Project Goldilocks, '66 C10 SWB BBW Build

[MalibuKasey]

Ya but the ones you buy NEVER have your level of detail for under 200K

[65Pickup]

WOW, did you just take a pic further up the rod. I'm amazed how you and Frizzle etc make your welds disappear. Brilliant!! I always have flat spots, or dips what is your secret to the roundness, looks like it was in a lathe?

Also was this a '69 or '72 column, and this is why the shortening? I have one and noticed they are too long, if this is the fix I better pay attention. Thanks for the great instruction.

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by MalibuKasey

Ya but the ones you buy NEVER have your level of detail for under 200K

Shoot, I'd take $200k for it when finished!! I think you got a little fat-fingered with the keyboard there!

Originally Posted by 65Pickup

WOW, did you just take a pic further up the rod. I'm amazed how you and Frizzle etc make your welds disappear. Brilliant!! I always have flat spots, or dips what is your secret to the roundness, looks like it was in a lathe?

Also was this a '69 or '72 column, and this is why the shortening? I have one and noticed they are too long, if this is the fix I better pay attention. Thanks for the great instruction.

Thanks 65pickup! I used 36 grit on a 2" right angle pnumatic grinder to knock the top of the welds down nearly flush with the tube and shaft. Then I switched to 50 grit to finish off the weld and blend it out. Then sand it with 80 grit on a 6" DA sander to remove the grinding marks. The key is to just knock the top off the weld and not dig into the base metal around the weld.

It's a floor shift column (smooth bell, no shift rods) from a four speed floor shift 64-65-66 truck. I drove the blue '65 this past weekend and my arms are still cramped from wheel being so close to the seat!

[65Pickup]

Originally Posted by theastronaut

Thanks 65pickup! I used 36 grit on a 2" right angle pnumatic grinder to knock the top of the welds down nearly flush with the tube and shaft. Then I switched to 50 grit to finish off the weld and blend it out. Then sand it with 80 grit on a 6" DA sander to remove the grinding marks. The key is to just knock the top off the weld and not dig into the base metal around the weld.

It's a floor shift column (smooth bell, no shift rods) from a four speed floor shift 64-65-66 truck. I drove the blue '65 this past weekend and my arms are still cramped from wheel being so close to the seat!

Thanks for the tips, I see what your doing now, just getting the wheel closer to the dash. I picked up a '69 floor shift column, nice clean shape but 2" to 3" longer than a '65. For a later time. Thanks again.

[MalibuKasey]

[QUOTE=theastronaut;5282184]Shoot, I'd take $200k for it when finished!! I think you got a little fat-fingered with the keyboard there!

What!?!?!?! You do good work brother!!

[theastronaut]

Ive been wanting a smaller diameter steering wheel since I'll have power steering but I couldn't find a 15" rim with similar grips to swap over. Do instead of swapping rims I section the original wheel from 16 3/8" down to 15". I've still got to grind the plastic back from the inner steel frame so I can weld it all together, then build up the joints with epoxy.



The original '66 deluxe wheel.




After cutting.




Marking the spokes for the cut. I've got a plan in mind that I think will make remaking the tapered end of the dimpled indention pretty simple when it's time to start epoxying and reshaping the wheel.




Spokes shortened, super glued in place temporarily for mock up purposes.




First mock up (after also shorting the two pieces of the rim). To get the hub centered, the edges of the rim and spokes on one side didn't meet up. I shortened one edge and will have to lengthen the other.




After getting everything roughly in the right position and the center hub centered in the rim, using one of the cut pieces to fill in the gap.






Roughed in and ready to start grinding back the plastic to weld the rim in place. It measures 15 inches now. I'll grind the edges back and glass bead the old paint and grime off, then use the steering shaft with a level and make sure the hub is level and centered, and 90* to the rim before welding the rim back together. I'll post pics once I get all that done.


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[Frizzle Fry]

Awesome
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[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by Frizzle Fry

Awesome
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Thanks Frizzle! Always enjoy browsing though your threads!


Started working the epoxy. It's gunna take a couple coats on some of the rim areas.

[duallyjams]

With your attention to detail it will be perfect.

[allaboutchevelles]

Nice looking job on the steering wheel. My wheel is just like yours and has some cracks. What name brand epoxy are your using and is it the kind you squeeze from the tube and mix the 2 parts together?? I have to repair my cracks so I can repaint mine. Thanks

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by duallyjams

With your attention to detail it will be perfect.

It's going to be acceptable, I'm happy with the way its turning out so far, but it won't be perfect by any means. Swapping rims would have been a much better approach. The rim still isn't 100% round and I'm not sure if I can shape it much more at this point. It's close enough to still be useable and I mainly wanted to see if I could actually do it, so it's been worth the effort just to satisfy my curiosity.

