Lost My 65

[Dub_X]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

After I wrecked it, I bought a gmc with trailing arms for a donor. I put my beautiful cab on the 62 frame. The bumpers hang low now, because some previous owner mounted them upside down. I will be flipping them back to right side up.
Here is the gmc donor:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...78#post4504278
Posted via Mobile Device

My dad did literally the same thing. But he started with a '61 shortbed fleetside that was his daily driver. He rolled off the cab and pulled the bed, and put a '65 cab and '55-'66 short step on. He eventually replaced the t-bar front suspension with '67-'72 coil spring suspension. But everything done to the truck isn't just all that simple. I have a link to the thread somewhere.... Here it is!

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=439804

Truth be told, I miss the hell out of that truck. I'm gonna buy my fiance's dad's '65 Chevy from him eventually, so that I can rebuild my childhood, so-to-speak.

[66-PMD-GMC]

I just noticed, you have a fleet bumper on that dude... I knew something looked different.
What are you going to do with that service truck when it is done? Use it for a parts getter when you build this one? LOL

[LostMy65]

I do believe it's a stepside bumper on the rear - it's just upside down. I think the fleetside bumper is straight side to side. This one has quite a bow to it. I'll get some better pics of it.


The Service Truck will be used for atleast as long as it takes to get this 65 restored. I just don't see the point in selling it when I most likely won't get for it anywhere near what I have into it. I would have to get atleast $2500, and I personally don't think it's worth that.
Although, it would be the perfect work truck for someone, in that the whole mechanical portion is a 79 1-ton. Parts for it will be plentiful.
Posted via Mobile Device

[A.T. RockDriller]

Robert,
I've been out of the loop fer awhile....
I just stumbled across this thread.
I spent the last hr reading up on the "recovery saga'....
Well, Mister, ..I can't tell you how happy I am.

That's the best story I've heard in a long, long time.

The whole dang thing's just wonderful.

I'll be in touch with ya.
Maybe all us locals need to get together when the weather breaks and toast the return of yer '65 with a couple barley pops.

Happy days, Buddy,........... Happy Days......

[66-PMD-GMC]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

I do believe it's a stepside bumper on the rear - it's just upside down. I think the fleetside bumper is straight side to side.
Posted via Mobile Device

The stock stepside bumper on my 63 Chebby looks way shorter than yours.
Probably just the photo. If you have the 60-62 frame, they take a different bumper. Maybe thats it. Who knows? My eyes are over a half century old so it's more than likely me.....
The bumper in the photo just looks long to me.

[LostMy65]

I prefer seeing more fender on stepsides, so eitherway this bumper will not be part of my final project.


Posted via Mobile Device

[LostMy65]

Yea, you're right.
My bumper is way too long.
Here's one I found in the forums.
It's a lot shorter.


Posted via Mobile Device

[66-PMD-GMC]

Hey! That looks like mine...

[LostMy65]

I found in the Market:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=507755

I agree, mine is way too long. I may try and cut mine down. I just think you need to see a whole lot more rear fender.

[66-PMD-GMC]

I keep looking at that photo of yours and it has me leaning toward blue.....
Dang it! That truck just has so much character!
If I had any idea how to use photo shop I would change that photo to gun metal gray to see what it would look like. My truck should have that same stance or close to it.
Of course my tires are 20+ inches wide out back.

[LostMy65]

I have actually grown fond of the current color.
I was told by member 66-PMD-GMC that it is Robin's Egg Blue.
Doing some Googling, I find that many are a blue green, and others are a blue violate/periwinkle.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by A.T. RockDriller

Robert,
I've been out of the loop fer awhile....
I just stumbled across this thread.
I spent the last hr reading up on the "recovery saga'....
Well, Mister, ..I can't tell you how happy I am.

That's the best story I've heard in a long, long time.

The whole dang thing's just wonderful.

I'll be in touch with ya.
Maybe all us locals need to get together when the weather breaks and toast the return of yer '65 with a couple barley pops.

Happy days, Buddy,........... Happy Days......

Yes, I'm Really Glad I found it, and the older fellow who I bought it back from was also excited for his truck was going back to me. I'm so anxious to get to work on it, but I need to get my 66 back together first.


We surely will all need to get together.

Posted via Mobile Device

[LostMy65]

While I'm trying to get my 66 together so I can get started on my 65, I figured I'd post how I originally acquired this truck.

I think my story may be interesting to some.

More and more memories are now coming back to me since I got my 65 back.

