Project '64 Cheapskate

[chevyrestoguy]

I actually got it for $200. AND it came with the factory underdash ash tray that can fetch over $200 on ebay. I couldn't pass on the truck.

Still undecided on whether to use a real race team logo or a made-up shop logo. Haven't decided yet. Whatever it is, I'm thinking about using red and black as the colors because the truck has a red outline border around the side trim that someone painted years ago. The paint is pretty faded, so I'm going to have to rub off almost all of the logo to make it look aged. I'm still up in the air about wheels and tires, but those alone will make a huge difference in the look of the truck. Gotta have a '60s vibe........

By the way, Happy Father's Day little brother!

[nate95gsr]

well for $200 is even better. one question, are you going to lower it or let it be?

also, happy belated fathers day to you to big brother.

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by nate95gsr

well for $200 is even better. one question, are you going to lower it or let it be?

Slight lowering, maybe 2/4 or 3/5. I still want to use the truck as a Home Depot hauler with the capability of pulling a trailer at times. I may set up an auxiliary air bag system in the rear that can be pumped up via a shrader valve whenever I hook up the trailer.

[iehotrod]

Cant go wrong for $200.00

[chevyrestoguy]

Very true. The truck has the hard-to-find factory underdash ashtray, which the A/C trucks had, and I have seen them sell for well over $250 by themselves. Before I went to go look at the truck, the owner had said that it had all the A/C stuff in it, so I was skeptical. When I got there, I peeked into the window and saw the A/C ducts and the ashtray and immediately knew that I was not leaving until that truck was mine.

I always make the joke that I went to go buy an ashtray and the guy threw in the truck to sweeten the deal.....

[LeftCoast32]

It sure is looking better with every picture you post. Keep up the great work!

[SulphuriousSam]

Man, I like what the CLR did for your truck! I hope there's enough paint left on mine to look that good as well. I've been contemplating the shop truck look for mine since it's just going to be a DD. Great looking find looks like your deal was about the same as mine ultra cheap with a great value to the right guy

[iehotrod]

I am a big fan of that finish.

[fryer1979]

Cool build so far man, I love that you called it "project '64 cheepskate", a man after my own heart... Keep it up, you'll get there.

[SFTorange]

I can't believe how much of a difference the CLR made! You have a nice looking truck, and the factory a/c is awesome! Good luck with your rebuild of the factory system.

[chevyrestoguy]

I had a little time to spare yesterday afternoon, so I did a few things to the '64. The bashed up grille always bothered me, and a I had a spare aluminum grille that I picked up for cheap because it was dented pretty badly. I worked out the majority of the dents (not as easy as it seems) and decided to bolt it up to see how it looked. I also bolted on my spare bumper, which is in better shape than the original. I even did a little CLR work behind the grille to get the surface rust off.
BEFORE:


AFTER:

In this picture, you can see just how mangled the grille surround is. The previous owner had a motorcycle rack or possibly a spare tire holder mounted up front. Over a long period of time, it started tearing the sheetmetal, including the core support. I have an extra grille support that's cherry, but I may be committed to fixing the original one because I'll never be able to match the patina. When I fix the passenger fender, I'll yank the grille surround at the same time and stitch it all back together.

[chevyrestoguy]

Also, I just scored a bunch of factory A/C parts on ebay yesterday. That stuff is so hard to find, and the seller had nearly everything I was missing, and the price was to low to pass on. When it's all said and done, all I will be lacking is the condenser, drier, compressor, and all the lines. I believe that I can piece that stuff together from parts I have laying around. I have a '79 Suburban that I'm going to strip for the suspension, and it's got all the a/c stuff I'm lacking.

I'm continuing to keep checking stuff off the list.............

If I have time today, I'm going to CLR the roof and the back of the cab, then start on getting the surface rust out of the interior.

[SulphuriousSam]

Still looks way better than it did! Impressive restoguy Keep it up cuz your making me want to do more to mine

[chevyrestoguy]

I finished doing the CLR scrub on the roof today, so the majority of the rust removal is complete on the exterior. I also got around to installing the Custom cab pillar trim:

Check out how many holes there are for all the mirrors the truck has had in it's lifetime. The dude obviously loved to drill holes!


I pulled the gauge cluster out to give it a good cleaning and inspection. I had a good laugh. The truck had been sitting so long in the blazing desert heat with the windows closed that some of the numbers actually fell off the bezel! The picture doesn't show it very well, but there are a pile of numbers on the bottom of the cluster. So, I definitely need to get a bezel for sure. I would love to add a tach, but we'll see how the money situation is. I've been staying on my budget so far, and I don't want to get off-track.


Next step: CLR the inside of the truck! That is going to suck..........

[iehotrod]

You can make the plastic look like new if you use the same headlight cleaner sold all auto parts store. I just used it on my 62 it looks like new.

