1968 C10 Stepside Restoration Project

[A1971Blazer]

Been following since we connected on that fender....
I'm envious of the progress you've made on your build...I'm ready to move from the "cutting out" to the "welding in" stage on mine...
I get anxious but I'm learning to be more patient so I can do it right and not get frustrated to the point of quitting.
Since the time has changed...I hope to get in several hours a night and make some real progress soon...

[68 C10 Driver]

Originally Posted by A1971Blazer

Been following since we connected on that fender....
I'm envious of the progress you've made on your build...I'm ready to move from the "cutting out" to the "welding in" stage on mine...
I get anxious but I'm learning to be more patient so I can do it right and not get frustrated to the point of quitting.
Since the time has changed...I hope to get in several hours a night and make some real progress soon...

My build has been a challenge, but I have learned so much. I can now weld, have really improved on my body work, and know how to spray on Raptor Liner and Lizard Skin. You'll get there, I can't wait to see your progression.

So today I put down the SEM self leveling seam sealer. Lots of great YouTube videos on how to apply that stuff. Here are a few pics of the results...

[68 C10 Driver]

Taking advantage of the last 70 degree day (according to the forecast) for about a week.

So today I thought I would seam seal around the door jambs and that area between the firewall and cowl...I was pretty pleased with the results. I am also working on fixing a few minor dents along the rear cab roof seam. The seam sealer is pretty filled that seam and after priming with the filler primer, that seam has all but disappeared. I kind of wanted to keep that seam very visible as that is something you don't see in newer trucks, but as it is it will not allow any water to sit in the seam and get rust started. So, I guess I am good with it not being visible.

[68 C10 Driver]

Got the speaker panels in today. I put seam sealer around the edges to secure the panels better so they don't rattle if I have the volume up.

[Kronald_70GMC]

Those are neat! Where did you get them?

[A1971Blazer]

Originally Posted by Kronald_70GMC

Those are neat! Where did you get them?

what he said….

[68 C10 Driver]

Originally Posted by A1971Blazer

(Kronald 70GMC: Those are neat! Where did you get them?) what he said….

Brothers Trucks. I got them a while back when they had a sale. I didn't want to cut into the doors or kick panels, nor did I want the kick panel covers because I will be mounting my 60s fire extinguisher on the passenger kick panel...had to look at an alternative.

[A1971Blazer]

I’m going to eliminate the kick panel vents…fabricate some speaker enclosures in the vent holes…my buddy is going to do some custom kick panels with hidden speakers for the front…would like to have the 6x9 in the cab corners…behind the seat…amp and sub maybe?

[Richard]

Feels good moving forward, even on the small stuff.
There is a guy on the forum that sells cab corner speaker brackets. I found the thread https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...peaker+bracket

[68 C10 Driver]

Originally Posted by Richard

Feels good moving forward, even on the small stuff.
There is a guy on the forum that sells cab corner speaker brackets. I found the thread https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...peaker+bracket

It does feel good making progress, even just a little..

I sent that guy a PM, but did not get a response, so I ordered them from Brothers.

[68 C10 Driver]

Originally Posted by A1971Blazer

I’m going to eliminate the kick panel vents…fabricate some speaker enclosures in the vent holes…my buddy is going to do some custom kick panels with hidden speakers for the front…would like to have the 6x9 in the cab corners…behind the seat…amp and sub maybe?

That's an interesting concept...be sure to post some pics when you fabricate that. I want to keep the vents...I think they add that 'vintage feel' to the truck. Vintage is what I am going for with some very subtle modern touches that will hopefully go unnoticed.

I am relocating my gas tank to under the bed, so I will have that area behind the seat available. I am also thinking of an amp back there, along with a mobile ham radio. The 23 channel CB will be where you can see it under the dash.

[A1971Blazer]

Originally Posted by 68 C10 Driver

That's an interesting concept...be sure to post some pics when you fabricate that. I want to keep the vents...I think they add that 'vintage feel' to the truck. Vintage is what I am going for with some very subtle modern touches that will hopefully go unnoticed.

I am relocating my gas tank to under the bed, so I will have that area behind the seat available. I am also thinking of an amp back there, along with a mobile ham radio. The 23 channel CB will be where you can see it under the dash.

