64 BBW LWB Fleet... project

[rahatawa]

Picked up this project on Sunday. It followed me the whole way...

First project. Just getting started. Had a 69 in high school. learned to drive a stick on it. I want to keep the inline 6 and 3 on the tree for nostalgia.

Bed is just sitting on the frame in the picture. It is pretty much toast. I have secured another bed for it on the cheap so i may scrap the current one. Plans are to get it running and driving asap and get the new bed on it and enjoy it then do upgrades as i can for a bit. Have a shop to go and weld patches in as i go. Longterm.. tear it down and do a frame up.. time will tell

[64Fugly]

Good luck on the project.

[rahatawa]

Thanks, I just have a head full of ideas and writing down as much information as i can...

Where to get patch panels?
How to make the most efficient engine (read as mpg)?
Best Carb?
HEI?

At least a friend of mine is the welding instructor at the local vo/tech. so i have that going for me.

[Captainfab]

Welcome to the forum

Where to buy patch panels....I would recommend giving a couple board vendors a shot at it. MBGMike, and GMC Pauls for starters. I've bought patch panels from Classic parts that were about as good as can be expected. I haven't messed with 6cyls much, but upgrading to an HEI and good wires, plugs along with getting your timing optimized, would be a good start. A 5 speed swap might help a bit

Originally Posted by rahatawa

Thanks, I just have a head full of ideas and writing down as much information as i can...

Where to get patch panels?
How to make the most efficient engine (read as mpg)?
Best Carb?
HEI?

At least a friend of mine is the welding instructor at the local vo/tech. so i have that going for me.

[aerotruk63]

I prefer the Pertronix 1162A unit in the stock distributor. Economy with any motor deals directly with how it is driven. Vacuum gauge will help in that department. Alot of power available in a six. Depends on what you want to do carb wise.

[rahatawa]

i will take a look at the pertronix unit. As i sit here, the bed is off and hidden behind the shed to keep the neighbors happy. I got the two flats off and to a shop to get some rollers that will hold air on it.

Soon its off to the shop to get the carb linkage set up and run through the engine for me as i have little experience. but, it is on two blocks now and the bed is off... it looks like progress if nothing else.

[rahatawa]

okay. a bit frustrated and maybe this should wait but i have a question.

So i drop the truck off at a shop because i want them to run through the engine and hook up the carb and throttle linkage for me. (BTW thanks to LILRED66. Perfect part. Cleaned up and everything)


Well go to drop the part off and he says one of his guys took a look at the engine and its not original and is off something later model. He used as his determining factor that it had an "integrated head." Now it has been a month since i looked under the hood and should probably go and take a look.






Question is this. do i try and make this "newer" engine work with my newly found linkage and make a runner even though i have never heard it running. or, as the guy at the shop says just try and find a late model truck with a 350/350 combo and drop that whole thing in there.

I am trying to just get a cheap farm truck running and take my time building what i want out of it.

[rahatawa]

posted on the engine forums as well and go what sounded to be a lot of bad news. lots of thinking and drinking to do in order to come up with a conclusion. Plan for now is to get this guy up and running with a new linkage of some sort. (because as you can see it is buggered) Once it is running an i have a useable truck i will begin putting together a new engine for my rig.

Question now is to do a 6 or an 8. fuel efficiency is a concern but not paramount. if i can do around 15mpg then i would be tickled pink. so 3.08 gears and now to find a proper carb engine combo to get me there. sigh... the search begins.

[rahatawa]

GREAT NEWS! Got my truck back. New carb and linkage more appropriate to the engine and drove the ol girl home from the shop. Then proceeded to take the girlfriends two boys 8 and 6 for a ride to the end of the road and back. Needless to say I am fired up. Time to get it road worthy and driving.



Need list?

1. Bed? original which is busted or build up a flat bed for cheap for it.

2. Springs. She has sagged over the years. How low can I drop it without needing to relocate shocks. change brakes etc.


I am garageless at this point so just want to get her happy then after a move at the beginning of the year tear into her a bit more vigorously.

I am in love and want to dote on the new girl. Springs and Bed are first. What can you guys tell me about the shocks? Begging for advice is okay right? Also I am on the lookout for a new bed due to all the work this one would need.

Thanks for looking and any advice

edit... and remedy the headlight situation

[Dan in Pasadena]

Some longbed pictures just to keep you stoked up.

[rahatawa]

Thanks for the pictures. Two things going on. Realized my bed is shot and requires either a lot of time with patch panels and a welder or a new bed. So i am on the hunt now.

Second thing. I have saved the money and want to drop the truck. I want to keep the drum brakes for now but switch to disc brakes eventually. Am i better off to drop the drums now or can i wait. I was thinking a 2/4 drop for now. Can i go any lower with the drum brakes? 3/4 or even 3/5? Any advice

[rahatawa]

After a bit of advice from you guys and some parts from Jeff at CPP I have the truck down 3/5 and have plans to throw together a flat bed for the time being to get the truck legal and drivable. Couldn't have done it without the local Vo/Tech Teacher and the shop he works in. All the tools you can imagine and some I wouldn't have imagined. I am excited but you guys want pictures the same as I do in a build thread so here they go.

