Previous owner '68

[raggedjim]

The straps will be bent the WRONG way when you get a new tank (bottom strap). You need to bend them like the top one (or something reasonably close).

[raggedjim]

An original blazer strap for reference.

[jaros44sr]

Roger, the tank looks to have the straight fill neck on it, don't know if it will cause you any problems when you try to install hose, but mine caused a kink, and ended up removing neck and installing original neck

Now is the time to fix it if you want before you put gas in it

Straps I got with tank didn't have J bolts so I used the original ones

Nice work so far

[raggedjim]

Thanks for the heads up Jim. I do have a couple blazer fill necks I could use if I need to but I'm hoping I can work something else out since I'll be running a stepside bed. I know the blazers have a body mount right where the fill is and I won't have to worry about that.

[raggedjim]

I took a minute to stand back with a critical eye and there were a couple things I didn't like. The first was the way the rear brake hose was mounted. Obviously it wasn't the correct one for the rearend I have, so I changed the mounting bracket. Now the hose isn't so near the shock.

[raggedjim]

I also hated the way the gas tank straps looked. So I took them off and spot welded them so they stay flat.

[raggedjim]

Another full shot.

[raggedjim]

I did get the other fender off. Unfortunately trying to tighten to the breaking point stripped out the threads on the bolts! So I continued drilling them out, using a good drill with cutting fluid.

Scrapping undercoating, it is a joy.

[Getter-Done]

Originally Posted by raggedjim

I did get the other fender off. Unfortunately trying to tighten to the breaking point stripped out the threads on the bolts! So I continued drilling them out, using a good drill with cutting fluid.

Scrapping undercoating, it is a joy.

Great Progress again today for you.

Myself
I am working on one of my better half projects.

I have used Wd-Forty or brake cleaner to soften the undercoating.

About the drilling of those bolts.


Here is my detailed process.

#1= HSS (High Speed Steel) center drill the Bolt.
Link: https://www.grizzly.com/products/gri...its;%20Grizzly

Just an Example link.


#2= Drill the head of the bolt 25% less than the diameter of the bolt.

This gives you 12.5% if you drilled Off Center.

Then only drill to a Depth of the head of the bolt.

#3= Then take an Impact drill/ air ratchet / air gun and try to tighten them till they break off.

#4= If they still spin/ Then I put Vice grips on the nut/ Then step up the drill size tell the head of the bolt goes away.

[raggedjim]

For the undercoating I use a combination of heatgun, scrapper, and brute stupidity that seems to work well. Then, after all the scrapping, I wipe everything down with lacquer thinner to soften the stubborn spots, and scrape again.

As far as the bolts, your process and mine are almost spot on, except I usually soften up the bolts with intermittent bouts of cussing.

[raggedjim]

Now on to some previous owner type crap. i started out loving the 60-66 chevy trucks, I still love them but have lately (last 25 years) focused on the 67-72 trucks. Nothing against the 67-72 guys, but, we are a bit spoiled. The earlier trucks guys tend to be a bit more more creative on getting things done. When I started out with a 64 chevy there were NO aftermarket parts for them. No fenders, no bumpers, no inner fenders, no NOTHING! Everything we did had to be a homebuilt solution.

One of the early things I did on my 64 was convert a 3-on-the-tree to a floor shifter column. I decided to do this on the 68. So here goes some old school tech...

[raggedjim]

My disassembled 3 on the tree column. The truck is a 505 exterior but the column is 503, I guess this makes sense, I have seen this before.

[raggedjim]

Then, this. I plan on running a floor shifter (auto by the way).

[raggedjim]

Ain't nobody got time for column shifting... Some people wonder why I might keep the shifter shaft, well, you have to, it supports the upper column cover and gives the stack-up for the column. Trust me, you need it. But you don't need those ugly old shift levers, they gotta go.

[wpsharpshooter]

How warm has that shop been the last week or so? Its been cold as hell.. Im guessing your roads over there have probably been iced up too. Ours sure have lol.. Doesnt look like any of this weather has slowed you down

[raggedjim]

I have one of the Mrcool units and it usually keeps me around 66 out there in the winter (that's where I keep it set). On some of the coldest days I saw 63 in there first thing in the morning. As long as I can walk out there I'm going to get something done!

[raggedjim]

Started filling in the shifter hole with my favorite 2 part metal epoxy.

[raggedjim]

After more sanding, more jbweld, and some primer I ended up with this.

[raggedjim]

I replaced both of the bearings while I was in there and checked the wiring on the turn signal. Those bearings cost way too much for what they are. I'm sure there has to be a more cost effective (cheeper!) solution but those parts guys got me by the short ones.

[raggedjim]

Dug through my paint cabinet, found some 503 in my favorite flavor, acrylic enamel. Hmmm, mixed in 2015, should be fine.

[raggedjim]

Couple of coats, column looks okay, collars need sanding and recoat. And, yes, there is a run on the column. I pretended I was a 1968 union worker who was just about to go on lunch when I painted it. Looks factory imperfect.

[raggedjim]

I will sometimes sneak over to the squarebody side of the board to see what the cool kids are doing these days. I noticed a bunch of those guys (at least 3 of them) are putting jeep parts on their trucks. Hey, I like jeeps too, so I started looking for a place to fit up a jeep part. In particular this odd looking P.O.S. (piece of shaft) from a 84-94 Cherokee.

It looks like it fit right on there. Ha! If you will recall I painted up a 1972 steering box to use on the truck (it was there, I used it). The shaft on that box is 13/16" splined. The hole on the intermediate shaft is 3/4". So I broke out my reamers and miraculously I had a 13/16" reamer! If you are going to do this save yourself a bunch of reaming and use the 79 up steering box. It is already a 3/4" shaft. I also think some of the earlier trucks have 3/4" splined shafts but don't remember for sure.

[raggedjim]

Then I had to deal with the column side connection. The 67 and 68 don't come with an intermediate shaft like the 71-up, so first I cut the steering shaft. I left about 1.5-2" of the 3/4dd shaft at the end.

[raggedjim]

The column side of the intermediate shaft has a coupler for a 1"dd shaft (which the squarebody trucks have at the end of their columns). So somehow I had to get from 3/4"dd to 1"dd. Too bad nobody makes a bushing to do this... Ah but gm does! And it comes in a long enough piece that you can get 3 or 4 bushings from it.

The hardest part of this is melting out the plastic and driving the solid shaft out of the hollow shaft.

[raggedjim]

Welded the bushing to the shaft. It ain't going nowhere.

Like a glove!