1964 C10 Daily Driver/Restomod

[MDPotter]

We set the cab, hung the doors, and installed sound deadening in the cab this weekend. We made an order with LMC last night for a bunch of rubber and fasteners so we can put the front end together next weekend.

[Sac]

Great color! My rendering is a similar dark blue color, glad to see it on this body style looking that good.

[Notch1988]

Looking good.

[MDPotter]

Not a huge update this week; we didn't have much time this weekend to work on it. But we did get the inner fenders and grille support on. Dad had business to tend to on Saturday so I went to a local car show and looked at a 65 - it's always nice to see a complete truck as motivation. Besides the show, I was working on my truck - I picked up a 68 GMC C15 a couple weeks ago and it needed exhaust.

We had to modify/cut the pre-bent brake lines going from the proportioning valve to fit better. Found out that you can't reflare stainless line with just any tool, so we'll have to take the lines to a shop and have the flaring done this week. We also got the transmission cooler lines all plumbed in.

Next weekend we should be able to install the outer fenders, cowl panels, and maybe even the hood. From there, we'll be working on bed wood and wiring.

[MDPotter]

It's been a little while since my last update - been busy on the weekends and also spent some time working on my 68. But we've got a lot of the body on the frame, the cab is sound deadened, ECM and main fuse block is mounted, more of the Vintage Air system is in place, rear half of the truck is wired, bed wood is in, and we even test fit the wheels and tires off my 68 and they turned out to be just about right in terms of sizing and backspace.

Wheels are on order and next weekend we hope to get the tailgate and rear bumper on and continue wiring.

[MDPotter]

It's been awhile since my last post - the truck is done now and my dad's been driving it for a few months and loves it. As with all of these projects, there are bugs that we're working out but overall it's a reliable truck and runs great. This is our first restoration and we've learned a lot.

A few of the issues/lessons learned:
- Vintage Air System - we installed everything and had a local shop charge it. They also added a third relay and fan #2 comes on whenever the compressor is engaged. We're not sure this is the best setup, we had it wired so that the trinary switch would control it but we are running it as-is for awhile. The other issue with it is that it lost charge, so we had another shop recharge it (fitting to compressor was loose apparently), but within 15 minutes of taking it home from the shop the cold air turned to warm. Took it back to the shop and they say the evaporator door is stuck closed and it appears that we'll have to take the box out of the cab to fix it. So we're not looking forward to that.

-I was disappointed when we put the truck together and saw the color difference between the doors and hood and the rest of the truck. I think the issue is that I put 4 coats on the doors and hood and 3 on the rest. Metallics are hard to make match when you paint panels separately. The number of coats, pressure, etc. makes a difference. It doesn't bother my dad, but I'd like to respray it some day. So my 68 will be a solid color and I will be sure to apply the same number of coats on each panel.

-We should have done more research on firewall penetrations to consolidate the number of holes needed and close up the empty holes instead of picking the most convenient hole during wiring and using plugs to fill the rest. It doesn't look bad, but it could be better.

-While doing cab rust repair, test fit the doors while attaching the outer rockers. We didn't do this and got lucky that they fit okay.

-For the use that this truck gets, the MIP floormat isn't really necessary. My dad doesn't drive it if it's going to rain or snow so it really doesn't see any water except for when he washes it. The MIP floormat is tough, but it's just not very comfortable and it's a little slick. Going along with this, if you have a custom transmission tunnel like this, you'll have to get a custom floormat put in. The MIP just doesn't relax to our custom tunnel. We ordered one for a high tunnel and it's close, but still has wrinkles.

-Southern Polyurethanes (SPI) products are great, I wish I would have used SPI for everything (minus base coat), not just the clear.

I bought a 68 GMC and those lessons have made that restoration go twice as fast and it should come out even better than my dad's.

All this being said, it's an awesome truck and it's a good feeling to see the truck that my dad drove in high school back on the road and in better shape than ever. It is a blast to drive - it's got plenty of power and the turbo mufflers sound great. There is plenty of room for improvement as far as the final product, but it is a daily driver and not a show truck. We get a lot of compliments on it and it was a great experience for us.

[LostMy65]

WOW!

I really really love that color.
The darker of the two that is.

[MDPotter]

Thanks LostMy65. I was looking at it last night in the evening and the sun was hitting it just right and I saw a lot of basecoat blushing (not sure that's the right term) and it's obvious I didn't get enough coverage on the bed, cab, and fenders. A respray won't be a huge deal and I'd like to do it one day.

Sometimes crazy things happen - my dad was driving home the other night and a deer ran onto the road and he slammed on the brakes and was able to stop without hitting it, but it actually jumped into the bed and hung out for a few seconds and then jumped out. It scratched up the outside of both bedsides, the inside of the tailgate, and put some scratches in the bed wood. Nothing a little sanding and buffing can't fix though.

[LostMy65]

That's crazy about the deer.