New guy with a 1966 C-10 shortbed

[maydaymike]

Here's my new truck that I was finally able to pick up today! Super exited! I've wanted a good running and driving older truck for a while now, and finally had the opportunity. I sold my 2012 Jeep to pay off some debt on the condition that I got a good portion of the proceeds to buy pretty much anything I wanted, with the caveat that it could be used for light hauling or towing the trailer for Home Depot runs, trips to the dump, etc. I have a long commute that I mostly do by motorcycle, but I needed something that could also be used for the occasional trip to work if the weather is especially foul.

So now for the truck (this is a thread about a truck!) It's a '66 shortbed fleetside with a 250 and a 3 speed. It's been dropped 3"/5", and converted to 5 lug with power disc brakes with components from CPP. All the ball joints, suspension bushings, tie rod ends, etc were also replaced at the same time. The rear end has been rebuild drum to drum, and has been regeared to 3.42 from the original 3.73. The engine and transmission are bone stock for now.

The body is pretty solid, but it does have some rust in the usual places. There's some bubbling at the bottoms of both doors, and the bottom corner of the front fenders. The lower rockers have some small 1/8 holes on each side. The floors, cab corners, and cab mounting points appear to be solid. The original bed wood is in usable shape as well, though the wood has shrunk enough that the steel bed strips are loose and rattle going down the road. It is wearing an older amateur repaint that has pretty much faded to chalk, and is flaking in places and showing a little primer. I may do something with body and paint in the distant future, but plan to enjoy the patina for now.

Current plans include correcting a few minor electrical issues (dash lights , backup lights), replacing the missing horn contact stuff in the steering wheel, and repairing the turn signal cancelling mechanism. (it cancels after a left turn, but not to the right.) I also intend to install a pertronix kit or an original style HEI ignition. I'll probably also swap out the 5" springs for 3" to get a bit of rake and more suspension travel. At the current ride height, the axle is only 1.5" from the bumpstops.

My first task today was to deal with the comically oversized wheel/tire combo the previous owner selected. The 18" fronts didn't rub anywhere, but the 255 width tires made the (non power) steering a little heavy. The 20" rears (275/55-20. 31.9" tall and nearly 11" wide!) pretty much rubbed everywhere. It rubbed on the inner wheelwells enough to scrape off all the lettering from the inner sidewall in only 1000 miles of use. The clearance was also very tight on the outer fender lip.

I stayed very conservative (and cheap!) with the new combo. Cragar Delux in 15x6 and 15x8 with bullet center caps and lugs. Tires are 215/75 on the front and 235/75 rear. The whole setup was under $700 including mounting and balancing. I may add narrow trim/beauty rings at some point, or maybe paint the wheels, but I'm pretty happy with them as-is. Sharp eyed viewers may notice that the bullet lugs are not installed in the photo. I ordered 7/16" lugs, because that is what was originally on a '66 half ton, but the 5 lug conversion kit uses 1/2" studs. The correct lugs are on the way.

[oem4me]

LOOOVE this look! A plain shorty with painted trim would be an absolute dream find for me. Great color too! ..Oh, and the black wheels look perfect as-is.

[sanford66]

Nice looking truck, I think you're going the right direction with it! Joseph

[aerotruk63]

Great looking truck and ready to haul a trailer, bonus.

[Mathew21]

Nice find. I love your wheel choice.

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by maydaymike

Here's my new truck that I was finally able to pick up today! Super exited! I've wanted a good running and driving older truck for a while now, and finally had the opportunity. I sold my 2012 Jeep to pay off some debt on the condition that I got a good portion of the proceeds to buy pretty much anything I wanted, with the caveat that it could be used for light hauling or towing the trailer for Home Depot runs, trips to the dump, etc. I have a long commute that I mostly do by motorcycle, but I needed something that could also be used for the occasional trip to work if the weather is especially foul.

So now for the truck (this is a thread about a truck!) It's a '66 shortbed fleetside with a 250 and a 3 speed. It's been dropped 3"/5", and converted to 5 lug with power disc brakes with components from CPP. All the ball joints, suspension bushings, tie rod ends, etc were also replaced at the same time. The rear end has been rebuild drum to drum, and has been regeared to 3.42 from the original 3.73. The engine and transmission are bone stock for now.

The body is pretty solid, but it does have some rust in the usual places. There's some bubbling at the bottoms of both doors, and the bottom corner of the front fenders. The lower rockers have some small 1/8 holes on each side. The floors, cab corners, and cab mounting points appear to be solid. The original bed wood is in usable shape as well, though the wood has shrunk enough that the steel bed strips are loose and rattle going down the road. It is wearing an older amateur repaint that has pretty much faded to chalk, and is flaking in places and showing a little primer. I may do something with body and paint in the distant future, but plan to enjoy the patina for now.

Current plans include correcting a few minor electrical issues (dash lights , backup lights), replacing the missing horn contact stuff in the steering wheel, and repairing the turn signal cancelling mechanism. (it cancels after a left turn, but not to the right.) I also intend to install a pertronix kit or an original style HEI ignition. I'll probably also swap out the 5" springs for 3" to get a bit of rake and more suspension travel. At the current ride height, the axle is only 1.5" from the bumpstops.

My first task today was to deal with the comically oversized wheel/tire combo the previous owner selected. The 18" fronts didn't rub anywhere, but the 255 width tires made the (non power) steering a little heavy. The 20" rears (275/55-20. 31.9" tall and nearly 11" wide!) pretty much rubbed everywhere. It rubbed on the inner wheelwells enough to scrape off all the lettering from the inner sidewall in only 1000 miles of use. The clearance was also very tight on the outer fender lip.

