Crossing over, the 65 rebuild.

[NEWFISHER]

pulled the cluster again today, installed a speedo cable ( missing when purchased) and built a blackout screen for the tach. Also read up on Early Sun tachs and how to adjust them. Mine was off about 400 rpm, but reads accurate now. Unmolested the fuse panel and all of the wiring. Kind of a pet peave of mine, under dash wiring. I laid it all out, black loomed it in sections and reinstalled it to everything. looks like a new truck under the dash now.

We spent most of the day on my buddies 76 getting it back together. Building weather guards for the inner doors, transferring the Silverado trim to the new panels and dash, installing wipers, cutting and buffing the sides, polishing the trim as it goes on etc. Lots of little things.

I did finally get around to taking the plunge and drilling my panels to mount the arm rests. Measure several times and drill once. It helped to use some dumb-dumb with a silicone blob on the end to transfer the locations in the inner structure.

[NEWFISHER]

Last night I finished sandblasting an old cooler and a fuel can, primed them and painted them. The cooler is the rest of the orange base and toners that didn't match thrown together. I did the gas can black with a white top and have some reproduction Gilmore Fuel decals coming for it that are Orange with some red and blue's. Both of them are cleared with some Gold pearl ( you can really see it in the can close up) I ran some screws through sealing washers in the bottom of the cooler to keep it from growing legs and walking off. The can has some plastic coated cable and locks to the truck. I also cut a couple 1/4 sections of rubber fuel line and ran screws through them as stops to keep it from sliding around when my wife is doing doughnuts in the parking lot




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This will give the dogs something to stand up on and peek out around the cab and hopefully keep them off the tops of the bed rails. The cooler is to through small greasy parts in, beers, cold sammys etc. mostly just a truck to catch stuff. The can is the anti trust pill for the second sending unit. I think I have a bad gauge but just don't want to admit it.
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[LT1 Burb]

Looks good!

[Ta2Don]

[Low Elco]

Good to see it with the old crusty radiator in the back!

[duallyjams]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Good to see it with the old crusty radiator in the back!

nah it's a spare

[NEWFISHER]

Originally Posted by duallyjams

nah it's a spare

I wish it was a spare! It's out of my 50 Burb and I got the bog ol' goose egg from my radiator shop hook up. Too old, too rotten too much for a new one from him. I don't want aluminum but they are half the money for a brass one-DANG IT!

[NEWFISHER]

Battery shorted plates internally at lunch today when I shut it off at the rad shop. Blasted them apart with a boost charger , made it back to work and ordered an A/C Delco one along with an oil filter, some gm oil supplement and oil from the Parts Department. Spent tonight building a battery hold down, checking the electrical system, doing an oil change and thought I would hook up the buisness end of the speedo cable while it was in the air. Ooops, 700r4 is a late model electronic unit with vss style output. Now its either TCI's converter for $420 or source a tailshaft, gears and a puller to get the ring off the mainshaft to swap the tail sections. I hate trans fluid as much as I hate coolant, diesel fuel and honey when you drag your arm across the biscut. All of the above require lots of scrubbing to remove. I keep finding other small projects to knock out instead of jumping in to the powersteering swap, disc/ disc master swap, spindle / block and coil cut or bag install. My wife has been flying home each weekend to take care of her Aunt's battle with brain cancer and it looks like we will both be headed away for a weekend soon. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and then I should have an open weekend to knock out a big project. Stay tuned , more updates comming I promise!

[Low Elco]

Dude, it ain't that bad. Not much fluid in the tailshaft. Take the electronic thing out and look in there. Mine was an 89, come to find out they make combo ones, with the electrics in the "bullet" and a plastic gear in the trans. No tailshaft change, just a new bullet and gear to make it read right. Take a good look before you buy anything. The best place to get stuff is a trans place out of Baton Rouge. They sell all the component parts. I went through all this on Yeller, and I know SQUAT about trannies, and I got it figured out at least once! Here's the straight dope-

http://www.transmissioncenter.net/sp...n_______va.htm

Hope I'm not being a pushy jerk, just tryin' to help.

