1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Hello Everyone,

So here's my 1966 SWB C-10 that I have owned for about 12 years now. The first few pictures were taken right after I bought it back in 2004. The side moldings were removed by the second owner and the factory steering column was swapped for a tilt column from an 90's S-10 truck. I did repair some old shoddy body work on the front end by replacing the drivers fender and the header panel (part behind the grille). When I was pulling the front end off to reseal the motor the driver side fender and the header panel had been welded together ground down and covered in lot's of bondo ( hey it was a 70's shade tree job ).

Well for the most part the truck is all stock except for the 400SBC and Turbo 350 transmission that the second owner replaced the old inline 6 and three speed column shift with . The truck was parked in an old barn around 1975-76 so it is rust free. The interior is real clean so I went back with a factory steering column from a 65 powerglide truck.

Interior of my 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

The second owner told me he had reupholstered the seat because a box of old rusty nails were stuck to the seat. When he removed the nails they tore the seat cover. So now I'll have make a seat cover to look original . The truck has the protecto-plate and it has some nice factory options just not A/C. I converted the dash to gauges and have since installed the correct 66 temp gauge. Last post will be the Service Parts Identificaton (SPID) sticker. Ohh the original horn ring was in the bed off the truck covered with leaves when I bought it.

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

And here are the options for my truck

G60BC AUXILIARY SPRING EQ

K48AA OILBATH AIR CLEANER

V37BA CHROME BUMPER FRT

P13EA SM WHEEL CARRIER

B98AA SIDE TRIM MOLD EQ

V01AA HEAVY DUTY RADIATOR

C42BW DELUXE AIR HEATER

A11CA TINTED GLASS

A10AA PANORAMIC CAB

Z61AF CUSTOM GROUP

U60AA MANUAL RADIO

Z62AA CUSTOM GROUP

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Great looking truck. Its real clean inside the cab and bed and looks to be nicely optioned.

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

is my drool showing, very nice and protecto plate!!! awesome.

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

i dont think the seat is correct. this is a 65, but the 66 is simular.

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

66 deluxe cover

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

I am currently in the process of restoring the deluxe steering wheel. The cracks were completely v'd out with a die grinder and a carbide burr. The cracks were then filled with epoxy then sanded smooth. I takes many hours of hand sanding to make these steering wheels look right. Here's an in progress photo......

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Just Recently installed the correct 1966 temp gauge into the cluster. I cleaned out the cluster then repainted the gauge needles. I also installed a Flarestat 105 that I bought from this forum.

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Welcome aboard! Sweet ride! I like the flarestat switch! :chevy:

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

The steering wheel is complete for now I might scuff it with 400 grit then do a final coat of paint.

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

That interior is nice and clean....great job on the steering wheel. Are you planning on restoring this truck to original condition?

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Wow very nice!!!

Is that a factory Tach?

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

super nice
you can add a vacuum gauge to fill out the gauge panel
Attachment 1303930

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Captainfab,

I plan on doing a resto-mod if I can. This truck is extremely fast, but what is the point if you cant stop or turn it.... I have some conversion parts from an 82 so I can address this issue. I am going to buy the REZ kit to install the 82 saginaw steering box. I really like the stock look and I think my truck is clean enough to keep it looking like a factory truck as possible.

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Steering wheel is back on the truck. It is not perfect but it looks way better than it used to. Next Project is to add power steering...;)

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Yesterday I cleaned up my donor power steering pump from an 82 Silverado and installed it. I had to hit the savage yard to find additional brackets because the others were misplaced after sitting in storage for three years.

Note: I cut the bracket (second photo) that mounts to the outer edge of the head with a plasma cutter because my alternator is already mounted on the passenger side and there was no need for the entire bracket. Not as clean is I would like as it sticks out to far...

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

like it.

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Great looking truck man. Maybe we can meet up some day. I have yet to see you driving it around.

Bret

Power Steering Update
 

Well it has been a while since my last post. All I can say is that I should have installed power steering years ago. The truck drives absolutely amazing :metal:, aside from almost running of the road the first time I drove it with the power steering (because i jerked the wheel to hard) it really handles nice. I am used to it now just need to change to a negative caster on the front end to tighten the steering a little. The pitman arm fit like it was made for a 66 and the install was real simple. :chevy:

Gas leak issues
 

So I believe i finally resolved a fuel leak in the cab of my 66 that has been going on for years. Every time I take it for a drive and then let it sit with the windows up you would gag because of the gas fumes. I've tried every gasket and the leak would just continue. The other day I pulled the Sender and found a crack at the solder joint where the fitting is attached to the sender. I pulled a vacuum on it and it was leaking. To resolve the problem I heated the fitting up on my stove at home and removed the fitting. While it was hot I hit it with a wire brush added flux and re-soldered it. Ta-daaa no more leak. Next I made a new rubber gasket and all is well. :chevy:

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

So what do you guys think about this........

