My Slap-my-hand-to-my-forehead 68 fixer-upper

[ixnay]

A friend's beautiful butter-cream yellow 68 4-speed bit me. I had to have one. I wanted a 68-72, 3-speed (so my daughters could ride with me), white, 2WD, long-bed, 3.73 back-end C10. I looked for 3 months all over the Pacific NW. Last week, I bought a restoration-in-process from the widow of the fellow who passed away suddenly 3 years ago. It's a faded hugger orange in color, but I can live with that.

The good: came with a 3.73 diff in the bed, all the heater parts, rebuilt engine, rebuilt tranny, front spindles w/ 5 lugs and disc brakes, more bungee cords than I know what to deal with, new front window, replaced side mirrors, the two rockers, and little rust.

The bad: tires were flat, brakes faded quickly, floor-boards and kick-panels and tail gate are rusted, radio doesn't work, 3 of the 4 rear lights don't work, wiring generally is iffy.

The previous owner put over $4,000 into it before passing away. I don't know what he paid originally. He had a 58 Apache rebuild going on too. That one is going up for sale soon.

So the rig is at the mechanic to swap the diff, install the brakes, work on the points, check the wiring for the rear lights, install the heater, etc. I did one minor restore--a 67 Mustang 24 years ago. I'll handle the minor mechanical and body issues, including windows, weather-stripping, paint, etc.

I ain't even a shade-tree mechanic, but the memories and scraped knuckles are coming back.

It's an honor to serve.

[STOCKISH]

Looks like a cool project. Welcome from NC. Glad to have ya.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Welcome from southern oregon.... Looks to be a great little ride ya got yourself...

[Jerry Jones]

Cool deal.

Welcome to the boards from Northern California!

[OARNGESI]

Cool project

[Mordachai]

nice starting point! love the lwb's

and welcome to the board!

[Palf70Step]

Looks like a great beginning for a project. Welcome to the board.

[oldblue1968chevy]

welcome

tell me a lil about your display picture......

my grandpaw was part of that in WWII he made some of those in wood....im sorry i sound stupid and dunno what im talkin bout i just saw it and thought of him tell me a lil about it and cool build? is that green 67 theone you were gonna get

[ixnay]

Originally Posted by oldblue1968chevy

welcome

tell me a lil about your display picture......

my grandpaw was part of that in WWII he made some of those in wood....im sorry i sound stupid and dunno what im talkin bout i just saw it and thought of him tell me a lil about it and cool build? is that green 67 theone you were gonna get

First, a minor correction. According to the dash, the color is RED. Faded red, but red.

Second, the avatar. The 70th Infantry Division started out of Camp Adair near Corvallis, Oregon in 1943. She fought with 7th Army in Europe, but was deactivated post WWII. It was reactivated, etc. and its colors were transferred to my Army Reserve higher headquarters in Seattle's historic Fort Lawton.

The mountain is Oregon's Mt. Hood. The axe blade and Douglas Fir symbolize Oregon's logging industry. The shoulder patch is unique in that it is the only one that incorporates an element in its shape--that of an axe blade.

Recently, because of base realignments, the colors were cased and transferred from my post to Fort Knox. I now wear the patch of the 90th ID's Tough Ombres, but my heart broke when the colors were moved.

[ixnay]

Update: over the 4th, the carburetor went kabloowie. The spring holding the choke plate came off, I believe, 'cause it don't look like the Roch Quadrajet in the manual no more. Plus I found the armature lying on the header. And the timing is off. She misses more than she hits. This is beyond my ken and time, so it's over at the mechanic's while I pick up a new wiring harness. The fuse box and connections are heavy on the FeO2, and the headlight dimmer, for example, doesn't work because of the rust. The switch works fine, but it's either parking lamps or hi-beams. Painless seems to be a good solution.

But the good news is that the 5 lug conversion is moving forward, the backend might be 3.73 already, and LMC has rubber kits galore. I'll probably spend all that I'm earning while on AT for the summer on this rig (oops) but then I'll be able to drive her in the fall if I need to. Need to do the body work too, but that involves some welding of floor pans first. And a friend is giving me the 15 inch wheels.

I think the radio that was thrown in is Tango Uniform. Knobs don't turn the dial-stick and the buttons move but have no effect. Dan's Classic is a local shop with AM/FM radios that fit, so I think I'll grab one. That's a winter expense however. Gotta have some entertainment while I'm sleeping there once the wife sees the bills.

