Project "Black Betty" (bam-A-lam)

[likaroc13]

[likaroc13]

The second weekend in October, I got a wild hair to take a road trip. We rented a car & drove up just past the VA/NC border to access the Blue Ridge Parkway. Considering we'd never driven it, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity while we still reside on this side of the country. We only had a couple days to spend, but next time we'll allocate more & drive the whole thing. We ended up in the Greenville, SC area to spend the night, with intentions of exploring that area the next day. While riding around Greenville I came across this OG paint '65 long bed, so I had to stop & check it out. Both bedsides had pretty large dents, & the passenger rocker was dented on the underside. Otherwise it seems to be a fairly straight & solid old truck. I like the patina too.

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by likaroc13

The second weekend in October, I got a wild hair to take a road trip. We rented a car & drove up just past the VA/NC border to access the Blue Ridge Parkway. Considering we'd never driven it, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity while we still reside on this side of the country. We only had a couple days to spend, but next time we'll allocate more & drive the whole thing. We ended up in the Greenville, SC area to spend the night, with intentions of exploring that area the next day. While riding around Greenville I came across this OG paint '65 long bed, so I had to stop & check it out. Both bedsides had pretty large dents, & the passenger rocker was dented on the underside. Otherwise it seems to be a fairly straight & solid old truck. I like the patina too.

You were pretty close to us, we're just below Greenville in Anderson! That long bed looks like a nice find!!

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by theastronaut

You were pretty close to us, we're just below Greenville in Anderson! That long bed looks like a nice find!!

Yeah, not too far! Had a good time at the Fall Festival in Greenville. Didn't realize it was going on until we kept seeing tons of people walking downtown, & certain roads were blocked. Went to see the covered bridge in Landrum, which was neat. Would like to get back up that way to do some more exploring. The LWB truck was not too far from downtown Greenville.

[likaroc13]

I also came across another fellow 60-66'er through the local Craigslist. I had a pair of trim rings for sale in which he emailed about. Since it was out of my way, I had him meet my wife at her workplace to check out the trim rings. My wife informed me that he was driving a '61 Chevy pickup. She mentioned to him that I have a '66, & they had a good little conversation. Upon finding out about his truck, I asked if he could send me some pics. He gladly texted me pics, & I sent him a link to some of mine. I mentioned the forum to him as well. He said he had been to a truck site before, but he wasn't sure if it was this one. If he's not a member, at least he now knows how to find us. Here's the two pics he sent:

[likaroc13]

Spoke to my dad last night & got some encouraging news. He said his friend Mark said he would help get my new brake lines made as soon as he gets caught up with his stuff. He has all the necessary tools & is an experienced mechanic on the side. Still lots of little odds n' ends to get accomplished as well. Gotta finish installing disc brake hardware, find two 5-lug front steelies, paint/install the new Stewart water pump, secure the power steering coupler/shaft adapter, paint exterior of P/S gear box, hook up vacuum for brake booster, install new fuel sending unit, & fix turn signal issue.

My dad had acquired some 64-66 Chevy trucks/parts earlier in the year, one of which is a SWB chassis/drivetrain with late-model 350/700R-4 that has been converted to 5-lug. While the chassis is currently up for sale, the current plan is to swap the 700R-4 trans into "Black Betty." Dad's friend Mark has a lift at his shop & is familiar with everything needed to make the switch. I had become content with just keeping the Powerglide a while longer, but this will be the perfect opportunity if everything works out as planned.

Maybe she'll be rolling again by next Spring. Keeping my fingers crossed. At this point, I practically don't even remember having a classic truck. It will be like starting all over again, except this time around getting behind the wheels should be a more pleasurable drive!

[clemdaddy]

fingers crossed here too... driving this spring... man, thats huge.

[McMurphy]

Heyyyy we could both be on the road this Spring !! LoL

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by clemdaddy

fingers crossed here too... driving this spring... man, thats huge.

Thanks Clem. Not counting my chickens before they hatch, but I sure hope so. Can't do much motorcycle riding in the winter, so I hope that works in my favor. .....I think this weekend will officially mark 3 years since she's been down.

