My '63 C10 "I'd rather be driving" Project

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

Thanks Larry, I'll see about picking one up tomorrow.

[Bomp]

Nice job on fixing the rusted areas. Looks really good.

[CRGRS 66]

Johnny Boy, if you need an extra pair of hands, just let me know.

For those of you who don't know, there a very few 60-66 C10's here in Cambridge, so the fact that John and I actually live on the same street is pretty cool.

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

Originally Posted by Bomp

Nice job on fixing the rusted areas. Looks really good.

Thanks Bomp. I'm sure nothing I do here will ever compare to the awesome fab and creativity you show on your builds!

Originally Posted by CRGRS66

Johnny Boy, if you need an extra pair of hands, just let me know.

No heavy lifting required so far, but you're welcome to stop in anytime for a cold beverage

.

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

Well that was a little scary, cutting up my perfectly good cab. I got the big piece cut out... had to keep stopping to check if I was on fire. lol

I still need to remove all the leftover spotwelds on all 4 edges. My goal is get the big window in this coming weekend.

[CRGRS 66]

Hey John, have a look at the last page on this thread jhrusk has re and re'd his roof panel. Not that it looks "simple", but it does look simpler than the bbw swap. There is also a link in the first post on this page to Flips build thread (an amazing story if you have a weekend to read through it), and a link to more specifically his bbw swap.
Good to see you last night, thanks for the beer... that was beer right?

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=522019&page=8

[TJ's Chevy]

Hope the BBW change out goes well....don't cut yerself. lol

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

Originally Posted by CRGRS 66

that was beer right?

Haha. I'm pretty sure that's what the label said.

I took a gander at the build threads you suggested, but I'm not keen on removing my roof panel. I don't feel I'm a good enough bodyman to do that kind of work. At least not yet.

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

Originally Posted by TJ's Chevy

don't cut yerself. lol

Sir, I think you underestimate my...

Ouch, I stabbed my thumb!

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

My installation plans hit a bit of a speedbump.

Do all these trucks have leaky roofs? I found evidence of some damage to the drip rail at the back of the cab, and what looks like a an old CB antenna hole. Regardless of what was the cause, it looks like water was running down the inside of the cab at some time in the last 50 years.

At two locations, the spot welds at the bottom edge of the inner BBW panel had rusted thru. Instead of a repair, the PO hid the rust holes with Bondo.

I began the day cleaning off any surface rust on the inside of the cab using wire wheels and "rubber finger pads". Never used these before, but they work pretty well.

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

The original plan was to do no paint damage, but I now have rust to fix. My buddy (for 40 years) Mike came out to give me a hand today. He's a painter that works in a dealership, but he does really nice resto work on the side. Mike is restoring his 71 Cutlass that he's owned since high school. He recently finished a very nice rotisserie resto on an original 409 4 speed 65 Impala SS.

We cut out the rusty areas, then I butt-welded patches in. While I welded, Mike laid etch-primer, then a coat of paint on the inside of the BBW panel. Once I finished welding, we etch-primed the inside of the cab, then sprayed on some stoneguard to seal and hopefully add some sound-deadening to the cab.

We ground and wire-wheeled all the areas to be glued, then packed it in for the night. Tomorrow should be a quick job to finally glue & weld the panel in.

[Larry64]

Where would one find "rubber finger pads"?
Thanks Larry

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

Originally Posted by Larry64

Where would one find "rubber finger pads"?

I found out that they're "3M Roloc Bristle Discs".

Here's a demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufVo93qLEqQ

My buddy gave me some to try. I would imagine they're available wherever body shop supplies are sold.

[Larry64]

Thanks. I have found they are available at quite a few places.
Larry

[Ratpin]

Originally Posted by Larry64

Thanks. I have found they are available at quite a few places.
Larry

I get mine from Amazon. Nice project and story.

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

Tonight I finished up the window opening and covered any bare metal with etch primer. I'll need to re-paint around the window, and the back of the cab where I patched the rusted areas. I'm considering painting the roof white.

I don't really want to paint yet, seeing as I'm working on my truck in our car club shop, and there's a lot of dirty, dusty work going on right now. It makes more sense to paint closer to spring time.

What a huge difference the big window makes!

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

Originally Posted by Ratpin

Nice project and story.

Thanks! Good luck with your 'burb'.

[CRGRS 66]

Looks good John

[semihippie]

Following this thread closely while I hunt for my own some day. Really looking forward to the T-56 swap if you use it. That's what I want to put in my invisible truck that I've yet to own.

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

Originally Posted by CRGRS 66

Looks good John

Thanks Dude.

Originally Posted by semihippie

Really looking forward to the T-56 swap if you use it.

Sorry to disappoint, but I'm leaning toward a T5 swap. A T56 would be great, but they're hard to find in my price range, and to convert the shifter for use with a bench seat is much more difficult (and $$$) than a T5.

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

I took a drive Sunday, and attended a swap meet hosted by the Motor City car club, based in Oshawa Ontario. That's where the new Camaros are built.

The swap meet was entirely indoors, and there were lots of vendors. I picked up a some turn signal lenses & tail light bezels, and a sweet deal on a brand new set of 67-72 rear bumper brackets. I made a couple good contacts for future stuff too.

Later in the day after answering my wanted ad on Kijiji, my new buddy Phil dropped of a T5 out of an 83 S10 V6. I think I did ok for $75. That'll be the back half of my T5 tranny swap. I told him that I'd be looking for a V8 Camaro T5 now, and lo and behold he's got one of those too. Unfortunately, it has an issue with 5th gear. Still, it may be worth looking at for the right price.

[CRGRS 66]

Nice scores all around, wish I could have tagged along.

[TJ's Chevy]

Nice work on the BBW swap...and good score on the T5.

[Johnny_Lamebridge]

I took a chance on a Camaro T5, knowing that 5th wasn't working. Before buying it I did some research on the internet, and I figured there was good chance that the issue could be caused by a broken retaining ring. I bought it from the same guy that sold me S10 tranny.

Thanks to info posted by lugnutz65 and other members, I was able to open up and inspect both T5's. I pulled the S10 apart first, and it looked brand new inside. Too bad I'm not using it. When I opened the Camaro tranny, I was happy to see that everything was intact, with the exception of the retaining ring had popped out of it's groove allowing 5th gear to slide backwards on the mainshaft. Sweet!

I'm not sure what I want to do next, but I'm tempted to keep the Camaro tranny intact, replace the 5th gear circlip, then just re-position the speedo gear to the S10 location.

Any opinions?

Here's what 5th gear looked like when I removed the tail housing...

[Larry64]

I have a 1992 Camaro T5 with a1985 S10 tail & a mechanical speedo. Love the shifter in the more forward position.
Larry