I stayed very conservative (and cheap!) with the new combo. Cragar Delux in 15x6 and 15x8 with bullet center caps and lugs. Tires are 215/75 on the front and 235/75 rear. The whole setup was under $700 including mounting and balancing. I may add narrow trim/beauty rings at some point, or maybe paint the wheels, but I'm pretty happy with them as-is. Sharp eyed viewers may notice that the bullet lugs are not installed in the photo. I ordered 7/16" lugs, because that is what was originally on a '66 half ton, but the 5 lug conversion kit uses 1/2" studs. The correct lugs are on the way.

Welcome aboard! Very nice truck to start with!
Here's a good HEI that I used on my 292:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Chevy-In...9YeGGA&vxp=mtr

For the future(if your interested), converting to a 4 barrel manifold and headers with Tom Lowe's 3 barrel mod to a 600 cfm 4 barrel holley will get you more power And better mileage. Tom Lowe has a hopped up 250 in a chevelle station wagon that has 2.56 rear end gears and he got 24 miles to the gallon! And mind you that 250 hauls that thing down the high way with Ease.

[maydaymike]

Originally Posted by TJ's Chevy

Welcome aboard! Very nice truck to start with!
Here's a good HEI that I used on my 292:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Chevy-In...9YeGGA&vxp=mtr

For the future(if your interested), converting to a 4 barrel manifold and headers with Tom Lowe's 3 barrel mod to a 600 cfm 4 barrel holley will get you more power And better mileage. Tom Lowe has a hopped up 250 in a chevelle station wagon that has 2.56 rear end gears and he got 24 miles to the gallon! And mind you that 250 hauls that thing down the high way with Ease.

Thanks for the HEI link. I've been looking at the various less expensive HEI dizzys, but have been a little reluctant to pull the trigger without any feedback. I have an Offy manifold with a 390 Holley coming from Ebay that I'll be fooling with in the near future. I plan to use the Langdons cast headers with it. I watched Tom's video about the 3 bbl mod on the Chevelle. Might look into that too if I'm not happy with the 390.

I did a little trip this morning. I wanted to get an Idea of what I can expect for gas mileage. Cruising 2 lanes at 50-60 MPH, I used 8.260 gallons for 135 odometer miles. Google maps showed 138 miles for my route, so close enough. I'm pretty happy with 16.3-16.7 mpg with a bone stock 250 complete with points and rochester 1 bbl.

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by maydaymike

Thanks for the HEI link. I've been looking at the various less expensive HEI dizzys, but have been a little reluctant to pull the trigger without any feedback. I have an Offy manifold with a 390 Holley coming from Ebay that I'll be fooling with in the near future. I plan to use the Langdons cast headers with it. I watched Tom's video about the 3 bbl mod on the Chevelle. Might look into that too if I'm not happy with the 390.

I did a little trip this morning. I wanted to get an Idea of what I can expect for gas mileage. Cruising 2 lanes at 50-60 MPH, I used 8.260 gallons for 135 odometer miles. Google maps showed 138 miles for my route, so close enough. I'm pretty happy with 16.3-16.7 mpg with a bone stock 250 complete with points and rochester 1 bbl.

That is Excellent mileage! The HEI will even help a tad more. My rebuilt 292 with a 5 speed tko600 should be seeing around 18, but it has been hopped up. Mileage Might go down a bit with the 390, but you can play with jetting to see if you can make things better. Tom has a lot of experience with the 390 as well. I've been using edelbrock.
EDIT: I only ran that HEI on mine for a few hundred miles. If yours Does happen to go out you can upgrade it to a DUI cap and coil I believe.

[Clyde65]

welcome and i agree with everyone else, nice truck and those new wheels are a much better look.

[maydaymike]

I got the rear 5" drop springs swapped out for 3", so it doesn't ride on the bumpstops anymore. While i was under there, I discovered a loose U-bolt, which was causing some clunks and rattles over bumps. I also installed a CPP front swaybar. It drives so much better now.

The new aftermarket headlight switch I bought turned out to be junk, but a few minutes cleaning and greasing the contacts on the original one brought my instrument lights and dome light back to life. On the downside, my repair attempt on the turn signal switch didn't work out. It broke up and crumbled when I tried to remove it to replace the broken cam. A new genuine AC Delco switch is on the way.

[scuderia]

Sweet Truck Mike, congratulations!

[63-73stepside]

nice truck

[Jcox68rt]

This is a great looking truck and I love the tire and wheel combo you put on it. It's perfect! Can you ad some more pics all the way around the truck and what brand tires are those and how thick are the pinner whites? Thx!! I really want to see how close the wheels and tires are pushed out. My black rims are only 6" and they are way to narrow and sucked under the truck so much.



See what I mean? I don't want to break the bank getting the right stance/wheel combo

[clemdaddy]

Cool truck... I am also interested in the brand name of your tires, they look great.

[gabbin]

Those wheels definitely do it justice, nice choice. Welcome to the threads, I'm excited to see where you take it!

[PapaSmurf66]

Originally Posted by oem4me

LOOOVE this look! A plain shorty with painted trim would be an absolute dream find for me. Great color too! ..Oh, and the black wheels look perfect as-is.

2nd this. nice looking truck.

[maydaymike]

Tires are Mastercraft A/S IV, purchased from Summit Racing. Around $75 each. You could probably find somewhere to get them local to you, as many independent tire dealers carry Mastercraft.