I'm going to go back a ways in time because I think it has a huge bearing on how I appreciate getting my 65 back all the more.

I was born in 1965.
I was raised in a little farming town - Woodland, Ca.
Back in the early 70's the town had a population of around 40,000.
If you want to get a feel of what my town, and countryside of Yolo county was like, watch the movie American Graffiti - which was filmed in Modesto - not too far from Woodland.

We lived out in the country on 5 acres with 2-3 out buildings. We had Chickens, Pigs, Horses, geese, ducks, dogs, cats, and a Milk Cow. My responsibilities were outside, my sister's were in. In the spring I had to plow and disc the field so to plant oat hay.
I had to feed all the animals, and milk the cow, and clean the pens. All of this and I'm only around 11 or 12. I'm sure I was like any other kid and put off my chores and probably had to be gotten after to do them right.

Anyway... all this does have a lot to do with my getting my 65 later.

One day, riding the bus home from school, around 5th or 6th grade, a friend was telling me he couldn't wait until the weekend when he got his allowance and planned on buying something that coming Saturday with it.
I asked him what was an allowance. He said his parents gave him $5 dollars a week for his allowance. I still didn't quite understand what an 'allowance' was, so I asked him what he did to earn the $5. He said nothing, it was his allowance.
I never got paid for doing my chores, but if I wanted a little money for the fair or some other event, my parents would usually give me a few bucks. And if I wanted to buy something like a model airplane or model truck, my dad would give me an extra job; like stacking fence posts, or some other job outside of my regular chores.
Funny, I never felt lacking that I wasn't getting an 'allowance' like my friend.

This all leads up to my dad buying me this 65 truck.

Early in eighth grade, my parents got a divorce. My parents never fought around others. My sister and I never saw them fight, and our whole family said the divorce came as a shock. I went with my mom. My sister with dad.
I would spend summers with dad. Eventually, my dad moved to Oregon. I think early 80's.
The summer after 11th grade, I went again to stay with my dad. He had a landscape businesses and every morning I was expected to get up and go to work with him. I didn't even think I was supposed to get paid. I just figured that was one's share of being part of the household.

My not getting an allowance when I was younger is why I didn't expect to get paid later when I went to work with dad doing landscaping. I just saw it as what was expected of me for having a roof over my head.

So I worked all summer with my dad.
As it was getting closer to school starting, my dad asked me if I was going to go back down to California, or stay with him for my senior year. I told him I wanted to go back to Calif. He then asked me to sit down. He had a folder that he opened and said he had been figuring some numbers. He said he took the hours I worked times what he figured I was worth, and then subtracted 'Room & Board' and said he figured I had $1200 coming. I was thinking; Wow!
But he said he wasn't going to give me the money, but rather, we would go look for a truck for me. Pretty neat!

For some reason, I wanted a 67-72 chevy, and he wanted me to get a f*rd somewhere between 54 –1960. I wanted a chevy.
After looking at many, many pickups 67-72 chevys, I was starting to wonder if we'd find something before I had to go back to Ca.
Then one evening dad saw something in the 'Nickle-Ads' We called the guy and went to see it that same eve.
I loved it at first sight. He wanted $1100, and we didn't offer him less.

I feel really privileged that my parents didn't give me anything for nothing.
I know in generations past, children were expected to share the household load.
But I think most parents from the 60's on wanted their children to have the 'good things' that they, when they were kids, didn't have.
Today, we have friends that can't even get their kids to mow the lawn unless they pay them. They aren't doing their kids any good.

[markeb01]

Wow, what great story. A little more background adds even more significance to the decision to buy your truck back. I think growing up learning responsibility instead of a free ride certainly results in a more productive and appreciative adult.

Thanks for sharing.

[LowDown]

Yep great story.

[corvettejim1968]

im so happy you shared your story. im sure that truck will be yours till you die.

[Captainfab]

Thanks for the sharing that Robert

I was raised the same way......but I had to work for 3 years to get my '63. My Dad paid $275.00 for it in 1975

[Chevyman680063]

I'm glad to see you finally found it. You should become a detective for finding people's old vehicles.

[LostMy65]

Saved for future reference:

Originally Posted by Captainfab

The width of a C10 12 bolt from '63 to early '70 is 62" WMS to WMS. From late '70 thru '87 the width increased to 63.5" WMS to WMS. ...clip...

Btw.... Doing a forum search, I estimate Captain has answered this question hundreds of times.
I search a lot for my answers. It seems many just start a thread asking the same question over and over and over.
And now my rant is over.

