Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
A couple of my good friends have been building 71’ C10 Pro Streets (one started as the parts truck for the other) and I’d been hanging out with them so much I sort of caught the bug if you know what I mean. So I put the word out that if anybody ran into a good deal on one I was looking for a running project, since I can’t afford to do a frame off restoration and I’m not looking to go Pro Street, just have a fun classic truck to cruise around in and maybe be a daily driver.
So anyway, a mutual friend of ours heard about it and mentioned this truck his brother found and passed on. He thought it was a 67’ or 68’ and the guy only wanted $100.00 bucks! Now that fell right into my budget, i.e. it was ultra cheap! ;) Big surprise though, when we showed up to haul her off the truck turned out to be a 66’! :metal: Which only added to its value in my opinion. The 67-72 trucks are nice…but the 60-66 trucks are better IMHO. http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0554.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0572.jpg I know that most people posting here are doing full restorations or modifications to their trucks but I thought there must be more folks like me who just want to get their old truck running and drive it and for as little money as possible. So I figure, why not just do a thread about what it took to get this ole gal back into a roadworthy state. No frame offs here (well planned ones anyway), no BBC swaps (I wish :waah:), no extreme lowering or Z’ing the frame (cool but not in the budget either). Plans for this project are as follows; 1) Get the drum brakes back in working order. Worry about possible disc conversion later. 2) Freshen up or rebuild the motor whichever is the minimum required :lol: 3) Fab up a temporary gas tank until I can find a good under the bed mounted one. The original tank came with the truck but not installed and missing the sending unit. Seems like a good time to move it out of the cab anyway. 4) Put in a new bed floor. 5) Drop her down a little bit with either purchased drop springs or cut front/jeep rear. :metal: 6) Replace worn out stuff. New ignition switch (just needed re-keyed until my buddy got a hold of it), various rubber doohickeys, bushings, etc., etc. 7) Run dual exhaust with Cherry Bomb’s :devil: (always wanted those since I was a kid). 8) Figure out what wheel/tire combo I’m going to run and acquire them. Right now I’m running freebees with throw away used rubber. 9) Repair major body damage and rust. So far I’ve found less than expected but more than I wanted :help: 10) Figure out whether to paint it (small dings and all) with a cheap paint (I really liked ol_skool_chevy’s suggestion, I’ll explain later) or just keep the patina. It may be years before the real body work and nice paint job happen. In the mean time she’s rusting… |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
We got it to the shop and first order of business was 6 lug wheels that would fit and some rubber…that took a little while so it became second order of business and starting her up was now the first order of business!
http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0577.jpg Took about thirty minutes of tinkering, we bypassed the ignition since we didn’t have a key, found a battery to use, and she fired right up. Had good oil pressure according to the factory gauge on the dash, but she sure smoked enough to run off all the skeeters in the county. Looks like a valve or ring job (or both) is in her future… http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0557.jpg The upshot is she idled well and ran very smooth with no knocks or unusual noises. I haven’t had much opportunity to diagnose the smoke situation as there’s three other vehicles in the shop and my poor 66 is relegated to a spot under the trees unless we make room to work on it. Once we’ve gotten her engine bugs fixed, starting and stopping good, I can move her to my garage for the other stuff. I’m not much of a mechanic so for now she stays where the gear heads can work without having to come to her. Engine is a 283, 2 bolt main (Turns out the easiest way to see the casting numbers was to shine a flashlight from underneath in the wheel well then slide my iPhone over the top of the engine . No matter how I contorted I couldn’t force my fat head between the engine and firewall) :sexy: http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0685.jpg With 3 speed manual column shift tranny. I haven’t crawled under there yet to figure out which one though. http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0597.jpg After looking her over and a little bit of research with the VIN tells me she was built in St. Louis, I’d say it’s mostly a base model truck but with the custom cab and trim. The heater is the Econoline model, no A/C, a pretty much unmolested dash with cutouts for the factory radio (shockingly the previous owner(s) did not hack this apart). http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0622.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0623.jpg The seat is in excellent condition and I suspect it’s been recovered or replaced at some point. http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0619.jpg The bed floor has been pulled out long ago. The only thing holding it on to the frame is the tail light wiring :uhmk: http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0608.jpg Time for a smoke break :smoke: and a cup of Joe.:mm: I've got more to follow soon. I know what picture fanatics you guys are so no worries. I'll put up lots. Actually you may tell me to stop :blah: |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
We just recently moved to a new house that’s put 30 + miles between me and the truck. That and the fact that work has kept me very busy, kept the progress to a minimum. I have done a few small things to report.
