Nancy, the 68 C30

[unbrokenchain]

Thought I'd just sum up my progress and questions here instead of starting a new thread for every little thing. Picked this ol' truck up a couple weeks ago for a thousand bucks. Was sitting in a friend's back yard for the last few years. Different carb, new gas and battery got her running well enough to come 5 miles home. I've been slowly going at it piece by piece and trying to gain some direction for the project. Mainly I wanted a truck that will haul materials to and from my house remodel project (I live in a log cabin from the 1800s that is also mostly original...), with a bit of hauling for my part time work in gardening/landscape installations. But I also love old cars and would love to have her looking good. So my ethos for this one is to fix it up as best I can, not worrying about making it original or OEM so much as reliable, functional, and presentable.

Truck was originally dark green with a 292. Now it is white and rust-colored with a 250. Interior has a bench seat from some modern truck which sits very high on spacers and necessitates a small steering wheel (the one that came with the truck is gold sparkle.. awesome.). Hoping to sort both of those out so I can have a little more clearance for a properly sized wheel. Have power brakes but no PS. Odometer says 43,000, but I'm thinking it's rolled at least once. Does appear to have been parked more than used, so it's possible those are original miles, but doubt it with the engine swap.

So far I have installed an aftermarket/universal wiring kit and fuse panel, so every wire in the truck is new except the taillight harness and reverse wire from trans. Best I can tell, everything works except the wiper motor. Also new alternator (GM one-wire, I hate external voltage regulators

Fluids are new, everything's been cleaned under the hood. Have a leak at pinion seal on the differential which I will be tending to this week. Rear brakes are cold after driving around so I'm anticipating new wheel cylinders and such back there. Rotted oak bed is removed, looks like someone tried to tow something very heavy (or yank the truck out from somewhere) by one of the rear crossmembers, but the frame still looks straight.

I've got rusted cab corners, ok rockers bondo's over rotted rockers, rust over the windshield inside, rust on doors, and rusted fenders and inner fenders. Looks like it had a makeover restoration sometime in the 80s.

Never tried it before, but I'm in the market for a TIG welder so I can actually work on the body myself. Will take some practice I'm sure but doesn't seem impossible.

Things I am looking for within reasonable driving distance:
Front bumper
Wiper motor

Thanks 67-72chevytrucks.com

[unbrokenchain]

And one more. Engine shots soon.

[zellway]

This could be a really cool work truck.What would you be doing for the bed? New flat bed or maybe a Long horn bed and add some step side fenders?

[flashed]

Nice old truck ,Im in to see another 1 ton transformation.

[unbrokenchain]

Basically going to rebuild the original bed, using pine instead of oak though for availability and because I plan to use the bed, well, about every time I use the truck! Would like to maybe do some expanded steel over the cab window, hate the way it looks but would prevent window breakage when using the truck as dumpster. Also would like to add a tailgate. I could have used the bed for another season or two, but considering I need to service the rear end and reconnect the parking brake cables, everything is much easier to access now. Going to clean up the frame and put a few coats of rustoleum on it, maybe silicone or roof tar between the wood and steel, then water seal the wood.

I love the way the longhorn beds look, but I feel like I'm going to beat up on the bed a bit and would rather not dent a nice bed all up. Plus there's a few more square feet with the 7x9 bed above the wheels.

[unbrokenchain]

Well, couldn't get the pinion nut off even with a 3/4" drive breaker bar or (supposedly) 1,000 ft/lb impact wrench, so Nancy is sitting at a local shop waiting for service on Monday. It's funny how the truck can be outside for decades and now that it's mine I feel bad for leaving it out in the rain...

On another note, it's looking like I either need to learn to weld or befriend someone who is proficient at it. The frame needs a good bit of repair... one rail is rusted through where the wood bed rested, and the crossmember at the shackles had a brute yank on it at some point... I'm sure I'll be digging through all kinds of threads on this topic, but does anyone here have any frame repair experience? I'm wondering if this work can be done with a MIG or TIG welder, or if arc is the only way to repair steel this thick. Would like to get a welder that I can use for this and also for future bodywork.

[cooperhw]

Very nice. I am also building a 68 C30 dually. Just a little shorter.

[unbrokenchain]

After doing a bit of research on my options for frame repair, I'm considering leaving the damaged areas alone (except heavy brushing and POR) and instead adding a welded metal superstructure that bolts to the frame and will support the wood bed. Somewhat similar to the one pictured (not my truck! stolen from mypontiacs.com), though I would use heavier steel and wouldn't carry the steel outside the frame rails. My logic is that it would increase structural rigidity without the possibility of my welding weakening the existing frame, sort of like a very heavy top-mounted series of sway bars. Any thoughts?

[trac209]

A good gas mig is fine for frame work. Cool build btw