most original 60-66 truck in existence?

[1963c-10]

Nice truck. The color looks awesome and I really like the rim/cap combo!!

[oem4me]

Yes! Your truck looks awesome! I too think those factory wheels and caps, with those tall beefy tires look reeeaally good! Have you found tire replacements yet? I hope you are enjoying driving it a bunch. I'll take any excuse to drive my CC, even for short errands, as it never fails to bring a smile.

[sodly]

Originally Posted by 66Submarine

Is that an old hydraulically-actuated trailer brake controller next to the hazard flasher knob?

Yup, sure is. As I understand it the original owner used the truck to haul his 1917 Buick to car shows back in the day. I even found some old car show window signs in the truck, probably from the 60s or 70s.

Originally Posted by 60-66

Really cleaned up nice Sodly . Really nice. Like these pictures to . Shows off all your hard work cleaning this Beauty back to its true glory !! Edit .. Had to add this.this is a great example of just plain preservation of originality and a great example of they looked like new, this look will never die .

Thanks for the kind words. Coming from you that means a lot!

Originally Posted by 1963c-10

Nice truck. The color looks awesome and I really like the rim/cap combo!!

Me, too. These lock ring wheels have an old look you just never see anymore (except maybe on UPS trucks). It really stands out, to my eye. All of the silver paint on the truck is original, too. Many times (on the rare occasion that I do see these original two piece wheels still on a truck) they've been painted a different, incorrect silver or some other color which really looks weird to me. That said, I have a 1966 Custom Camper promotional film from GM and the truck in the film has red wheels and red lock rings so I guess some of them must've come painted body color, too.

And, like I mentioned, I rarely ever see Dark Blue on these trucks for some reason.... at least not on unrestored trucks.

Originally Posted by oem4me

Yes! Your truck looks awesome! I too think those factory wheels and caps, with those tall beefy tires look reeeaally good! Have you found tire replacements yet? I hope you are enjoying driving it a bunch. I'll take any excuse to drive my CC, even for short errands, as it never fails to bring a smile.

Thanks, oem! Your opinion carries a lot of weight, too! I'm gonna run these old skins for awhile until I have a reason not to. Bias ply is where it's at (he says as he swerves down the road)! They just look so right.

Seems the more I study these trucks the more I'm realizing that "dolled up" C20s were pretty few and far between. In particular, chrome hub caps on a C20 are quite a rarity. I always pay attention to background shots on old tv shows (Adam-12, Emergency! anyone?), old magazines and vintage photographs and you almost never saw chromed-up 3/4 tons back in the day... except in GM ads, of course.

Thanks for the nice words, everyone.

[rustbucket66]

What I think is really rare and unusual about Sodly's blue truck is the Turbo 400 trans, and the 3 speed automatic shift column. Never seen that, even on this site. Also noticed it had the small hump in the cab floor. The 67-72s had a high hump in the floor if the truck came with the turbo 400. That thing would be great for a camper and/or pulling any kind of trailer or boat.

[1963c-10]

Originally Posted by rustbucket66

What I think is really rare and unusual about Sodly's blue truck is the Turbo 400 trans, and the 3 speed automatic shift column. Never seen that, even on this site. Also noticed it had the small hump in the cab floor. The 67-72s had a high hump in the floor if the truck came with the turbo 400. That thing would be great for a camper and/or pulling any kind of trailer or boat.

I've only seen one other 66 with the same combo and it was a custom camper option also.

[Smittie]

OEM4ME, could you take a photo of the other side of your engine? I'm interested in what holes and hoses there are in the valve cover.

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by 60-66

Really cleaned up nice Sodly . Really nice. Like these pictures to . Shows off all your hard work cleaning this Beauty back to its true glory !! Edit .. Had to add this. This is a great example of just plain preservation of originality and a great example of what they looked like new, this look will never die .

X2, I agree 100%. Thanks for going the "preservation" route Sodly. I am glad it went to the right person. I have always mention the wheels are critical to the "factory look" and character of 3/4 tons, and once again your truck proves this fact. Yeah, its more expensive to deal with this type of wheel, but the finished look is priceless. About the color of the rings, 16" lock ring wheels always had the silver ring, the 15" and 17" lock ring wheels did not have the silver rings, the rings and wheels were all one color. I have noticed some promotional photos in literature were doctored for various reasons.

[corvettejim1968]

thats really clean. great find

[sodly]

Originally Posted by factorystock

X2, I agree 100%. Thanks for going the "preservation" route Sodly. I am glad it went to the right person. I have always mention the wheels are critical to the "factory look" and character of 3/4 tons, and once again your truck proves this fact. Yeah, its more expensive to deal with this type of wheel, but the finished look is priceless. About the color of the rings, 16" lock ring wheels always had the silver ring, the 15" and 17" lock ring wheels did not have the silver rings, the rings and wheels were all one color. I have noticed some promotional photos in literature were doctored for various reasons.