First I gave the truck a much needed bath. It was under the PO’s carport for like 8 years and had the dust to prove it. http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0579.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0582.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0583.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0587.jpg The PO wanted to keep his crappy rims or sell them for $600 bucks...we let him keep them. My friend Daniel had some chevy rally wheels he was willing to give me for free, but the center hole wasn't large enough for this old truck. Oddly enough though another friend saw those wheels and liked them better than what he was running on his blazer so we swapped and these fit. So that's why the shiny wheels in case you were wondering. I'm partial to the stock steel wheels or some old style cragers or smoothies myself. Replaced the brake master cylinder in the pic below. I don’t have an after yet but you know what they look like anyway! http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0614.jpg We bled the front brakes and got them working but I had to order parts for the rear brakes that were trashed. Rear driver’s side brake. Wheel cylinder is very crusty lol http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0680.jpg The truck came with the original (or replacement of the original) fuel tank that mounts behind the seat. But this wasn’t installed and the sending unit is missing. So since it was out I decided to come up with a temporary solution until I figure out which tank I want to get that mounts under the bed between the frame rails. We were sitting around discussing this when somebody said a beer keg would look cool as a tank. And my buddy whose shop we all shamelessly take advantage of mentioned that he happened to have one laying around. So we fabbed (meaning he did it) up a temporary fuel tank from a bud light keg! http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0688.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0689.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0691.jpg Not bad for a hour’s work! We ended up placing it in front of the passenger wheel well for now since it’s too long of a reach in the middle as in the picture and we had just enough fuel line lying around to run it from there. That’s about where I’m at for now. Plans for this weekend (if all goes well) are to rebuild the rear brakes. My spring kits, and wheel cylinders came in for this. And to replace the starter so we can run the engine some more. That needs to be run some more so we can better determine whether to pull the motor and do a re-ring. Or leave it in and do the head work first. With my luck we’ll end up needing to do both :lol: Here's some random pics I took just for your viewing pleasure :chevy: http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0625.jpg Not too excited about this aftermarket shifter handle http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0624.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0621.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0620.jpg I think I know what this hood ornament was...and I wish it was still there! http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0618.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0615.jpg My 20 month old daughter thinks daddy's new toy is for her! :cf: http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0596.jpg That's all I've got for now. Please feel free to comment or give me suggestions etc. I'm not much of a mechanic but my friends have all assured me (with evil grins :devil:) that I will be by the time we're done with my little project :haha: :fb: |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
I think your going about it perfectly, get it safe and drive the 1@#$%^ out of it and then do the minor things! welcome to the sickness my friend. and a shout out to your buddies who infected you and are helping continue the disease.
|
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Quote:
BTW thanks for your comments :) |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Well I was going to put in a new starter today but even though the bolt patter was correct for some reason they just wouldn't line up. I did swap it out at O'rielly's for another that appeared to more closely match the original I just ran out of time tonight so I'll try again maybe tomorrow. I need to talk myself into rebuilding the rear brakes too...
Anyway here's some shots I took of my friends 71 GMC project just for fun :) http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/dd9bb480.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/105dbfd1.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/09d72225.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/87788653.jpg I wish I had the mullah for the stuff he's doing :metal: Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Oh man, what a sweet truck you have. I like what you have done so far. I love the fact that you only paid $100 for it and that it is pretty much all there with a running engine to boot!! :metal: That is classic!
Quick question for you. What brand are those rims? I absolutely love em! I have a 1968 chevy pickup. I sure love it but I would love to have a '60 to '66 chevy pick up one day. I scour craigslist all the time. You my friend got one heck of a deal. Congrats! I can't wait to see more progress updates and good luck with your build! Keith |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Quote:
I'll be honest I never thought to ask what brand those wheels are so I will have to ask the guy we traded what they are and let you know. :smoke: Posted via Mobile Device Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
very nice, motor looks perfict under there.
|
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Quote:
Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Ahhhh It Is a great thing to have such friends. You are doing it right and enjoying the ride. Welcome to the fun!!
