Project Old Colorado
 

Well somehow, some way the old truck itch got me again. This time I was thinking I wanted a 63-66. I was looking around on Craigslist and found this sweetie. I had posted it in the craigslist finds and immediately regretted it as I really wanted it for myself. So today I pulled the trigger and bought it. I have hauled 2 motorhomes home previously as they were loaded with good options. This one isn't loaded, but damn it is clean. Just finished shortening a 71 long bed/ leaf frame I got for 250.00 and I have the majority of parts stashed: New Camaro tank, QA1 coil over rear, 5 lug rear with a new posi /3.42 gears and my old 7x15 rally wheels. Have a 292 in the garage and the motorhome has the original 292 with 33K on the odometer, so one of them will get rebuilt and fuel injected. Hope to put a TKX trans in it in the next few months. After I finished my last blazer and went back to school I gave all my unused truck parts away. Most of my friends kept them and hooked me back up with the parts ( in trade for ammo as a storage fee) So here we go again. And yes the camper is heading to the dump unless you want to come get it in Colorado.

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Re: Project Old Colorado
 

Well, this should be cool. Murphy's Law was one of my favorite builds.

Good luck, Rg

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Thanks for the kind words Jim! Looking forward to getting this project going. Frame gets dropped off to get blasted on Monday. Now to find time to get to Colorado to get it picked up and towed home. I had thought about ditching the camper and trying to drive it back but that would be a long slow drive.

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Yea, but you have got somewhere to stay if you don't ditch the camper! Sounds like a grand adventure to me.

P. :D

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Back with the truck! 10 hours drive there on Friday, 10 hours from set up till we pulled out late Saturday afternoon. 12 hours home on Sunday. Paid the dealership 200.00 to let me use the lot behind the dealership to tear it down and they lifted the engine and the cab out with a fork lift even though I took a cherry picker. Called a tow company, said it would cost 300. to use an extra long roll back. Then the driver said he didn't have an auto salvage to haul it to because it was after-hours and none of them would take it. The owenr of Birkenkotter motors said I could pay him and he would get rid of it. Couldn't get the $ out of my pocket fast enough! Figured this experience would cure my 15 y.o. son of wanting to work on old trucks, it didn't. Now to get the shortened frame painted and get it on there.

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Whoa! That's an innovative approach! Nice stuff, that motor doesn't even look like it's been run!

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This would be the 3rd motorhome I've plundered. I bought a 67 for the buddy buckets and front clip, a fully loaded 72 and this one. The cab over usually protects the cab quite well from water and they were rec vehicles that guys usually loaded up on the options. I suspect the motor was repainted, but I'll see how things look when I pull the head. Should be a low mileage motor. It fired right up when I drove it :metal:

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Sweet build! Looking forward to updates and the 292 build. :chevy:

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Thanks TJ, I've been watching your build and videos for some time. I went to pick up the frame from the blasters today but there was some flash rust from sitting in their shop for a few weeks so they said they would touch everything up the first of this next week. I plan on PORing it as soon as I get it home. $137. to blast the frame upper and lower A arms, crossmember and sway bay. Money well spent after I have done 2 other frames at home in the past :lol: Found some factory 63-66 cab mounts, radiator support and frame horns and hope to order them tonight. Also found all the factory power steering parts and a good 292 AC compressor mount. The hunt is half the fun.

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Back from the dead... The truck sat on the trailer in the garage since bringing it home from Colorado as I had to finish grad school and everything required with that. I learned that while a 63-72 SWB frames are similar, the frame horns and cab mounts are different. I sidelined the shortened 71 frame I have and brought home a 65 LWB with a trashed bed, good 3.73 rear end and a usable 283 / sm420 (which I cant seem to give away) Next I chopped the frame, had it blasted and then had a good friend weld it and added a fish plate and an old ECE C channel brace. In the last week I POR'd everything, installed all new Moog suspension parts on a 72 front disc cross member and added Bell drop spindles with CPP drop springs. I had considered the caster mod, but may use the QA1 front suspension at a later date. In the back I added a QA1 rear coil over kit on a 78 rear axel, disc brakes a limited slip diff and new Richmond 3.42 gears and reinforced trailing arms. The real prize was getting the cab on the frame! Last week my father in law gave me a 454 that I will rebuild and add a EFI kit to, so now I have two 292's I'll have to figure something else to do with. Going to try a Camaro tank with an EFI in-tank pump. My friends cousin has a 63 fleet side bed he wants sell me so we'll see what shape that is in some time next week.

