Re: Johns 66
 

Your frame and wheels and tires are looking excellent.

Re: Johns 66
 

A few more things done. I think in my inexperience I figured the back half of the frame would go pretty quick.....yeah right. I didnt take into account that 54 yrs of road grime, rust, krud and pretty much eveything you could think of would make it difficult to remove the u-bolts, and spring bolts. I used penetrating oil, wd 40 spit..lol and they were really tough.
Im not sure if its just the usage but the threads were pretty messed up on the u-bolts. Had to heat the upper spring bolts and ended up breaking them. Also the brake line connections were froze so I just cut them and will replace them.

I did get the trailing arm and panhard bar bushings out...not to bad after I read a thread from the board....just used a drill bilt and drilled around the rubber and they came out pretty easy.

I do have a little bit of welding to do. I cut 3in holes on the center cross member. My thoughts are I can run the exhaust through them i stead of under them. Im going to get a 1/4 plate for both sides and weld them in for strength...not sure I need them but better safe than sorry. I also got all the old brackets, old exhaust hangers and anything else that wasnt needed off the frame.....those 40 grit flapper disc on a 4i grinder work wonders on the rivets.

Last I got the frame, rear end, trailing arms, panhard bar painted....as well as the shocks....they were blue but as you can see I painted them red.....I think its a law in Alabama not to have any blue....lol

Re: Johns 66
 

"not a show truck" :lol:

Looks great! On the U bolts, make sure you get some new ones. I had a local driveshaft shop bend some up for me when I noticed mine had loosened. The 63 shop manual said to torque them to 230 ft lbs

Re: Johns 66
 

It's such a show truck it's not funny! :lol:

Re: Johns 66
 

I gotta get all the torque specs..right now everything is wrench tight.

You two are funny....if it was a show truck I would have had the frame powder coated instead of rattle canning it...better yet a custom frame...lol Thats why I painted the shocks....lol
Just remember pics look good from across the room...lol

15.00 in rattle can paint, 3 wire wheels and alot of time cleaning.

I had to buy new brake lines and bolts so lil more than I wanted to spend...also bought a rear brake spring kit to redo the brakes...7.00 wasnt bad.
I am going to change the rear wheel cylinders while everything is apart...just make good sense to do that...Ill keep the old ones just in case.

Re: Johns 66
 

My thoughts exactly!!!!

Re: Johns 66
 

Nice work on the frame. It's a tough job cleaning them up. How are you going to run the exhaust if you block off the holes in the crossmember?

Re: Johns 66
 

Thanks....Im not going to block them off...I cut the 3in holes in to run the exhaust through the cross member instead of below it.
I was going to add a plate for strength with the same 3 in hole...basically just making it thicker where I cut it out.

Re: Johns 66
 

Lil update for today.....got the new trailing arm bushings in and arms mounted, also got the new rear springs in as well....with all new grade 8 bolts.
Put the front shocks on just to see how the red looks...not too bad

Re: Johns 66
 

Red shocks for the Bling!

Re: Johns 66
 

Got the rear brakes rebuilt with new hardware, pads, and drums. Also got the rear end set back in place.
Engine got cleaned up and painted after the rebuild.
Gotta pick up some gaskets today and get the accessories installed on the motor and ready to set it.....gonna wait till the brake lines get hete before we set it in.
One mo step in da process!!!

Re: Johns 66
 

Looks great John! Love the engine!

So glad you have time to work on her again!

Re: Johns 66
 

Dangit John, you're making me regret not taking the time to completely paint my engine :lol:
You'll be back on the road in no time!

Re: Johns 66
 

Instead of taking it back to the paint shop after reassembly for the stripe you should consider doing the stripe in vinyl. It was pretty easy to apply and cost me $30. And if you've got the trim holes it will be even easier for you.

Re: Johns 66
 

Thanks Andy....its and enjoyment and challenging at the same time....but #gottaliveit

Its definitely makes it look alot better for sure.

I hadnt thought about that. I dont have holes in my doors since they were NOS doors....well almost NOS as I found out....rhanks for the info

Re: Johns 66
 

Well one small progress thing......Got the rear end all buttoned up...all bolts tightened down, new bushings in panhard bar and it installed, rear shocks installed...kinda like the bright red shocks. Just waiting on the brake line stuff to get that area finished up. I am going to paint the rear drums and front calipers a cast color,,,think it will look a lil better than black.

Now for the opinion part of this...I talked with Andy several times over the last couple of days about this. Randy suggested that since my truck is completely apart that if I EVER wanted to do AC that now was the time to do it. It will save me much aggravation doing it now verses next spring/summer when I will actually need AC...I do live in Alabama...the land of humidity.

Here is my choices...I can buy a Vintage Air system and figure out how to put it in.....I like the vents that Corvette Jim sells and will be using them....Or I can buy an original system for the truck and use the dash vents....Best I can tell from the quotes I got is that the Vintage Air is roughly 800.00 cheaper than an original system.

