Markeb01 Build Thread

[markeb01]

Not much to look at here other than I finished cleaning up the windshield cavity and marked the centerline on the cowl vent. I think I’m out of things to prep. Nothing left to do now but install the glass!

[Bomp]

Looks great. I admire your patience. Can't wait to see the glass in.

[markeb01]

If everything goes well we’ll be installing the windshield Tuesday afternoon. My son will drop over after work to provide a 3rd pair of hands. After watching every video I could find I’ve decided to go with the top first approach. Having made that decision the gasket was roped up tonight with 3/16”, and taped thoroughly to keep everything in place while the assembly is transferred to the truck. Per the videos I’ve seen there’s no need to remove the tape. The rope tears right through it, after which it can simply be lifted off from each side.



I picked up several tubes of KY and am going to thoroughly smear the gasket and the cab opening just before placement. I already have a spray bottle for a mix of water and Dawn dish soap in case it needs additional lubrication during the installation. I also picked up a couple of cheap suction cups in case I need some gentle pressure from inside, along with a hook tool set from Harbor Freight. One of the tools already came in handy for bedding the rope in the groove.

I’m really enthusiast now and can’t wait to see it back together with the new trim. With a pair of NOS fully polished wiper blades on the way it should look pretty decent.

Now the next big question is whether or not to add the chrome locking bead to the back window!

[pdxhall]

Looking great Mark. I really enjoy following your projects on your truck. You go into such detail with your descriptions and also your work that I can always look back for reference and inspiration when I start a similar job. I'm sure many others on the site have done the same. Keep it up.

[McMurphy]

Mark ..... not to take away from your windshield right now, but dang dude your thread saved me again !!
I dropped my engine and tranny in yesterday and lo-and behold, my shifter assembly on the transmission sits WAYYYYY back.
I remembered you had made an adapter for your shifter, and when I looked it up today, you had the Hurst "C" shifter handle there too.

Found one on Ebay, should be here next week !!

Thanks man, you are a life saver even when you are not trying to be !!

[markeb01]

Thanks for the comments guys, they are much appreciated.

The windshield went in today on schedule, and according to plan. It took just over an hour to have it fully seated and installed, and then we spent about another 30 minutes just making sure everything was in as tight as possible. I’ll spell out all the details tomorrow. Although it went in without any particular difficulties, it was completely exhausting running back and forth to both sides of the truck to get the best angles, and using both finesse and maximum effort to pull the gasket into place. A bench seat would have made the job a lot easier.

Here’s the only after shot I have so far. The center caps are not yet in place. I’ll get some better photos once everything is cleaned up and put back together. I can't wait to see the overall image outside showing the whole truck:



Also the new fully polished stainless wiper blades showed up today and look fantastic with the NOS polished wiper arms.

[66-PMD-GMC]

wow... nice!

[CRGRS 66]

I can't wait for the full effect pictures myself, great job Mark!

[kieth]

Looks great Mark, now I will have to do mine, I bought a complete truck just for the chrome, a original chrome bumper, windshield trim, custom chrome, full body no engine, lwb fleetside for $200.00 Just need to get it all apart.....Kieth

[1963c-10]

Looks awesome. Im polishing my 2nd set of trim myself. The 1st set was the 1/2" 62-63 trim. I got rid of that for a 60-61 1" trim. Cant have enough chrome right. Be doing the same install shortly. You said you used Precision gasket co for the windshield?

[markeb01]

Yes I did use a Precision gasket. I bought it from American Classic Truck Parts because they could commit to sending me the brand I wanted.

http://www.americanclassic.com/

I called customer service first and then added a note in the special instructions field and they sent me exactly what I asked for. They sell 6 different brands, so you need to ask to get the preferred brand.

Got everything back together today – steering wheel, spotlights, inside mirror, etc. The upper trim cap was the hardest part and took over an hour and a lot of adjustments to the piece to get it to snap in place. I also set the spotlights to park a little bit higher this time so they don’t clobber the trim.

Ended up having a choice in the early evening between washing the truck (it’s covered in dirt) or taking pictures (I was running out of daylight). Hopefully I’ll get a chance to give it a bath tomorrow before it starts raining over the weekend!

Here’s the best before and after shots available at the moment. The trim makes a huge difference in real life. To me it was worth all the trouble it took:





I’m still debating whether to add the chrome rear window bead. My rear gasket is like new so all I’d need to do is pull the bead and add the chrome version. Opinions either way are welcome.

[likaroc13]

looks beautiful, Mark...really ties into your other chrome nicely...and I say go for the rear chrome trim as well! great job, as always

[MisterC]

That is a very dramatic difference. Once again, your attention to detail pays huge dividends. Well done, sir!

