'65 SWB Patina Build

[w00dst0ck]

Lurked for a long time as it took me a few years to find a truck worth buying. I'm a helicopter mechanic/crew chief by trade and am always building something.

Few of my other projects:

1989 Volvo 245 I built 2 winters ago. Built 5.3 Single 72mm turbo, t56, built 8.8 etc etc. Such a blast to drive.


1931 Ford Model A - Built 327/th350/10 bolt. Chopped channeled, custom 2x3 Z'd frame etc. I actually sold this to build a truck.


Bunch of bobbers, cafes etc..

Anyway, on to the truck.

Picked up a nearly original 65 SWB Fleet in Ft Worth earlier this year.

82k miles
Inline 6
3 on the floor

When I picked it up: It had no brakes.


Looks like a barn find, that someone got running then cut the springs.

A few days later:
New wheel bearings
New brakes front and rear
New lines
New MC
22" Smoothies


A few more days later:
Painted the wheels Cherry Red
Put in a regulator and un cracked door window

Then I put in 5" CPP springs/shocks - That was fun. After torching all the hardware, I pulled out the plasma and cut everything out. Cut the lower spring cups in half to get the bolts out, then re welded them back together and ran new hardware.


It ran good on the top end, but idled like ****. Someone swapped on a frankenstein mono jet, which was beyond a mail order rebuild kit. With a little help from Carlos from BFIC, we got a new Rochester on it.


2 days later my buddies that work at Painless Wiring called me and said they were looking for a 64-66 SWB as a guinea pig to build their new 64-66 Body Harness. I pretty much jumped on the chance to get a free installed Painless harness just for letting them use my truck. -Having friends in the right places is awesome.

-Wouldn't fit on the trailer with the 22's on the front lol.


Truck has been there a little over a month, every single wire/bulb is getting replaced. I got a tour of the facility and saw the new style harness all layed out next to the truck. Pretty stoked, and I'm excited to get it back and start working on it.

This is most likely going in it at some point.



Haven't decided if I'm going to bag it, or leave it on coils. I have zero experience with air bags, most of my stuff has always been older suicide built stuff, or coils.

[McMurphy]

Wow, what an awesome 1st post !!

to the site, and starting us off with so many great photos of your project!
Certainly looking forward to more on this

[w00dst0ck]

Thanks! I think they are nearly finished with it.

I didn't even know it, but whoever converted it to floor shifter had it on upside down/backwards. Gears were odd, but I figured it was just due to it being originally a column shift. My buddy at painless fixed it for me lol.

Anyway, I can't wait to get it back!

[1963c-10]

Welcome and nice project!!!

[Grizz1963]

WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME !!!!

As McMurphy says, great first post.

I think we would all like to see more of the other builds, as we are not one dimensional.

I do love these survivor type trucks.

[w00dst0ck]

Well since you asked, here are a few more:

I typically stick to older stuff as I hate most new vehicles, but I build all sorts of cars/trucks/bikes, whatever I think is cool really lol.

'79 KZ650 I built right before the Volvo. Stretched 5", drag bars, hand built tail light out of a vintage microphone, hand built seat pan, also the first leather seat I ever made. Pretty much reworked the rear half of the frame.



'73 CB350 Cafe - I sold it before I finished it. Hand built clip on bars. Hand built cafe tail, Pamco electronic ignition, all hidden wiring under the tail.


'78 XS400 Flat track build. Drilled speed holes in the wheels, did an XS360 tank conversion, clip on bars. De tabbed the entire frame. Sold it before I finished it.


Some pics of the Model A




A few of the Volvo during the build (It was NA for a few weeks before we built the turbo setup). It was also running and driving with 240,000 original miles when I started the swap. I drove it home from work one day and pulled the motor lol. Also, it now has Weld RTS drag wheels on it.






Last but not least, a few more of the truck:
PO sprayed the full interior tan :/ It's not that bad though.

[w00dst0ck]

'75 RD125 2 Stroke Cafe


And my newest project/daily transportation:
'74 RD350 2 Stroke
Mikuni Carbs
DG Exhaust

[Ta2Don]

YEP!!! Awesome First Post!!!

