Project '64 Cheapskate

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by Budman56

I wish I would have seen this 6 months sooner I could have saved some money and time. Job well done thank you!!!

Me too! I would of done this on my 66 Service Truck.
What a great simple solution.

[Low Elco]

Those wheels are TIGHT! Lookin' good! A question, when you narrow a 12 bolt, do you have to get new axles? I heard you can't respline due to the taper, and the cclips are a problem. Never done it myself, just wondering. Gonna be a cool ol truck!
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[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Those wheels are TIGHT! Lookin' good! A question, when you narrow a 12 bolt, do you have to get new axles? I heard you can't respline due to the taper, and the cclips are a problem. Never done it myself, just wondering. Gonna be a cool ol truck!
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You are 100% correct. I decided to go with Moser housing ends that accept the big Ford bearing, and that will eliminate my need to use a c-clip because the Ford ends retain the axles. I am going to order the axles this week as soon as the housing ends get welded on and we finalize the measurement. The Moser axles are not tapered like the factory GM units, and that'll be nice if I ever decide to narrow the rear housing in the future. The axles could then be cut and resplined. I doubt I'll narrow it more, but it's good feature to have just in case.

[Low Elco]

At least I was right about something today! Dang, so much for budget. That probably doubled your investment in the whole truck, didn't it? Those rearend guys are proud! It'll be killer in the end, though.
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[cable666guy]

Just read all seven pages...great project...will definitely be following along!!

[jhrusk]

very nice on the wheels,looks good.

[chevyrestoguy]

I was able to get a lot done this weekend even though it was over 105 with some humidity thrown in. Brad picked up the rear end from Rob's shop and another buddy who's a certified welder took care of welding up the perches. I made two of the brake clips that weld to the axle tube and welded them on. For some reason, both of the clips were missing on the driver's side axle tube. I cleaned and blasted the rear inspection cover, primered the housing, and shot it all in chassis black. It turned out good.

A few months ago, I was able to make a deal (more parts trading!) on a complete exhaust system from a friend who was going from small block to big block on his '65 longbed. The exhaust was relatively new, with Sanderson shorty headers, aluminized pipe (2.5") and stainless Magnaflows. He removed it from the truck but cutting it out in sections, and although it might sound like it would be easy to reassemble it into my truck, it wasn't as simple as it sounds. The hardest part was trying to get it back under the truck and supported with jackstands, and with tailpipes that go all the way to the rear corners of the bed, that was fun. I also changed the style of pipe hangers from the ones with the pipe clamps and rubber straps to the better ones with the L-brackets and sandwiched biscuit mounts. I don't care for the look of exhaust tips, so we were able to adjust the tailpipes where they dump in the back corners but are 100% hidden. After the system was tacked back together, it came back out to be fully welded and sprayed with VHT exhaust paint. It turned out nice, especially for what I have into it ($200). And a big thanks to Brad, who helped tackle this beast!

I was moving at such a fast pace trying to get as much done as possible that I forgot to take pictures. I'll get some as soon as I can.

Next step: Mount the rear axle, install the Super Track Bar kit, install the shocks, install the axles and backing plates, rebuild the rear brakes, and make rear brake lines. I really want to get the rear suspension completed so I can move to the front and finish it up the last few items.

[Low Elco]

Progress! X2 on the too busy for pictures. Had to remind myself this weekend!
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[chevyrestoguy]

Had another good day today. Got a lot done on the '64!

First, I did a final clean-up of the inside of the 12 bolt and torqued the main caps to 60ft/lbs and installed the cover for the last time. Did a little touch-up on the housing, and while it was drying, I replaced the upper and lower coil spring attach fittings because my originals had some hairline cracks. After that, the rear axle was set into place and the Super Track Bar brackets were installed. The rear shocks were some Rancho adjustables that Brad had that were left over from an old project, so I cleaned and painted them chassis black and installed new Energy Suspension eyelet bushings. I think that the adjustable feature of those shocks are really going to come in handy down the road.

I finally remembered to take some pictures, but I waited until I was done.