Just my 2 cents worth, but with that chrome trim, I think some chrome bezels on the parking lights would really pop now.

[Ta2Don]

Very Nice, and yes the difference is very noticeable and adds more than I can describe via my wordsmith skills or lack thereof... waiting patiently for rear window decision...

[piratexpress1369a]

now that makes it stand out..nice job

[CRGRS 66]

looks awesome mark, well done

[CRGRS 66]

when I am able to upgrade to AC I will want to go back to a factory back glass (currently an aftermarket slider), and would like to add the chrome trim to match my front window, so if you do that upgrade... I be watchin, and learnin!

[1963c-10]

CRGRS 66....got a piece of glass you can have...just pay for the ride (if its a small back glass). Mark.....trucks looks great. Makes me drool wanting to do mine. In sure I'll have the same anxiety until its complete. Did you use the small trim or the large windshield trim?

[CRGRS 66]

Originally Posted by 1963c-10

CRGRS 66....got a piece of glass you can have...just pay for the ride (if its a small back glass). Mark.....trucks looks great. Makes me drool wanting to do mine. In sure I'll have the same anxiety until its complete. Did you use the small trim or the large windshield trim?

very kind offer 1963, I have the BBW, thank you for the offer though

mark, I agree on the park lamp bezels, shiny ones would look good

[clemdaddy]

Originally Posted by CRGRS 66

very kind offer 1963, I have the BBW, thank you for the offer though

mark, I agree on the park lamp bezels, shiny ones would look good

hey craig (sorry mark about steppin on your thread) but i got all my glass from a local glass shop... tinted and shaded windshield, tinted bbw, tinted door and wing glass all for $280... seemed like a good deal to me, check it out.

i agree on the buffed park bezels... a little more bling is a good thing.

[CRGRS 66]

Originally Posted by CRGRS 66

mark, I agree on the park lamp bezels, shiny ones would look good

I retract this comment, forgot that you have a chevy hood on there

[markeb01]

Thanks everyone for all the positive feedback and suggestions, I’m pretty sure I still have another pair of polished aluminum parking bezels. If I can find them I’ll slap them on and see how they look. I’ve preferred the blacked out look for a long time because it takes away much of the Chevrolet look to the hood, and because I’ve never seen anyone else black them out. But I’m thinking with the other shiny stuff it might me a nice improvement.

Yes the trim on the truck is the wide version. I also started out with the narrow trim, but as soon as I found the wide trim I completely lost interest in the skinny set. The thin version is also much harder to repair dings because there’s no access to half of the back where the J support is folded behind the face. The high profile of the wide trim allows almost unrestricted access to the back, making repairs relatively simple by comparison.

I’m going to go ahead and order the chrome bead/rear gasket today. I’ll probably keep the black bead seal in case the chrome version goes bad, but I think the chrome looks so much better it’s worth trying. My only concern is having lived through the snap-on “chrome plastic rain gutter trim” period back in the 50’s. It was also added to door edges, wheel wells, and other odd places on some cars. The snap-on plastic chrome looked like molded stainless steel when new. A short time later it turned yellow, then tan, and finally brown before it started cracking and peeling. The only solution was to peel it off and throw it away. I imagine in 50 years they’ve likely improved the technology. The new stuff is probably urethane and may very well last indefinitely.

Shortly I’ll post the steps we used mounting the windshield. The last couple of days have been consumed attending to the truck and getting everything back in working order. That and standing around admiring how nice it turned out, and being thankful we didn’t break the glass!

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by markeb01

Thanks everyone for all the positive feedback and suggestions, I’m pretty sure I still have another pair of polished aluminum parking bezels. If I can find them I’ll slap them on and see how they look. I’ve preferred the blacked out look for a long time because it takes away much of the Chevrolet look to the hood, and because I’ve never seen anyone else black them out. But I’m thinking with the other shiny stuff it might me a nice improvement.

I like your blacked out signal trims, I am thinking for any more chrome, your wheel wells or something like that in the lower half of the truck will balance you out nicely.
I am not sure there are chrome trims out there just for that application for these trucks, but if I were you, I would trust in your skill set enough to modify some from a large A body GM car like say an Impala or GTO that are easily available.
You know, just a thought....

[64fleetside]

I was extremely disappointed, the stuff I used yellowed in months. I dug the look, until it yellowed.

[markeb01]

Thanks for the input, that has been my concern. I'll definitely keep the black rubber bead so I can put it back in if the chrome stuff yellows. And like so many aftermarket parts it's impossible to know if one brand is any better than the others, or if they're all made by the same source.