My Unexpected '66 SWB-Fleet-Restomod Project!

[Bomp]

How much lift do you get from your bags and what brand are they? I may have missed it.
Lookin great.
I call 'Shotgun'

[Ta2Don]

Awesome work on that exhaust project... Looking Sweet!

[flips72]

awesome work on the exhaust, wont be long now

[Modges'66]

Originally Posted by Bomp

How much lift do you get from your bags and what brand are they? I may have missed it.
Lookin great.
I call 'Shotgun'

Thanks Greg,
The bags are Airlift Dominators, not sure which ones...They came with my Porterbuilt stuff.

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

Awesome work on that exhaust project... Looking Sweet!

Thanks yet again Don!...Still got to do the other side as soon as I get the mandrel bends that are on backorder...

Originally Posted by flips72

awesome work on the exhaust, wont be long now

Thanks Flip!
I gotta get the exhaust done so that I can complete the bedwood & figure out where I am gonna put the "blue bottle".
I cannot wait until I have worked out the bugs and can lean on her a little!

[coulter]

that is one gorgeous c10 man!!!!! awesome work

[jlsanborn]

Man that thing is looking killer!! Nice work! I may have to re-think my exhaust plan...

[severedchris]

This truck is just flat out wicked

[Modges'66]

Originally Posted by coulter

that is one gorgeous c10 man!!!!! awesome work

Thanks a bunch Coulter!
I saw that you have your MX-bike for sale...I just recently sold my last dirt-bike in the collection after it sat in my garage for 4 years unused!...It was a difficult decision to make, but it wasn't getting more valuable by sitting there in the corner...I've got a few bad-a$$ stand-up jet-skis in an enclosed trailer that I need to part with next....I never used them this year.

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Man that thing is looking killer!! Nice work! I may have to re-think my exhaust plan...

Thanks for the comments!
This is the only way that I could visualize getting to the rear of the truck with the rear mounted tank.

Originally Posted by severedchris

This truck is just flat out wicked

Dude!
I have a feeling that your goals are to out-do me!!!...Your build is looking awesome!

[Modges'66]

Not much to post lately, but I did finally get my mandrel bends so that I could finish up my exhaust this past weekend!
I spent Friday evening & Sunday afternoon getting the passenger tailpipe all fitted & tacked together. It looks so sweet, it's too bad that nobody will ever see it!
I also installed my taillights & reverse lights, and can now say that every light on the exterior of my truck is an LED or HID!

I spent most of Saturday with my dad at the street-rod nationals in Kalamazoo, MI. (he was there showing his '48 pro-street) and almost made it out of there with out buying anything. But upon leaving, I spotted a 3M Display booth and ended up spending several hundred dollars on their latest product line of polishing compound and buffing pad, #3000 & #5000 grit wet-sand DA paper & DA pad, along with several other items...I thought that I already had all of the right-stuff for this task, but the guy demonstrating convinced me quickly that I did NOT...I hope that I have everything that I will need to wheel this thing out now! LOL!

Monday Evening I got the passenger tailpipe all tig-welded up, but haven't had a chance to go put it on the truck. My week has became real busy at work, as my buddy (the owner) is on vacation this week, and I am picking up some of his loose-ends!

Anyway, I hate to post anything without pics, so here ya go!

A shot of the exhaust with the passenger side all tacked together.


A shot looking down the tailgate showing how the pipes dump.


A shot from in front of the rear passenger side tire.


A pic of the LED taillights!


And finally, a shot of the reverse lights!

[Bomp]

That is some trick exhaust work there.
I picked up a special little tool to help me when it comes time for my exhaust work. Pics are on Instagram. lol

Totally diggin on them back up lights.

[aggie91]

Truck is turning out gorgeous! Love the wheel selection.

Can you give some specs on the wheels & tires?

[Modges'66]

Originally Posted by Bomp

That is some trick exhaust work there.
I picked up a special little tool to help me when it comes time for my exhaust work. Pics are on Instagram. lol

Totally diggin on them back up lights.

