I guess it's my turn. Build thread for "Rocket"

[sixty4bigwindow]

I guess after seeing all of your awesome and detailed build threads, it is time to start my own!

A little backstory on my truck. Dad and I bought it when I was about 14. $600. Not running 6 cyl, 3 on the floor. A lot has happened since we picked it up almost 18 years ago, in life and on the truck. I'll try and document each pic as best I can. But as we set now, Dad (big guy walking by,) has passed away. Almost 3 years now. So, in tribute, I took part of his nickname as a kid that he earned from sports, and after years of trying to find a name, landed on "Rocket." Enjoy the ride guys!

[sixty4bigwindow]

So after we brought the truck home, dad found a friend of a friend with a 327 and a turbo 400 for sale. Supposedly, this was a corvette 327 block, rebuilt and with an RV cam. Me being a youngn' at the time, wasn't sure of anything lol. But the truck for sure has a loppy idle, so pretty sure there was some sort of cam installed.

Unfortunately from the pic above is really the ONLY pic I have of the truck throughout the early years. As you can see too, this is a small window cab. Along the road, Dad picked up a big window longbed 64, and we did the cab swap, and sold the longbed afterwards (a move I am HEAVILY regretting at this point, wish I had that just for a parts and fun truck.) Dad's and my plans had varied on what the "finished product" would look like, but we both agreed, that a street machine would be it. Colors, suspension, and motor choice were always debated between us. Now that he passed, I have decided on a few "final" things with it, but a lot of it is still learning as I build, what I can afford, and enjoying the journey, even though it is TOUGH as s*** without him here to help. Over the years of the "pre-Rocket" project, after the cab-swap, dad had help from a few of his buddies with certain things. And I'll admit, I helped on some of the "decisions" at that time lol. Some were good, most were not.

Sorry this one is mostly words, but I felt like I had to get at least a little back story out of the way.

Now I'll start to pick up where I do have photo evidence lol.

First pic is being towed from my parents driveway, to a mechanic (friend of my moms,) who did the wiring harness install as a tribute gift after Dad passed away. Truck wasn't running at this time after a power draw somewhere (hence the new harness.)

Second was me driving it for the first time since Dad passed, and the first time it moved under its own power in about a year and a half. That was an emotional drive for me. But it was going right to my FIL's house, for me to get started on the full disc brake conversion with dropped spindles from CPP.

3rd was actually before Dad passed away, one of the last things he did was get some holds filled up from the trim, sanded a bit, and a coat of flat black in the driveway to keep it one color. Not the best way to paint and body, but it is holding up pretty well even today.

Last 2 are of the start of the disc brake swap saga (and it was a saga.)

[sixty4bigwindow]

Yes, the webs on the control arms are black widow webs, and there was one the size of Arkansas living in the coil spring!

Speaking of suspension, some of those original bad decisions are here lol... To get the stance we wanted cheaply, we cut the coils in the front, for about a 3 inch drop. And the rear (which I wasn't a part of,) the rear coils were removed, and it sat on the coilover shocks, and the overload leafs attached to the frame. Yes, the ride was HORRIBLE lol. But, I guess the stance was ok.

Back to the disc swap. The drivers side was the worst by far, and thankfully I did that side first. No pics of course, but we ended up having to take a plasma cutter to the original upper ball joint, as it would NOT bust loose. Once I cleared the spiders, and took care of the ball joint, it all went back together swimmingly!

The last 2 are the field it would sit in (broke my heart every time I drove away,) while we was moving into our place at the time, when I didn't have time to finish the swap. I had to buy a driver door with windows, as the shaved set I have, don't have any glass in them at all lol. They are awaiting to either be sold, or used eventually (current situation, probably sold lol.)

[Palf70Step]

Looking forward to your project.

I moved your thread to the projects area for ya.

[66WideinOhio]

Nice Start on your Project! Did you get the CPP kit with the ball joints and tie rod ends Included. How Do you Like the CPP up grade kit?
Thanks for your time I'll be checking in.

[sixty4bigwindow]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Looking forward to your project.

I moved your thread to the projects area for ya.

Thanks Palf!

[sixty4bigwindow]

Originally Posted by 66WideinOhio

Nice Start on your Project! Did you get the CPP kit with the ball joints and tie rod ends Included. How Do you Like the CPP up grade kit?
Thanks for your time I'll be checking in.

66, I did not get the full kit with all of that. The tie rod ends were replaced a couple of years ago. But I did buy all new ball joints (more of that fun story to come..) I'm torn on the CPP kit. Great value for what you get with the kit, but, and maybe it's just with my kit, the flex lines are quite a bit too long. For a vehicle specific kit, I figured they would've been a bit more attentive to the measurements of what's needed. The spindles, rotors, calipers and pads were all pretty good quality though. I'm happy with the setup, except for the flex hoses.