Originally Posted by allaboutchevelles

Nice looking job on the steering wheel. My wheel is just like yours and has some cracks. What name brand epoxy are your using and is it the kind you squeeze from the tube and mix the 2 parts together?? I have to repair my cracks so I can repaint mine. Thanks

Thanks, the epoxy is PC-7. I think Eastwood sells it, and you may be able to find it locally though; I bought mine from our Ace hardware store. It works great for filling in the smaller gaps you'll have after grinding out the cracks but it's a little on the thin side for larger gaps. Wetting a rag or your fingertip with solvent will really help smooth it out and minimize the amount of sanding you'll have to do.
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[likaroc13]

wow, that's turning out really nice! i love seeing the work of you guys with such attention to detail

[duallyjams]

Nope you were simply not ment to have that T56 so there must be a better one waiting.

The wheel looks good.

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by likaroc13

wow, that's turning out really nice! i love seeing the work of you guys with such attention to detail

Originally Posted by duallyjams

Nope you were simply not ment to have that T56 so there must be a better one waiting.

The wheel looks good.

Thanks dudes!



I've got one side nearly finished.

[Alan's Classic]

Very cool idea. It looks good.

[65Pickup]

Nice work Spaceman, that wheel looks great. I'll have to look for that epoxy.

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by Alan's Classic

Very cool idea. It looks good.

Thanks Alan, you're making me jealous with all the progress you're making and being that close to completion. I keep heaping more and more on the "to do" list so it's great to see other guys getting to the final build stages. Builds like yours help me push on!

Originally Posted by 65Pickup

Nice work Spaceman, that wheel looks great. I'll have to look for that epoxy.

Thanks, it's great for fixing wheels. It can be smoothed down pretty slick if you wet the tip of your finger with thinner and work the epoxy to shape; makes for much less sanding after it dries!



Got a little more done on the wheel last night. I re-did the tip of the indentions so that the indentions would be the same length on both sides. Guess I should have checked that already. Once the epoxy finishes hardening it'll be almost ready for sanding and primer. I say almost because I had an idea that I want to incorporate into the wheel. More on that below.






I also checked the fit of the horn ring, and it looks great on the smaller wheel. I was worried that the proportions would be off, but it looks fine.





After running this by MalibuKasey (co-conspirator/Goldilocks' official project consultant) and recieving the green light of approval, I'll be adding two chrome rings to the top of the rim from a mid 60's Nova wheel. They'll be spaced one inch apart, and the rim will be painted dark fawn to match the dash color inbetween the chrome rings. The rest of the wheel will be fawn like stock. I wanted a stripe at the top of the wheel like race/drift/rally cars have as a reference, which supposedly is helpful when you're sideways. Of course, I'll need to test out that theory once she's back on the road...

I thought about adding just a dark fawn stripe, but I remembered that Impala's had chrome rings that were used to separate the two tone rim colors. Impala's had a different grip profile though, and those rings wouldn't work. MalibuKasey had a Nova wheel and confirmed that the rim profile was the same as on truck wheels, so I'll be using Nova rings to add to my wheel. This will keep with the OEM/factory styling trend, and also give nod to the suspension mods, and the type of driving I'll be doing.

[duallyjams]

I like it.

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by duallyjams

I like it.

Thanks James!


Got the wheel from MalibuKasey in the mail today and the Nova rings are going to be perfect! The Nova wheel is identical to the truck wheel so the rings are a dead-on match for the rim profile. Now I'll have to figure out how to make indentions on the truck wheel to fit the rings...

[theastronaut]

Wow, thanks dudes!! Here's a few shots with the bezel on.







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[MalibuKasey]

Official Consultant huh... Im honored!!

[MalibuKasey]

How big of a turbo are you going to be putting on that straight 6??? I say after the first few Autocross passes... that youll be itching for a nasty little SBC.

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by MalibuKasey

How big of a turbo are you going to be putting on that straight 6??? I say after the first few Autocross passes... that youll be itching for a nasty little SBC.

No turbo, it'll be running triple side draft Dellorto's. I'll be happy if it runs in the 13's, don't care if it's high or low 13's. I think 350-375 hp is do-able with the six, and that should get it well into the 13's if it weighs around 3600 pounds. I think between the six cylinder and an aluminum trans I should be able to keep the weight down somewhat. I'm building a stroker motor for the Bug for when I want to go fast!

Going by an online 1/4 mile calculator:

325hp/3600LB= 13.68 ET

350hp/3600LB= 13.35 ET

375hp/3600LB= 13.04 ET

Of course that's assuming that it hooks up and is geared decent. Raising the trailing arm mounts and moving the tank to the back will help it hook, and it'll have 4.56 gears since a T56 is double overdrive.

[hill64step]

Love how the steering wheel is turning out!

[greg65]

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