'64 C-10 Stalled Project Rescue

[Arne]

While waiting on the A/C parts, I (with a new suggestion from my wife) decided to re-visit the bed wood that came with the truck. And I've decided that while it isn't 100% "correct" for the truck, it will work with a small amount of tweaks. Here's a test fit...

[Braunschweiger]

It will look beautiful

[Arne]

Yes, it will be quite fine. The wood appears to be pine, with just the thinnest skiff of clear finish. The widths are all off by a bit, and 6 of the 8 countersunk holes are in the wrong place as well. I was planning to do no-bolts, hidden mount if I bought new wood, so by doing a hybrid bolts/hidden instead and using dummy bolts where the holes don't line up with the frame pads I should end up with something that looks reasonably proper.

I will have to drill a few holes in the cross-sills to match the new board widths, but actually not too many. Once I get that done and all test fitted, I'll sand the boards and give them 2 or 3 coats of Spar Satin Poly.

[rbruno68]

I am getting ready to finalize my bedwood and put my bed back on my truck. I keep wavering regarding the bolts that attach the bed to the frame between the hidden bolts and the bolts showing on the top. I plan to assemble the bed on my stands and square everything up. I am going to leave the two boards that would bolt the bed down off till I set it on the frame and get everything set. I think at the last minute I will make the decision once I see it on the truck and see how hard it would be to get the wholes right. That is the part I am worried about is getting those holes right so the washer will work as it should. If I drill them in the wrong place and mess up all the work I have done, I will not be happy. However, if I hide the bolts under the wood, I won't take the chance of messing them up. I think it will be a game time decision.
Rob

[Arne]

Yeah, concern about mis-drilling the holes was a big reason I decided to go hidden bolts. Especially since my truck is a shortened longbed, and I'm not 100% sure the frame mounts are in the proper places anyway. But this new direction will work fine.

[Arne]

Still waiting on both A/C (arrival of parts) and bed wood (waiting for warmer weather for finish application), so I decided to dig into the front suspension.

I've never been totally happy with the front ride height. Too much rake, and not enough front suspension travel. So I've decided that since I'm hoping to build a truck that could be used and driven regularly, the front needs to come up an inch.

Today I pulled the springs out, and determined (by way of free length specs) that they are 3" drop springs. Which was what I'd guessed, but now it's confirmed. I've ordered a pair of 2" drop instead, and posted the 3" springs in the classifieds. Looks like the new springs should be here Monday.

[Arne]

I noticed when I had the bed floor laid out that there was a lot of flex over the axle. Maybe oak would be stronger, but the pine I have is pretty flexible in that long span between the second and third cross support. So I decided to add a fourth support over the axle, and built it today. I haven't laid the wood back out again yet, but I'm sure this will make for a much more solid feeling floor.

[Arne]

I also replaced the temp sender to the idiot lights yet again today. This time, instead of the horribly unreliable currently available senders (which all appear to be made by a single source), I picked up a pair of NOS off eBay. So far, so good. Although I can't test drive it since the springs are out, probably until Tuesday.

Temp sender thread is here: https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...d.php?t=842386

[FamilyTruckster65]

Hi Arne, the frames are very flexible. Great work so far, keep it up.

[Arne]

Originally Posted by FamilyTruckster65

Great work so far, keep it up.

Thanks! Not quite the same kind of project as yours, but it's turning out fairly nice.

[Braunschweiger]

The floor will be great.
It's good that you're so persistent with the temperature sensor.

[rbruno68]

I worked on my bed wood this weekend and let me say the struggle is real. I didn't think it would be that difficult, but it was my first time working with the bed wood and redoing my bed. I made my own bed wood strips. They were not perfect, but they were good. I decided on hiding my bolts that bolt the bed to the frame. At first I decided for looks, but am really glad I did. My truck had been hit or backed into something on the passenger side rear. I had the bed apart to begin with because the back support was bent as well as the first cross sill. I bought a new back support from Mark K and did the best I could to straighten the cross sill that was bent a bit. From the outside, the bed side was in good enough shape. No rust, but there is filler in the back corner. It is going to be a driver, so I wasn't worried about a complete redo. I squared the bed as best I could and started to reassemble. Everything needed fitting and adjusting which I should have expected. But, between my wood not being perfect, the rear sill being a replacement, and the damage to the side was more then I realized it was a real challenge to get things back together and square. I also think the perches were shoved around a bit because I had to drill a new hole in one to get it to bolt up. I see why guys weld the cross sills to the frame. If I had drilled holes in my wood, they wouldn't have worked and I would have ruined my work. I got the bed on and aligned as best I could. One sides sits a little further away from the cab then the other, but it is the best I could get. Once it was back on, I could see where the bed side sort of bows out from the impact. I didn't really notice this till it was on the truck. When I was squaring, I measure at the front and the back and had the same measurements as far as width. Then I did the corners. But, I didn't take in to account the slight bow which would make that bed side a little bit shorter. So even though I squared it, it is probably not truly square. But it is on the truck, done, and I went for a short test ride for the first time since buying the truck.

