Restore family 65-street rod

[Alan's Classic]

Nice progress, parts and paint.

[Steve Van Gent]

OK- Then I assembled wood into freshly completed bed. I actually waited 30 days, as the body shop recommended. This way paint was sort of hard.

Basically, I dry-fit the planks into place, and got a screw into end of each strip. this held it somewhat in correct location. Getting to some of the nuts from bottom was hard-they are almost blind under the frame.

Once it was pretty much in place, I drilled the edge holes into wood. If you dont count the time applying the spar varnish polyurathane, it took about 8 hours total. Not bad.

Note that I purchased the MAR-K hidden hitch kit and hinge kit. I mounted this and ground off edge of gate to clear the hinge before I took it to body shop. I think was worth the money....

[Steve Van Gent]

At this time I was still preping the newly aquired Camero V-8 and 700R4 tranny. Both were painted an odd blue color, I repainted tranny with silver/aluminum paint as might be origional color. THen I took to tranny shop for evaluation. Meanwhile, I pulled intake off motor and purchased new, correct intake and reinstalled it and pan, timing chain cover with new seals and gaskets. Repaint with red....

[darkhorse970]

Nice build you've got going there!

[Steve Van Gent]

So by this time I got hood back, all parts mounted back on cab and bolted bed to truck. The new grill and bumpers were great purchase, really sets it off.

[Steve Van Gent]

HEre is the old part bone-pile so far...

[Alan's Classic]

Very cool!! Looks great. Man you are flying thru this. Is it your full time job?

[Bugeyev8]

what a great looking truck !! Nice work !!

[Steve Van Gent]

Alan,

This is actually my documenting summer project from last June-July. At the time the photos I took and details of my work were not well documented, this is why I dont have as many photos of details as I would like. I am trying to get this posted and bring thread up to real-time. At the moment in real time I am working interior. Then I will be doing steering column and power steering.

[4dranch]

very cool looking rig..and dang you guys are fast. You want to rent them boys out..

[Steve Van Gent]

OK-this is were it gets a little embarrasing...I have this great looking body, but I have done NOTHING under the hood at this point. Step one-remove the ugly, smoking, oil burning, 200K miles doner motor 350 v-8 and evaluate damage. THis must be done WITHOUT damaging paint on truck. Also, tranny must come out, and old motor mount and tranny cross-member for bell-housing mount. THen I must figure out how to clean, prep and paint this area WITHOUT getting paint on new paint job...AAHHHHH!

W.R.T. doing body work, painting truck and then doing engine and chassis-DONT TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS! Not because it is dangerous, but because it is STUPID!!!!

[Steve Van Gent]

Here is a shot of the old motor.

THe motor I am putting in is a 305-probably underpowered, but so far has been decent gas milage. That said, I may want to rebuild this one and put back in, however it may make more sense to buy rebuilt and use this as trade.

THe old tranny, bellhousing and crossmember are out also (Saw-all's are great!), 4 speed granny low, bad syncros in second gear.

[Steve Van Gent]

Apparently cherry-picker can double as a skate-board....

[DPowers]

That is looking sharp.

[65Custom]

Nice ride!!!

[Steve Van Gent]

Back from China trip, I will continue to 'document' this project.


Here is compartment after hours of spraying, scraping, soaking, sanding and painting. Ready to place in new motor and tranny....

[Steve Van Gent]

Here comes new tranny. 700R4, gone through by shop, new seals, clean bill of health.

[Steve Van Gent]

OK, here goes my 305 into truck. I have changed out the stupid horse-shoe motor mount and went to traditional mounts. Again, painting your manifolds white should be avoided at all costs!!!! Paint is still flaking off in motor compartment!!!

[DPowers]

How come you are the only one dirty?

[Steve Van Gent]

Funny, I asked myself the same question...

[Steve Van Gent]

For the interior (which I just got done, we are now approching REAL TIME!!!) I decided to use a Siverado bench seat with head rests over buckets from same. This gave me the most leg room of options I looked at. I have kept the old bench for the moment, incase I decide to go back. I had the seat recovered, and purchase a molded carpet kit, and upulstry guy also did a drape for firewall.

For Stereo and sound, I discovered since I kept the gas tank behind seat, I was VERY limited in speaker options. THerefore, after antaginozing over this for several weeks, I decided to do the following;

1. mount 5 x 7 two-ways into the vent panels. THis means I had to make the vent shroud into a weather tight, air tight box (air-tight helps make a sound chamber) for each speaker.

2. Build a sub woofer that sits by my gas tank, largest volume possible. THis box was not quite rectangle, and houses two 6.5 driver/speakers. THe box HAD to be air-tight.

3. Mount very high power amps (>100 watt RMS) under the seat to make up for the reduced lack of speaker size.

I found a stereo at Fry's that had DVD 3 inch display on front, CD, USB audio, and CD player.

Here are pics of old seat in old interior, and here is new interior with new seat....

[Steve Van Gent]

By the way, these photos were taken at a local "show and shine" held by local business this weekend here in Redding. THis is pre-cursor to Kool April Nites here in a couple weeks....

[Steve Van Gent]

Here are rest of photos I took this weekend. I now need to get some Chrome work done, I suspect I will be horrified as to the cost. I also need to get my steering column replaced, new steering wheel, power steering installed ( I have all parts except column). I have not decided to use 67-72 column without key or 73-up column with key.

[Bishops Trucks]

Very nice work. Your whole family should be proud.

[Steve Van Gent]

UPDATE-Truck has been on road for many years now; holding up well. Time for some new upgrades! I will start a new thread on power windows (with original handles, auto up/down, passenger control and remote) and power steering shortly; Also will be doing engine swap for a 5.7L TPI and ECU. We may move engine forward and place a steering column with auto shift lever.

LASTLY; Someone asked the color of paint in this thread. I looked up color; It is Dodge Viper RED.