Project "Financial Burden": 1968 SWB C10

[KevinK7]

subscribed, ...holy smokes you got some mad skills

[cj847]

Originally Posted by 68 C10 Driver

Update, finished that under dash repair...

Interesting. It appears your leak originated from the windshield. I have always assumed that this type of leak was from rats nest, etc clogging the drain path down the side of the cowl. Nice job on the repair.

Was the passenger side also rusty from the windshield?

I just picked up a 67 and I was under the dash the other day and noticed severe rust in this area, hence my keen interest.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Thanks for the comments. I finally finished up all the wiring. I'm still working up the courage to hook up the battery and test things out. In the meantime, I worked on some smaller items that always take longer than expected. I needed to merge the parking brake cables from a Gen 4 Camaro to fit my rear brakes with the stock ends to connect at the trailing arms. The best solution I could come up with was JB welding the stock trailing arm fittings to the Camaro cables since they shared the same diameter. I also needed to rework the transmission mount which allowed me to test out my new SWAG off-road finger brake. It worked out really nice and is a lot easier than trying to bend 3/16 thick material with a hammer in a bench vice.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

I made good progress on finishing up the interior since the dash wiring is now complete. I spent quite a bit of time time mocking up the shifter and shifter handle. I 3D printed a shifter base using the dimensions from Core Shifters and then made a cardboard version of a Hurst shifter handle. In the end I went with a Mopar B body shifter handle and the Core Shifter forward shifter conversion with the "F" fulcrum height. The shifter travel is just 3.5 inches from first to second. I used the stock 4-speed shifter bezel and boot and 3D printed a transition bezel from the rectangular stick to the round hole in the boot. Lastly, I put all the electronic modules in the glove box and I really like the Restomod Air AC controls and the Dakota Digital RTX gauges. My to-do list before starting paint and body is getting small.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

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[Old_Truck_Fan]

I finally hooked up the battery and checked all my electrical work. All seems good and there was no smoke. I also installed a custom driveshaft from Denny's. I needed to figure out a radiator overflow tank and decided to make mirrored tanks on either side of the core support. One is for the radiator overflow and the other is for the windshield washer fluid. I made a simple radius brake for the outer profile and then used my 3D printer to make a hammer form for the ends. It was a fun project and I got a little more experience with aluminum welding. I also made some steel brackets with dimpled corner gussets, again using 3D printed tooling.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

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[Old_Truck_Fan]

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[Jiggers72-GMC]

Wow, great idea, very well done, nice workmanship

[layinrocker65]

Any updates on this project?

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Originally Posted by layinrocker65

Any updates on this project?

Hi layinrocker65, I'm still working through all the small items. Here are a few of the recent pictures. Sometimes you need to go back a little to move forward. I've been working on the panel gaps and I rewired my AC system with the latest controller module from Restomod Air.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

I test fit my carpet and found a few YouTube videos helpful for putting in the hole locations. I used a thin wall tube that was heated up using a propane torch. It made quick work of cutting through the carpet, backing and padding creating a nice OEM look. I also decided to go with a bed mat from Holley. It's specific to the truck so it hugs the contours perfectly. I just had to add in the hole for the fuel tank fill. I also modified the old choke knob with a magnet to hold the Terminator X 3.5 inch screen. When not in use everything looks factory.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

I almost have all the minor details sorted before tearing everything down, perfecting all the panel gaps and starting on paint and body work. I've been able to test out all the electrical systems including the Terminator X setup (minus starting the engine) and everything is functioning correctly. I think I have everything covered so that re-assembly is easy. Do you guys have any words of wisdom on what you wished you checked before everything was painted that I may have missed? Here are the last pics before I start tearing things back down.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

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[mr.mud1]

absolutely gorgeous truck but more impressive (to me) is the workmanship,unreal how nice everything is an so clean.very very nice.some people don't realize how much thought and effort goes into making parts and pieces look so simple and clean.it'll be a shame to cover alot of it up.beautiful work.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Originally Posted by mr.mud1

absolutely gorgeous truck but more impressive (to me) is the workmanship,unreal how nice everything is an so clean.very very nice.some people don't realize how much thought and effort goes into making parts and pieces look so simple and clean.it'll be a shame to cover alot of it up.beautiful work.

Thanks! You are right, it does take a lot of time to dial everything in, but I'm enjoying the journey. I've started to tear everything back down knowing that when it goes back together it will be for good.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Well the entire truck is now in totes for the most part aside from the frame and body. All the pieces can now receive their final finishes one part at a time.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

I'm nearly finished with dialing in all the gaps and body lines which has taken a significant amount of time to balance everything out. I don't know how many times I've had things on and off, but it's getting close.

[Stickman]

You have some serious skills sir. Absolut beauty of a truck.

[cornerstone]

Incredible work on a beast of a truck. Can't wait to see it on its maiden voyage.

[Shifty One]

Master class in awesome!

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Thanks for all the encouraging comments. I added in several 1/8 alignment holes between all the body panels for when things go back together. Using Cleco's seems to work out pretty nice. Everything is now fully disassembled and I just sent the frame and numerous other parts out for powder coating. Now I need to work on laying down that original 503 green paint code. I've got a quart of test paint to try out.

[raggedjim]

Can't go wrong with 503! Nice work, Rg

[KevinK7]

Amazing!, ...this truck is going to be incredible. Super impressed with your skills, ..and man that shop is CLEAN

[Jiggers72-GMC]

Originally Posted by KevinK7

Amazing!, ...this truck is going to be incredible. Super impressed with your skills, ..and man that shop is CLEAN

Agreed, he must have an app where it erases all the clutter from the pictures, wow