Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Figured I had better start a build thread to motivate me to keep progressing on the trucks frame-off restoration.

Truck History

Bought new in 65 by the doctor in the small town (Nortinville, Kansas) just up the road from my hometown (Valley Falls, Kansas). 15 years later my brother Travis was born. 16 years after that my dad stopped by the doctors house and asked if the black truck parked under the maple tree in his front yard was for sale. The old doctor said he'd been asked a million times if he'd sell the truck and he'd said no every time. However, just that day over breakfast he started considering selling it so he could park his boat there. My dad bought the truck for $1,500 and offered it to my brother for the same price, paid over time. My brother agreed and at 16 it became his first wheels. When I came home from work I was shown the truck by my estatic brother. I asked if I could take it for a ride (before I realized it was a stick shift) and he reluctantly agreed to let me drive it while he did his chores. I hopped in, realized it had a four speed, figured it shouldn't be to hard to figure out and took off for town. I went to a friends house to show the truck (this friend had a 66 C-10 with a 454) and how small the 230 looked compared to his big block. When I got out the truck smelled funny and I was embarrassed to be shown that I had driven 10 miles with the parking break on... None the worse for wear the truck carried me back home where I promptly offered my 86 Cutlass (my 1st car purchased the year before when I was 16) in trade for the truck. He declined.


In 1998 my brother parked the truck when he bought an 84 Monte Carlo. One year later, November 10, 1999, my brother was killed in an accident in that Monte when he was waived to turn onto the highway by a construction worker whose equipment was blocking the view at the intersection. The worker didn't see the F-350 with a full stock trailer of cows that the T-boned my brother at 60 mph. My brother and his best friend Doug were killed. Life goes on.

Fast forward to today. I'm a 33 year old graduate student working on my Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology while working full time for a local school district as a Program Evaluator. My wife is currently unemployed, so money is tight. However, I wanted to get the truck up to Omaha, where I now live, so I could focus on getting it restored rather than picking at it one day every couple months at my moms house where it had been sitting since my brother parked it.

The Truck Today

The truck was painted in the 80's so, other than being really dirty, it's not in horrible shape. There is rust in all the usual places: cab corners, rocker panels, fenders, tailgate, and the footwells within the cab. The passenger side door and rocker have a large dent also from where a friend backed into it at a party. The original engine was found to have a cracked block so I bought an 84 GMC for it's 350 and 4 speed. I swapped the engines while the truck was at my moms house and left the heads (882s) sitting open for the wasps for 4 years.

The Builder

Perhaps it's time for an admission. I really dont know what the hell I'm doing trying to do this by myself. I have a lot of tools but no experience in a restoration of this magnitude, but I am committed to get this done. I have worked on cars for years and managed a tire store for a couple years where I also installed tires and did minimal repairs. So I'm not completely lost...

The Dream

I want to build this truck to pass on to my son, Travis. I feel it's only appropriate and since I have 13 years until he can drive I figure I can figure this all out by then...

I want to build the car as a tribute to my brother and his friend Doug. My brother and I talked about how we'd restore the truck and I'll be honoring his opinion that the truck keep a bench seat (I wanted buckets). However, I plan on using one that has the center section that folds down for storage.

Otherwise, I plan on restoring the truck to the theme of a 60's era Trans-Am Series racer. High output 383 (shooting for 500/500), Richmond 600hp 5 speed, built 12 bolt, and modified suspension. I plan on using a Gaylords hard truck bed topper with a special period appropriate spoiler.

I have a ton of pictures that I'll scan over the holiday to let anyone who is interested see the truck and where I'm at.

I'm really looking forward to this restoration and getting to know this community!


Regards,


Scott
Posted via Mobile Device
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Scott, very touching story! Sorry for the loss of your brother and his friend.

Stoked that your gonna build a tribute truck for your bro and hand it down to your son.

I do body and paint for a living and if you need any advice on it, more than willing to help out.

Good luck with the build!

BTW my name is Travis.

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Thanks Travis! This truck has been siting on my conscious for 12 years now... Glad to get started!

As I have plenty of body and paint work to do (PLENTY), I'll definitely be needing some guidance...

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

We'll see if this works... I tried attaching a picture of the truck as it was in my Garage when I finally brought it up to Nebraska. Below that is, essentially, how it is sitting today. I've decided to restore the truck in 1/3's, starting with the front 1/3. To this end, I've pulled all sheet metal from the firewall forward. I've also pulled the top end off of the engine to check on it's condition... The engines current condition is somewhat of a mixed bag, cylinder walls are clean, pistons show inconsistent carbon deposits, and one piston has what appears to be detonation damage. As I see it, I have two options now:

1) Pull the short-block out, do a budget rebuild (new bearings, new pistons, new rings, new gaskets, dip the block, and replace the cam, heads, and intake with the one I want to use in the final build)/

2) Just start saving up the $8k I'm going to need for the engine and trans and worry more about the sheet metal and front suspension.

