Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

I would probably have it shipped out here same as Greg. Just let me know if you ever decide to sell it. I am in no rush to buy it as I know you are in no rush to sell it etiher. Just keep me in mind.
Also, your 64 is really starting to look awesome. Not bad for a $200 truck and some hard work in your free time and a good donor Burb. ;):metal:

Nate

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Yes love your builds, I,ve had a couple of those $200 vehicles that lived in my pocket book for a while also lol.
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Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Hey bud, been kreepin on this build for a while , lovin it so far!!!

My vote for rolling stock, the halibrand knock offs on eBay.
They are cheap, and would set this thing off!!
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Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Thanks! I had always wanted to build a 60-66, but I always had too many irons in the fire. This one came along, and it was too cheap to pass up. Plus, it gave me a great excuse to use a lot of the spare parts that I had accumulated that were taking up space. And best of all, I resisted the common practice of ordering everything out of a catalog. This time, I put myself in "McGuyver Mode", and have tackled everything by using my thinking cap, using whatever I had available, and trying to think outside of the box and solve headaches with cheap solutions using common, easy to find parts. It has been one of the most fun projects I have ever done. If you want to see a really cool vehicle built with the same theory, but on a much wilder scale, check out Brad's '49 Chevy truck:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=320546
You would be blown away at how cheap he built it for. He's driving the wheels off of it and having a blast. That's the way it should be! Brad and I are constantly bouncing ideas off of each other, and we help each other out alot.


I have definitely considered those wheels. I see them on ebay all the time (JD Wheels has them for the cheapest price). If my rear axle was narrow enough to tuck a 15x10, I would have already bought them because the 10" ones look awesome. My '79 Suburban rear axle limits my wheel width to 8" max. Right now, I'm going to run 15x6 and 15x8 steelies (painted white) with '66 Chevelle dog dish caps, until I can save up and buy a set of Torque Thrust TTOs or T-70s. The truck has got to have a '60s vibe with a modern stance.
How's the Tall Grass build coming? Love that truck! Makes me want to build a stepper.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Question for you? In the picture above when you grinded the welded surface down why is there a black lowered edge around the weld zone? Can you prevent this? When I am welding sometimes I have these lowered darkened areas and would like to learn how to prevent it? I am asking you because you seem to have a craftsmanship way above and beyond.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

I love your build, I am doing a similar build with my 69 C10. Using up stuff that has accumulated and hitting the bone yards. Your right half the fun is the scavenger hunt for parts!!

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Been swamped at work, and the weather has been pretty crappy, so I haven't got a whole lot done on the truck. I started on the engine rebuild using the 350 long block that Brad gave me. After the teardown, everything inside looked pretty good with the exception of the crank. It'll need to be turned .020, as it was already a .010/.010 crank. I had a pair of 041 heads that I've had in my parts stash for the last 25 years, and I tore them down to do a freshening. The valves were so gunked up from carbon that they looked like they had been in the bottom of a BBQ grill. Check this out:
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...pension018.jpg

here's a comparison of before and after some cleanup with the wire wheel:
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...pension020.jpg

I am waiting for my valve guide cutter to show up, and then I'll cut the height and reduce the diameter for better valve seals, lap and check the valves, and reinstall everything.

If you've seen my posts in the Wanted section for a tailgate, you'll know that I am been searching high and low for the "right" tailgate. If you recall, I already had a nice tailgate, but it was primered. I plan on keeping the natural patina of my paint, so a primered tailgate won't suffice. Even if I faked it, there's no way I could get it to look original. I had been looking on Craigslist as far away as St.Louis, and had even thought I had found one in Merced, only to have it sold before I could get the deal worked out. I even had a member, LostMy65, check on one in Oregon City, Oregon, but it was too beat up. On Thursday night, I was checking on Craigslist in the L.A. section, and there was an ad that said "60-66 tailgate" with no pictures. I shot the guy a text, and got nothing. On Friday, he texted me back with a picture, and I about had a cow. Yep, it was THE ONE. So, on Saturday, Brad and I headed out to East L.A. and got it. I paid a little more than what I wanted to pay, but after seeing the condition, I had to have it. The paint is original, the patina is perfect, the black lettering is original, and it is perfectly straight. Here it is:
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ailgate001.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ailgate002.jpg

