65 shorty build

[chev-obsession]

My dad and i bought a 65 short bed a while ago. really clean truck! very little rust! so we decided to build it! ill put some pics on, allthough i have allready done some work to it. the plan is to build a 327 and get a 700r4 hooked up to it. as well as a disc brake front end.






got a little rust in both doors so ill have to find some better ones.

\

more pics to come!

[chev-obsession]

Well im pretty sure that i need to start taking more pics when i do stuff! i took the 6 cyl and put it in the 66 c-10 since the 327 that was in the 66 had a cracked block.

As you can tell the firewall is orange, the truck body is red and the inner fenders and other underhood parts are black with red overspray!! So i took some parts off to blast and paint up real nice!
Well i was trying to take just the inner fenders off and then i realized that i may need to take off the grille, fenders, bumber.... etc. Then i realized that it wouldnt be a bad idea to do it anyways that way i can blast and paint the frame as well, and it would be a lot easier to put the new crossmember in!

[Captainfab]

Looks like you've got a good solid truck to work with. If it were me, I'd just repair those doors. It isn't very likely you're going to find doors that are much better......you might get lucky though.

[AZ66GMC]

Pretty solid truck looks like a great project




Tony

[DPowers]

So i took some parts off to blast and paint up real nice!
Well i was trying to take just the inner fenders off and then i realized that i may need to take off the grille, fenders, bumber.... etc. Then i realized that it wouldnt be a bad idea to do it anyways that way i can blast and paint the frame as well, and it would be a lot easier to put the new crossmember in!

The list always gets bigger doesn't it...

[chev-obsession]

Originally Posted by DPowers

The list always gets bigger doesn't it...

oh does it ever!

well i worked on it tonight, as i was attemping to start to take the bumper off the carriage bolts were being a pain so i will end up cutting them out. other things came up tonight so i ended up stopping for the night. tommorow my freind is supposed to come tear down the front end!

if worse comes to worse and i cant get this disc brake front end... can i take a 73 to 80-something a-arms and spindles and bolt them up to my crosmember?

[chev-obsession]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

Looks like you've got a good solid truck to work with. If it were me, I'd just repair those doors. It isn't very likely you're going to find doors that are much better......you might get lucky though.

what would be the best way to repair them? buy a new bottom tub and weld them in?

[Captainfab]

Yes you can bolt up a set of '71-'87 C10 upper and lower control arms to your original crossmember. I recommend upgrading to the later model larger lower control arm U-bolts. You'll have to drill out the holes in the crossmember also.

Originally Posted by chev-obsession

oh does it ever!

well i worked on it tonight, as i was attemping to start to take the bumper off the carriage bolts were being a pain so i will end up cutting them out. other things came up tonight so i ended up stopping for the night. tommorow my freind is supposed to come tear down the front end!

if worse comes to worse and i cant get this disc brake front end... can i take a 73 to 80-something a-arms and spindles and bolt them up to my crosmember?

You can buy repair panels for the bottoms of the doors. Just cut out the bad and weld in the new panel. I'd be willing to bet that if you did find some 'better looking' doors, once you blast them, they probably won't look so good anymore......seen it many times. That's why I say just fix the ones you currently have.

Originally Posted by chev-obsession

what would be the best way to repair them? buy a new bottom tub and weld them in?

[chev-obsession]

I forgot to mention that when i got the title back in my name it said on the title that it had been reconstucted. When the dip-$hit i bought it from told me that "it didnt have any bondo and that it had never been wrecked" after i pointed out the tag that the state patrol has to put on there when a car has been wrecked and re constucted in washington state. That just about had me back on the guys door step screaming and yelling but i figured that would do me no good at all considering that he allready had my money! It had me up in flames!

captianfab-
The reason i asked is because the guy i called with the front and rear end wants $400 for the 71/72 front and rear. i'll still need the power steering box too. But im sure he will go down a little.

the rust issues gets worse....

well any ways here is some pics of tonights progress!!

i'm probably in the market for a nice and shiney new grille





ok now the part where the rust worsens....
passengers fender somebody really did their best at rigging this one in there




another master piece with the wonderfull bondo

[Captainfab]

Well that sucks that it has a reconstructed title. Sometimes it seems like people do that when they really don't have to have that done. $400 for the front and rear is a bit high. Is the rear end a posi? IMO it's worth $300 max. You do realize that you can use the '73-'87 parts as well? They're usually a little less $$. It's just on the rear end, you will have to do some cutting and welding to bolt it up to the trailing arms and panhard bar.

Originally Posted by chev-obsession

I forgot to mention that when i got the title back in my name it said on the title that it had been reconstucted. When the dip-$hit i bought it from told me that "it didnt have any bondo and that it had never been wrecked" after i pointed out the tag that the state patrol has to put on there when a car has been wrecked and re constucted in washington state. That just about had me back on the guys door step screaming and yelling but i figured that would do me no good at all considering that he allready had my money! It had me up in flames!

captianfab-
The reason i asked is because the guy i called with the front and rear end wants $400 for the 71/72 front and rear. i'll still need the power steering box too. But im sure he will go down a little.

[chev-obsession]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

Well that sucks that it has a reconstructed title. Sometimes it seems like people do that when they really don't have to have that done. $400 for the front and rear is a bit high. Is the rear end a posi? IMO it's worth $300 max. You do realize that you can use the '73-'87 parts as well? They're usually a little less $$. It's just on the rear end, you will have to do some cutting and welding to bolt it up to the trailing arms and panhard bar.

yes i knew that i can use the '73-'87 but from what i understand it is a bit easier to get ahold of a '71 or '72. and yes he said something about the rear being a posi but he thought that it may be worn out. maybe i can talk the '71 guy down to 300. he said that cash is caine... or something like that.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by chev-obsession

yes i knew that i can use the '73-'87 but from what i understand it is a bit easier to get ahold of a '71 or '72. and yes he said something about the rear being a posi but he thought that it may be worn out. maybe i can talk the '71 guy down to 300. he said that cash is caine... or something like that.