Fun Picture of Shop


My helper.. also known as the guy who did most of the work. Perry.


The rear end finished. trackbar, springs and shocks


Finished product. The front actually came up a bit due to two broken front springs.


Quick and Dirty version of where its headed after the Christmas Break

[rahatawa]

got metal ordered and plans roughed out for the stake bed. put it on the other side of the forum but figured i would add pics here as well to keep it all in one place. still deciding on sides....

[cap n crunch]

I likestyle # 2

[rahatawa]

Got the bed laid out


Then got on to finish welding, adding the 14 stake pockets, a bumper/hitch and tail lights


Got the wood ordered for the bed and sides so waiting for a day to paint the frame and bed and ready to finish it up.

[rahatawa]

There always has to be a "but."

I got the wood for the bed and all of it laid up on the frame to get an idea for weight. My worst fears were realized. My 5" drop springs are too much. See Picture...


So truck is sitting on the bump stops in the the rear. Simple solution.. take them off. That gets me 2 1/2 inches. Notch the frame. That buys me all I need but then the first thing to rub would be the bed wood. Not sure i see that as a huge problem. Or relocate bump stops after notching the frame possibly...

Neither of these fix the problem of the unlevel truck.. There are 5" drop springs on it now. So order new ones.. 3 or maybe 2 inches?

Thoughts are right now to sell the 5" springs to fund some 3" springs and see where I am after that. Then notch the frame if need be. Thoughts?

[Clyde65]

Or you could add some lift to the bed floor. make a few spacers for the bed mounts.

[rahatawa]

Originally Posted by Clyde65

Or you could add some lift to the bed floor. make a few spacers for the bed mounts.

Clyde,
I started with 3" channel for the bed mounts and then moved all the way up to 5". I think i will have enough clearance once I make a couple changes. First, I have the 4" Heavy Duty towing/hauling drop springs on order from cpp to replace these 5" drop ones. (which now need a new home if someone is looking for some. Also welding in a notch into the frame and removing the bump stops. That should do it I think.

We will see. If the weather breaks, I will pull the bed and put it on saw horses and paint it. Then notch the frame and paint the back half of the truck at the same time. all in one good paint session going back and forth until i have good coverage. Then its time to bring it home to do the wood in the driveway.

Again i want to publicly thank Perry who teaches at the VoTech where I have been doing this. He has been a huge help.

[rahatawa]

Well I got it painted and mounted up for the last time and got the wood on the bed Friday. Saturday I built the sides for it because the weather wouldn't allow me to stay in the house. When it was all done we loaded up the two boys, the hound dog, the mother-in-law, and the fiancée and went for a ride. The boys loved it.



I still need to get some brackets for the corners to I can attach them to one another.

[rahatawa]

Then Sunday the weather did it to me again so after a morning at the park with the boys out came the Wax. I thought that I would pay someone to cut and buff the truck at a body shop but decided in the end that I had the time and the wax so why not see what I could do. Above the body line is waxed. Below isn't.


Not bad so I kept going.

[chevyrestoguy]

I like it! You made a really cool hauler for practically nothing.

A cheap set of 6-lug truck rallys painted the factory argent color would really set it off.

Another truck saved!!

[rahatawa]

I have procured a tag and so now it is time to tackle the wiring. Problems are a alternator which isn't charging and a fuse block that is missing a fuse clip.

Lastly i need to rebuild my grille and have some options. The one on the truck is what i have trim rings for so I think i am going to use it but these also came with the truck....

[Miller92]

Loving the flat bed! I wanna build one for mine too. I've got a '63 BBW LWB Fleet. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of metal did you use for the frame? Was it just channel?

[rahatawa]

Originally Posted by Miller92

Loving the flat bed! I wanna build one for mine too. I've got a '63 BBW LWB Fleet. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of metal did you use for the frame? Was it just channel?

3 inch channel for the rails and cross pieces, 3" flat stock for the sides, 4" channel in 2.5" pieces for stake pockets, and finally ended up with 5" channel between the 3" and the frame so the bed would clear the tires. It is on 5" drop springs and the bump stops are sliced in about half and still clears.

I am switching to the 4" HD drops soon to get some of the sag out of it's rear.

If I can help or take picks for you let me know. I am about $200 into it all said and done.
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[Miller92]

Yea if its no trouble I'd love to see some pics. I wanted to build one and put a diamond plate floor on mine but the diamond plate here would cost $200 alone and it would take 2 sheets. My dad and I both thought bout the stake bed idea but wasn't sure how it'd look on these and were worried bout the wood rotting. Now that I know how it looks I want one! lol LOVE the old farm truck look!