I you remember, I did some trading with a buddy for the exhaust. I did a lot of cleaning and painting and it turned out really nice. The ONLY problem that I have is that the system was designed around my buddy's truck which has a factory panhard rod. Right now, the panhard bar for the Super Track Bar kit I have will not work until the passenger side tailpipe is modified. A bummer, but it won't be difficult to fix.

Tomorrow: Mock up the column and the shift linkage, and start to sort out the intermediate shaft and all of the steering linkage. I want this thing to be a roller soon!

[Low Elco]

Looks terrific! I painted our exhaust with rust bullet and a brush. Looks better and might slow down the crust, what the heck. I can't wait to see it be a roller, are you gonna put the later PS in?
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[CRGRS 66]

Not sure how I missed this thread before... great looking truck, and great progress
love your innovative low cost, highly effective, methods

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Looks terrific! I painted our exhaust with rust bullet and a brush. Looks better and might slow down the crust, what the heck. I can't wait to see it be a roller, are you gonna put the later PS in?
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I have always felt that painting the exhaust is a good thing because it'll slow down the corrosion that always occurs with the hot/cold cycling that exhaust systems go through. And yes, I am using the power steering box out of the '79 Suburban that I used for the suspension. I have already drilled the frame and fitted the box using one of Capt. Fab's adapter plates. I used one of Capt. Fab's power booster adapter brackets as well. I'm really close to doing the brake system, so I'll be posting up pictures of all the brake mods as well. I'm dying to see it as a roller, but right now, I'm waiting on my axles to show up from Strange. They say I should possibly see them some time this week.

Originally Posted by CRGRS 66

Not sure how I missed this thread before... great looking truck, and great progress
love your innovative low cost, highly effective, methods

Thank you for the compliment! I've owned lots of Chevy trucks, but ironically enough, I had never owned my favorite style (60-66) until now. I have been building this truck in my head for years. I really enjoy utilizing parts from other Chevy trucks and making it all look factory. I like hitting the wrecking yards, and love the challenge of trying to replicate an expensive mod with a minimal outflow of cash. The thread started out as a low-buck build (hence the name Cheapskate), but I have gone a bit off-track on some of the suspension mods because I want a safe, reliable truck that performs well. I have always felt that a little more money spent in the right areas pays big dividends down the road.

[plainred65]

Just came across this build, love the way you're building using a lot of what you find on hand. Can't wait to see what comes next.

[likaroc13]

great work, looking nice & clean! what paint did you use for the exhaust?

[CRGRS 66]

The Rancho adjustable shocks, can you describe to me what the adjustability is? Is it ride height, or smoothness/stiffness of ride, and how are they adjusted?

[chevyrestoguy]

Originally Posted by plainred65

Just came across this build, love the way you're building using a lot of what you find on hand. Can't wait to see what comes next.

Thank you, sir! It's compliments like yours that keep me plugging away at this project.

Originally Posted by likaroc13

great work, looking nice & clean! what paint did you use for the exhaust?

I used VHT engine paint. The system has aluminized tubing, so it was pretty clean. I lightly sanded the pipes with a red Scotchbrite, wiped it down with acetone, sprayed the bare metal areas and all fresh welds with metal etch primer, taped off the mufflers (they are stainless steel), then sprayed the pipes with the VHT. I had to touch up a few areas after it was installed, and the VHT covered perfectly with no light/dark spots. Not too sure how durable it'll be down the road, but I can always touch it up, as needed.

Originally Posted by CRGRS 66

The Rancho adjustable shocks, can you describe to me what the adjustability is? Is it ride height, or smoothness/stiffness of ride, and how are they adjusted?

Those shocks were on an old project truck that Brad and I messed with last summer that eventually wound up in Australia. Once I mocked up the rear end with the drop springs, I measured full compression and extension, and the Ranchos were a perfect match to the dimensions I needed. The adjustment mechanism is a knob at the base of the shock. Full counterclockwise is the softest position. The knob turns about 3 full turns to reach full stiffness. I'm going to start at full soft first and start dialing the firmness to reach the optimum ride. With the 5" drop springs and being a longbed, I'm guessing that I'll have a bit of firmness dailed in in order to get it to ride the way I want it. I'll soon find out!

