Guess what I got for x-mas, 68 Camper Special - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

68CamperSpecial · 01-05-2005, 08:22 PM

Hi, I was posting in the motor forum hoping to get tips on getting a crate setup for the truck my dad just gave me when it was suggested that I say hello in here. There's a busted 350 in it now and I read that the truck came with a TH400. The rear hubs seem to have some sort of mechanical locking diff, which won't turn by hand. It drove nice before the motor went out so I'm hoping that it won't take much to get it running again.

It had faded gold paint with a white top before he painted it black and chromed out the bumpers and trim. He neglected to seal / paint / varnish the wood in the back so I'm going to pull it, sand it, seal it and put it back in as is for now. He took off the extra two gas tanks since they were leaking and there's a hole in the floor where the switch used to be. The body is mint other than a small dent on the hood that was filled with bondo instead of hammered out. Now the paint is cracked so I was thinking of cleaning it off, hammering it out and having my painter handle the rest without the use of bondo.

The truck felt a little dangerous when it was running, I almost broke my neck on a crossing a rail-road track when the rear springs launched me into the ceiling and the lap belt didn't stop me. My dad smoothed out the ride for a while by keeping a few hundred pound of bricks in the back but that didn't seem very fuel efficient.

I was hoping to do a little work to keep the body up and then put a plastic liner and camper shell on the back so that I don't damage the bed. That way if I decide to do any OE restoration in the future I wouldn't have done any damage to the bed.

I was hoping to find a way to lock the hood down and possibly installing one of those systems (I think it's called PowerLock) that welds over the starter solenoid to prevent starting without a digital swipe key. Unfortunately my garage is only big enough to fit the truck in it until I can get it running again. After that I'll have to park it in the drive way and I know trucks like these are as popular as civics when it comes to auto-theft.

Any suggestions for fixing this thing up? Thanks for any help!

toms68cst · 01-05-2005, 08:35 PM

Welcome aboard. Sounds like a great Christmas present you got there. Any pictures you could share?

If your truck was gold it may have be a 50th Anniversary truck. Post the paint code of your truck and we'll help you figure it out.

stllookn · 01-05-2005, 08:47 PM

Gold and white '68 with a wood bed? Could be a 50th Longhorn. Does it have a 133 inch wheelbase? You definitely have a keeper there but it may just be a little more special than your average '68. Welcome to the wonderful world of Chevy trucks!

68CST327 · 01-06-2005, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 68CamperSpecial

The truck felt a little dangerous when it was running, I almost broke my neck on a crossing a rail-road track when the rear springs launched me into the ceiling and the lap belt didn't stop me. My dad smoothed out the ride for a while by keeping a few hundred pound of bricks in the back but that didn't seem very fuel efficient.

I know exactly how that feels. I drive a C20.

72 CustomCamper · 01-06-2005, 01:59 AM

I know the feeling too. My C20 has 2 add a leaves per pack. Plus the rear packs are from a 1 ton...

Chuck

Russell · 01-06-2005, 02:33 AM

lol, I know that feeling too... I've got 12 leaves on each side on my GMC, the thing rides like a brick, lol

**Canadian694x4** · 01-06-2005, 03:09 AM

Welcome To The Board From The Great White North!

