The Brown Truck

[66-PMD-GMC]

Originally Posted by kieth

I found a full rubber mat that covers the firewall and the floor under the seat to the back of the cab, it is not a perfect match for stock but it let me have a rubber floor mat and install sound deadening and insulation. Kieth

I don't care if it matches the stock mat. I just want a good, thick mat that fits the curves of the floor and covers the floor and rides up the firewall.
Where did you find yours Kieth? PM me if you think it is better.

[SFTorange]

The truck is painted and back at home. I figure i'll wait to post pics until I have it on the road and looking good Should be ready this weekend!

[198plus]

That's wrong.........

Originally Posted by SFTorange

The truck is painted and back at home. I figure i'll wait to post pics until I have it on the road and looking good Should be ready this weekend!

[jimmydean]

Nice work. I just used the regular peel and seal for my cab, but used a closed cell industrial foam pad from the firewall to the back, then carpet over top. The difference it made in the sound inside the cab was HUGE. And that was before my doors were done, should be wicked quiet now.

[SFTorange]

Originally Posted by 66-PMD-GMC

Will those products work for those of us that prefer a rubber mat over carpet?
Personally speaking, I would prefer to hose out my truck if water wasn't so damaging to the metal in my cab.
Carpet is on my never use it list in my own trucks and since I brought it up, are there any suggestions for a vendor for a good high quality rubber floor mat for our trucks?

I would imagine that the butyl rubber mat would work great with the rubber pad for the floor. I might worry a bit about the foam pad if you want to spray out the floor though. It might end up being fine.

I believe that most of the vendors sell a factory-style rubber mat, but I can't speak at all to their quality.

Originally Posted by jimmydean

Nice work. I just used the regular peel and seal for my cab, but used a closed cell industrial foam pad from the firewall to the back, then carpet over top. The difference it made in the sound inside the cab was HUGE. And that was before my doors were done, should be wicked quiet now.

Excellent! I can't wait to drive this thing! Plus, as a bonus, my wife won't have to worry about her feet breaking through the floor!

[66-PMD-GMC]

Originally Posted by SFTorange

I would imagine that the butyl rubber mat would work great with the rubber pad for the floor. I might worry a bit about the foam pad if you want to spray out the floor though. It might end up being fine.

I believe that most of the vendors sell a factory-style rubber mat, but I can't speak at all to their quality.

As much as I would like to hose out the truck I wouldn't for fear of causing rust problems.
I ordered a mat from one of mail order guys and it's a $99 POS.
Doesn't fit right and won't even if I trim it.
I'm looking for something better.

[SFTorange]

I finally got my special crimpers in from AAW, and set out on the wiring. The kit works very well for the most part. There is some splicing required to wire in the lights for the dash cluster. I've got everything wired up in the cluster, including a voltmeter out of a square body truck in place of the ammeter. Thanks for working through this Roy!


Can anyone tell me where bulbs were installed in the factory cluster? There are 6 round inserts for bulbs in the back of the cluster that appear to be for gauge illumination, but I can't imagine that they were all used from the factory.

I got the steering column bolted up and wired, and I test fit the condenser in front of the radiator.




I'm now trying to figure out a good place to install my trans cooler without blocking the flow of the condenser.

[RoyL]

looking good! make sure you "Calibrate" your voltmeter so it runs kinda in the center. I thought I had mine right, but it's about 3/4 where it operates. I'm too lazy to pull it out and fix it . . . You going with the original hardline oil pressure hookup?
Roy

[SFTorange]

Originally Posted by RoyL

looking good! make sure you "Calibrate" your voltmeter so it runs kinda in the center. I thought I had mine right, but it's about 3/4 where it operates. I'm too lazy to pull it out and fix it . . . You going with the original hardline oil pressure hookup?
Roy

I think I have the gauge centered pretty well, but we'll have to see. I do plan to run the original hardline for oil pressure.

[66-PMD-GMC]

I am still up in the air on what Radiator to go with.
It is good that you are putting thought into it and not just doing what everyone else is.
Leader not a follower, thats how I roll....

[SFTorange]

Originally Posted by 66-PMD-GMC

I am still up in the air on what Radiator to go with.
It is good that you are putting thought into it and not just doing what everyone else is.
Leader not a follower, thats how I roll....

Thanks! I'll be sure to let everyone know how it works. I'm installing a transmission temp gauge too, so I'll know how everything is working.

[Dino Driver]

Your concern over placement of the tranny cooler is one that I have been pondering also. I am going to look into the ones that mount to the frame rail and look like a scared cats tail with all the radiating fins.

[SFTorange]

Originally Posted by Dino Driver

Your concern over placement of the tranny cooler is one that I have been pondering also. I am going to look into the ones that mount to the frame rail and look like a scared cats tail with all the radiating fins.

The frame rail-mounted coolers would be easier to install, and a lot of guys use them. I bought the one I have before buying my radiator with an internal cooler. It's probably overkill, but since I already have it I'll probably use it. I do have another much smaller unit laying around that I might consider.

I'll play around with it this weekend and post what I come up with. The position I showed yesterday should leave good airflow to the condenser and still get air through the cooler. Looking at the suburban, it seems like there will be enough room, and everything will be relatively hidden.

