Well unfortunately, with Christmas preparation and one thing and another, I wasn't able to get anything done on my truck since my last post, but I thought I would mention some things forgot last time.
I am planning to restore this truck to original factory condition, with a few exceptions. I am going to include a few things that are stock, but not original to this particular truck, such as two tone door panels, arm rests, side mounted spare tire, deluxe wheel (If I can find one at a reasonable price), and seat belts. The big exception is the engine. When I bought the truck, I assumed that the straight 6 under the hood was the original engine. I googled the block casting number (3994257) and came to the conclusion that it was a 250 from around 1971. I am still deciding what to do with this engine. I have had it running, and it runs smoothly except for what I believe is a sticky push-rod, and doesn't smoke, so I am kind of thinking along the lines of "if ain't broke don't fix it", plus it's 20 extra cubic inches, and I think it would be a little easier to find parts for since it was being produced more recently. On the other hand, the 230 is not really hard to find parts for, or lacking in power, and it would be original. At the moment, I am thinking I'll paint the 250 like a 230 and leave it, unless a good deal on a running 230 falls in my lap. I'm still deciding what to do with the engine if I do keep it. Like I said, it runs smoothly, and I'm a little tight on money, so I am hesitant to do a full rebuild, especially if it doesn't really need it, but I can see through the oil fill hole that there is a lot of crud built up under the valve cover, and it seems odd to be going to all this effort with the truck and not doing anything with the engine. I have had more than one person tell me to just leave it unless you plan on tearing down the engine or you'll do more harm than good. If it would be possible to clean it out by just doing a partial tear-down (i.e. removing the head), I might do that, but we'll see. I've got some time to think about it.
Since I have driven the truck without any issues (even though I have never driven it on the road, I have driven it in all 3 gears), I am thinking I'll leave the transmission alone except for changing the gear oil, although I might take it apart, replace the seals etc. and see if I can detect any problems on the horizon, like chipped or worn teeth or something. I'm not really sure what to expect. Same thing with the rear differential.
I am going to repaint it the current Brigade Blue and Cameo White two tone exterior with the Fawn interior. I am fairly certain that the truck was originally brigade blue (the paint code on the GVW plate is 504A), but i'm not sure if it was originally two-tone.
I am planning to attend McPherson College in the fall of next year (they teach automotive restoration, which I plan to do as a career), and I need to have the truck done by then. I would like to be able to drive it to homecoming next year, but that's looking a little ambitious. As I mentioned in my first post, I was planning to use the truck as my driver, but It's looking like I may have to sell it to help pay for college. I hope to have it done in time to enjoy it for at least a few weeks before I sell it. We'll see how it turns out, I might end up keeping it if I need a vehicle at college or something. If I can find someone who could teach me auto restoration, I might not even need to go to college at all.
As soon as I finish sandblasting the frame, I am going to repair the cab mounts. The mounts are fine themselves, but the bolt holes are rusted to about twice their normal size. I am going to make some steel patch plates with holes matching the factory ones and weld them to the top of the brackets. I don't have a picture yet, but I'll try to get one soon.
Tomorrow I am planning on doing some more sandblasting, hopefully I'll get the top done and get it ready to flip to do the other side. I'll try to take some pictures of the frame and sandblasting setup and post them tomorrow, but until then, here is a link to some more photos and videos of my truck. Hopefully it works!
1963 C-10 Album
