Jim's 1969 Custom/20

[Ed 72 Sierra Grande]

Good Work on the upholstery!

[VA72C10]

Excellent work and excellent write-up as usual. Yours and Bruce88's build threads should be required reading for anyone restoring one of these trucks. Looks like I might be buying some foam for the back of my factory bench....and I know the right type now!!! My seat bottom and everywhere else is fine other than the back behind the driver??? Thanks again for the detailed info...and I already have some super77...great stuff! Used it for the first time many years ago making a speaker box for a Mustang (is it legal to say that on here? )

[litew8]

Very nice!

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by Ed 72 Sierra Grande

Good Work on the upholstery!

Thanks Ed.

Originally Posted by VA72C10

Excellent work and excellent write-up as usual. Yours and Bruce88's build threads should be required reading for anyone restoring one of these trucks. Looks like I might be buying some foam for the back of my factory bench....and I know the right type now!!! My seat bottom and everywhere else is fine other than the back behind the driver??? Thanks again for the detailed info...and I already have some super77...great stuff! Used it for the first time many years ago making a speaker box for a Mustang (is it legal to say that on here? )

I used the M word in Post #21 so I guess it's OK haha.

Originally Posted by litew8

Very nice!

Nicer than before for sure...thanks.

[bollybib]

POWER STEERING ( 1 of 1 )

The pressure hose started to leak at the pump end where the rubber hose is attached to the hard line. I think when I jacked up the engine to replace the pan gasket that the stress on the old brittle hose caused it to start leaking. At any rate, I’d been wanting to take out the pump and brackets to clean all the oil and dirt off of it. So the cracked hose became another opportunity for improvement under the hood.

Before I disassembled anything, I thoroughly cleaned around the pressure hose connections at the pump and the steering gear. Then I took out the pump, hoses, and brackets. I cleaned all the crud off the pump with the hoses still installed so I wouldn’t get dirt into the system. I bought a piece of hose for the return line and a new pressure line from NAPA.

(http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Re...&Dk=1&Dp=3&N=0

I had to bend the hard line at the pump end a little to clear the bracket, but the steering gear end fit perfectly.

I also got another V-belt for the pump drive. The one that I was using was too long and caused the filler cap to hit the alternator bracket so I couldn't get it off. I'm using a 15345 now and I can get the cap off.

I’ve been driving around for a couple of weeks since I replaced the pan gasket and power steering hoses and its perfectly dry underneath now, not a drip in sight, it’s a miracle.
...

Return hose……..$.10.75
Pressure hose…..…23.91
Hose clamps…....….5.37
V-belt..................9.69

Total...............$.49.72

[oldman3]

Glad everything turned out OK....Jim

[litew8]

Paint it!

[bollybib]

So far I'm likin the way things are turning out by restraining myself in the paint department. And besides, once I start, there will be no end.

[litew8]

Sometimes it's the little things that count. You could prob. paint it while mounted even. A little masking, a few sprays = and you're done. A little bit of protection goes a long ways sometimes. You've probably got a few cans of paint laying around, leftover from a previous project = no extra/additional expense.

[treveiger]

Looks good!
Posted via Mobile Device

[manimal]

I just read through all of this and have to say, you have done a VERY impressive job and write-up. Thanks for sharing this.

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by manimal

I just read through all of this and have to say, you have done a VERY impressive job and write-up. Thanks for sharing this.

Thanks. I haven't done much to it recently, need to do the rear brakes and wheel bearings when I get around to it. I've got all the parts now, I just need to get motivated to do it. Mostly I just drive it !

Your BBQ on wheels is awesome.

Keep-on Keepin-On !
haha

[aussiec20]

Jim

i have just read your entire thread and i am gobsmacked. it is one of the most detailed build thread i have ever read. It really is a credit to you!

i just got my first chevy truck, a 1967 chevrolet C20 fleetside and began to fix little things

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by aussiec20

Jim

i have just read your entire thread and i am gobsmacked. it is one of the most detailed build thread i have ever read. It really is a credit to you!

i just got my first chevy truck, a 1967 chevrolet C20 fleetside and began to fix little things
Attachment 986457

Thanks for your greetings from down under. I hope gobsmacked is a good thing !

You've got a beautiful truck there, I was hoping I'd find a 67 when I went looking for mine but no luck on that. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with yours. Good luck !

[aussiec20]

gobsmacked - utterly astounded

what next for your truck?

[barronjr]

Nice thread.man you can fix anything.
I cant even get my gas gauge to work.
Great job restoreing that truck!
Bear.

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by aussiec20

gobsmacked - utterly astounded

what next for your truck?

I'm always working on something. I'll be posting some stuff soon.

Originally Posted by barronjr

Nice thread.man you can fix anything.
I cant even get my gas gauge to work.
Great job restoreing that truck!
Bear.

Thanks a lot. I enjoyed seeing your shorty 20 !

[bollybib]

MORE AND MORE MISCELLANEOUS FIXITS (1 of 8)

I’ve been using my truck as a daily driver for slightly more than one year now, and things keep popping up that need fixin’ or made mobettah. Since January 2012, I haven’t posted anything about the work I’ve done on my truck. I completed a whole bunch of fixit stuff since then. I also recently revamped the starter wiring and installed hard fuel lines. I’ll cover the starter and fuel line stuff later.

In addition, I have several projects on my list of things to do:

*Reseal the intake manifold
*Replace the spark plug wires
*Install a brake booster
*Install new wheel bearings and brake drums on the rear
*Upgrade the wet side of the AC system.

I’ll write these up whenever I get around to completing them.

Anyway, here goes for More and More Miscellaneous Fixits !

Air Cleaner

I dislike being bombarded with corporate logos (never mind that bigass Chevrolet logo on the tailgate, I can’t see it most of the time anyway !). One in particular that kept bugging me was Edelbrock stamped on the air cleaner cover. I bought a plain one from Summit and now I feel at ease when I open the hood.

Armrests

Both armrests that came with the truck were split open on the top surface. I bought a pair of reproduction armrests advertised as “saddle” but I wasn’t happy with them. The color was way off and their construction was less robust than OEM.

I bought another pair of saddle originals from the Parts Board that were in poor shape, thinking I could fix them up to look OK. They turned out to be too worn out so into the old parts bin they went. I kept looking for a better pair.

Eventually, I found two saddle originals that were satisfactory. I also sold the repro ones (both Parts Board transactions !).

As Bought



Repro



OG from Parts Board

Backup Light Lenses

The ones that came with the truck were damaged, large chunks of the flanges were broken off. I bought a set of lenses off the Parts Board, and although they looked better, they were not the original bullseye type. Eventually I found a set of bullseyes at a decent price on the Board and got those. All I needed to do was give them a good bath and they look fine.

[bollybib]

MORE AND MORE MISCELLANEOUS FIXITS (2 of 8)

Cup Holder and Waste Basket

I needed something for my coffee because I was making a mess setting my thermos and cup on my new seat covers. I also needed some place to toss the trash. The ashtray is way too small and besides, I use it to set my iPod on.

I built a two-cup holder out of wood and attached it to the floor mat with silicone adhesive. I bought a small paint bucket at Home Depot, painted it, and attached it to the cup holder with magnets.

Plan



Execution



Installed

Door Handles

When I got the truck, a couple of handles were missing so I bought repro ones. They work OK but aren’t as stout as and lack the contours of originals. I bought two each window cranks and door openers from KrazyRay on the Parts Board, cleaned them up, and used the best ones in place of the CS repro ones.

.....
Originals are on the Bottom Row

[bollybib]

MORE AND MORE MISCELLANEOUS FIXITS (3 of 8)

Firewall Grommets and Plugs

I was missing the clutch delete plug, two firewall pad retainers, and another small square plug of unknown function (same size as the brake cable grommet but with no hole). I got the parts from Wes at ClassicHeartbeat and installed them. No more holes in the firewall !

Holes in Radiator Support

A PO had installed a transmission cooler on the radiator support and drilled two holes through it for the hoses. I fabricated two inserts from the same gauge steel as the support, secured them in place with JB Weld, and painted over the patch with semigloss black. It could use a bit more work to smooth it out but otherwise OK.

Before



After

One steel cooling line from the transmission had been jumpered with short piece of hose when a PO later disconnected the cooler. I hooked the hard line back up to the radiator the way it’s supposed to be.

Before



After

[bollybib]

MORE AND MORE MISCELLANEOUS FIXITS (4 of 8)

Hood Rubber Stops

One was missing and the others were brittle and squashed from years of use, so I installed a new set of four.

Horn

I thought the single horn sounded wimpy. I found a high note horn on eBay (for a Firebird and others it said), bought it, and hooked it up. I found an available hole in the radiator support that worked, so I didn’t have to drill holes. It probably doesn’t sound exactly like a stock truck dual horn, but it’s a hell of a lot better than before.

HVAC Vacuum Hose

All the HVAC hoses in the engine compartment were brittle. The hose that goes from the control panel valve in the cab to the heater control valve kept splitting open. I bought a new eight foot length of hose and replaced the entire line. I used a portion of the old line that was still supple to replace the supply line from the vacuum reservoir to the control panel valve. I had to remove the diverter valve, S-duct, and driver side AC hose to access the vacuum hoses under the dash.

Lights-on Warning Buzzer

All it took was one dead battery event due to leaving the lights on to make me say, “Never again !”. I picked up this kit from NAPA (part number 782-1637) and installed it. I’m glad I did because occasionally the alarm sounds to warn me to turn the bloody headlights off !

[bollybib]

MORE AND MORE MISCELLANEOUS FIXITS (5 of 8)

Light Switch

The light switch mechanism felt terrible, it squeaked loudly when turned and resisted in-and-out movement. So I took it apart, cleaned and lubricated it, then reassembled. Worked like a champ after that.

Mirror Cover

I recently bought a mirror on the Board just for the saddle colored cover. The mirror turned out to be better than the one I had, so I used it. The saddle colored cover is correct for my interior unlike the parchment one I had before (a previous Parts Board purchase).

With Parchment Cover



With Saddle Cover

Mufflers

Through the Parts Board, I sold the Hooker mufflers that I decided not to use because they were too loud. That reduced my exhaust system cost a little.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=502182

[bollybib]

MORE AND MORE MISCELLANEOUS FIXITS (6 of 8)

Paint the Firewall

The area on the firewall surrounding the master cylinder was very rusty due to brake fluid leaks in the past. I thoroughly wire brushed the area, treated it with Metal Ready, masked it off, primed it with Rustoleum, and painted it with a can of repro rattle can saddle.

This was a good test of the color match of the repro paint. As expected, it’s not a perfect match, but it’s pretty close. All in all, it looks a hell of a lot better than before.

As Bought



In 2011 with New Master Cylinder



Starting to Mask for Paint



Finito



Repro Paint

[bollybib]

MORE AND MORE MISCELLANEOUS FIXITS (7 of 8)

Steering Wheel

The wheel that was on the truck when I got it was in pretty sad shape with the typical humongous cracks. I installed the wheel from my 67 Vette for a while and I really liked the way it looked. However, I estimated it would run me around $500 to buy all new parts to do the same thing, so I looked for other options.

’69 C20 with Rare '67 Corvette Option

A wheel came up on the Parts Board that looked nice, but it was light brown, not saddle. It was in very good condition, a couple of minor cracks at the spokes and none on the rim. I bought it and installed it. It had a nice look in the truck; the brown against the saddle (no pics, sorry).

A while later, another one popped up on the Parts Board that was saddle color. However, this one had four cracks in the rim. The price was decent, so I bought it and figured I’d give it a go on repairing the cracks.

I used PC7 epoxy to fill the gaps. I masked right up to the edge of the area to be filled so as not to get goop on the adjacent original surface. Once cured, the epoxy was fairly easy to shape. I used narrow strips of sandpaper, working my way little-by-little down from 100 grit to 1500. I had to use my Dremel with small diamond shaping bits in a few places to reproduce the rim contour, particularly for the groove and offset in the top half of the wheel. Then I played around with Testors light brown, green, and white paint until I got the color pretty close and then painted over the dark gray epoxy.

After all this I ended up with three stock steering wheels, each one a different color. All had the same part number but with a different suffix. The numbers are on the back of one of the wheel spokes.

Shown top to bottom in the photo below:

9749753 5 - Saddle (I bought from Parts Board)
9749753 1 - Greenish (on the truck when I bought it)
9749753 2 - Light brown (I bought from Parts Board)

Maybe the greenish one was what came from the factory, not saddle. I really don’t know. Anyone have any more info on this ?

[bollybib]

MORE AND MORE MISCELLANEOUS FIXITS (8 of 8)

Trim

One by one I removed and straightened trim pieces in need of help. I didn’t go for perfection, I just wanted to get them straight. Some pieces rattled a lot, so when I replaced trim sections I added dabs of silicone glue to the clips, particularly at the wire ends. Little by little, things began to quiet down and the truck had a more solid feel to it when driving.

The worst looking piece was the upper bed trim on the passenger side. It was beyond straightening, so I bought a couple of decent pieces on the Parts Board. I selected the best pieces to install but it still had a few issues to deal with; a couple of minor dents and two holes. I straightened the dents, filled and contoured the holes with JB Weld, then repainted using rattle can semigloss black. I used up most of a new roll of masking tape.

I bought some new repro clips for upper trim, but I didn’t like them much. The stock ones are stouter and easier to remove and install without destroying anything. But, I was missing a few clips so I made do with the CS repro ones.

Typical Banged Up Trim



Trashed Upper Bed Piece



MoBettah Now

Windshield Washer Hose

The hose kept splitting at the pump end, so I kept trimming it shorter and shorter. Reaching up to reconnect this hose is awkward and I didn’t like doing it over and over. So I got a new hose and installed it. No problems since. I also got a new cap for the washer reservoir since the tab was broken off of the old one, making it difficult to remove.

Cost of the Fixits

Air cleaner………………....…..…$..23.24
Armrests (the good pair)…………30.00
Backup lenses (bullseye).…...…20.00
Paint cup for wastebasket....…..5.16
OG door handles………………......…4.00
Clutch delete cap……………..…..…6.58
Firewall pad retainers………....……3.99
Parking brake cable grommet…...6.58
Hood stops………………….......……..7.41
Horn……………………………...........…8.19
HVAC vacuum hose…………….....…7.47
Light buzzer……………………........…8.07
Mirror…………………..………...........11.00
Paint……………………..………..........33.90
Steering wheel (saddle)….……..…50.00
Upper bed trim………………….......…40.00
Masking tape (to paint trim)…......4.30
Trim clips………………….........……….20.95
Windshield washer hose/cap.......16.85

TOTAL FIXITS…………….......……$.307.69


Sometimes I buy stuff that looks OK at first, then decide later that it isn’t acceptable for whatever reason. Some of this stuff I could sell if I want to. Here is a list of abandoned parts.

Cost of Items Ultimately Unused
Armrests (repro) ………..………...37.52
Armrests (sold repro) ………..…(13.02)
Armrests (unused OG) …..…….…30.00
Backup lenses (non bullseye)….…8.00
Mufflers (sold Hookers)……...….(26.11)
Steering wheel (brown)……...…..90.00

TOTAL UNUSED……….......……$.126.39

OK, that’s it for now. After my nap I’ll start writing up the starter and fuel line projects.

Peace.