[jimmythompson1964]

I started out with a 1962 short wheel base step side with a 4speed, that had been wrecked in the driver’s door but it would run & drive. I ordered all the patch panels for the left side repair, inner & outer rockers rear cab corner and a few others and was looking for a donor for a door pillar post. I was passing through Charlotte one Sunday and saw the signs to the Charlotte NC Lowes Motor Speedway Auto Fair, I have been to this event before and know that it is a good source for new and used parts, so I stopped and paid my admission to look. With it being the last day and raining, pickings were slim, but I did run across a 1964 project truck the owner was parting it out. I talked with the guy for a while he lived nearby so I told him if he didn’t sell the cab to call me and maybe we could work out a number that would make me drive back to NC. About a week later he called me told me he sold the chassis and needed the cab sold & picked up the same day as the chassis because he had nowhere to store it. He told me $850.00 would take it home and that included a box of new parts he had that went with the cab. That was a no brainer, I couldn’t buy the parts to fix the 62 for the money he was asking so I made the deal and picked it up that Saturday. The cab had been copped 2" and some custom metal work done to the doors dash and rockers. The cab has a lot of potential for a full on custom ground up build. After several years passed with no real progress, I came to the realization that with me working construction out of town during the week. A honey-do lists and life in general getting in the way of me getting truck time, and the fact that I needed a new shop if I were to do a full ground up build (new shop come later this year). I started looking for a 64 – 66 short stepper truck or a 1951-52 F-100 with a Chevy running gear (not a ford fan but love that body style) that could be my driver/work in progress project. Money was tight so I offered up my 1990 Wrangler I had owned for 15 years for trade and after only a few days had a call on a 1966 C 10 SWB stepper with a 4speed (4 speed was a must). I told him I was interested but he would have to come to me (he was in Maggy Valley NC) he agreed and brought the truck on Friday afternoon pulling it on a trailer. It was a pretty decent drivable truck frame was clean not even any surface rust. Not very much rust on the cab, the right front fender was rusted at the bottom and the hood was junk. No problem I now owned 2 parts truck and a spare hood I bought that need the hinge brace replaced but no rust. Everything worked as advertised and he boasted it was a fresh built 327 (that always scares me). My Jeep was pretty nice and I had replace and upgraded most everything on it from front to back over the years so we started to dicker…I wanted some boot and he wanted to swap even I ended up keeping my Warn 9,000 lb winch and the trade was made. When he was loaded and gone I took everyone for rides and spun the tires done a few doughnuts and generally had a red-neck good time. The next day came a big snow and I could not even get the truck to move in the driveway, and of course as soon as you sell your Jeep here comes a big snow. My Z71 handled the snow just fine not quite as much fun as the Jeep but I now have a hot rod truck to play with. As you can imagine I was itching to drive the old truck but snow and these old trucks do not get along very well it had to wait nearly a week before I got to really put some miles on it. So that is how I acquired my 66 C10 SWB stepper. Here are some pictures of my Jeep I traded and the picture he sent me of the truck.