[CRGRS 66]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

Those shocks were on an old project truck that Brad and I messed with last summer that eventually wound up in Australia. Once I mocked up the rear end with the drop springs, I measured full compression and extension, and the Ranchos were a perfect match to the dimensions I needed. The adjustment mechanism is a knob at the base of the shock. Full counterclockwise is the softest position. The knob turns about 3 full turns to reach full stiffness. I'm going to start at full soft first and start dialing the firmness to reach the optimum ride. With the 5" drop springs and being a longbed, I'm guessing that I'll have a bit of firmness dailed in in order to get it to ride the way I want it. I'll soon find out!

Thanks resto guy, I would be very interested to hear about how they function, and your likes dislikes. Cheers!

[chevyrestoguy]

The axles finally came from Strange on Tuesday, so I had to wait until today to install them. The axles fit perfectly, but we had to do a little grinding on the axle retainers that Rob had made to get them to fit the way I wanted. His measurements were a little "tight", so they had to be opened up just a little.
The drum fit the axle ends perfectly. I like the Strange Engineering logo on the axle end, but unfortunately, it won't be seen when the wheels and center caps are on.


Got the wheels bolted up, and had to made some adjustments to the track bar and also to the bed, which was way out of alignment. Once everything got aligned just right, the truck was lowered to the ground on it's wheels for the first time in a LONG time. Needless to say, I was very happy with the results. I was going to take some more shots of the rear wheels, but the batteries in the camera died.


Tomorrow, I am going to finalize the rear brakes, and work on the front suspension. I would really like to have the front and rear wheels bolted on and the front end mocked up at ride height.

[Alan's Classic]

Very nice!!

[C@rnut001]

Looks great! Thanks for updating us on how good it looks. Keep up the work!

[chevyrestoguy]

As promised, I got the brakes situated and bolted up the front wheels and tires. We wound up pulling out the coils because there's no weight in the front. There is a bare aluminum block and a gutted 700r4 case sitting in the engine compartment, which is essentially no weight at all. The front tires are mock-ups, and after looking at the stance, I might go up one size to a 225/60-15 tire. I also bolted on the funky ET oval center caps. I'm really happy with the way it looks!




The next step is to get the front steering linkage situated, get the column finished, and build the shift linkage.

[CRGRS 66]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

As promised, I got the brakes situated and bolted up the front wheels and tires. We wound up pulling out the coils because there's no weight in the front. There is a bare aluminum block and a gutted 700r4 case sitting in the engine compartment, which is essentially no weight at all. The front tires are mock-ups, and after looking at the stance, I might go up one size to a 225/60-15 tire. I also bolted on the funky ET oval center caps. I'm really happy with the way it looks!

I love the look, truck looks awesome, but, yes you could use a little more rubber profile on the front. You say you may go to a 225/60/15, what is on there now? I have 225/60/15 on the front of mine, and plan to go to at least a 235/60, maybe even a 245/60. I am lowering the front either 2.5" or 3.5" as well. I feel that the tire profile on the front is too short compared to the rear, rear tires are 295/50/15 (kinda phatt)

[chevyrestoguy]

Right now, the tire is a 205/60-15. They were on a buddy's '71 El Camino, and I needed some tires for mock-up. I knew that they were going to be too short, but you never know until you bolt them up and get a good look from every angle.

[Slammed66]

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

As promised, I got the brakes situated and bolted up the front wheels and tires. We wound up pulling out the coils because there's no weight in the front. There is a bare aluminum block and a gutted 700r4 case sitting in the engine compartment, which is essentially no weight at all. The front tires are mock-ups, and after looking at the stance, I might go up one size to a 225/60-15 tire. I also bolted on the funky ET oval center caps. I'm really happy with the way it looks!




The next step is to get the front steering linkage situated, get the column finished, and build the shift linkage.

Well. You got the stance nailed !!

Love this truck, will you be putting bumper guards on this one?
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[LostMy65]

That is a great shot.

Originally Posted by chevyrestoguy

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