I'm legit again, my "new" '68 LB

['68OrangeSunshine]

Wow, you young CroMagnon toolmakin' whipper-snappers are polluting the Primordial Swamp with your inventions! Us Neanderthals had to make do with the tips of an old pair of needle-nosed pliers for turning switch/knob bezels... [Which are damn hard to chisel out of flint.] My favorite is a pair of SOG Paratool folding multi-pliers which break over above the handles and fold back into the tool. This allows the handles to work at 90* degrees. Can't find this artifact currently.

Lights switch below the Wiper/Washer switch is normal for '67-'68 MY.

It depends on what you're used to for best Driver ergonomics. I was driving my '68 for 20 years before I got the '71 Jimmy. Sometimes I grab the wrong control when not looking. I'm tempted to move the controls around on a major cockpit overhaul.
I'd install a 16'' 3-Spoke 67-68 wheel after I refurbish it and paint it black, move the Wiper switch over to the left side, drop the Lights switch below it. Move the Choke knob up one slot and install a manual Throttle knob below it.
Also upgrade the gauges: Nordskog digital Voltmeter, AutoMeter mechanical Temp Indicator, Vacuum and Oil Pressure gauges, and AutoMeter Tach. I have these gauges, just never installed them.
I would then have a faked '68 looking dash -- two years before GMC debuted the Jimmy.

BTW, the blue paint on your Chevy dash is interesting. To my knowledge Chevy alweays painted the dash panels India Black. GMC had a habit of paintinng them to match interior color. Since my GMC's interior was black anyway, I never knew this, until I found this Forum. Your dash panel may have been cannibalized out of a GMC.
Looking closely, the chrome plating tells me that's '69 and later Dash. 67-68s were painted silver [or Fawn] on the sides, and had the Wiper/Washer above the Lights switch.
So PO changed out the dash, keeping the early switch positions.[If he couldn't read anyway why switch the labels?] Maybe upgraded to the 7-gauge Deluxe panel from the 3-hole Standard panel. Who knows?

[89AKurt]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

Wow, you young CroMagnon toolmakin' whipper-snappers are polluting the Primordial Swamp with your inventions!
[...]

BTW, the blue paint on your Chevy dash is interesting. To my knowledge Chevy alweays painted the dash panels India Black. GMC had a habit of paintinng them to match interior color. Since my GMC's interior was black anyway, I never knew this, until I found this Forum. Your dash panel may have been cannibalized out of a GMC.
Looking closely, the chrome plating tells me that's '69 and later Dash. 67-68s were painted silver [or Fawn] on the sides, and had the Wiper/Washer above the Lights switch.
So PO changed out the dash, keeping the early switch positions.[If he couldn't read anyway why switch the labels?] Maybe upgraded to the 7-gauge Deluxe panel from the 3-hole Standard panel. Who knows?

I already made a steering wheel puller before for the other truck. I have well used needle nosed pliers, didn't think of that! The other truck had been repainted, found original color on steering column. So far, no such evidence. The wiring harness had a MADE IN MEXICO tag on it, PO may have gotten the wrong year (if it was replaced), it also has the curved terminal that goes at the column but is loose under there.

Funny you noticed the dash is different. When I looked at the Owners Manual, noticed the turn signal lights should be in the center gauge. Reason I looked, wanted to know how to turn dome light on, NOTHING. I'm not putting new gauges in, that violates my Cheapskate code.


I was getting tired of the loose wires along the sill, used bailing wire, zip tie, and Liquid Nails (left-over tube is still good) to secure. I know this is ghetto, but the cost of just the floor metal is out of my league, much less cost of labor. I also noticed the aluminum is corroding from dielectric action (that the correct term?). This should suffice until I play the lottery.


The dome light was hanging by one snap-in, the other had broken out. I know these are fragile as hell, so no hammer allowed. Squirted Liquid Nails into the broken hole.


The dash under the ash tray had been bent in, ash tray hardly worked. I cut a scrap angle iron that happened to have a hole already, put in the eye bolt found in my stash, found a foundation stake, and used the bed frame scrap over a rag on the dash, to pull back out. Sorry, I could not hold everything in position *and* take a picture.


Now the ash tray works so well, it might come out when accelerating. Straightened the gauge too, very important.