The next week will consist of getting the bed,
ordering the engine rebuild kit,
finding some bucket seats and carpet
pricing AC and EFI
figuring out who still has a TKX .72 transmission in stock
might talk to a painter about adding white to the cab top

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Nice. Going to patina-match the bed to the cab/front clip?

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Scoti, Yes I'm most likely going to try to mach the patina on the bed. Eventually in a few years I'll have it all repainted in saddle / white two tone. Tomorrow nights plan i getting the interior and fire wall stripped down and cleaned up.

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Back from the Dead! So FJB's economics had the project on the back burner, but I figured I could make some compromises to get it going again. Monday I ran to northern Utah for a set of sweet 67 Camaro seats, then burned over to Twin Falls ID for a step side bed. 1300 miles in 35 hours with the wife on a fun road trip. The Bed seller even surprised me by having it hanging from a forklift when I got to his place. Now to weld up all the little holes a farmed drilled into the bed for various projects... The woods all still there as well. Back at it!

Re: Project Old Colorado
 

Been at it hard and heavy the last few weeks. I had uncovered the flooring and found the most beautiful floor pans and rockers I've ever seen. Then I stripped out the dash cleaned up the gauge cluster and put a satin clearcoat over the factory dark fawn. It wasn't the color I wanted but since it was original I thought I'd keep it. Lined the inside with sound deadener and some thermal protection and put it all back together. I look forward to driving with the ididit tilt and the smaller steering wheel. Still waiting on all the fawn carpeting. Yesterday was new wheel day! TTO's and Yokohama 17's. Off to training for a week at work, then I'll blow the bed apart for blasting, finish the brake system and get going on the engine / trans. Pics to follow

Re: Project Old Colorado
 

Beautiful to look at, fine details.

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Very nice truck. You don't see many in that good of shape. Do you know the mileage? The engine bay is super clean.

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Sorry for the pic delay. The odometer says 33k & change. Hope to order some willwood front brakes to finish that system up and grab the TKX 5 speed next week.

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Been awhile since I posted and update but I've been going hard at it. Interior is done with the exception of new glass. Rebuilt the 292 this weekend and my father in-law is doing a valve job on the head. Put a Hy-Tork cam from 12Bolt .com in it and replaced all the bearing, rings & gears. The cross hatch pattern looked good on the 33,000 motor, but I ran a bottle brush hone through it for good measure. Had the stepside bed blasted 2 months ago and she's rough but usable.
The original wood bed disenagrated when I dissembled the bed so used some of the fake plastic wood from Home Depot last week end and have everything set in place but not drilled and bolted. TKX 5 speed and a Sniper EFI are on the garage floor awaiting install. Think I have everything in hand to make it run soon but the radiator, electric fan & drive shaft. Interesting side note: No one in my area has the ability to surface a fly wheel. Found a diesel shop in an hour north in Cedar City that will. Strange Days.

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Pics

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looking Great! It is great to watch the build and read the story with it all. I cannot get over how awesome that dash is!

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Good to see you back with updates...keep them coming!

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Thank you for the kind words. This weekend was a thrasher. Got the flywheel turned on Friday, degreased and scrubbed the entire engine, got new seals in and got it painted. Yesterday it was new clutch, motor mounts, starter and the trans before stabbing it in. Tremec advised against using transmission crossmembers with tang mounts on them so I used a Doug's (thorley) transmission mount that got welded together for strength. This week: get the shifter hole drilled, measure for a driveshaft and get the head back from my father in law who is doing a three angle valve job on it. Might get the doghouse on it at thanksgiving if I can get the intake and exhaust manifolds on first.