Greg!!!
You really did do it!!!
That is quite the trick tool that you have there!
I am sure that you will be very pleased with it.
Did you get the remote foot pedal with it? we have it, and love it!
Does this mean that we will see little progress with Steiner because you will be busy f-ing with the new welder? LOL!

Originally Posted by aggie91

Truck is turning out gorgeous! Love the wheel selection.

Can you give some specs on the wheels & tires?

Karl,
Thanks a bunch!

Wheel & tire specs;
Schott Sprocket 3-piece Wheels with brushed face and polished accents, brushed center-cap, Polished lip. the wheel center is also clear powdercoated to help protect the brushed appearance.

Sizes:
Front: 20x9, 5.50" BS, 5x5 BP w/255/40/20 Toyo Proxes STII
Rear: 20x11.5, 8.00" BS, 5x5 BP w/315/35/20 Toyo Proxes STII

[clemdaddy]

this truck has definitely turned out to be a favorite. first it was just the color choices, then it was the ingenuity of the details, then it was the assembly and knowledge of necessity, but now... its all these things and how well they have come together. well done dude, well done...

[Low Elco]

Great Lookin' Truck, and nice work!

[Modges'66]

Originally Posted by clemdaddy

this truck has definitely turned out to be a favorite. first it was just the color choices, then it was the ingenuity of the details, then it was the assembly and knowledge of necessity, but now... its all these things and how well they have come together. well done dude, well done...

THANKS CLEM!!!!
I would appreciate your comments even if they were total sarcasm, because I know that you know exactly what it takes to build something like this!
I try to be modest, but this thing is turning out a bit better than expected. I wanted it to be super-nice, but it is starting to look like a trailer-queen, and I really didn't want that....I have no idea how that I will keep it spotless!

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Great Lookin' Truck, and nice work!

Thanks a bunch, It doesn't look like I have made any great advancements lately, but a bunch of real-life issues have gotten in the way!
I will forge ahead soon!

[Modges'66]

Well,....I finally got my exhaust all welded-up, and buttoned-up a few weeks back, then I decided to button-up some of the wiring under the dash & wire-in a "Check Engine light" because even though I have had it running for several months, I have noticed that the cooling fans come on almost immediately after starting, and this is a sure sign of a faulted computer code.
This has proved to be a total liability on my part as I wound up having 3 trouble codes, that have sent me in a downward spiral,and opened a huge can of worms.
The ECM was re-programmed prior to purchasing of this "project" and I didn't know exactly how everything had been set-up....
Well, through the course of what seems like a billion e-mails, I know what options that the ECM is looking at to function properly.
So, as luck would have it, I was throwing an OBD1 code of 16,26, & 36.
Codes 16 & 36 are both Optispark ignition codes (low & high resolution errors) which usually mean that the distributor is on it's way out...
Very costly, and a huge amount of work, as the distributor is behind the water pump so disassembly of the front of the engine is a must.
I felt that this couldn't be true, as everything was brand new....Accel distributor,MSD coil, and DELCO ICM...
Upon very careful inspection of the connectors, it seems that the PO had forced the connection plug onto the distributor, and bent all all 4 of the male prongs on the new distributor....I thought that I was seeing things!!!...I don't even know how it ran at all this way! Next came the long ritual of straightening these prongs,which are in a connector that is over 1-1/2" deep, within the gap behind the water pump.
Once through with the ritual, I fired it up to find that codes 16 & 36 had vanished...F*#K Yeah, I'm good with that!

Code 26 is a EVAP emissions purge valve circuit, which my computer was supposed to have disabled during reprogramming of the ECM...Regardless, to fix it, I need to send the ECM back to have it corrected, or I could simulate the solenoid valve in the harness to correct the problem.
Once that we analyzed how the ECM was collecting the data, we determined that putting a 22 ohm resister in this circuit would cure the fault, and it did!
It was a good day, my truck starts & runs well, sounds really well, and NO more check engine light!

