Project '64 Cheapskate

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

This is another one of my favorite threads.
Nice job.
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Thanks! I've got a bunch of other things I'm doing as well, but I really want to post up the mods from start to finish in a single posting, so I'm waiting for a few of them to get completed. Things are starting to "come home" on this project, and hopefully, the momentum will continue.

[markeb01]

The brake pedal modification is a very impressive piece of re-engineering. This should be posted in the FAQ section as well. Beautiful work. Thanks for the detailed photos and technical explanations. I really appreciate the effort that goes into sharing this type of upgrade.

[chevyrestoguy]

Thank you, Mark! You're a heck of a craftsman, and I really appreciate your comments.

[earl84]

You do some amazing work, sir. I love this brake pedal modification. Thanks for detailing it so well, it makes imitating ideas so much easier. I like the idea of not having to lift your entire leg to depress the brake pedal. Kind of an increased safety factor as well.
Do you happen to have a picture of where the brake pedal sits at rest now?

[rusty76]

This is always awesome! Killer work as usual. Too Kool.

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by earl84

You do some amazing work, sir. I love this brake pedal modification. Thanks for detailing it so well, it makes imitating ideas so much easier. I like the idea of not having to lift your entire leg to depress the brake pedal. Kind of an increased safety factor as well.
Do you happen to have a picture of where the brake pedal sits at rest now?

Thanks!!
I'll get a picture of it on Thursday when I get back on the truck. I work 10hrs a day during the week, with a 135 mile round trip commute, so I don't get much time to work on the truck in the evening. Currently, the truck is over at Brad's house, but it will be coming back to my place as soon as we drop the engine and trans in and fire it off. My garage is too full of my other projects to have it at the house right now.

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by rusty76

This is always awesome! Killer work as usual. Too Kool.

Thanks, Rusty!! Your comments are what motivates me to finish this thing and finally have something cool to drive again!!

I haven't finished a project in a long time, and I was doubting if I had the ability to do it anymore. I got so focused on my job that I would have a bad habit of starting some really cool projects only to sell them a year or two later because I was convinced that the project would never become a reality. One notable project was a 1967 Nova that I wound up selling to a guy who finished it, and I was crushed. He went 180 degrees from what I had started and wound up putting in a 305 TPI engine out of an 1988 IROC, along with the IROC wheels and gasp......the entire IROC dash and console. It was hideous.

I have to thank Brad (kustombrad on the site) for help keeping me focused and my eyes on the prize. Once he got his '49 on the road I was convinced that I needed to have as much fun as he was having. That meant getting one of my projects finished. It was time to quit being a spectator and start becoming a participant.

[Captainfab]

Very nice job on the brake pedal to booster pushrod fabrication, I like it.

[Dinos63]

always great to see you kat!

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

Very nice job on the brake pedal to booster pushrod fabrication, I like it.

I was hoping you were going to like it. I am a HUGE fan of your booster and power steering adapters. Those things sure take a lot of guess-work out of how to upgrade to the later components. And the quality of the pieces are top-notch.

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by Dinos63

always great to see you kat!

You too, brother! I hope your trip home to Phoenix was safe and uneventful. Did you have to drive back at a speedy 55 mph all the way home?

[Modges'66]

Very slick mod on the brake linkage!
Very nice & simple!

[chevyrestoguy]

I spent a little time yesterday evening prepping the transmission for paint. I gave it a good cleaning, blasted it air to dry it, and did a bunch of sanding to blend out any chipped areas. I gave it a coat of DuPont etch primer last night, and got up at first light this morning and gave it a coat of chassis black.
It's a 700r4 with upgraded internals (better clutches, sprag, servo). It's got about 20K very easy miles on it. The converter is a 2200 stall with lock-up capability. The cooler lines are some scraps I had in order to keep the ports clean, and the Lokar didpstick is going to get swapped to a stock style dipstick. I don't plan on putting any steel braided hoses under the hood, so the Lokar unit would not look right.

[Low Elco]

Lookin like progress! Just keep chippin', one thing no matter how small every day!
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[Bomp]

Diggin' the tranny work man.
Totally stylin'

[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.

[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.

[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

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by 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.

Jonboy-
I believe that I have gained a bit of legroom by being able to move the seat farther aft. The seat back is thinner, compared to the stock seat, which helps a bit, too. You can see just how much thinner the bottom is from the side pictures. Cumulatively, this all adds to to more room. Plus, it feels so much more comfortable. The stock seat is way too bouncy, and the later seat has a much more dense foam, which I like.

I agree with throwing the trans on my engine stand. That's the best way to work on one, and being able to flip it upside down keeps it from dripping and is also nice when you're trying to get all the check balls in the right position when the valve body goes back on.

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?


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

I'm not sure how much I saved because I never measured the stock seat with the stock brackets. If someone is able to measure their stock measurement, I'll get the measurement of my seat today and we'll post up the difference. It may only be a few inches, but in the grand scheme, that can make a huge effect.
I HIGHLY recommend an '88-'92(?) seat for our trucks. They fit well and are very comfortable. Cutting the seat brackets down may not be for everybody, but I like sitting low and as far back as possible. I don't like being bunched up because on a long trip, that will wear you out.

[rusty76]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

Thanks, Rusty!! Your comments are what motivates me to finish this thing and finally have something cool to drive again!!

I haven't finished a project in a long time, and I was doubting if I had the ability to do it anymore. I got so focused on my job that I would have a bad habit of starting some really cool projects only to sell them a year or two later because I was convinced that the project would never become a reality. One notable project was a 1967 Nova that I wound up selling to a guy who finished it, and I was crushed. He went 180 degrees from what I had started and wound up putting in a 305 TPI engine out of an 1988 IROC, along with the IROC wheels and gasp......the entire IROC dash and console. It was hideous.

I have to thank Brad (kustombrad on the site) for help keeping me focused and my eyes on the prize. Once he got his '49 on the road I was convinced that I needed to have as much fun as he was having. That meant getting one of my projects finished. It was time to quit being a spectator and start becoming a participant.

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

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

I'm not sure how much I saved because I never measured the stock seat with the stock brackets. If someone is able to measure their stock measurement, I'll get the measurement of my seat today and we'll post up the difference. It may only be a few inches, but in the grand scheme, that can make a huge effect.
I HIGHLY recommend an '88-'92(?) seat for our trucks. They fit well and are very comfortable. Cutting the seat brackets down may not be for everybody, but I like sitting low and as far back as possible. I don't like being bunched up because on a long trip, that will wear you out.

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

[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.
Posted via Mobile Device

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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