My 66 Service Truck Build Thread

[LostMy65]

Something I thought of the other day, and just did a search for here in the forums;
neoprene washers for the fender top bolts:
67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showpost.php?p=3733189&postcount=661
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[LostMy65]

Well Okay,
I got to drive it some before I tore the old box off.
It was fun.

I now have most of the patch panels to do the bad areas of the outer edge of the floor, cab corners and rocker panels.
I still have the box off so I started cleaning up the rear part of the frame.

So I figured I might as well dive in and pull the cab and get it cleaned up real nice.
Also got the cab windows out and will be building some kind of Rotisserie
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=406238

[LostMy65]

Wiring Thread Links for future reference:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard//...d.php?t=374553
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=425114

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

Well Okay,
I now have most of the patch panels to do the bad areas of the outer edge of the floor, cab corners and rocker panels.
I still have the box off so I started cleaning up the rear part of the frame.

So I figured I might as well dive in and pull the cab and get it cleaned up real nice.

I don't have the money to do a complete frame up restore at this time, so I'm doing more of a frame up preservation.
I just want this thing reliable mechanically, and preserved & protected.

Like I posted above; I have the old box off and cleaned the rear part of the frame. I now have the cab off and gave it a good pressure wash and cleaning with dawn, underside and all - along with the rest of the frame.
I decided to pull the engine and do the front end swap to the complete front end with 8-lug discs that I bought last winter.

Yes, I know... Since I have everything tore off, now would be a good time to sandblast everything. But I'm just going to rustoleum the frame for now.

Once I have the frame painted, I'll put the motor back in.
Then I'll start patching my cab.
I'll epoxy the cab as I get areas stripped and repaired.

I guess instead of calling this my 'Build' thread, I should of called it my 'Work on in spurts' thread.

[pdxhall]

You know what you've started don't you? You can never go back.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

I decided to pull the engine and do the front end swap to the complete front end with 8-lug discs that I bought last winter.

Here's a good thread on hooking things up:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ght=disc+brake

[LostMy65]

Using this thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=461537
I got the 8-Lug Discs front end all bolted up today:

[Captainfab]

Did you change the crossmember and all?

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

Did you change the crossmember and all?

Yep.
I just rolled mine out, and rolled the other in.
Needed to drill a new upper front hole and wallow out the lower.
Like Highlander shows in these pics:

[Captainfab]

Yep, that's all you need to do. Drill one new hole on each side and elongate one hole on each side. C10, C20 are the same. I've never done this with the engine installed.

[LostMy65]

My truck must have been hit from the side at one time.
The passnger door was pretty beat up. - (I have since found two nice doors)
I stripped the rear passenger door jam / cab corner / rear pillar and it is pretty beat up also.


Found a junk cab local in the booming metropolis of Boring that has no damage to the portion I need:

[LostMy65]

No, It wasn't something I could hammer and dolly out.
Because of how beat up that portion is, it has also caused the area that creates the complimentary gap to the door to be all out of wack. The previous owner used bondo to make that gap between the door and cab look straight.

It just makes more sense to replace that whole portion.

[LostMy65]

Pulling diagonal dimensions from the visor hole both directions shows the passenger door jam is knocked in 1/4 inch where the rocker panel meets the rear door pillar.

[chad64chevy]

(I guess instead of calling this my 'Build' thread, I should of called it my 'Work on in spurts' thread.) i know what you mean, i only get a lil time to work on mine lately, but i have been buying a parts instead! i've had my truck for 6 yrs. and i wish i would have started on my truck a few years ago when i has more money then i do now, lol! anyways thanks for posting in my thread, and keep at it!

[LostMy65]

I was having a difficult time getting the front cab supports out of the Floor Support Brace, so i just cut the whole square out, even through the Floor Support Brace.
I then had easier access to get the cab support out.
I bolted up the new cab support brace so I could see exactly where to bend the tabs at the upper part of the cab support brace.
I'll clean everything up real good before I start putting it back together.
Once I have the new cab support braces welded in good and the Floor Support Brace all welded back up, I'll roll the cab back forward and mount it up to the frame.
Then I'll move on to the floors, inner/outer rockers, etc.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

...clip...I've never done this with the engine installed.

Neither did I.
My engine was out.
Those pics above were from Highlander's front swap thread.

[aerotruk63]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

Also got the cab windows out and will be building some kind of Rotisserie
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=406238

Did you build a rotisserie?

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by aerotruk63

Did you build a rotisserie?

I had everything I needed to bolt it up similar to this.
Except I was going to hoist it up from a girder in my pole barn.
It wasn't going to be anything fancy.
The part that would of bolted to the door frame I made out of 1-1/8" Plywood.
I would of then ran a 2-1/2" pipe through the center point of the plywood all the way through to rotate the cab on.
This pipe I would of hoisted from either end to suspend the cab.
I never went through with it.
I may pick up where I left off on it this winter and will take pics if so.

[LostMy65]

I posted this in another related thread;
Does someone have this measurement?

[66-PMD-GMC]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

I posted this in another related thread;
Does someone have this measurement?

That measurement isn't given because the bushing dictates that measurment from cab brace to frame. the top of the cab mount bracket to frame top is 1 1/16th" if memory serves. I just put those frame brackets on my 71/66 conversion.
Is that what you are asking?

[chad64chevy]

question is this your services truck cab or an extra one you have?? looks like your doing a good job anyways!

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by chad64chevy

question is this your services truck cab or an extra one you have?? looks like your doing a good job anyways!

Funny you should ask.
I kinda went back and forth with which route to take.
There was some nice things about the donor cab I acquired, but the floors were totally shot - I mean really shot and hacked up.
I was tempted to completely redo the floors, but in the end, I decided to keep my original service truck cab and use what I need off the donor to fix mine.

So, the short answer to your question: The pics of the repairs I'm doing above are of my 66 service truck's original cab.

[Howell88]

Enjoying your story man! Awseome what youve done so far with that truck man! keep it coming!
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[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by Howell88

Enjoying your story man! Awseome what youve done so far with that truck man! keep it coming!
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Thanks.

The project does seem overwhelming at times, but these forums inspire me to keep at it.

[chad64chevy]

ok, cool! i have a parts truck i bought off my friend before he went back to cali for $50! he was going to scrape it and i needed parts, so i got it! its got the normal rust in the cab also but the suspension parts were only 6 years old, they got sold! all-in-all i made 300-350 i got my moneys worth! cab didnt have a title so im cutting my patches out of it and saving myself even more money