Originally Posted by McMurphy

Heyyyy we could both be on the road this Spring !! LoL

Yaaaay Murph! Would be great wouldn't it?

[Alan's Classic]

It's amazing what you run into on drives.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Alan's Classic

It's amazing what you run into on drives.

I hear ya! We had gotten a little off track while trying to find parking in Downtown Greenville, & that's how I saw it. Had to make a U-turn anyway, so I told the wife that I had to stop. This looked to be a running/driving truck in original paint of course, & you just don't see those everyday.

Dad was out riding bikes a couple months or so ago & saw both a '64-66 4x4 and another 2wd (I think) of the same year range on the same property. I think he's gonna stop by & check them out sometime. Said they looked like they've been sitting a while.

It's fun to just ride the backroads. Never know what you'll see/find!

[C@rnut001]

I have to say that I love your truck and your wedding pictures. You need to get it running again and take some updated pictures of you and your wife together with your amazing truck! Anyway, good luck getting it together and on the road again.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by C@rnut001

I have to say that I love your truck and your wedding pictures. You need to get it running again and take some updated pictures of you and your wife together with your amazing truck! Anyway, good luck getting it together and on the road again.

Thank you! We were initially supposed to do an engagement session, & I had planned to use the truck for some of those. However, we were never able to get that set up & later moved away. So, we just substituted our session for a couple nice wedding albums & a larger portrait. I definitely plan to take more pics when it gets going again, whether my ugly head is in there or not.

[likaroc13]

Have a guy coming to look at the rolling chassis/drivetrain mentioned previously. If it works out, he'll be down on the 27th. If he buys it, guess the ole Powerglide will remain in duty a while longer. Gonna try to whip dad into shape while I'm home for the holidays. I wanna get this thing back up & going!

Just wanted to say Merry Christmas to everybody!

[flips72]

I think you need to pull the sparkplugs out of pops bike seriously I know it seems as though it is taking forever but you'll be driving it before you know. happy new year.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by flips72

I think you need to pull the sparkplugs out of pops bike seriously I know it seems as though it is taking forever but you'll be driving it before you know. happy new year.

Great idea! Maybe one will mysteriously make it's way to SC. Happy New Year to you as well.

[likaroc13]

Well, we made a little progress. Just wasn't on mine. While I was home for the holidays, my dad sold the '63-66 rolling chassis/drivetrain. Then a couple days later he sold an original rolling chassis he had from a parts truck. I've been funneling the traffic & keeping the for sale ads updated since he's without a computer right now. If it don't burn a hole in his pocket, that'll give him a little extra cash to put towards the Burb in the future. However, one day while riding his bike he spotted a '64-66 four-wheel drive sitting off the road . He wanted me to go with him to check it out, but we unfortunately didn't get to make it happen this time.

I could've sold "Black Betty" at least a few different times while I was home. Dad has a friend who has been asking about it, & a couple guys who came over to see about trimming some trees asked if I'd sell it. I just have to shake my head & say no. They aren't the first to ask & won't be the last. I haven't even gotten to enjoy it enough to even consider letting it go. Not to mention it's a little sentimental. It's the first classic I've ever purchased with my own money, & it was part of my wedding as most already know. I bought it in July '09 & drove it the rest of that Summer/Fall. We moved to Jackson, MS in January 2010. I drove it that Spring, before tearing it down for the rear end rebuild that following Summer. I then drove it to/from our wedding & once more in November that year before tearing it down again. Then we moved away to Charleston in March 2011. Overall, I haven't even spent a full year behind the wheel since owning it.

[likaroc13]

About 3 months or so ago my dad bought a rat rod. It belonged to a guy he works with, & the guy was in the process of moving. He got tired of messing with it, so he decided to put it up for sale. Dad told him to get it running & he'd buy it. Well, they changed the fuel pump & had it running. After dad bought it, it began having some issues again. It's not getting fuel to the injectors for some reason, but it'll run if you pour fuel down the throttle body. It's sitting at his friend Mark's house until they get it figured out. It's a 30's Olds body that was chopped up & put on a '94 Dodge Dakota chassis/drivetrain. It needs a little TLC for sure. Dad said he'd like to build a wood bed for it, & it needs a seat setup. He said he wasn't fond of the wooden roof either & would rather have metal. I'm not sure how much money he'll actually put into it, as it's not something he plans to keep.