It's an Honor to Serve.

[Sinister]

Nice project. Do yourself a favor and don't get rubber seals and stuff from LMC their seals are garbage. Try Wes at Classic Heartbeat or GMC Paul's.

[ixnay]

And the survey said: Points were closed.

That was my third gut feeling on "what could the problem with the carb be?" The first was that this rig has a Quadrajet, not issued with this chassis. The second was that the "coat-hook adapter/semi-automatic" (baling wire, anyone?) choke made the interrior dash handle good for nothing. So whatever came off did not matter. And the points are points, right? And points are a pain. They close. If you have no spark, you've got no engine. So, Pertronix Ignitor II to the rescue. And window seals and brakes and such. But I'm off for my AT with Mother Army, so the rig will have to wait.

Virginia here I come.

MJH

[ixnay]

It turns out the firewall was holier than thou. So I went to the body-shop in late December and just retrieved the rig. Now it's back to the mechanic to have the heater, brakes, and harness put it. I've put new rubber on, so she doesn't leak quite as much. The donated wheels were too big, so I've got 4 new wheels.

The rockers turned out well. The heater box hole was fashioned from some metal off an Olds.

[bigguy69]

i like it!

[ixnay]

It's getting close. Today I thumbed through the LMC catalogue to develop a wish list. Classic Heartbeat & dear ol' Wes are a lot closer and since I drive to Fort Lewis monthly, I'll either head there or to Portland's Dan's Classic Auto Parts to spend my inheritance. The brake conversion is almost done. Last week I saw shiny metal and got gooseflesh. The ball joints have been replaced, new zerks put in (up to 17 now), bought 4 tires the other night to go with the new wheels.

I took off the rear side lamps today. I had noticed no wiring going to them. Even though it's a 68 model, the lamps are reflectors only. The plastic is solid where a socket would go through.

I also confirmed that the spare tire has been gone for a while, that the front fenders were tapped for wheel molding but never had any, that the front left fender is tapped, but unoccuped (I think I'll put a radiator fluid overflow tank there or move the windshield washer fluid???), and the spare tire mount has been missing the bracket for some time.

And pics, I've attached pics. My battery died so the flash was not as strong. Sorry.

Safety is the next concern, now that I've taken care of the brakes. Need to get a spring for the bench seat, buy a third seatbelt, and get the larger rectangle mirrors. Then my bride can drive it if she needs to.

For those of you in the Portland, Oregon metro area, the mechanic is a good friend and great father/son team of Felix and Scott LaPlante, Sherwood Auto, in Tualatin, Oregon. I've been taking my Ford and Chevy pickups there for years.

Check back in a week or two for more progress.

MJH

[JRBECK64]

Looks like your making great progress. I also cant wait to see your finished product. I really like the look of the 67-68 front end and definitly like the moldings on the side of the truck better than the newer ones. I have also been tasking WES up in Olympia and he should get some kind of prize for putting up with all my questions and sometimes impatients in getting all the parts I need. I have to say he's a great asset to have in restoring these old trucks. Have you looked at All American up in Vancouver WA for one of those spare tire holders? I have a inside the bed tire holder that was on the Shortwide bed I picked up in TX. If you need it let me know. I personally would rather have it under the truck but thats just my preference.

JRBECK64

[ixnay]

Originally Posted by JRBECK64

Have you looked at All American up in Vancouver WA for one of those spare tire holders? I have a inside the bed tire holder that was on the Shortwide bed I picked up in TX. If you need it let me know. I personally would rather have it under the truck but thats just my preference.

JRBECK64

I have not tried All American. Thanks for the tip. I've got to go to court (it's a good thing--I'm a durn liar ) tomorrow, so I'll swing by. I'm looking for under the truck because I like to preserve the bed space. And I'm used to it as my last two rigs had the spare below.

[ixnay]

Picked up a spare tire carrier from this forum. Should be arriving from Virginia any day. Came off a 69 GMC. Spoke with the mechanic today (Felix LaPlante of Sherwood Auto, nice, nice guys). Felix is about done with the brake conversion.

I've been looking to install a new radio. Going with the Retrosound 900C and their 410N speaker.