Should be post-73 is easier to find @ wrecking yards & the parts are cheaper new @ the auto parts houses.

A 'worn-out' posi rear is nothing more than a rear that needs rebuilding (not worth anything extra @ all unless the gear ratio is better for your application).

[Russ65C10]

I second with SCOTI, if you have Pick-n-Pull or something like it you should be able to get a better deal. Plus you can spread it out and pick the parts up, depending on availability, as you're ready for them.

[chev-obsession]

lol ok thanks for the info guys. I guess what i should of had said was that a '71 or '72 would require less modifications to put in my frame than a '73 to '87 would require.... right?

so offer him $250 to $300 for both front and rear end

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by chev-obsession

lol ok thanks for the info guys. I guess what i should of had said was that a '71 or '72 would require less modifications to put in my frame than a '73 to '87 would require.... right?

so offer him $250 to $300 for both front and rear end

73-up is the same parts swap wise vs. a 71-72. If swapping the entire c.member, there are a couple of bolt holes that have to be reamed because they don't line up 100%. If you're swapping the parts to your original c.member, they'll swap right over.

[chev-obsession]

finally got it stripped down.



now i cant decide where to stop on sandblasting as far as the firewall goes. im in over my head on blasting other parts! it will get done eventually.

Scoti - what should i do? i dont mind dropping the hole member... i just dont want to ream out a whole and have the allignment way off or something else catostrophic.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by chev-obsession

Scoti - what should i do? i dont mind dropping the hole member... i just dont want to ream out a whole and have the allignment way off or something else catostrophic.

It's a personal choice. Some guys on here swear it's easier to swap the entire c.member as a unit thus saving work. Me personally? I'll swap individual parts to the original c.member because I'm taking everything apart to rebuild it anyway (I've never had the luck of getting a c.member that just had everything rebuilt).

Tuh-may-toe; Toe-mah-tow . . ..... There both the same.

[chev-obsession]

all righty well i will have to do some thinking then

[Captainfab]

There isn't any issue with the alignment being off. If you swap crossmembers, it's just one hole to drill on each side as well as elongating one hole each side......really easy. I like to swap the whole crossmember to the '73-'87's for a couple of reasons 1) the lower control arm shaft U-bolts are larger. 2) I like the rubber control arm bushings better....they are typically quieter. You might get lucky and get one that doesn't have to be rebuilt right now, unless that is part of the build plan. Since you have it apart this far, now is the time to do it. Not trying to tell you what to do mind you.....just sayin' Oh and while you're looking for a front suspension, see if they'll throw in the steering box.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

There isn't any issue with the alignment being off. If you swap crossmembers, it's just one hole to drill on each side as well as elongating one hole each side......really easy. I like to swap the whole crossmember to the '73-'87's for a couple of reasons 1) the lower control arm shaft U-bolts are larger. 2) I like the rubber control arm bushings better....they are typically quieter. You might get lucky and get one that doesn't have to be rebuilt right now, unless that is part of the build plan. Since you have it apart this far, now is the time to do it. Not trying to tell you what to do mind you.....just sayin' Oh and while you're looking for a front suspension, see if they'll throw in the steering box.

I've drilled the original holes out to the larger u-bolt size.

[chev-obsession]

lol well im taking all the advice i can get. so if i cant get this guy to come down on the price then ill have to look for another truck to get parts from. and yes ill definatly get the power steering box and possibly the pump too. i talked to a freind today and he took a '79 and an '83 to the bone yard about a month ago!! o well! btw whatever new suspension parts i do get will be cleaned and painted.

What about the rear end? buy the new 5 lug axles or get a '71/'72 rear? i dont want to have to cut and weld spring perches. if i were to get new axles would i need to get wheel spacers?

i got the heater box sand blasted today. about the firewall... what is the best way to go about sand blasting and cleaning it up? i want to paint it too.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by chev-obsession

What about the rear end? buy the new 5 lug axles or get a '71/'72 rear? i dont want to have to cut and weld spring perches. if i were to get new axles would i need to get wheel spacers?

71-72 coil rears will swap directly but are slightly wider (about .750" each side). Some care about the additional width, others don't. I prefer the narrower rear to allow a deeper dish on the rear wheels. 73-up rears are the same width as the 71-72's but as mentioned will require cutting off the old brackets & welding on the new replacements (available through suppliers like ECE or CPP).

That being said, swapping a used 5-lug housing will get you a used housing of unknown condition (unless you get some accurate history). My vote is do a 5-lug conversion. You know your housing is right since it's already installed. The axles will be brand new vs. X years old. Also, aftermarket 5-lug swap axles are typically stronger to boot. Again, check w/ECE or CPP.

[chev-obsession]

ok i see what you are saying now. i didnt quite understand it at first, then it came to me. i over looked the thought of the possibility of getting different offset wheels to compensate the different widths front and rear. ok i like your idea!

[chev-obsession]

i cant decide. which of the 2 is has better products? i have heard bad from one of them and dont remeber which one it is. the kit from cpp seams to be the best.

http://www.classicperform.com/Store/...k/6569RACK.htm
http://www.earlyclassic.com/catalog.aspx

[chev-obsession]

well after reading this months issue of custom classic trucks im set on just puttin in new ball joints and using a 71 or 72 spindle. i had an extra set of axles laying around that were 6 lug so i welded up the holes and im going to take them to my freind that works at a maching shop and he will have them drilled to the 5x5 pattern.