I’ve written several posts about my two 78 Silverado trucks I want to work on.

  1. Epic Chevy .com and my 1978 Silverado Restoration
  2. 1978 Silverado Restore Illustrated – Final Rendering
  3. Up Front Emotion

This is my 3/4 Ton 1978 Silverado truck.

It’s got a 350 engine in it and a 4 speed manual, with granny low.

1978 Silverado 3/4 Ton

This truck will never be a show truck, but I bought it for only $400 and drove it home. Hard to beat that.

My goal with this truck is to practice on it first, before I tear into my other 78 Silverado (1/2 ton) that’s in really good shape.

1978 Silverado and Engine Stand

My Plan “One Man Garage” Video Plan:

I am new to doing all my own work on my trucks, but I am trying to teach myself through books and the internet.

My end goal is to be capable of doing everything on my truck from bumper to bumper and tires to cab top.

Most guys that work on their stuff are like me, alone in their efforts.

So a buddy of mine and I came up with the idea to film me working on the trucks and showing how one guy can do all of the work himself.

My Plan for the 3/4 Ton Truck:

I received unanimous feedback from the 67-72chevytruck.com forum members that I should start working on the 3/4 ton truck before tearing into the much nicer 1/2 ton (they are both 1978 Silverados).

The 3/4 ton is currently stored at a buddy’s house, but as soon as our 1992 Lumina sells, the truck will be coming home.

  1. Remove the hood (film – One Man Garage: Use an i hook in the ceiling to support the hood)
  2. Remove the engine & transmission (film – One Man Garage: use cherry picker a.k.a. Engine Hoist pictured above)
  3. Remove the front clip (fenders, grill and while assembly)
  4. Remove the bed (film – One Man Garage: Use the “one man lift” either Wood Version or Metal Version)
  5. Remove the cab (film – One Man Garage: Use the “one man lift” & a “tip and flip” dolly)
  6. Remove all the remaining components from the frame
  7. Sand Blast all the components
  8. POR15 the frame
  9. Paint all sheet metal using the $50 Rustoleum Paint Job method
  10. Rebuild the motor
  11. Rebuild the transmission
  12. Replace necessary components: breaks, lines, etc…
  13. Replace all bushings with the Energy Suspension Polyurethane Master Kit ($200)
  14. Build a metal framed flat bed with a wood floor
  15. Put the thing back together and drive it! 🙂