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01 March 2012 Update
1969 Chevy C20 Panel TruckMore pix of this old Panel Truck Join the discussion about this truck
From Les : Not to much progress lately. I drove the truck to the shop and had a complete, manifold back exhaust system done. The new tires are on and one new rear door. New front bumper is on. The Panel also had the "minimalist" instrument cluster that only contains speedometer, gas gauge, and idiot lights. I replaced that with the full gauge cluster. Under the hood, is all new wiring, an HEI system and
going in now are new power steering brackets and power brakes. Earlier this year, I had the Panel out for a "first run" around Raleigh. I noticed the tuning issues and clutch noise I had to sort out - but things went very, very well. Be sure to check the Photobucket link for more pictures! Best wishes, [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]03 October 2011 From Les : Back in August, my wife Sarah and I were about to leave on a 25th Anniversary vacation / road trip to Hot Springs NC and points West and North. Every once in a while, we would check several "for sale" lists for panel trucks, "just to see what's out there." There was a forlorn looking C20 in Charlotte, but we were leaving so it was just not to be. We were gone two weeks and until long after the ad had disappeared. But I had copied the seller's e-mail. So after we got home and settled, I dropped him a "If you still have this truck" kind of note. I received an email back a few days later. "YES!" He still had it and when would I like to see it? It needed tires, but it ran and drove!!! We made arrangements for a visit and Sarah and I drove the 140 miles one way for a look-see. End result ...I gave the owner, a nice guy named Freddie, a deposit. We made plans to go back in ten days and I would DRIVE it back to Raleigh! Two days before we were to pick it up, Freddie emailed me and said that the gas tank had a major leak and would not hold fuel! Oh, great! I got an extra fitting for my boat tank and 10' of 3/8" fuel line ... problem solved, for now. When we got back to Charlotte, I checked all the fluids (all were fine), air (not so good), steering, front wheel bearings, We loaded up and hit the road. Charlotte is a BIG CITY! Two miles from Freddie's house the old panel got its first taste of interstate (no choice) in who knows how many years. I gotta tell you
that 255/60XR15s and a 4.11 are NOT ideal in this situation. I stayed in the right-hand lane and enjoyed the symphony of horns. Things were going well! This turned out to be the calm before the storm, because the right rear tire made it to a little beyond Concord before it went. The left one made it to Mt. Pleasant. We started to feel like a NASCAR pit crew! The transmission is a little noisy. It may need fluid. I'll check it later. I opened the left floor vent and got live wasps along with the air. They acted pretty woozy and didn't seem to be able to fly, So I was able to pull over in a hurry and brush them out. We started off stopping every 20 miles for a gas check, then 40 miles and finally 60 miles. It was still a lot of stopping, even though it had to be done. We left Charlotte about
11:30AM, and got home about quarter to four!
That's the panel truck story up to now. You can laugh with me or at me, but another one, "Too Good Too Die" has been saved! Thanks for taking the time to read this. [an error occurred while processing this directive] -30- |
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