'69 C20 Rebuild

[MarineChevyDriver]

I'm trying to take advantage of the brothers sale that ends today. I'm looking at buying the wood bed panels, but I can't figure out if I have a fleetside or longhorn. I think it's a fleetside. Can someone help me out?

[Mustard72]

Fleetsides (regular, not short wheelbase ones) have 8' beds. Longhorns, I think, have 9' beds (???). I thought they typically came with trim that said they were Longhorns, too.

[MarineChevyDriver]

Originally Posted by Mustard72

Fleetsides (regular, not short wheelbase ones) have 8' beds. Longhorns, I think, have 9' beds (???). I thought they typically came with trim that said they were Longhorns, too.

I thought they came with the emblem as well. I did not have one...or holes where any trim was missing. I think fleetside is the answer.

[Mustard72]

Oh, I think the regular length fleetsides have a 127" wheelbase, too. Longhorns were longer I think.

[MarineChevyDriver]

Originally Posted by Mustard72

Oh, I think the regular length fleetsides have a 127" wheelbase, too. Longhorns were longer I think.

Good to know!

[MarineChevyDriver]

More body work from last weekend. I decided not to strip the paint off, just fill holes with plastic filler, sand it smooth and get it painted. This is about 7 hours of work. Working on the doors and front fenders this weekend.

Is there any reason to think that with a little more sanding of the old paint that this won't take new paint?

[MarineChevyDriver]

-Primed and painted the bed rails.
-finished repair of the hood.
-began repair of quarter panels
-put another coat of black on the frame
-prepped my new tailgate for work to be done at the welding shop
-and did some more sanding on the bed

a VERY productive day!

[Mustard72]

Awesome. Productive days always feel great, don't they. Lots better than banging your head against one problem all day, or just sitting there staring at the project wondering what to do next or something like I find myself doing.

[litew8]

Any updates here? As for the old paint taking on new - Not sure, but we scuffed my old paint and primed over it. That was deemed safe. Not sure about using the old paint as a substitute for primer.

[MarineChevyDriver]

Originally Posted by litew8

Any updates here? As for the old paint taking on new - Not sure, but we scuffed my old paint and primed over it. That was deemed safe. Not sure about using the old paint as a substitute for primer.

I've been taking pictures, but haven't been posting. No paint yet. ALMOST done with outer body work. I was told by my a local paint shop to sand everything if I'm not going down to metal; make sure all the shiny parts are sanded away. It would then be primed, painted, cleared, etc.

I'll post my latest as soon as I can. Working on the underside pf the cab currently.

[MarineChevyDriver]

Landmarks:
-Strip frame, prime, and paint - COMPLETE
-Strip underside of cab, prime, paint, and armor line - COMPLETE
-Prime, paint, and armor line firewall - COMPLETE
-Install new Cab mounts - COMPLETE
-Fill all holes in body, sand smooth, sand all paint to dull for paint prep - 90% COMPLETE
-Strip interior and prep for paint - 75% COMPLETE
-Remove gas tank, patch holes, fill, and sand - 98% COMPLETE
-Strip, prime, paint, and armor line inside of engine compartment - 25% COMPELTE
-Fit wood to bed, drill, stain, seal - 0% COMPLETE

[MarineChevyDriver]

All the wood is in. Today I am installing the frame rails, drilling the mount bolts, and getting a few buddies to help me set the bed on. Normally I would take the wood back out at this point, but I'm going to store the truck reassembled. I'm having knee surgery tomorrow, so she's going to sit for a few months.









Glad I had these from my tool boxes. They made the job much easier







So the bolt kit quality control wasn't so good. Not only did I get a bolt with no threads, I'm missing multiple bolts of different types. I'm also short various washers and others I have way too many of. I need to make some phone calls.







Sprayed the mounting points with some bed armor to prevent the paint from rubbing/chipping off.

[Mustard72]

Shweet! I'm trying to remember, did you replace the leaf springs? I'm having a heck of a time finding new replacements for my C20.

[MarineChevyDriver]

Not yet. I will though. I want to do a sport lowering kit.
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[MarineChevyDriver]

Originally Posted by Mustard72

Shweet! I'm trying to remember, did you replace the leaf springs? I'm having a heck of a time finding new replacements for my C20.

When the time comes, I was planning on taking the springs from a junk yard or buying new.

Have you had any luck yet?

[litew8]

Wood looking awesome! That'll be coming up soon on mine. Any advice, or is it pretty straight forward?

[MarineChevyDriver]

My advice during the install is to not tighten anything until all the slats are in place. I had to loosen a whole bunch of bolts to slide the wood over enough to close the gaps for the steel strips. Start from the sides at the wheels wells and work your way into the middle. Place all the boards, metal strips, and hardware hand tightened, then drill the holes around the outer edge. Complete the mount with the final bolts inserted around the sides. Don't tighten yet; you still need to install the bed rails underneath, which is a pain the ass. You will see why when you try to fit your hand in the middle of the rails to put the washers and nuts on the bolts. Once that's done, drill for the bed bolts. You will need regular bits and a countersink bit or hole saw bit. Drill a pilot hole in the mounting positions from underneath. From the top, drill the holes for the bolts. I think they are 1/2" or 5/16", I can't remember. Then drill the offset inlay for the offset washers. I had planned to place the bolt with the washer, pencil trace the washer, then drill the offset hole to a depth the same height as the bolt head and washer by marking the side of fhe hole saw. This is so the bed bolt heads will sit below the surface of the boards, creating a flush surface. I still have to finish installing 4 rails and drill the bed bolts. Once all that is done, you get to take it all back apart again, sand, treat, stain, seal, and protect. And then reinstall all over again.

I'm moving soon and don't want to do this, so I'm selling the truck for what I can get out of it. If anyone is interested or you know anyone that is interested, shoot me a PM.

Good luck with your bed install!
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[litew8]

Thanks man!

[MarineChevyDriver]

Originally Posted by litew8

Thanks man!

You got it!
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