[sixty4bigwindow]

So the drop after the 2 1/2 spindles were on there made the stance of front look AWESOME. I put some work into plumbing up the new 71 impala disc/drum MC, with the aftermarket combo valve (or prop valve, whatever lol,) and the new hard lines. First time ever doing it, and although it seemed like an easy feat, HOLY SANTA CLAUSE BALLS it is a very time consuming project. Luckily, I used a welding stick my FIL had, and that was pretty nice for mocking and bending a rough sketch, and fine-tuning afterwards. And I wanted to comment on how I ended up plugging the actual front drivers port of the valve since it was tilted upwards, and ended up running a "T" off the passenger side out of the valve, to both front wheels..

[sixty4bigwindow]

Here are a few more action shots of the disc swap. SERIOUSLY regretting not getting any shots of the Plasma cutter to the original ball joint. That was hilarious.

One thing I can't recommend enough, especially for a weekend garage body like me, PLEASE have someone who has done mechanical work, or something like this project nearby. FIL is a heavy equipment mechanic going on 25 years, and his knowledge and reminders of things was instrumental in completing this the right way.

[sixty4bigwindow]

Kinda skipped a step in the story, as when I plumbed the lines, and it came to bleeding, I was having a nightmare of a time. Well, come to find out, if you buy a combo/prop valve for the MC, there is a special bleeding tool that you need to have to bleed it correctly.. Seeing as how the truck was still at my FIL's 30 mins away, me with a regular day job and a family, and just finishing a move. There was no time to get out there (and a southern Oregon winter.) So, the gentleman that he is, FIL trailered the rig to my new place with my garage, where I could finish bleeding and get Rocket back on the road!

[sixty4bigwindow]

This one is not build related, but I wanted to just share some "other" pics. First one is of me as a kid, in front of a mustang my dad had just finished painting in our old garage, he seriously had talent as a body-man (2 of his bro's owned body-shops,) and he took the art gene as well, I do NOT have that gene lol. Second one is of the absolute next vehicle I will buy. 1950 Buick. He brought it home with his buddy, and this thing was amazing. I love the body style, although I would like a 2 dr instead of a sedan. And the last one is of a Maisto R/C that started orange and white, and I HAD to take it apart and show a little likeness to mine. So flat black, washers in to lower it a bit more. And now I have an office desk decoration at my work.

[66C10LB]

You,re right. It looks nice still with that black paint. Nice to see you get it into your garage to make things easier.

[66WideinOhio]

Thank you for the info. I hope to get my 1966 SWB Wideside back in the garage in January. She has been torn down to the frame for five years now. Ray J

[joe dirt]

looking good man!, looks like your line on the bottom has a bad kink in it, also how are you mounting that booster?...

[Bomp]

Welcome, nice story, nice truck.
Sub'd

[sixty4bigwindow]

Originally Posted by 66C10LB

You,re right. It looks nice still with that black paint. Nice to see you get it into your garage to make things easier.

Thanks 66, as of about 6 weeks ago, preparing for a big move south, no more garage lol... Will happen again tho eventually!

[sixty4bigwindow]

Originally Posted by joe dirt

looking good man!, looks like your line on the bottom has a bad kink in it, also how are you mounting that booster?...

Joe, where do you see a kink?? On the hard line?? The brakes have worked fantastic since completion, and the mount is the original mount from the donor rig. Nothing fabbed except for a bracket on the pedal to make it work.

[sixty4bigwindow]

Originally Posted by Bomp

Welcome, nice story, nice truck.
Sub'd

Thanks Bomp!

[sixty4bigwindow]

So, once I got the brakes and everything dialed in, it was time for some small things to be done to get as ready as I could for the Medford cruise. This was something every summer that Dad and I would go check out and talked about how much fun it will be when we can get the truck entered. Well after a ton of support and help from my wife (who I haven't mentioned yet, but is the best and hottest woman in the world, sorry guys lol,) we got Rocket ready for its first big dance. First up was to take off this cancer attached to the passenger side trailing arm right on the axle. It was 2 lead pipes, filled with concrete, and a part of a cinder block.. Only thing I can guess was weighing down the wheel to get both tires to spin, as the first burnout I ever did having both tires spin made me think I hit the lottery with a posi. But alas, just ghetto backyard rigging making for fun burnouts. Next was having a bit of diff fluid leak, so a new gasket and a cleanup was in order. Finally, a little tune up to finish things off!

[sixty4bigwindow]

Here is a bit more of the tune up in the garage, and a little "bare necessities pic" tools, supplies, beer. I will always love how easy it is to do tune-ups on these old chevy v8's! Next one is the official show notice I got in the mail a little bit before the cruise!