The only issue is that the tailgate trunions are seized up in the tailgate, but I have been soaking them with penetrating oil. With a little CLR, the tailgate will match the rest of the truck perfectly. It took awhile, but I was patient and waited for the right one to show up. I almost bought a few of the ones I looked at, but something told me to wait. I'm glad I did.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Now that's a nice Tailgate.
Glad you found one.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Great karma pays off, that gate will be perfect. Great find.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Be patience grasshopper! Lol
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Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Didn't get too much done this weekend due to work and family commitments, but I was able to knock out a few things that had been bugging me. First of all, I wasn't planning on using my saddle tanks, so I pulled them, with all of the fuel lines. The fuel lines looked as if they had been bent over somebody's knee, and one of them was actually twisted so bad that it was 100% blocked.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d.../valves002.jpg

Next was the factory step bumper. The truck had gotten smacked on the passenger side of the rear bumper, and initially, I was going to break out the torch and hammer and dolly and get it back straight again. Once I pulled the bumper, I came to the conclusion that I am going to try and find a factory chrome rear bumper to match the front.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d.../valves003.jpg

So, in about 2 hours of time, I put the truck on a diet and shed about 200 pounds!

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Your project is really strating to look good. What kind of gas tank are you going to use?

Nate

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

I'm using the original tank, which is in the cab. I thought about moving the tank to behind the rear axle, but I want to use the original spare tire holder. I don't want to have the spare laying in the bed. I've done that too many times.

I've been busy on the weekends lately, so I haven't gotten much done. Lynn has had weekends off lately, and that means lots of trips to the mall and grocery store. Exciting........

Brad is going to get an 700r4 case this week, so I'll be able to get the motor mounts dialed in, the trans mount fabricated, the tailpipes installed, and the pinion angle set. After that, I have collected the pieces to replace the crappy C-20 rear cab mounts that are both broken. It's a design issue, and I have an idea in mind that will permanently fix that for less than $5.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

subscribed.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

I had a little time this weekend to work on the truck, and I got a few more things done. First, I bought a cab mount kit from Energy Suspension, and got the front cab mounts swapped out. I am working on a simple fix for all of us guys with the C-20 rear cab mounts that are always broken. I am still in the planning stage, and I have the material I need, so when I finalize it, I'll post up pictures. The fix will be cheap

Because my truck originally came with a 4-speed, and I am going to go with a 700r4, the original crossmember was not going to work. I didn't have a factory one to install, so I looked through my parts pile and found an old '70 Camaro TH350 trans crossmember. The width of the crossmember was workable, and the design is such that it lays flat to the bottom of the framerail. I had some old angle iron and welded it to the edges of the Camaro crossmember so it fit snugly into the frame and also gave me the provision to drill more holes to secure it. I could have just drilled 4 holes into the bottom of the frame rail and it would have been sufficient, but I decided that I wanted the crossmember to be a rigid part of the truck's chassis, so I decided to add material where it could be fastened to the vertical portion of the truck's chassis as well.

In order to get that accomplished, I had to mock up a motor and trans to determine where the crossmember needed to be. Luckily, Brad had an aluminum Donovan block and another buddy who owns a trans shop let me borrow an empty 700r4 case. We bolted them up, and had it set in place in about 5 minutes with no cherry picker! Once they were in place, we bolted on an old set of heads and plopped the intake on to see what angle the engine needed to be at. Once that was determined, the trans crossmember was slid into place, and I drilled the attach holes, and it was done.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate008.jpg

A while back, a friend of mine decided that his '65 needed to be restored so he tore it down. He decided to go with a big block, so I bought his entire exhaust from him. He had just recently had it done, and it's 2.5" with Magnaflow mufflers and Sanderson blockhugger headers. I would have gone with a full-length header, but other than that, it's exactly what I would have gone with anyway, so it worked out perfect. The exhaust was cut in 4 places total to get it out of his '65, and now, I have to get it all back in place. Not as simple as it sounds. Instead of trying to weld it back together, I might just buy 4 v-band set-ups and make it where I can remove it in sections if I ever need to again.

Next step is to finish the cab mounts, the exhaust, build spacers for the motor mount stands (I used the stands and mounts from a '79 Suburban), and finalize the pinion angle.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Looks like it will fit well in there and you are making progress. Keep it up!

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

What none of your friends had a tunnel ram laying around to use J/K :c2:

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

^^^Now that's funny! I just sold a tunnel ram a few months ago. It would have fit perfectly.

