68 C10 SBSS build - start to finish

[Low Elco]

A-men! We were just cringing watching the news saying the same thing!
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[Vic1947]

Well, it's been a couple of days since AutoRama but I've been slow to post anything due to being struck down by a bug. Was barely home when the quickstep started ...but at least I made it without having to shampoo the interior. Finally feeling up to posting a couple of pics from the show. I had a great time visiting with Chip, Vern, Matt and the rest of the gang. I do believe they were ready to hit the road after the awards, though. Saw their signage in the back of Yeller and then nothing but a vapor trail.

Unfortunately, we were thrown into the class with pro-built trucks, so we came away with a third place finish in full custom truck. We assumed we had no chance at any of the extra awards, so with nature calling, we left to go start loading up our stuff. Dale (one of the guys near us with a sweet little red SWB) came over and asked if we knew we'd gotten a second award. Had no idea, so we went back to the awards room and checked. Sure enough, we'd received the Street Achievement Award for trucks. Nice little etched glass plaque that will look good on the shelf. So even though I came away from the show sicker than a dog, it was worth it.

[67cheby]

Congrats, beautiful truck !

[Xeen]

Nice!
Congratulations it's well deserved, when you can go up against Pro built trucks and get 3rd that's quite the compliment.

[Low Elco]

Dang, Vic! If I'd known you were hurting, I'd have stayed! I was on dinner detail and had to bounce by 630. Matt and Dad were north of the river by 720. Was great hanging out with you and Kathy. Congrats on the second award!
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[RatRod68]

Victor, just read through this build, and going to read through the little crust bucket thread next. What an amazing work of art. The interior upgrades and the smooth engine bay are my favorite parts of this build.

I was wondering if you would go into detail on how you did the cup holder. I love that idea as I hate the bulky ashtray in these trucks.

Also, would you make the filler panel for another person? I would love to have 4 of those, and possibly a 5th.

[lolife99]

Congrats!
Well deserved.

[JWall]

Very nice truck!
Congrats on the awards.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by RatRod68

I was wondering if you would go into detail on how you did the cup holder. I love that idea as I hate the bulky ashtray in these trucks.

Hey RatRod68, glad you liked the build. The cupholder is a bit of work, but not beyond anyone with a welder, a grinder and some time. I started by buying a retractable cupholder for a Geo Prizm off of eBay. It consists of two main pieces, the slider portion and the housing. Each side of the housing has two bosses where screws can be used to mount it. They will require some small spacers (washers?) to fit between the mounting bosses and the brackets you'll make. The main housing mod was trimming the front lip off of it. This allowed the slider portion to extend out of the dash and fit flush with the aluminum bezel.

I cut the spotwelds holding the ashtray bracket and removed it entirely. I had to widen the existing opening to fit the cupholder housing. The ashtray opening was too tall for the cupholder housing, so I welded in a patch along the bottom edge to make it the correct height. I then fabricated L-shaped brackets from sheetmetal and spotwelded them onto the inside of the dash. The bezel surrounding the retractable component was machined from 1/8" aluminum sheet, dimensions shown below.

Originally Posted by RatRod68

Also, would you make the filler panel for another person? I would love to have 4 of those, and possibly a 5th.

Not sure which filler panel you're referring to, but the ones that go from the grille to the core support are available from LMC and possibly other sources as well. Not very expensive and they fit! They're available in natural, polished and anodized finishes. The filler panel that fits in the cowl induction area of hood is homemade and since I have a pattern, it's easy to dupe. PM me and let me know if that's what you want.

[Hart_Rod]

Nice job on the truck Vic! Did you fix the vibration? If so, what was the culprit?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Hart_Rod

Nice job on the truck Vic! Did you fix the vibration? If so, what was the culprit?

Thanks! Yes, the vibration is gone. Both axle tubes in the rearend were bent and had to be straightened, but I believe the thing that helped the most was installing the QA1 shocks in a vertical position. Prior to that, the shocks were laid back nearly horizontal and had little, if any, control. The difference in ride quality before and after was surprising. There was a tiny bit of vibe left after all the rearend work, but I found one of the front A-arm adjusters was backed off several rounds. Apparently, the tech failed to tighten it during the last alignment. After cinching it down, it drove nice and smooth the 15 miles to and from the car show.

[Low Elco]

Hey Vic! Didja bust Crusty out and do doughnuts in the snow today?
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[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Hey Vic! Didja bust Crusty out and do doughnuts in the snow today?
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Nope ...see below, Crusty as of a few minutes ago.

[Low Elco]

Congrats, Vic! We saw it on Velocity, you looked good! Hope you got what you wanted out of it, the guy who bought it looked stoked to have it. Hope it's going to a good home and not one of these damn hustlers. More dough for Crusty! How was your auction experience?

[DrewMcD]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Congrats, Vic! We saw it on Velocity, you looked good! Hope you got what you wanted out of it, the guy who bought it looked stoked to have it. Hope it's going to a good home and not one of these damn hustlers. More dough for Crusty! How was your auction experience?

I was wondering if that truck belonged to anyone on here. The hosts were very complimentary and I agreed. The buyer did look very happy. Nice truck.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Congrats, Vic! We saw it on Velocity, you looked good! Hope you got what you wanted out of it, the guy who bought it looked stoked to have it. Hope it's going to a good home and not one of these damn hustlers. More dough for Crusty! How was your auction experience?

We were good with the results. Truck ended up within a few dollars of our original reserve. I was nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, though. The truck may have been on the block for two or three minutes but it seemed like only 20 or 30 seconds. Everything is just a blur. Even with a game plan, things happen so fast you don't have time to study the situation. You have just a short time to make a decision. I live a much more leisurely lifestyle.

The guy that bought it lives in Allen, TX so I reckon we won't be seeing it up here at any of the cruise in's. Which is probably good as it might be weird watching someone else with it.

[bguild]

Another nice truck heads to Texas.. Congrats on the sale. My wife and I were nervous and it wasnt even our truck. I will try to post the pics i took sometime soon.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by bguild

Another nice truck heads to Texas.. Congrats on the sale. My wife and I were nervous and it wasnt even our truck. I will try to post the pics i took sometime soon.

I spoke to the buyer at length this evening. Great guy! I feel sure it went to a good home. Reliable Carriers had already delivered it and he took it out on a short drive around the neighborhood. I gave him the rundown on its history and the build details. He has a background in auto body repair, so he has an appreciation for the amount of effort that goes into refurbishing these old survivors. I hope it makes him proud to own it for a long, long time.

[Low Elco]

Glad to hear it, Vic. It'd be a shame to have that beautiful truck just bounce around.
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[bguild]

Okay I am finally getting around to uploading the pictures from when I was at the Mecum auction.


Vic standing by the truck ready to send her to a new owner.


Heading to the block.


On the block




Vic making the deal work

[bguild]

SOLD SOLD SOLD