Winter Beater Build- '66 BBW Custom Short/Fleet with Heat!

[theastronaut]

I kinda strayed from my original plans for Goldilocks (just throwing it back together and driving it ) so now it's two winters later and I'm still driving around in my '64 VW with no heat. There's no easy way to add heat to the VW so I thought that I'd find a beater to drive this winter and sell it next tax return season when people have money burning a hole in their pocket. I went and looked at a '89 Conquest TSi but the owner over-represented it so I passed on it. I don't check Craigslist often so I usually miss all the deals, but somehow managed to snag this one.

It had been posted three days when I first saw it so I almost didn't bother to email the owner. I did anyways, and he sent back "Call Saturday for directions, best offer takes the truck." So I figured that he was trying to get everyone there on Saturday to create an "auction" of people throwing out offers. It wasn't looking too hopefull at that point.

So this morning dad and I headed out at 7am to go look at it. We tried calling around 7:30 but got no answer. Left a message and the wait began... by 8:30 we decided to hit the local jockey lot a few miles away. He calls around 9 and says that he got in late, and would be ready around 12 for us to come look. At 10:30 he calls back with directions so we go on over to his house.

No one else had shown up to look at the truck. I asked if he'd had any interest from the Craigslist ad and he said that he got over 30 emails but no one calling back wanting to go look. We looked it over, tried cranking it, then made an offer. He countered with "let me check with the wife"... We ended up making a deal after a bit of haggling and drug it home a few hours later.

It has a 250 and three speed, all the Custom options, a thrift-air heater (heat!), cluster with gauges, and supposedly has a new clutch with zero miles. The shift linkage is hung up so I gotta check that out. There is a good bit of rust throughout the truck, more than I'd be willing to fix. The sliding rear window and camper mirrors will be the first things to go. Then the normal items; brakes, tune up parts, fluid changes. Might lower it? It has two new rear tires with thin whitewalls and I wanna get two matching for the fronts. It has a steel sheet welded in the bed but I think I'll use the maple bed wood that came with Goldilocks since I want oak for 'Locks.


I'm counting on you guys- gotta keep this from snowballing into something bigger...


On to the pics...

How it looked when we arrived.









After bringing it home and pressure washing it. Looks 1000x better already! It was getting dark so had to call it a day.

[niterider65]

lookin pretty sweet can't wait and see where it goes from here . \also likes the work you did on the L110 truck looked very nice . hope to start on the L120 some day but i need to finish the 65 first . you know how projects start.

[Bomp]

Count me in.

[pdxhall]

I'm in and I'll be keeping an I on you but I know how you get and I don't see a simple ending. but good luck with that.

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by pdxhall

I'm in and I'll be keeping an I on you but I know how you get and I don't see a simple ending. but good luck with that.

My thoughts exactly! My crystal ball says that you're going to like driving this one, and I think you'll keep it around for a long time. A beater truck is kind of like an old mutt that you picked up at the dog pound. Not pretty, but loyal and reliable to the end. Call me weird, but I love beater trucks that are little rough around the edges but immaculately cleaned inside and out.

[rusty76]

I'm in too.

[Ta2Don]

I'm in as well...

As for not snowballing... Hope it works out for ya.

I bought mine sans engine, planned on a quick motor build and install… 18 months later and I still haven't been on the first drive… The fun has been in riding the snowball

Congrats on the Newest Toy!!!

[theastronaut]

You guys have no faith! Seriously, this isn't going to be something that I put a lot into. Just cleaning, brakes, tune up, and fixing only what needs to be done to get it on the road reliably. Goldilocks is going to be the beater/keeper- I don't need two trucks. I'm in this one cheap enough that I can easily double my investment once it's running; that'll be a nice chunk to drop on 'Locks next year.

