Keepin' her stock - '63 C20 build

[allaboutchevelles]

In the 2nd pic from the top> What year trucks am I eyeballing in the background?? Looks like mid 50s to late 50s chevrolets??

[Bears63]

I couldn't tell you for certain but they are late '50's. That picture was taken at the house of the guy I bought the truck from. One of his hobbies is going around and cleaning out farmsteads. He gets old trucks for peanuts and sells the better ones. Heck, he got my '63 C20 and it's barn-mate, a '50's International pickup, for pretty close to nothing just to get them hauled out.

[dtkarst]

Its good to see someone taking a truck back to stock. I have nothing against anyone who customizes and lowers/air bags their truck, IMO it takes a true artist to do what a lot of guys ont his forum have done. But I prefer to see them stock, with of course some updated equipment. I will be watching this build

[Bears63]

Made some unexpected progress on the truck this weekend. We were having an early family gathering to celebrate Christmas and my step-sister's son decided to go roaming around outside. Wellk, he decided the pristine windshield on my truck was just too good a target for some junk. I made him help me remove the rest of the windshield and clean up the mess. I had the cab pretty much sealed to sit until spring but since that windshield removal obliterated my plans I finished stripping the cab and got it unbolted. Next week I will pick it up and get it put into covered storage. Here's the pics:

[E911manager]

Oh that was a costly gift. Did you tell him Santa Claus was not coming to HIS house this year?? I am sick for you!!
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[Bears63]

Oh, but it's soooo much worse than that! The kid also cracked the windshield on my dad's '63 K10 as well as the windshield on my '68 Impala. Yeah, he got to sit and do nothing while he watched his sister's open their gifts. It was a pretty terrible day.

[E911manager]

Oh, man, how did YOU get bailed out of jail so fast!!!!!! That is so sickening..

[Bears63]

I really don't know how I kept my cool but I somehow did. Beer helped

[C@rnut001]

Good luck on your truck build...I like seeing some of these trucks restored back to stock. Hopefully you will get to work on it a lot more this year.

[Bears63]

Thanks, I need all the luck I can get

I am planning to do a lot more to it this year, I had so much happening last year that nothing worked out. Slowly scrounging some fresh parts and my plan is to at least get the frame painted and chassis completely rebuilt during the summer. I really wish I could find a nice shop to store it and work on it in but so far no dice.

[Bears63]

Well, looks like things are on hold a while once more. Last fall I sprained my ankle and I have had problems with my foot ever since. This past week I went to the doctor again and they finally decided to x-ray the foot again. Turns out I had 2 fractures they missed the first time. So now I get to hobble around in a boot for 3 weeks and have to stay off the foot as much as possible. Always something....

[C@rnut001]

Man that stinks...hope it heals up quickly. Hang in there, you will get to work on it and get more completed with it.

[Bears63]

I finally got my foot healed up and then my mom about died. It's been an interesting start to the year. Things are calming down now, the weather is getting nice, and I'm getting antsy. Hopefully I will have some progress listed soon.

[Bears63]

Yep, an overdue update again. After the adventures of the spring things got worse. I hurt my right arm very badly. I spent several months with my arm in a splint and going to physical therapy twice a week. Two weeks ago I was finally cut loose. I have not turned a wrench on my truck at all this year. Been a disappointing year, that's for sure. There's always next year, right?

[LuckyLightning]

Hey Bears63, I know this is a very old thread, but I was hoping you could help me with the transmission brake: which position is for "on" and "off" for the brake?

I have the same kind of transmission brake on my '63 C20, but it's so loose that I can't tell which position it should be in when driving.

[TJ's Chevy]

What ever happened to this build? Was it put in a new thread? Always cool to see a build with a 292 I6!!! lol!

[hotrod66]

Originally Posted by TJ's Chevy

What ever happened to this build? Was it put in a new thread? Always cool to see a build with a 292 I6!!! lol!

he is probably in jail after killing his step-sisters kid i know thats where i would be

[Bears63]

Well, it is resurrection time for this project after 5 years. My life took one heck of a left turn after the fall of 2012. False accusations made by a person, over a year of fighting a criminal case, finally being vindicated with the case being dropped and some people in law enforcement losing jobs and facing charges for witness and evidence tampering. All that was followed by bankruptcy as I had spent every single dime I had and sold most everything that wasn't nailed down to pay my very expensive but worthwhile lawyer. Somehow through it all I did manage to keep a hold of this project. All that mess was why I had been absent from the forum for years as well.

This past winter I have been snagging parts here and there and now I will be renting a place to work on it. My focus now is getting this truck done as quickly as I can. I have set a goal to have it completely done in 2 years. With luck I can keep to that schedule.

[TJ's Chevy]

Sorry to hear about all the troubles man, but glad you are off to a new start. Hope the build goes well from here.

[Bears63]

The way I see it is that it can only go up from here

[Bears63]

This project has life again and I will post some pictures soon. I know this whole thread is a mess but I will try and restore older images in time. I bought a house this past spring. A 2 bedroom 1 bath on 6 acres of land where I can do what I want. The first thing was resurrecting my '63 project. I have test fitted 16" rims on It, tested some primer and paint on the frame and am still collecting parts. Things are finally looking up!