Project "Black Betty" (bam-A-lam)

[Dinos63]

very cool! congrats on both truck and getting hitched!!

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by DRTYRAT30

Wow man great job, love the classic american feel of those wedding pics. Nice work...
Posted via Mobile Device

Thanks, glad you like them! We love how they turned out as well.

Originally Posted by Dinos63

very cool! congrats on both truck and getting hitched!!

Thanks Dino! As Kenny would say, "Eatin' burnt suppers the whole first year; Yeah man, that's the good stuff," lol, J/K...our 2nd Anniversary is just around the corner. We were friends for a year or so before we began dating, and then we dated for about 4 years. So it kinda seems like we've been married longer.

[likaroc13]

We were able to make a trip back to my hometown in November 2010, before the front suspension tear down began. So I took the time to take the truck for a drive myself, just to see how the new rear would handle on the highway. Knowing that my dad made a 4-hour trip in it with relatively no issues, I had a new confidence in the truck's reliability. I set out for Tishomingo State Park which is about 30 minutes or so from my hometown. My wife followed behind in her car, just in case there were any problems. While at the park, I took the opportunity to do a photo shoot with the truck. With nice weather and the fall leaves falling & changing in color, it offered some nice backdrops. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from that day:

[likaroc13]

There are plenty more in the picture gallery:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/...=32530&cat=500


And here are some more that I like:

[likaroc13]

While at the park, I also had an issue with the truck not wanting to crank. If you read above, this also happened to my dad while on his way to the wedding. I think it may be a starter heat soak issue, because after the truck cools off for a bit it will fire right up. I bought a new NAPA starter for it when the flywheel was replaced in 2009. I was given a good, used Powermaster mini starter when I bought the truck, however I sold it a year later it thinking it wasn't needed. So one day I was searching Ebay and came across the exact same starter, except new. I made a bid & ended up scoring it for $100! It will be installed while the truck is down for front suspension work.

Moving along, we finally got started with the front suspension. Dad & I removed the control arms and spindles from the '72. Dad later took them to get sandblasted. No pic of the control arms before, but here's one of the spindles:



And here are the spindles & control arms after blasting. The control arms have a little pitting, but they will still work nicely (no show queen here )

[likaroc13]

Now it was time to start working on the front suspension of "Black Betty." We stripped everything steering/suspension related but kept the crossmember in place. Power steering would be in the plans too, so the old gear box came off as well. Then I began the clean-up process. I had to roll around on my back, bend, stoop, & crawl trying to get the most access possible. I know we could've removed fenders and such, but I really didn't want to dig into this project anymore than necessary. I'm a perfectionist, and that would result in a snowball effect. So, I just used the degreaser and scrapers to remove the big, gunked up stuff. Then I used the air compressor and wire wheel attachments to get the frame and crossmember bare. Here are some before shots:




I thought I took pics of both sides beforehand, but I think I had already started cleaning the driver's side.

[likaroc13]

Here are a couple action shots:

[likaroc13]

After I got everything cleaned as best as possible, I sprayed it with satin black rust control paint. Here are pictures of the driver's & passenger side of the frame, as well as the crossmember:

[likaroc13]

Unfortunately, things would start to slow down significantly after this. My wife was still not happy with some things occurring within her company, even a year after the transfer. So, we began looking at possible options yet again. I ended up finding a potential position for her through an online career search site. However, it would require some serious consideration as the job was located in Charleston, SC. She did an interview with the company via Skype, & everything seemed to go well. They called back the next day & offered her the job, lol. With little time to make a decision, we prayed and talked about it some more and decided to take a chance on a great opportunity. We knew it would be a long way (10+ hrs) from our families', but we weren't going in completely blind. I have an aunt/uncle who have lived in the Charleston area most of their lives, and my wife and I actually spent a day here while on our honeymoon.

Knowing that I'd be moving away soon, I called up my good friend George to place an order for the needed front suspension parts. I picked them up and made a trip up to my dad's place a few weeks before we would have to move.

