Building out the 78' Pig (1 Viewer)

[Showerhammer]

So I have been working slightly on the pig, got the brakes replaced, front, rear and master cylinder. I now feel I can stop safely. Next step is adding the parking brake back as I don't currently have one.
Current Specs, at time of purchase
Engine: 350 GM Engine
Transmission: TH 350 3-speed transmission
Suspension: Lift Springs & Bilstein 5100s Shocks, 4 inch lift (at least that is what I was told, haven't actually measured)
Tires: 33 inch x 12.5 R 15

The night I brought it home.

Engine

Front Dash

But tonight I finished up cutting out and installing a new acrylic window that will become a liftgate style. Have the gas struts, latch and weather stripping coming tomorrow. Glad to be able to see out the back now. Hoping to provide regular updates as I work on it.

Before the window

After (still has protective film on it)

 

[71greenpig]

Looks good, progress is all we can ask for….

 

[Showerhammer]

Looks good, progress is all we can ask for….

I will definitely document and keep folks updated. Going through some other build threads have given me a lot of ideas, and I look forward to the input from you guys as well as I build it out.

 

[Showerhammer]

Well, I went to a pick and pull this morning that is near my office and picked up some three point shoulder belts from a Ford F150 to install, currently I only have lap belts up front. I should have looked before. Now I know why the previous owner used lap belts.

The floor was rusted out where the belts should have been mounted to and the nut that was welded on is unusable.

I was going to wait on the body and do other work, but after looking through some other build threads that are on here I think I am going to start focusing on replacing the metal. Guess it is time to learn to weld, I have never done it before, but have a neighbor that will let me use his welder and will teach me the basics, plus that is what YouTube is for now, right?

 

[scrapdaddy]

A good time to learn.

 

[Megadoomer]

@fitzeesfabrications on utoob will give you all you need to know.

 

[Showerhammer]

@fitzeesfabrications on utoob will give you all you need to know.

I actually discovered him yesterday. Probably stayed up too late watching him, will regret it today.

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Megadoomer]

For the longest time I thought he was an Irish transplant. Apparently that is a newfie accent.

 

[Showerhammer]

So I was going to hold off on the body but I went to remove the solar panel from my hood and remove some rust from under the bondo in that had cracked. The rust kept going under the bondo so next thing I know I had removed most of the paint.

Now to remove a few more smaller rust spots, fix some dents and dings, sand it smooth the exterior then work on the underside, some pretty nasty rust underneath. We will see if any welding needs to be done after everything is removed.

Without the solar panel, I like the look without it, will be good to have it gone once the hood gets put back on.

All the paint removed, not sanded smooth yet.

 

[onemanarmy]

more pics and info of the swing up rear window please!

 

[Showerhammer]

more pics and info of the swing up rear window please!

I plan on finishing it up tomorrow or Sunday. I was out of town for a week for spring break, wouldn't have gotten anything done anyways as it snowed all week, glad I wasn't around for that.

Once I get it done I will post something

 

[Showerhammer]

Well I didn't get to the rear window gas struts, I went to work on them and noticed Amazon sent me the wrong ones. They sent me 125 pound struts instead of the 25 pound ones I ordered.
I did some more work on the hood and picked up a new master cylinder. I can now say my brakes work 100%.

The old master cylinder.

 

[bobm]

Stopping is the 2nd most important .

 

[moorencompany]

Sick piggy and big props for getting after it on all of the repairs and bodywork! Don't want to burst your 1978 bubble here but I think your piggy is older than 1978. 78' is when they went to the taller rear tail lights. Unless they switched mid-year (which they could have, I'm not the most outstanding historian), you may have an older swine than you thought. I only bring this up because I have a 78' and her rear end looks different than yours.

I'm also slightly jealous of your 350...

 

[Showerhammer]

Sick piggy and big props for getting after it on all of the repairs and bodywork! Don't want to burst your 1978 bubble here but I think your piggy is older than 1978. 78' is when they went to the taller rear tail lights. Unless they switched mid-year (which they could have, I'm not the most outstanding historian), you may have an older swine than you thought. I only bring this up because I have a 78' and her rear end looks different than yours.

I'm also slightly jealous of your 350...

Actually I think you are correct. At the latest I think it is a '76. The tailgate has Toyota stamped on it, which I think they stopped in '77.

The title says '78. I have some sleuthing to do.

 

[Showerhammer]

Stopping is the 2nd most important .

Yep, as I was testing them, they were working in the drive way, into the street stopped. Took it a spin around the block on the last road by my house I heard a pop and then saw brake fluid sputter out of the master cylinder. Turns out the stopper at the bottom, plastic, popped out from the pressure of pressing the brakes. Well, I threw it into neutral, luckily it was a slight hill and rolled to a stop into my driveway.
I took the metal plugs off the old one and inserted into the new cylinder. No issues now.

I need to figure out the parking brake, currently I don't have one.

 

[Megadoomer]

Maybe you can use the 125# struts on your hood and get rid of the prop. Just thinking of a reason to not have to return things.

 

[Showerhammer]

Maybe you can use the 125# struts on your hood and get rid of the prop. Just thinking of a reason to not have to return things.

That is a good idea. I was also thinking of saving them for some other projects as well. I plan on making some overlanding modifications to it. I am sure I can come up with some other ideas as well. But I like the hood idea.

 

[Showerhammer]

Weather was sketchy so wasn't able to work on the hood, but I did get my Badlands Apex 12000 Winch installed.

Just need to figure out where to run wiring and what not which will be the lunch brake tomorrow.

I had to do some real hacking to get it mounted with the makeshift bumper that I had. I have to finish attaching the bumper, but I put in a few extra bolts so I need to go pick up more.

I do want to get a new bumper but not sure about the design yet, but that is a lot of the fun and journey, designing and figuring out what I want to transform the pig into.

Full frontal shot

Close up

Naked during the install

 

[Showerhammer]

Winch is 100% complete, hood is primed white until I figure out coloring.

Took it out on it's maiden voyage since I bought it. Thank you for living in a place where I can be out with miles and miles of trails all difficulty level within 30 minutes of my house in one direction, 20 in another.
Apologies for the poor photos. I trusted my buddy to take photos, last time I do that haha.

You can see a very poorly shot video here of a small dip.



Hood primed

Hood and winch, still couldn't get it to align with latch. Will be installing side latches to secure it better.

Going up a small photo.

Just another shot