'66 Longbed 327 w/AC project

[cortcomp]

They honestly fit like they're factory there, and like you said still room for a spare tire. From everything i've found, these guys have long been out of business. They had a court case in the supreme court over FET taxes, that i had a lawyer friend pull the brief on and was some interesting reading (if you're into tax liability). Maybe pushing that put them under? I do wish someone else made something like this, i'd think you'd sell a ton. This kit in the 60's retailed for like $70...that's like $150-200 today...what a deal that'd be! The best parts of these tanks, i think, is a) they're poly so no rust, and they seem double walled, so i'm betting if you smash them they collapse, not split at the seam (can't find a seam.) and b) no cutting of the sides of the bed for a filler neck access panel. If you didn't know to look for the fillers in the wheel well, you'd never see them. Waiting on some new gas caps now (3 matching) since both of these are dried up and beat. If you find someone else making something like this, throw it out there! This was an RV place, so maybe someplace like that?

[cortcomp]

Spent the weekend taking apart the dash on the truck, removing all the previous owner's wiring, checking the harness and refurbing the dash, adding the vacuum gauge and tach, face decals, etc. I used a new bezel, but noticed on re-assembly that the tabs and line up posts/studs on it were slightly out of place. Also, had to work the edge of the factory bezel on the grinder to remove about 1/16th on one corner, and drill the post line up holes on the dash bezel one size bigger. Going to take it back apart just to put a new glass bezel in (thought mine was fine, but looks dingy against everything else being fresh.) And put the one green turn signal filter in that i found on the bench when done....how did that escape!!

However, found most of the harness untouched! just taped up or not used, and tons of "new" wiring used! Good news in all! Found the wiring schematic for the KH brake controller, and installed the brake light switch and bracket for the parking brake light. Need to run new harness (4 wires + one blue brake controller) to the back and clean up the wiring there, and wire in the 7 blade trailer plug that's built into the aftermarket bumper. Then the brake controller should work, all the rear lights, trailer plug. Then wire in that parking brake warning light, and aftermarket radio, and wiring inside should be done! OH! and find where power goes to the AC.

Thanks to this board, was able to convert tand'm lock light to parking brake light and convert pontiac vacuum gauge to the GM one and get the whole dash done in one weekend, including paint drying time!

Now i'm going to rehab parts of the interior (the kick panel vents for one), the AC vents, dash doors, etc. and then yank the rest of the interior.

Here is a pic of the small pile of parts, and the finished for now dash cluster. Most of the parts i'm just setting aside, until after the interior is painted (a medium gray with black panels, seats, etc)

I have 3 layers of sound/heat insulation to put in and all new weatherstripping to put in too, so except for no headliner, it should be a lot more quiet ride. Of course to do THAT, i need to swap the tranny, to see for sure where the shifter is coming up, so it'll be off to the tranny rebuilders this week to get it ready.

After interior is all done, time to yank the motor and start gluing gaskets on, blasting, and painting pieces and parts to get it looking good.

[cortcomp]

I've got everything out of the inside of the truck, except the steering wheel which i haven't figured out how to get out (can't get horn button off) but i didn't really put a lot of effort into it.

Anyway. dash is all but bare, front and rear windows out of the way, welded a few screw holes in the inner roof panel shut and filled them. Have been rehabbing interior parts and am about done with that, so real work is about to begin.

Now to sand the inside with 300ish grit, primer, and paint it the same color gray. Then those tar heat mats, the foil backed adhesive mats, then the jut mat then vinyl floormat. Doing the foil inside doors too, and up to the top of the gas tank, behind it.

Have new radio and modern drop in speaker. Figured out trailer brake controller wiring, and dash is ready to re-install after everything else is in. Really only wiring i need to track down is wire to heater motor, wire to A/C inside from compressor, and amp meter wiring

(i don't think it's hooked up, i think i can find it disconnected under the hood at the horn relay because it's all bypassed for the alternator. Even if it's not an accurate sense of charging, i'd like to have it register. Probably just change those endpoint connections to get a reading at like battery and starter solenoid signal wire or something that will show needle movement when cranking.).

Here's some pics of restoring the air vents, and some of the dash components. I've been sanding with 320 grit, washing, primering with rustoleum auto primer (gray, 2 coats) and painting with rustoleum gloss (grey, 2 coats). Black is kimball midwest gloss black heavy solids pro-line. I will be doing the engine bay with it, because it sticks to everything and lays well.

NP440 is at the tranny shop to be gone through, then i will put it in just to make sure where shifter hole lines up on floor, or if i have to do some quick metal work before doing the floor finishing. Then motor and tranny out to clean and detail the engine bay, and do all new gaskets on the 327. After that, i think i will finish up with lowering it like 3-4" back and 1-2" front, and converting to the newer power steering box with a fast ratio.

[cortcomp]

Glovebox. Waiting on bumpers and tube nuts to arrive to have it done. Blasted it in the cabinet and same primer/paint as above.

[McMurphy]

Horn button should pull straight out. It should have a rubber gasket/grommet holding it in there. If it is more than resistant to pull out, you can squirt some form of liquid in there, even if it is just water, and that should help it to slide out.

[Ta2Don]

Ditto on Horn Button removal, newly painted parts looking sweet...
Posted via Mobile Device

[cortcomp]

thanks for info, i'll give it a try tomorrow. want to yank it to try one of those restoration wheel kits on it, and have it out of the way to paint interior.

