Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I have never compared the two masters as far as direct interchangeability. But based on your experience here, they are apparently a little different.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I havent had much time to work on the truck lately. I did score a set of slightly used Flowmaster mufflers for $25 each. One of them had a plastic bag melted to it and 15 min with a wire wheel made it look like new. I also started cleaning up the used M/T valve covers I found. They are soaking in some degreaser since I can barely scrape the burned oil out of the inside.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Cool truck.
Cool thread.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Decided today was a good day to get the old rear brake line pulled off the frame. I ran the new line down the driver side frame rail since it doesnt split off the front line anymore. The old lines were pretty rusty but surprisingly they still held pressure. I finished cleaning the oil out of the valve covers today. I started scraping the oil out, then let them sit with some degreaser on the oil. Whatever engine they were on before obviously wasnt very well maintained. I filled a 5 gal bucket with hot water and dish soap (because my wife would have killed me for using the tub or the kitchen sink) and scrubbed them with a scotch brite pad. After about an hour of scrubbing this is the result. Now I just need to finish cleaning out between the fins and I think Im going to paint them chevy orange and leave the fins bare aluminum.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I was finally able to make some progress on the truck today. With temps in the 60s yesterday and almost 70 today I had to spend some time out in the garage. I spent most of yesterday at the local junkyards searching for some dually rims. I walked the 3 biggest yards looking for some usable rims only to come up empty. I found a couple trucks that would have been good candidates but every one of them had rims that were dented or rusted. I did snag the retainer rings I will need and most of the lug nuts to convert to 9/16. I also put the final coat of paint on my valve covers.

I spent today trying to get the front tires off. The right front goes flat every couple hours so I wanted to swap it out with one of the spare tires I had. Should be easy right? Wrong!!! I had to pull the drums off with the wheels. The driver side came off pretty easy with a few well placed blows from a BFH and lots of penetrating oil. The passenger side was a different story. I beat the $h!t out of the hub and it didnt budge. I ended up cutting the rim in half so I could get it off. I need to order new bearings and seals but atleast for now I know the tires will come off when I get my non split replacement rims.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Those valve covers look great!

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Thanks. They don’t look quite as good in person, they are kinda beat up. I cleaned them up best I could but there is still a little pitting I couldn’t get rid of. This isn’t going to be a factory resto just a fun toy so that’s good enough for me. I’ve got about $45 in them now so I’m happy with the results.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

x2!

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

1 step forward and 2 or 3 or maybe even 4 back. It started out as a good weekend. I found a set of tires and rims for pretty cheap. They are all chevy steel rims with decent rubber. I mounted up one front tire and everything was good. Tried to mount the rear tires and ran into an unexpected problem. Ive been reading up on rims for weeks trying to make sure I find the best ones for what I am doing. The most common thing I found was to check center bore of the rims. The offset with the single rear wheel hubs on my axle will make the truck 4 inches wider but that doesnt bother me. The problem I never saw any mention of was the fact that dually rims wont seat on single wheel hubs. There is a raised ledge at the flange that is just slightly bigger. Now I need to pull the axles and drums and split the drum from the hub so I can get the hub turned down about .08 in. No big deal, my boss has a lathe, just some extra work.

I decided to install my valve covers so I could say I accomplished something this weekend. Problem number 2. Turns out the breather is too far back on the passenger side and it hits the firewall, so I need to mount it in the oil fill hole in the front and plug the rear hole.

Working on some equipment today and found out that the welder we use it work is out of town for a month or so. Weather and scheduling have prevented any welding to the spring perches so looks like I will have to find a way to bring a service truck home so I can finally get the axle mounted up.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Cool truck. Good project and nice valve covers.

I've only had Squarebodies and newer trucks. I knew you guys deal with something called split rims but I never imagined...

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I got the hubs off the rear end last weekend. I hope to turn them down .007 so the dually rims will fit this weekend. Dad said hes never had to replace the rear drums so that means the last time the rear end was this far apart was Nov or Dec of 1972.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I took the day off so I could take my dog to the vet (she’s fine, just yearly shots) and was pleasantly surprised to find out a welder friend was free and would be able to come by and weld the perches on my axle finally. I’ve got the driver side hub turned down to fit the rim and just finished pulling the passenger side off. I’ve got a new found excitement, I may actually get to drive this thing this year!!

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Good going!

