The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot '60-'66 Trucks help reviving my 65 short step

i collected a few old vehicles over the years and due to family responsibilities and work they have been in storage and i have been absent from the hobby for a while.
i found an old school mechanic with an appreciation for these old trucks who is willing to do some work for me so its now or never!

the project
1965 chevy short step unmolested rust free truck from arizona
4 speed
283 motor in good condition (2bb carb)
my objective is to make this a basic reliable comfortable daily driver type vehicle.

all the basics have been done, tuneup etc. and new under bed gas tank from early classic enterprises.
i need to decide on the following
should i and is it worth it to....??
1)upgrade to power stearing
2)upgrade to power brakes

additionally i need to find an air cleaner assembly as well as other parts, is LMC a good resource for parts or are there other vendors i should look into.
i also have a specific exhaust question but will ask this in a separate post for clarity

thanks for your advice and help

Your upgrades to power steering and brakes are good to consider. Not required but will make the truck more responsive. I drive a 62 stock and enjoy it, but power brakes would help me sleep better. Lmc is as good a vendor as any. I have good experience with american classic but read past threads on who people use. Depending on the project, i use different folks. Your air cleaner could just as well come from a salvage yard or ebay. Some parts will come easy from the parts wanted forum. Welcome back.
Hambone

I have had very good luck finding parts on Rockauto.com! Prices are very competitive and most are lower. You will, however, pay shipping on everything.🛠

Sounds like a nice, fairly stock truck.

I have an air cleaner from a 1962 C10 that had the 1 bbl carb on it. Not sure if it will work or not, but it is stock and has a 2 1/2" throat and takes an 11 1/2" filter. It has a bit of rust on it and would need to be stripped and painted, but I would be willing to let it go cheap if you are interested.

I also have a 1965 short stepside. Doing the disc brake swap was easy and I used a kit from CPP that bolted right on with my existing ball joints. I used a salvage yard 1995 Blazer brake MC and booster and a special bracket for bolting it all onto the firewall. Getting the PS all rigged up on my inline 230 was a bigger challenge but I eventually got that done too. It will be much easier getting the required PS brackets for you 283.

So I do recommend the upgrades. The front disc brakes will really improve my stopping power.