Birth of a C10

[losthope]

Well i figured i start a thread on the progress of my 66' ive been working to replace the 65' i wrecked here:http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=473562


So while i was layed up on crutch's and in a cast after the accident i was surfing Craigslist at trucks just for the hell of it i ran across a add that was listed weird like "chevy truck" in the part's section with no pictures for $500....so i said what the hell will just go look at it.I wasnt planning on buying another truck but thought i have the motor from the 65( that might run it was a crap shoot) and if i can build a truck for under $2500 i would do it since i could just buy a running driving truck around this area for $3000 no problem....when i got there this is what i saw:





no motor no trans,1966 , new rubbers and ball joints up front,power steering conversion,new radiator in box,new heater blower motor,black and yellow plates,registered,have the front chrome bumper and straight tailgate and headlight buckets in bed, chrome cab trim pieces, he also through in a eldebrock 4bbl,rebuilt holley double pumper,headman headers,new habor freight sawzall in box.He was moving and had found a 1952 chevy sedan ,and the wife said the truck or the car. I told him id buy it on the spot for $400 he said ya and we signed the papers and i towed it to my pops back forty:

A couple of my buddys came over to my pop's house before i bought the 66 and pulled the 350 crate motor out of the 65' and i let them scrap the truck and one guy have the trans,So i dropped in the 350 motor in the 66' on crutches and had it towed to my house and now in need of a trans since i wasnt planning on buying a truck.

then driving down a street i saw a set of wheels at the end of a drive way with a note that said leave $20 bucks in the mail box and take all four,they were 6 lug and assumed they were off the 68 gmc in the drivewayand i need them to get truck rolling since the rusted out spokes and flat tires werent cutting it!:

so the first thing i did was rewire the engine compartment and installed a manual master cylinder untill i can buy a power setup:

i got the brakes bleed and it stops pretty good for now,I then headed out to my cousin "Glendale"'s and had him weld the steering shaft for the power steering setup step 1. make sure you wear your safety approved flip-flops:

Step 2. set the shaft on our custom made welding jig:

step 3. weld! notice the pro flip-flop weding stance! spread feet wide apart so no sparks get ya!!

hows the weld look? "glendale's" flip flop weld pass's with A+

installed:


There's some guys that strip and sell 67-72 chevy trucks out in orangevale ca. Ray and Joe and sell parts on craigslist and on the main board .they are great guys and i buy parts from them every so often and picked up the power steering pump i needed for my long water pump setup for $65... thanks to "captain fab" for putting up with me emailing him ?'s on what i was looking for!

mocking it up still need to clean it up and paint it...

[Slowtruk]

Cool dude! Sounds like a dang good starting point!

[losthope]

i didnt get a picture but i found a th350 on craigslist for $75 and i replaced the filter and gasket and had the kid next door help me install it...
then i messed with the tail gate that was bent :

put the straight one that came with the truck on:

sanded it a little and painted it red with some spray cans just to get it looking the same as truck for now:

here i painted my cast to look like my shoe, but by this time i was in a walking boot and crutchs still:

Started messing with the interior a little ,the dash knobs were old and just sitting on the headlight switch and the wiper switch and the blower motor switch was gone altogether, and it came with a chevy II steering wheel with a broken horn ring,and aftermarket gauges missing stuff and not hooked up:

so i added the chrome knob bullets from the 65 to the dash,and made my own custom horn ring and added chrome under dash gauges:


the radio holder was already screwed to the bottom of the dash so i just figured i use it for now...i had the old cd player from the 65 and put it in:

put the stock style chrome bumper on but one of the frame horns is tweaked by 3/4 of a inch so im going to try and heat and use a bottle jack to get it back over so i can put the other two bolts in:

then put the chrome bullets from the 65 on the grill...i have a future plan to cut the grill part out and make the bullets look like they are floating in there but thats a future project:

Started breaking the old wheels of the stock steelies i already had, the old school way!:


I live in the ghetto area of town and this is the hood dog that roams the street named "Cheese" he comes and checks on the trucks progress everyday and loves him some treats!!!!:

My buddy i trade car parts with all the time gave me two 15" tires with white lettering for three stock steelies i had and i took them to Hooten tire here in sacramento and had them shaved:

Greg the owner gave me a great deal two tires shaved mounted and balanced and new valve stems for $60 i still need to find two more of the same size tires with white letters and go back,,greag says to use the tires with white lettering they make a bigger whitewall then the pinner whitewall tires.

they came out great !!!!!!straight lines no lettering marks....i think i will never buy real white walls again!!! i still need to paint the rims i was in a hurry and had no time or money to get them sandblasted so i just scuffed them up and will rattle can them for now:

getting ready to cut the front springs i just cut the backs for now until i buy rear bags and a c-notch and adjustable panhard bar:

heres the last pic for now hope you like it i do!:


The truck runs still need to fine tune some stuff and find some more parts but im still under the $2000 mark with the purchase and tow,and trading and using parts i already had,im now walking with a hiking boot on my foot with a shattered heal with a limp but i guess thats good for now!