Here's a few pics:

[NEWFISHER]

Check out a middle bench or rear bench from a plymouth or dodge caravan late 90's early 2000's. The fit great in Model A's

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by NEWFISHER

Check out a middle bench or rear bench from a plymouth or dodge caravan late 90's early 2000's. The fit great in Model A's

Thanks for the info. The problem is that the steering column & large, original wooden steering wheel don't provide much space between the bottom of the wheel & floor pan. It currently has boat seats sitting directly on the floor without brackets. Even like that, dad said he can barely fit in there to drive it. The original front bench seat is in the rear. I don't have any interior pics or I'd show ya what I'm referring to. He wants to keep the original steering wheel, but some modifications are likely gonna need to be made in some aspect.

[truckswede]

Hi there, just read through this thread and wanted to say congrats to a great truck and the very nice wedding photos. And sorry for cluttering in your thread like this, but i just wanted to say thanks also for answering me over in RockTonkas thread. Can't believe i missed it, but i just spotted the exact panel i've been looking for here in projects and builds, Free Candy Inside is the author. First one i've ever seen, they do exist! One way or another, i'm gonna get one. OK enough OT, just wanted to say thanks and keep up the good work.
Back to business

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by truckswede

Hi there, just read through this thread and wanted to say congrats to a great truck and the very nice wedding photos. And sorry for cluttering in your thread like this, but i just wanted to say thanks also for answering me over in RockTonkas thread. Can't believe i missed it, but i just spotted the exact panel i've been looking for here in projects and builds, Free Candy Inside is the author. First one i've ever seen, they do exist! One way or another, i'm gonna get one. OK enough OT, just wanted to say thanks and keep up the good work.
Back to business

Thanks for the compliments & for checking out my build thread! No need to apologize, as I don't mind anyone posting here even if it's not truck-related. So glad you were able to find a Panel like you're looking for! I checked out the build just to make sure it wasn't the one I was thinking of. While not the same one, it's making its way towards being pretty darn cool. The one I had seen was in some car show pic coverage I think.

If you check out this thread, you'll find some Panel pics:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=262994

There might also be more if you check the various other pic threads:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=449613

Btw, welcome to the board!

[truckswede]

Thanks for the welcome! And for the links, lots of eye candy there.
The reason i want a "long bed" panel is for the loading capacity, i really love these 60-66 trucks, and i think the panels are supercool. Maybe because they are really rare over here. By the way, do you mind a question: i've always wondered why you guys in the US seem to prefer the short bed trucks, don't you use them to haul stuff? Or is there another reason for it?
Don't get me wrong, i love these old trucks, but over here we use our trucks as trucks and always load and haul stuff with them, so i never really understood why you prefer the shorter beds. Hope you don't mind.

[TJ's Chevy]

The truck is beautiful! And the rat rod rocks!

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by truckswede

Thanks for the welcome! And for the links, lots of eye candy there.
The reason i want a "long bed" panel is for the loading capacity, i really love these 60-66 trucks, and i think the panels are supercool. Maybe because they are really rare over here. By the way, do you mind a question: i've always wondered why you guys in the US seem to prefer the short bed trucks, don't you use them to haul stuff? Or is there another reason for it?
Don't get me wrong, i love these old trucks, but over here we use our trucks as trucks and always load and haul stuff with them, so i never really understood why you prefer the shorter beds. Hope you don't mind.

For me personally, I guess it has to do with the fact that my dad loves the short bed. He always had them when I was growing up, so I guess that's what rubbed off on me. The old blue '66 beater we used to have was a short bed, & it saw lots of hauling duties through the years. On the other hand, my truck will probably never haul anything significant. It did haul the old 283 that once lived in the engine compartment, if that counts for anything. Other than that, I just prefer the look of the short bed vs. the long bed. I guess it has more of a "sporty" look in my eyes.

Originally Posted by T.J. MCCAULEY

The truck is beautiful! And the rat rod rocks!

Thanks T.J.! Speaking of the rat rod, I need to find out the status of it. Not sure if dad has messed with it anymore or not.