Shortbed Stepside 4x4 Build

[Jakes-66-K10]

I've been meaning to post this build thread for quite a while, and I'm finally to a point to begin working on this and may soon need all of your help! Here's the background story of what's happened so far.

Years ago, my first classic truck was a '66 2wd long bed fleetside. It had a big back window, and boy did I love that truck. Sadly, I had to sell it to help pay school bills and I promised myself I would rebuild that truck or something even better later in life.

Well, fast forward several years later and my new wife and I began the search to find a truck to start building. Our plan was to find a cheap one (even if it was a rust bucket) and just build slow. So we first found a running, drivable '66 short bed stepside with a 327 for just $200. This truck had holes just about everywhere, and needed ALOT of work.

[Jakes-66-K10]

Several months after buying the blue stepside, we found another short step '66 for a great price - this time from Nevada and had waaay less rust. It didn't have an engine, but I figured I'd just swap in the 327 from the blue truck.

[Jakes-66-K10]

Months went by owning this truck, and I was torn between how to set up the tires and wheels on this two wheel drive frame. I am not a fan of low riders by any means (I'm quite against that look, but to each their own) so I was thinking of running larger sized wheels and try to get this thing off the ground. I never dreamed that I'd find an original 4x4 chassis but I did (in Tucson Arizona), all blasted, painted, and assembled for a price far less than I could refinish myself. Here are pics from the former sellers ad

[Jakes-66-K10]

More

[Jakes-66-K10]

Here are pics of it loaded up in Arizona, headed back to Utah. We got to make several stops along the way. How many classic trucks can say they've been to the Grand Canyon? We'll have to take it back once it's actually drivable.

Along the way we also had a fun roadster leapfrogging with us (we'd pass them, they'd pass us) for quite a while. It was fun to see.

[Jakes-66-K10]

Here it is at it's new home. Not long after bringing this third truck home, we knew it was time to start thinning the heard. We sold the blue truck after yanking it's 327 engine, and started to compare which pieces would be best to keep between the 2wd white truck or the '64 4x4's pieces. We decided to keep most of the white's body, and will be transferring this onto the 4x4 chassis.

[Alan's Classic]

The one from Arizona looks really solid. Looking forward to more progress.

[1963c-10]

Nice project and looks like the work is going nicely.

[chevy_man5]

Nice build, and welcome to the site!!

It's good to see more 4x4's popping up on here!

[McMurphy]

to the site!!
Looks like a really nice build so far, hope you keep up with the photos!

It certainly is great to have a wife or significant other that not only is supportive, but helps too!! I know mine is irreplaceable and fun to have helping!

Keep it up, if you post it, I will read it !!

[Jakes-66-K10]

McMurphy, funny that you mention that. My wife isn't just supportive, she's a huge help in this project. So far, she does all the welding I just gotta work fast enough to keep something in front of her to weld! She loves it, and I love the help! She wants to do all the welding on her project after this one is done (a '67 Camaro).

Tonight we welded up an X brace in the cab since we're about to cut up the floor and replace some rusty spots. It may not be necessary since the cab is on the frame, but I don't wanna chance things getting out of wack.

[Jakes-66-K10]

Just for fun, here is her car that gets our full attention just as soon as the '66 is done (getting to working on it next is a motivator to get the first project done asap).

[C@rnut001]

Man, I love your '66 and your wife's '67 Camaro too (two of my favorite vehicles of all!). I also think that it is crazy neat that your wife loves working on and welding on your truck! You are one lucky guy (although my wife has helped me work on cars and trucks before too, it just isn't her favorite thing to do). Keep up the progress. I think you have a great start and are making good progress so that you can move on to the wife's '67!

[Jakes-66-K10]

Just a quick update, I've been working on the truck a little bit here and there. I've never done a floor replacement so kinda learning as I go (and from what I read here).

I have done a quick mock up with masking tape to eyeball where the new floor plan will fit. Here are a few quick observations/questions.

1. I am using a low hump cab, and it's not a separate piece. The floor panel will take care of some of the rust, but it doesn't quite make it to the the low hump area which has rust on each side of it. Is it best to just get a new low hump piece from another cab? Or just try and seal in the pitted/rusty area around the hump?

[Jakes-66-K10]

Question #2:

The front of the stock floor floor has a "lip" (kind of like a downward facing L at the tip) which buts up against the bottom of the firewall. There are several spot welds that I have drilled out, so when I remove the old floor I will have the old firewall lip, but the new patch panel doesn't use a lip at all.

How do most people take care of this, just fabricate an L type of lip so it matches the lip of the firewall? Or just do a butt weld to the bottom of the firewall and bypass it all together?

Or is there anything else I am missing?

[allaboutchevelles]

Thats the problem with most of the replacement panels. They seem to never be like the orgionals. I was lucky mine had a small lip but i just welded it to the toe board and seem sealed it from the bottom. You will never see it after the carpet or rubber mat is in. Im figuring if the origional floor lasted 40-50 years then ill be about 80 years old when it needs replacing again and it will be someone elses problem then if the truck is still around then. LOL. If or when you fit the panel you may find it over sized and be able to bend it over and make a lip yourself. anyways good luck and do your best and im sure it will turn out fine.

[C@rnut001]

How is your build on this truck going? Hopefully you have been able to get some more progress completed on it. As Allaboutchevelles mentioned, replacement patch panels are never quite the same as the originals. Every one that I have ever messed with had to be massaged and fitted, but it is always worth it in the end. As they say, measure twice and fit it twice and then it will work better. Good luck.

[Jakes-66-K10]

Sorry all, progress has been slow lately. Have had alot going on requiring my attention, I have made small steps but not much. I ended up cutting all of the floor panel out, not all of it was rusty but the old floor would have needed dent repair too - so I'm just throwing in the new panel in as a whole. (picture 1). I cut the opening where the new panel will go in a little undersized so I can cut/size to fit the panel exactly.

I'm going to soon start on fabricating the "lip" for the front of the panel (picture 2). I'm not really sure what to do on the other areas though. I have rust forming between the seam where the cab floor meets the the cab wall (picture 3). Also unsure what to do with the rust near the middle hump of the cab. Thinking of just using POR15 over it or something to seal it in, but I'm not sure I'll get very good welds trying to get the floor pan to weld up to it.

[Jakes-66-K10]

Made a little progress on the '66. Fabricated a replacement piece for the floor, and was able to blend it pretty well (kinda fun learning how this all works!). I've trimmed the floorboard and getting it ready to set in... hopefully in the next few days.

[Jakes-66-K10]

The floor is in! Still grinding and smoothing welds, but still a major step...

[Jakes-66-K10]

Tonight I did a lot of test fitting, trimming, and cutting to get the lower cowl panel to line up. Part of that required cutting and trimming the outer edge of the floor board. Pics don't show it, but I have this all welded up and I'll grind the welds tomorrow.

[msgross]

nice project... my next one, if there ever is a next one, will be from arizona...

[Jakes-66-K10]

I'm stuck again, this time more discouraged than ever… I'm worried that the floor pan and lower cowl piece I've installed are incorrectly aligned. I had to do some cutting and reshaping just to get them to match up with each other. Now I am finding that when test fitting other pieces that connect to these, something is way off.

First, is the lower A pillar patch, which I've been trimming away to get to fit. If I align the top to the A pillar, the bottom sticks out half an inch.

[Jakes-66-K10]

If I align the bottom half of this piece, then the top half sticks out by a half inch.

[Jakes-66-K10]

These pics shows the alignment of the bottom floor brace (which was left alone, and in factory position) with the floor pan and lower cowl in position. You can also see where I've been trimming away at the patch piece in an attempt to get it to fit better.