Rotten 66 Farm Truck Build

[jdorrough]

Hi all. I’m new to the board. For some reason, my account was stuck for months in a moderation queue leaving me locked down with no way to post. Now that's been worked out, I thought I'd start a build thread. The story on the truck goes back to my great uncle who used the truck for work at the US Park Service. Somehow he was able to buy it from the National Park Service. That’s when it became the truck that my father rode in on hunting trips as a kid and the real sentimental ties lie. When my great uncle passed away it was purchase by my family and used by my brothers and I on the farm. It was parked at some point and left to rot away. When I built my garage, I wanted a project to keep me busy so here we are. I bought it off my father for a couple bucks and started assessing what all I wanted to do with the old truck. At first, I figured I’d get it running and maybe fix a couple body spots and the wood bed that were completely rotten and leave it at that. But after spending too much time staring at it on the lift, I’ve decided to go ls3 powered, frame off restomod and turn it into a dailyish driver. I’ll try to keep this thread updated as I go. I’ve attached a few pictures of what I started with.

[jdorrough]

Here are a few pics of interior work getting done. I started here because frankly I didn’t think I would be doing much more beyond this. I welded in new kick panels, corners, and floor section. I also had the seat reupholstered in black with red stitching (hint to final color pallet). Honestly the time spent in the cab welding and grinding is what helped change my mind on where I wanted to take the truck. Why put all this time and money into a truck and not go all the way?

[jdorrough]

More Pics...

[jdorrough]

Here’s a couple tear down pics. Bed, front clip and cab was pulled. 250ci Engine and Muncie SM420 trans will be headed to the scrap metal which kind of sucks because both are in working order. Frame wasn’t in bad shape considering how old this thing is and that it sat in the weather with weeds consuming it for the last decade. I took a wire wheel and a pressure washer to it to prep for paint.

[jdorrough]

All painted up. I used chassis saver satin black paint and applied it with a gun. I then started on the rear. Both front and rear are getting a coil-over upgrade from QA1.

[jdorrough]

For tires and wheels, I decided to go with US Wheel Rat Rod in matte black wheels and Nitto NT555 G2 tires. Wheels are 17x8 in front and 17x9 in the rear. Tires are 255/40r17 in front and 275/40r17 in rear. The wheels required an axle upgrade, so I went with the 5 lug Yukon kit that kept the drum brakes. I sure hope the new wider rubber fits when it all goes back together.

[jdorrough]

I decided to cheap out on the drums instead of disks as I plan to do a 9 inch swap in the future. I figure money is spent in better places for now. Drum internals needed to be freshened up. I bought what I thought was everything needed but come to find out, I threw away the parking brake lever on the driver side that attaches to the shoe. Oops. That was a $15, 2 week setback.

[jdorrough]

Here she is with her new pair of shoes. I've also installed the front QA1 setup and new rack and pinion steering.

[jdorrough]

The cab was taking up too much space in my garage, so I decided to start cleaning it up for paint. I took everything out of the cab, including the dash. BTW, that thing had close to 40 spot welds! The reason I took the dash out was to clean up some rust that had start on each side where it bolts up. I debated on what to do with the bottom of the cab and ended up using the same paint I used on the frame.

[Daze57]

Good skills ---truck is looking really good keep us posted ;

[jdorrough]

And here is where I'm at today. Over the last two weeks, I've sank more time than I'd care to admit into bodywork.I prepped the job with a little body filler and scuffing the factory paint. I started with a base of epoxy primer. Then two thick coats of high build 2k primer. I then moved to glazing putty to any defects that went to metal when sanding the high build. I then sealed it with a reduced coat of epoxy before laying color. I did two coats of base, which is a blood red from Custom Shop. Finally, I cleared it with two coats of AkzoNobel 4.0. I'm clearly not a painter as it has some orange peel but it should clean up nice after I cut and buff it. I'm happy with it so far.

[Grizz1963]

Thats looking great, and the fastest colour.

[jdorrough]

Originally Posted by Grizz1963

Thats looking great, and the fastest colour.

Thanks Grizz. I'm digging your fleetside. I'd love to stumble upon one and convert this one to fleet before I get too much time and money invested into the stepper bed.

[cwcarpenter98]

That's quite a difference! I'm in to see how it turns out!

