1965 C10 LWB Project Build Thread

[JohnIL]

So, I've been preparing the truck for the Southern Illinois Truck Showdown this coming weekend in Marion, IL. If you're anywhere near Southern Illinois, you should absolutely come to the show. Last year, there were over 450 trucks in attendance. My goal was to have the power steering installed before the show. I finished that (or so I thought) last week, so I was prepared to spend the weekend cleaning the old pickup inside and out.

On Friday night, I popped off the hubcaps to clean up a bit of surface rust and give them a protective clear coat. Meanwhile, the head groundskeeper (my better half) asked me to go fetch some fuel for the mower. I jumped in the '65 and drove the three blocks to the gas station. As I pulled out of the station, the truck lean-popped and died. I was certain from the sound that it was a lean. The truck restarted and I drove back home.

New Fuel Pump
Needless to say, my plans for Friday night changed. The problem was actually pretty easy to diagnose. The fuel pressure gauge was sitting at 3psi. Adjusting the regulator down dropped the pressure, but adjusting up did nothing. So, with a quick trip to my favorite O'Reilly, I had a new fuel pump. With the new pump installed, fuel pressure came up just above 6psi. I regulated down to 5.5psi, readjusted the idle mixture, and called it done.

More Steering Shenanigans
On Saturday morning, I needed to run some errands. So, I put some miles on the '65 to make sure everything was running OK. It went well, until I was a few miles from home. I was driving through a small town on a state highway when suddenly, someone pulled out in front of me while I was cruising along at 35mph. After locking up the trusty old drum brakes, I thought to myself (and out loud), "WHAT A JERK!" Once my blood pressure settled, I figured out what happened. My right turn signal was stuck on and the other driver thought I was about to turn off the highway. They still shouldn't have pulled out in front of me, but the fault was at least partially mine. Obviously, there was a problem with the new steering column.

Once safely back in the garage, I started my investigation. Looking back, it makes perfect sense. The steering column is fine, but I had the steering wheel in the wrong position to cancel the turn signals. The Speedway Motors column (and Flaming River and Ididit competitors) use the same basic turn signal mechanism and the GM '70's and '80's vehicles. The horn button contact ring has "cam" molded on the back side that automatically cancels the turn signals. If the cam is installed in the wrong position (too far one way or the other), the turn signals won't cancel. If you are familiar with this mechanism, this will make sense. The key is to install the ring with the horn contact wire at the 10:30 position. The problem was, my Grant steering wheel has a passthrough hole for the horn wire at the 2:00 position. Weird. Maybe it was designed for a Ford or a Dodge? I don't know.

In any case, to correct the problem, I drilled new mounting holes in the steering wheel center and a new hole for the horn wire. With the steering wheel and the horn contact ring in the correct 10:30 position, the turn signals cancel correctly. Then, after all that, it took me four tries to get the steering column clocked correctly on the steering box to straighten the steering wheel horizontally.

Back to Show Prep
With the fuel pump replaced, the carb idle mixture readjusted, and the steering sorted out, I turn my attention back to primping the truck. It's an old truck with rattle can flat black paint. You can only primp so much. I finished cleaning and clear coating the hubcaps. I vacuumed the interior. And, I wiped the dust off the engine chrome bits. I'll give the truck one more washdown to remove the dead bugs before I head South on Friday. I hope to see some of you and your trucks at the show on Saturday.