ThreeQuarter's 1968 C10 Build Thread

[cj847]

Really beautiful truck.

On the A/C. If you have ALL of the original parts, AND you know where they attach (ie did you disassemble it?), AND it was working when disassembled, I would hesitate to try to use the original A/C parts.

I would definitely recommend R134A. I think it requires a new expansion valve if used with the original A/C unit. Also, although it won't be "original" I would opt for a new condenser and modern compressor.

My truck came with factory A/C. But it was missing the condenser and compressor and hoses. It would have cost me $800-$1000 to hook it back up. I went with a vintage air unit which ultimately cost me about $1800 all in. I am glad I did as I learned a lot about other missing and broken parts of the original A/C that would have run the cost to over $1200.

[1971Stepside]

Just saw this build for the first time. Wow! Great job saving her. Lots of rust there in the beginning. Looks amazing now.

[ThreeQuarter]

Jeff and cj, I'll keep that mind when I start to work on AC. I'm pausing spending money on the '68 for awhile, but I hope I'll be able to install AC sometime this summer. My plan is to put factory AC in, or something that looks like it. The system I took off was a factory system, but a lot of those parts are not worth re-using. I bought an almost-complete '71 AC system from a member in NY and it looks like new, so I'm expecting to use the best parts of that system combined with my old one. At any rate, it's not something I'm going to be giving any attention to for awhile.

[mr.mud1]

a beautiful truck you've built and a great honor to your old friend.i have a 67 impala wagon,and like you wanted it to look like it did when it was new,now i'm hoping to do the same with the latest truck i've bought,a 72 cheyenne super 3/4 ton big block truck but it's in Utah til whenever the covid mess calms down and i can go get it.can't wait to get her home.all the best.Greg

[kjolivier]

Interesting that your truck has one of the custom options not both, but then has the side trim as separate option. I didn't know that was possible.

[Woodnears]

Beautiful truck! Keep up the great work.

[68Gold/white]

Ben, I hope you all are doing well!!!

Did you get those original hubcaps, when you got the pickup???

[ThreeQuarter]

Hey Jeff, I got three very aged original hubcaps with the pickup. I’ve bought a couple more since then in similar condition. I found a guy who can probably restore them but he says it’s a lot of work and very pricey. I’m saving that project for someday when I have money to burn. In the meantime I keep hoping someone will start making some repops.

[ThreeQuarter]

Got my rear bumper letters painted, so now they are back to their original red color. I love the original-ness of it, even if the paint is much nicer than the original coat that was on it.

[68Gold/white]

Ben, Look'n Good in the Iowa neighborhood!!!

Your hubcaps were the small, silver painted ones??? Not the Chrome ones??? )Mine had chrome, threw them away looong time ago...duh!!!
I will be keeping an eye out for some!!!

[ThreeQuarter]

Thanks, Jeff. My caps were the small chrome ones that came on a Custom, although 50 years in the Texas sun made them look as dull as a silver painted cap that came on a base trim level.

[raggedjim]

Very nice, 533 is my favorite combo.

If you are interested I'm pretty sure I have the correct color seat belts for this truck. If you are interested let me know and I'll dig them out and take a picture.

Good luck, Rg

[ThreeQuarter]

Originally Posted by raggedjim

Very nice, 533 is my favorite combo.

If you are interested I'm pretty sure I have the correct color seat belts for this truck. If you are interested let me know and I'll dig them out and take a picture.

Good luck, Rg

Thanks so much, raggedjim. I wish I could find the right color in a set of 3pt belts. I ended up settling for a set of turquoise from seatbeltplanet.com. Their color isn’t spot-on but it was the closest I could get. I’ll be installing them now that I got my carpet delivered today from ACC.

[68Gold/white]

Ben, have been cutting any wheat in Oklahoma or Texas?

[ThreeQuarter]

Hi Jeff, I went as far as Wichita last week and saw a bunch has been cut, but there are still some fields ready and waiting for the combines to show up. But I’m not involved in that anymore.

[ThreeQuarter]

Got my ACC carpet installed last weekend. It took three tries for ACC to send the right carpet (low hump) but they took care of all the returns & shipping. The correct carpet still didn’t fit as well as I hoped and I trimmed some off the passenger’s side to make the sill plate fit. Now the cab is much quieter with carpet. Also installed my turquoise seatbelts from seatbeltplanet.com. They’re a little too bright for this aqua cab. Guess I’ll keep them, but if I had to do it over I’d get black webbing instead.

[LT7A]

The truck and interior is looking startlingly good. And quite the wonderful backstory. I actually think you chose well on those seat belts and I actually think bIack would be too much of a contrast to the rest of your interior. GM tended to kind of match colors by family, rather than exact match in their interiors. I bet that you could soak the loose belts in a weak detergent solution, like laundry detergent and water. You could soak them for an hour and see if a little bit of the dye came out. And then you could soak them a little longer if you wanted to take more intensity out of it. You could even mix a weak solution of fabric dye with the color that you want to move them toward, if that makes sense. But I'll bet a little bit of soaking with detergent would help them blend nicely. Please understand that I haven't done this and don't want to wreck your new belts. But the ones that I've cleaned have held up very well to the rigors of cleaning. Maybe you can get a sample swatch from seatbelt planet and give it a test.

[toms68cst]

Just spent some time looking at this build thread! Great job and I love the direction you took. Nothing irritates me more than a repainted 68 without a proper white or silver face! If I could take a time machine back to 68 and order a truck it would be nearly a dead-ringer to yours.

[ThreeQuarter]

Originally Posted by LT7A

The truck and interior is looking startlingly good. And quite the wonderful backstory.

Glad to hear some appreciation for the build. And thanks for the advice on the belt webbing. It's probably one of those things that only bothers owners and concours judges.

Originally Posted by toms68cst

Just spent some time looking at this build thread! Great job and I love the direction you took. Nothing irritates me more than a repainted 68 without a proper white or silver face! If I could take a time machine back to 68 and order a truck it would be nearly a dead-ringer to yours.

Thanks, Tom! I remember reading all about your '68 over 15 years ago. It's still one of my favorite pickups here. I have to agree that the white/silver faces on these pickups is a difference-maker.

[ThreeQuarter]

I found some white 5” round mirrors on eBay and installed them. Grote 28031, which appear to be discontinued. They were advertised as flat mirrors but they turned out to be convex. They’re much sturdier than the cheap 5x7 stainless mirror heads I replaced and they hold perfectly steady—they don’t shake like the previous ones did. Despite being convex, I can see more detail in them than shaky flat mirrors. I may try to replace the driver’s side with flat glass eventually.

In addition to all this, I underestimated how much better they would look than the 5x7 stainless heads. I love them. Getting closer to the factory stock look!

[ThreeQuarter]

Took some glamor shots at the grain elevator the other evening. Hopefully soon will have the cruise and A/C installed, and will update when I do.

[68 C10 Driver]

ThreeQuarter, that is a fine looking truck, I hope mine comes out that good.I have the same ACC carpet as you, but I am a ways ot from installing it. The interior of my 68 will be the Light Green but the exterior will be the Medium Green. The roof will be an Old English White because to me it carries a more vintage look. I used the same on the dash. Because mine is not a factory A/C truck, I am adding this underdash jewel.

[ThreeQuarter]

Finally got the vintage cruise control kit installed and fully functional. Love it! Makes country drives easier and gets me closer to the cross-country drives I hope to take one day. (2023?)

[68bowtie]

Just beautiful

[ThreeQuarter]

Thanks…forgot to include this one…