Markeb01 Build Thread

[Vincenthdfan]

Ive been playing catch up on this thread....reading it from back to day one!

Sheesh that's a lotta reading.

Love it though, since I have a 62...giving me all kinds of ideas.

[SKT]

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Any updates or recent changes on this awesome truck?

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[SKT]

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Hands down, one of the sharpest looking interiors on this forum:

Originally Posted by markeb01

Originally Posted by markeb01

[SKT]

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Any updates on the truck!?!

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[markeb01]

Here are a few recent updates. I swapped the rear wheel from 15x7's to 15x8.5's, and changed the black Autometer cup on my engine vacuum gauge from black to chrome. I'm not sure if the pictures are working yet. If they don't come up I'll try again.

Also, my air conditioning stopped blowing cold air last summer, so it will be going in for service relatively soon. Other than that, we've mostly just been driving and enjoying her.

[markeb01]

Oops, one other important update I forgot about. The springs in the NOS wiper arms were so weak (5 ounces) the wipers flapped all over the glass at any speed above 50 mph. So I rebuilt the whole wiper transmission assembly with late (larger) spindles to hold newer blades. After days of work, the whole system failed, and the passenger arm and blade departed the vehicle!

So I reworked everything again back to mint/stock, and reinstalled the OEM wiper arms after replacing the internal tension springs with a brand new pair for a 69 Chevelle. They fit perfectly, and increased the tension against the glass to 10 ounces, which holds them in place perfectly, but they still sweep like they are supposed to!

It turns out the arms are supposed to have 1 ounce of tension for every one inch of arm length. The arms are 12" long, but ten ounces turned out to be perfect!!

[Grizz1963]

Great to see you on here again Mark.

Trust all is good with you and your gang.

[markeb01]

Yep, life is great. I've been checking in routinely, but lost the ability to post pictures when I dumped insight. I just figured out last night how to post stuff through this website! Yippee!!

[aotte1]

Mark,

The new rear wheels look great, what back spacing are they. Any suggestion on alternative back spacing, now you have them on the truck?
Also, the reference for windshield wiper arm spring tension is very helpful to know. And your story on the moded wiper arm-results, put a smile on.
Glad all is well with you and your family.

Les

[SKT]

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Thanks for the update Mark and glad to hear all is well!

Truck looks great and we certainly enjoy the pics and updates!

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[markeb01]

Originally Posted by aotte1

Mark,

The new rear wheels look great, what back spacing are they. Any suggestion on alternative back spacing, now you have them on the truck?
Also, the reference for windshield wiper arm spring tension is very helpful to know. And your story on the moded wiper arm-results, put a smile on.
Glad all is well with you and your family.

Les

The 8.5" wide rear wheels have the same backspacing as the 15x7's had, 3.75". All of the extra width is on the face of the wheel. This allows for much wider tires, if and when I swap to the 73-80 rear fenders. They have a much bigger wheel well opening, and the fenders are also wider, the same as the width of the body. So tires like N50-15's will fit right on the 15x8.5" wheels, or I might even go bigger with 15x10's.

[markeb01]

Here's a pic of my favorite shot with the later rear fenders. I will be using the stock 1960 rear bumper and 59 Caddy taillights that I already have mounted on the truck.

[aotte1]

Mark,

Thanks for the wheel information. On the newer step bed, I liked the picture of green one. Maybe you provided it to me. It is on the forum somewhere.


Les

[markeb01]

Perhaps this is the one you're referring to. I took this picture in Fremont CA about 30 years ago. It was a former show truck with tons of chrome and the first set of 73 up rear fenders I had seen. It belonged to a local barber.

[aotte1]

Mark,

Yes, that is the photo I was thinking of.

What vintage rear fenders for this period do like ? When I did my 86’ stepper, they only had the older version, 86’ Style was not available then. So had to mod the older ones to look like 86 ones, including moving the gas tank door to drivers side.

Thanks,
Les

[markeb01]

I prefer the later fenders without the gas door or opening, and also without the rear side markers. But when it comes time to purchase, I'll settle for whatever is the best deal available, as I can simply close up any of the holes I don't want before painting them.

[markeb01]

Well tonight I finally decided to cut down my small USMC decals into wheel center stickers. They came out perfect, and in my opinion look much sharper than the stock American Racing decals. We'll put them on the truck tomorrow. I also removed the rear window 4" decal, and the camera mount that it covered up. If I go with the camera mount again, I'll mount it above the rear window and put an arm on it to drop in down into viewing range before filming. These decals are mylar foil, and will hold up just as well as the rear window decal has.

[Captainfab]

Nice work Mark

[LostMy65]

Those came out really nice.

[Palf70Step]

Very Nice!

[likaroc13]

Nice job on the center cap stickers!

[Mjminino]

Originally Posted by markeb01

Here's a pic of my favorite shot with the later rear fenders. I will be using the stock 1960 rear bumper and 59 Caddy taillights that I already have mounted on the truck.

Hey, it is my old truck! The guy who I sold the truck to ended up getting a 60's era bed for it. He then turned this bed into a trailer. IIRC, hardly any of the bolt holes lined up correctly on the 73-87 bed to 60's frame.

[cwcarpenter98]

Mark, I've spent some time since the beginning of June reading through this thread. I found it while trying to figure out the cable style gas peddle for my 63. Just wanted to say thanks for the extreme amount of detail that you put into your work and the descriptions on this thread. It really helped me out, and has given me some ideas that I might do as well in the future. Your truck is absolutely beautiful, and I hope that one day mine will look at least half as good as yours does.

[markeb01]

Outstanding! Thanks for the compliments and finding something useful in here. I always try to be thorough and helpful. I remember back when I started on this truck there just wasn't anything available in the way of help, so I've tried to make my stuff historically accurate and repeatable. Good luck on your rig!

[markeb01]

After an extensive search lasting over a year, I finally broke down and purchased an original Paladin holster Chess Knight emblem for my dashboard. Back in the late 1980's, I purchased the reproduction holster shown from the original maker (Arvo Ojala) in Hollywood. It fit and looked perfect! I grew up on Have Gun Will Travel, and always wanted a holster of this type. The gun shown in the photo was a new Ruger Vacquero revolver. It was a large firearm and was a tight fit, but they looked great together.

Many years later I handed over the whole setup to my oldest son, who has it proudly hanging in his living room.

So a long time ago I decided I really needed that Knight emblem to finish off my dash, and looked everywhere to find an accurate copy. I even found that Arvo's daughter was reproducing replica holsters about 6-8 years ago, but it appears she has moved on to other pursuits more recently.

The one I purchased is nearly exact to my original, and is made of solid polished sterling silver and has the same genuine ruby eye mounted. It is now attached to the center of the dash with two screws, and will remain permanently. Even my wife loves it, and knowing how much it meant to me, she enjoys it as much as I do. I'm also thinking of replacing the red steering wheel with the black version. We'll see.