1966 Chevy C10 LWB Stepside

Owned by Richard Morgan "Grandads_66" Bolter # 27206 Brandon, Mississippi Join the talk about this truck in the DITY Gallery

More pictures of my old truck

From Richard :

This was my Grandfather's 1966 Chevy C-10. This was the only new truck he ever purchased and he drove it daily until 1989.

My Grandfather passed away in 1992 and the truck was given to my Uncle. He had little interest in the truck and it sat idle for a few years. My Brother wanted the truck for a long time and he was eventually contacted by my Uncle to come and get the truck. My Brother was able to get it running but the truck was in pretty bad shape at this point and he did not have the time to fool with it.

Once again the truck sat idle and continued to deteriorate.

Growing up, our Dad had a 1965 Chevy C-10 that my Brother and I both drove. I have always liked the trucks and I hated to see my Grandfather’s truck in this condition.

Last year my Brother contacted me and told me he was going to haul the truck away. He was not going to have the time to fix it and was not sure if it could even be salvaged. I asked him to wait and went over to look at the truck.

The old girl was definitely in rough shape but I just wasn’t ready to see her hauled off to the crusher. I decided to take on the project and try to bring her back to life.

The truck was on four flat tires so I purchased new tires. I installed a new battery, flushed out the fuel tank and added some new gas. I then changed the oil and replaced the spark plugs and was pleasantly surprised when the 250 inline 6 cylinder fired up!

I quickly found out the brakes were shot so I replaced the wheel cylinders and brake shoes all the way around.

I decided to take her down the road for a spin. I was grinning from ear to ear -- here I am riding down the road in this old truck that is bellowing smoke and was almost destined to be scrap metal. My Brother and I were both laughing as I shifted the 3 speed on the column and managed to not get hung up between 1st and 2nd gear.

Recently, I have replaced the drive shaft swing bearing and U-joints, fuel tank, temperature sensor, thermostat and heater / defrost blower motor. I have titled and tagged the truck and nearly have it street legal.

I still need to install a new radiator and a new windshield so I can drive her more. I formerly worked as a paint and body repair man for 12 years (I currently work offshore on a drilling rig) so I plan on stripping the truck down, painting the frame and then repair the body, and paint it as well.

I greatly appreciate the Stovebolt website. It has been a source of inspiration. I will keep you guys informed on my progress.

Thanks again!

Richard

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