The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network - View Single Post - What would you do different....do's and dont's

Johns 66 · 06-02-2017, 09:36 AM

IMO here are some things to think about.
1. Decide what you want to do with your truck....by this I mean do you want a show truck, a driver truck, a street rod/restomod truck, or an all original truck or somewhere in the middle. I think that if you have an upfront plan it makes it a lot easier.

2. Know your limitations and budget...Unless you are Chip Foose or Dave Kindig and have their kind of money, resources and knowledge....just understand that things will definitely cost and it will definitely not be perfect. These truck were never designed or assembled to the standard we try to make them today. No matter how many times you build something you will always see something that you would like to do and do differently.

3. Keep the original body panels if at all possible....todays aftermarket part simply do not fit like original parts....sure you can make them work but it takes some time to get them to fit right which in turn costs more....I have done it both ways and trust me keeping the original sheet metal and just fixing the parts that needs to be fixed is a lot better.

4. do what you can live with....If you are planning on doing the work yourself and have those skills, a place to work on your project remember to take lots of pictures, label your parts and kinda organize them....trust me that 3 months down the road its hard to remember how something went together...pictures have helped me a lot.

5. My last piece of advice is really simple....Enjoy it...Enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Working on the old truck is sometimes a pain but it is so rewarding in the end. For me I had to realize its a 51 yr old truck...things break and don't work right but after a little trial and error you can usually figure things out.

When I got my 66 SWB Fleet a few months ago I knew it needed some work and before I touched the truck I decided that this would be a driver truck and my efforts from that day forward have been with that thought in mind...I have to remind myself that its a driver because the urge to rip it all apart and make it perfect gnaws at me. I am going to keep it mainly stock with a few safety items added plus an automatic tranny.

So enjoy your journey, post lots of pictures and have fun.

06-02-2017, 09:36 AM	#6
Johns 66 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Talladega Alabama Posts: 860	Re: What would you do different....do's and dont's IMO here are some things to think about. 1. Decide what you want to do with your truck....by this I mean do you want a show truck, a driver truck, a street rod/restomod truck, or an all original truck or somewhere in the middle. I think that if you have an upfront plan it makes it a lot easier. 2. Know your limitations and budget...Unless you are Chip Foose or Dave Kindig and have their kind of money, resources and knowledge....just understand that things will definitely cost and it will definitely not be perfect. These truck were never designed or assembled to the standard we try to make them today. No matter how many times you build something you will always see something that you would like to do and do differently. 3. Keep the original body panels if at all possible....todays aftermarket part simply do not fit like original parts....sure you can make them work but it takes some time to get them to fit right which in turn costs more....I have done it both ways and trust me keeping the original sheet metal and just fixing the parts that needs to be fixed is a lot better. 4. do what you can live with....If you are planning on doing the work yourself and have those skills, a place to work on your project remember to take lots of pictures, label your parts and kinda organize them....trust me that 3 months down the road its hard to remember how something went together...pictures have helped me a lot. 5. My last piece of advice is really simple....Enjoy it...Enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Working on the old truck is sometimes a pain but it is so rewarding in the end. For me I had to realize its a 51 yr old truck...things break and don't work right but after a little trial and error you can usually figure things out. When I got my 66 SWB Fleet a few months ago I knew it needed some work and before I touched the truck I decided that this would be a driver truck and my efforts from that day forward have been with that thought in mind...I have to remind myself that its a driver because the urge to rip it all apart and make it perfect gnaws at me. I am going to keep it mainly stock with a few safety items added plus an automatic tranny. So enjoy your journey, post lots of pictures and have fun.