Project '64 Cheapskate

[65Gregg]

As usual, outstanding work from you and Brad!!! I can't wait to see the end result.

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by Jmorales3181

Nice progress!

Thank You, sir!

Originally Posted by likaroc13

Nice to see the progress, & everything looks great!

Thanks, Phillip!

Originally Posted by 65Gregg

As usual, outstanding work from you and Brad!!! I can't wait to see the end result.

Thanks! Brad is probably the only guy I know who thinks like I do when it comes to hot rods. We've collaborated on a lot of stuff over the years. He's one talented dude.

[chevyrestoguy]

The weather has been cold and rainy for the past few days, so it has given me an opportunity to turn up the heater and the tunes in the garage and get crackin'.

Today's project was assembling the A/C condenser, the receiver/dryer, and the lines on the newly painted core support. I'm real happy with the results:



I don't like the look of a body-colored core support poking through the grill of any car or truck, so everything had to be black. If you recall some posts from a few months ago, I modified the core support to accept a 2001 Corvette A/C condenser. It meant that I had to cut pockets in the uprights to give clearance for the inlet and outlet fittings. I used a couple pieces of 2"x 2" square tubing to fill the cutouts and Mig welded them in. The hard line at the inlet on the bottom of the condenser is a combination of the factory Corvette line and a #6 A/C crimp fitting that I had a buddy Tig weld together. The factory outlet line at the top of the condenser was chopped off and a fitting to accept a #10 Beadlock style A/C hose was Tig welded on. All of the fittings were bought on ebay for cheap, the hose was extra pieces I had laying around, and a buddy crimped them for me. The dryer was also an ebay special ($14.99). I put some heat shrink on the dryer clamps to tighten them up a little bit and to also insulate the dryer from metal-to-metal contact. The core support actually looks better in person versus the pictures because the camera flash does weird stuff with the satin black and makes it look blotchy and shiny.



Next task: Install all of the rubber seals on to the inner fenders.

[ChevyYoung]

Looks nice cheapskate. Got me motivated dude!

[rusty76]

Kool man.

[Low Elco]

That's TIGHT!

[Dinos63]

and that's how's done !!

[chevyrestoguy]

Thanks for the comments, guys! I've been on a roll, and today was a big day. It was time to start bolting stuff together for the last time. No more mocking up and taking it all back apart.

I realized that I had never taken any pictures with the engine installed. It's been installed for a few months now, but I've been focusing on other stuff, so I apologize. Here it is:


We had to to be extra careful installing the inner fenders and core support, and I'm lucky I had Brad helping me. This is definitely a 2-person job. We had a few issues to contend with and a couple of holes needed to be slotted slightly, but that's to be expected when you're putting one of these things together and trying to make it all fit right.



Here's a teaser shot of how the inner fender lower edge sits in relation to the frame. It looks factory, and that's what I was going for. I don't want anybody to figure out that the chassis has been Z'd. I've got more time in those dumb inner fenders than I want to admit, but it was all worth it.


In all of the excitement, I forgot to take pictures of the core support installed. I can't believe I forgot to do it, but take it from me, it looks good. I promise to take pictures of it next weekend when I get back on it. I have a big list of things to accomplish next weekend, and if it all goes to plan, the front sheet metal will be on the truck.

A big thanks to Brad for the helping hand. We thought we were in for trouble when the driver's fender to door gap was huge and we were completely out of any more adjustments. We couldn't move the fender back anymore. After about 45 minutes of racking our brains, Brad figured out that the driver's front cab mount needed to be shimmed up. Once we jacked up that corner, the gaps came in perfectly. I was thinking the worst and figured that the inner fenders and core support all needed to come back off and get tweaked. What a relief.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

Thanks for the comments, guys! I've been on a roll, and today was a big day. It was time to start bolting stuff together for the last time. No more mocking up and taking it all back apart.

I realized that I had never taken any pictures with the engine installed. It's been installed for a few months now, but I've been focusing on other stuff, so I apologize. Here it is:

We had to to be extra careful installing the inner fenders and core support, and I'm lucky I had Brad helping me. This is definitely a 2-person job. We had a few issues to contend with and a couple of holes needed to be slotted slightly, but that's to be expected when you're putting one of these things together and trying to make it all fit right.

Here's a teaser shot of how the inner fender lower edge sits in relation to the frame. It looks factory, and that's what I was going for. I don't want anybody to figure out that the chassis has been Z'd. I've got more time in those dumb inner fenders than I want to admit, but it was all worth it.

In all of the excitement, I forgot to take pictures of the core support installed. I can't believe I forgot to do it, but take it from me, it looks good. I promise to take pictures of it next weekend when I get back on it. I have a big list of things to accomplish next weekend, and if it all goes to plan, the front sheet metal will be on the truck.

