Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

Shoot the breeze, of course ;)
Looks like you have moved around a bit yourself.
Stop by any ol' time bud.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

Great read! Just got done reading the 3 pages and must say, well done. These old trucks sure are fun.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

Thanks. I'd like to see some pics of your truck. Looks similar to mine from what I can tell.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

Here's one poor quality picture. 42 yrs. old (the truck) and still working! Hauled my "sitting rock" about 50 miles, never missed a beat. The truck has a 350, Edelbrock Q-jet, NP 435 trans, dual exhaust, Dana 60 w/ 4:10 gears. I bought it in 1990 from the original owner. He had a cab over camper on it most all of it's life. I will never get rid of her, as it is my go to truck for all my nasty hauling jobs. After reading about yours, you have built yourself a great truck.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

great read!! very detailed and descriptive. very helpful for me and im sure not the only one. keep it up good job
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Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

Thanks for the pic. It looks like I've started a small collection of 69 saddle/white C20s here. It's nice to see one like yours being used for real work. Impressive that you've had it for so long and that you are only the second owner.

Mine is just a toy for now, it still needs quite a bit of work to be reliable transport, but I'll get there. I bet when I do I'll put it to work now and again.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

Glad you enjoyed it.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

TUNES (Part 1 of 2)

I spent most of my time on the truck over the past several weeks working on the exhaust system and driveshaft. I’ll post something about those soon. When I got near the end of the exhaust-ing work, I needed something fun to do, so I decided to put in a stereo. I managed to find most everything I needed in my small-but-extensive "salvage yard", so this little project ended up costing me the price of a pack of connectors, $3.58.

I didn’t want to remove a lot of stuff or drill any new holes or cut anything. The stock AM radio doesn’t work, and I didn’t want to troubleshoot it or remove it since the AC ducts are in the way and I was not of a mind to destroy those just yet. I didn’t want to put the stereo unit in the glove box because it is way too far to reach while driving. There are two fat pan head screws below the HVAC control unit on the dash that looked like they would make fine attachment points for brackets. So I scratched my head and drew a quick sketch on my work table.


I rummaged around to find something suitable for a bracket. The center-to-center dimension of the factory-installed screws is identical to the width of the stereo unit so I needed something that would provide a rigid offset around the screw heads. I had some 1/8" thick rectangular aluminum tubing on hand that looked like a good candidate, and it would be easy to cut and drill too. So following my sketch, I fabricated two brackets and made a few test fits. It looked like it would work OK.


Then I went to the truck’s electrical schematic to find a good place to hook up the power. I used the lead at the cigarette lighter for unswitched power and ran a wire to the radio connector near the fuse box to get switched power because I couldn’t reach the radio’s power connector. A PO had drilled a hole in the bottom of the dash directly above my mounting location so I used that for a ground screw. I disconnected the antenna cable from the radio to use for the stereo (lucky I could reach it without taking stuff out). I needed to buy some spade terminals but I had everything else on hand.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

TUNES (Part 2 of 2)

I used a pair of 6 ohm speakers from a Sony mini-shelf system because 1. I hadn't used them for quite a while, 2. They worked, and 3. They fit under the seats. I screwed a piece of thin board to the sides of the speakers because I attached the speakers to the floor with silicone glue. I didn’t want to completely ruin the looks of the speakers in case I ever use them again elsewhere. I painted the stereo case and brackets semi-gloss black and put everything in.


I used an iPod cassette adapter and ran the wire up to the ash tray where I can set my iPod. Fired it up and it sounds good and looks fine. Now I can turn it up to drown out the valve train noise haha.


Rock on.

Jim

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

Nice looking set-up Jim, rock on:metal::metal:....Jim

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

See, I learned something by following your build ;).

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

I saw your post in my 9906 refurb edelbrock thread and came here like you suggested.

How much $ did you spend on parts to do the rebuild?

Thanks,
Robert

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

I bought Edelbrock rebuild kit and floats, plus lacquer thinner and other incidentals, about $80-90. There are cheaper kits out there (eBay) but I stuck with Edelbrock because I hadn't done one before.

There is a lot of external stuff that Edelbrocks need, fuel filter, fuel pressure regulator, fuel gauge, fittings and so on that could run you another $100+ easy if you don't have them.

All this stuff is itemized in my list. Some guys don't want to deal with all this and just go buy one complete. That works, too.

YW

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

Thanks,

That's close to the numbers I was getting.

I already have the Holley Regulator and Pressure Gauge.

I'm thinking I'll just get the 9906 (refurb 1406) this time around.

Thanks again.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

NP, I'm gonna read through your Service Truck Build thread, looks interesting. I was seriously considering a 1967 plumber's truck while I was looking for mine so I can see what I'm missing by reading yours.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

Jim,

Thanks for the link to your fix for the trans leak at the speedo gear. $2 worth of seals from the local tranny shop and no more leaks.

