Well today I got more of the wires ran. Finished wiring the instrument gauges and installed them in the dash. Also painted the heater box and got it reinstalled.

Backhoe is being delivered tomorrow morning so I can dig up our half daylight basement and start forming a retaining wall so I can make our back yard look a little nicer. Probably won’t get as much progress done on the truck for a couple days but I am waiting for my engine mounts to show up anyway.
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Re: Grandpa’s 63 C10 build
 

prayers for you sir.

Thank you guys for all your prayers. I appreciate them.
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Well day 4 of my 14 day quarantine..... started out hooking up the rest of the wiring under the dash, installed glove box and heater switches. I don’t know if any of you have or had an issue with your heater valve at your heater core froze up with rust... but mine was and bad!

Looked all over on the internet and found a guy who rebuilds them. He wanted 119$ plus shipping. Not a bad price but I decided to give it a shot. Put it in a paint mixing jar and let it soak for several hours pulling it out every once in a while to run a tiny brush through every crevice I could.

After soaking and a little PB blaster it moved again. It was hanging up and I noticed an adjustment screw so I adjusted it. Works great now! Man it feels good when you run into an issue like that and you find a fix without spending $’s!

Then I started welding 12 bolt holes on the passenger door from Grandpa’s mirrors gone wild days! Then started to put some body filler on. Got some work still on the door but it’s starting to look good.
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Got the first 3 coats of primer on the doors. Love how primer shows your mess ups! But better now then after paint goes on. Did a little more sanding on both doors to remove some scratches from heavier sand paper and found a good sized dent I never noticed before. Where the heck it was hiding?! But after some dent removal, little body filler and some sanding hopefully I will get the last coats of primer on them today.

Engine mounts are supposed to be here tomorrow!! Can’t wait to get the engine in!
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Looks good J. You are right about primer...in my case, I paint see a dent and say...it's not a show truck, so I leave it. :) Of course I am not repainting my truck either...that is down the road...way down the road!

I know you are stoked to get the engine in! It is a HUGE moment in the restoration.

Hope you are feeling well!

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I am good! Got my test results back yesterday, Negative! My work still holds to CDC guidelines and is keeping me away for the full 14 days. So I am home working on projects.

I am the same way, this is no show truck. I do want it to look good but like I said from the beginning, I am no Chip Foose!

Wish I had the transmission you put in yours. I just keep going back to what I have is already paid for. It should be fine. I hear good and bad on the NV3500. Guess if it grenades I will just replace it then. Hopefully it doesn’t tear up my truck if it does.

Re: Grandpa’s 63 C10 build
 

I hear ya...I am not even Chip Foose's son! LOL

I had the NV4500 in mine. I just couldn't get over the granny gear in it. If I would have had the 3500 I would have kept it.

I wanted a somewhat plug and play manual transmission and I like the one I bought, but I know it is probably overkill...we will see how often I actually use 6th gear, but there is a stretch of "highway" near my house that I travel almost daily that I will hopefully get to use it on.

Did you have the electric conversion to the Speedo cable on the NV4500? And if so are you using it on the new transmission?
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No, it was mechanical...I am using a mechanical on the new transmission also.

Re: Grandpa’s 63 C10 build
 

Looking good, dents appear over night when your done sanding.....You might consider using a guide coat, I wish I had on the long bed. I had about 12 dents and blemishes show up after the top coat was done. Not a show truck either, but I try to make it as nice as possible...hopefully you are back to normal routine soon.

Re: Grandpa’s 63 C10 build
 

I think you can use rattle can black primer. But there are several kinds. Happy sanding.

Well I got the dent out and another 3 coats of primer on. I was wondering if any old black spray paint primer would work but I was worried about Chemicals chemicals not liking each other so I ordered a can of guid coat. About the same price anyway.

Thanks for the tips guys. Appreciate all the help I can get. I have to say, this community of old GM owners reminds me of the good ol fashion people who just enjoy helping others out. Maybe one day we will meet on the road somewhere cruising our oldies!
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Dang I was hoping to help get it off your shelf if you didn’t need it! Haha oh well. I still have to get one. That’s one of the downfalls of the NV3500 is the electric speedo.
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Re: Grandpa’s 63 C10 build
 

LOL I would have sent it to you. I wish I could make my OEM speedo electric, but I already bought the mechanical gear for the transmission as well as the cable. So that ship has sailed. :)

Re: Grandpa’s 63 C10 build
 

Also dura block 16 inch with a roll of 320 sticky paper. Gets those long lines nice and flat...the astronaut has a couple builds...goldie locks and some other restorations that have some great painting and restoration skills. Making great progress....Happy 4th of July.

Well I didn’t know Fedex would deliver parts on Sunday but, I wasn’t going to complain when they showed up with my engine mounts! Got the engine in Sunday and pretty much have the wiring completed other than lights.

Got the grill pulled off and the headlights out. Start body work on the front end then get it bolted up. Getting the engine in was a big milestone!
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Re: Grandpa’s 63 C10 build
 

I had a visit from FedEx on Sunday too. Surprised me as well. I guess that sort of makes up for them never showing up on the 1st and the 2nd even though the tracking showed my package on the truck for delivery.

Re: Grandpa’s 63 C10 build
 

Congrats getting the engine installed. Looks perfect. Take a few minutes and make sure your wire looms and other little hardware items are in place while the engine is easy to reach.

Re: Grandpa’s 63 C10 build
 

Looks great J! That's a big step. Did you like the POL motor mounts?

I'll reiterate what notsolo said...do everything you can in the engine bay you can before you start bolting fenders and the front end back on. Much easier to reach everything now with nothing in the way.

Funny you say that. Mine was the same way. Said it was supposed to be there Friday and didn’t show up until Sunday. But it’s a crazy world right now and I am sure they are short handed and incredibly busy. Also I need to get you a price on shipping for that paint. I will get that for you next week.
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Thanks man. Yeah I have been going over everything I can think of before I put the front end on. I have a lot of sanding and painting to do before it goes on. I still need to hook up my hydraulic clutch and lines. A lot easier with the front end open. It was nice wiring the starter from a stool above it!
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POL mounts were perfect! I did have to drill the bottom holes but I figured as much since it’s all out of a 78 Chevy. But with the front end off, made it way easy. Getting excited to listen to it run!
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Re: Grandpa’s 63 C10 build
 

That cracked me up and got my day started off right, thanks. Great project and you've made a lot of progress since you decided to do the paint and body work. Very cool that your son's involved. Hope that you're out of the woods soon with the covid.

Thanks man, I appreciate the compliments. I will be honest, I am surprised every time something turns out good. All the glory goes to God. As far as the COVID I tested negative and am back at work. But our department has been slammed with it. We had 11 officers out total. Doesn’t sound like much but we have a small department.
It’s an honor to have my boy helping with the build. I laugh now because my daughter is now trying to compete with him for the truck. She always asks if I am going to work on her truck. Good to have their interest in it. Hope to get some more progress soon. Spent since Thursday up camping with the fam.
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