This one will be a driver, though. I don't feel like tuning those Holley 660s anymore, especially with the price of fuel nowadays.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Had a little time today, so I decided to finish the cab mounts. My C-20, like most, had broken rear cab mounts. I'm usually 100% supportive of anything GM did back in the day, but whoever designed the rear cab mounts on the C-20 and heavier trucks really missed the mark. It's like they are designed to fail. I looked around and found out that you can send your mounts out to Steele Rubber and have then re-vulcanized, but like I said before, I'm not a fan of the design. Tony Smith makes a really nice retrofit kit that utilizes 1/2 ton-style mounts, but I didn't want to spend hardly any money. Brad came up with an idea that fit my plan perfectly. A modification that can be done at home for next to nothing.

As you can see, my mounts were shot:
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate003.jpg

The first thing to do was to separate the rubber from the mount. A hacksaw or a Sawzall (preferred) works great. Make sure you support the cab before you do this:
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate006.jpg

Once you get the pieces separated, you have to do the lovely task of getting the rest of the rubber off. The only way to do this is to get your torch and burn it off. Yeah, it's a nasty job, but it's really the only way you can do it. Continue to heat the rubber until it can be scraped off. The remaining rubber can be wisked off with a large wire brush. Get the rubber hot, and then hit it with the brush while it's still molten. The mount has to be clean in order to weld on it, which will come later.

After the "arm" of the mount is removed and cleaned, I placed it back into position and made a measurement of the gap where the rubber block used to reside. It winds up being around 1.5". I determined that the best way to secure the arm and the riveted mount on the frame was to replace the rubber with steel. I wound up going to my local steel yard and bought some scrap steel, 3" wide by 1.5" tall U-channel, .250 thick. I got them for $4 total. I welded the U-channel (flat side out) to the cleaned mount section that's riveted to the frame.

You're probably wondering how I plan to cushion this mount. It's real easy, I bought an Energy Suspension Cab Mount Kit (part# 34137, around $50) for a HALF TON. The bushings that normally attach to the mounts on a half ton will now go into the modified C-20 mount. I took the front mounts and swapped them out (they are the same between the half ton and the three quarter ton). I took the bushings for the aft mount and placed it and the flat washer on top of the mount arm and determined where the arm needed to be located. It's going to sit lower than it was originally, due to the thickness of the bushing. Once I liked where it was positioned, I welded the "arm" to the u-channel. I order to bolt this all together, you have to do a few things. First, the 1/2" x 5" long bolt in the Energy Suspension kit will not work. The nutplate in the cab floor on the C-20s is a 7/16", so you have to go to the bolt shop and get a 7/16" coarse x 5" bolt. Get a Grade 8, it's good insurance. Secondly, the Energy Suspension kit has a steel sleeve that has to insert into the upper and lower bushing. Unfortunately, the attach hole in the C-20 mount is slotted and needs to be enlarged to fit the sleeve. A die grinder works great for this. Once it was all welded and the hole was enlarged, I trimmed off the extra steel for the arm (the curly-Q section) to make it look a little more aesthetic. Here it is all finished (please note that the bolt is not ran down tight in this picture):
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate012.jpg

No more sagging!!!!
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate016.jpg

So, all total, I re-bushed all the cab mounts and fixed the problematic aft mounts for $58 (bushing kit, steel, and new 7/16" bolts).

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

I wish I would have seen this 6 months sooner I could have saved some money and time. Job well done thank you!!!

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Truck looks good!! Hopefully we run across each other somewhere up here soon.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Great build!
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Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Thank You, Sir. I have a been doing a ton of stuff on the truck lately, but I'm about 75% done on all of the many "little" jobs. As soon as I finish them 100%, I'll start posting up more photos. I don't want to post up a bunch of pictures of half-finished stuff. My work schedule has been hectic lately, and I can't put in as much "truck-time" as I would like.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

It's been awhile since I've posted anything on the '64, but that doesn't mean that there isn't anything going on with it. Actually, quite the opposite. I have a bunch of stuff going on, but I have been hesitant to post anything that's half-done with no expected completion date. I've been working some long hours, but in my spare time, I have been able to complete a portion of the build that was pretty important. The wheels!!