Dave

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

After browsing your thread, I wanted to say thanks.

I like it went guys document their steps/progress - I have found so many solutions to my projects by just browsing build threads.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

Good deal, Dave. I'd have to say that little fix did the most for the least amount of money and effort of everything I've done so far.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

You and me both. This site is loaded with good info if you spend the time to look.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

This has been a great read. Nice to see another Custom Camper here!
This is what mine looked like pre-restoration:
http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/79...600x600Q85.jpg
Then when I got it in January:
http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/25...600x600Q85.jpg
And now:
http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/44...600x600Q85.jpg
Keep up the good work!

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

Thanks, I have a lot of fun writing about my adventures with my truck. BTW mine is just plain Custom (no Camper option). Looks like yours was originally a saddle/white combo from the pic (a little hard to tell). Your SPID should spell out the original options including color.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

While the bed is off, there are several other things that need attention and now is a good time to do them because I have good access to everything. Besides, I doubt much anything I can see now that requires regular service or replacement has been touched for many years. After the pinion seal, I had the following items on my List.

1. Replace the u-joints and bearing support
2. Replace the exhaust system
3. Clean the frame
4. Replace the shocks
5. Replace the rear brake hose
6. Redo the rear end cover seal that I apparently didn’t do very well the first time

So here goes with Numero Uno, Replace the u-joints and bearing support (aka DRIVESHAFT).

DRIVESHAFT (1 of 3)

I’ve taken out one-piece driveshafts and replaced u-joints before, but this two-piece shaft looked a little more complicated. I made sure I marked the original orientation of all the parts so I would reassemble them in the same position (assuming they were all in the proper positions to begin with, of course). I cleaned up as best I could around the transmission tailshaft seal to minimize introduction of dirt when I removed and replaced the driveshaft assembly. I then removed the entire two-piece driveshaft (this was easy).



U-Joints

Since I don’t know the service history of this truck, I decided to replace all three u-joints (UJs). The two forward UJs are the same size (Series 1310), and the rearmost one is larger (Series 1350). However, the auto parts stores think all three should be the same, but on a C20, they aren’t. 67-72chevytrucks.com and the Chevrolet Truck Parts Catalog provided the details regarding the anomalous part. I bought sealed Precision UJs so I won’t add three fittings to grease in the future. The ones I removed were sealed Spicers. The truck probably came from the factory with sealed UJs, according to the Service Manual. It’s been many years since I worked on UJs, so I fiddled around a while until I got a method worked out. I ended up using my hydraulic press to remove them and a 6" C-clamp to install them (both in combination with an appropriate size socket) which worked reasonably well.

I had some difficulty installing a couple of them. After the lock rings were in, the joint was binding, I could feel that it was stiff and not rotating freely. I wasn’t too sure what was happening, so I took one of the old Spicers, tore it down, cleaned it, greased it, reassembled it, and reinstalled it at a joint (a good exercise, probably something people did a lot way back when, too, rebuilding UJs). No binding. I began to think my new Precision UJs were at fault. I read a few threads where people disliked them, but they didn’t give any specific reason why. I made a lot of measurements to compare new and old UJs (I’ve got a decent set of mics and calipers) and I found both almost deadnuts the same. So something was amiss in the way they ended up after I installed them, I thought. Maybe the binding I felt was because the trunnion end faces were being forced into the bottom of their bearing caps. So I went back and made sure all the yoke surfaces were clean, the lock rings and their slots were undamaged, and everything was free of debris or damage. I found a few places that needed attention, so I got out my Dremel, small files, wire brushes, and solvent and did what I felt necessary. The lock ring slot on the splined center yoke was definitely tweaked (more about that below). Once I took care of all this, all the UJs went in fine and did not bind.

Here, in greater detail, is a procedure I wrote based on how I did my UJ work (with lots of pics).
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=492271

Bearing Support

The Service Manual calls this innocuous looking contraption a bearing support, so I guess I will, too. The bearing support consists of a stamped metal frame, the lower section of which is formed into a cylinder. Held within the cylindrical section is a rubber isolator that grips the outer race of a roller bearing. The bearing’s inner race is pressed onto the splined section of the front driveshaft. By virtue of its being attached to a frame crossmember, support is provided for the driveshaft near the center UJ. My driveshaft obviously sagged here. It was way off-center relative to the bearing support. With the bed off, I could hear it squeaking when I drove at slow speed. The last pic below shows the support after it was removed from the driveshaft.

Attachment 1050257
Bearing support


Attachment 1050258
From beneath cab


Attachment 1050259
Cut and sagging rubber isolator

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

DRIVESHAFT (2 of 3)

To get things apart, the yoke at the rear of the front driveshaft must be removed. It was stubborn and required quite a bit of torque on the puller to break it free (I was wondering for a while if it would).