[BMERDOC]

I'm in just to see if you can restrain yourself and just make it a nice driver! It did clean up pretty nice. If you stick to making it road worthy and a general clean up you'll do well. If you find yourself pulling off the front clip, doors or other things that's when the "might as wells" begin and its all down hill from there. You always do a great job on your projects so this one should be no different. Get it driving and enjoy the heat!

[72BlckButy]

Looks like a nice truck to start with.

[Jeff La]

Hey I call first dibs on the sale, so I'm watching what's going on LOL

[theastronaut]

Just tried starting it up. It's not pumping gas so it wouldn't stay running. Sounded good though, no knocks or ticks and it registered oil pressure. The loud exhaust will have to go!

1966 Chevy C10 Start Up - YouTube

[Bomp]

I like driving reliable beaters too. I do see you adding a tach though. You and no restored gauge cluster just seems wrong.
Great vid.

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by Bomp

I like driving reliable beaters too. I do see you adding a tach though. You and no restored gauge cluster just seems wrong.
Great vid.

Originally Posted by theastronaut

I'm counting on you guys- gotta keep this from snowballing into something bigger...

Come on Greg, you're not helping! To be honest, I'd already thought about adding a tach... but finding a 6 cylinder tach isn't easy.

[NEWFISHER]

Originally Posted by theastronaut

Come on Greg, you're not helping! To be honest, I'd already thought about adding a tach... but finding a 6 cylinder tach isn't easy.

You use a new off the shelf, flip the switch to 6 then back load it behind a custom decal you will have made

[TJ's Chevy]

I bought a Tach from Autometer(I believe) that has the 4-6-8 settings. Works fine. I can post some pictures of it if you want.

[1963c-10]

Nice find on the 2nd truck.....

[theastronaut]

Thanks guys. If I add a tach it'll be a factory tach. A friend of mine called today to ask if I needed and parts, he's making a trip to Tommy's Truck Parts on Wednesday and said he'd pick up whatever I needed to save shipping. I'll get a new tank since the old one is rotted out and seeping from the left bottom corner. That'll help keep cost down since a tank would be oversize shipping.

[darkhorse970]

I'm in, Amazing what a little washing has done for it already.

[Low Elco]

Hmm... It'd be easy to drop it.... heh, heh, heh,

Cool little beater, I have the same problem, you don't wanna tear into 'em 'cuz you're havin' too much fun! It cleaned up nice!

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Hmm... It'd be easy to drop it.... heh, heh, heh,

Cool little beater, I have the same problem, you don't wanna tear into 'em 'cuz you're havin' too much fun! It cleaned up nice!

That's in the plans... cut front coils and Jeep TJ rear springs. Only cost will be the rear springs, it won't be low enough to need a notch.

[duallyjams]

Only do things that you can do in a day, that way it stays on the road and running.

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by duallyjams

Only do things that you can do in a day, that way it stays on the road and running.

That's a good tip!

[NEWFISHER]

Originally Posted by duallyjams

Only do things that you can do in a day, that way it stays on the road and running.

That's my Mantra with my whole build!

Truck's looking good! Check with your local offroad and 4x shops, get on pirate4x4.com and other forums for the rear jeep springs and you may find a free set.

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by NEWFISHER

That's my Mantra with my whole build!

Truck's looking good! Check with your local offroad and 4x shops, get on pirate4x4.com and other forums for the rear jeep springs and you may find a free set.

I posted in a few "for sale" groups on facebook that are local, someone should have them close by. We do a good bit of glass work for a local shop that installs lift kits, they should have a set.



I picked up a pretty nice gas tank for $20 bucks today, and deluxe heater with inside air duct, controls, and cables for another $20. Not sure yet if I'll convert it to a deluxe heater or save that for Goldilocks.

Shot of the inside of the tank. I'll clean it with muriatic acid to get the rust out before installing it.




Also peeled back the newer seat covers to find that the original cover is still there. Hopefully the base is decent enough to live with, the vinyl cover that's on it is pretty nasty looking.