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Got my rear axle reassembled today. All new bearings and seals in the hubs since I tore them down to machine them. Found a fun shortcut for the seals, I didn’t have a seal driver but I discovered a piston out of a Kubota V3800 is the same diameter and works great.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

It took almost 4 months, but she finally moved under her own power again today. The axle is in, the u bolts are torqued, and the brakes work! Now time for new front wheel studs and license and insurance. Has anyone drilled out the front hubs for 9/16 studs? I found a few threads where people talk about it but I never found one where someone actually did it. I keep finding conflicting advice on whether or not I can drill or if I need to use a reamer.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I drilled out a older D44 to take larger stud's, not exact same project but same idea. I left 2 studs in per hub and bolted a wheel to them then used wheel as guide to drill the other 4 holes, put new studs in and drove old out then bolted wheel back on and drilled out last 2.


Congrats on getting it together man! Can't wait to see some pics of it on rd.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

How did you drill the holes out, hand drill or drill press? Did you use a drill bit or a reamer?

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Looks like your build is coming along nicely...looking thru your pics I noticed this...just so you'll know ,this is not the right flare tool for brake lines...brake lines use a inverted double flare...

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Hand drill and started with a step drill bit just to take the edge off around the holes then switch to standard bit going slow and adding oil. I also drilled them while axle was still bolted to truck (since it held it in place nicely) I removed brakes and would always drill the bottom most hole then rotate tire and do bottom most hole again to try and have shavings fall out the bottom away from the seal. I did the old trick of putting a ton of tape around the bit to make sure it didn't suddenly plunge in after breaking through.

I'm sure no one would recommend this method but I was in a bind and it worked, you could probably use a drill press but then couldn't use the wheel as a guide unless maybe you just torch the center out of an old wheel so it fits on drill press.

EDIT: actually if you still have that half a wheel you had to cut apart you could probably use the small section of it, just keep 2 studs and bolt it in place then switch sides.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Mongo that is a double flare tool, the rest of it is just laying on the bench. What type of tool do you normally use?

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Hmmm...I've never seen one of that style that does a double invert....you got my curiosity up now...
I have one from eastwood...

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Amazing weather means I got a lot of work done today. I got both front hubs drilled out for bigger studs and the front bearings cleaned and repacked with fresh grease. I drilled the hubs with a 39/64 drill bit and my drill pres and it turned out perfect. The holes ended up at .610 and the studs have a .623 knurl on them. I was able to pull them in with the nuts easily but they still had a good fit. I ordered Dorman 610-182 (factory replacement for a 73 C30) studs to use but they were too long. I ended up using 610-218 studs which are 2" long. I took advantage of the nice weather and backed it out of the garage so I could knock some of the rust and dirt off the frame and put a little paint on it. Its just rustoleum rust converter from a rattle can but for now its a start. I also stuck my late model center caps on to see how they will look. Ive got a friend at work that is going to cut me some blue bow ties to replace the yellow ones that are used on the new trucks.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

looking good man! Can't wait to see how it drives with new axle and tire setup for ya.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Mongo. For that style of flaring tool there is a puck with a stud on it (one for each size line). You start the flare and then put the puck in and it will have the double flare afterwards. They work decently on steel line but have a tendancy to crook on really hard line. That Nickel Copper brake line flare really easily. I actually started to under flare the seat a couple of degrees and let the fitting itself finish the crimp. It was to easy to actually over crimp the end and have a leek from the flare being to thin!

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

its coming along and keep those update(s) coming ( also those fotos )

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Progress!!!!! The weather was great this weekend so I cleaned the frame and painted it. The rattle can stuff I used pretty much just rubbed off. I got a pint of rustoleum primer for rusty metal and gave it a good coat. I let it sit over night then gave the rear half a coat of satin black. I dont know how it will hold up but its a lot cheaper than POR15.

I tried to get plates friday only to find its more of a challenge than I expected. I got to the license office and found out since I bought it out of state I needed a vin inspection. First call to the local police was a big no, highway patrol said sure bring it. Highway patrol is probably 20 miles away, a little further than I want to drive an untested truck. My neighbor gave me a number and said call this guy, turns out he knew someone fairly high up in the local police who said sure bring it by and if there isnt an officer here I will do it myself. I got about a block from the house and decided that wont work either. One of the used tires I got has a bad spot where it looks like it may have ben in a fire. It bounces so bad its hard to keep the rear end on the ground. I called him back and he offered to send someone by the house. 15 minutes later I had my inspection. Took that to the license office on my way home today and got my title transferred. Now I just send off the application for historic plates.

On a side note, does anyone know IL inspection stickers? Looks like this one may be from 2008. Looks like the truck sat for 10 or 11 years before I got it.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I've been following this thread since you started. Brother...you should write a book about your experience! Thanks for the pictures as well. I own a 61'C30 and what an education your build has been for me. I'm taking LOTS of notes!! Pretty excited to see what the end result is for you and how things turn out. Love the work you are doing! I attached a photo of my truck. Bought this from the original family with 51k miles. I'm going to keep it original, but again, your build has been a massive learning tool!