[glendale]

You guys have no idea how dedicated this kid is.he makes most of look lazy.if he had a **** ton of money it would be crazy the cars and trucks he would build.also your cousin is a bad ass welder.:-)
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[onequickchevy]

dude, that is awesome! Way to bounce right back, I am impressed at how much you have accomplished while still injured. Great job!
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[niterider65]

Keep up the good work man hope the heel heals up ok. can't wait to see whats next..

[LostMy65]

Great job all around.
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[Captainfab]

Looks good and congrats on your accomplishments while still recovering.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

Looks good and congrats on your accomplishments while still recovering.

x2

[Rich 5150 69]

great Job Tim, considering you were on crutches most of the time....

[S-31]

The whitewalls turned out nice, what size tires are those?

[awbrown]

Since you had to put a U joint in the steering shaft ,I take it they didnt line up?? I found my cab mounts were soft and I had to actually trim the hole in the cab to get mine high enough to line up with the box...

[A.T. RockDriller]

Holy $hit.....losthope....

That was a helluvawreck you had there.....

Thanks for posting yer story.......Very good for training young drivers.

I'm absolutely amazed at the damage that truck (and your body) absorbed.
Needless to say, in most any newer rig you could have been driving......you would not have fared as well. Hats off to the best built trucks on the road.....Heavy Metal......cant say enough.

Proof that God does take care of us.
Glad you're on the way to recovery......The new truck looks like a real winner.

[losthope]

Originally Posted by S-31

The whitewalls turned out nice, what size tires are those?

p15/75/r15 's

Originally Posted by awbrown

Since you had to put a U joint in the steering shaft ,I take it they didnt line up?? I found my cab mounts were soft and I had to actually trim the hole in the cab to get mine high enough to line up with the box...

the guy i got the truck from had already installed the steering box and cut the shaft all i had to do was weld it but it only looked to be out of alignment by a ltlle bit and didnt have to trim the cab at all.

Originally Posted by A.T. RockDriller

Holy $hit.....losthope....

That was a helluvawreck you had there.....

Thanks for posting yer story.......Very good for training young drivers.

I'm absolutely amazed at the damage that truck (and your body) absorbed.
Needless to say, in most any newer rig you could have been driving......you would not have fared as well. Hats off to the best built trucks on the road.....Heavy Metal......cant say enough.

Proof that God does take care of us.
Glad you're on the way to recovery......The new truck looks like a real winner.

thank you very much ! i am amazed also , i look at the pictures sometimes and cant believe i made it out alive,needless to say i have a whole new look on life and will never take walking for granted again !!

[hotrodhomi]

Wow great progress, especially with a busted leg. I broke my leg earlier this year and I didn't get anything done around the house or garage besides emptying a few beers.

[losthope]

Just some pictures of the new wheel color you guys chosse on the poll i did:

[losthope]

One of the previous owners had cut some holes in the doors for speakers and i had a set of 6x9's that i bought for cheap at the local farmers market and auction for my car project so i ended up putting them in the truck..They just so happened to be red accented like the rest of the truck i didnt plan that:


The inside of the cab just seems to white:


So i painted the inner door panel's and used some rubberized black paint to paint the arm rest's:

[losthope]

Not much progress besides getting the other two tires i needed and shaved so the truck has all four shaved whites now,And painted the steering wheel and added a new shift knob to add to my bullet theme i got going on!

[chemlab]

looks great man ... where did you get those bullets on the dash, those are bigger than the ones i used on mine. (didn't use them for knobs tho) La Bomba in post #3 looks good to from the little i see

[losthope]

Originally Posted by chemlab

looks great man ... where did you get those bullets on the dash, those are bigger than the ones i used on mine. (didn't use them for knobs tho) La Bomba in post #3 looks good to from the little i see

I got them at so-cal speed shop they have a web site...i also got the shifter there,and bullets that go on the wiper posts,grill bullets, they sell a whole bunch of accessories and neat stuff there and one of their stores is right down the street from me. If your intrested in the black car in post #3 theres a build thread on the H.A.M.B you can see it by clicking the link below
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[Corts60]

Great progress man! That truck is already looking sick.

[blackedoutharley]

I think your cousin (or whoever welded that shaft) is who I need to do mine when I convert to P/S.

Nice score on the '66 too!

[fryer1979]

Coming along nicely man, glad to see you still at it.

[X24]

Dude your truck is looking so good. DIY. keep up the hard work, thanks for sharing.
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[losthope]

Well I have been busy with life so i just ordered headlight parts instead of hunting them down at a pick-n-pull, so yesterday my box from LMC Trucks came with the headlight parts i needed, buckets, adjuster clips and screws, springs,bulb retaining rings and all the screws and clips...pretty pricey $106 and thats not the bulbs or headlight bezels treat all those small screws and clips like gold.....heres a picture with "eye balls" now,I had a pair of painted headlight bezel's in my parts pile i just spray canned white doesnt match the off white the truck has but will do for now: