Pats 68

[pat english]

Hey guys.Im new to the site,well been lurking for a while.I decided to start a build thread.I traded my nissan truck for this 68 about a year ago.I drove it to work for a few months before the engine overheated and blew up.It had the 327 with the sm465 transmission.

[pat english]

Some of this work has been done for a few months,but the first thing i did was replace the outer rocker panels.( i didnt know they made an inner and outer untill i welded these in)

[pat english]

Then i did some floor patch panels.

[pat english]

I know im telling this story out of order,but shortly after i did the rockers and some floor patches,my engine went out.I had already had plans to do a shortbed big block swap,so i already had alot of stuff.I had almost 3 complete chassis's (the guy wouldn't sell me parts off the frames,so i had to buy them all.they weren't very expensive though.i think i paid around $100 each)
so here's what i did with the frame shortening( sorry i don't have a lot of pics,i get in the zone sometimes and forget to snap pics)

[pat english]

Then i sent out the frame to the sandblasters.I got a pretty good deal i think.i think it was around $175 at kennys sandblasting in el monte.hes a cool dude. it seems the more stuff you bring the better deal you get.

[pat english]

Then i got some primer and paint on the stuff.



I boxed the inside of the frame rails with quarter inch plate after it got back from the sand blasters.
and i painted this in the garage.only took a few hours.I had to borrow a compressor though( i really need one of my own.im working on that)

[pat english]

So this is where i left out alot of pics.I did the frame swap at my neighbors house.he has a pretty big property.He said he would help me out with some mechanical work,but he really didnt.i understood though.he has his own projects and a family.I was pretty grateful to use his property for the tear down.I stripped this truck down in 10 days.2 hours after work everyday and 8 hours a day on Saturday and Sunday.i was pretty happy when we rolled it into my garage.I kinda felt anxiety having my truck at someone else's house.


I didn't have time to clean the front and rear suspension parts at my neighbors house.His wife was trippin.I will most likely clean them,but was thinking about getting those new control arms and dropped spindels from brothers.so weel see.My wife(feels weird typing that,im newly married with a baby coming)wants me to lower it.she likes lowered stuff.I want to lift it,but you gotta make compromises when your married right?

[pat english]

I still have a lot to do but i got the engine and trans in this week.The engine is an 80's 454 and the trans is an 80's corvette 700r4.


The school sign will come off.I need to decide if i want to patch the heater hole or get all the heater stuff and hook it up.I live in southern California,so it doesn't really get that cold.What do you think?

[pat english]

So this Friday i was able to get my drivshaft cut.This is my boss cutting it.





He cut it right on the weld and the end just popped off.I took it back home and bolted the driveshafts back on and took a measurement.Then today after work We shortened the tube on the lathe and checked to make sure it was on straight with a dial indicator.I tacked it in place with the mig machine and we checked again to make sure it was still straight.My boss turned the lathe by hand while i welded it up.It was pretty fun.This was my first time welding a driveshaft.

When it was all welded we checked again to make sure it was straight.we didnt cut the balancing weights off,just took a little bit outa the tube.

[pat english]

This is a video of the boss cutting the weld

[pat english]

On Saturday i was able to start making my transmission crossmember.I have the corvette style tail shaft on the 700r4 so i had to make this one.I didn't have to buy any metal though.I had a piece of heavy wall 2x3 box tubing laying around and i used a piece that was cut out of my frame as "L" brackets.



These brackets get bolted to the 2x3 tubing and then welded to the frame.I want it to be removable in case i just need to take out the transmission.


I haven't welded the corssmember brackets to the frame yet.I need to bolt in the drive shafts then locate the trans at the right angle first.I will hopefully get that stuff done this week.Then all the metal fabrication will be done(except for the body work.Ill start that after its running)

[pat english]

I got the drive shafts installed.Does it look funny?Is the tail shaft snout longer on the truck style transmissions?I have the corvette snout and a truck drive shaft yoke.maybe that's why it looks weird?

[gdavis]

Welcome. I noticed your frame shorting. I was looking and it answered my question if you boxed the frame where you shorting the frame. Good job.

[pat english]

Thanks!yeah i boxed it with 1/4 inch plate.

[pat english]

I'm thinking these are 67 fenders.They don't have any evidence of a patch panel where the marker lights should be.

[pat english]

So this Friday i started working on stripping the paint and bondo off the fenders.I used the aircraft stripper.I took about 2 hours to get most of the paint off the front of the fenders.

[pat english]

So i got side tracked this weekend working on the fenders and headers.I don't have any metal shaping tools at home,so i tried to make patch panels for the lower front fenders.Its not prefect but better then it was,and it'll look fine with a little bondo(when its done.i ran out of welding wire)

[pat english]

I forgot to take a few pics,but here's where i got on the fenders before i ran out of wire.




The last pic looks like a huge dent,but its the glare.It doesn't look like that in person.

[pat english]

On Sunday i started working on putting parts back on the engine.This engine had all the smog stuff on it.I needed some plugs for some small smog ports on the stock exhaust.I figured they would cost money,so my neighbor jon suggested i use Some headers he had laying around.They didn't fit so i had to make them fit.I shaved a little off of the frame and mashed the collector a little bit(i'll cut out the mashed area on the collector and replace it with a flat piece.so it doesn't look like someone mashed my headers with a hammer)When im sure everything fits right ill take them off and clean them up.These headers had smog stuff on them too that my neighbor started welding up.Anyways,i got the passenger side to fit,but the driver-side will take a little more work.I might work on them today if im feeling better.I stayed home from work today.

[pat english]

I haven't posted for a while,but i have been getting some things done.I decided not to use the headers and put the stock manifolds back on.
I just have a few more things to hook up,then i can try to start this thing.Here's what it looked like when i got it.I got it from a friend for pretty cheap.He said it came out of an 80's truck.supposedly only had 30,000 on it.i opened it up for inspection and changed all the gaskets anyways.Did a lil krylon rebuild.

[pat english]

And i finally got the bed on.Its starting to feel like a truck again.This was my first time shortening one of these trucks.I was pretty sure i did it right,but i was a little nervous before putting on the bed.But i think it looks pretty good.what do you think?I drove 2 hours to buy just the box with the gate.When i got to the dudes shop,i noticed he had some fenders in the rafters and i asked if i could buy those too.He said yes,but i didn't have enough money.So i had to drive all the way back a few weeks later to get the fenders.

[pat english]

A friend had these old bucket seats sitting in his back yard.They came out of a 70's rv.not sure exactly what make,but i think they're dodge.I know they're beat up but do they look the part?i could get them redone.I had to shorten the seat frame to make them the same level as the old bench and i made brackets that mount in the original seat location.So there's no extra holes drilled in my floor.My wife likes the bench but i like the buckets.It just feels like there's more room in the cab with buckets.Im undecided.

I also got an automatic column from a 72 truck.I drove pretty far for that part too.almost to Mexico.You would think living in L.A.,more parts would be available...

[pat english]

Oh yeah and i have my front end up for trade.I might be getting a 69 gmc front end this week.Ill post pics if it works out.

[pat english]

So the trade worked out.A guy drove from Bakersfield to trade.I got the grill,core support fenders and hood.I like the gmc and chevy grills.My wife does not like the gmc grill at all,so now im trying to trade the gmc grill for a 69 chevy grill.Next week im hoping i can get some more parts.my boss says he has a tilt column that will work with the ez wire harness and a power steering box.I have the pump and brackets for my engine so id like to put on the power steering.Has anyone ever used the steering box from a 76 chevy truck?does it bolt right in?

[gdavis]

So you are putting a 69 front clip on the truck and take the 68 off. I thought about that also. Thought about it, laugh about it and forgot about it. Since you truck is really a 68 not a 69. You might have problems with that if the wrong cop stops you. I am going to agree with your wife. Bad mistake, at least I think so. The 68 looks a lot better with the stream line hood and the hoops in the grill along with the turn signals in the grill. But I am a 67/68 guy anyway.