Project: 1966 Stepside LWB

[b2948kevin]

This is how it looks right now. Hoping to finally get the fender on there and not have to keep taking it off.

[b2948kevin]

Ok, I've been working on this almost non-stop over the past week. I finally got the rocker and floor replacement finished on the driver's side. Here are the pics of what it looks like after welding and grinding. I can't say it looks beautiful, but I don't think it's terrible considering how hard it is to weld on this thin stuff.

[b2948kevin]

Here are some more pics of the aftermath.

[SFTorange]

Good job on the patch panels. I bet it feels good to get the rust out of there!!

[b2948kevin]

I walked out to take a few more pics this morning. I primed the bare metal areas with a self etching primer, covered the bottom with a rubberized undercoating and laid seam sealer into some of the seams.

My next steps are to get the cab interior painted, all the stuff reinstalled, and then start working on getting the engine running right.

I got a leakdown guage from harbor freight the other day. I have exhaust coming out of the valve cover when the engine runs, so I am going to try to figure out if it's a valve or ring issue, or both.

I have pretty much talked myself out of putting a 350 in it for now. I think I will just stick with what I have so that I don't have to deal with engine mounts and transmission alignment, etc at this point. I am fairly new to this, so I don't want to be in over my head immediately and burn out. Once the engine fails or needs another rebuild, I'll revisit the 350 idea.

[b2948kevin]

Thanks SFT, it sure does, but it's been about 3x the project that I thought it would be.

[Captainfab]

You're making some nice progress

A 350, or any small block, will drop right in where that 230 is. You won't have to move the bellhousing crossmember and you can use the same motor mount brackets.

[b2948kevin]

Really? I was told that I would probably have to cut some donor motor mounts at a junk yard. Not true, huh?

Man, I am really torn on this. The extra power would be nice, but I don't want to get into something really complicated.
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[Captainfab]

It doesn't get much simpler than swapping an I6 for small block in one of these trucks. You can even reuse the motor mounts on your 230, on the 350. You just need to unbolt them from the bracket that extends from the block. But considering how cheap new ones are, I would just buy new ones. Like I said earlier, you don't have to change or move the frame brackets from where they are right now. The only time you would need different motor mount brackets is if you had a 292 I6, or possible if you were switching to a big block.

Originally Posted by b2948kevin

Really? I was told that I would probably have to cut some donor motor mounts at a junk yard. Not true, huh?

Man, I am really torn on this. The extra power would be nice, but I don't want to get into something really complicated.
Posted via Mobile Device

[b2948kevin]

I got busy today on getting the interior bottom painted. I filled some of the small holes, spot weld marks and imperfections in the cab with some body filler and sanded it down real good. I decided to go with Herculiner in the cab because it's a tough coating, and I had a good experience with it in my Jeep YJ where I did the entire interior tub. It's tough stuff and I expect that it will hold up really nicely here.

So, I wire brushed everything, filled some holes with body filler and taped up some areas that needed to have clean edges. I know the passenger rocker area is a mess, but I will deal with that another day. I just need to get it drivable for now. I then primered everything and applied the herculiner. I put a few coats on and built it up in the areas that will see a lot of wear.

[b2948kevin]

My helper...

[b2948kevin]

Finished product.

[KroAutomotiveInc]

looks amazing good work!

[b2948kevin]

Thanks Kro!

So, I spent the weekend getting the seat installed, the accessories painted up and installed, the driver's door painted up (even though they are trash), and tonight I got around to wet sanding the driver's door. As I got the moss cleaned off of it, I could read through the paint where it says "Official Use Only" "U.S. Government Interagency Motor Pool". Not sure what that agency is, but they apparently owned this truck at one time. Anyone have more info on this?

No pics yet, I will have updates later.

[J.Cagle]

Nice project! I have a lwb stepside myself I am working on. This motivates me to work on it more and post up some pics!

[b2948kevin]

Thanks J.Cagle, hope you get some work done on yours! These need to be on the road!

Here are the pics I promised. You can barely see in one of the pictures the government letters coming through the paint. It's easier to see in person. You can see my painted interior doors, weather stripping, etc. I still need to get some orange paint for the rocker, and I need to take a razor and clean up the edges of the Herculiner a touch, but you get the idea.

[k1rodeoboater]

Nice to see another long bed stepside. When you did the cab repair did you take the door off each time or just when you were working on the pillar? I'm planning on doing my repairs soon too.

[b2948kevin]

Likewise! Looks like you have a project on your hands as well!

I ended up taking the door off each time. It was just easier that way. Much more access which will make your life easier in the long run. Don't burn yourself out on this job. It's tough.

[J.Cagle]

I may be hated in the long bed stepside world! Been debating on putting a good fleetside bed on mine that I have.....

[hex7f7f7f]

Wow, this is inspiring. I'm down in Puyallup and just picked up a 66 stepside shortbox also in 230. I think I've got a bit more rust than you do though

If you end up taking out your 230 I'd be eager to see the progress on that.

[b2948kevin]

Oh, good to hear from a local! If you get into some rust repair, give me a shout and I can probably point you in the right direction.

Also, I found out on another thread that my engine is a 250 and not a 230. It took me a lot of research and some really good help to figure this out.

I bought some manuals on my truck and one on rebuilding straight sixes. I am looking for someone with experience with rebuilding engines to give me a hand with this job.

[hex7f7f7f]

Yeah. I'll definitely have to hit you up for the rust repair.

My casting number references "230 - 250" so I'm working on getting my ID squared away myself.

Which manual did you get for rebuilding straight sixes? I picked up a couple manuals too though right now I'm mostly trying to figure out the wiring done by previous owners.

I wish I could offer assistance of any sort on this end, but I've got essentially zero experience with working on cars. I tend to work on the unsupported assumption that I can figure out just about anything... though this is a long way from my normal IT job.

[b2948kevin]

I picked up the Factory Service manuals. I got the 1963 as well as the 1966 supplement. I couldn't find a Haynes or a Chilton manual for this year. If you know of one, I'd be interested.

I saw your casting # thread. Looks like you are in good hands with guys that know a lot more than I do.

Also, I work an IT job also. I am a network engineer/PM for the world's largest software company.

[b2948kevin]

So, I got motivated today and got my truck registered and titled. I got hit with a $100 penalty for not having registered the truck within 15 days of purchasing. $250 down the hole, but the good thing is that I have collectors plates on the way, so I won't have to pay registration again.

I also went and got me a compression tester. I tested each cylinder and below are the results:

1- 0PSI
2- 145PSI
3- 0PSI
4- 90PSI
5- 160PSI
6- 150PSI

So, I know which cylinders are the problem children. What should be my next steps? I am thinking that if I drizzle some gear oil in there, it should seal up the rings and I can check and see if the valves are problematic as well. Anything else I should be doing that I'm not?

[b2948kevin]

I put some gear oil in the cylinders and retested the compression. Below are the results:

1- 0PSI
2- 280PSI
3- 0PSI
4- 180PSI
5- 260PSI
6- 200PSI

Not quite sure what to make of this. Looks like it's definitely rings on 2, 5, and 6. The others could be both rings and valves or valves, I suppose.