I found later that I had deformed the lock ring slot with the puller claws. Due to problems later encountered, I ended up having to remove and replace the yoke several times. Instead of pulling directly on the yoke, I inserted a pair of old trunnion bearing caps with their openings outward and pulled against them, not the yoke. However, the damage was done so I fixed it as best I could.

I cut off the old bearing. I cleaned up and straightened the two metal end shields. Then I installed a new bearing with the a shield behind it. Then I slipped the stamped metal/rubber isolator assembly over the bearing, put on the other shield and the yoke, and torqued it up. Then I reassemble the UJ. Then put the whole bloody mess back on the truck. I had the rear wheels off so I could run the drivetrain with the rear axle up on stands. I fired it up and it spun like a top ! But then..,wait,..,what’s this I hear ?? Damn.,.,.it started squeaking loudly so I shut it off. The shields were hot as hell. I thought maybe I had a bad bearing so I took off the rear driveshaft and ran just the front one. I put my stethoscope to the bearing, it didn’t sound all that great , but after running it for 15 minutes or so, no squeak or obvious overheating.

[Note Added on 8/11/11) I simplified this narrative some so I should also mention something else that happened. The first time I ran the assembled unit, the squeak began, got slowly louder, and then the driveshaft began to wobble violently. I believe this was caused by excessive friction between the shields and the rubber which makes sense considering what I did next.

Next I tried greasing the rubber. Not a long term solution, but maybe that would help me figure out what was wrong. Reassemble and reinstall the driveshaft again. The grease shut it up. I left it like that for a while, figuring I’d get back to the problem later, if there still was one. But later on when I checked, it started squeaking again. The pic below is with the rubber greased up.


So I took the driveshaft apart one more time. Now I could see that the rubber was chafing against the shields. OK, this is good, I know what is wrong now. You can see the flat spot worn into the rubber by the metal shield in the pic below. This was happening on both sides.

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

DRIVESHAFT (3 of 3)

So how to fix it ? I found a support unit only (less the bearing) that I thought I’d try next since it wasn’t too pricey. When I got it home I compared it to Mr. Squeaky. I found that newcomer Mr. Slim was one-fourth of an inch narrower than ol’ Mr. Squeaky, and that the rubber was much stiffer, too. This seemed like a good thing. Maybe the rubber on Mr. Slim would clear the shields and provide firm, dampened support like it is supposed to. I put it all together one more time (how many times now ?? ugh) and lo and behold, it worked like a charm. Well, except the alignment was off a little (the flanges of the shields were not parallel to the metal stamping, so the rubber isolater was distorted a little). So I shimmed the front attaching bolt a little at the crossmember support bracket, then it was prefect. Below are pics comparing the two different isolators; Mr. Squeaky on the left and Mr. Slim on the right. Quite a difference.


Left - National Driveshaft Support Bearing, Part No. HB206FF (from O’Reilly’s)
Right - Balkamp Driveshaft Center Support Rubber, Part No. BK 6021087 (from NAPA)

So in conclusion, I probably should have bought the NAPA thing right off the bat, left the original bearing alone, and saved myself almost 50 bucks and a lot of troubleshooting. I’m going to take back the O’Reilly stuff next time I visit them (minus bearing) and see what they will or won’t do. After much ado, the finished installation is shown below.



Support brng, u-joints………............$.85.88
Rear u-joint……………………............…….38.05
Driveshaft center support rubber …..…11.84
Hardware, grease, wire wheel……....….20.53

Total……………...............……...………$ 156.30

Added info on 7/8/11: O'Reilly's gave me a refund for the entire purchase amount of the support bearing, even without the bearing (it's pressed on and I was not of a mind to remove it and get another). Thank you very much O'Reilly's.

Old Total..............................$.156.30
Less refund.............................(46.32)

New Total..............................$109.98

Re: Jim's 1969 Custom/20
 

Looks like theres a whole bunch of us with the same truck same color even! :lol:
Mine was in a lot rougher shape then yours to start with ,but since im retired again ive got plenty of time on my hands.
Im going the 4x4 route with mine to make it easier to find parts,and since it snows a lot here in nebraska.The picture of the other truck brings back lots of memories since i was a plumbing/boiler/electrical contractor and ran a lot of back hoes over the years,the guy i inherited the truck from taught me to work on boilers years ago so it must be a sign from above! :lol:
Im going to have the complete rolling 3/4t 2 wheel drive chassis out from under the truck including 4 speed sitting in my driveway this weekend hopefully including a decent 8' box if anybody needs it its free to a good home to anybody that wants to haul it off give me a call 402-321-4003 jim ;)