[Bomp]

Its one thing to bolt stuff together but its a whole nuther deal to be able to know how it should work properly.
Great investigative work and you killed it!

[Modges'66]

Originally Posted by Bomp

Its one thing to bolt stuff together but its a whole nuther deal to be able to know how it should work properly.
Great investigative work and you killed it!

Greg,
I totally know what you mean, but it helps A LOT when your father is totally in to this EFI stuff, and just happens to be a retired electrical engineer....from General Motors...Just sayin....LOL!

[jlsanborn]

Nice job figgrin all that out! Gonna need a video so we can hear that exhaust too

[flips72]

great detective work, and sounds like dad might deserve a steak dinner

[Modges'66]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Nice job figgrin all that out! Gonna need a video so we can hear that exhaust too

Thanks man, it wasn't really that hard to figure out once that you know how it works!
It seems that the computer supplies the ground to close this circuit and energize the valve, but when not in operation, it checks to make sure that the circuit is functional and a closed circuit by checking the resistance level of the solenoid in the valve, and if it is an open circuit or directly shorted, it faults out & turns on the fans & CEL after 26 seconds. Luckily, my dad had one of these valves and we measured the resistance level of it, then I went to Radio Shack and bought the 5-pack of 22 ohm resisters for $1.49 and wired one of them in from a 12 volt supply....Simply awesome results. LOL!

Originally Posted by flips72

great detective work, and sounds like dad might deserve a steak dinner

Yeah Flip, I owe my dad a multitude of steak dinners!!!
He talked me into this silly project, but he has also supplied the space and many resources to execute it!...Many thanks go out to him!

[Modges'66]

I didn't get a lot of time to work on the truck this weekend, but I did fab up a crossmember to span the fuel tank area, so that I can figure out how I will fill the tank...The stock bed crossmember interferes almost perfectly with the filler neck on the tank. I cut the center section of the crossmember out & built a box from 1" square tubing to fit around the tank to support the wood.
Here are a few pics!



You can see the duct tape on the filler tube of the tank. I almost need to go directly straight-up from there to avoid filing problems.
I wanted something flashier, but I may just use a marine type flange & screw-on cap set-up... Anybody have better suggestions?

Secondly, I have had a major blunder with my front bumper!
As some may remember, I had finished my bumper to be smooth with NO bumper bolts showing...And all looked fantastic, until some application of force occurred to the welded-in studs.
Take note on my newly found experience, NEVER ASSUME that the PO knows how to weld!

As I tightened the bumper up to the frame & brackets, I could see square recesses in the bumper's exterior finish developing...And the lock-washers weren't even flat yet!
I ended up taking the bumper back off, and putting a spacer & nut on the backside, and running the nut down with an impact wrench.
All of the studs pulled out almost effortlessly!...I am sooooooo PO'ed right now! All that I needed, was to run over the front bumper with my new tires & wheels, and F them all up!
I made some nifty gaskets from a wiper solvent container (to not chip the paint) and used some polished stainless bumper bolts to retain the bumper.
I may take it all back off later, and weld new studs in MYSELF and re-paint.
Right now, it still looks flawless, but just not bolt-less.
Some more pics!

[BWheels]

Ouch! That sucks.

[Modges'66]

Originally Posted by BWheels

Ouch! That sucks.

I know, it does really suck!
Here is a pic of what it WOULD have looked like if the previous owner knew WTF he was doing!
Throughout this build I have determined that the PO had some really great ideas, but no experience to carry them out properly....I keep getting burned on some of the items that I assume are all-good!



On a brighter note, my polished stainless bed strips & hardware has arrived, and today I purchased the wood from a local sawmill. I will be working-up the wood myself, as all of the boards will be different widths than stock because of my widened wheel tubs...
A good friend of my dad has a full-on wood shop where we will plane & router the cut-outs for the strips....I cannot wait!
I know that this will be a bigger project than it sounds, but in the end it should look killer!

[Palf70Step]

Sorry to hear about the mess up. Truck still makes me droll with or without the bolt heads showing!