Winter Beater Build- '66 BBW Custom Short/Fleet with Heat!

[Bomp]

It will be a blast driving the new (to you) truck.

[theastronaut]

Picked up the brake parts, hope to have time to get them on this week.

[theastronaut]

Got the front brakes done today, and also cut 1.5 coils off the front springs. Those self adjuster parts are a bit of a pain!


Supported the weight of the truck using jack stands on the frame, then supported the lower A-arm with the jack and broke loose the lower ball joint. I used a ratchet strap to hold the spring in place in case it wanted to jump out, and slowly lowered the A-arm down to release the spring.




Chopped 1.5 coils off.




Brakes rebuilt.





Started cleaning the paint with 0000 steel wool.




Back on the ground. We'll clean up the original hubcaps and put them back on. I thought the wheel paint would match better so those will get resprayed too.

[Low Elco]

Looks good! The green spring on the bottom of the brakes is backward. The long bend clears the star wheel. Not to nitpick, just pointing out. (BTDT) Man, it's really looking good!

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Looks good! The green spring on the bottom of the brakes is backward. The long bend clears the star wheel. Not to nitpick, just pointing out. (BTDT) Man, it's really looking good!

Appreciate you posting, I put them back the way they were and didn't know it was in wrong. I'll go back in and straighten them out!

[Low Elco]

Glad I could help.

[amueller454]

Cool truck. Sometimes its nice to just have a little beater driver that doesn't have to be perfect

[rusty76]

It's coming together very nicely.

[BMERDOC]

Coming along nicely! 0000 steel wool to clean paint? I still learn something new every day! Does it require a lubricant? I assume it requires some kind of buffing process afterwards?

[Jeff La]

Truck is looking great

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Glad I could help.

Originally Posted by amueller454

Cool truck. Sometimes its nice to just have a little beater driver that doesn't have to be perfect

Yep, I don't want a shiny truck just for that reason!

Originally Posted by rusty76

It's coming together very nicely.

Thanks!!

Originally Posted by BMERDOC

Coming along nicely! 0000 steel wool to clean paint? I still learn something new every day! Does it require a lubricant? I assume it requires some kind of buffing process afterwards?

The paint is faded, spotted, and oxidized so I just wanted to get the dead paint off without buffing it. I used Dow glass cleaner/cut out lube that we use on all our glass work, just something to keep it wet and move any dirt off so it didn't scratch it while scrubbing. I would have done it outside with carwash but it was too cold for that. I don't think it matters what you use to keep it wet. You wouldn't want to try it on good paint, it'll leave hairline scratches on glossy paint. I think I'll leave it like it is, it has a nice sheen. If I buffed it then all the little flaws would show up way worse!

Originally Posted by Jeff La

Truck is looking great

Thanks!

[LoRollinLS]

Love the hood work! This thing is coming along rather nicely.

[greg65]

Nice. I have always liked the light blue and white combo.

[1963c-10]

Progress is coming along nice. Great looking truck.

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Looks good! The green spring on the bottom of the brakes is backward. The long bend clears the star wheel. Not to nitpick, just pointing out. (BTDT) Man, it's really looking good!

To add to that, on those bottom springs, there is always one end with a long hook. That end is the one that goes towards the adjuster wheel. This applies across the board, not just GM trucks. The hook passes by the star wheel without rubbing where if you put it in backwards like the pic, the spring coil rubs on the star wheel.

[theastronaut]

Thanks guys!! Just dropped it back on the ground, did the jeep springs and rear brakes after lunch today. Also scrubbed more of the paint. The back is lower than the front now, gotta fix that We bought paint for the wheels that matches better, but I'm still undecided. Maybe white, or black? I'm off all next week so we should have it driveable if everything cooperates. Like that ever happens...


Swapping out the rear coils, two bolts is all that hold them in.




Back on the ground. There's a ton of junk in the bed, so it will hopefully come back up an inch or so to level the truck out. If not I'll drop the front a little more.

[rusty76]

Don't do black wheels. Do white if you don't do the blue. White will keep the wheels from disappearing. Although with caps it will still look kool.

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by rusty76

Don't do black wheels. Do white if you don't do the blue. White will keep the wheels from disappearing. Although with caps it will still look kool.

I agree. A white wheel will tie in with the paint on the top and the insert on the side trim. Try to find a pair of 15x8 wheels for the back and play with tire heights to give it the correct big/little look.

I'm figuring that you plan on running the caps that came on the truck when you got it. A little paint and a shine on those and they'll look great.

[Bomp]

Shoot'em White and get back to Goldilocks!

Like driving with heat once again??

[Low Elco]

Looks good! We need a real world report on the TJ springs. Git ta fixin and drivin!

PS- It gets colder'n hell in Germany. Why did the over engineerin' Germans then design the most useless heater system on the planet? I got it, they were Nazis and wanted to ensure the world's suffering long after they were gone.

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by rusty76

Don't do black wheels. Do white if you don't do the blue. White will keep the wheels from disappearing. Although with caps it will still look kool.

I might do one side white and the other side blue until I decide. MalibuKasey's truck looks good with black wheels and dog dish caps though.

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

I agree. A white wheel will tie in with the paint on the top and the insert on the side trim. Try to find a pair of 15x8 wheels for the back and play with tire heights to give it the correct big/little look.

I'm figuring that you plan on running the caps that came on the truck when you got it. A little paint and a shine on those and they'll look great.

That's the plan; some metal polish, steel wool, and repaint the recess around the bowtie. It'll look different with caps. I have been eyeing a pair of vintage chrome reverse wheels on eBay to use on the rear, painted to match of course. They're stock width so I wouldn't have to buy wider tires.

Originally Posted by Bomp

Shoot'em White and get back to Goldilocks!

Like driving with heat once again??

It's like 68* today, all winter has been really mild! It'll get cold soon enough though! I'm about to buy CPP modular spindles and hubs for 'Locks so I can start laying out the A-Arm dimensions, and make caliper brackets.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Looks good! We need a real world report on the TJ springs. Git ta fixin and drivin!

PS- It gets colder'n hell in Germany. Why did the over engineerin' Germans then design the most useless heater system on the planet? I got it, they were Nazis and wanted to ensure the world's suffering long after they were gone.

They seem very soft already, it will probably need a rear sway bar (front too of course) to keep it from wallowing around while driving.

The original heater in my '64 would cook you out of it, nothing in the system had ever been monkey'd with so it worked great. Most people ripped out the thermostat and wired the flaps open, or had such poorly fitting tin that the system didn't move enough air.
Taking the heater boxes and ducts completely off to add a header may not have been my best idea lol.

[NEWFISHER]

I vote light blue (matching) with a white cap and thin white walls

[rusty76]

Black wheels have been played out a lot lately. Nothing against them but they are on everything from T Buckets to new trucks. I like the look of dog dishes on black wheels but on your truck I just don't know if I'd want that look. It would definitely make it look a little tougher. With your truck the white wheels would keep it classy and timeless. Just my .02, lol. Still love this truck and can't wait to see it done.

[MalibuKasey]

Thanks for the props!! My thoughts are the light blue with the dog dishes. Not a fan of white wheels. That way you keep the original look that I think that truck needs. Then a set of the White 66 Dog Dishes would have my vote. Just to keep it classy. The thing I love about this era trucks is the body color wheels. :-)

[theastronaut]

Light blue is/was my first choice... The rattle can light blue I found was a satin paint, and I think that's why it didn't look as good as I thought it should. I'll try some gloss clear over it.