61/63 4X4 Build Thread

[63chevy4x4]

Well here goes, thought I would make a build thread of my own. First off I know this pickup is a far cry from being original that not what I was going for anyways. It started out my freshman year of high school, I wanted and old pickup or car to restore, I had tinkered with old lawn mowers, hit and miss gas engines and anything else I could get my hands on since I could turn a wrench. My dad had told me stories about a 1964 Chevy 4x4 he had back in the 1980s and used as a sprayer pickup here on the farm but had sold years before I was born, looking at old pictures of it I fell in love with the stance and rugged look of that old 4x4, on the farm will still have a 1962 GMC 3500 and a 1965 Chevy c-60 that my grandpa and great uncle bought new and I couldnt and still can’t get enough of those old trucks!
My chance came the summer before 10th grade, On craigslist I found a rough 1963 Chevy 1/2 ton 4x4 that supposedly turned over only 50 miles away for 600, I begged my dad and we went down to look at it, I fell in love instantly despite my dad telling me there were better ones out there I had to have it. We rolled it down a hill onto our car trailer and headed for home.
I got it running that night, the 283 with al-cheapo mufflers was music to my ears. The only major work was building a cover for the input bearing on the back side of the transfer case, I use the plasma cutter and welded and 1 1/4 pipe cap to it, crude but I knew it was mine that way! I drove it out to the fields that summer on a regular basis learning to drive the 3 speed took some getting used to haha.
That winter in auto shop at school I put all new brakes and brake lines in the pickup and rebuilt the 283, I had it board 60 over, installed an edelbrock intake, a used mallroy uniltie distributor, Comp 260h cam and short summit headers. The best part was giving girls rides round the parking lot when it was all done .... and rebuilding my own engine! I still had the issue of the rusted out cab though, the next year me and a friend painted it up for homecoming to pull our float along with a load of shenanigans that week!
Over the past 3 years I’ve bought 6 60-66 Chevy and gmc pickups for parts and have boex in the back of our shop as well a 2 pickups in the woods full of parts. This past winter I took off the old cab and box and had the frame sand blasted and painted it myself. Last summer I used the money I got for graduation to buy a rust free 61 gmc that was in pieces to use as my cab, I also installed a rebuilt th350, power steering and power brakes (and yes I can drive a manual I have driven semi since I was 15 so hold off on the "young guys can’t drive stick" jokes folks!) I had to build a crossmember and re-weld the cab mounts, I also have the interior painted as of now, so enough of my story here are some pics!