Project daily drivable 62 C20

[72cs20]

More mock up -



After settling on a final location for the shroud and marking the mounting baffles, drill some new holes in the shroud to match the mounting in the side baffles and screw in place -


Final mounting -

[72cs20]

Greetings to those following this thread. Here is the latest status.

The truck is now insured and registered for the first time in 20 years. I had the dual Flowmaster exhaust replaced with a single pipe and Magnaflow muffler in a stock route out behind the drivers side rear tire. A much better set up for this truck. And this past Thursday it had a full front end alignment. With these things done I've been doing short test drives to identify any bugs to be worked out. So far I have three things that need immediate attention:

1. Steering box. This brand new CPP 500 series steering gear has way too much play. It feels as if I'm driving a truck with a worn out steering box. This along with the problems I had with the wrong hose fitting seats, is leading me to replace this steering box with a standard replacement box for a 72 C20. But, I'm going to speak with CPP first.

2. Intake manifold water leak. There is a slow drip at the front of the intake manifold. I believe there is also a leak internally as there is a bit of white smoke or vapor coming out of the exhaust.

3. The windshield. I've had this glass installed twice now and it is still not seated correctly. The second time I provided a Precision gasket. But it seems like the gaskets are too small. They don't fill the channel like the old dried up one did. I still have gaps around most of the windshield mounting area and especially at the lower corners by the doors. I don't know if it is the shop I'm using or the materials. In any case, I've made arrangements to have it looked at by a shop whose owner has a 56 truck. So he knows what he is dealing with.

Here are some pics of the hood work and the assembled truck. First is the hood. The underside of the hood was heavily oxidized. I scrubbed it as clean as I could and then primed and painted. I used the same eggshell white that I used on the firewall. I painted the braces the same gloss gray I used on multiple areas so far. Also installed new black insulation material between the hood and the braces as well as the AAW turn signal harness. The truck is now completely re-wired. The new park lights/turn signals are LED and they are cool.

Underside of hood -


The sun gave these pics a gauzy appearance. But this is what the truck looks like today, and you can see the exhaust is now behind the rear wheel -


Passenger side -

[Captainfab]

Looking good

Hopefully you can get those few issues worked out easy enough.

[fredhlynch2]

Looks Great. Nice work. I see you used a GM A/C compressor. I was told by VA that you could not use this? I have the same front belt system you have and wanted to use the GM compressor. Are you happy with the GM unit?

[Katrina/10]

Glad to see it back on the road!

[72cs20]

Thanks fellas.

Fred, yes you can use the GM compressor. If you opt for using the GM unit, then your kit will come with the adapter fittings needed for the back of the compressor.
I have not yet had the AC system charged up. I'm hoping to have that done in the next couple of weeks and then I'll report how well it works. I don't see any reason that it shouldn't work just fine. The heater part of the VA unit is working great.

[72cs20]

Well I think an update is in order. In the last update I was going to get the AC charged up, fix the intake manifold leak and deal with the steering play. I dropped the truck at a friends shop for the work.

The AC system was charged up and then let sit overnight. The next morning the system was empty. Charged it up again but with some dye this time. Discovered major leak from the compressor. New compressor and now AC system working great.


Intake manifold re-sealed and cleared out the completely clogged up EGR passage. Cross this one off the list.

While at the shop one of the rear wheel cylinders decided to start leaking. Replaced both and turned the drums. This truck is very light on the rear axle and it was easy to lock up the rear wheels. Backed the shoes off a little bit and along with the trued up drums and big disc's up front, the braking performance is impressive. Smooth, straight and predictable.



We replaced the steering box with a normal replacement box for a 72 C20 and I like it a lot better than the CPP box. It has better power assist and a better ratio for this truck. However, the truck still has too much wander for my taste.

Also, instead of putting it on the trailer, I decided to drive it home. It is about 20 miles from the shop to my house with about half of that is a curvy mountain highway. This is the longest trip so far and it was a white knuckle journey up the mountain. In the turns it felt like the truck wanted to swap ends. This truck has some handling issues to be worked out.

A lot of the handling problems can certainly be linked to the rear suspension. All of these parts are probably original. I'm sure 40+ years of carrying a cab-over camper has taken a toll on these parts. I know the trailing arm and trackbar bushings are shot after all these years. I've received new trailing arms, coil springs and an adjustable trackbar and will be this weeks project.

[72cs20]

Last update I was fighting steering and handling issues. Well, that has been solved and it was all my fault! Yep. I installed the steering center link backwards. This creates weird handling problems and steering play. So FYI, the inner tie rod ends should come in from the back of the center link, not go in thru the front. After rolling it 180 degrees and having the truck re-aligned, it handles great now. Just like I thought it should. I found the answer over in the 67-72 section. There are several posts about this installation mistake.

The windshield is now installed correctly. I brought the truck to Tri-Valley Auto Glass in Pleasanton, Ca. One guy re-installed it by himself. With all the vintage vehicles in their shop I knew I was in the right place for this job. Highly recommended if you live in the Bay Area.