Looks like a great find BUT you know the purchase price you paid will be the cheapest part of the whole project!!:lol::lol: |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Quote:
I think I've already spent more than double just on brake parts, master cylinder and new starter :lol: besides that another couple hundred in a week or two for the valve job at the machine shop. At that point truck will be up to $500 or so. I've estimated a couple grand just to get her roadworthy and then I have to decide on body work and such. What keeps me happy is the big block in the pics above cost over twice that by itself :lol: Posted via Mobile Device Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
I keep all the receipts from a project for return reasons , but I have NEVER once added them up at the end of a project. I never will either.
I could count to $12K worth of parts just on big ticket items when I finished an El Camino SS a few years ago:whine::whine: I am guessing I am around $8K so far in this truck. It is cheaper than a Head Shrink and less trouble than a drinking habit! I am having FUN!!!:lol::lol: |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Very nice looking project. :metal:
|
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Quote:
Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Quote:
Wish I could get a deal like that for $100. |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
What a killer deal for $100! A running truck is worth at least 5 times that much in my book. Plus, I love the factory turquoise color.
I would do the CLR & Scotchbrite trick on that thing. I just did mine (see my '64 link below) and it was amazing. Super cheap, easy to do, and man, what a difference. I just did the driver's side last weekend, and I'll post up more pics in the next few days. |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Quote:
The guy that's building the 71' with the 454 (pics above) told me he doesn't even ask what a part costs when he orders a part. It would just discourage him! I can't be that removed from it since my credit card obviously has a much lower limit than his :haha: Quote:
Quote:
So I'm planning on trying it just to see what will come of it, but I'm thinking I'm going to have to do paint of some sort just to keep the rust from eating the truck. ol_skool_chevy had replied to another thread I posted with questions about paint vs. patina (meaning painting before doing the body work) with a suggestion to use 1 quart paint to 3 (or 4) quarts primer (sorry ol_skool I know that was top secret!!) which i suppose would seal it and also still be sandable... http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=465457 |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
For bare metal areas, here's what I would do in the meantime:
When I CLR'd my truck, I found that GM used either red or black primer in certain areas. On mine, I found black on the bedsides and hood, and red primer on all the other parts. Take a good look at your areas that are bare and mimic the surrounding primer. Do a little prep on the bare areas and fog on some black or red oxide primer, lightly sand back the edges to blend it all in, and you're done. You can brush-touch any small bare metal nicks and do the same thing. You've got so much of that cool turquoise color to buzz it all off just yet. Cover the bare areas, then CLR/scotchbrite. It'll look like a completely different truck. Who knows, you might like it so much that you'll go the paint store and buy a gallon of cheap satin clear and seal it up and be finished!! |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Quote:
I plan on trying the CLR treatment regardless of the outcome anyway so maybe I can use your suggestion with the primer and see how it comes out. Daverod has the coolest looking patina and it's shockingly all or mostly fake so it can be done I'm just not very confident of my skills (well the lack of anyway) so worst case scenario is I screw it all up and have to paint :smoke: Part of the problem with running the patina, which I think looks cool, is that most folks in my area see that and think it's just another farmer driving around! :haha: People around here hear me talking about the patina look and give me some strange looks cause every other farmer is driving a 20 to 50 year old truck with "patina" and they just don't get that it has a following of sorts :uhmk: I guess I'm just going to have to make sure you won't be able to mistake the sound and stance of this truck as a farmer's ride! :devil: |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
I've got a minor update for ya'll.
