66 4x4 my sons new project

[msgross]

Originally Posted by argonaut

Lefty, Let us know when you start pulling parts off of yours, there may be some we're interested in!

be careful not to turn your build thread into a WTB, want to buy, thread...

[west9378]

Left Coast Sweet Truck I am so envious I hope mine looks near that good when I finish.
West

[LeftCoast32]

Originally Posted by argonaut

Lefty, Let us know when you start pulling parts off of yours, there may be some we're interested in!

Just send me a PM and we can link up. It would be good to see another factory 4WD.

I plan to take mine up into the San Bernardino Mountains when finished. There are some great trails and camping. We used to go up for a weekend for 4-wheeling, camping, gold mining (panning) and walking through a bunch of old mines that were abandoned years ago.

We go up just North of you off the 15, the little town is called Lytle Creek.

Lytle Creek - http://www.dirtopia.com/wiki/Lytle_Creek_Ridge_Trail - http://www.summitpost.org/lytle-creek-canyon/405236

Originally Posted by west9378

Left Coast Sweet Truck I am so envious I hope mine looks near that good when I finish.
West

Thanks! This is actually the start not the finished picture. Here is a thread on the build - http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=455530

[argonaut]

I'm still collecting the parts needed to make Big-Ugly a runner, but I'm almost there.

My dad and I finally pulled this 402 BBC and TH400 from a 71 motorhome that we've had our eyes on for a while now.











I'm not planning to use this TH400 but I'm sure we'll find a home for it somewhere.



Pulled the exhaust also because it was in good shape. 2-1/2" dual exhaust with H-pipe. Just need a couple mufflers and tailpipes.



I'm also going to grab the brake booster and master cylinder, as well as the power steering pump, lines and gearbox from this 71.


The only concern I had is what my gas mileage is going to be with the stock 402, sm420, t221, 3.71:1 diff gears and say 33" tires....

[scottsdaleowner75]

What a solid foundation. I would just powerwash it and replace and gaskets that it needed and a quick coat of paint and that thing is ready to go. Maybe rebuild that carb but those are excellent quadrajets especially for offroading

[argonaut]

That is more or less what I had in mind. I need to get this truck rolling, so I'm not concerned with rebuilding everything to make it like new just yet. Just cleaning things up to make it a runner. Then finding some solid sheet metal for it. Then later diving back into it.
I've got another build going on my 64 2wd and that one is getting all the money right now.

I like pressure washing. Its cheap and easy and really does a good job. Only problem I have is location. It tends to put a TON of oil and grease onto the ground, especially when you wash 45 years of grime off a frame. Does anyone have any tricks on containment and cleanup?

[scottsdaleowner75]

I used a blue plastic tarp that i put under the engine on mine and sprayed it down with engine degreaser in the hot sun first. Then hit it with the power washer. Kept everything well contained. Threw some kitty litter on the tarp when i was done. Then scooped it up and threw it away.

[1969C10shortbed]

Wow, I love this project log. Maybe it's because it's pretty much what I want to do with my '65 longbed fleet side, but still... I love it. I hope to see more of this.

[argonaut]

Good timing!

Just collected one of the last critical pieces to get this build going: Rockwell T221 Transfer Case

With all of his spare time... my Dad pulled this from the donor truck. He is swapping a TH350-NP203 into his 66/69 hybrid pickup.




So now it is ready to go up into the Big-Ugly 66.



More to come in the next few weeks as I get time to start piecing this together. Had a bit of a mishap with my 64 short fleet and a missing spindle nut cotter pin... Once I get that rectified I can move on to this.

[1969C10shortbed]

Sweet man, you're way ahead of me though! I have a 2WD to start out with.. It looks like you've pieced pretty much everything together already too.

[argonaut]

Trying to get my 64 C10 cleaned up has slowed my progress on the K10, but I have been slowly collecting the parts.

Had a little shift of plan. Next week I'm going to pull the 350 from the C10 and put it into the K10. Then I'll drop the 402 into the C10. This will simplify things overall as the C10 has a TH400 which can easily be moved forward with the motor and the 350 will be a bolt in for the K10 which originally had a 283.

I'll try to snap a few pics next week while I'm doing the work.

[argonaut]

Finally got some work done on old Big-Ugly. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos because I was busy all day and didn't finish until it was dark out.

Body:
I dismantled the front end sheet metal and removed the cab. I discovered that nearly every panel on the truck is originally from a different truck, based on the factory paint that is underneath the orange. I'm keeping what little is re-useable and scrapping the rest. I think all I'm saving is the radiator support, the inner fenders, steering column and the small parts from the cab. The cab, fenders, front facia and grill, bumper, etc are all going for scrap. I don't think there is a single exterior body panel that doesn't have severe cancer or multiple dents. The same goes for the bed once I get it cleaned out and pulled off of the frame. I'll only keep the bed rails. I'll be transplanting the body from a 62 that I recently bought, once I finished fixing up the frame and drivetrain. Then I'll be on the lookout for a big window cab.

