger side is just starting. (See my pictures) Good luck with your build!


Nice looking project you got! My cab is mint minus a few dings. that's one off the things I didn't want to contend with which I'm glad I don't have to. Besides fabbing the bed and stuff like that most of the work I have to do is mechanical. Good luck with your build as well!


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## <Benchmark> (Jan 22, 2012)

I have been thinking about putting a plow on my nice dd but this is exactly why im not gonna AHHH i dont want my truck to rust out


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## linycctitan (Aug 13, 2007)

^^ A little bit of proper prep, maintenance and cleaning go a long way. Had an '86 F350 that my Uncle bought new, then I bought from him. We both are meticulous with maintenance, together we got 24 years of plowing and 10+ years of salting. Couldn't ask for more than that!


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

linycctitan;1448639 said:


> ^^ A little bit of proper prep, maintenance and cleaning go a long way. Had an '86 F350 that my Uncle bought new, then I bought from him. We both are meticulous with maintenance, together we got 24 years of plowing and 10+ years of salting. Couldn't ask for more than that!


Maintenance is everything. It's a simple as buying a case of fluid film every year and coating the frame, wheel wells, etc. a couple times a year.


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## Yooper75 (Dec 30, 2010)

<Benchmark>;1448579 said:


> I have been thinking about putting a plow on my nice dd but this is exactly why im not gonna AHHH i dont want my truck to rust out


If it's going to rust it will do it with or with out a plow on it. Putting a spreader on the back just speeds things along though.

My 06 is starting to really pop this year for some reason. You can see rust popping out of the seams and welds in the picture and I wash the truck on a regular basis.


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## Yooper75 (Dec 30, 2010)

That looks like a fun project, I can't wait to see the finished results.


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

Are you going to box the frame for more strength as well? What did you use to strip the rust from the frame?

Looks great so far, your fab skills are excellent.


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

plowguy43;1448683 said:


> Are you going to box the frame for more strength as well? What did you use to strip the rust from the frame?
> 
> Looks great so far, your fab skills are excellent.


I added a piece of 4" c-channel in front of the rear cross member to stiffen it up and hang the new stock mount on.

To strip the frame I used hammers, air needle scalers and a liquid rust remover I got at napa.

Thanks for the compliment. I just pay attention when I'm around someone doing something I don't know how to do and it usually pays off sometime or another. Also having a plasma cutter makes life a whole lot easier.


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

Hey Guys!

Well I've finally had some time to start working on and finishing up the project truck. Had a busy summer which I can't complain about but the truck sat around for months. So far I've finished the the bed and boxes, built the rear diamond plate light assembly and hitch cover, puit in all new brakelines, rotors, pads, bleeders, abs module bracket, upgraded trans cooler, trans lines, shocks, sway bar links, exhaust manifolds, power steering pump and lines, and tensioner pulley assembly. So here are a couple pics I took in the shop today while I was putting in the new power steering pump.


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## blazer_kid (Feb 4, 2012)

I really like the truck and great good saveing it but why did you buy boxes and bolt them onto the bed why not build something to hang under the bed and give you more room?


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## Dogplow Dodge (Jan 23, 2012)

SnowPro93;1497396 said:


> Hey Guys!
> 
> Well I've Had a busy summer which I can't complain about but the truck sat around for months. ...... So here are a couple pics I took in the shop today while I was putting in the new power steering pump.


Truck looks great, man.. Did you stay within your budget ?

also,

IS that a GTX or a fairlane under the plastic ?


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

blazer_kid;1499626 said:


> I really like the truck and great good saveing it but why did you buy boxes and bolt them onto the bed why not build something to hang under the bed and give you more room?


I was planning on making this into a mini utility truck for tools while we're out plowing and out carpentry truck during the summer. I had the husky box and I got the weather guard side boxes for free so I couldn't go wrong. If i made it into a dumping flatbed or build stake pockets I would have mounted the boxes underneath.

Dogplow: I have stayed within my budget thus far and thats a GTX underneath the plastic. Right now its more desk and beer holder than GTX tho.


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

Well guys she is pretty much done. Total price came to about $3,400 not counting my time of the stuff that I didn't have to buy like the c-channel for the bed, the weather guard tool boxes(Free score from a friend). I did all the mechanical work myself using my uncles shop which saved me some big time money. Also did all the fab work myself. The light plate in the back is all bolted together believe it or not. It was a pain in the a$$ but I think it came out pretty well. So here's a couple pics of the truck as it sits with the 8' Curtis that came with it that I cleaned up and painted. I used to hate curtis plows but I've actually grown to really like them.


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## durafish (Sep 6, 2011)

came out great! i dont get how people can let trucks go. My 04 with 210,000 miles looks mint.


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## Morrissey snow removal (Sep 30, 2006)

truck looks great nice job with it


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## dieseltech (Sep 7, 2011)

Great job...


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## mass1589 (Jan 24, 2011)

Wow thats a money maker at being into so cheap!! Congrats ide love to do over a ford f350-450 someday


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## Banksy (Aug 31, 2005)

That came out sweet. I like it.


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

Thanks guys! I put a lot of blood sweat and swears in her but won't take me long to make my money back.


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## theholycow (Nov 29, 2002)

Looks great!



SnowPro93;1448743 said:


> To strip the frame I used hammers, air needle scalers and a liquid rust remover I got at napa.


What is the liquid rust remover product that you used?

My truck has some nasty rust though no rotted-through frame members like that rear cross member. I took off the bed and wirebrushed the hell out of the whole thing then used DupliColor Rust Fix rust converter. Unfortunately I was short on time and short on money so I'm not 100% satisfied but it should last as long as the rest of the truck.

How did you de-rust the inside of the boxed sections?



SnowPro93;1516614 said:


> I used to hate curtis plows but I've actually grown to really like them.


In central MA it's tough to avoid Curtis plows, isn't it? That big dealer is right there in your face.


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## SnowPro93 (Oct 25, 2006)

theholycow;1517228 said:


> Looks great!
> 
> What is the liquid rust remover product that you used?
> 
> ...


I can't remember exactly which rust remover I used but it worked pretty well. I only used it on certain parts of the frame that were pitted etc.

For the inside of the boxed sections I beat on the outside with a hammer to knock the scale off and blew them out then sprayed them with pb blaster and kept going at it with the hammer till I was happy. Then sprayed the inside with acetone to get the residue off and spray bombed them with primer, paint and undercoat. As for the front sections I did the same thing but I used a can of pb on each side. Used compressed air and sprayed the pb through them beat them up till I was happy and left them. Will do that once a year to keep the rust down.

When it comes to Curtis it is and it isn't. If i bought new plows would they be a curtis? Probably not unless it was going to be a straight blade. I like what Boss is doing and it would be between Boss and Fisher if I was going with a V or an XLS style plow. Right now I buy used Curtis plows clean them up and use them. They are a dime a dozen around here, they're cheap to buy used, rarely break down and they scrape and back drag really well.


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