A big thanks to Brad for the helping hand. We thought we were in for trouble when the driver's fender to door gap was huge and we were completely out of any more adjustments. We couldn't move the fender back anymore. After about 45 minutes of racking our brains, Brad figured out that the driver's front cab mount needed to be shimmed up. Once we jacked up that corner, the gaps came in perfectly. I was thinking the worst and figured that the inner fenders and core support all needed to come back off and get tweaked. What a relief.

The engine looks great, as does the work you did on the core support/radiator. Gotta be a great feeling bolting everything back into place for the final time. You guys keep up the nice & clean work. Looking forward to seeing it all come back together!

[NEWFISHER]

Ditto, nice work! A/c routing looks premo

[Low Elco]

Motor/firewall looks great! Can't wait to see the big holiday weekend progress! No better words than "for the last time".

ps- Brad hiding an s-10 from someone else's wife?

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Motor/firewall looks great! Can't wait to see the big holiday weekend progress! No better words than "for the last time".

ps- Brad hiding an s-10 from someone else's wife?

Man, you aren't kidding about how good it feels to be putting this truck together for the final time. This thing is finally starting to look like a truck again.

The S-10 is one of Brad's Land Speed projects. Right now, it's just a shell. His intent is to break Gale Bank's long-standing pickup truck landspeed record, but once he started building the streamliner, the S-10 has been on hiatus.

[Low Elco]

Ha, he's gonna have to build a patina'd 70's Peterbilt to haul all his stuff to the Salt!

"Hey, where's Brad?" "Utah." "When's he coming back?" "Next month. Maybe." Salt Fever, watch out for it, Kids.

[Bomp]

Your modifications, unless you know what to look for you don't even see them.
I can hear people now,"Somethings different but I don't know what he did!???!!"
Great job. Keeps me on my game.

[theastronaut]

The lines look absolutely killer!

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by Bomp

Your modifications, unless you know what to look for you don't even see them.
I can hear people now,"Somethings different but I don't know what he did!???!!"
Great job. Keeps me on my game.

Thanks, Bomp! Your build is one of my favorites on the site, and I always get a good chuckle whenever I click on your thread.

Originally Posted by theastronaut

The lines look absolutely killer!

Thanks, John! I wish I would have taken some pictures with the core support installed, because it makes the inner fender mods even more stealthy. You'll see those pictures this weekend.

[kustombrad]

Alex has done a great job on his truck! He's kept on his path of keeping the truck simple but with lots of little details, I just have to keep reminding him that he's building a driver and not a Ridler contender! I know how much fun we've had going to different events in my truck and I'm excited for him to have to pick ME up for a road trip! This thing is gonna be sooooo cool!

[rusty76]

Man if I lived closer you guys would be picking me up...hahaha.

[boonedogs72]

did you just paint the lines after they were crimped? looks good

[TJ's Chevy]

WOWZA! looking good!

[Ta2Don]

Been a minute or 3 since I checked in…
Looking Great!!!

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by kustombrad

Alex has done a great job on his truck! He's kept on his path of keeping the truck simple but with lots of little details, I just have to keep reminding him that he's building a driver and not a Ridler contender! I know how much fun we've had going to different events in my truck and I'm excited for him to have to pick ME up for a road trip! This thing is gonna be sooooo cool!

It's hard for me to not sweat all the details. It's just my nature, but I'll be better when I get the truck on the road and it gets it's first few rock chips. I am very excited to get this thing finished. For years, I always helped everyone else get their stuff done, while mine just hibernated in the garage. I went for a period where I almost sold all of my car stuff because I was convinced that I was never going to finish it anyway. Well, that has changed, and this truck will be the first of many more to come. I'm on a roll....

Originally Posted by rusty76

Man if I lived closer you guys would be picking me up...hahaha.

Heck yeah, Rusty. I'd gladly pick you up!!

Originally Posted by boonedogs72

did you just paint the lines after they were crimped? looks good

Thanks! Yes, the lines were mocked up and adjusted before they were crimped to ensure that I had it where I wanted it. Then, after crimping, I scuffed and metal etch primed them, then primed them with regular primer, and then painted them satin black. I did not paint the nuts until after it was all torqued. After that, I brush painted the nuts on the ends of the lines.

Originally Posted by T.J. MCCAULEY

WOWZA! looking good!

Thanks, T.J.!

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

Been a minute or 3 since I checked in…
Looking Great!!!

Standby, Don! There's more pictures coming!!

[TJ's Chevy]

YEAH! More pictures!!!! LOL!

[rusty76]

More pics.....please....purty please.

[coulter]

some killer work you have been doing man!! I really dig your build. super clean