[cortcomp]

Horn and steering wheel removed, and rest of rubber and vent windows, time to clean and start sanding, so i can mask and prime inside! can't wait to start putting back together.

Side note: easiest window trim and vent window removal ever. Were the door lock knobs optional? i see them in vendor websites, but i don't have the holes for them on my doors, you lock by pulling handle up (or pushing down or something, i forget...)

[64longbed]

Nice!!!
Posted via Mobile Device

[ol_skool_chevy]

I would be more concern with weight.........6.073 per gal..

[cortcomp]

300 lbs of fuel would be like riding around with a big passenger, or a couple of transmissions in the bed.

[cortcomp]

Also, love that green and white combo ol_skool, nice truck!

[cortcomp]

Been working on painting the last of the interior components, and finished filling and sanding the screw holes someone had in the back of the cab. Decided to pull the roof skin after reading about it here, and pack it full of the insulation i got rolls of (cheaper dynamat style stuff) There is some surface rust, and the start of something worse at the gutter/front windshield panel seams, so i'll clean that up, clean up the inside of the roof panels, port 15 them, insulate, change the dome light fixture, and insulate the C panels behind the inner panel that i couldn't get to before. Put the top back on, weld it, fill it, and prep the white part of the cab for paint. With all the rubber out, it's just to good an opportunity to clean it all, replace all the cracking seam sealer, fill some holes properly by welding and filling, and then paint, then put new rubber back in.

[88Lt1wagon]

Looking good, the grey and black is slick

[cortcomp]

Thanks! I wasn't 100% sure on the colors at first, but it's really growing on me the more i paint! I can't wait to get the interior done and back together and see how it looks!

[cortcomp]

It has just hit me that, with the roof off, i'm looking right at the correct and easy way to swap that inner panel to convert to a BBW. have a couple leads for just a panel, and i'm on the hunt! I saw the kit that you do welding and everything from inside the cab, but drilling the spotwelds would be easier for me, no one would see them as the rubber and roof hide it all, and i have all the rubber out! I was on the fence converting it, but i have so many options on this truck (OD 4 spd, tach, vacuum gauge, AC, trailer brake controller, glove box light) that it seems a shame not to have the most desirable option (BBW). I know i have a long bed, and a lot of guys prefer the short, but i love the long on this body style. We'll see how those leads come through.

[duallyjams]

Hope you find a BBW panel.

[cortcomp]

Thanks! I've been looking. I have one lead (if the guy doesn't sell it today, or if the guy who buys his pile of parts will sell it.) After i find one and switch it out, i'll finish por-15 the inside of both the inner roof panels and the outer roof panel. Put insulation in, and button up.

I've been fixing random holes people put in the doors to mount things, and found one door beat pretty bad. I may just get a new shell, it has 8 lbs of bondo on it. Passenger door seems good. I was going to just repaint the white on the outside of the truck, but i may just move the bed back, and do red also. I'm glad i'm taking care of all this rotten seam sealer in the doors and around windshield, etc, because it looks like it was and would have let some water in. Things should be very quiet after all the insulation and new rubber, and this should set the clock back on this truck a long time. It's clean now, but it was a couple years from the sad sight of paint bubbling in seams and places.

I'm out of space with parts EVERYWHERE, so opposite of common procedure, i'll probably finish the interior first, then mask and paint the outside. Will give me room to work with, and completion of the interior will give me further motivation.

[cortcomp]

Got the inner roof/rear window panel out, welded and first coat of filler on the two vertical seams where the upper windshield panel meets the front a pillars. Fixed 2 holes in the passenger door where someone had something mounted (welded and then filled and sanded) and a hole in the upper roof where there was a cb antenna (welded, filler, sanded)

[Bomp]

Will you be able to post some pics of the bbw conversion?
Sounds like you are really tearing into this thing.
I took the roof shin off of my cab and used por15(awesome stuff). I have a lead on a small window cab and would like to convert it over if I get it.
Great Build

[cortcomp]

Sure, i'll grab some later. Once you take the roof skin off it's plain as day. Remove spotwelds on that edge, do both door jamb seams (seam is under weatherstripping), then do bottom seam behind gas tank (there's like 3-5 welds per vertical "bump" on the back wall).

Only thing holding it in at that point is the welds around the window. rather than mess with spotweld cutter there, i just used a side cut off tool to cut the welded together seam there out (since you'll be cutting more than that on the outer skin for the BBW anyways) and the panel came right out. I can see why guys do the kits or mess with the upper seam with glue on trucks that are more complete or already finished. But, it took me about an hour -hour and a half to get the roof skin off, same to remove that panel. Plus, you're able to redo those gutter seam panels, i'm glad i did because they were starting to rust. Plus, with the roof off and that panel out, you can insulate the entire roof, and the entire back wall easily. What a difference that should make on noise, and retaining A/C temp, vs doing just the floor!

[cortcomp]

Here are some pics of the panel removed (bondo is skim coat over the screw holes i filled.) also, close up of the first coat on the upper windshield seams i welded and filled. Sanded, needs another coat and sanding again. because of the inner roof brace, that area isn't a smooth corner anyways from the factory, kind of a bump there.

In the windshield under the rubber area of those seams, i will use seam sealer as per the factory.

Sorry some pics are blurry.

[cortcomp]

last pic

[padresag]

you must have gotten lucky on the fuel senders as 66 is usually 90ohms whils the earlier one are 30ohms
ron

[PowerdbyChevy79]

Originally Posted by cortcomp

last pic

Nice....pics help tremendously