[NEWFISHER]

Thanks for the heads up Low Elco, I'm going to pull the plate and take a look this weekend. I have to work Saturday so times cut short to ti nker, but my wife is outta town so I have as much evening time as the dogs will allow me

[LT1 Burb]

If you get bored I can put you to work sanding.

[NEWFISHER]

Originally Posted by LT1 Burb

If you get bored I can put you to work sanding.

I've seen your finger and am afraid of your power tools

[hotrodred]

Keep at it John! I like how your updating things daily.

[NEWFISHER]

Thanks Jon!
I try to do something on it everyday. Got an extra drivers door handle with lock cylinder that I am re coding to the key I have and going to swap it into the passenger handle to have a lock on that side. Been whittling on that today. I also stumbled onto some 74 and up tachs if you need one holler. I just installed one in my buddies 76, shouldn't be bmuch different for your new 78, housing. Mod and a 3 wire hook up easy peasy. The hardest parts is getting the dash pad up to get the cluster housing out.

[NEWFISHER]

Finally got around to having some turn signals and brake lamps last night after doing a tilt swap a week or so ago.
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I had ordered a simple plug and play adapter harness, but was on eternal backorder. I found a GM part number ( 1894851) and could have one next day but then stumbled upon this thread:http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=541292

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Ended up just wiring up my own! Now that they work, I will pull it and get some of the insulated style connectors to shield them inside the half moon body side of the truck.

[NEWFISHER]

Swapped in a passenger door handle lock cylinder and got the powersteering pump bracket modified and installed.


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[NEWFISHER]

Here is the template from Captainfab. has the Manual box holes so you can line it up. I chose to cut the template down a little and cut holes to line it up.


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Bam! new box mounted, new pressure line, return and rag. Next time I would loosly assemble everything before welding the adapter bracket to the frame.

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fill the reservoir slowly, then without starting the truck move the wheel lock to lock about 50 times. Start the truck , run for 10 seconds and refill. Repeat until all foaming bubbles go away and reservoir stays at full level. It helps to have front wheels off the ground to do this step.
The belt is 33.5 inch long one. Running a string around the pulley's measures 31 and the fitment chart says 36. Both are too short or too long. I also used a gear from a 73 2x 1/2 ton v8 and the pressure hose from the same.

Cleaned it up and drove nice. The wife will love it. Now maybe a posi rear with the 4:10's and she will get " I want a drift car" out of her system

[NEWFISHER]

Just ran 1/2 tank of fuel through it checking out the steering. Had to stop and tighten the alt belt otherwise awesome upgrade! Grabbed the box from LT1burb, the pumps usually run $30 with a bracket up here. Return line was free, bought some bulk line for a few bucks and a new pressure line for $24.the Captian fab bracket, his rag joint slip sleeve and a few bucks for fluid and a belt. Easy upgrade and steers like a new truck!

[Dinos63]

slick work!

[NEWFISHER]

Thanks Dino! Those boxes you see in the background are my dropped spindles, bags, rear disc stuff ready to be installed. I promise the nose bleed will stop soon.

[Captainfab]

Nice work

Thanks for posting the pics and the details

[rusty76]

Kool truck man.

[chad64chevy]

looks great, wish I would've bought capt. fabs bracket instead of a 70's frame just to have power steering! would've saved me a lil time and money fabricating the frame! but that was all before I found this site

[NEWFISHER]

Originally Posted by chad64chevy

looks great, wish I would've bought capt. fabs bracket instead of a 70's frame just to have power steering! would've saved me a lil time and money fabricating the frame! but that was all before I found this site

Wow! You reeeealy wanted powersteering. I had to work Saturday til noon. I had hung the pump Friday night and was driving down the road Saturday after work about 330. Pretty simple install. 3 trips to the parts store for the right belt killed most of the time!

[Ta2Don]

Originally Posted by NEWFISHER

3 trips to the parts store for the right belt killed most of the time!

Especially since most stores employ folks who couldn't find a part without the computer pointing them in the right direction... Was behind a guy yesterday that was looking for a SBC timing cover seal for a 76 block with 67 heads in an older truck... of course the parts guy needed a vehicle for a starting point.:bang head:

I apologize for the soapbox moment
Still love the orange, and the cooler is