[The Rocknrod]

Wow, that's some great work. You should be proud of that.

[Captainfab]

Brand new fleetside beds are available any the reviews are good on them. You are well on your way to a very nice truck.

Originally Posted by jdorrough

Thanks Grizz. I'm digging your fleetside. I'd love to stumble upon one and convert this one to fleet before I get too much time and money invested into the stepper bed.

[88Stanger]

Great build so far and Great year of truck! lol The color is spot on! I will be watching of updates

As for the fleet side... i have bought complete beds from Classic Industries and had really no issues and will be again this year. Figure $600 per side delivered if you catch it on one of CI's 30% off sales. They change almost every Sunday. then get a tailgate at somewhere around $350 or so and then a front at about $150, then figure out the bed, wood or steel and go from there.

Either way, it will be a nice ride. I am a HUGE red and black fan! My "66 is going to be Flat Red and gloss black highlights.

[88Stanger]

Originally Posted by jdorrough

Here she is with her new pair of shoes. I've also installed the front QA1 setup and new rack and pinion steering.

The rack an pinion, is that the one by POL? If so, that is the one i got. Fit perfect with just a slight adjustment needed to the oversized front sway bar i installed. Otherwise, direct bolt in.

[jdorrough]

Originally Posted by 88Stanger

The rack an pinion, is that the one by POL? If so, that is the one i got. Fit perfect with just a slight adjustment needed to the oversized front sway bar i installed. Otherwise, direct bolt in.

Yeah it's the POL setup. I'm happy with it. The painted finish was a little rough but I'm not going for a show truck.

I just made the mistake of checking out your build thread. I'm jealous of that frame brace. That thing looks amazing and I'm sure it really helps reduce frame torque when swapping to hotter engines.

[jdorrough]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

Brand new fleetside beds are available any the reviews are good on them. You are well on your way to a very nice truck.

Yeah I'm still thinking on the bed situation. It will be the last body section I tackle so I have some time to do a little research.

[88Stanger]

Originally Posted by jdorrough

Yeah it's the POL setup. I'm happy with it. The painted finish was a little rough but I'm not going for a show truck.

I just made the mistake of checking out your build thread. I'm jealous of that frame brace. That thing looks amazing and I'm sure it really helps reduce frame torque when swapping to hotter engines.

LOL ya I will agree that paint on it is a bit rough, but a little can of spray and tada...
As for the brace, it is a nice piece i must say. Honestly, i was so nervous because it is a "generic Summit piece" but then learned that they have a shop build them each, so i was feeling a bit better and then i got it and i really like it. It should stiffen the frame nicely, but i am a bit nervous about working with it and routing of exhaust. I know it will work, but it will take a bit more time to build, but with this crap we are going through, what else do i have now. lol
I too also did the Yukon 5 lug conversion, but i went Disc set up and i will finish with Hydroboost.
You are safe to look at my build now.. i am doing rust repair and more and more.... lol, it really is not that bad, but time consuming....
I plan to use Por 15 on the entire inside of cab along with sound mat with Carpet and then on the uderside i have bed liner spray kit i bought (again - did it on my "69).

[jdorrough]

Made a little progress this week. I cut and buffed the paint. It had some orange peel that I was able to clean up. I received my LS mounts from Tin Works Fabrication. They are really nice. I painted them up and installed them so it one less thing to do when the engine arrives. In the mean time I've started assessing the doors. They'll both need some quality time with the grinder and welder.

[jdorrough]

I was fortunate enough to have some down time from work around the holidays. I was able to make some progress on the doors and a couple other odds and ends. Here is a few pics of the doors going from rusted out to installed. I still need to add all the new internal door hardware.

[jdorrough]

The new transmission showed up but I'm still waiting on the engine. With all the Covid craziness, it seems supply chains are really backed up. I was able to install the hydraulic clutch and new tank so I'll be further along whenever the engine does arrive. I'm a bit worried about the clearance for the brake master cylinder but I guess I'll figure it out when the time comes. Now I'll start working on the inner fenders. They need a bunch of work to be salvageable.

[Captainfab]

If you're running manual brakes you should be okay. But if you are wanting power brakes, from the looks of where that clutch master is, no way. You know I do make a booster bracket with the hydraulic clutch conversion made specifically for the '63-'66 trucks?