Still need to fix the bench seat, and install a third seat belt. Probably will do a Maaco paint job to hold it over the winter. Need to straighten the front bumper. Still thinking about putting Line-X in the bed, maybe the cab. But the kitchen remodel ($100K and climbing) is sucking all the cash out of my wallet.

Concerning the kitchen, let's see, I authorized two change orders including a major re-design, put in a skylight, bought the range hood, picked up 3 doors (not 1 as planned) had to buy a toilet and will have to buy a garbage disposal (neither of which were in the budget), bought a bathroom vanity (not in budget), bought an Electrlux stove when I was planning on Kenmore, etc. etc. And you know what I need to haul all the stuff that I bought for the kitchen, don't you. Can't do that in my Camry.

Meanwhile, I am taking care of plumbing issues in the bathroom showers, laundry room sink, and irrigation sprinklers. And I need the truck back to finish the yard work, lay the sod, etc.

I miss my truck.

[ixnay]

I retrieve the pickup Monday. I'll post photos next week. Still lots of work left, but the tough sledding is over.

MJH

[ixnay]

Originally Posted by ixnay

I retrieve the pickup Monday. I'll post photos next week. Still lots of work left, but the tough sledding is over.

MJH

Ha ha ha! The wiring harness is taking longer than expected. So I still don't have my truck. But here are photos of the wiring harness tentacles, front spindle & new disc brake, new rear brake, and newly painted spare tire carrier (thanks Dasani). Btw, those are air shocks--a nice addition by a former owner.

and for JRBeck64, a shot from the kitchen remodel--the tiled mudroom/bathroom.

MJH

[ixnay]

Still working on the shoulder-belt harness issue. Does anyone know whether the B pillar is strong enough to handle the torque should the bolt be pulled on in an accident? I don't want the shoulder harness to fail because I could have reinforced the pillar and didn't.

Wesco and Juliano's have instructions on 3-point harnesses.

MJH

PS. The kitchen and mudroom/powder-room are painted. The tile is done. The doors installed, the locks arriving Thursday, windows going in tomorrow, and cabinets here next week.

[Sinister]

Originally Posted by ixnay

Still working on the shoulder-belt harness issue. Does anyone know whether the B pillar is strong enough to handle the torque should the bolt be pulled on in an accident? I don't want the shoulder harness to fail because I could have reinforced the pillar and didn't.

Wesco and Juliano's have instructions on 3-point harnesses.

The B pillar should be strong enough. Shoulder belts were available from the factory.

[ixnay]

Any opinions on Wesco seat belts versus those from Juliano's?

Meanwhile, the rear axle has been an issue. Think we, i.e., the machine shop, mechanic, and I, have figured it out. So I plan to pick it up next week. If I had the seat belts available locally, I would install them, but delivery is "UPS ground" days away.

MJH

[ixnay]

D-E-L-A-Y.

(Disclaimer: I’m not a mechanic, so I may have some of this story wrong)

I’m converting from a six-lug wheel and brake to a five-lug with disc brakes. We were going to use the same axle. Popped the studs off, ground the face and sent the axle to the machine shop for new studs. Sent a template too. Came back with 5 studs. Five studs that were mostly in the right place. Sent it back. Machine shop returned axle. This time the five studs were closer, but still not quite centered. And the shop refused to take a third swing at the bat.

Fine. Go to the junk yard, get a new axle. The axle is a tad long. Fine. Put everything together. Oops! New axle has a 2 1/2 inch backing plate for the brakes. They hang out there about 3/8 of an inch. But the regular backing plate is made for 2 inch shoes. I like the idea of more braking power because of larger brakes. So now we’re shortening the axle a wee bit. Maybe Thursday I’ll see my rig.

The wiring is done. The heater is done--some mouse family lost its home. Need to order door latches and window cranks now.

On the safety front, I just ordered 3-point, retractable shoulder harnesses from Wesco Performance. I’ve got new headlamps--it came with old sealed beam lamps--and I have the tool-bag-to-get-me-out-of-minor-scrapes ready to go.

[Palf70Step]

The five-lug axles of a 71/72 are .75" longer (each side or 1.5 " wider rearend) than the 67-69 (early 70) axles.

Myself, I would get the whole rear form a 71/72 or buy new shorter axles setup with 5-lug. I believe Early Classic sells them, but who else slips my brain at the moment.