Canadian Rustbucket 66

[rustbucket66]

My first posting on this site. Very cool and interesting site, I have looked at it a lot over the past year. I have my chassis finished, and the wheels on. The cab I have been welding, cutting and grinding all last winter, and have at the bodyshop right now. Replaced all 4 cab mounts, rockers innner and outer, cab corners, a bunch of the floor and firewall, and more. Didn't really think it would be that interesting to post all the rotten parts of the cab. I will post more pictures soon.

[lolife99]

Welcome.
We're going to need some more pics! Ha.

[rustbucket66]

Ok, here goes. I finally picked up my cab. That's my body man (poor soul) taking masking tape off after painting under cab. Set the cab on the chassis and new mounts. Starts getting exciting now. All kinds of things to do. I restored this truck previous in the early 80's. Long story short, won a first in World of Wheels in 83, drove it until 88, then sold it for other project. Met the fella 13 years later, and after some hagling, bought it back. Completely worn out, over 100,000 miles, and totally rusted bottom of cab. Been fixing a long time, and seeing the cab with paint on it is a big deal. At least around here.

[McMurphy]

Hello and welcome!

Are you going with white and silver for colors?

[chevyrestoguy]

Very nice! I dig the wheels! Real-deal wires from back in the day.

[rustbucket66]

Thanks. Appliance truspoke fine wires. Appliance hasn't been in business for 20 some years. I had these wheels, but were rusty. I sent them to this place in California to get new spokes and replaced aportion of the wheels on each edge. Cost me a bunch, but you can't buy a wheel like this. I know the offset is right, as they were on the truck the last time I restored it. As for the paint, it will be white with sliver in the insert, I have more pics coming.

[jimmydean]

Wow, I love the wheels! I got some off Craigs List a month back, but they didn't fit over my disc brakes.

Welcome and great looking ride.

[rustbucket66]

I think I should take some pics of the inside of the door before I put it back together. It was a frustrating and time consuming job, and I'm sure any help I could give someone about to do it, would be appreciated. As far as doing it and having the manual crank, that would be hard. As you can probably see, the area where the window crank mounts on the door has been cut out to install the one piece glass and tracks. I think it would be harder than putting the electric units in. The piece would have to be welded back in, and attached to the new glass track somehow. The hole in my door is going to be covered with a piece of flat aluminum. I'm installing elec window switches that have the shaft for your stock window crank, and look original when you put the cover panel on. Just move the handle up or down a little bit to raise or lower the window. Very cool, I think. That way you aren't mounting some square switch somewhere that doesn't look like it belongs. Or having to fill the round hole the original shaft came out of.

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by rustbucket66

I'm installing elec window switches that have the shaft for your stock window crank, and look original when you put the cover panel on. Just move the handle up or down a little bit to raise or lower the window. Very cool, I think. That way you aren't mounting some square switch somewhere that doesn't look like it belongs. Or having to fill the round hole the original shaft came out of.

Wow yeah, that is a hella cool idea! I like that a lot.

[rustbucket66]

Put the dash, heater/ A/c contol, and ash tray in to see what I will be staring at some day. Put the 2 speed automatic column together next, and install.

[McMurphy]

Man your dash looks good!

[C@rnut001]

Your truck is looking really good. It is great to see it coming back to life from a rust bucket... Thanks for sharing your build and pictures with us.

[northern 85]

Very nice! I have been looking for a chrome dash bezel for four years now,looks great!

[rustbucket66]

Just take your existing dash trim to a plating shop, I don't think you can buy them in chrome.

[northern 85]

We did they destroyed 3 of them! Can you post a pic of your glovebox now that its back together? What color brown is that? Nice nice job!

[rustbucket66]

I didn't know they were hard to chrome plate. Hmmm. Here are some pics of the seats I got from a wrecker. Came out of a 2002 extended cab 1500 2wd. They will be reupholstered to the right color, but they had a few features I like. The seatbelts are built right into the seat itself, no holes in the cab for the upper mount. Nothing electric at all, don't see the point, once it is in the right position, it doesn't move. Has a flip up centre, so it can be a bench seat for more than 2 passengers. The console has some storage inside it also. Next, it came from a 2 wheel drive, so no big hump in the middle, and it fits the floor of my cab pretty good. The other feature I needed is that the seat flips forward to get access behind the seat. The four door trucks and suburbans don't do that, only the extended cabs, and the straight cabs. Put some dynamat also, man is that stuff expensive. Just ridiculous. Chip Foose recommends it, I love Chip, but the stuff is way over priced. I couldn't find an alternative, so I just bit the bullet.

[BOXER957]

Originally Posted by C@rnut001

Your truck is looking really good. It is great to see it coming back to life from a rust bucket... Thanks for sharing your build and pictures with us.

X2! Sometimes it seems like trying to make a cow out of hamburger but keeping them alive and out of the junkyard is what it's all about. That and the satisfaction of having a sweet truck that YOU brought back from the dead.

[rustbucket66]

Thanks guys. The script at the rear is from a 57 Chevy 150 or 210 model hood or trunk trim. The Belair script was gold. Today I am mounting the spare tire under the rear of the bed. The bracket is from a 70s Chevy truck. I shortened it about 4 inches to accommodate the space saver spare. I hope I never use it, but it is there if I have a flat and need to get to the next town. It is hardly noticeable from the back, you have to get on your hands and knees to see it.

[rustbucket66]

Recently got the wheel tubs and the tailgate back from paint. Also all the carriage head bolts that are painted to match, that go around the perimeter and fasten the wheel tubs down. Getting interesting now. I am having an air brush artist paint the Chevrolet script on the tailgate kind of the same as the script on the box sides. I won't install it until he is finished. Lots of work to do now.

[rustbucket66]

Alaska, I understand the northern lights are in color up there. The air cleaner is a repo of fifties Cadillac and Oldsmobile, I forget where I got it, but there are several places that sell them. I've seen quite a few, maybe google Cadillac air cleaner and you can find it. Some of the hotrod parts dealers carry them. I have even seen a cast aluminum one that looked really good, but the guy wasn't around to ask about it.

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by rustbucket66

Alaska, I understand the northern lights are in color up there. The air cleaner is a repo of fifties Cadillac and Oldsmobile, I forget where I got it, but there are several places that sell them. I've seen quite a few, maybe google Cadillac air cleaner and you can find it. Some of the hotrod parts dealers carry them. I have even seen a cast aluminum one that looked really good, but the guy wasn't around to ask about it.

Ahhh thanks for the info.
I have late '60s Caddy catalogs. I keep forgetting about Ebay, mostly I am not a fan....

The aurora has been out and kicking it hard!
You can always tell because the Japanese population of tourists jumps up, from what I understand it is considered huge good luck to concieve a child under the aurora ... maybe that is where come from? Star powered Samurai ????

Anyways, I want to get ahold of one of those air cleaners. Local boneyard has an Eldorado guess I will look under the hood next time I am there !!

[northern 85]

Anything new? Looking forward to more pics

[rustbucket66]

I have taken the glove box door, valve covers, and air cleaner to the air brush guy. Excited to get that stuff back. Been spending most of my time getting the front fenders, and header panel to fit. I made a blog on it on the message board, maybe you have seen it. That has taken most of my time recently. Right now, I am making some adjustments on the elec windows. Since putting the outside wiper felt and the inner felt on, the glass doesn't align properly. Also awaiting some parts that should arrive any day now. More pics very soon.

[McMurphy]

cool, some photo scooby snacks would be awesome!

[LostMy65]

I'm sorry I just now noticed your thread.
Beautiful work, and I really like your wheels.