[sixty4bigwindow]

I put on the shaved doors for the cruise, in the hopes I'd have some interest in a buyer for them, and of course no luck. But I absolutely LOVED how it looked once I shined up the wheels and tires!

And when the day came, the cruise was an amazing experience. The wife put together a little "build board" with what limited pics I've got, and a pic of Dad with it as a tribute. And I had to include a pic of the actual cruise and the wife (with about 14 other people stuffed into the bed!)

[sixty4bigwindow]

It was definitely a fun, but emotional experience. Dad and I spent years talking about how much fun the first show would be. Not having him there was definitely rough, but I was proud that something he and I have spent so much time on, something that has bonded us together beyond death, lives on in this truck. I know it sounds corny, but I know he rides with me some times..

Back to the show, I had to take some pics of other rigs of our body style! Unfortunately there were only 2. But it was a huge turnout of other cars.

[sixty4bigwindow]

Shortly after the cruise, I bought new tires for the truck, sold my daily driver, and made Rocket my daily. At this time, we were living about a half mile away from my work. And with a move to California happening within the next year (we weren't sure then exactly how soon,) we decided to downsize and get things more organized.

It's crazy how things can go sideways when your rig goes from weekend hobby/I'll get to it when I get to it, to "HOLY crap this thing is 50 years old and has bugs," very quickly. I found that out..

About 2 weeks after the new tires, after turning left in a major intersection in my town, I hear a snap, lose steering, and am dragging something on my passenger side... S***. I get out, and after surveying, I think its a control arm or tie rod end. The top pic shows what the truck was like in the middle of the street. the tire is turned inward, and the other side, the tire is straight and the steering wheel is straight. After the flatbed gets there, and we get it jacked up, the culprit was a bad ball joint (even after replacing them all when I did the brake swap a few months prior.) This was the one that had been giving me issues, but eventually got torqued and pinned. You can see the lower control arm chewed to crap, but my mechanic said it is structurally sound, and to just not take it offroading any time soon. New ball joint pressed in, and Rocket was back on the road in a few days.

[sixty4bigwindow]

*EDIT: Notice my wife's happy face for the pic in the second one lol... Had to add that it there against her wishes!!

Ok, so this pretty much brings me current. And this one will be a lot of story to go along with the pics. As things stand now, we have put everything in storage, and my wife, step daughter, and I have moved in with a friend of my wifes in her big house, in preparation for the big move south. January 19th we pack up from Southern Oregon and move to Solvang CA. I accepted a job with BofA down in that area. Until we get settled (don't even have our own place lined up yet,) we will be packing lightly. All of my tools are in storage, except for my little portable metal box with the basics and essentials lol..

Back to the truck since then, its been my daily since August, and other than the hiccup of the ball joint, has been absolutely golden. Since the suspension was beginning to bother me with how the ride in the back was horrid, I picked up a set of wrangler springs (FO FREE) from a guy on CL downsizing. Ordered the spring cups from Summit, and voila, actual rear suspension, not sitting on load springs lol... The issue with this was, after the drop spindles in front, in addition to the cut springs and having bigger profile tires in back, the rake was absolutely horrendous. It was so bad, that after I adjusted the headlights as high as they would go on the tilt, they were still pointed at the street! So, another craigslist trip, 25 bucks on some stock front springs, and about an hour and a half in the driveway later. I brought the front back up above. You can see the difference in the last 2 pics. And the last one is how it sets today, doors with windows back on, and a little lower than stock.

The other two pics were showing that this beast was the MAIN moving rig when we threw all of our stuff in storage, and even though it used more gas than we would've liked, it handled everything like a champ!

I am assuming with the rig staying behind for a few months during the move, and a LOT of life transition coming up, Rocket will be tabled for a while. But once I get back on it, you guys will be the first to know. Thank you all so much for taking this short (so far,) but emotional trip.

[sixty4bigwindow]

Just wanted to give an update on my current situation... Wife and I weren't as happy as we thought we were going to be in California. 2 weeks ago we returned home to Oregon. Right before the Medford cruise again (next weekend!)

Rocket has once again, been a champ for the small moving necessities (although we trailered it back up to OR.) But one thing, the carburetor LOVED the CA weather, but has giving me fits and losing hair since we've been back to higher elevation. I've got about 3 1/2 hours into tuning the damn thing, and it still bogs down under heavy gas pedal low speed acceleration. I'm getting more and more akin to the idea of LS swap or even an EFI system for this motor.

But, now that we are back, we have a few houses lined up to hopefully be into before the beginning of Fall. Then the fun starts. But this weekend has some shifter linkage to be adjusted, valve cover gaskets getting redone, oil change, and a GOOD cleanup before next weekends festivities!

I had to add some pics of our move, looking like the Clampetts haha!