Grizzly Trucks

[Blk prince]

Hank,keep it a secret,but I know a place on Vhan.Isl. Sleepy little town where that little jewel could be hidden away until DTG forgot about it,then poof out she comes. Lol

 

[Hank R]

Blk prince, should we wait until he has it 95% complete or is sooner than latter better?????Lol

 

[Blk prince]

Blk prince, should we wait until he has it 95% complete or is sooner than latter better?????Lol

Well,if we wait until 95% complete then we can say the hardest part of the project was the final finish and not tell a lie. The plot thickens!

 

[diamondtguy]

Wow....I am flattered..I would wait till I am 95% done as you guys are both retired and have very busy days.Might as well just sit back watch and wait...

The weather is very wet but I did get some pictures today..Didnt open the hood tho.

The box looks like a shortened generic "service box"I doubt it was new when the truck was built..Tailgate is rusted out.I will make a new one out of aluminum..



Running boards are steel with old school rubber coating..They are starting to rust and will be replaced with some hand made aluminum ones.Air valve is for the front air bags..Onboard air system has been disconnected..



Suspension is new to me...Never seen such a arrangement..

 

[Blk prince]

diamondtguy,do you have a color picked? Box or cab coming off? Were air bags standard equipment?

 

[diamondtguy]

The grille is stainless.The vertical bars are well done and I suspect they were borrowed from some other truck line..



Grizzly name plates are cast aluminum..



Frame is hand built rectangular tube...



More to come...

 

[diamondtguy]

diamondtguy,do you have a color picked? Box or cab coming off? Were air bags standard equipment?

I believe the air bags are standard.The other trucks I am familiar with have them as well...I would imagine I will be pulling the box and more than likely the cab as well..Good thing I am building a much bigger shop.

Not sure on the color yet..

 

[diamondtguy]

Door panels are nice and have the Grizzly name embossed in them...Some of you maybe able to ID the door for me by the hardware and door pull handle..Common thought is they are KW..

 

[diamondtguy]

Some cab shots...Gauges are basic and minimal.They are Stewart Warner.I will change the water temp and OP to mechanical gauges.I will also add a tach,pyrometer and boost gauge..Odometer reads 53,000 miles and the truck does have a hour meter in it..Steering column (GM) will get the boot when the 5spd goes in...The steering wheel is just plain wrong...Pedals are also to close to the floor...It worked good for the previous owner as she is not very big.I am not very big either but will be changing it to suit me..(as apposed to Hank and BP)







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[RCP57]

Kinda looks like they stole the dash out of a boat!

 

[diamondtguy]

Now that's just mean....I guess I have to build a new dash now as well...

 

[clintm]

any idea on the top speed and GVW on these

 

[RCP57]

Now that's just mean....I guess I have to build a new dash now as well...

Haha, seriously though that is almost the identical "wood grain" that a lot of fish boats had in the late 70's early 80's. I know you can make something nicer that that if your going to change the column, pedals and gauges anyway.lol Seeing more pictures of it, it sure is a unique truck. Definitely far from the norm in every aspect.

 

[Blk prince]

Well Corey,if we lived closer to each other,I would un busy myself and lend a hand. As for size,you and I would probably stand eye to eye.lol

 

[Oxbow]

I kinda like the dash; simple, functional, easy to work on! Sort of 60s truck style.

 

[mnscruff]

You guys get to play with the coolest toys!! I would love one of these restored trucks to pull my fifth wheeler with also!! I will be following this build with great interest.

 

[JPV]

Door panels are nice and have the Grizzly name embossed in them...Some of you maybe able to ID the door for me by the hardware and door pull handle..Common thought is they are KW..



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Those sure look like B model KW doors, found on everything after 1982 or 83 I believe. If you wanted to put the newer day lighter doors you could I believe. Love the truck!

 

[diamondtguy]

We used woodgrain dash inserts at Pacific but it was steel.They bought 4x8 sheets with the woodgrain already on it.The inserts in the grizzly are quite thick so I suspect they are aluminum..Not sure what I will do.

For some unknown reason the truck has a Ford C-6 3spd auto in it with a 205 transfer case hanging off it.With only 3spds and a non lock up converter it is not fun over 40mph...I ran it flat out on the freeway with the pedal stuffed to the floor...It would barely hit 60 mph according to the speedo...The 5spd should cure a lot of things

The GVW on the registration has been changed so that the truck was air care exempt..So it doesn't appear that the truck is as heavy as one might think..

 

[wornout wrench]

Ah yes
The dash
The dash sure looks like something that came out of a P16
It even has...
The little thumb screws that hold the dash on
The little thumb screws that hold the dash on that have the tiny little nutserts behind them.

Then some 300 pound knuckle dragging truck driver puts a pair of pliers on to get the little thumb screws tight and the nutsert breaks off.
Now yours truly has to get in there with a zip cut and oh so carefully try to cut the thumbscrew off with out harming the dash
*Note here* 300 pound Knuckle dragging truck drivers can be very defensive about their dash boards. Any scratch or mark can be cause for the knuckle dragging truck driver to come looking for the mechanic that harmed said dash

That is such a cool truck Cory, Just can not wait to see what it looks like when you get finished.

 

[diamondtguy]

WW...I noticed the thumb screws the first time I sat in the truck and yes they reminded of the P-16 stuff.Little plastic knob pressed on to a socket head bolt..Not knuckle dragger friendly.Dont know if they faded from black to grey but I will retain them and find new ones..