It's just a work truck!

[65 old school]

OK back to the older pics of the frame. Nothing fancy, I did mount the battery on the frame under the bed to get it out of the eng compartment. Sprayed some black rattle can paint on it and called it good!. ( IT'S JUST A WORK TRUCK! )... Dropped motor & trans in.

[yalpngulp]

Originally Posted by 65 old school

This is what I came with for the tail gate. I wanted the original tail gate, the two I had were to bad to use, a new one is 400 bones. and I don't like some of the stock ones, let's say FLAWS. So we decided to go to plan "b". My brother had a tail gate skin he did'nt use on his trk, so I snagged it and made my own out of the two I had, plus the latches from the 73 doner trk.

I love your build thread, full of ideas. What was the tailgate skin for originally? I too am building a custom tailgate and I was wondering about a skin

[Dinos63]

looks killer

[65 old school]

Originally Posted by yalpngulp

I love your build thread, full of ideas. What was the tailgate skin for originally? I too am building a custom tailgate and I was wondering about a skin

Thanks again guys for all the kind words!! The skin is for a 60-66 fleetside..

[65 old school]

One bedside down, one to go. This is a little trlr I had out back that I put the bed on to work and be able to move around. You can see the metal bed floor of my 73 doner truck that I used in the pic. I strapped the bed to the trlr and was able to move around myself.
My brother posted a few pics of dads truck that I mention from time to time. We finished dads 66 about two years ago now. After my 65, It's on to my bro's 63 to paint. He's been daily driving the truck around Phx for about 7 years now, It's time to paint it.

[Palf70Step]

Build looks really good!

[65 old school]

Thanks again guys for the kind words.
I'm just a car/truck lover, have a welder, grinder, and some tools.
Just work out in the garage when I can. Again, this daily driver back & forth to work truck has gone way over time & $$$$.
I told my wife when I pulled it home, I could swap the 65 body on to my 73 chassy in a few weeks!. HA!. I've been working pretty hard at it for about a year. I was just a little off.
If you were wondering how I did the dash ext, I welded a 1" tube below the distance I wanted, had bend the ends at the kick panels about 1 1/2 " to match the dash. Then I welded sheet metal to original dash. plug welded it to tubing, and bent it around the tube.
Hope this helps you or anyone else with there projects, that's why my brother started this thread.

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by 65 old school

Thanks again guys for the kind words.
I'm just a car/truck lover, have a welder, grinder, and some tools.
Just work out in the garage when I can. Again, this daily driver back & forth to work truck has gone way over time & $$$$.
I told my wife when I pulled it home, I could swap the 65 body on to my 73 chassy in a few weeks!. HA!. I've been working pretty hard at it for about a year. I was just a little off.
If you were wondering how I did the dash ext, I welded a 1" tube below the distance I wanted, had bend the ends at the kick panels about 1 1/2 " to match the dash. Then I welded sheet metal to original dash. plug welded it to tubing, and bent it around the tube.
Hope this helps you or anyone else with there projects, that's why my brother started this thread.

Thanks for the information on how you did it, that will be helpful to know! I bet the tubing helps reinforce it on the bottom edge as well, I had not thought of that.

I am liking it a lot !

[65 old school]

I don't really know where this truck spent it's time, but I'm in Arizona and the rockers still needed to be rplaced.
In fact I don't think I've seen any that don't, or that should'nt be, if you're going to paint the truck !. I don't know ?, today the IN THING seems to be the rusty patina look. A lot less work & $$$.
I wanted to use HOT RODZ FLATS on this truck, but when I checked into it the guys I talked to said it's really hard to paint. So I was talked into going shinny paint. More bodywork, more time, more $$$, GREAT!.

[65 old school]

This should be a no-brainer! but, mine are the second ones we've done.
About 2 years ago we replaced them on my dads 66 swb. We did'nt test fit the doors. OOPPS!. After you cut the old rockers out, re-hang the doors, put in the new rockers, hold them in with a few tek screws, check the fit, take the doors off, then weld.
We just put the new rockers back where the old ones were OOPPS!.
After paint and assembly, we had a few issuses with the bottoms of the doors rubbing the rockers.
LESSON LEARNED!. Mine did turn out better. ( sorry dad! ).

[65 old school]

I did'nt know what to do with the radio antena, the truck had a hole in the passenger side cowl, I did'nt care for that spot.
I know alot of guys don't even use one these days, Ipods seem to be the thing. I don't even own a Ipod!. Im (OLD SCHOOL ). My wife hates when I say that. Well needing a ant, I just frenched one in on the passenger side of the cab.
It's not power, just fixed that high. I don't know if I'm completly thrilled with the way it looks?. Maybe it will grow on me?.

[argonaut]

You could look into an antenna that adheres to the windshield like some of the newer cars.

If I was keeping a regular antenna on the outside though, i think I'd stick with soemthing close to the stock location. Just a personal preference.

[Palf70Step]

Looks good.
My first thought was did you make a drain for the water that will pool-up around the antenna, but then I noticed the AZ in your profile...so I guess rain won't be a big deal

[McMurphy]

I bet you will want to hang your p-side door and get in-get out of the rig a few times before you decide to leave that antenna there. I cannot say for certain, but I am betting it will be a bother/get bent in that location.

I had a moment on my p-side rockers.
"hang the door to check the fit" just did not sink far enough in with me.
I had to cut my tack welds and reposition too

[65 old school]

Here is some hood pics. The hole body of the truck was ruff. The guy I bought it off of stopped a guy towing it to the scrap metal yard to be crushed. I'm not a body man, But I think my brother & I did an ok job. I welded up the seam.
Because the hood is single sheet metal, I'm not good enough to smooth out both sides.
So on the under side of hood I used the Raptor bed liner, tinted to color match to hide minor dent flaws from the outside.

[65 old school]

This is a few pics of the inner fenders. I would guess about half of the guy's are not useing them because of air bags, But I can't go that low, I have to use this truck as a truck sometimes. Anyway, We mounted the battery on the passenger side frame. I patched that spot on the inner fenders, I also cut and welded patches in the 1 1/2 by 18" ? channel's ( two on each side ), for strength,? I think!.
I just think they look a little funny. Smooth is mo better!. Even though " IT'S JUST A WORK TRUCK! ". Little details. It's a little extra time, but not any $, if you do it yourself.

[carslut]

nice job, i really like how the rain gutter turned out.

[65 old school]

I forgot to say, I had to cut out the front a little on each side for BIG side flow radiator.
It gets HOT here in Arizona!.

[65 old school]

OK I'm happier! but, did I say it would take a couple hour's??. NOT!!!. Maybe if it was'nt painted already. If you mount this style directly to the firewall, you have to make the hole in the firewall bigger. Also modify the rod mount on the pedal arm. Looks much better. I wish I would have done it in the beginning.

[63MOUSE]

looks much better

[McMurphy]

What is the purpose of coiling the brake lines as they come off the resevoiur like that?

[don64]

I agree that does look much better.

[markeb01]

Impressive as always. The new booster is a nice improvement.

[63MOUSE]

just a couple of pictures of my dads truck that my brother and i helped my dad paint. this truck and my dad is where my brother and i get our inspiration to continue to try to do our best to keep these 60-66 chevy trucks rolling

[Captainfab]

Very nice truck