Now that spring has finally arrived in Central Illinois, it's time to get back out to the garage. The good news is, I have plenty of fun projects to work on. The bad news is, not all of those projects are on my '65 C10.
As I posted recently, a few weeks ago, my son picked up a C10 of his own (a '77 Silverado). We've spent most of our garage time getting it back on the road. There's still quite a bit of work to do, but it's getting closer to roadworthy.
While my son was working this weekend, I took a break from his truck to spend some quality time with my own. I checked a couple of modernization/practicality upgrades off my list.
Tailgate Chain Delete
I like the "old truck aesthetic" of the tailgate chains, but I open and close the tailgate enough to make the chains a pain in the rear. And, the chains don't support the tailgate level with the bed. They sag and the tailgate hangs at an odd downward angle.
So, over the winter, I went in search of a tailgate cable and latch conversion. I wasn't really excited by the ones available on the market. They're expensive and overly complicated. So, I set out to build my own.
I started with a set of tailgate cables for a '07-'16 Silverado. They're cheap and readily available.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGRDN4DP...lig_dp_it&th=1
Next, I found a set of stainless steel spring-loaded latches. Again, cheap and readily available.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B41XJ77B...lig_dp_it&th=1
The rest was simple fabrication work.
- I welded a flange nut (inserted backwards) into the corner stake pocket. This acts as a bung to hold the upper end of the support cable. The cables come with shoulder bolts for this end of the cable.
- Next, I cut and shaped a length of 1 1/4" angle steel into a bracket that acts both as an anchor point for the lower end of the cable and as a mounting point for the latch. I mounted the bracket to the tailgate using a pair of rivnuts (one at the top of the tailgate, one at the bottom. You have to avoid the middle of the tailgate because a hole here would be visible from the outside. The latch is mounted to the bracket using a pair of 8-32 stainless machine screws threaded into holes tapped in the bracket.
- Then, I mounted the latch striker plates to the corner stake pockets, above the cable mounting bolt. I had to fab a couple of 1/4" thick steel spacers to give the striker plates the necessary clearance for the latches. The striker and spacers are mounted using more stainless 8-32 machine bolts into holes tapped in the stake pocket.
- I repeated the whole operation on the other side of the truck
- I sprayed the brackets and spacers flat black to match the truck and set them aside over night.
- The next morning, I assembled the whole works.
- Finally, I cleaned up the installation by removing the tailgate chains, bolts, and brackets, and touching up the rusty holes with some more flat black.
- Someday, when I redo the body work, I'll weld in patches to smoot out the empty bolt and bracket holes.
LED Headlights
Last summer, I installed a set of high intensity headlight bulbs. They were better than the original T3's, but they were still a far cry from the LED headlights we're used to on our daily drivers. I didn't feel safe driving the '65 at night with all of the modern vehicles (and their glaring headlights) on the road. So, I stepped up and bought a pair of Holley RetroBright headlights. They're pricey, but if you plan to drive your classic truck at night, they are totally worth it. Safety is a good place focus your project budget.
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Holle...SAAEgJCL_D_BwE
The installation was fairly simple. Just pull out the old bulbs and pop in the new ones. The pigtails on the RetroBrights plug right into the factory headlight harness, or in my case, the upgraded headlight harness I installed last summer. I had to correct the headlight aim a bit, but that's to be expected whenever you remove and replace the bulbs.
I'll also note how good the RetroBright's look. Most LED bulbs look much too modern for a classic vehicle. Holley did a very good job making the RetroBright lenses look like vintage bulbs. They look right at home on a '60's pickup. You can see a comparison shot below between the RetroBright (driver side) and the high-intensity incandescent (passenger side). The RetroBright is a lot "whiter" than vintage, but the lens pattern mimics the old T3's much better. When they're turned off, you have to look closely for the "Holley" logo to know they're not vintage bulbs.
Last night, after sundown, I went for a drive to try out the new lighting. The results are impressive. The RetroBrights are significantly brighter than the old high-intensity bulbs and they do a much better job of throwing light sideways toward the ditches. This is a huge safety advantage, especially when the critters are twitterpated and frolicking near the roadways. The low beams don't seem quite as bright as those on my '21 GMC, but the high beams throw light WAY out ahead of the truck. This upgrade makes a huge improvement in terms of safety and practicality.