Front Axle:
So once I got it stripped down to the frame I went to work on the chassis and suspension. I pulled of the old brake lines and the steering gearbox, then pulled the closed knuckle Dana 44 front axle (anyone want an original closed knuckle front axle in unknown condition?). Rolled that out of the way and rolled in the replacement 73 open knuckle Dana 44. It is complete from end to end including the power steering gearbox. Two things I need to get are gearbox mount kit for the 60-66 and a stock steering arm for the axle. The 73 blazer that I pulled the axles from had a 4" lift kit on it with a 4" lifted steering arm. I may lift the truck in the future but for now I'm just trying to get everything assembled into one piece.

While I had the axle housing out I inspected the front suspension. Shocks are shot of course, as well as all the leaf spring bushings. I also noticed that the rear shackles looked like they were home-made. After comparing to my Dad's truck last night they are in fact "after market". Although they were made out of 1/4" thick steel and basically the same as stock just an inch or so longer. That probably explains why the PO had some shims between the leafs and the perches on the front axle.

Cool things I noticed:
While getting intimate the the truck I started to notice a few unique aspects of the 4x4 chassis. The front crossmember that supports the radiator has some additional braces the extend forward on the frame. Also the radiator supports are actually separate brackets that bolt onto the frame; one bolt on top and two in the side. Obviously the frame is deeper on the K-series trucks. And the front upper shock mounts have the nice outer supports stock.

Chassis:
Then I started moving backward on the chassis. It looks like the truck saw some abuse back in the day. The upper crossmember for the transfer case looked like it had failing rivets. So the PO had sloppily drilled four new holes and put bolts in. I removed the bolts and cut the rivets off to completely remove the crossmember. While pounding on the rivets I discovered that below all the caked on grease and grime the PO had also welded the bottoms of the rivets to the crossmember. Ugh. So I cut the welds and ground it all down and finally pounded the rivet slugs out. I'll bolt it back in with grade 8 hardware and hardened washers, the right way.

Then, after I was very sore and tired I went and picked up my T221 transfer case from my Dad. Its complete and probably just needs a full set of seals and gaskets and some fresh gear oil.

One thing I noticed I do need is the actuator for the E-brake that mounts to the back of the TC crossmember. There is a bolt on slide bracket and a pivot bar that I need to get my hands on.

That was enough work for one day. Next week I'll get the transfer case and the engine and transmission in place to make sure I'm not missing anything. I also need to get the frame cut down and re-welded to make it into a short wheel base. Anyone in the Southern California area know of a good welder who can re-weld the frame?

[argonaut]

Stripped the old body off in preparation to shorten the frame and fix a few things:





Apparently Rancho makes or made replacement front springs that fit the 60-66 K10:



Interesting looking radiator support mount brackets:



Swapped in 73 Dana 44:



The bed that will go on once the frame is shortened:



A '65 big window cab that I just picked up today with the help of my Dad and our friend Ralph:





It was originally from a General Telephone truck and then a local shop truck until it was parked under a tree in 1983:

[duallyjams]

GTE is now Verizon and that motto is still used today.

[argonaut]

Cool info, duallyjams.

The cab does have the usual rusted out rockers and floorpans that connect to the rockers. The truck has been sitting for probably 15-20 years under a tree. And unfortunately the side windows were rolled down, so the cab was full of composting leaves. Luckily the roof is fine. The cowl area was FILLED with composed and leaves. Must have taken a half an hour to scoop it all out by hand. But the metal underneath still had paint and wasn't terribly rusty.

I'm hoping to get the frame cut and re-welded at the end of this week. Once that is done I'll be jamming to get it built up! Can't wait! Big window, short bed, fleetside, K10... my dream is coming true! (My dad is getting jealous, but he'll be smiling when the 66 K10 is parked next to his 69 K10 )

[argonaut]

I'm psyched! Cut the frame down yesterday...




And today welded it back up. Made some reinforcement plates from the 12" sections I cut out.







Took 8" off the back and 12" out of the middle. V-cut the butt joints and MIG welded front and back of the frame. Ground it down flush so that I can bolt in the L-reinforcements in with the flange on the bottom on the tension side.

[Raider Rudy]

I'm really proud of this boy!

[argonaut]

Oh yeah, I forgot to give a special thanks to my Dad and Ralph for helping my with this. Both have been instrumental in my progress so far.

[freakshow108]

Originally Posted by argonaut

I'm still collecting the parts needed to make Big-Ugly a runner, but I'm almost there.

