My 65 Build

[FreeRideYZ250]

Figured I would quit lurking and add my truck/build. My name is Nick and I reside in Phoenix.

Bought my truck from my grandfather, who bought it brand new. It is a LWB 1/2 ton 283 3 on the tree. Have done disk brakes, 5 lug swap, gas tank out of a 55 chevy car under the bed. HEI 4 barrell, dual flowmasters, turbo 400 swap when 3 speed broke 2nd gear. Its a clean truck and a good plat form to start my cruiser project with.

Sorry the first handful of pictures are scans. Didn't have digital cameras 15 years ago.

The first pic was taken at G Pa's house circa early 70's I beleive. The rest of the pics are before and after I got the wheels for it. Prime 5 star aluminums 15x8.5 in the rear and 15x7 in the front.

[Hillbilly Deluxe 65]

looks likea good solid truck

[FreeRideYZ250]

A few more of the older pictures of it. Then I will bring it up to date.

The first picture is me using it as a work truck.

The second is with my lake hot rod.

[Alan's Classic]

Welcome aboard from North Georgia. Nice truck and a great history of it.

[FreeRideYZ250]

So around my birthday this year, when the 110 degree days went to the way side, I decided I was tired of seeing my truck sit(it has been sitting for 3 years) and decided it was time to go to work on it. Not sure of all the pictures I have of the dismantalling process. However I pulled the complete front clip and suspension, cross members out of it. I have had a 355 sitting in the garage waiting to go in it. Out with the 283, and begin the cleaning/degreasing and painting process. When I pulled the front clip in late sept I wasn't sure to which degree I was going to go, however it consumed me.

[FreeRideYZ250]

So once I got everything out of the way and could see what i had to work with. I started to clean things up. The frame and firewall (removing that factory undercoater is a real m f r).

[FreeRideYZ250]

So I started cleaning up the firewall and decided it would look super sweet if it was smoothed out. I have to admit alot of peoples trucks on here have given me ideas and motivation.

[FreeRideYZ250]

This is my first time ever doing any kind of body work. My dad is a welder by trade so I know how to weld a little bit. I can't beleive how much work it took to get the firewall the way I wanted it. Of couse I don't know all the tricks to doing filler work fast. So I basically put it on, sand 98% of it off, repeat. I finally got it all pretty flat and smooth though.

[FreeRideYZ250]

After I got the firewall almost to where I wanted it. I took a break from it, finished cleaning up the frame and shot some epoxy primer on it. I used ppg DPLF, I know it is pricey, however I am doing this truck in stages, until it is all ready for paint, and my budget allows me to buy the good stuff. So I wanted the blue color primer for things that will not be top coated at the present time.

[FreeRideYZ250]

Then I shot some color on the frame. Alan I know it is similar colors to yours, however I had the same color scheme in my mind while you were doing your build. Once I saw yours, it assured me it would look good. I don't have any pictures, however I have painted the crossmember with Eastwoods ceramik chassis black, and I will be painting the rest of the suspension components with that paint.

[FreeRideYZ250]

This last section will bring you up to current on my build for the moment. I finally got the firewall as good as I could get it, without having a solid color to work with and block from. Then I shot some epoxy primer on it.

Next up is finish cleaning and painting the control arms and spindles. Re assemble front end.

Send out front clip to be media blasted (save time over me cleaning the stuff ) weld up holes in the fender wells. Start assembling engine and paint it. Hope to be able to drive it next month.

[joe231]

wow man, looks good!
very nice work!
welcome!

[Alan's Classic]

Originally Posted by FreeRideYZ250

Then I shot some color on the frame. Alan I know it is similar colors to yours, however I had the same color scheme in my mind while you were doing your build. Once I saw yours, it assured me it would look good. I don't have any pictures, however I have painted the crossmember with Eastwoods ceramik chassis black, and I will be painting the rest of the suspension components with that paint.

It's looking awesome.