I'm leaning towards #2 as I don't want to have to spend money twice (e.g., new pistons twice, machine work twice, et cetera). Conversely, I have another 4-bolt block (already cleaned) that I could do #2 on and could do #1 on the engine that is in the truck now.

What say all of you?

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

One of the best things I've done for this project is to create a "man cave" room in the garage directly behind the truck. That way I can look at it while I watch football or listen to music after the kids are in bed. It's very motivating. (The first picture is my son sitting in said man cave on the trucks original bench (yes that's the original cover too) that now doubles as a couch).

Let's talk engine some more... Below are the two links that together represent the engine I'll be building for the truck:

(I'm looking at the "Medium" option in this article.)
http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...y/viewall.html

(Essentially, I'll be building this engine with the heads from the above engine)
http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...e/viewall.html

Regarding the transmission, I'll be using one of these two options:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/RMG-7021710A/

or

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CMG-TCET4618/

I'm leaning towards the second option for several reasons. One being the option of numerous shifter mount locations.

Advise welcome!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

I should mention, this is a SWB, SBW, deluxe cab truck.

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Hey Scott,

It is really cool that you are building the truck with yours and your brother's ideas and keeping his memory alive with the build. And the fact that you are going to pass this truck down to your son is even more cool. I really do like your truck and it is one neat truck.

I really like the idea of the 383 build for the truck, but IMO you don't need to have 500hp/500tq to have fun in one of these trucks and if you plan on giving this truck to your son when he is 16 yrs old then you may want to consider a motor with not as much HP/TQ. Like I said this is just my opinion only.

If you are going to put in a 5spd transmission into your truck have you considered the Keisler RSO 500/600? It is called a perfect fit for most muscle cars...I am not sure about the trucks like the ones we have though. This may be another option for you to consider for your truck.

I am also in the same position as you are with paint and body work. I have worked on my cars and helped my dad with his cars for years but I have no idea what I should do when it comes to paint and body. I think I am going to look for a guy on here or get some recommendations for a shop near by that could assist me with the paint and body for my truck. BTW I am going to paint my 1964 C10 Black with the white stripe on the side and the fawn interior with the bench seat. The eng/trans combo??? The jury is still out on that one.

Best wishes on your build and I will watch your thread as it comes along. Take care and have a great Thanksgiving holiday with your family.

V/R,

Travis

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Thanks Travis!

Thankfully, it will be 13 years until my son is even approaching ready for the truck, by then the engine will likely need a "refreshing". My current plan is to pull it and install a much less powerful motor while I rebuild the high output one. We'll talk about putting it back in when he graduates high school...

Thanks also for the info on the Keisler option, I'll definitely look into it!

I think your paint and interior ideas sound awesome, but, then again, I'm a bit biased...

As for paint, I think I'm going to keep it gloss black. However, I'll be adding two thick racing stripes that run over the front clip, cab, bed liner, tailgate, and rollpan and bumper. The stripes will be grey with billowing smoke ghosted in. We'll see how it turns out!

Thanks for your interest in my build! I sincerely hope you and yours have a great Thanksgiving as well!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Not a ton to report over the LONG holiday weekend... As funds are somewhat low at the moment I've been mainly focusing on pulling off small parts and repairing/restoring them and the areas they were previously mounted to.

Case in point, I pulled both of the front bumper brackets and the front, drivers side front clip frame mount. The pictures below are of the bumper brackets. The drivers side one appeared to have had a chain or something wrapped around it at one point in time as it was symmetrically creased on both sides of the bracket. Therefore, I focused on refurbishing the passenger side bracket and then repaired the drivers side bracket, which is now awaiting primer. The primer I used on the passenger side bracket is Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer. My plan is to prime all brackets with either POR-15 or Rusty Metal Primer, and finish by painting everything with chassis black.

I also purchased 4 welding magnets and priced sheets of 16 gauge steel for repairing the rusted floor pan sections. Hopefully this can commence as soon as I get my welder straightened out.

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

The original floor pan metal in these trucks is 18 ga.....just sayin :)

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Thanks a ton Captain! (As an aside, I'll be ordering one of your power steering adapter plates as soon as funds become available!) :)

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Hey Guys, can anyone tell me what is the best thing to use for a cut-off wheel? Specifically, what tool (e.g., angle grinder, air grinder, et cetera) and what size/type of wheels? I'm planning on doing some floor patching this weekend before I replace the rockers and I don't know what would work best for cutting out the rot and the appropriate size patch. Thanks in advance!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

I got an (18amp I think, let me check it when I get home) angle grinder from Sears specifically for the hard jobs and a smaller one for the light work.
So far I like the 4.5" DeWalt cutting discs the best, they cut only 1/8" wide (approx) and have been pretty durable so far.
I have only used them to cut sheet metal, bolts and rivets so far. Anything thicker than that I use my sawsall.
I have some others that are almost 1/4" thick and I am not 100% sure I like them as much yet.