I have also moved the tank to the rear...my buddy that does upholstery already has some big ideas for behind the seat...
I'm thinking also of modifying the inner panel behind the seat, and the seat, to maybe create a couple of inches more leg room..we shall see
my rear cab panel should be here this week...
My plan is to keep some of the original look mixed with some modern upgrades and custom touches...

[68 C10 Driver]

Originally Posted by A1971Blazer

I have also moved the tank to the rear...my buddy that does upholstery already has some big ideas for behind the seat...
I'm thinking also of modifying the inner panel behind the seat, and the seat, to maybe create a couple of inches more leg room..we shall see
my rear cab panel should be here this week...
My plan is to keep some of the original look mixed with some modern upgrades and custom touches...

I can't wait to see what you do with the area behind the seat.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by 68 C10 Driver

It was straight, but 15years of neglect sitting outside undriven took its toll. I am replacing a lot of metal.

Got a pic of your truck?

Cheers-

Not a bunch of pics but here are a couple. Runs great and sounds fantastic but not quite road ready yet. Just a bunch of little things to sort out like leaks, squeaks & rattles and wiring up the tail lights & getting the heater & wipers working right.

[68 C10 Driver]

I like the SS touch, very nice. The truck looks pretty solid.

[68 C10 Driver]

So, because I like the look of the kick panels being smooth, I sanded the passenger side kick panel a little, then skim coated it with glazing putty. I then applied a coat of sandable filler primer, then repeated after sanding. The driver side came out baby smooth...as did the passenger side.

[68 C10 Driver]

Once the inside is finished...all I have left is sanding the roof area inside the cab, then this part is ready for paint. I will paint over the Lizard Skin and all for a more 'factory' look.

[68 C10 Driver]

So I realized that the dash was sitting off to the side, and that need a crap load of work. Decades of dings, scratches, and general abuse required me to invest some elbow grease to get it to where it would look presentable.

I used a wire wheel on the old hand grinder and went to town...I had to go all the way to bare metal due to all the rust. I think the rust was due to my father-in-law washing out the interior with a hose - true story. He would open both doors and blast all the dirt and crap out from one side out through the other door.

Anyway, I digress...once cleaned-up, I primed with etching primer, then started going over it with filler-primer. Spray, sand, clean, spray, sand, clean...did that 4 times. The dash is as smooth as a baby's butt. Got dings out that have been there for 40+ years. I bet this will look great when painted.

[68 C10 Driver]

So I thought I would take a break from the dash work and start stripping down the outer cowl panel. It has the hole for an antenna that I plan to weld up. I will use a hidden antenna so it will give me a cleaner look.

The panel is in really great shape, just surface rust. Stripping it is going well.

[68 C10 Driver]

A little more progress today. I decided to do a test fit of the dash and see how the new dash pad will look. The dash is just temporarily held in by the six bolts. I will also take the opportunity to get the dash and cab crimp weld around the window opening to realign as those curves are a bit off from cutting the dash out.

Additionally, the outer cowl panel is stripped. I noticed there are a few "pock" marks from the surface rust that was present. The wire brush only gets so much, so I used the Rust Mort to take care of the rust. I will sand the panel tomorrow and prime it after I weld up the antenna hole.

[68 C10 Driver]

I did get the back of the cab wet sanded with 500 grit, and also did the same with the roof of the cab. It's all as smooth as a baby's butt!

[68 C10 Driver]

So, I was taking advantage of the President's Day holiday and thought I would MIG weld up that antenna hole in the outer cowl panel. I think it came out pretty good. There are some defects in the etching primer, but I will get that out as I spray the filler primer.

[68 C10 Driver]

I installed the Altman Easy Latch kit this past weekend, nice kit with great instructions. I did watch a couple of YouTube videos as well and it made it go so smoothly knowing what to expect.

[A1971Blazer]

Originally Posted by 68 C10 Driver

I installed the Altman Easy Latch kit this past weekend, nice kit with great instructions. I did watch a couple of YouTube videos as well and it made it go so smoothly knowing what to expect.

nice...I picked up a set of those new in box for $200....some kind of mix up in shipping and the guy got 2 sets for the price of 1....

[LostChord]

Great thread and build, have really enjoyed following along. Quite inspirational for those who have 'teaching ourselves to weld' on the to-do list.