Got the rear suspension finished up. New trailing arms, springs, shocks and adjustable panhard bar. Truck is nice and tight front to back.



Also picked up this little gem. An Alaskan 8 foot cab-over, 1976 vintage. Nice original condition and needs a little TLC, but excellent bones. Having a camper for this truck is really the main reason for this build. I'm planning a road trip through Oregon next year, early summer or fall.

[rusty76]

Digging the shell.

[RKS0069]

Looking very very nice!!!! Digging the camper too.

[allytle]

I love it too.

[72cs20]

Thanks for the comments fellas.

I found out that my tires are too big with that load in the bed. They are rubbing the front lip of the fender. The tires are Firestone Trans-force in a size 235/85-16. I think a 215 would be just right.

The next phase of this project was supposed to be the doors. But I think the rear end needs to come before the doors. The stock rear gears are unusable for the highway. So I'm going to do the rear axle swap sooner rather than later and go with 3.73 ring & pinion and an ARB locking diff.

Also, the axle I have to replace the Eaton is a Dana 60. I believe it is a bit wider and could cause more tire fitment problems. More snowballs.

[Captainfab]

I'm liking the camper also.

If you need trailing arm mounts for your Dana 60 I make those as well.

[72cs20]

Thanks Cap, but I already have a set of your D60 mounts. So I'm good to go there.

[jocko]

wow, just seeing the whole thread start to finish - GREAT build, really like all the attn to detail.

[72cs20]

Thank you Jocko for the compliment. This has been the biggest automotive project to date that I've undertaken and there were times I really thought that I bit off more than I could chew. Still some more to do and hopefully by late spring it should be mostly done. But they're never really done, are they?

Right now the truck is basically a mule so I can move the Alaskan around while I re-seal it. Then I will move it over to my new acquisition that I special ordered this past July. It finally arrived last week and I picked it up Saturday. It is a real beauty.

When it comes to vintage trucks, I'm all GM. New is a different story. I just have to show it off, so keep an open mind.

Brand new special ordered F-250 4x4 -

[72cs20]

Time for a quick update since I'm finally ready for the next big mod on the 62.
I've had a Dana 60 rear axle swap on the schedule and the axle is now built. Complete new internals from end to end. The gears are 3.73 with a true-trac limited slip differential.


I hope to have this axle installed within the next 2-3 weeks. And even though I don't own a welder or know how to weld. I guess it is about time to learn how to weld and try to tackle the job myself.

I'm using Captain Fab's trailing arm mounts which are 1/8 inch steel. If I decide to do this job myself, what kind of welder would be right for jobs like this? Captain?

Since my last entry I've logged 125 miles of test driving. The only thing that has come up is an annoying drive-line vibration between 35 and about 48 mph in fourth gear. I'll address this when I do the axle swap. All other systems working great.

[Captainfab]

To clarify, my trailing arm mounts are fabricated from 3/16" steel. You will need a welder capable of about 150 amps. You might also consider just tacking them in place yourself at the correct spacing and pinion angle and then taking the entire assembly to a professional welder for the final welding.

Originally Posted by 72cs20

I'm using Captain Fab's trailing arm mounts which are 1/8 inch steel. If I decide to do this job myself, what kind of welder would be right for jobs like this? Captain?

[72cs20]

Yes Capt. you're right. I need to remember to put on my glasses when using the tape measure. Your suggestion is good. I'm presently setting up the electrical service in my garage for a 220v welder so I can do this kind of work myself. But for this axle swap a friend of mine is going to come up and do the final welding work.

In the meantime I'm just crossing minor things off my to-do-list. This weekend I fashioned up semi permanent back up and license plate lights. These will likely be changed when I decide on what kind of rear bumper to use.



My truck did not come with factory reverse lights. I don't even know if they were an option in 1962. So for reverse light on/off switching I used an push-pull switch I kept from old truck I had some years back. I figured the shift lever would be good place to mount it.


Thanks till next time

[MrBeast]

Nice truck, love how it is turning out. If you make it up towards Tacoma this summer on your road trip let me know!

[ChiefRocka]

Wow.....what a beautiful truck !!!

(That 62 isnt bad either... )

[ChiefRocka]

Well, I'm here to provide another update to this build.

C-10's often visit my shop for custom work, but it is a rare site to see a C-20 as CLEAN as this one roll in !!

It was a treat to have one of my favorite type of rigs in for the DANA60 swap...

[ChiefRocka]

We got it on the lift ... and out with the old ....


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[ChiefRocka]

Next we set up the axles next to each other to measure for pinion angle...With the pads level, I record the measurement at the pinion.

Using some scrap tubing, I build a mockup "pad locator", which includes a locator for the track bar mount. This keeps everything in check...



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[ChiefRocka]

Next, using CaptainFab's perches bolted to my mock up contraption, we clock the Dana to the pinion measurement saved from earlier, and level the pads.

The assembly is carefully centered from side to side, and measured quite a few times before burn it....

Perfect Fit:


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