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.


******************************************************************

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.