Martin's mi-STRESS, 1965 Long Fleetside C10 "Rebuild in ENGLAND"

[mjh1965]

After much moaning, pushing and generally nagging by GRIZZ, I have come over to his place tonight with a couple of 14 inch Pizza's and my iPad filled with photos to start writing up and posting up some pics of my 1965 C10 Long Fleet build.

We started with dinner, and also had a long chat with Ta2Don about the merits of importing trucks and riding bikes over state lines.

I hope you guys/gals like photos........ as I have a few.

This thread will start a bit disjointed, and as I go along, I will add some of my car and bike history into the mix.

I have previously built a few kit cars and motorbikes.

In a previous life I was a panel beater, and also managed a body shop for 12 years before the actual land and property was sold by Greenwich Council, and we could not find suitable premises in London to relocate the shop to.
I was made redundant by the owner along with him deciding to retire and leave the the bodyshop game.
At that point I started working in the Vehicle Adaptation for Disabled Drivers industry, meaning I build bespoke systems and equipment daily for people who have a variety of disabilities.
I have converted from Kia Rio's to Mini Coopers to Bentley Continental GT's and Ferrari's and just about everything inbetween with wheels and engines for the last 8 years.


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I had always wanted a truck, American, BIG, in your face and still practical to carry my motorbikes and and also fetch lumber or anything else that needs moving about.

I had been looking at these trucks for a while and had seen a few, some short steppers, some very rough and ratty, but in June 2013 I found this truck advertised about 50 miles from where I live, by an elderly gentleman who also has another Classic American in his garage, but needed to move the truck on as he was finding it less of a pleasure to drive than his land yacht.

Interestingly, Grizz had been offered the truck in April before he went to Africa on his Bike tour with his brother, but walked away from it as it was a Long Fleet, and he and Nicola wanted a Short Fleet.
I on the other hand needed a Long Fleetside as I have a couple of bikes to transport from time to time. Mainly my Custom Harley V-Rod (not that it breaks down or anything like that )



This is the truck I was confronted with .........



You will see from this pic to the next few there was loads I had to change to get it as I wanted it.




I bought the truck after one viewing and a road test, knowing it would need a lot of work to get it where I wanted it, and the old guy actually filled the tank for me as well.

I drove it home with a STUPIDLY WIDE GRIN on my face, enjoying every moment and feeling alive.

The grin would change to a grimace soon enough, when the drivers side wiper arm fell off in the pouring rain, right on the Dartford Bridge coming back from Essex into Kent, which is where we live.... "have I done the right thing?" I thought. Had Amanda been with me in the truck, she would have had a meltdown as the rain was belting down I and my driving turned instantly into something between reading a menu in Braille and hitting the Piñata Donkey blindfolded at a kids party.



All the way home I was faced with the canary yellow dash, the chassis is also the same colour......

That had to be changed FAST !!

One of the first jobs done was to sand and prep the dash and then mask and paint it Satin black and at the same time change the steering wheel, which was in a very bad state (it ended up in the rubbish bin, which Grizz is still pissed at me for ) and replaced by a 1965 Corvette steering wheel that I paid too much for, but had to have. It still makes me happy, so money well spent.




Please let me know if you are interested in the ongoing saga of my mi-STRESS and the build I have started.

I am happy for all advice and feedback you guys can give, having been lurking on this board for the last year, I know there is an amazing amount of knowledge on here.

If anyone needs a contact here in the UK, I am always happy to try to help, please PM me.

Cheers,

Martin.

[mjh1965]

PS: Here is a blurry, but better Friday night on the way home pic as I was crossing the Dartford bridge on a better day than my first trip with the truck, taken by Amanda with my mobile phone.

[mjh1965]

I decided to do this as a running restoration up to the point where I need to dismantle the truck to a point where it is no longer roadworthy from a legal point of view.

That way I get to use the truck as much as possible all year and also get to feel out it's niggles and figure out what parts I need to buy to either fix bits or improve its handling, stance and general safety.

When I bought the truck, I missed out on some bits in my excitement to own it, which have surfaced in the mean time.

Anyway, the truck came with heavy sheet metal bed covers and a split rear tailgate that was given to me by the previous owner as he had replaced it with a new tailgate, but he had left the metal channels that had been welded on the top of the bed sides. See pics below.



I started cutting the welds back with a grinder.





Sanded back.

Note my neighbours Beetles as well on his drive, he also has about 4 Harleys and works as and engineer/machinist (Very handy)



Once sanded back, I bare metalled the the whole side and removed about a wheelbarrow load of Bondo as well



Added some red oxide primer, tried the new wheels I had bought as well.





While I was at it, I removed the side filler flaps and welded up the holes, presumably long distance tanks that were fitted before at some point in the trucks life.

[mjh1965]

From the day I bought the truck, I hated the agricultural rear bumper on it, so first chance I got a rear roll pan was ordered from LMC, in my case the experience was painless, and delivered very fast and efficiently to Snodland where I live.

So I cut away the bumper and welded in the roll pan and painted it red oxide again.








