Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Used the DA and 320grit on all inside surfaces i was going to paint, and then wiped down with rubbing alcohol and then eastwood paint prep.

2 coats primer, let dry, sanded just the dash with 800 grit, then 2 coats paint. Came out ok, we'll see how it dries. Couple runs, and hard to paint the ceiling. Painted the floor shift collar and other steering parts. Feels like progress!

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

more pics

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Did some black painting details in the cab today, installed all new switches in the glove box (A/C and heater switches) except the thermoswitch. Resistor pigtail was melted, need to find another one of those. Glad i dug in there! Installed the kick vents, sun visors, and dome light to make myself feel like i was moving along.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

more pics of tonight's progress.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Looks good Cort!
making great progress.

BTW, whats hiding under the covers next to it??;):lol:

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Looks good!

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Lookin really nice.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Thanks! Been working more in the interior on little things as i have time, hope to do insulation on floor and rest of the floor stuff and firewall pad, etc this weekend.

Grumpy, Blue one is the '66 catalina (389 2bbl, 85K miles on it, been thinking about swapping my spare 428 into it and throwing the 389 under a cover in the corner of the garage)

Green one is the 50 packard, 327 straight 8, automatic, has a messed up number 2 rod journal/knock, so needs rebuilt. Of course right after i detail it and rebuild the tranny and stuff it back together it gets a knock....just put new diamondback www on it to! This hobby can be frustrating at times!

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

I missed your build previously for some reason, awesome work, and awesome progress, I be watchin' now!

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Got the rear window in Friday, will install it as a test to make sure all is well with the panel swap, will wait for help with that though.

Got the insulation on the floor down now, working on the firewall pad. had enough to do one cab corner, still have the other corner to do yet, and the backwall behind the tank. Then i can put the fuse box back on, finish putting the interior together, then likely move on to yanking motor and tranny and getting engine bay in order, then do external paint job last. Feels like moving along again!

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

That cab is going to be quite.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

I'm thinking it should be one of the quietest around! I just traded my astro van for an 07 1500 crew cab, damn is THAT quiet! After riding around in it all weekend, i don't know what could beat that! Maybe this will be as close as you can get in a classic truck! Should keep the heat or A/C too, keep the sun from letting it get nice and cool.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Did you ever find a replacement heater resistor-pigtail??
If not, pm me a mailing address and I will send you my spare.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

I haven't! was about to use plain spade connectors! I don't mind buying one, pm me and let me know. Other than finding a whole heater harness, i haven't found anything!

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Put the heater controls in today, defroster tubes, dash, connected up the parking break indicator, new brights harness and switch, and other minor dash stuff.

Strangely, the blower motor works now, in the right speeds, etc, but nothing comes out of defroster, ac, or heater vents! all cables operating freely, connected at the right ends, can see the recirc door working, etc. Tried all combinations of heater and ac controls...i think the blower is spinning backwards, if i got my hand in there and felt correctly through recirc door? Strange problem to look at later. Also, it seems blower is always on even on low, when key is on. I traced the connections on the wiring diagram and all is right! confused on that one!

Anyways, all the other electrical i worked on was working correctly, so i stopped after getting frustrated and worked on the radio on the t-37 (turns out new radio was a waste, both back speakers were totally bad, no noise, old radio was fine.)

Was at Detroit autorama this weekend so i had some motivation to proceed, will be nice to at least get all the interior done and back in.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

That look pretty cool to have that much gas.
I plan on eliminating my cab tank and building 2 saddle tanks that fit under the cab/bed(short bed). I think I can get close to 20 gallons each.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

interior paint etc, looks great! I like the way the black looks with the grey.
funny that grey is very similar to my interior, Ia m going to go with something close to the original colour on mine, and going with the black instrument bezel.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Nice wheel!

That gray is a nice neutral color. In the larger areas, it didn't lay as well, but it was rustoleum. If you use a spray gun it will lay even better. Google kimball midwest and get their ultra pro max paint, i do a lot with it, it has more paint solids in it, i should have done the rest of the interior with it. It lays like glass if you do sand/primer/paint. You can almost shave in the gloss black parking brake handle. It sticks to everything, even greasy rubber, etc.


Aspiring:

I get 20 gallons per side. You could also hide some thin long tanks under the cab, there's room there between the frame and rockers. With a fleetside, there's just so much room under there, i never did understand why guys put air tanks, compressors, etc in the bed when you can hide it all under there.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Been awhile since I've checked in... Looking good, I especially like the BBW conversion, very nice work.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Thank you! Honestly, it was all thanks to that spot welder!

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Put down the factory style tar covers under the seats and floor foot area and tranny hump, then jute padding, and then the vinyl floor. The floor is huge, i'm going to have to remove the clutch linkage and some other stuff to get it up far enough without putting slashes in the floor to get it into place. It also seems WAY too long. I know they make them big to make sure there's coverage, but if it wasn't for the pre-formed hump area, i'd say they just sent a large piece of vinyl and said go to town.

Also finished up most of the dash, and wiring for radio, new dual speaker, accessories, etc. New glove box is in. 20 gal inside the cab fuel tank is here, and anti squeak kit. Have the new seat cover, going to take it and the seat to the upholstery shop today to see how much it will be to put it on for me.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Last couple pics for this update

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

man its looking great... really dig the interior colors and thats a beautiful cluster... good job.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Thanks! It feels great to turn on the radio and hear it playing, didn't get to enjoy a working radio the whole trip back from CA.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Put some time in on the vinyl floor mat, and i have to say it's crap. Except for the hump, no features molded in....it's been laying flat for weeks in my 70* garage, and i've had it up to 75* for the last several days. It has too much material in some spots and not enough in others. I'm frustrated enough to almost just order carpet. I double checked and i do for sure have a low hump 60-66 pickup vinyl floor cover...i've read the heavy duty is a real PITA to install.

I definitely need a full floor cover to hide the insulation I've added, and if it wasn't for the center hump area, i'd say this would work. I've had a blow-drier on it most of the day, making it easy to move, but i just can't get it to lay down up in the center. On the very top it needs a slice to let it relieve so it can spread and lay down, then 6" below that there's way too much material.

Done with it for the day.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

dude, thats mat is crap... go wih the carpet for sound and insulation and then a factory style mat to keep the carpet clean... 2 cents

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

I got it from a well known vendor, for a while i was thinking maybe i got a mat for something different! The general size works, and the hump is in the right place, but the rest is a PITA.

Preformed carpet seems like the way to go.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

yeah, the preformed store bought is ok but i prefer to take it to an upholstery shop and have some carpet custom fitted while i work on something else. but thats just me...

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

have a look at markeb's thread, and get some advice from him, he installed a mat that seemed quite similar to yours. If you want the mat, maybe you can still salvage what you have there.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=444502

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

I did read his, and that's why i got the regular vinyl instead of the heavy duty mat. Summit has carpet for this truck and can have it in two days, and they're an hour from me so no shipping. Might check that out.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Got the last of the cab insulation in, and primed and then painted it flat black (wet in the photos)...should keep the silver from poking out from behind the seat and gas tank. Will pickup the finished seat friday, and the carpet tomorrow or friday.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Got the seat back from the upholsterers, looks great, and been working on a test fit of the large back window (what a PITA). I left the opening a little small, and i've been going around opening it up to get the window to fit, then take it back out so we can paint. If it turns out i took too much out or something, i found i can get a custom window made locally for cheap, that i could make a pattern from this one for. I ruined the gasket working with it (ripped it) but those are cheap...does anyone make a one piece molded one? This one bunches up on the corners, which i'm sure would work out in time, just pain working with now.

Waiting on carpet, and as soon as test fit is done, finishing the interior!

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Man your seat looks smooth!
What materiel did you go with there, it almost looks leather.

Did you ever get that package, and was the part you needed in there?

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

The seat cover was the basic black/black seat cover from classic industries. They offer it in several two tones, but i thought for the theme i was originally going for (dressed down truck, clean and classy but not over the top) black would be it.

yes it got here (thanks so much again!) but i haven't had much truck time or time to write back, so thank you! The plug wasn't the same (think the resistor pigtail for ac and non ac is different) but using the plugs there i was able to make something work! I did notice, it is the same plug used on the dash side of the plug that goes through the firewall to the rear tail light harness, a really small tight headlamp looking plug, for anyone reading this later.

After chasing down some minor wiring stuff, heater works perfect and all ac switches and gadgets in the glove box look to be working! (can't test thermo switch until i get a compressor and charge and all that, but all others were working so hope that one is).

Still waiting on that carpet (summit back-ordered it for weeks so switched vendors) and doing another test fit of the glass tonight.) got retractable basic seat belts, so once that stuff is in, except for doors, interior will be done and i can do glovebox sticker and the trim plate that does down on the drivers kick panel. I think motor out and gaskets and paint and clean up, and engine bay, and tranny swap are all next, then paint ext and redo bed last.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

On the seat, he just put the cover on, and an extra layer of foam, no spring fixing or anything. I do like how it came out, can't wait to sit in it in front of the restored steering wheel!

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Got the carpet in, and the fuel tank. Need to get some screws for the sending unit, and put the line in. Carpet went in WAY easier than vinyl! I had the jute left from the vinyl, and the carpet had jute on the front, so i moved it to the under seat area so i'd have jute pretty much everywhere on the floor, over top of the silver heat shield stuff. Going to fold and put in the gas tank cover next, after the sending unit, and then seat and seat belts.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Carpet looks great. I think I will have to go that way, too.

I don't remember reading, what did you use for the tach?

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

I got a repop tach from one of the vendors, i couldn't find anything used on ebay/message boards/etc at the time i was redoing the dash. I changed the harness so that the bulb got power from the other instrument cluster bulbs (same with heater controls) and so it grounded up by the instr cluster, so only wires running down to the box were key on power and tach signal from coil.

The vac gauge is a pontiac one done up on one of the threads here, using the original filler plate that was there, and the vac gauge decal that came with the kit.

Same thing with the parking brake warning light, copied a how to from someone else here.

The carpet was a snap to install, VERY wide so you have plenty, and i trimmed around the tank mounts and let it go up about 6-8 inches up the back if the truck. It still has to finish "lying" and getting two wrinkles out, i imagine it did some over night. Hoping to get home early and put the seat and seat belts and steering wheel in.

Have a glass guy coming tomorrow to install the rear window, i couldn't get it alone, and i think i need to adjust the opening a little more, but i wanted an expert to look at it. Soon as that's done, take it out and store it, and start on yanking the motor, etc.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

Amazing!!! Keep it up.

Re: '66 Longbed 327 w/AC project
 

interior looks awesome!