Javadoc's 64 Short Step Build

[javadoc]

Well, I figured that I had better start a thread about this lil' red truck that I have sitting in the garage, since I'm hemorrhaging money now.

So we're starting out with my '64 short step that we actually bought so that I could run around while my wife was furnishing our house off of craigslist. I kid you not. Bought the truck for $1900 in the fall of 2007, and it looked like this after I put on some chrome smoothies:



It had some old bucket seats, which I traded for an old '60 bench seat, and had a custom cover made for it that matched:



Then the truck was unmolested for the past two years or so. Last summer we used the truck to haul dirt, gravel and sod to re-landscape the yard, and now the bed is all 'media blasted' by that abuse.

Most recently (these past few weeks), my dad came for a visit and we pulled the 283 and dropped in a 4-bolt, hydraulic roller 383 stroker:


I'm also in the process of making a bed floor out of 1x6 hickory:



The hickory is just going to be cleared with urethane, the knot holes filled with clear too, so you can see down into them.

There aren't huge plans for the lil red truck really. I have a 3/5 drop kit that I"m working on installing (with y'all's help). It also needs a proper exhaust system, and there's a bit of body work, small amount of rust work, and a paint job in order. I hope to go to paint this winter. Plus, chrome bumpers, and clean up the interior (fix the nasty 80s-era radio butcher job... somehow), and a custom cluster. Maybe a wood steering wheel if I can find something that goes with the bed wood.

First order of business is getting the old springs off. I cannot loosen the front lower ball joints, no matter what I've tried. Can I use a spring compressor to compress the front springs, then pull them out? I thought about that driving home tonight. Any input would be awesome.

I'll keep posting pics as the project commences. Comments are more than welcome!

[flips72]

thats a good looking truck, cant wait to see the hickory, be sure and keep the pics. coming.

[Captainfab]

Regarding the lower ball joint. Are you referring to the nut that holds the spindle to the ball joint? Did you remove the cotter pin? If you're trying to seperate the ball joint from the spindle, have you tried a ball joint/tierod fork? if so try hitting the spindle with say a 3# hammer on the side where the ball joint is. It might take a few hits to break it loose. This sin't the 'approved' method, but it works when all else fails.

[javadoc]

Cap'n, I tried a lot of things on the ball joint. I got the castle nut off the assembly, and actually damaged my pickle fork pounding on it. It's got a huge gouge in it from where it was wedged into the control arm area. I tried a BFH, and whacking the side of everything. Torch, PB Blaster. It's possessed, I'm sure of it. That's why I'm wondering if I can just use a spring compressor on the front springs and remove them w/o separating the ball joint.

[lakeroadster]

Looking good Doc!

I never realized we are practically neighbors!

[javadoc]

Thanks. Yeah but I live wayyyy out in the sticks in Parker. hahaha

I'm going to learn some body work skills with this thing. The rear of the bedsides, where they curl around, you know? The left side is all banged up. I'm thinking of trying to tap it back into a round shape. Then the passenger door needs some TLC. Looks like there's a thick glob of body filler under the paint. Small bubbles in the paint here and there... I hope they're not rot and just rust that someone painted over, that I can sand. We'll see once the weather cools and I can sic the grinder on the body.

If I can get the springs out of the front end with just a compressor, I may just drop this puppy this weekend! I'll have to see, and find out if the rear suspension bolts are gonna be grumpy too.

[Captainfab]

After I posted here, I discovered your thread in the suspension forum. It soulds like you've tried about everything. Have you tried heating up the spindle arount the LBJ, and then smacking it with a sledge? Heating the spindle will in theory expand the BJ hole in the spindle if done quickly enough to not heat the BJ stud too much. I know it's kind of hard to get a good swing at the spindle with all that's in the way. If worse comes to worse. Compress the spring as you mentioned with a spring compressor. Then unbolt the lower and upper control arms from the frame and crossmember. Then you can remove them from the truck and get it out where you can work on this better. But with the spindle, hub, upper control arm and lower control arm all together, that is a heavy awkward sum-b to handle.

Originally Posted by javadoc

Cap'n, I tried a lot of things on the ball joint. I got the castle nut off the assembly, and actually damaged my pickle fork pounding on it. It's got a huge gouge in it from where it was wedged into the control arm area. I tried a BFH, and whacking the side of everything. Torch, PB Blaster. It's possessed, I'm sure of it. That's why I'm wondering if I can just use a spring compressor on the front springs and remove them w/o separating the ball joint.

[javadoc]

Yeah, I think I'm just going to take the truck to the mechanic and have him replace the ball joints, and then toss in the new springs while he's at it.

I am having an issue with the clutch linkage that I really hope that someone can help me out with. Here's the issue:

I have the clutch linkage all hooked up, but the truck won't engage any gears when it's running. It feels close... it'll grind 3rd and 4th, and will rock a tiny bit, but won't go into a gear. So I figure, the clutch isn't being pushed far enough. I have the shift rod in the farther out of the two spots available on the clutch fork, if y'all follow me. What do I need to adjust so that it'll push the clutch far enough? I have a shift linkage kit that has all kinds of adjustments (forget where I got it at the moment), heim joints, etc... so I have all kinds of adjust-ability.

Can anyone help me get this thing shifting?

[javadoc]

Back at the build. Well, the planning of the build.

Right now, it's snowing outside, and I swear that I'm going to put a furnace in the garage when I do the finish work on it this summer. If I had a furnace now, I could be working on the truck!

I'm thinking I may pull the body and bed off, but not sure how crazy hard that is to accomplish. My thought of why to do this is to paint the frame, nothing else. The project isn't to end up with a show truck, but a nice looking hot rod truck. So, maybe this isn't necessary, the frame painting.

What have other people done in this area?

[javadoc]

So, I sit here on these cold winter nights and window shop for items for my truck. I'm going to attack the bodywork (and frame... see previous post), but don't know if it's worth working on my bed or if I should buy new steel. There is a bit of rust bubbling under the paint on the bed sides in a couple of spots (such as around the fenders), and it looks like someone slapped a patch on the inside of the passenger bedside. They see to be really thin slabs of steel, so I don't know if the bed sides are something that I could work on, or pitch it and spend the ~$400 each. The ends of the bed sides where the ends curl is a bit messed up on the driver's side, but I could probably get that fixed with a hammer. I'm pretty sure that I'll pitch the tailgate. It's had so many pieces of lumber dropped on it... lots of 2x4 shaped dents in leading edge.

So, how much work can you actually put into the bed parts, before you decide to pitch it and buy new parts? I'm calculating a new bed would set me back a bit over a grand?