[chevyrestoguy]

That stuff does work good on lenses, but this lens will need to be replaced because many of the numbers became dis-bonded and fell off.

[iehotrod]

keep it mind for your replacement. They do sell them aftermarket if you want it new. They make any for 60-63.

[wutnxt]

Hey i love the ratrod shop look.....I started one myself a couple of days ago...but it's on slow mode....to many other thing on the go right now. Looking good and i think you should make you own shop logo for the door

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by wutnxt

Hey i love the ratrod shop look.....I started one myself a couple of days ago...but it's on slow mode....to many other thing on the go right now. Looking good and i think you should make you own shop logo for the door

I've got a real good one in mind. This particular logo and theme are something I have wanted to do for years. Me and the painter (hotrod49) are bouncing ideas off of each other and are about 90% sure of the layout. I'll post up the in-progress pics when we kick it off.

[chevyrestoguy]

I got busy on the interior last weekend, and got a bunch accomplished. First of all, I did the CLR and soft Scotchbrite all throughout the interior and took the majority of the surface rust out. Then, I waxed the painted areas. I re-installed the gas tank, installed the new dome light and fished the wiring through the cab, changed out the seat brackets, cleaned the dash, installed my Custom Cab steering wheel, and temporarily installed my gauge cluster. I say temporary because I am not done with the resto on it. I had to see what it would look like.
The interior went from this:


To this:



I am definately keeping the cool rear window cover. The truck had a cab-over camper for a good part of it's life, and there was no window glass, and that was the "privacy curtain". I am actually trying to find a lot of the "old man" stuff that was in the truck before I got it. There are holes drilled everywhere, and after a bit of thinking, I figure that he had a fire extinguisher bolted to the right hand kick panel, a compass next to the rear view mirror, and an emergency flasher unit in the truck at one time. I am on the hunt to find those items. I hate seeing holes drilled for no purpose, so I want to ensure that you won't see them.

The next step is to: replace the fuel filler hose, clean the floor, fix a small rust area in the left hand kick panel area, replace the firewall insulation, take a good look at the underdash wiring and fix what's bad, remove the clutch pedal and linkage, remove the transmission, and remove the exhaust.

I'm getting real close to getting the '79 Suburban back to the house and start the suspension swap. It's going to be fun!!

[richards72chevy]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

I got busy on the interior last weekend, and got a bunch accomplished. First of all, I did the CLR and soft Scotchbrite all throughout the interior and took the majority of the surface rust out. Then, I waxed the painted areas. I re-installed the gas tank, installed the new dome light and fished the wiring through the cab, changed out the seat brackets, cleaned the dash, installed my Custom Cab steering wheel, and temporarily installed my gauge cluster. I say temporary because I am not done with the resto on it. I had to see what it would look like.
The interior went from this:


To this:



I am definately keeping the cool rear window cover. The truck had a cab-over camper for a good part of it's life, and there was no window glass, and that was the "privacy curtain". I am actually trying to find a lot of the "old man" stuff that was in the truck before I got it. There are holes drilled everywhere, and after a bit of thinking, I figure that he had a fire extinguisher bolted to the right hand kick panel, a compass next to the rear view mirror, and an emergency flasher unit in the truck at one time. I am on the hunt to find those items. I hate seeing holes drilled for no purpose, so I want to ensure that you won't see them.

The next step is to: replace the fuel filler hose, clean the floor, fix a small rust area in the left hand kick panel area, replace the firewall insulation, take a good look at the underdash wiring and fix what's bad, remove the clutch pedal and linkage, remove the transmission, and remove the exhaust.

I'm getting real close to getting the '79 Suburban back to the house and start the suspension swap. It's going to be fun!!

Did you use a scotch Brite when you clr'd the inside?

[kitsbeach]

More underhood shots please..!! I want to see the whole thing cuz what I see here looks great.

[iehotrod]

BIG improvement in the cab. Looks good!

[65Pickup]

Great steering wheel and gauge cluster, what is the multi colored gauge ti the upper left?
Don't forget the gun rack (my guess) for the holes by the rear curtain, mine has those holes too.

PS- that CLR really works, great tip.

[chevyrestoguy]

The gauge on the left is a vacuum gauge. It was originally out of a '66 442, and I bought it off of ebay for $28. The lens was cracked and the housing was in fair condition, but that was OK, because I wasn't planning on using those parts at all. It tested good, but the only issue (to me) is that the font isn't an exact match to the factory '64 cluster lettering. It's temporarily mounted right now. I'm trying to design a vinyl overlay that looks like the stock vacuum gauge, and the gauge needs to be lowered in the cluster about a half inch. I used the factory holes, and so far have not done any drilling or modification. I'm holding off on doing that because I may have to make a new gauge face. It HAS to match the font and style of the factory tach, or it won't look right. I see gauge overlays on ebay, but the main sticking point to me is that they all have white numbering, which is wrong. The '64-66 clusters have light green numbering, not white.