Nice to see a young man doing the dirty work on old iron.
My first vehicle was a 1963 Chevy C10 Longbed Fleetside. I got that when I was still 15 years old and paid $500 for it. It was a rolling basket case, but it ran. It was also that same baby blue as your truck, except for the front right fender and grill surround, they were bright orange. I used the time I had from when I got it until I turned 16 to go through it and get it up to speed mechanically. When I turned 16, I had a reliable vehicle to get to work and go to school in. At that time, it wasn't much to look at, but it got me where I needed to go. It had the original 283 V8 and Powerglide 2 speed automatic. Over the years, I did a lot of work to it, including paint and various power train combinations. When I finally had to sell it, (I was getting married and needed money more than I needed 2 trucks and 2 motorcycles) it has the dark blue metal flake in the pictures below and had a 400 SBC and TH400 3 speed. I was 19 years old in those photos.
During the years I had it, it went through a lot of changes. Just about everything on it was repaired or replaced. I figured out later that the only things left on the truck from when I bought it to when I sold it were the rear window, the drive shaft, and the sheet metal in the cab. Everything else had been replaced at one time or another. Even the frame and suspension were from a 1965.
I treasure the time I spent working on that old truck with my Father. He taught me a lot during that time. Now, I am doing the same thing with my daughter on a 1962 C10 Shortbed Stepside, only this time, I am the teacher, not the student.
It sounds like you are doing the same thing with your Grandfather. It's all time well spent.
Like others have already said, there is a wealth of knowledge on this site. Feel free to ask. There are no stupid questions, except the ones left unasked.