I think an original system will have a better value than a VA System in the event it were to sell....as my uncle says...its not for sale but it can be bought. Based on what I am seeing, from research that I have done about 9% of these trucks came with factory air, but the deception is that AC was an accessory that the dealer could add....so unless you have the original SPID sheet or the original paperwork when the truck was bought there is no way to tell. Even if the dealer added it on later unless you have the original sales order you simply do not know. I am in no way trying to be deceptive about my truck...one quick look at the engine block will tell you its a 3 on the tree truck. Kinda like adding sway bars which I am doing.

My truck will not be completely original...I changed the brakes for safety reasons, added a 700R4 for drivability reasons, am changing the grille to a C60 grille cause I think its just cool and while the outside will be the original white the interior will be a charcoal gray looking color. All these things are easily changeable back to stock if someone so chose to do it. But I prefer to keep it as stock looking as possible given these few changes...of course her new shoes will be a dead giveaway.

So what do yall think....Open the hood and see 1966 everywhere or open it and see vintage air........

Re: Johns 66
 

I really like the red shocks! A very nice pop of color underneath.

Re: Johns 66
 

Hmmm that red and black sure does bring to mind a certain school :lol:

The frame is lookin' great!
Personally, I would probably go with the Vintage Air kit because I'm frugal that way

Re: Johns 66
 

John, the VA system would also function MUCH better than the original style, especially with the modern R134a refrigerant. While the OE system would be cool to have and keep the truck period correct, the VA system will be a better value in the long run. ONLY a pure 100% correct stock restoration make the OE system valuable in my opinion...

Re: Johns 66
 

Haha ...I will be changing to Crimson...LOL

I have kicked it around back and forth OE vs VA....so follow my thoughts...I know it may be hard...lol

I have been looking on FB marketplace, Craigslist, Ebay and pretty much every other place that I can find that sells old chevy trucks for 1 truck...a 66 C10 SWB, Fleet,BBW,Custom Cab,327 truck and lets just say I havent found one....I do know where one is at but he wont sell it because it has factory AC, PS, PB, Auto, 327........

I also talked with several folks who supposedly know and unless you have the build sheet or original service paperwork there is hardly anyway to tell if the truck came with PB, PS, AC etc....motors are different because of the numbers on them. Again Im not trying to deceive anyone about my truck....but AC was added by many dealers as an accessory...I know one person who has a NOS AC set up, again he wont let it go( Dont blame him)

I talked with a couple folks about original OE setups and found that all run R12 and have asked if the compressor and associated parts can be converted to R134a....IF they can be converted to R134a I am leaning that way.

I have purchased the center and outer vents from CorvetteJim here on the forum from his website coolc10, which btw are on sale because I like the stock look of it and while I understand the outside vents were never there I think it just helps cool and they look good as well.....and along with the original deluxe heater and AC controls I lean that way.

My "Plan" for my truck originally was to change the leaking rear main seals and drive it....Boy I missed that mark..lol especially when I saw the broke main cap bolts, and upside down pistons........

I can buy all original parts for what I want to do...Power Brakes, Power Steering ( they all leak from what Im told) AC etc....but the cost associated with "Original" outweighs function in my opinion....except the AC because of the look....and many things I am doing is based solely on looks...ie C60 grille, chromed sail panels, grille, park lamp bezels, horn ring, button etc....

I am changing the brakes to power because I was given a free booster and dual master cylinder, 5 lug discs because they were on sale as well as the rear axles.

I guess in hind sight the bolt fiasco was a blessing because it gave me time to really think about which way to go on the build and allow me to accumulate parts over a period of time without a big chunk leaving at one time.

All that said...lol If I can get the OE Ac in R134a I "think" that is the way I am going to go for no other reason than I think it will look better and hopefully cool....no doubt itll be better than no AC at all...lol

the journey continues.......................

Re: Johns 66
 

John,

I get your thought process on the AC. Here is what I think about the OE stuff going to R134a refrigerant...What compressor are you going to use? I have seen just about all of them can work with 134a, mostly just the fitting style for the charge ports and the type of oil is the main changes. The system could be converted to an orifice tube style system and you should really look at a parallel flow condenser for the system. Seems the size and type of condenser effects the system performance more with 134a.

As you said, any AC is better than no AC.

Re: Johns 66
 

I see many trucks with the vintage air system. Have you considered the Old Air brand?

Re: Johns 66
 

Ok a lil decision has been made...well not so little..lol

I found a refurbished complete OE AC system....it has everything from changing to deluxe controls, all the brackets, down to the wiring. The compressor is a new/remanned unit that is R134a. All the parts are either reconditioned or new if they are consumable parts. I am also getting an under dash ashtray, which would be factory correct on AC addition...no I dont smoke just thought they are cool...again with the looks.....Boy if I wasnt so concerned about look....LOL but I digress and I am completing the inside with a 4 ways hazard/flasher switch.

Even though I will be rewiring my truck I am getting all the original wiring for the AC, 4 way flasher so my hopes are that it will make it a lil easier when I come to that part of it.