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Great build, it's going to be very nice

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Excited to see how this one turns out. The blending of the old school OE straight-6 combined w/the benefits of the later OD trans gearing in a relatively low milage package/body is pretty cool.

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Been at it hard and heavy over the last month and nearly got her running. A power steering pump fitting kept me from firing it up on Christmas and breaking in the new cam. Need to finish a few wires and hook up the radiator and might give it ago this weekend. Dog house is on, just need to line it up a bit and bolt her down solid. Still need to bleed the brakes and get an alignment done. What I did accomplish: had a drive shaft made and installed it , new engine harness, CS130 alternator, relocated 72 BB radiator mounts, Toyota Koito H4 Headlight Upgrade Kit w/ Harness, LED turn signals, shifter installed, added heim joints to the stock clutch rod and wired up the sniper EFI. Getting there.

Re: Project Old Colorado
 

That's really looking good.

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Your truck is coming along nicely! Forgive me if you've mentioned this already, but what are those buckets seats out of that you are using? I like their look.

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Thank you, these are from a 69 Camaro.

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It lives! Finally chased down all the little items and fired it up last night. The new RV cam from 12 bolt (Howards Cam) required the engine to be immediately run up to 2500 rpms for ten minutes then allowed to cool, then repeated. Went off without a hitch and the sniper EFI ran well. Still need to do a little fine-tuning on the timing and throttle but I hope to run it around the neighborhood sometime this next week. Added a 90-ohm fuel gauge from ebay from an early 70's chevy big truck and it bolted right in (Chevrolet GMC FFC Truck Gas Gauge GM 6431426). Well worth the 35.00 to have a near-factory-looking gauge that works. I might change the face of the gauge to remove the E and F marks as it's already printed on the warning gauge plastic. More pictures to follow.

Re: Project Old Colorado
 

A great project.
They go to great lengths to get great parts.
Congratulations on successfully breaking in the camshaft, an exciting moment.

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Such a cool truck.
Love it.

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Thank you gentlemen. The cam break in went well with no hiccups. Fought brake line leaks and will resume them over this weekend. I thought I would include a pic of the fuel gauge and a digital oil pressure gauge I hid where the warning light was. I may have a more factory looking face placed over the gas gauge in the future. Just about everything else you would want to know about the engine vitals is in the sniper hand held.

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That’s a really cool combo of 292, TKX and EFI. I’m considering a Camaro tank-do you have any photos showing how much of the tank is exposed under the bed and bumper and where the filler ended up?

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I'm running a 67-72 step bumper so it may be exposed differently than a 60-66. The filler neck popped out perfectly right where you would want it near the very top of the license plate bracket for use with a fold-down tag mount. I'll try and grab a few pics to post over the weekend. Honestly, I'd use a tank that hangs down less next time such as the one lakeroadster used in his build. That one was a Tanks, Inc 1949 Chevy passenger car tank. It would require more fab work of course. Ps. I've been following your Palomino Tan Survivor, it kicks ass.

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Thanks man! I used that old Chevy-style tank on my green 64 C10. The Camaro tank is appealing for the rear fill but you confirmed my concern about how low it sits. Carry on, looking forward to seeing your finished product!

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Got home early and grabbed some pics. Please pardon the mocked up bumper, it's waiting to be painted. The stance is with a 1/2 full tank and the fenders and boards in the bed. I have yet to set the final settings for the QA1 rear suspension, it's a guestimate at this time. Bottom of the tank is 6" from the floor. I may increase the rear height for a little bit of stink bug. Main reason I chose this tank was the Holley sniper drop in Efi in tank pump for the Camaro tank with no return line required and I bought the tank in 2007 but never used it till now :smoke:

Re: Project Old Colorado
 

Super helpful pictures, thank you. How far below the rear bed crossmember does the filler neck sit? With a stock bumper you could conceivably put the filler right up to the crossmember…

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The filler neck is 2.5" below the rear bed cross panel and 2" below the top of the license plate bracket. It is possible to gain 1-1.5 " if different tubing was used above the tank. I used 1x3 but 1x2 would work.