I had to try three different starters (all the same bolt pattern) in order to find one that fit properly but we finally got my new starter and new ignition switch installed last night. Engine fired right up! And to top off a fun night I actually got to drive my truck for the first time!!! :metal::metal::metal: I felt like a novice driver with the combo of no power steering, clutch, and column shift!! I've had vehicles with all three but it's been so looooong :lol: Super fun to drive...I think I really should get the bed tied down and a mount fabbed for the gas tank before I do too much more driving though. For a second I thought I had slung the entire bed off while spinning out the tires on my friends gravel drive! :two: Sorry I got so excited I forgot to take any pictures. My friend's going on vacation so the only plans for the next week or two is possibly head out there and try CLR on the ole girl to see what is left of the paint under all that rust ;) I'll take pics if that plan actually comes to fruition. |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Great deal and great truck! I'm running 2' cherry bombs(I too have wanted a set since I was a kid)on my 66 and I grin every time I start the truck. One good thing about having a low budget- if you cant pay someone to do it for you- you have to learn to do it yourself, and coming out of the project with a truck that you've done most of the work on is a wonderful feeling.
Best of luck, have fun, cant wait to see how this beauty turns out. |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Well, I think I'm going to test the CLR treatment on the hood of my truck this morning before it gets too hot to work. It's been 100+ farenheit all week :devil:
Can anybody tell me how fast the CLR works on the rust? Should I expect it to magically disolve before my eyes or should I expect to be scrubbing until the scotchbright pad falls apart? :lol: I read in one thread to use about 4 to 1 ratio of water to CLR so that's what i'm going to try, I'm not sure though if I should let that sit on the rust for a while or just start scrubbing like Danny LaRusso prepping for a karate championship? ****crickets**** Uh you know like karate kid?...wax on...wax off...tough crowd :smoke: Anyway can anybody throw me some pointers on this? |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Yeah, get on that thing before it gets too hot! It's been 100+ here as well, and that makes it a real challenge to get anything done.
CLR doesn't work super-fast. I have tried different strengths (4-1, 2-1, full), and I didn't notice a huge difference. I use it at 100% strength (non-diluted) on all the heavily rusted areas. Spray it on, let it sit for a minute or two, and then scrub it with the Scotchbrite. Back away, spray it again. Do that 2 or 3 times. It'll create a rusty light brown foam when you scrub it, and that will keep the CLR from running all over the place, which is a good thing because it'll continue to work. When you're ready, grab the hose and while it's running over the area where you applied the CLR, scrub with the Scotchbrite. Wet-scrubbing with the Scotchbrite makes a big difference, and it dilutes all of the remnants, which will get messy. The MOST important tip I can give you: A fresh Scotchbrite will kick butt, and not long after, it'll act like it's not doing much. So make sure you have a good supply of Scotchbrite pads standing by. I bought a pack at Home Depot for around $4, and I've still got some left. I also bought another type of chemical at Home Depot called ZEP and it's a little cheaper than CLR and it might work even better. Also, wear gloves. I don't know how nasty that stuff is to your body, but it's always best to play it safe. Do a section at a time. It's something that will take a few days, but the results are worth it. Just pretend that the truck belongs to Mr. Miagi and when it's done, you'll be able to fight that blond punk from the Cobra Kai studio at the State Championships. Show him what that bird style Karate is all about! Go forth and conquer, Daniel-San.......... I cannot wait to see how this turns out. I think it'll look AWESOME! |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Quote:
|
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Ok. So I went out with my brother to scrub the truck with CLR and see how the ole girl looks. We got started around noon and it's already 100 degrees here so we only got an hour in before calling it a day. My bro lives in the Tacoma area and he's just not prepared for this kinda heat, well to be honest I was sucking wind too and I live here! :lol:
We did scrub the hood down real good though and I can say that the CLR does work very well. It took the surface rust off painted areas very fast and easy but some schmoe in the past sanded the paint off in a lot of areas on my truck so any remaining rust you do see on that hood is bare metal that I just didn't have the energy to spend hours on today! Also I only had my iPhone and the truck was in dappled lighting so I'm sorry for the imperfect shots but here they are... One taken before (older shot cuz I forgot to take one today) http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/IMG_0579.jpg And one after http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/fa875a58.jpg Again I'm sorry for the poor imagery. There's very little paint left on the middle of the hood. It's mostly down to bare metal now. Here's an after shot on the drivers side http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/0d3215c2.jpg And the passenger side http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/3abd01e2.jpg Anyway it turned out better than I expected yet not as good as I hoped! Not sure at this point how I would make this thing look like the original paint or primer is still there. Posted via Mobile Device Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
P.S.