There are a couple of other things that i will be adding to my truck which includes a stereo system...I have been looking at Classic Auto Sound and the under seat speakers as well as kick panel speakers....I do have a dual updated center dash speaker that replaces the original...but still in the figuring out stage.....
I am also adding door jamb switches...my original thought was to put the small little door lights and activate them with the dome light when the doors were opened...BUT since I got my used/NOS Im having a hard time getting myself to drill holes in perfect doors......so now Im leaning to under dash lighting instead of the doors...I know there is some type lights that I can buy that are GM OE but think LED lights would work better.

I will check on the condensor you suggested to see if its possible.....so the journey continues.

Waiting on brake lines stuff....STILL.

Re: Johns 66
 

Sounds like a good plan!

I thought the door jamb switches were mounted in the cab and when the door closes it presses the switch to turn off the lights? That is my plan anyway...if I am wrong, then I have been thinking wrong the entire time.

Still waiting on brake lines? Wonder how much of our build time is waiting on parts to arrive? HAHA

Re: Johns 66
 

Your are correct Andy...the actual door jamb switched are mounted to the door front pillar and are activated when the doors are opened and closed....I WAS going to put the actual lights in the doors but just cant bring myself to drill holes in the doors....same thing with the stereo speaker...just cant do it...lol

Yeah waiting on parts is a pain...Here is the funny thing...I bought stuff from the same company...one on Ebay and one I had to call...same company, same day etc....Ebay shipped and showed up...front lines.....rear lines I had to call...still waiting..lol

Re: Johns 66
 

I was wondering if you were putting the lights in the door after I wrote that. I think I am putting mine near the fresh air vents as footwell lighting.

That is crazy...same company ships faster on Ebay than direct phone call, but maybe the lines were backordered...which they should have told you about.

Re: Johns 66
 

I put my courtesy light bulbs (got them from a Jeep Cherokee) under the dash. Can't see them when sitting in the seat, but they do a great job of lighting up the floorboard at night

Re: Johns 66
 

Ill be doing this as well but I am going to add a switch where I can turn them off while the doors are open for things like car shows, working on it, cleaning the interior etc...mainly for car shows.

Re: Johns 66
 

So while I have been sitting here waiting on the brake lines to get here I been doing some window shopping.
First I looked at stereos.....I wanted a radio that looks original but has Bluetooth and USB....Goung with a dual center dash speaker, kick panel speakers, and 2 underseat speakers...more like lil subs. The radio is a USA-740 and the speakers are Kicker....whole system incliding amp will run 850.00

Next I looked at Snowden seats which I like....here are a couple pics I like...a variation of the 2.....waiting on a quote from them now.

Then I talked with tbe folks at Auto Custom Carpers...they are manufactured about 20 minutes from me. They are sending me some sample but Ill be going with charcoal gray.

Lastly I ordered my OE AC system with R134a compressor, vendor is checking on parallel condenser, and vents from Coolc10.

Re: Johns 66
 

Of all the pictures you texted me, you didn't text me the best one...I LOVE the last seat pictures...the plaid seats.

Re: Johns 66
 

Well brake lines FINALLY got here.
It amazes me when you call a vendor, and order a complete brake line kit from front to rear and then you actually get it only to find out that what you THOUGHT and was TOLD that it was a COMPLETE kit is not a complete kit......somehow a complete kit doesnt include brake lines from the rear end T to the rear wheels....go figure.

ANYWAYS....luckily Andy let me borrow his super slick double flaring tool and bender so I bought some line and made the rear end lines. They look pretty good, not perfect but they will for sure work.
Onw mo step in da process.

Re: Johns 66
 

Looks great John! Glad I could help...that is a big step!

Re: Johns 66
 

x2! Very nice.

Re: Johns 66
 

I like the seats.

Re: Johns 66
 

Thanks guys...after looking at the pics a friend realized the cailpers are on the wrong side....bleeder valve should be at the top...... Luckily it was caught by one of my friends cause I would have never got the bled.

Re: Johns 66
 

Lookin great! Good thing your friend mentioned the calipers. It's a lot easier to fix now rather than when it's all back together :lol:

Re: Johns 66
 

I looked at your discs and said I should check to see if they are right, then I got sidetracked and didn't look close enough...glad you caught it now!

Re: Johns 66
 

For sure.....It was on a Facebook group that Im on...he picked upon it first thing......I got them swapped over this afternoon after church.

Also picked up power steering sector and pump from a junkyard for 25.00 and got the sector cleaned up and mounted using Capt Fabs bracket...wasnt to bad at all.

Steering sector has 5686555 and 7802644 plus 341 70 stamped on it...gonna try and do some research to see what it came from.

Re: Johns 66
 

Well a lil progress from the past week...
Got the motor and tranny installed, as well as the driveshaft, got ole girls new shoes put on.

Then I got the front A-arms bump stops put on.....NOTE TO SELF and ANYONE who reads this....it is so much easier to put the bump stops on BEFORE you assemble the front end......but it is doable once together....its just a pain that way...lol

Also got my Snowden seat ordeted, started receiving parts for the stereo system.
Slowly but surely coming together

My lil helper Kayden said he couldnt help cause he had to work on his truck....gotta love it!!!!

Re: Johns 66
 

Looks awesome John...love the silver trans and manifolds...makes it pop against the green.

LOVE that Kayden is working on his truck and is underneath it!