tons of info needs to be extracted from this thread

[bollybib]

COST$ TO DATE (1 OF 1)
September 18, 2011


Before Jim Bought a 1969 Custom/20
Three Grand + Tools
Ready to make offer on a 67
(327 turned out to be a 283 so no offer)

If you‘ve been reading my posts, you know I’ve been keeping track of the costs. Here is a summary of everything I’ve spent on this beast up until now.

COST BASIS……………………..……$.1,952.04
Includes purchase price, transport,
insurance, and registration.

Brakes…………..$.392.87
Drive Train……….324.34
Fuel……………….245.94
Engine…………….405.85
Suspension…….….102.18
Transmission….…..13.92
Electrical…….…….32.75
Body……….……..296.48
Steering……..………9.56
Exhaust…….…….461.79
PARTS………………………………….$.2,285.68
Includes all parts, labor, and materials needed
to complete the work I’ve described in
the foregoing posts.

DOCUMENTS………………………..….$.123.95
Reference materials I felt were necessary
to perform the work.

.....................................___________

TOTAL……………………….…………$.4,361.67

The total is interesting. When I was looking for a truck to buy, the highest priced one that I considered was about $3,800, 500 miles away, and with known issues. Although it took about ten months to get mine into good driving condition, now I have a decent driver with no major issues facing me for a few hundred more than that. I performed nearly all the work myself, so the cost of labor was essentially zero.

In addition, I spent $539.28 on tools that I purchased for specific tasks that I needed to do on the truck. Most can be used for other tasks.

Right now I have a to-do list that amounts to about $1,000. This includes new rear brake drums, new seat foam and covers, and a few other miscellaneous appearance items.

The body and trim could use freshening, but I’m kinda glad it’s a little beat-up so I won’t become suicidal upon the occurrence of future Scratches and Dings. I want to move on and do some engine work that I need to work out a plan for, too. That will eat up a lot of dough in a future budget.

Thanks for reading & Keep On Truckin'

[VA72C10]

Nice detailed writeup!!! Great info for others considering a purchase!

[treveiger]

It adds up fast don't it! But the crazy thing is the list to do adds up faster
Posted via Mobile Device

[thirdstreettito]

That is a great total cost Jim! I was expecting more like $5,000. You've done real well doing it all yourself. Good job!

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

Nice detailed writeup!!! Great info for others considering a purchase!

Thanks. That's what I had in mind when I began collecting all this cost info.

Originally Posted by treveiger

It adds up fast don't it! But the crazy thing is the list to do adds up faster
Posted via Mobile Device

There are so many temptations out there luring one to do this and that to a truck. Thankfully I'm older (for sure) and wiser (I hope) and I've learned to keep my wish list in sync with my budget.

Originally Posted by thirdstreettito

That is a great total cost Jim! I was expecting more like $5,000. You've done real well doing it all yourself. Good job!

It does add up, no doubt about it. I think I got a good return in both job satisfaction and being able to drive this unique vehicle. Thanks for the compliment.

[bollybib]

I've been trying to figure out what steering wheel would look and feel good. So this morning I took the wheel out of my 67 Vette and put it in my truck.



Kinda blew me away it looked so good. When I build the seat foam back up to normal I'll be closer to the wheel so I think this size wheel is still a little too big (D=16, Offset = 5 1/2) so I'm considering a slightly smaller Grant wheel (D = 14 1/2, Offset (with Vette hub) = 4 1/2). The stock wheel is D = 17, Offset = 5.

This one in dark mahogany
http://grantproducts.com/products/view/101/

or this one in light walnut
http://grantproducts.com/products/view/102/

I'm gonna drive it around with the Vette wheel on for a few days and see how it feels.

[treveiger]

That looks awesome! You'll have to tell us how it feels.
Posted via Mobile Device

[bollybib]

I drove my truck from Carlsbad up to LA and back September 27-28, 2011 for a dawn patrol urban surf session at El Porto with my buddy. Put about 280 miles round trip on the rumbling beast with no complaints, a lot of freeway driving at 60-65 mph most of the time. Everything ran bi+chen.

The steering wheel not only looks cool, but felt OK, too. The rim is a little thin and the circumference seems a bit large for my hands to rest on it comfortably in the 10-2 oclock positions, that's my harshest criticism. Lots of room to get in and out of the truck, more so than the stock wheel, it's offset slightly more (1/2"). Now I'm thinking in terms of a repro 67 Vette wheel and horn button rather than a Grant. Looks like about $500 to change it over the way I want, so I'll be deferring this for a while. I can just swap with the Vette now and again, it isnt too difficult to do. Maybe I should try using the stock truck wheel in the Vette, that would look pretty dumb I bet haha. (maybe I'll edit a pic of that in here later for fun).

Peace

[oldman3]

Jim,glad you are enjoying the truck and having a good time, keep us posted....Jim

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by oldman3

Jim,glad you are enjoying the truck and having a good time, keep us posted....Jim

Thanks, Jim. It is a lot of fun, that's for sure. This is the first long highway journey I've taken in it and I got more than 13 mpg - o wow !