I am still looking for a metal numberplate surround like the one that was fitted, but badly rusted, with the numberplate light beyond redemption to replace the one I had, as it was a nice touch.

Amazingly, time has moved on and it is now well beyond Grizz's bedtime......

I have also literally just bid on and won a complete hood/bonnet for my truck from a seller in Concord, California now I just need to get it to England...... it may be needing a rather large postage stamp and envelope.
Needs to get to Apopka in Florida to get into a container headed for these shores.


WHO SAID IT WAS EASY DOING IT OVER HERE ??

[Grizz1963]

There you go mate........

[rusty76]

Wow this is going to be a fun read. I like the ole truck. Why a yellow frame? Like the color but a yellow frame. Old man must have been on something...lol.

[McMurphy]

Being a religious reader of Grizz thread, I am familier with your name, as he mentions you there a lot. So and welcome to the site, glad you started a thread of your own !!

I am in for the long read here.
If you post it, I will read it, guarenteed !!

Like the truck so far, glad you got those rails off the top of the bed though, those were sort of an eyesore...

Hope to see more soon

[Ta2Don]

aboard Mate!!!
Good talking with you earlier...
Good to see someone keeping Grizz on his toes...

[mjh1965]

Thanks for the replies. Hope to keep up with the posts .I'll have grizz on the case if I don't forgot to post the before dash picture

[Grizz1963]

Bloody right you will have me on your case.

We need, no, deserve to know every move you make, every breath you take...... We'll be watching you.

[DPowers]

Welcome- looks interesting an looking forward to the point of view from over there.

[TJ's Chevy]

Welcome aboard! I look forward to watching the progress!

[mjh1965]

Thanks for the comments .The main reason for waiting to start my thread is the time it takes to collect and locate parts in the England .
So having a very understanding partner Amanda ,we booked a Holliday to Florida for our holiday (vacation to you guys) .So a plan was hatched order parts and deliver them to my hotel .
So on on October 2013 we flew to Orlando . On arrival I upgraded the rental to the new camaro


On arrival at the celebration suites in Kissimmee I was greeted and given the large amount of boxes that had arrived for me . The look on Amanda's face was priceless .How do you think we are going to get this lot home , maybe I did order too much
While in Florida we visited Dennis chevy truck parts very helpfully and friendly guy


To be continued

Sent from my iPad
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[mjh1965]

While on our trip we went to Daytona as being a biker as well it's a must, Biketoberfest being on
The prize draw was a C10 stepper




As we were in Daytona we took a trip up to Bunnell as I wanted to pick up some more parts .Yes I know my case is getting bigger . While in Bunnell I picked up my gauges and an edz wiring loom . The owner was very helpfully, and took me through to the back of the shop to show me some of his toys







To be continued

[bj383ss]

Welcome aboard Martin. Sounds like you are just as interesting as Rian so I too will be following along on your build thread. I went through a phase where I painted the whole engine compartment, engine and trans on my Caprice Daytona yellow. Still don't know why I did that but I was young. The engine looked good but once I painted the car a dark blue the yellow looked horrible.



Bret

[LT1 Burb]

Nice start and welcome aboard. I would have made all the same changes as you did. What was the guy thinking that welded those rails on. Truck looks cool though, looks like it got transplanted there from a farm in the middle of America.

[mjh1965]

Thanks for all the positive comments . The old boy I got it from said it came from the states to England via Holland .Thats as far as I know . So yellow dash,seat and frame could be down to someone spending to much time in the Dutch coffee shops

[NEWFISHER]

Tuned in. Looking good so far!

[mjh1965]

The next instalment of my holiday .
With the prospect of getting my parts home. The best thing to do was to drive up to Ocala and go to a car show .Well it was my birthday .Wow you guys have some nice cars and trucks here's just a taste

[mjh1965]

Well I got home with all my parts. After extra suitcases were purchased in Orlando outlet centre. Altogether we flew home with five cases and two large cabin cases. So time to start building. If the rain ever stops

This was in Amanda's hand luggage (good girl )

These were in mine

And the rest of the parts in the cases

Job well done

[Grizz1963]

Here's a new word for you Americans "NUTTER"

Martin is what you would call a nutter.

That is a lot of stuff you brought back and bloody heavy in baggage.
Surprised the plane made it off the landing strip.

[ad_coupe]

Cool truck, look forward to seeing your updates as your work progresses.

Rian sent me a link to your thread as I am a fellow C10 owner in the uk, mines a 63.

Keep the updates coming.

AD

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by ad_coupe

Cool truck, look forward to seeing your updates as your work progresses.

Rian sent me a link to your thread as I am a fellow C10 owner in the uk, mines a 63.

Keep the updates coming.

AD

Hey Adrian !!

Welcome to the board.

I hope you are going to show the guys what you have and some of your old rides.

http://www.retrorides.proboards.com/...eetside-spades

For anyone who is interested, link above.

[Ta2Don]

The baggage handlers had a surprise with those bags!

[LT1 Burb]

Wow, that 63 is awesum Adrian, big back window, custom cab , shortbed, aluminum grill 63 only, black. Nice truck