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

When room permits, I like to use a 4.5 angle grinder in a 8-10 amp flavor. For the cut off discs, I typically use a Norton disc that is about .045 thick.

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Thanks guys! I plan on getting some discs this morning before the snow starts flying. If I'm lucky, I might be able to patch the two large corroded areas in the footwells. I'll definitely post pictures for your comments when I get done! Thanks again for your guidance!
Posted via Mobile Device

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Snow is really coming down so a trip to the hardware store will have to wait... Instead, I'll post some pics!

This is the rust on the drivers side floor board that I'll be repairing. The passenger side is almost identical. Oddly enough, both spots were covered by a panel that was riveted in place. When I pulled the factory rubber mat out I found them so I don't know if the panels were original or not, but they did a great job trapping dirt and moisture against the floor...

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Here are my gauge options... Both have the harness attached. I obviously would prefer the tach unit, but my engine red lines at 7,000 (2,000 RPM higher than this unit goes). Whichever one I don't use I'll likely sell on here after I plug it in to make sure it works...

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

This is the aftermarket air unit that was in the truck when m brother bought it. It is an "Artic Car" unit and was missing one of the big vent covers. Have any of you seen one of these before, and, by chance, do you know where I could find another vent? Don't know if I'll ever use it, but I'd prefer to have it restored before I sell it or put it on a shelf...

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Broken horn rings. I've got one and likely many of you do too. Six years ago I found someone who was selling repops for like $25, but, of course, I can't find that information now... In the meantime I've been considering repairing mine (which is broken in the actual ring part, on the left side, near where the triangle/rectangle section goes under the horn button (this is a 65 horn ring original to the truck). Today while searching I found the attached pdf on how to repair these! Thought some of you might also enjoy this. As an added bonus, it's shown using an MG wheel ring (MG's are my other current love as you can see in my profile pic). Enjoy!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Be sure to do some research before you sell the tach gauge panel, if that's the one you decide to sell. They're highly sought after and can go for big bucks.

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Thanks for the heads up! I knew that a year or so ago on ebay that they were selling for high dollar, but I didn't know the current state of the market... Sounds like I may need to find a couple more to finance some parts!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Hey Scott, I'm loving the tribute of this build and the little guy (future owner) that's awesome.

On your transmission make sure you visit Hurst Driveline website, some good info there. And call Jim at Hurst if you have any questions. He will spend as much time on the phone as you need to get things right.

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Thanks Craig for your kind words and the lead on the Hurst product! Customer service is worth a lot to me, especially on projects such as this!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Nice truck. I wish I had that hood piece. And the factory chrome/anodized whatever it is grille haha And if you sell that tach gauge let me know..I ma interested in that. Good luck on the rest of the build, solid truck

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Thanks dtkarst, and I'll keep you in mind! As an aside, big fan of Hays! My Grandparents were from Plainville and I still have family in Hays!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Really? Crazy how small of a world it is haha do you have a lot of family here in Hays?

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

I really like what you are trying to do with your truck. I hope that you will be successful in your efforts. Like you, I am trying to finish my PhD (in Education for me). Good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing. It is a lot of work trying to build a truck while working full time and going to school too. Keep up the great job!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Thank you Owen, and good luck with your degree as well! Currently the biggest constraint on my build is not necessarily school or work so much as it is my two boys. Let's just say they are "high strung" and require lots of attention... :) I wouldn't change them for the world, though!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Truck Progress (or the lack thereof)

Currently I am still in the process of welding in my first patch on the truck floor. By first patch I mean first patch on the truck and first patch/MIG welding experience I have ever had. It has taken me some time to get the welder set up to my liking, but I am feeling much more confident. I thought I had it finished (after MUCH welding wire and grinding), but then I put my light behind the panel and found numerous pin holes between my tacks. I hope to fill these over the weekend and to start on the next patch.

Next up:

I've ordered the good Captain's power steering mounting plate and plan on installing a quick-turn steering gear box very soon.

I'll be ordering new cab supports (since I'm welding new metal on top of them I figured I might as well replace them now as they are about shot) and new rockers very soon. I plan on ordering them from TABCO. Please, if this is not the best place to get body panels, let a guy know! :)

I'm continuing to monitor sales on engine parts as I slowly accumulate parts for my eventual engine build. Things are going good on this front as I've recently scored an Edelbrock 7501 Air Gap for $140! Next up for the motor, disassemble, inspection, blueprinting, and then off to the machine shop! I plan to order a balanced, forged, rotating assemble comprised of a SCAT crank, Pro-Comp Rods, and forged ICON (Keith Black) dished pistons. That won't be for some time though. I am thinking more and more about getting my engine put together along with my trans and rear-end. That way, once I finish the necessary restoration of all things from the cab forward, I can start to drive the truck while I work on restoring everything from the cab back.

I can't tell you how excited I am to drive this truck again!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

yet another inspiring story...i look forward to following your build progress

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Thanks (likaroc13)!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Updates of Minor Progress

Rust repair continues within the cab (First Picture). Call me crazy, but hear me out. I have an idea for the cab supports. Would it be a horrible idea to replace the existing cab support system either entirely or partially with square tubing? The second picture shows what areas I am planning or could replace with 1/8 wall square tubing at roughly the same diameter of the existing cab supports. The reason I'm considering this is that most of my supports for sure need replaced and the condition of the others is suspect. That is, they don't look horrible from the outside but the rust that ate the others started from the inside. So I'm somewhat inclined to replace all of the supports. Plus, this tubing will give me a solid, low mount for a cab cage system, in addition to providing increased rigidity to the cab. My only concern is that removing the flex from the cab will result on increased torsion to the cab mounts... Oh, and the figure you see in the center of the second picture, which is from Alan's Vitamin C Build originally, is how I plan on going from a full square tube to a half square tube in the transmission tunnel. The areas with the hash marks are the ones that I would use half of a square tube to provide drivetrain clearance. Let me know what you think!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Well, progress has been SLOW, but I am making progress just the same! I've removed the drivers side front cab support am currently in the final stages of installing a new support after some fitment issues. I'll then finish replacing the drivers side floor pans before moving on to the rockers. Currently, I have acquired almost all of the pieces I need to convert the truck to hydroboost disc/drum brakes. This and power steering will be my next mechanical jobs. I'll post some pictures when I complete the cab support install!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Still keeping an eye on this thread. Let me know if i can offer any advice.

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Thank you sir! I definitely will! It's nice to know that there is someone out there if I get stuck! I must confess that this project is somewhat intimidating to me given the sentimental value of the truck and my inexperience with, well, mostly body work! However, out of both necessity (i.e., I'm poor) and desire, I am pushing on and learning instead of having a shop do the work. I figured that I would start on the areas where I can hide my ugly welds a little easier as I improve... Once I hit the mechanical aspects of the build you will be seeing much more activity, and likely many more questions as I will both know what to ask and will have ideas that I need vetted. Once again, thanks for your interest and offer of assistance!

Scott

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

lots of guys on here have never welded before. but they jumped right in and started tearing there floors apart and did a really nice job. the more you do the more you will get used to it . and less intimidating it will be. lots of people on here willing to help all you have to do is ask.

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Man, if that isn't the truth! Grinding welds makes me want to be a better welder... :lol:

I think that most of my welding issues now are related to preparation. That is, making sure I have clean metal for both my ground and my welds on BOTH sides of the metal I am welding. I'll figure it out, and then I'll patch the fenders and tailgate! I really can't complain, I've seen trucks with WAY more rot to repair!

Thanks for your support!

Scott

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

I've made some decent progress lately! Some on the truck and some on my confidence in working on the truck. I've managed to attach the new, drivers side, front cab support to the lateral support and the inner/outer rocker! In doing so I found the quality of the replacement panels fit to be, well, apparently normal for what everyone else finds! It barely fit at all! Sure, it looked like the original equipment, but the dimensions were off in a couple key areas. As a result, the mounting tabs that connect the support to the lateral support (i.e., the support that runs parallel to the frame) wouldn't reach unless I straightened them out completely... I didn't want to do this so I "fabricated" extensions to the mounting tabs (Pic 1) and welded these to the cab support and to the lateral support. (Note, Pic 1 was taken before I used the dremel tool to shape the mounting tab extension.) Best of all, my last welds actually look like welds (Pic 2)! Now I just need to replace the floor section that covers the cab support before moving on to the rockers! I'm starting to believe that I may be able to drive this truck before I start collecting Social Security (roughly 30 years from now)!

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Along for watching the build.
Im going at about the same pace on mine.
Sub'd

Re: Travis' Tribute Truck - 65 Chevy C-10 Camper Special
 

Made a little progress over the weekend... Welded in the largest remaining patch on the drivers side floor. I also cleaned-up/cut out some small areas that still need to be patched. Starting to get a little confidence that I might be able to weld decently someday!

First Pic is the patch sat in place prior to shaping and welding. Pic 2 is the patch shaped to match the remaining floor sections and welded in.