Project '64 Cheapskate

[chevyrestoguy]

Thanks!
I looked at the pictures again this morning, and the outside of the case where the clutch housing is looks like the paint crinkled, but it's the rough casting of the outer case. I even walked out into the shop and looked at it again to be sure.

Late yesterday, I decided to do a quick voltage check to see if I could hear the lock-up solenoid clicking, so I put 12v to the electrical plug and got nothing. I called my buddy who owned the trans before me and was the one who had it rebuilt said that he ran a non-lockup converter and had that function disabled. Bummer. I'm a big believer in the lock-up function, and I will ensure that it's operational before I put the trans into the truck.

So, I'll be draining the trans and getting the lock-up parts and making it all work. Something about tranny fluid just makes me want to send it off and let somebody else do it. It's messy, and no matter how well you prepare for spillage, you're going to make a huge mess.

[chevyrestoguy]

Had a very productive day yesterday.
I am a real stickler about ergonomics whenever I build a car. It has to "feel" right, from the pedal placement, the column position, and especially the seat. I've sat in a lot of the '60-'66 Chevy trucks, and I've never been a fan of the "feel". You sit too high, the stock seat is overstuffed, the steering wheel is too big, and the pedals are too high off the floor. Because my '64 is essentially a clean-sheet build, I have the perfect opportunity to get the ergonomics tailored to my liking.

I was able to mount the column and the steering wheel, and the shape and size of the old wood wheel is going to be perfect, and it'll give me the '60s vibe I'm looking for.

On to the seat. I had two original '60-'66 stock seats that I played with, even using a pair of cut down stock seat brackets to get the seat lower, but I didn't like it. So, I wound up finding a bench seat out of the rear of an early '90s Chevy Crew Cab dually at the local Pick-A-Part that was in perfect condition for $70. It even has the flip down armrest that tucks into the seat. I put the seat into position, and it was a HUGE improvement over the stock seat, but it still needed improvement. So, with the assistance of Mr. Brad, we fired up the cut-off wheels and make sparks fly:

After careful consideration, it was determined that if the seat brackets had 2" chopped out of them, it would help get the seat down where it needed to be:


The shape of the seat brackets don't allow the pieces to come back together perfectly without a slight gap at the bottom, but that's not a problem. I will build a plate to cover the seat bracket and probably carpet it when the time comes.


This picture shows the new seating position. The seat is now lower by 2", and now that the gas tank has been removed from the cab, the seat is back all the way to the rear. You're not scrunched up anymore, like the stock configuration


The gear selector and the turn signal lever are going to have to be chucked up in the lathe and shortened. Right now, they're much too long.


One of the best things about using this seat in a '60-'66 is that you only have to drill 2 holes for the rear bolts. The fronts line up perfectly with the original nutplates in the floor. Again, thank you Chevrolet!

Next on the agenda:
Finalize the column position and "lock it down"
Gas tank(s) mod.

[Bomp]

From the original stock height of the '60-'66 seat to the '90 seat being modified(lowered), how many inches did you achieve?


The stock seat has me craning my neck at stop lights.
Even with the cab stretch I've mocked up stop light conditions and end up having to bend down to look up to see a light.
Looks great, You took all the guess work out, got me sold on the idea

[Jonboy]

With the seat lower, do you have enough legroom? I like the gas pedal spacer, too.

On your TCC, if you can put the trans on your engine stand and roll it over, it will make everything 100% easier. Good excuse to add a drain plug to the pan, too.

[Low Elco]

Like the looks of it! I did my trams on the stand, highly recommended. Are you gonna use the BTO kit? I liked that it solved all the geometry probs in one whack. Are you gonna use a vacuum cutoff as well? Glad you're back on the job, as it were.
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[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by Bomp

From the original stock height of the '60-'66 seat to the '90 seat being modified(lowered), how many inches did you achieve?

I made a measurement from the floor (no carpet) to the top of the front edge of the seat and it was 14.25 inches. A few board members offered to measure their seats, so we'll see what the difference is very soon.

Originally Posted by rusty76

This is what I'm talking about! Fellas take note.

I'm back on my game!! Feels good, too!!

Originally Posted by McMurphy

I have a stock bench I can measure out for you.
It will be tomorrow at the soonest though, I am on duty tonight.

Thank You, Sir!!