Because I converted the suspension to 1/2 ton, I now had the good fortune of being able to use a 5-lug wheel, which I prefer. The truck is being built with a mid-60s vibe, so naturally, a 5-spoke Torq-Thrust style wheel was what I had in mind. Finding an old Torq-Thrust style wheel in 5x5 was much more difficult than I expected. I did not want the later D-Spoke style wheels because I don't care for the curved spoke. They HAD to be the old straight-spoke style from the '60s. I found a pair of 15x8.5 ET Supers on the H.A.M.B., and I had a pair of 15x6 ETs in my parts stash, so the next step was to restore them to a '60s look.

One of the rear wheels turned out to be cracked, so that meant it had to be fixed. The best way was to stop-drill the crack, then grind a "trench" and TIG weld it closed:
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate017.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate021.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate023.jpg

Because the wheel lips had some damage, it was a perfect opportunity to chuck them up in the lathe and true the lips and dress down the TIG weld at the same time. Next, the wheels were taped off and the centers were bead-blasted in preparation for paint. The fronts were already fully polished, so the blasting went really quick:
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate025.jpg

When it came time to paint the centers, Brad (hotrod49) had some extra paint left over from some previous custom jobs he had done, so we took some charcoal metallic base color paint and kept dropping in some silver base to get the shade just right. We waited until we had a calm morning and shot the wheels before the winds kicked up:
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate027.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate028.jpg

The ET wheels had a really funky oval center cap back in the '60s, and I thought that they would be perfect for the wheels to enhance the '60s vibe. I had been looking for months, and found a guy on a VW site called the Samba who had a set of N.O.S. ET caps so I grabbed them.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate032.jpg

I haven't got the rear tires yet, but I hope to have them in the next few weeks. I have to get them first before I hammer out just how much I have to narrow the 12-bolt rear to get the wheels/tires to fit. I already have the Moser housing ends and a buddy who builds race cars owes me a favor and is going to do the narrowing as a payback.

A BIG thanks to Brad for all of the help on painting the wheels, and the use of his awesome blast cabinet!!

I've got lots of other stuff going on as well, and I'll post up the progress as I finish them.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Wow Resto with updates like this their worth the wait!!! Beautiful job on the ET's nice choice by the way...those caps rock and the wheels look NOS. A post of this caliber is very appreciated, thanks for taking the time to shows us.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

wheels look great can't wait to see them on the truck

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Wow! Those wheels will look awesome on there.

Nate

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

I was able to get a lot of stuff done on the truck this weekend. The 12-bolt was torn down and sent over to a buddy's shop (RJ Fabrication, on the web as www.rjfabrication.com) to have the housing narrowed 1.5" on each side. Rob and I trade work between each other, and he owed me for a bunch of wiring work I did for him a while back.

So, while the rear end is being worked on, I spent the time doing a lot of cleaning, sandblasting, and painting. The driveshafts have been rebuilt with new yokes and u-joints. They have been blasted and painted with black primer, and I'll hit them with chassis black right before I install them for the last time.

I had to build shims for the front motor mount stands because I used the ones from the '79 Suburban. I whipped them out of 3/8" aluminum plate. Also, because I wanted to get the engine perfectly level, I had to build shims for the trans crossmember. I wound up using a trans crossmember from a '70 Camaro because I had on laying around. I am a stickler for having the right pinion angle, so I even made a 3/8" shim for the carrier bearing to get all the angles right.

While the rear end was out, I had to put the new wheel and tire in the opening to see how it was going to look. I am VERY happy with the results:
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...plate035-1.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate036.jpg

For those keeping score at home, the wheel is an ET II ('60s vintage) in 15x8.5 with a 3.0" backspace, and the tire is a BFG Long Trail Touring in 265/70-15. Fifteen inch tires are becoming increasingly more difficult to find in the larger sizes, and I had a heck of a time finding one that would give me the height and width I needed and still be an easily accessible tire to find if I needed to replace it.

The next step is to get the exhaust up and situated while the rear end is out, paint the center of the frame, mock-up the master cylinder/booster and build brake lines, finish mounting the column and build the intermediate shaft, rebuild the steering linkage, replace the rear coil spring cups, paint the rear axle housing, and install the rear suspension for the last time. I want to get the suspension finished because I'm dying to get started on the motor and the exterior. You're going to flip when you see what we've got planned for the exterior.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

ya those wheels were a good choice!!!!!

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Your wheels really bring your project to life! Keep up the work and the updates, as we love seeing how it is going. I am looking forward to what you are planning for the exterior....