I ended up using mostly Moog parts. Through Carquest, I bought new brake calipers, rotors, pads, wheel bearings, control arm shafts, upper/lower ball joints, inner/outer tie rods, pitman arm, & idler arm. I also purchased a set of POL (Performance Online) conversion tie rod adjusting sleeves. And George was kind enough to donate a set of Energy Suspension greaseable sway bar bushings.

[likaroc13]

I also purchased a factory 1.25" sway bar from a board member. This truck didn't come with a sway bar, so it should definitely make a difference.

After we got moved to SC, progress slowed quite a bit. My dad fell off a ladder at home and hurt his shoulder. He ended up having rotator cuff surgery. Not too long after that, he also had hernia surgery. On top of that, he was responsible for taking care of my Great Aunt who was in declining health. Therefore, there was not much time to work on the truck. Not being there to help, all I could really do is gather parts that would be needed.

I ended up buying a new Fenco power steering gear box & Lares coupler/rag joint for a '72 C-10. I used online discount codes from Advance Auto Parts to get it cheaper. Then I bought a "Captainfab" power steering adapter plate, along with the steering shaft adapter/coupler he makes as well:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...power+steering

here's a pic of it mocked up:

[likaroc13]

here's a pic of the painted Captainfab bracket (bottom right), new pitman arm, centerlink, and battery box:

[likaroc13]

I guess I should elaborate a little more on my steering setup since I kinda went the unconventional route. I kept my '66 front crossmember as you saw, and I took the factory '72 C-10 spindles & control arms. I also kept the '66 centerlink because it was already removed & in good shape. To do this I will have to move the new '66 outer tie rods (5/8" LH thread) to the inner location, and the '72 outer tie rods (11/16" RH thread) will be in the outer location. The POL conversion tie rod sleeves will mate the two together (Part # HPAS6570):

http://www.performanceonline.com/196...-SLEEVES-PAIR/

BTW, thanks to forum member "lolife99" (Keith) for helping me with this configuration

I also have a new '72 pitman arm, & the new idler is for a '66. It's a mix/match between the two years, which could be confusing for some folks. However, I made sure to document what I have & hopefully won't be needing to replace any of this stuff for a very, very long time (if ever).

[likaroc13]

When I was back home over Mother's Day weekend this year, I painted the spindles, calipers, control arm shafts, sway bar, & such. Unfortunately I didn't have the camera with me at the time.

Also, I purchased a set of factory pulleys, as well as P/S pump & brackets from a forum member. He used this setup on his '70 C-10. Everything should be correct, as the pulleys are for SBC w/ short water pump. Here's the setup I have, minus the alternator brackets which wouldn't work since I don't have mounting holes in the cylinder heads:

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by likaroc13

I also have a new '72 pitman arm,

I have done much research on pitman arms because when I upgraded my 66 to power steering, I lost some turning radius.
I've read that the 70-72 pitman arms are longer (which turns the wheels sharper) and yet still fit the newer ps box.

I haven't been able to confirm this myself.

[likaroc13]

Also scored this on Craigslist for $100 (retails for $250)! My plan was to have it clear powdercoated before installing.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-8820/

However, I ended up selling it for a profit and scored another just like it (except natural finish):
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EDL-8882/

I really didn't want to have to keep the other one polished, & powdercoating would've been extra expense & not really the look I want. The natural finish water pump will be painted with VHT engine enamel in Nu-Cast Aluminum color.



And when I was at home over Labor Day (2011), I got a pic of the power steering pump/bracket and pulleys mocked up. We still need to install the new water pump, & I need to clean/paint that lower alternator bracket:

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

I have done much research on pitman arms because when I upgraded my 66 to power steering, I lost some turning radius.
I've read that the 70-72 pitman arms are longer (which turns the wheels sharper) and yet still fit the newer ps box.

I haven't been able to confirm this myself.

what year P/S gear box & pitman arm do you have?

[flips72]

great progress, sorry to hear about your dad and aunt we will keep them in our prayers.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by flips72

great progress, sorry to hear about your dad and aunt we will keep them in our prayers.