[Dinos63]

welcome, nice work what part of phx are you in?

[ChiefRocka]

Originally Posted by joe231

wow man, looks good!
very nice work!
welcome!

X2 !!

Welcome from California

[FreeRideYZ250]

Originally Posted by Dinos63

welcome, nice work what part of phx are you in?

North Phoenix. 17 and 101 area. I've seen a couple of your trucks around.

[MacAttack]

Great looking work - First Class effort

Welcome from SoCal!

[kizer]

Man seeing this stuff really gives me hope I can do mine.

Thats just awesome and thank you for that comment that you've not done that stuff before because it lets people like myself know that heck if he can do it so can I.

[FreeRideYZ250]

Originally Posted by kizer

Man seeing this stuff really gives me hope I can do mine.

Thats just awesome and thank you for that comment that you've not done that stuff before because it lets people like myself know that heck if he can do it so can I.

You can definately do it. Just take your time, and aquire as much knowledge as you can before starting a particular task. All my work has been done in the drive way. Heck I even set up an ez up so I could work at night, one night it was raining.

The welding was all done with a gasless flux core, harbor freight style welder. Not the welder of choice, however I borrowed it from a friend, and it worked. My dad has a nice mig and tig at his house, but he is an hour a way, no practical way of getting his stuff here or my truck there.

The filler work is what took the most amount of time. One tool that saved a load of time with the filler that I aquired, is a pneumatic bar sander. I have a home remodeling and repair company, and I do alot of paint spraying. Though its not exactly the same, some of the basic techniques are the same. 50/50 over lap, keeping the tip perpendicular to the surface... such on and so forth.

I learned alot from the different threads on this board. I bought a semi cheap paint spray gun from the Home Depot. Read on how to set it up, messed with it, painting some non useable parts. Its not perfect, but I'm building a cruiser not a trailer queen.

I will gladly give you any tips I learned along the way, just ask.

I'm excited to get it back together. I am putting power steering and brakes on it this time, it was all manual before.

Its not the most conventional way of restoring a truck, however I don't have a garage to work on it in, and I wanted to be able to drive it while the weather is still cool in the spring, so I opted to just do the front section first. Next I will clean up and spray some paint in the interior. I have an extra set of bed sides, so I can start on the body work on those before removing the bed and doing the rear end.

I am not doing any major frame modifications, just a static drop for now. Maybe air ride down the road.

Any how enough of my rambling for now.

[502tripower]

Very nice... Keep the progress post going...

[neto]

I like what you did to the firewall. I'm going try to clean mine up as good as you did, thanks for the pictures. What's a pneumatic bar sander? This is where I am now.

[FreeRideYZ250]

Originally Posted by neto

I like what you did to the firewall. I'm going try to clean mine up as good as you did, thanks for the pictures. What's a pneumatic bar sander? This is where I am now.

Looks like you are off to a good start. Definately cleaner than I got mine to start with. However mine is out doors.

Here is a picture of a bar sander. Hooks up to an air compressor, and it moves back and forth. Very helpful in getting the panels flat. Luckily my dad had one, so I just borrowed it.

I cut the small raised panel where the blower motor goes through completely out and patched in a piece of 16 ga sheet metal. Once I get the motor put back in. I will then figure out where to run my wires through. I plan on relocating the main wire harness, to where it comes out just under the fender well, and running the wires in a donduit of some sort under the fender well.

[Alan's Classic]

Originally Posted by FreeRideYZ250

I plan on relocating the main wire harness, to where it comes out just under the fender well, and running the wires in a donduit of some sort under the fender well.

Great minds think alike.

[72BlckButy]

Nice looking build, keep up the good work!

[FreeRideYZ250]

Made some headway today, while the rain took a bit of a break. Dropped the fenderwells and core support off at the blaster to be media blasted. Sorry no pics of that.

Started stabbing some parts back in. Crossmember, rad. support, core support mounts, power steering box. got the column test fitted (sorry no pics of that)