I'll take better shots in good lighting as soon as I van because there was a big difference it's just hard to see in those shots. Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
I got to looking at some of the pics I took this weekend and the more I look the more depressed I get about that damn paint...
Spend a zillion hours trying to keep the patina looking real or just paint it flat black and be done with it? :waah: To the left is the top of my bedside after scrubbing with CLR..to the right is before. The PO sanded it entirely down to bare metal then left it exposed. http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/bb9d3dc1.jpg A patch of the rust on my hood... http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/9e1f3127.jpg a before pic of one section i scrubbed. Look at the windshield wiper arm area. http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/65385b34.jpg and after... http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/ef8ee6d4.jpg Help me out guys...what should I do? Other then quit my B****ing I mean :lol: |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
When I started checking out my rear drum brakes I found that one of the little shafts that fits into the wheel cylinder is missing. I bought a new cylinder but they do not come with that shaft and I was told at O'Reilly's that nobody is selling them.
http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0680-1.jpg Anybody know where I can order one or am I stuck scrounging a junk yard? http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/...m/d9755d7f.jpg |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Perhaps this will head you in the right direction (assuming this is the part you need). No idea if this is the same as a 66 C10 but if you have an old one to compare it might be worth a $4.00 gamble. Also if you can bring the photo and description to a local parts store they might have an old timer that can find it:
http://shop.corvettecentral.com/1953...viewsTabAnchor |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Quote:
|
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
I just noticed a picture in post #6 of the thread below that shows exactly what I need. In the picture he has the brake tore down and the new wheel cylinder installed. I am missing one of the two pins that are sticking out of the wheel cylinder.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=439219 |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Man - O - Man is that a good looking truck.
Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Quote:
|
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
looking good man i would just leave the original paint i think it gives a classic look (that takes 40 years to make) and you will never get it back if you paint it i wish i never would of messed with mine!
|
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Nice project :metal: you can't go wrong for $100 :metal:
Keep the pics coming ;) Tony Posted via Mobile Device |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Quote:
that one should work fine almost all the parts are the same for these trucks no matter the year |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
I'll find out for sure this week as the plan is to finish rebuilding the rear brakes and get my bed floor done and bolted down in the evenings after work. Next in line is pulling the heads and having the machine shop do a valve job. I hope to have that done by the end of the month. That little job will let me know the next step and whether or not I need to rebuild the engine or not. :smoke: Of course if the engine needs a rebuild then I have another delima because then I have to decide whether to sink money into the little 283 or maybe upgrade to a 350...hmmm...just so happens there's a 350 short block in the shop ready for a build...:devil: |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
So I'm freshening up this 283 and thought I'd ask if anybody had suggestions on mods/upgrades to pep this puppy up a little? I tried weeding through the site for relevant threads but my search skills are weak :(
I know rebuilding the whole thing will be pricey so I'm trying to avoid that if I can. But are there some individual changes that I can make that will help? Upgrade to 4 barrel intake/carb? New Cam? If so what? I like the sound of the thumper cams but other than sound are they an improvement over the stock original? Is there something better? What's the pros/cons of going to a triple duece setup? Probably not feasable for a driver huh? :lol: I'd love some input on what upgrades I can do to this motor without doing them all at once! I'll probably have the motor out when I have the heads off anyway so I'm going to pretty her up a little. Does anybody know the factory engine color for the 283 in 66? |
Re: Sam's Man Cave 66 Project
I can offer a little input on the 3 deuces, although my only experience was with a 406 Ford intake on a 1963 Galaxie 390. It was simply the coolest intake system I ever owned. When dialed in properly they are great for a daily driver because essentially you’re just driving on the center two barrel. Mine took a lot of work to get it set up correctly, but with a 4 speed manual transmission I actually measured 18 mpg two or three times. Unfortunately I almost always found a “need” to use the outboard carbs which resulted in less than 5 mpg. It was like flushing a toilet. If I kept my foot in it long enough I could actually watch the gas gauge drop!
I would love to have 3x2’s again, but it is an expensive upgrade. And here is a rather lengthy thread on the joys and issues of Thumpr cams. I'd like one of those as well: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ght=thumpr+cam |
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:08 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 1997-2022 67-72chevytrucks.com