Ryans62c20's build thread

[ryans62c20]

Hey all,
I figured that I would start a thread on my truck. I have a 1962 c20 long wheel base stepside that I bought two weeks ago. I saw it on eBay, went down to look at it, since it was not too far from where I live, and got it for $2500. Not too shabby, huh?

[ryans62c20]

The body is really good in most places. There are a couple of small spots that I have noticed have been bondo'd. Overall a good project. It needs some attention here and there. This thread may go pretty slow, since I am budgeted $50 every two weeks to spend on it.......

[ryans62c20]

The wood in the bed is old and worn, but solid and un-rotted. I don't plan to spend anything replacing it at the moment. This truck was bought to haul things as needed. I probably will scrape the sides down and seal it with black rustoleum.

[joe231]

Cool truck!!

I realize you are new here and all.....good job with the pics.....
But we need some specs on that truck man!

oh and some interior shots....and some under hood shots.....and, and, and
aboard!!!

[ryans62c20]

Working on emailing myself pics from my phone and then resizing them and uploading them. The truck is actually a Coca-Cola red, not orange-y like the pics. Pictures make everything look better. The paint is amateur and thin and orange peel.
Here are some interior pics. Decent shape. Lot of work I want to do. The gray upholstery on the doors and roof are stained/rusted. The seat's tired and a little torn. The windshield's cracked. The bottom of the doors are rusted out and there is a lot of surface rust on the floor, due to the insanely thick carpet just holding all that moisture in. I plan remove the carpet, leave bare floor, scrubbing those down and slapping some rust converter on it until I decide what to do next.

[ryans62c20]

Here are some drivetrain pics. Edelbrock carb sitting on a Q-jet intake. The exhaust is horrendous. Two of the header tubes on the passenger side are crushed almost closed. I have taken pics of the block stamps and tranny. I can't read the stamps at this point to tell what kind of motor it is. The tranny is a TH350 auto.

[ryans62c20]

The steering gear box had a little more than a full quarter turn of the steering wheel in it, which is a little scary. I read that you can loosen the locknut on the top of the 3-bolt plate (on top) and tighten the sector shaft screw to take out the slop. I did that yesterday and it only took out about a third of the play. Better but not good. I found a seller on eBay that is selling a rebuilt steering box for $125+17 shipping, which is great. I will probably do that. Anybody know where I can get money selling mine as a rebuildable core?

[ryans62c20]

The exhaust has got to go soon. crushed headers, welded together pipes, and some flexible metal tubing, all held up by some ugly green wire.

The previous owner made a rear transmission crossmember out of some 1/2 inch diamond plate, slashed some holes with an angle grinder for bolt holes. The tranmission mount is held on by one crooked bolt. Can anybody post pics of what their crossmember for this year's frame looks like (stock or fabricated)?

The transmission leaked when I got it. I dropped the pan and replaced the filter and pan gasket. This was a pain, since the pan doesn't have a drain plug. I loosened the bolts progressively toward one corner, so it would run out that way. I still got fluid all over the garage floor. Ok. So now no leak from the pan. Now I find out that it is also leaking pretty good from the trannyfluid filler tube oring. So I replace that. It is still leaking, probably from both the front AND rear seals.

[jonzcustomshop]

looks great so far! tranny mount is scary!

[protrash64]

Cool truck....you have to expect some 'interesting' engineering on a $2500 truck. Looks like more of head scratcher projects. Is that a tach on the column or an alarm clock?

[stevedh76]

Nice truck for $2500! I just bought my 62 LWB step last week for $2000 but yours most likely has a 283 V8 in it as opposed to my 236 I6. Nice find! Good luck on the build. I would send you some pics of my crossmember but i have a manual tranny - not sure if they are the same...?

[stevedh76]

Hey i just noticed your mirrors are the same as mine but i never see any on any other trucks from our years and they arent factory as far as i know. I wonder if they are some kind of farm option installed by the dealer??? If anyone knows im sure we would like to know how to get some new ones or some info on the origin.

[MacAttack]

Please take note, Ryan - trying to satiate joe231’s photo fetish is like trying to fill a hole in the ocean. Don’t encourage him - he’ll just hump your leg, like you neighbor’s dog.

Welcome Aboard!

Mac.

[hewlett2002000]

very nice truck. that transmission mount/cross-member is ridiculous. i have a set of mirrors like that, there going on my truck. i like them. very nice truck. with a few small repairs/mods id drive it just like that.

[joe231]

Originally Posted by MacAttack

Please take note, Ryan - trying to satiate joe231’s photo fetish is like trying to fill a hole in the ocean. Don’t encourage him - he’ll just hump your leg, like you neighbor’s dog.

Welcome Aboard!

Mac.

wait.....what?

[Alan's Classic]

Originally Posted by MacAttack

Please take note, Ryan - trying to satiate joe231’s photo fetish is like trying to fill a hole in the ocean. Don’t encourage him - he’ll just hump your leg, like you neighbor’s dog.

Welcome Aboard!

Mac.

Now that's funny I don't care who you are.


Welcome aboard Ryan. Remember anything you do is progress. I'm sure you have already discovered how great this forum is. Nice looking truck.

[Captainfab]

Looks like a decent truck to work with. I agree that tranny mount is scary looking.

Looking at this pic here, I'm seeing 5.0L that would be a 305

[chucks1967]

NICE!!! cant wait to see it in the car show! maybe I can have the 66 runnin by then... or not.

[MacAttack]

[orange66fleet]

Wow, priced well and it looks to have some updates as well as po's nice crapsmenship too. Good luck it does look like you purchased a good truck.

[ceruzziracing]

Nice score, neat looking ride. Gotta love that tranny mount Welcome to the site, you won't find a more helpful bunch of peoplle anywhere.

[protrash64]

Originally Posted by orange66fleet

Wow, priced well and it looks to have some updates as well as po's nice crapsmenship too. Good luck it does look like you purchased a good truck.

........"crapsmenship''. ......good one!!

[ryans62c20]

My Garage at the moment.

[chucks1967]

I wish my garage was that clean....Glad you got the monte looks schweet.

[LILRED66]

Nice rig for the money and with some minor repairs and upgrades you will have a great truck for a relatively small investment. A factory automatic transmission cross member will work or you can buy a generic automatic tranny cross member from many of the aftermarket truck parts suppliers like:

www.lmctruck.com
www.classicparts.com
www.truckandcarshop.com
www.oldchevytrucks.com
www.classicperformance.com

I see the factory auto tranny cross members on eBay from time to time. I have a factory auto tranny cross member, that has been chromed, if you are interested.

The mirrors are aftermarket and available at Walmart, K-Mart and most auto parts stores.

Nice truck and please keep us posted with your progress. Congratulations on your purchase and good luck during the process.