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Like the looks of it! I did my trams on the stand, highly recommended. Are you gonna use the BTO kit? I liked that it solved all the geometry probs in one whack. Are you gonna use a vacuum cutoff as well? Glad you're back on the job, as it were.
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Not sure what kit I'm going to use yet. I was thinking about just making the lock-up work off of a switch for simplicity, but the vacuum kit makes it real simple because the trans does all the work.
Brad did his TV cable using a factory bracket with a slight mod and it works great on his Holley. I might use the same set-up.

Bow Tie Overdrives is actually in the next town over. I've used their stuff before, and it worked good. You'd be shocked at how their place looks. They do a ton of business, but their shop is a dive. 99% of what they do is mail order, so it doesn't matter how nice the place looks. Those boys crank out some transmissions.

[Low Elco]

Oh hey, if you're gonna have to do a converter, the 4.3 Blazer ones apparently have a tad more stall built in to get it movin'. Hope it helps!
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[McMurphy]

Here are a couple of quick and dirty shots of the stock bench seat measurements I promised.
I hope this gives you guys a ballpark estimate of what you were discussing.

Rock on man !!

[Bomp]

Thanks for the pics McMurphy.

From the way chevyrestoguy describes the room and comfort Im keeping my eyes open for a seat to try out.


Thanks Fellas

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by Bomp

Thanks for the pics McMurphy.

From the way chevyrestoguy describes the room and comfort Im keeping my eyes open for a seat to try out.

I was looking at only the standard cab trucks at first and had no luck finding a good, serviceable seat. Most of them were thrashed. Once I realized that the 4dr crew cab trucks used this same seat as the rear seat, it gave me another possible option. You will find that the crew cab rear seats have much less usage and usually in very good condition. Try to find one with the flip down armrest, it's a really nice feature for the driver.

McMurphy-
Thanks for the measurements. Is there any way you could get a vertical measurement from the floor to the top of the upholstery at the front edge of the seat? This measurement will tell us the height difference between my modified seat and a stock seat. My measurement was 14.25" from the floor to the top of the front of the seat.
Thanks!

[dean jendro]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

I was looking at only the standard cab trucks at first and had no luck finding a good, serviceable seat. Most of them were thrashed. Once I realized that the 4dr crew cab trucks used this same seat as the rear seat, it gave me another possible option. You will find that the crew cab rear seats have much less usage and usually in very good condition. Try to find one with the flip down armrest, it's a really nice feature for the driver.

McMurphy-
Thanks for the measurements. Is there any way you could get a vertical measurement from the floor to the top of the upholstery at the front edge of the seat? This measurement will tell us the height difference between my modified seat and a stock seat. My measurement was 14.25" from the floor to the top of the front of the seat.
Thanks!

What year crew cab seats are you using?

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

I was looking at only the standard cab trucks at first and had no luck finding a good, serviceable seat. Most of them were thrashed. Once I realized that the 4dr crew cab trucks used this same seat as the rear seat, it gave me another possible option. You will find that the crew cab rear seats have much less usage and usually in very good condition. Try to find one with the flip down armrest, it's a really nice feature for the driver.

McMurphy-
Thanks for the measurements. Is there any way you could get a vertical measurement from the floor to the top of the upholstery at the front edge of the seat? This measurement will tell us the height difference between my modified seat and a stock seat. My measurement was 14.25" from the floor to the top of the front of the seat.
Thanks!

Mine measured at 12" however the springs may be worn, which would explain the foam pad that was glued to the seat of it.

[likaroc13]

looks like your photos on page 14 got messed up...you're correct on the interiors changing in '95....I had blue cloth buckets in a similar pattern in my old '93 fullsize reg. cab....from reading, it seems as though crew cabs began in '88 for the '88-98 body style, but it was a 3500 series. Not sure when that particular seat pattern began though (if it matters), but I think '90-94 should be what to look for.

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by likaroc13

looks like your photos on page 14 got messed up...you're correct on the interiors changing in '95....I had blue cloth buckets in a similar pattern in my old '93 fullsize reg. cab....from reading, it seems as though crew cabs began in '88 for the '88-98 body style, but it was a 3500 series. Not sure when that particular seat pattern began though (if it matters), but I think '90-94 should be what to look for.