Well, dad is doing good now & has since fully recovered. I was traveling back in time and posting a play-by-play, which I didn't have in the original build thread. Unfortunately though, my Great Aunt passed away in January. It's weird going home and not seeing her there anymore, but I know she's in a much better place now. She was often like a mother to my dad, so I know he misses her too. Prayers are always appreciated though regardless

[lolife99]

Sorry to hear about your Great Aunt.

Just now catching up to your thread.
I love your truck!

Any reason you didn't add drop spindles?
Keeping it stock height?

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by lolife99

Sorry to hear about your Great Aunt.

Just now catching up to your thread.
I love your truck!

Any reason you didn't add drop spindles?
Keeping it stock height?

Thanks. Yes, I decided to keep it stock height. I kept it that way for the wedding pics, but after more contemplation I decided to leave it. Initially my plan was to keep an original outer appearance but have a slammed static drop. With so many lowered/bagged trucks these days, I thought maybe it would stand out a little more with the original appearance. After all, every other vehicle I've owned has been modified & slammed/lowered, so I thought it would be a change of pace as well.

[likaroc13]

Pretty much nothing happened between the Fall of 2011 and Spring 2012. After my Great Aunt passed away in January, my dad was responsible for settling her estate. He is also an avid Harley rider, so once warmer weather rolled around he hit the road. He's part of the local American Legion bike club, & they do lots of benefit rallies & rides.

My dad and his "girlfriend":




And an interior view of his shop (can you tell he's a Harley fan? ):

[likaroc13]

After a 7-month hiatus, I was back home over Labor Day (2012) for my Grandmother's (mom's side) 99th birthday! My dad had gotten the control arms & spindles mounted. The power steering gear box would've been remounted as well, along with the new coupler/rag joint. However, we ran into a setback when the coupler wouldn't fit. My dad actually ruined the coupler trying to get it to fit. After a failed trip to Advance & much confusion about the issue, I decided to contact both Fenco and Lares to verify shaft diameters (Advance doesn't list this ). I determined which part # was correct for the coupler, which is the same one I had initially ordered that didn't fit. So they ordered two more, & it turns out the first one was wrongly boxed. Since the problem was on their behalf, they simply swapped the mangled one for the new/correct one. So, now maybe dad can get the gear box and steering shaft mated.


Waiting on my dad's friend to lend a hand with the spring installation, but here's a pic of the driver's side spindle/control arm hanging:

[likaroc13]

Was digging through an old box of 60-66 parts books & such, looking for an original owners manual from my dad's old '66, when I came across this old school Truckin' decal. Not sure what I'm gonna do with it yet.

[likaroc13]

My dad had also just picked this up to tinker with, & I had a chance to look it over when I was home over Labor Day weekend. It needs a little work, but it's in pretty good shape overall. He's not really sure what the plans are yet, but I think he's leaning towards keeping it to play around with. Of course he will probably sell if the right offer comes along. Since I don't wanna bombard my thread with pics of it, I'll post one & link you to the others:

other pics here:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v6...-truck%20pics/


Been debating whether I want to remove those window visors & use them on my truck. Gotta look at some more pics to figure out how well (or not) they might look.

[likaroc13]

Since things are a little slow, I guess I'll add to my story and share some more pictures during the process. It might be boring, but it pertains to the build in that it leads to how I came to own my first classic truck.

My dad owned several '64-66 trucks when I was growing up. One original '64 short/fleet he bought from an older gentleman and proceeded to fix it up. I don't have any current pictures to share, but I hope to get some scanned when I have a chance to dig through old pictures back home. He added disc brakes, tilt steering, power steering, etc., along with the 327 V8 from this truck:

my dad's first '66 C-10:



Dad drove the old '64 for several years until deciding to swap the manual 3-on-the-tree tranny for an automatic. Sadly the truck sat for several more years awaiting that process to get finished. Later down the road, we decided that we'd just fix the truck & make it my first vehicle.