01-05-2005, 08:22 PM	#1
68CamperSpecial Registered User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Riverside Posts: 9	Guess what I got for x-mas, 68 Camper Special Hi, I was posting in the motor forum hoping to get tips on getting a crate setup for the truck my dad just gave me when it was suggested that I say hello in here. There's a busted 350 in it now and I read that the truck came with a TH400. The rear hubs seem to have some sort of mechanical locking diff, which won't turn by hand. It drove nice before the motor went out so I'm hoping that it won't take much to get it running again. It had faded gold paint with a white top before he painted it black and chromed out the bumpers and trim. He neglected to seal / paint / varnish the wood in the back so I'm going to pull it, sand it, seal it and put it back in as is for now. He took off the extra two gas tanks since they were leaking and there's a hole in the floor where the switch used to be. The body is mint other than a small dent on the hood that was filled with bondo instead of hammered out. Now the paint is cracked so I was thinking of cleaning it off, hammering it out and having my painter handle the rest without the use of bondo. The truck felt a little dangerous when it was running, I almost broke my neck on a crossing a rail-road track when the rear springs launched me into the ceiling and the lap belt didn't stop me. My dad smoothed out the ride for a while by keeping a few hundred pound of bricks in the back but that didn't seem very fuel efficient. I was hoping to do a little work to keep the body up and then put a plastic liner and camper shell on the back so that I don't damage the bed. That way if I decide to do any OE restoration in the future I wouldn't have done any damage to the bed. I was hoping to find a way to lock the hood down and possibly installing one of those systems (I think it's called PowerLock) that welds over the starter solenoid to prevent starting without a digital swipe key. Unfortunately my garage is only big enough to fit the truck in it until I can get it running again. After that I'll have to park it in the drive way and I know trucks like these are as popular as civics when it comes to auto-theft. Any suggestions for fixing this thing up? Thanks for any help!

01-05-2005, 08:35 PM	#2
toms68cst Registered User Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Bismarck, ND Posts: 4,282	Welcome aboard. Sounds like a great Christmas present you got there. Any pictures you could share? If your truck was gold it may have be a 50th Anniversary truck. Post the paint code of your truck and we'll help you figure it out. Attached Images __________________ Unrestored 68 C-10 CST. Original 327. 4-Speed CH465. 50k or so miles. TREASURER, Drum Brake Club. Last edited by toms68cst; 01-05-2005 at 08:41 PM.

01-05-2005, 08:47 PM	#3
stllookn Saving 1 truck at a time! Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Kent, WA Posts: 6,465	Gold and white '68 with a wood bed? Could be a 50th Longhorn. Does it have a 133 inch wheelbase? You definitely have a keeper there but it may just be a little more special than your average '68. Welcome to the wonderful world of Chevy trucks! __________________ '68 C20 Longhorn 50th Anniversary 400/TH400 '68 C20 Longhorn 50th Anniversary 468/TH400w/buckets '72 C20 Halfhorn (Longhorn w/o cab and front clip) '69 Flxible Cruiser (look up ugly in the dictionary)

01-06-2005, 01:59 AM	#5
72 CustomCamper huh ??? Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Fredericksburg,Va. Posts: 3,369	I know the feeling too. My C20 has 2 add a leaves per pack. Plus the rear packs are from a 1 ton... Chuck __________________ 90 Blazer Silverado 350w/ 700R4 and 32" Kelly's "I am a bomb technician. If you see me running try to keep up!"

01-06-2005, 02:33 AM	#6
Russell Professional Grade Join Date: May 2003 Location: Fort McMurray, Alberta Posts: 7,915	lol, I know that feeling too... I've got 12 leaves on each side on my GMC, the thing rides like a brick, lol __________________ 1995 Chevrolet 2 Door Tahoe (6.6L LBZ Duramax / ZF6 / NP241 with 1 ton solid axle swap)

01-06-2005, 03:09 AM	#7
Canadian694x4 Born To Lose Club Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Calgary, Alberta/Oxenden, Ontario, Great White North Posts: 13,306	Welcome To The Board From The Great White North! __________________ Brian Smith - "Born To Lose" 1969 Chevrolet K10 LWB Fleetside - Proud Owner For 20 Yrs - 1 of 208 Built & Sold In Canada! - 283 V8/350TH/NP208, 2" All Spring Lift, 32" Good Year MT/R's. 1972 GMC K2500 Custom LWB Fleetside - Proud Owner For 2 Yrs - 1 of 571 Built & Sold In Canada! - 350 V8/SM465/NP205, 4” Rough Country Lift, 33” Interco TSL Thornbirds 2007.5 GMC Sierra SLE 2500HD 4x4 - Proud Owner For 15 Yrs - 6.6L V8 Duramax Diesel/Allison 1000, 2" Lift, 33" Mickey Thompson MTZ's. 2008 Yamaha Raptor 700r - Proud Owner For 13 Yrs - ITP Mud Lites. 2015 John Deere 1025R - Proud Owner For 6 Yrs - 24HP Diesel/H120/54D/260B/SB1154.



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