All that is to say, that I struggled with the bed wood and bed aligning. I learned a lot and will know better next time. However, next time is going to be a long way a way.
Rob

[Arne]

Today's update - Springs arrived fairly early, and so the front end is reassembled. Looks like they brought the front up a bit more than an inch right now, but I still haven't driven it to get things settled. But even at this height I'm pleased. It still has a slight rake, but not as pronounced as before. A nice amount of suspension travel before it hits the bump stops.

In lieu of a test drive, I did start and warm up the engine today, and the NOS temp sender worked as it should, with the Cold light going out after a few minutes idling. So far, so good on that part.

Realistically, all that's left is to apply finish and install the bed wood, and then the A/C system in a few weeks. Almost there.

[Arne]

Bed wood is sanded, and the weather is finally going to be warm enough later this week. Will try to get 3-4 coats of finish applied on Friday and Saturday.

[pdxhall]

Nice looking bed. I've still got mine in boxes.

[Arne]

Multiple coats of polyurethane have been applied on all surfaces—top, bottom and all edges. The first piece is in place and fastened down. Should have time to get a few more down tomorrow afternoon, and should finish on Monday. It's looking great so far.

Side note—I did a little research and have determined that the predrilled bed wood kit the prior owner bought was made for '55-59 Chevy ½ ton. The board length is the same as the '60-87 short stepsides, and the overall width of the bed floor is the same as well. But all the boards are different widths than the later trucks, and the predrilled holes are all in a straight line on the older trucks, rather than the second hole being offset a bit as our trucks are. It really doesn't much matter at this point, just one of those things that piqued my curiosity.

[Arne]

The bed is done. Not perfect, since I used wood for another application that has been beat up in garages for several years, but still looks quite nice and in character with this truck. Adding the additional cross rail was a big improvement, the floor is solid with no real flex.



Which means that most of the heavy lifting is complete. I'm still waiting on the A/C parts, but that's really the last of the big stuff.

I'll spend some time driving it to find any bugs or small things that need dealt with while I await the A/C.

[FamilyTruckster65]

That looks great Arne! Definately time to go out and enjoy it.

[Arne]

Drove it to my afternoon appointment at the blood bank. (Donation #98.) Lots of waves and thumbs-up on the trip across town. I'm hearing a little noise from the speedo, doesn't seem to be from the cable. Not sure I can do much about that.

The new springs and increased front ride height is a good thing IMO. Ride is better, it doesn't bottom out any more, and I actually prefer the new stance. Before there was too much rake, too low in front compared to the rear. Now it is a lot more even, but still has a little rake. It looks like a truck that could be used as a truck now, instead of looking like a truck trying to be a hot rod (which it definitely ain't).

I'll take some new pics sometime this week.

[Arne]

Ran a couple errands today. I'm liking the new ride height. Not to everyone's taste, I'm sure. But it drives so much better.

[cwcarpenter98]

I actually like the new ride height better. The rake was a little too much on the previous springs, but sits just right now.

[Arne]

Yeah, I'm much happier with the stance now. It looks more "right" to me too.

[Arne]

Got the shipping notice for the A/C parts, ETA next Thursday.

[pdxhall]

The stance looks great now. What AC are going with?

[Arne]

Originally Posted by pdxhall

What AC are going with?

A kit custom configured by J.W. at Auto AC Solutions. The kit is based heavily on the same parts as sold by Old Air, but with several changes since I can't used the normal pre-packaged solutions. I could have got essentially the same package from Old Air, but J.W.'s package was more than $200 less.

The package includes a different electronic control panel as well as some additional hard piping to simplify the hose runs to the left-side compressor I need. I'm looking forward to getting started on it.