[LostMy65]

When I actually get started on my 65, I'll start a thread in the 'projects and builds' forum.
Posted via Mobile Device

[66-PMD-GMC]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

Saved for future reference:



Btw.... Doing a forum search, I estimate Captain has answered this question hundreds of times.
I search a lot for my answers. It seems many just start a thread asking the same question over and over and over.
And now my rant is over.

I use 73 and up rear diffs in my GMC builds and I honestly can't see the 3/4 inch per side difference in width.
IMO, all a person needs to do is pay attention to back-set on their wheel purchase and clearance won't be an issue.
My 66 has a 79 3.42:1 rear diff and stock wheels and no problems at all. And it bolted directly in.
BTW- putting the 73 and up front suspension makes the front width wider too.

[LostMy65]

I am really close to having my 66 back together and drivable.
So I'm starting to think of what to do when I start on my 65.

Originally Posted by LostMy65

Top on the list:

#1; get that soggy carpet up and let that floor dry. - DONE
#2; give her a good cleaning.
#3; get those bumpers back right side up.
#4; park her under cover and get my 66 back together.
Posted via Mobile Device

Got the carpet tore up and she's been parked in a completely enclosed costco carport since I first drove her home.

I really need to quit looking at the parts forum.
I have quite a list of things I would like, but don't really need.
I have to prioritize my funds and concentrate on first getting my 65 to be a great daily driver and the body panels restored and protected.
I need to keep reminding myself that chrome knobs and the like is money that doesn't need to be spent when I have more important expenses.

So, first on my list is get the brakes upgraded.

[66-PMD-GMC]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

I am really close to having my 66 back together and drivable.
So I'm starting to think of what to do when I start on my 65.


So, first on my list is get the brakes upgraded.

Why does it have to be a driver right away?

My truck was down 3 years, collecting things for the build and information and ideas of how to do what I wanted to do.

If you have a 61 frame, is it still a torsion front end?

If so, either swap the front suspension like you did the 66.
There are minor issues involving that and its work OR...
change out the frame to a 63-66 style.

Before you say thats too much work,,,, I move my truck over to another frame in a weekend and the $60 bushing kit was the most expensive part..

Of course, I had the frame itself prepped and ready and I drove the truck as it was while I was doing the frame.

Just tossing around ideas friend.

[pdxhall]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

I am really close to having my 66 back together and drivable.
So I'm starting to think of what to do when I start on my 65.



Got the carpet tore up and she's been parked in a completely enclosed costco carport since I first drove her home.

I really need to quit looking at the parts forum.
I have quite a list of things I would like, but don't really need.
I have to prioritize my funds and concentrate on first getting my 65 to be a great daily driver and the body panels restored and protected.
I need to keep reminding myself that chrome knobs and the like is money that doesn't need to be spent when I have more important expenses.

So, first on my list is get the brakes upgraded.

I know exactly what you mean on the parts issues. I'm so far away from needing some things like new seats, knobs, and whatever, but I keep looking and finding all these great deals that are hard to pass up now and concentrate on the "I need this now" parts. I guess if the deal is just too good to pass up I'll snag it, but still try to keep in control. I can tell you're just itching to get started on that truck now that you got it back and it looks from the pictures to be still very solid. Good luck and I'll definitely be following your progress on this one as well as the service truck.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by 66-PMD-GMC

Why does it have to be a driver right away?

My truck was down 3 years, collecting things for the build and information and ideas of how to do what I wanted to do.

If you have a 61 frame, is it still a torsion front end?

If so, either swap the front suspension like you did the 66.
There are minor issues involving that and its work OR...
change out the frame to a 63-66 style.

Before you say thats too much work,,,, I move my truck over to another frame in a weekend and the $60 bushing kit was the most expensive part..

Of course, I had the frame itself prepped and ready and I drove the truck as it was while I was doing the frame.

Just tossing around ideas friend.

I do appreciate suggestions for sure.
However;
I just got her back, so I want to drive it for a few years.
Enjoy the moment.
So first is to upgrade the front to discs.
I'm keeping it on the 62 frame with the torsions for several reasons;
mostly because of a couple 'micky-rig' jobs that I and my uncle did.
(I'll get some pics) Those 'micky-rig' fixes are memories that I want to keep with the truck.
So once I feel good about the drivability and reliability, then I'll do a slow process rolling preservation / restoration - mainly body panels and rust repair. All the while keeping a look out for a good deal on a more highway friendly transmission than the sm420 it has now.
Then, later on I'll tear her down and clean up the frame along with possibly a complete frame-up restore.