My dad and I finally pulled this 402 BBC and TH400 from a 71 motorhome that we've had our eyes on for a while now.






I wonder how many gallons to the mile she will get? LOL. She's looking good, can't wait to see this one done, good luck.




I'm not planning to use this TH400 but I'm sure we'll find a home for it somewhere.



Pulled the exhaust also because it was in good shape. 2-1/2" dual exhaust with H-pipe. Just need a couple mufflers and tailpipes.



I'm also going to grab the brake booster and master cylinder, as well as the power steering pump, lines and gearbox from this 71.


The only concern I had is what my gas mileage is going to be with the stock 402, sm420, t221, 3.71:1 diff gears and say 33" tires....

Posted via Mobile DeviceI wonder how many gallons to the mile she will get. LOL. Can't wait to see this one done, good luck.

[argonaut]

I actually have the big block in my 64 right now. It's gets about 10-11 with no overdrive, 3.73 gears and 31" tires. 3.08s would probably be better but I'm going to keep the 3.73 for now and run a 33" tire size.
Posted via Mobile Device

[argonaut]

Today I discovered that all the rivets on the bellhousing mount crossmember were loose. So I cut those all out, cleaned off 45 years of grease and road grime, then bolted it back in place. I put my small block 350, SM420 and T221 in. Eventually the small block will come out and the big block will go it. But I need to collect the hydraulic clutch parts before I do.

I didn't have enough 1" grade-8 bolts left so I'll have to bolt the reinforcement plates into the frame next weekend.

A couple more pics:

[C/10 King]

Wow Jason, I swear you could work for GM, looking real good, I can hardly wait for you to come up and give me and Lexie a ride, see you when you come up for Turlock!

[argonaut]

Got a few more things done on the pickup today. Seems like I've been working on this thing non-stop every weekend since early December.

Anyway, I got the reinforcement plates drilled and bolted in the way I wanted today. Worked out perfectly. I also finished putting new grade 8 bolts in all the locations where I removed fatigued rivets from the crossmembers and frame.





I wanted to paint the whole frame but I just didn't have the time to strip the frame myself right now. I'm trying hard to get this truck fully assembled so that I can get it out of my grandmother's house and move it to my Mom's house where I'll be able to keep working on it for a few months... and then hopefully get it done the way I want it.

I dropped the 65 big window cab and the 62 front end onto the frame. The cab is positioned correctly but I relocated the front end off of the donor truck in one piece and it isn't quite lining up right. You can see in the photos that the front end is cocked up a little bit. In a couple of weeks I'll completely disassemble the front end and build it back up using the best (read: least rusty) of all the donor parts that I have available.







Man I LOVE this grill. It is may favorite of the 60-66 grills. Sa-weet!





Threw a bumper on to get a feel for how it will look someday when its all together and I'm done. This light blue color is growing on me. I think I might have the truck repainted in this color with a white or cream top, grill and bumpers.





Just messing around I put a couple BFG 32" tires next to it. I think a tall knobby tire like this will look good on the truck. The final plan is for 16x6.5" steelies painted black with some 265x85R16 or something close to that tire size. I want some 62 style hub caps also but people want a fortune for them. I saw a set of four go on ebay for over $100 today. Its just not in my budget right now... bigger fish to fry.





I hope to get the bed and doors on tomorrow. Stay tuned.

[TheManInBlack]

Sweet truck man, I like the blue. My favorite is the sea foam green color that was popular on these trucks.

[argonaut]

Put the doors and bed on today and took a few photos. Didn't get a chance to tweak anything so none of the body is aligned properly yet. Also I thought the front end would come down more when I put the engine and trans and transfer case in. However it still *looks* like the back end is lower than the front. Maybe it is just perfectly level and it is an optical illusion. Today I had the thought that maybe the replacement Rancho springs up front have a little lift to them. On the other hand it might just be that the rears are sagging after 45 years of hard abuse.







Cut the spot welds out of the donor upper high hump and set it and the lower high hump section in place in the cab and bolted them together. The little spot weld cutter from harbor freight worked really well. I'll definitely use it again when I replace the many rusted out floor panels. I'm even thinking of doing a complete floor swap...

I am wondering if all the high humps have circular holes for the transfer case shifter like mine. I always thought it would be more of an elongated hole based on the swing of the shifter. Does anyone have any other examples/photos?



My dad brought over my front and rear driveshafts too. One less thing I need to hunt down.

I think I also solved my problem of not being able to afford the dog dish hub caps I was looking for. I have one pair, and I just realized that my Dad might have another pair in his collection of various truck parts that he is always adding to I guess I won't be able to tease him about his "bone yard" anymore!