A '66 Stepside SWB Transformation, Maybe?

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I'm new here and posted an intro but I'd like to say again, hello everyone from South Mississippi. I managed to purchase a truck about 12 years ago that was in pretty decent shape. I drove up to work one day and it was sitting in the parking lot. I went in and asked who's truck it was and the guy who owned it told me he found it under a carport in Alabama and purchased it to make into a hotrod. When he got it home, he discovered it was in too good of shape to take it apart so he changed the rear end to a more friendly highway ratio and started driving it around. I opened the door and it smelled just like my grandpa's truck, a '66 fleetside that he drove throughout my childhood. I loved the smell of that truck.

I told him that if he ever wanted to sell it, blah, blah, blah... Six months later, he was working somewhere else and my phone rang. He said that he'd blown up the motor in his dragster and needed to sell the truck to afford a new one. $3,500.00 later, it was mine. Straight six, three speed on the column, manual everything but everything worked except the gas gauge. A used cluster with an operable gauge off Ebay took care of that.

Then 12 years of every-now-and-then driving, ethanol gas and dirt daubers took its toll. First, the brakes failed. Wheel cylinders leaked, master cylinder quit on me, brake hoses collapsed, etc. I quit fixing it thinking I'd convert it to vacuum assist power brakes, front disc, dual master cylinder, you know, all the safer stuff. Then the carb started acting funny and upon disassembly and inspection, found the fuel tank, fuel line, pump and carb had deteriorated from ethanol fuel usage/storage. It SUCKED! and it has sat now for about three years.

So, I did what any sensible, yet concerned truck owner would do, I joined this forum. I started reading about repairs, upgrades, modifications, thoughts, ideas and transplants. I got to thinking maybe I would do some upgrades, modifications and transplants and get the old jewel back on the road. I figured, what the heck, may as well.

A while back, I was perusing craigslist and found a possible donor. I picked up an '87 LWB, 305, TH350C, square body that had caught fire at the fuel tank. It toasted the bed and cab but everything else looked okay. I got it for $250.00 so probably wasn't going to lose too much if it didn't work out. The engine had a burnt piston but I figured I'd find a good 350 so wasn't too worried about that. Everything else looked okay.

That's where I'm at now. The plan is... well... wide open. The truck still sits with all the original equipment installed. I could just repair everything and put it back on the road as it came from the factory. It would keep the original, manual drum brakes, manual steering, six cyl. engine, three speed manual trans, etc. Or, I could transplant the crossmember with suspension and disc brakes, transplant the power brakes, power steering, V8 engine (either the 305 or find a 350) and the TH350 auto. I could even use the five lug rear end so the rims would be the same. I could even LS swap it but that would a later project. I'd get it back on the road with a carbureted engine for now.

I cranked and ran the engine last about six months ago. It idled fine but the accelerator pump is shot in the carb so it did not want to take the gas at all. I idled down the driveway like I was a big shot, then idled back up and parked it. Had any neighbors been out, I could have waved at them.

So now, its decision time. I'll figure it out and get moving. I guess I can start doing something, even if it turns out not to be used. I can get the old 305 up and going, rebuild the th350, stuff like that. The engine and trans is out of the donor square body but the front suspension is still in it. That allows me to move it around in the yard and kill my grass in multiple places.