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Me too! I would of done this on my 66 Service Truck.
What a great simple solution.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Those wheels are TIGHT! Lookin' good! A question, when you narrow a 12 bolt, do you have to get new axles? I heard you can't respline due to the taper, and the cclips are a problem. Never done it myself, just wondering. Gonna be a cool ol truck!
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Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

You are 100% correct. I decided to go with Moser housing ends that accept the big Ford bearing, and that will eliminate my need to use a c-clip because the Ford ends retain the axles. I am going to order the axles this week as soon as the housing ends get welded on and we finalize the measurement. The Moser axles are not tapered like the factory GM units, and that'll be nice if I ever decide to narrow the rear housing in the future. The axles could then be cut and resplined. I doubt I'll narrow it more, but it's good feature to have just in case.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

At least I was right about something today! Dang, so much for budget. That probably doubled your investment in the whole truck, didn't it? Those rearend guys are proud! It'll be killer in the end, though.
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Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Just read all seven pages...great project...will definitely be following along!!

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

very nice on the wheels,looks good.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

I was able to get a lot done this weekend even though it was over 105 with some humidity thrown in. Brad picked up the rear end from Rob's shop and another buddy who's a certified welder took care of welding up the perches. I made two of the brake clips that weld to the axle tube and welded them on. For some reason, both of the clips were missing on the driver's side axle tube. I cleaned and blasted the rear inspection cover, primered the housing, and shot it all in chassis black. It turned out good.

A few months ago, I was able to make a deal (more parts trading!) on a complete exhaust system from a friend who was going from small block to big block on his '65 longbed. The exhaust was relatively new, with Sanderson shorty headers, aluminized pipe (2.5") and stainless Magnaflows. He removed it from the truck but cutting it out in sections, and although it might sound like it would be easy to reassemble it into my truck, it wasn't as simple as it sounds. The hardest part was trying to get it back under the truck and supported with jackstands, and with tailpipes that go all the way to the rear corners of the bed, that was fun. I also changed the style of pipe hangers from the ones with the pipe clamps and rubber straps to the better ones with the L-brackets and sandwiched biscuit mounts. I don't care for the look of exhaust tips, so we were able to adjust the tailpipes where they dump in the back corners but are 100% hidden. After the system was tacked back together, it came back out to be fully welded and sprayed with VHT exhaust paint. It turned out nice, especially for what I have into it ($200). And a big thanks to Brad, who helped tackle this beast!

I was moving at such a fast pace trying to get as much done as possible that I forgot to take pictures. I'll get some as soon as I can.

Next step: Mount the rear axle, install the Super Track Bar kit, install the shocks, install the axles and backing plates, rebuild the rear brakes, and make rear brake lines. I really want to get the rear suspension completed so I can move to the front and finish it up the last few items.

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Progress! X2 on the too busy for pictures. Had to remind myself this weekend!
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Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Had another good day today. Got a lot done on the '64!

First, I did a final clean-up of the inside of the 12 bolt and torqued the main caps to 60ft/lbs and installed the cover for the last time. Did a little touch-up on the housing, and while it was drying, I replaced the upper and lower coil spring attach fittings because my originals had some hairline cracks. After that, the rear axle was set into place and the Super Track Bar brackets were installed. The rear shocks were some Rancho adjustables that Brad had that were left over from an old project, so I cleaned and painted them chassis black and installed new Energy Suspension eyelet bushings. I think that the adjustable feature of those shocks are really going to come in handy down the road.

I finally remembered to take some pictures, but I waited until I was done.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate037.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate038.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate040.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ueplate039.jpg

I you remember, I did some trading with a buddy for the exhaust. I did a lot of cleaning and painting and it turned out really nice. The ONLY problem that I have is that the system was designed around my buddy's truck which has a factory panhard rod. Right now, the panhard bar for the Super Track Bar kit I have will not work until the passenger side tailpipe is modified. A bummer, but it won't be difficult to fix.

Tomorrow: Mock up the column and the shift linkage, and start to sort out the intermediate shaft and all of the steering linkage. I want this thing to be a roller soon!

Re: Project '64 Cheapskate
 

Looks terrific! I painted our exhaust with rust bullet and a brush. Looks better and might slow down the crust, what the heck. I can't wait to see it be a roller, are you gonna put the later PS in?
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