Here's a fun pic I took at El Porto: Find Jim's '69 Custom/20 (pretty easy to pick out even at this distance).


And another from behind.


Right now I'm finding all sorts of missing, broken or disconnected stuff as I go through my heater controls. I figured now is the time to get it in shape before the winter chill sets in. I also ordered a bunch of stuff from Classic Parts recently so that should keep me busy, too. Nice thing is, now I'm at the point where I can fix or install this stuff with little or no down time.

Pax.

[oldblue1968chevy]

no down time mods are the BEST

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by oldblue1968chevy

no down time mods are the BEST

[oldblue1968chevy]

any awesome updates

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by oldblue1968chevy

any awesome updates

haha.,,.,.working on a couple now

[bollybib]

HVAC (1 OF 6)

I got into this system because the heater was fubab’ed and I wanted to get it working before I really needed the warmth. I found a lot of missing, broken, disconnected, worn out, dirty, and deteriorated parts during this quest for heat. My goal was to get the whole system functioning properly with the exception of the AC compressor loop. I don’t really need or want AC and the compressor is missing anyway. So here is a list of what I had to do to the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to get it functional and me warm.

This schematic in the Service Manual gives
a good overall picture of the HVAC system.

Inside the Cab

PROBLEM 1: The passenger side AC diverter ball housing has two broken retaining tabs so the ball flops around in the hole.
SOLUTION: I wanted to reuse the existing housing because it has factory paint. I installed a screw near one tab and epoxied near the other (no easy way to drill in this location). The ball now sits firmly between the felt pads.



PROBLEM 2: The uppermost lever in the Control Unit (CU) is broken.
SOLUTION: I got a new lever, removed and disassembled the CU, installed the new lever, cleaned and lubed as necessary, and reinstalled the CU. The CU is a busy little mechanism what with two lamps, the fan speed connector, three Bowden cables, three vacuum lines, and a bracket connected to it, all in a very confined space. It’s a good idea to mark everything and take a lot of pics so you know where stuff goes when you hook it back up.

[bollybib]

HVAC (2 OF 6)

I found this member’s thread very useful when doing this work. - - - - > 67ChevyRedneck, Rebuild you A/C controller http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=245558



CU removed……...............................………......................……….Broken lever



Broken lever removed…….......................................................Back together again


PROBLEM 3: One illumination lamp in the CU is burned out.
SOLUTION: I installed two new 1895 lamps.

PROBLEM 4: The diverter box outlets door is broken at the hinge.
SOLUTION: Over time, the plastic will fatigue and break near the hinge rod and the door becomes mechanically disconnected from the rod. The door usually ends up being stuck in the down position so that air is always diverted into the AC ducts and never to the heater ducts (which is how I discovered the problem).

There are many threads posted in here that discuss this issue and offer repair advice. I figured I’d try to make the repair since no one sells just the door and the whole box runs $90 or so.

[bollybib]

HVAC (4 OF 6)

I first cleaned all the epoxy contact areas on the door with acetone. I applied a small amount of synthetic grease to the two rubber/duct contact points and set the door into place in the duct. I inserted the hinge rod ensuring that it passed through the fiberglass cloth loop, and then applied the epoxy in four steps.
1. I filled the gaps at the corners where the plastic had disintegrated with a mix of epoxy and fiberglass.
2. I applied a generous amount of epoxy into the loop and onto the hinge rod and then snugged up the loop.
3. I applied epoxy with a small squeegee to saturate the cloth against the flat side of the door.
4. I applied epoxy with a small squeegee to saturate the cloth against the cage side of the door.

I trimmed the fiberglass cloth as best I could after the epoxy set up but before it hardened.




After the epoxy cured, I went at it with a Dremel tool using a diamond grinding bit. I dressed up the excess epoxy and fiberglass so the assembly moved freely in the duct.

Hard to say how well this repair will hold up but it works good now and for a lot less money than a whole new box at $90.


PROBLEM 5: The S-shaped duct is cracked at one corner and is missing part of the flange at one attaching hole.
SOLUTION: I repaired the damage with fiberglass and epoxy. A new duct would run around $25.


PROBLEM 6: One hole in the diverter box is stripped and won’t hold a screw.
SOLUTION: I filled the hole with epoxy and drilled it to size. Now it will hold a screw.


PROBLEM 7: The outlets cable and the heater/defroster cable are kinked.
SOLUTION: I straightened out the kinks. The cables’ resistance to movement was noticeably less afterwards.


PROBLEM 8: The floor outlet/defroster door is hard to move.
SOLUTION: I cleaned the interior of this metal duct and lubricated the metal-to-metal contact points. The door has a spring loaded detent on one side and a small sliding shoe on the other. I straightened the control cable as described in Problem 7.


PROBLEM 9: The air ducts are brittle and break easily.
SOLUTION: I repaired a torn defroster duct with fiberglass and Black RTV. The driver side AC duct disintegrated at both ends, so I bought a new set of four AC ducts. I’ll install the two lower ducts that go to the ball vents and save the uppers for another time.