I was hoping you'd see this, factorystock. You and I are of a like mind when it comes to wheels, brother! Like you, I used to think the 16" rings only came in silver. But, as I mentioned, I have a promo film from GM called "El Camino" (narrated by Paul Harvey, no less) that features a red/white '66 Custom Camper with all-red 16" lock ring wheels (which were part of the Custom Camper package, I'm pretty sure). I've also seen one other dark blue/white Custom Camper, same color as mine, that had all-blue rings and wheels. Can't confirm that one was factory paint but it sure looked plausible. Frankly, I think these wheels in monotone look just awful. The silver ring is really important to the look on this particular wheel, IMHO.

[Zeuceone]

Beautiful trucks...

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by sodly

all-red 16" lock ring wheels.............................. all-blue rings and wheels.

Watch out for any advertising or promotional stuff Sodly, in some cases, it has been doctored. There are numerous GM ads were emblems were drawn in, side moulding was added or deleted, and wheel color altered. Look for real non-GM period photos for the way it was really done. Maybe we should start a thread on "doctored" GM ads, and see how many we can come up with. Here is the real deal on a 1966 16" lock ring wheels.( Rim is black in this case because this truck is solid body color)

[sodly]

I hear ya, factorystock. But I saw this on motion picture film. It would've been pretty tough to doctor an entire film... and for what reason? I'll try to get a screen cap of it and send it your way one of these days and see what you think. Anyway, I'm with you... the silver rings looks pretty cool. Very rare to see on the road today.

[sodly]

Originally Posted by rustbucket66

What I think is really rare and unusual about Sodly's blue truck is the Turbo 400 trans, and the 3 speed automatic shift column. Never seen that, even on this site. Also noticed it had the small hump in the cab floor. The 67-72s had a high hump in the floor if the truck came with the turbo 400. That thing would be great for a camper and/or pulling any kind of trailer or boat.

Here's one for rustbucket66.

[66Submarine]

RPO M49; only available in '66 C20's AFAIK. I think that oem4me also has a really nice '66 C20 with a TH400.

[yelmer]

i might be wrong but was the 400 transmission only aval. on big block cars in the 1966 Chevrolet line . if you had a small block you were set to get a 2 speed pg auto. if so this was the only turbo 400 matched to a small block and 6 cyl. for 1966 Chevrolets

[Old Ford guy]

Originally Posted by Corts60

Well, the Suburban I just picked up earlier this year I think qualifies for this thread (in an unrestored sense), even though it was a farm truck for all of it's life and went on a lot of hunting trips (all the scars to prove it), it only has 113,000 miles and I bought from the original owners son. It has been sitting since 1992.

That seat is a deluxe trim package pattern. Still available. Here is the seat from my 61 after it was redone by the previous owner.

[LVPhotos]

Started my Porterbuilt crossmember install. I have a buddy taking the rest home.But is there nuts, bolts steering links, manual box, or column before I cut, clamps needed? Rust free and greasy. Pork chops, bars and bolts spoken for but rear torsion crossmember is not. I'll toss everything in a box just in case.

[LVPhotos]

Just for reference, torsion bar crossmember bolts. Sleeved bolts and cup washers. Do the pork chops press off or are they just fighting me? Bars to a arms are not easily coming out as well. Not rusty. Is there a certain position to get them out? Everything is loose.

[66-PMD-GMC]

Originally Posted by LVPhotos

Just for reference, torsion bar crossmember bolts. Sleeved bolts and cup washers. Do the pork chops press off or are they just fighting me? Bars to a arms are not easily coming out as well. Not rusty. Is there a certain position to get them out? Everything is loose.

IMHO... Pull it all out... toss it in the scrap bin and get a 63-72 front suspension for it.
:-D

[LVPhotos]

IMHO... Pull it all out... toss it in the scrap bin and get a 63-72 front suspension for it.
:-D[/QUOTE]
Way, way past that.

[factorystock]

1962 GMC 3/4 ton with period extras http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/...0/1678522.html

[66-PMD-GMC]

Originally Posted by factorystock

1962 GMC 3/4 ton with period extras http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/...0/1678522.html

That seems really pie in the sky priced

[LT1 Burb]

I parted out a 327 turbo 400 3/4 ton that wasn't a custom camper, there out there.

[oem4me]

Originally Posted by LVPhotos

Started my Porterbuilt crossmember install. I have a buddy taking the rest home.But is there nuts, bolts steering links, manual box, or column before I cut, clamps needed? Rust free and greasy. Pork chops, bars and bolts spoken for but rear torsion crossmember is not. I'll toss everything in a box just in case.

Originally Posted by 66-PMD-GMC

IMHO... Pull it all out... toss it in the scrap bin and get a 63-72 front suspension for it.
:-D

I may be dense, but I don't get how Porterbuilt crossmembers fit into this thread. Now, don't take that wrong .. from what I understand, Nathan Porter provides a high quality product which contributes a ton to popular truck culture, but this particular thread is specifically about trucks that have had NO modifications. Hmmm.

[oem4me]

Originally Posted by factorystock

1962 GMC 3/4 ton with period extras http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/...0/1678522.html

Originally Posted by 66-PMD-GMC

That seems really pie in the sky priced

That is one heck of a survivor package, factorystock!
If the vintage truck/camper market ever wakes up and smells the coffee, that price will seem CHEAP! There is simply no substitute for original materials and finishes that remain fresh after fifty plus years.