[w00dst0ck]

Thanks guys! There are so many great builds on this forum that I'm really excited to work on mine again.

[TJ's Chevy]

Nice projects! And welcome!

[w00dst0ck]

Short video of the Volvo when I broke the stock rear end. ...On 3lbs of boost. We built, narrowed and swapped an Explorer 8.8 in 2 days to get to a track event. Car is making 10lbs now, and stepping up to 14 once we get it retuned.

1989 Single Turbo 5.3 245 Volvo Wagon - YouTube

Ok, back to truck stuff.

[TJ's Chevy]

LOL! I like it!!! except the rear end part....

[w00dst0ck]

Yeah, it's a mutt for sure.

Unfortunately chevy made very few good solid rear axles that would handle this kind of abuse.

And Ford littered the Earth with Explorers so you can get a complete LSD 31 spline 8.8 for $150 from the yards.

[Grizz1963]

My first bike at age 14 was an RD350 aircooled with coffin tank.

It did not go well offroad and hated water crossings so was replaced by an XL185s which was a better option where we lived.

Love the stuff you have done.

[timmytimm3]

I'm in for this one! Some great projects you've worked on. I have a Jeep similar to the black TJ in one of the pics.

[w00dst0ck]

Thanks, that was a fully built/armored 2005 LJ Rubicon on 35's. It had the infamous OPDA issue, Jeep wouldn't recall it, and I didn't want to put a new valvetrain in a sub 100k mile motor. So I sold it. I've had many Jeeps, and that one and the way Jeep has treated that issue (which has happened to thousands of 05-06 4.0's) really made me never want to buy another Jeep again.

[timmytimm3]

I got mine with a 40k mile motor in it. The previous owner blew it up at 90k and had it replaced under warranty. 2000 TJ, NV3550, HP30, D44, ARBs, 4.88s, chromo shafts, belly up skids etc. I love it.

[w00dst0ck]

The above reason is typically why I like older stuff, and build my own stuff now a days. New cars are way too expensive, and the consumers usually get left holding the pile of **** when the manufacturers turn a blind eye to bad design.

[FrankyV8]

Cool bunch of projects, love the Volvo too, at first I thought this must be a Swede LOL

Will follow this one, if it turns out 1/2 of what all project promis that it must become awsome!

Btw, always "nice" to have a friend who works at such a company

[Bomp]

Your definitely not afraid to take something on.

In for this build.

[w00dst0ck]

Thanks guys.

Truck is from Arkansas, pretty minimal rust compared to many others.

Both rockers are gone underneath (but look nearly perfect from the outside)
Passenger cab corner has a hole
Rear passenger trailing arm is separating itself
Hood is thin and has pin holes
Cab floor has some small holes throughout

Not sure what the plan is for the body yet. I want to keep it rusty though. Maybe flake the roof and interior/dash.

[clemdaddy]

you picked up a nice truck and its gonna be fun watching what you do with it.

i'm in too.

question: was painless making a reproduction harness (just like original) or a replacement harness?

[w00dst0ck]

It's a replacement harness that uses a new bus style fuse box and wrapped in their classic braided loom. They already offer the harness, but they are using my truck to redesign it, and will be offering the new harness not log after my truck is done I imagine.

It is a complete body harness, every single wire, gauges etc...

[Captainfab]

Welcome to the forum

Looks like you had/have some nice rides and I'm sure this truck will be just as cool. I'm liking the Volvo

[w00dst0ck]

So good news, Painless is finally done with the truck. I'm driving up to Dallas in the morning to pick it up. They essentially purchased everything the truck was missing electrical wise, like turn signal stalk, dome light etc... Pretty rad.

And I picked this up at the junk yard the other day, they were having a $150 engine sale. As much as I love the 250 in this truck, this will find it's way in very soon.

Plan is 228r cam, ls9 gaskets, ARP studs/rod bolts. At this point I'm thinking of putting an NV3500/4500 behind it for mpg's and towing/hauling.