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I've been following this thread since you started. Brother...you should write a book about your experience! Thanks for the pictures as well. I own a 61'C30 and what an education your build has been for me. I'm taking LOTS of notes!! Pretty excited to see what the end result is for you and how things turn out. Love the work you are doing! I attached a photo of my truck. Bought this from the original family with 51k miles. I'm going to keep it original, but again, your build has been a massive learning tool!

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

SBPage1 that is a beautiful truck. I wish mine was that clean.

Not much progress to report. Work has kept me pretty busy the last few weeks and it will be at least another 2 before I have any free time. I did finally get my plates and I grabbed a cheap plastic flex fan so I can try and keep this think kinda cool. The flex fan isn’t staying. It’s just temporary until I decide if I’m keeping a mechanical fan and making a shroud or going electric. Has anyone run one of these fans before? The blades are at a 90 degree angle. It must flex a lot, it was only $20 so it was worth a shot.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I finally got to legally drive my truck almost 1 year from the date I agreed to buy it. Put my plate on this weekend and headed out. First stop was the gas station. Then a couple laps around the block just for fun. I need to start working on the bed now, the ride is a little rough with no weight on the back of the frame. The only problem I had while on the road was the radio. I had hoped to keep the JC Penny AM radio as a novelty but unfortunately every time I hit a bump( which is every little crack in the road right now) there is a loud static burst that makes it almost unbearable to have it on. Thankfully the original owner was nice enough to throw the block off plate in the glovebox when he installed the radio.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I've enjoyed your build. Very nice work. Nice to see someone working on one of these in the St. Louis area.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I finally have some free time to work on the truck again. With vacation and mothers day and birthdays my weekends have been busy. I was finally able to start work on the bed this weekend. I knew it was rough but its worse than I thought. I knew it was going to need the crossmembers replaced but Im going to have to weld some metal around the inside of the frame too. Thankfully the main part of the frame is solid so I have plenty of metal to weld. Luckily for me its all thick steel and will be much easier than normal body work. I spent all of Saturday morning cutting out the wood from the sides and floor. The stakes all came loose once I cut the boards loose so I was able to save them for future reuse. The floor was easier to remove than expected because most of it fell apart. I took before and after pictures and one picture of the crap that fell off the bed when I was removing the floor. Most of the stuff on the ground is rotten wood. Next weeks project will be to narrow it down to the width of the outer tires, about 8in narrower than it is now.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I had a few hours this morning to work on the bed so I started narrowing it. It’s definately going to need some work. Unfortunately I didn’t consider the fact this truck was worked and the bed isn’t quite as straight as I had hoped. I had to use a couple clamps to make everything line up. There is a noticeable difference even though I only took out 4 inches so far. I’ll have to post pictures tomorrow because my phone isn’t cooperating right now.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Looking forward to seeing your progress! I spent the day working on the inside of my cab. New fuel tank with all the hardware goes in tomorrow

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I still have a long way to go. The bed still needs the crossmembers replaced and the other side narrowed but its nice to be making progress.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I gave the old girl a bath this weekend, probably the first one in its had in a loooooong time. I had to take a few pics because I couldnt believe the difference. I knew there was quite bit of oxidation on the hood because I was able to wipe some off when it rained but I was anxious to see what a little soap would do. The truck is a totally different shade of blue now. I also installed a spare radio I had laying around. The cheap plastic console was in several of dads trucks and the radio fit perfect in it.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Nice!

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I finished cutting down the bed this weekend. 8 inches narrower to match the rear tires and 6 inches shorter to match the frame. I need to get some steel for a project at work so that will give me a chance to grab some new crossmembers for the bed as well. Also made this bracket to hold my battery cutoff switch and my fuse block.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

I decided I wanted a hitch on the truck for a couple reasons. I dont have a rear bumper and my fuel cell is mounted at the end of the frame so I wanted some kind of protection. This is a truck and I intend to use it like one some times. I looked all over and found a few universal kits but nothing that impressed me much. I ran across this one on facebook marketplace. It was too wide for the frame so I cut the ends off to narrow it up. I mounted it to the frame and marked the tube and now all I need to do is weld the tube back into the brackets. Its rated for 12,000lbs so it should work pretty well for what I want and best of all it came with all the hardware for $10.

Re: The 65 C30 Farm Truck
 

Ive made some good progress on the truck. Last week I was able to add a couple relays to the headlight circuit. My voltage at the lights went from 12.8 to 13.8 volts. This week has been more work on the bed. I fixed one of the holes in the side and fixed the rails for the wood. Most of the frame had rotted where the wood was sitting so I cut it all out at the stake pockets and welded in some new 1-3/4 steel angle. Welder at work is low on wire so all I coud do was get it tacked together. Next week Ill burn it all in and hopefully get it mounted soon.