Engine Compartment and Cowl

PROBLEM 10: There is a lot of debris around the cowl vent door
SOLUTION: I removed the cowl and cleaned the exposed areas. I removed the door and washed it with soap and water, then reinstalled it.


PROBLEM 11: The return spring on the cowl vent door is broken.
SOLUTION: I installed a new spring. I couldn’t find one exactly like the orignal, so I made one up with a shorter spring of about the same K and used chain link at both ends to make up the difference.

[bollybib]

HVAC (5 OF 6)

PROBLEM 12: The blower groans loudly at all speeds.
SOLUTION: There are many threads posted in here that offer advice on how to remove the blower, but pics are rare.

Access to and removal of the blower is constrained by the hood hinge. I chose to remove the two rear bolts on the fender side of the hood hinge and then rotate the hinge and hood out of the way on the loosened forward bolt. I had to first unfasten the blower so I could loosen the upper hinge bolt. It’s a good idea to mark the original location of the hinge.





The blower has to be rotated a few times to get it past the hinge (I was reminded of a few mechanical puzzles I’ve played with).

[bollybib]

HVAC (3 OF 6)


All sorts of little plastic pieces fell out


I found this adhesive at the hardware store that looked like it would work. I ended up using two.



I notched the hinge rod so the epoxy would have a good grip when the rod was rotated.



I cut away one side of the rubber only as wide as my strip of fiberglass. Then I inserted a band of fiberglass cloth so that it would wrap around the hinge rod and lay flat on each side of the door. I have stuff on hand to fix my surfboards, so I already had this fiberglass.

[bollybib]

EVEN MORE MISCELLANEOUS FIXITS (3 OF 5)

-New arm rests-
The color, although advertised as saddle, is more like brown. The quality of construction and the molding details do not accurately reproduce an original. But, they look OK and are more comfortable than the OG ones that were cracked and separated on the top surface.

Repro…………………………………...........................................................…..OG


-New taillight trim-
The existing piece was whacked and had been drilled and all the holddown clips were missing. This trim piece is relatively inexpensive so I got a new one. The uppermost clip holddown tab broke off right away but it stays flush once installed so nevermind that. One backup light lens screw was missing so I installed a new one.

[bollybib]

EVEN MORE MISCELLANEOUS FIXITS (4 OF 5)

-New radio antenna-
I was using the one that belonged on my Vette but it was getting corroded from being outdoors all the time. I bought a generic antenna at O’Reilly and put that one on the truck instead.



-New glove box liner-
The old one was totally thrashed and it was dark in there. The new one looks real nice and is now lit.



-Got the windshield washer to work-
I spliced in a new length of hose under the hood to reach the reservoir and reconnected the loose supply hose to the pump under the dash and the washer went right to work when I pushed the button.



-Brake adjusting hole plugs-
I removed the knockouts in the OG rear drums so I could adjust the brakes if necessary and now they’re plugged like they should be.

[bollybib]

EVEN MORE MISCELLANEOUS FIXITS (5 OF 5)

-Cleaned the horn contact surfaces in the steering wheel-
Pressing the horn button didn’t always result in a honk. After I cleaned all the rust off and got all the dirt out, it worked fine. The single horn sounds a little wimpy to me so maybe I’ll install duals or something louder in the future to get more robust truck-like HONK !



-Repaired the turn signal lever-
The turn signal lever was real looseygoosey. Turned out the plastic was cracked where the lever screw threads into the unit. I epoxied the screw hole and lever contact surface and then screwed down the lever. I got much firmer action afterwards.



Tape, terminals, ducts, loom…………..$.42.63
Arm rests…………………..........……………..37.52
Taillight bezel and hardware…...…………20.95
Antenna…………………............………………15.21
Glove box liner and hardware…...……….16.80
Brake hole plugs……………..……........…….0.77

Total………………...........…………….……$.133.88

I got a lot of stuff done on this truck in the past few weeks. I just ordered a new CST-style seat cover but it won't be here for a month or so. I'm still looking at steering wheels trying to decide WTF I want to do. Other that that, all is well, I drive this thing all over the place now.

Thanks for reading and keep on truckin'.

[yuccales]

Can't wait to see how your seat cover works out. I'm getting ready to do some things I've put off for awhile, seat cover is one of them. BTW, that pic of your truck at the beach is cool!

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by yuccales

Can't wait to see how your seat cover works out. I'm getting ready to do some things I've put off for awhile, seat cover is one of them. BTW, that pic of your truck at the beach is cool!

A new seat cover will make a huge difference. The repro color won't be an exact match to original, but the colors of original saddle interior components didn't exactly match one another from the factory anyway. So I'm hoping that a new "light saddle" will fit in nicely. Like any other project, there are various problems with the seat that need to be fixed, too. It should be an interesting project and fun to write up.

Thanks about the pic. The saddle color blends nicely in that setting.

[oldman3]

Jim, I enjoy each and everyone of your post, they are very informative with lots of pics and the cost. By the time your done we can all print your post and have a great assembly/cost book....Jim