[1966chevytrucks]

Hey truck is looking awesome and fast. Was wandering what kinda budget did you start with?

[SFTorange]

Originally Posted by 1966chevytrucks

Hey truck is looking awesome and fast. Was wandering what kinda budget did you start with?

Well, I have to admit that i haven't kept the best track of my budget over the years. I've just tried to pick up the parts as I've been able to afford them. It would be safe to say that over the years I've had well upwards of $10,00 in the truck. But hey, it's going to be like a new truck when it's done. Also, I've utilized mostly aftermarket solutions for everything. I think you could save a lot of money by using junkyard parts for disc brakes , etc. The only money I've spent on labor was to have my engine and transmission built, and for the body work. I have hundreds upon hundreds of hours of my own time in the truck. Also luckily for me, the truck itself was passed down in my family and I got it for free.

[SFTorange]

Here are some pics of today's progress. I"m pretty happy with how everything turned out. I'm getting a lot better at bending lines, but the 3/8" tubing I used for the tranny coolers was a pain. It isn't necessarily pretty, but should get the job done. I had to do a bunch of modifications to the fan shroud to get it to work with the engine moved forward.

[Alan's Classic]

Nice progress. Is the passenger side of the tranny cooler secured to anything? If not is it floppy?

[SFTorange]

Originally Posted by Alan's Classic

Nice progress. Is the passenger side of the tranny cooler secured to anything? If not is it floppy?

The cooler has a pretty thick mounting flange, so it is held down tight with just the bolts on the driver's side. If you look closely, it is also supported by the X beams on the radiator support. I plan to attach the passenger side of the cooler down onto those to make sure it doesn't flop around.

[SFTorange]

Finally getting around to posting my progress from the weekend. I kept picking away at the wiring, and got a bunch of small things done. I installed my inner fenders, modified the fan shroud, and got the engine compartment pretty much installed.

[SFTorange]

I also spent a couple of hours staring at the air conditioning box until I built up the courage to drill some holes in the firewall for mounting the box. I'm happy with how it turned out.

[RoyL]

Originally Posted by SFTorange

Finally getting around to posting my progress from the weekend. I kept picking away at the wiring, and got a bunch of small things done. I installed my inner fenders, modified the fan shroud, and got the engine compartment pretty much installed.

What fan shroud did you use?

[SFTorange]

Originally Posted by RoyL

What fan shroud did you use?

I used the original V8 fan shroud, but since I moved the engine forward it had to be trimmed pretty extensively to fit.

[structures]

I think the progress has been great. I thumbed back thru your build but didn't find any specifics on the a/c. That's the vintage air right? How's that install going? Vintage Air's unit is kind of a custom install right? It seems like from looking around I see some guys mount them high and block off the glove box, others mount them lower. Yours seems lower, I like that. Was there a template?

[SFTorange]

Originally Posted by structures

I think the progress has been great. I thumbed back thru your build but didn't find any specifics on the a/c. That's the vintage air right? How's that install going? Vintage Air's unit is kind of a custom install right? It seems like from looking around I see some guys mount them high and block off the glove box, others mount them lower. Yours seems lower, I like that. Was there a template?

It's funny that you mentioned this. I was just thinking that I never posted details about my a/c in my build thread. I started a more specific thread about a/c this winter that details my decision making. It has some pics and details about other people's projects. TR65's install photos really helped me with my decision. I ended up going with Vintage Air's setup thanks to Mark (Coolair)'s support and suggestions for how to make the system work.

You can see the thread with more details here.

I ordered a complete Gen IV Magnum system. The evaporator unit is the universal kit, but the condenser is specifically designed for my '66. Mark also set me up with the needed parts to use Vintage Air's cable converter setup which will allow me to utilize my original deluxe controls. It'll be some work to get everything set up (the cable converters are actually designed for a '69 Camaro), but I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out. I should have some progress on the installation soon, so stay tuned to my build thread.
There weren't any templates, but the instructions show you the basics of how to install the box under the dash. I ended up measuring a bunch and staring at it for several hours before drilling any holes.

If you look at TR65's installation, he set it up so that he didn't have to drill any holes in the firewall. I'm not worried about that, so I had more freedom to mount the box lower and still retain some room in the glove box.

Here are some pictures of the Vintage Air cable converters mounted up to my factory controls. They were super easy to install. I'm really excited to have electronic controls with my stock dash. I still need to trim the extra length off of the mounting straps.

By the way, after calling a bunch of dealers for quotes, I placed my order from Curt's Rod and Custom in Lake Park, MN. He quoted me great prices, AND free shipping. I had my a/c setup direct from Vintage air in exactly one week.

I also picked up some #1 welding cable to use for battery cables.

[structures]

I like that, my biggest issue with the vintage air was loosing the deluxe controls, now it seems I wouldn't have to. I have always preferred the construction of vintage air system but "old air" makes that electronic controller that looks just like the cable one. I was contemplating trying to adapt that to the vintage air. I wish vintage air would re-produce an electronic controller. Although your method here looks really slick.

Oh i did read that thread a few months ago. I get on this website and get inundated with information and never can remember who said what and who installed this and that!

Thanks a lot.