I have the original two keys that were issued when my truck was new. the key codes were omitted for safety reasons but they match each other. Both keys will operate the door locks on both doors and the ignition. The leather holder used to have the dealers phone number faintly on the backside but it has finally rubbed off. I am thinking the mileage is original (now showing 26k and some change) or is it 126k? what do you guys think?

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Good work on the truck so far. Always nice to have the factory keys. Lost my factory key years ago. :chevy:

Working backup lights
 

Nice to see them up and running they are bright when its dark out.:chevy:

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Very Nice

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

cool truck... and the preservation work you're doing is great. solve one problem at a time and fix it right. i vote for the lower mileage (26k) guess, after 30 years in a barn, the truck is in amazing condition. nice job on the cluster and steering wheel.

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Some nice upgrades making it better than ever.

Fuel gauge reading is off
 

So I'm trying to sort out a fuel gauge issue. The gauge reads a half tank when it's full. So I removed the sender and checked it with my meter. With the float down it measures .05 ohms and when it is up it measures 31.8 ohms (call it 32) . With the key on if you remove the brown wire from the sender the gauge shows over full but when you touch the brown wire to ground it goes to empty. Sounds like everything is up to par. I am leaning towards a bad gauge so now I'm waiting on the NOS gauge that I bought. I will compare the two once the NOS one shows up and post the readings I get off of both gauges.

I heard that GM changed the sender from 30 ohms to 90 ohms around 1965 or 1966. There is a chance that the sender is hooked to a gauge that requires a 90 ohm sender which is most likely unavailable now. Time will tell

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Look forward to hearing how your gauge works out.

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Very nice truck and work your doing, what size rubber in the back? Will they go up inside the rear fenders?

Re: Rear Tire Size
 

northern 85,


The tires are 275/60-15's in the rear. They fit in the up in the bed just fine as long as the truck is not overloaded to much. The panyard bar in the rear pushes the rear axle to the driver side if i remember correctly causing the drivers wheel to rub the bed. The fix would be to either shorten the panyard bar or buy an aftermarket version that is adjustable. I do have factory Auxillary Springs (G60BC AUXILIARY SPRING EQ) on the truck so it doesn't squat as much as most half tons. I wouldn't go any wider on the wheels without increasing the back spacing of the wheel itself. The rear wheels are factory 4x4 blazer wheels 15x10 i believe. The tires are 275mm wide which converts to 11.25 inches tread width. :chevy:

Radio conversion
 

I just pulled my AM radio out of my truck and it is probably the cleanest one I have ever seen (next being NOS). The black paint on the faceplate is flaking off but the chrome is real nice. There is a conversion now that allows you to have AM/FM, AUX in, Bluetooth, all controlled from the original radio knobs. Here's a Thread I started although it might get bumped.:chevy:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=662208

Here are some pics of my original radio

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Good job on the steering wheel realy like the origanl look on the inside cool truck man

Re: Fuel gauge reading is off
 

My new fuel gauge came in so here's the comparison:

On the old gauge:
Post to post it measured 41.8 ohms, and the current limiting resistor measured 24.8 ohms respectfully.

On the new gauge:
Post to post it measured 38.5 ohms, and the current limiting resistor measured 21.0 ohms respectfully.

Before removing the old gauge from the truck it displayed a fuel level just below 1/2 a tank (1/16-1/8" to the left of the 1/2 mark) are u tracking.

After I installed the new gauge it was right on 1/2 a tank. The problem i was having before changing the gauge was the always reading too low. Only time will tell once I run to town and top it off. For now it appears as if the new gauge just might be more accurate (I hope its right on).:chevy:

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Gas gauge works perfect. I also replaced the antenna with one I found on eBay. The antenna looks just like factory. I replaced the heater duct hose under the dash so the defrost blows out of both holes now. :chevy:

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Any updates?

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

No changes recently how ever I'm considering on installing a big block to replace the 400sbc. The 400 is starting to smoke on startup for a second or two. The 400 is already bored .040 over and another rebuild might cause extensive overheating issues during heavy traffic. My only concern is there a long tube header made for a big block in this era of truck? :chevy:

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

I would go with a 283 or a 327 but I do not have one available. On the other hand this 454 that I picked up for 400.00 is nearly a complete long block and it is stock bore. The cylinders still have the cross hatches from the original hone job. It probably only has 30-40k miles on it. It is a CWB engine code which is either a 73 Chevelle SS or Monte Carlo SS. I know it's only a two bolt main but 400! I've seen the short blocks go for between 500-700. :chevy:

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

The '73-'87 headers is what I used in my '66 Suburban. Regardless of which header you use, the top flange of the frame will need trimmed slightly for clearance. If you need more ground clearance, Chevelle headers will work, but not with the bellhousing crossmember in place.

Re: 1966 C1434 SWB Custom Cab
 

Not much has changed on the truck but here's an update. This afternoon I installed the grille that I just bought off of the forum, what a difference the grill makes. :chevy: