'64 C-10 Stalled Project Rescue

[Arne]

Most of the A/C parts arrived yesterday. I found a small number of missing parts, which they say somehow missed getting into the boxes. Those are going to be shipped out soon. (Maybe today.)

I've got some house and yard chores I need to get caught up on, now that the weather in Western Oregon is finally getting nice. (It's been a long, cold, wet spring here.) So I probably won't get started for a couple of days. Will post progress once I get started.

[Arne]

A/C install has begun.

[FamilyTruckster65]

Arne,

Do you have plans to attend any local events this summer with the truck?

[Arne]

Originally Posted by FamilyTruckster65

Arne,

Do you have plans to attend any local events this summer with the truck?

Maybe, depends on how long it takes to get it sold once it's finished. If it is drivable, I'll probably have it in the Function for Junction on June 3rd. Past that, hard to say.

I note the bit about being drivable because I yanked the radiator today in preparation for mounting the A/C condenser. So it isn't ready to drive now...

[Arne]

[Braunschweiger]

Good progress, is the electrical manageable or a lot of work?

[Arne]

Going to start the electrical today. But the pre-assembled wiring harness looks fairly simple.

[Arne]

The electrical part was pretty straightforward. Definitely something most people can handle. The worst part is that the harness is longer than it needs to be for our trucks, and I had to bundle and secure it up under the dash. I suspect the harness is universal and will fit many vehicles, not just our trucks.

I'm almost finished inside the cab. Just one under-dash vent remains to be mounted and hooked up. I'm not going to put the modified glovebox back in until after I can test all the electrical bits. And the battery and even the battery tray are currently out of the truck to make the condenser install easier.

[Arne]

More progress. I'm using some adapter pipes to better route the hoses to the left-side compressor I'm using.

[Arne]

Almost done with the A/C install after today's couple hours. The radiator is back in place, filled and the heater purged. I still have a little electrical left to finish, need to hook up the electric fan controller to the trinary pressure switch, and that needs a relay to convert the switching ground of the pressure switch to the +12v signal that the fan controller needs.

All of the other electrical tested fine, once I got the battery and battery box re-installed. Blower fan, electric heater valve, vent/defrost valve, and compressor clutch work as expected (with the pressure switch bypassed and engine off, of course).

The hoses are all cut to length and I will take them to a shop to be crimped Monday morning. I'm pleased with how the hose routing is working out with the adapter piping.

I still need to cut down the paper glove box, but wanted to wait on putting it back together until after I tested all the functions. I'll probably do that as soon as I finish the pressure switch wiring.

I should be ready to evacuate and charge the system early next week.

[Arne]

A/C is ready to evacuate and charge. Probably won't get to that until the weekend as I'm going to be out of town for a few days.

Really pleased with how the extra piping simplified the hose routing. Much nicer than most left-side compressors I've seen.

[Arne]

A/C charging is scheduled for next Wednesday. In the mean time, I'm picking away at small details in preparation for offering it for sale soon.

Today I replaced the speedo cable, hoping that might take care of a slightly annoying noise from the speedometer area. Won't know if this worked until I drive it tomorrow.

I also picked up a 78 amp 12SI alternator to replace the poorly chrome plated 10 SI that came on the truck. The chrome unit looks cheap and tacky with flakes of chrome peeling off, and there's no telling what its output is since all the identifying numbers were buffed off prior to the chroming. But it can't be more than 63 amps at most, and maybe only in the 40s. What with A/C, electric radiator fan, and electric steering pump, a little extra output is probably a good idea. I thought about a 94 amp 12 SI, but I stopped at a local parts house that is closing and doing killer discounts, and they didn't have the 94 amp, so I went with the 78 amp. Paid all of $25 for it, and no core. And I'm much happier with the looks of a natural, freshly bead blasted alternator.

[Arne]

My plan is to attend a local American Classic show and cruise on June 3rd, with a For Sale sign in the back window!

[88Stanger]

Looking good Sir!!!

[Arne]

Originally Posted by 88Stanger

Looking good Sir!!!

Thanks! I has turned out quite nice.

[Arne]

As they would say on SNL, here's your Weekend Update.

I drove the truck to meet a friend for lunch today, and there is no more noise from the speedo after installing the new cable. So that issue is fixed.

I'm still planning to charge the A/C on Wednesday. As long as I got all the fittings and o-rings connected properly, that should be simple. Will use oil with UV dye just in case.

Doing some research now, trying to determine a fair asking price. Hard to find true comparable trucks. Most are either unrestored, patina-look, customs, hot rods or bone stock. Mine is not exactly any of those. The closest I've found seem to be from recent Bring-a-Trailer auctions. Here's some examples:

Orange '63 — Sold for $42,500 (+ 5% fee) — More custom, more hot rodded, modern interior. Probably done to a bit higher level than mine.

Yellow '64 — Sold for $36,250 (+5%) — Much closer in concept and execution, but much more stock as well. Stock 6 cylinder with original 4 speed. Did have front disc, but no power assist or dual circuit master, no power steering, no A/C.

Blue '64 — Sold for $31,050 (+5%) — Another that is a similar concept. Has power steering and disc brakes, and A/C. Has a nice 350 SBC, but just a normal 3 speed trans.

Based on these, I'm starting to think somewhere between $30-35k for an asking price. Any comments or examples are very welcome!

[350TacoZilla]

Really hard for me to help with value since it's so far out of my normal price range of 0-$500 lol but I would think in any part of the country if it's presented well and gets the traffic it would be in that $30k region your thinking. If it was mine I would list it for $35k OBO and let the offers come in.

But again this is from someone in the rust belt that doesn't shop for vehicles in that price range so I might be off.

It's a great looking truck that I would have a hard time getting rid of unless someone hit me with the right offer while at a show or something rather than actively trying to sell it, that way I could enjoy it a bit longer

[Arne]

Did the A/C thing today with a friend who has a vacuum pump and gauges. Really pleased with how this turned out.

Originally Posted by 350TacoZilla

It's a great looking truck that I would have a hard time getting rid of unless someone hit me with the right offer while at a show or something rather than actively trying to sell it, that way I could enjoy it a bit longer

Well, remember that I bought the truck solely for the fun of building it. Once it's done, I'll quickly get bored, and my wife will nag me to find something to do. So I need to sell this project to finance the next one. That's how I deal with retirement...

[Fleet '66]

Wow Arne! I just completed reading your entire build thread and thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. I must say that you have excellent attention to detail and great documentation. I've been a member and subscriber to this forum for some time now but have been inactive and away for several years now. Yours is the first build thread I've read since returning. You've inspired me to get off my butt and start back on some of my neglected build projects. Thanks for the much needed shot of inspiration. Great job, Good luck on your sale prospects. I can't imagine you having any difficulty finding a willing new owner to enjoy this classic truck, but don't you really want to drive it just a little bit more?

[Arne]

Well, the truck is technically for sale right now. But I'm not quite ready to actively market it yet. I want to drive it a bit more to make sure I've worked out as many bugs as possible. (Bugs are inevitable with projects like this, but I dislike selling vehicles with bugs.)

I also like having other people who know these trucks see it, as they may catch something I missed. So if you want to pop down to Eugene and see the truck in person, I'm available most of the time. Shoot me a PM.

But sell it I will, and sooner than later. I can't start looking for my next project until this one is sold. Both finances and storage/work space prohibit that.

My wife and I took the truck to the "Function 4 Junction" in nearby Junction City yesterday. I did not enter the truck in the show, but parked it on the main highway through town so people could see it. The trip (and my wife) pointed out that while the A/C is awesome, I need to consider whether to rebuild the existing window regulators, or just pop for a new pair. The passenger side is pretty poor, and the driver's is not much better. I'm also thinking the radiator fan thermostat was set a bit too high. I've dialed that down a bit, and will continue to monitor it. And I need to have one or both of the rear drums resurfaced, as it feels like one may be egg shaped when stopping from highway speed. Will look into that later this week.

[Arne]

The rear brake drums are at the machine shop now, should be done by tomorrow afternoon.

I've ordered a pair of window regulator repair kits, and new rollers. Maybe late this week, or possibly early next.

[Arne]

I'm back at it, after a bit of time off spent rebuilding the deer fence around our garden.

I rebuilt the passenger side window regulator yesterday. Got it all back together today. I'm not terribly impressed with the rebuild kit I got from Classic Truck Parts. While it was marked for 64-66 and looked OK at first inspection, I had to do some fairly serious modification and re-engineering of the parts to make them fit and work. To be fair, after all these years, I can't say that I'm 100% convinced the regulator out of that door was original. It could be from a different year, model, or maybe it's an aftermarket part. So it might not be all that surprising that it wasn't plug-n-play.

But after a bit of custom fab work, I got it all back together and the passenger window now works much better. But it's not any better than the existing driver's window, so I'm not going to proceed with kitting that side. No need to go through all that work if it's not going to make it any better than it is now.

Next up is looking for a rather annoying rattle behind the gauge cluster.

[Arne]

Originally Posted by Arne

Next up is looking for a rather annoying rattle behind the gauge cluster.

Yeah, right. A nearly constant ticking. Only quiet on VERY smooth roads. I was absolutely sure it was coming from behind the cluster, and today I proceeded to try numerous tests to locate the source, including a final test drive with the cluster completely removed so that I could see the wires and such in the dash. I finally found the problem.

It was the sun visor...

[Arne]

And with the sun visor rattle dealt with, that's pretty much a wrap on this project. Over the next week or so, I will wash it up and perhaps do a couple more small touch-ups. Then I'll begin the marketing process. Stay tuned...

[Arne]