The pictures are now fixed. I had exceeded my bandwidth and had to upgrade my Photobucket.

likaroc13-
Thanks for the info. I remember that they carried over the old (pre '88) crew cab 4 drs. until 1991, and the '88-'98 body style crew cabs showed up in 1992. I'm talking crew cab, not extended cab. I remember that everybody with a pre '88 wanted the '88-'91 crew cab front ends because they were cool looking and only the rich guys could afford the swap.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

The pictures are now fixed. I had exceeded my bandwidth and had to upgrade my Photobucket.

likaroc13-
Thanks for the info. I remember that they carried over the old (pre '88) crew cab 4 drs. until 1991, and the '88-'98 body style crew cabs showed up in 1992. I'm talking crew cab, not extended cab. I remember that everybody with a pre '88 wanted the '88-'91 crew cab front ends because they were cool looking and only the rich guys could afford the swap.

No prob. You are correct, as I had forgotten crews were square-body through '91. Same for the fullsize Blazer & Burbs. It's a little confusing sometimes. So yeah, I'd say '92-94 for the crew cabs, & '90-94 for regular OBS C/K trucks.

btw, nice job on your brake pedal modification...& I dig the steering wheel, which fits in nicely

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by likaroc13

..btw, nice job on your brake pedal modification...& I dig the steering wheel, which fits in nicely

Thanks!
I really stewed over using that wheel. I'm old enough (I'm 49) to remember when those wheels were really popular, and also remember a few years later when they were EXTREMELY uncool. I remember yanking them out of a few cars and tossing them right into the trash. A pristine original Superior or Grant wood wheel brings big bucks nowadays. I've seen them going for $300 on ebay. Who would have known?

My wheel is a little different because it hardly has any "dish" at all to it, which works out just right for interior space. I can only assume that my wheel came out of an old van from back in the day, because it's a small diameter and nearly flat. I'm going for a late '60s theme, so finding a suitable wheel was harder than I thought. It was absolutely trashed when I bought it, and some cleaning with acetone and a coat of satin clear made it look better, but the chrome is terrible. The patina will match the rest of the truck, I guess.

[Low Elco]

I was gonna say, I'm surprised at how flat it was!

[chevyrestoguy]

I have been working on mounting the A/C condenser for the past couple of days, so I figured that I should post up the progress. I have an original condenser that came out of a parts truck, but it's so fragile that it feels like it's going to crumble when you pick it up. Plus, I am converting the system to R134, and I need an efficient condenser designed for the current refrigerant.

I was able to find a guy on Craigslist selling a condenser out of a 1999 Z06 Corvette, and after he rattled off the dimensions, I knew it was going to work perfect. Here's a picture of it sitting on top of the core support. The width and height is perfect, but the inlet and outlet fittings were going to be a problem.




So, I got out the cut-off wheel and commenced to cuttin'


I had some square tubing in my scrap pile and made some pieces to cover the removed areas and tacked them in. I also chopped off the original outlet line because it wasn't going to work for my application.


The stock Corvette mounting tabs were not consistent from side to side, so they got whacked.




Grabbed some aluminum from the scrap pile and made new mount tabs and make my buddy Mike Jones TIG them in place.




Fast forward a little, and I drilled the core support for the AC bulkhead fittings, and shortened and reshaped the dryer clamps. I chopped up some new fittings to accept hoses at the inlet and outlet lines and had Mike TIG them on. I installed the old mock-up dryer and started mocking up the lines and have a couple of the hoses ready to crimp. I still need to get a #10 female straight fitting for the inlet line at the top and cut the hose to length. The mounting tabs will need to be drilled for mounting bolts and rubber isolators. Once this gets done, I'll blow it all back apart and send it back to the sandblaster to get it touched up due to all the grease and oils from working on the condenser. After that, I'll do a little body work, and it'll be ready for primer and paint (chassis black). Speaking of black, everything you see on this core support will be painted black because I do not want to see anything behind the grill of the truck. I always think that it looks wrong when I see shiny stuff behind the grille or body-colored core supports. You have to hide that stuff!

[Bomp]

Man you always blow me away.
Wish I had some of the talent you have.
So much great info here ALWAYS

[Low Elco]

Mad skills! AC scares me. Beautiful work.
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[Captainfab]

Good score on the condenser. Very sanitary job on this installation

[rusty76]

Looks awesome.

[McMurphy]

This looks like my kind of adaption !!
Great work here, and your buddy Mike seems to really know what he is doing, those welds look real purty

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by McMurphy

This looks like my kind of adaption !!
Great work here, and your buddy Mike seems to really know what he is doing, those welds look real purty

Mike is an amazing fabricator. He builds some of the most over-the-top off-road race vehicles I have ever seen. If you want to see some amazing welds, check out the rear air ride set-up on my '55 build thread. His work is in the last part of the thread. He welds like a robot.

[MisterC]

Thoroughly impressed at your vision on this one. Great work!