The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts New guy with a C60

Hello all. New to the big classic trucks and looking forward to a great project. I'm trying to get my C60 ready to tow the camper pictures behind it. Any and all advice to get it highway worthy, while keeping it on the original frame would be much appreciated! Thanks for adding me and I look forward to learning and contributing to this great community!

Hy Cu29head, welcome, could you tell us more about your truck, engine, transmission, rear axle and rear axle ratio if you know it? I think I have some bad news for you, looking at your picture I think your rear wheel that is being shown is the dreaded and extremely dangerous (and outlawed) Firestone RH5, please check and see if all your wheels are the same design. Please take and show a bunch more pictures of everything. How fast would you like to travel while towing your trailer?

Welcome to the Stovebolt

Your brake system is a single circuit type, so my recommendation would be to replace/rebuild EVERYTHING including the steel and rubber lines back to new. You don't want to have a failure while pulling your RV.

You also have the 5/10 lug rims so finding usable rims will be challenging. The 22.5" tubeless one-piece rims are the direct replacement for your 20" split rims. There's a good write up on wheels in the "Tech Tips" section.

Mike B

Echo the brake sentiment. Every single part of the system needs rebuilt/replaced. Also add to that the trans brake. Get it relined and ensure it is working proper, it will be your only hope if the main system has any kind of problem.

You didn't mention what rear axle you have which will govern your top speed. If its a two speed axle, your limit is 55-58mph max. Its not worth re-gearing, so if you want a better top speed, an axle swap is cheaper.

Check the kingpins for play and all the steering components. Bump steer is a heck of a thing on loose steering. Assume that your front wheel bearings/wheel seals need replaced and verify that the rears are in good condition. Check universals for play and replace as necessary. Check every last grease fitting and replace any that are malfunctioning. There is no such thing as too much grease on these old girls. I hit all the major zerks with a pump or two before every 100+ mile trip on top of routine 3000 mile maintenance and keep a grease gun in the toolbox on the truck. I also suggest keeping a fire extinguisher mounted in the cab ready to go. These old girls can be finicky, I had my oil bath filter catch fire on the highway from a backfire once.

You will need to wire in the necessary harness for lights on the camper so use it as an opportunity to overhaul the wiring of the truck. Depending on the amp draw, the stock fusing for brake/tail/marker lights may not support the added electric load from the trailer so you may need to bypass the system and run fresh lower AWG wire on a standalone fuse. Get some fresh grounds and primary wire under the hood. If not already, ensure that the truck is fused before the firewall. They didn't come from the factory as such and if your primary wire shorts out you can wreck most of the harness, the ignition switch, and even start a fire. Mouse like to get up in the roof and can chew on the marker light wires. Check those for good continuity and then take the time to reseal them to the roof. You can almost guarantee that after 60 years they are leaking and this can rust out the top side of the windshield.

I also suggest hard wiring grounds to all your major lights. All the lights ground thru the body from factory. 60 years of rust and rot ensures that those grounds can be troublesome and unless you are doing a cab-off resto, you will be forever chasing your tail as the lights come and go with each bump on the road.

These trucks did not come with reverse lights. Depending on you local laws/DOT regs you may want/need to wire in reverse lights. Someone once did a writeup of adding the sensor to the SM420 to make them automatic, but the simple method is to just use a manual toggle switch on the dash. You didn't state what type of trailer brakes you are using either, so you will need to ensure to wire in that system as well.

3B already mentioned wheels. That will be your biggest hurdle. I wont bother with engine, that's pretty self explanatory. Do flush the radiator and check the upper and lower hoses though. I would think pulling a camper means driving long distances, and you cant find easy replacement parts for these trucks should you break down.

Depending on the distance, it may be worth getting an undermount toolbox or two from tractor supply and mounting them to the frame just behind the cab. Then you can carry all the fluids, filters, spare parts, and tools you may need to service/repair the truck should you experience any issues. For reference, I keep 1 of every filter, a gallon of every fluid, a complete toolset, and a full list of parts on the truck at all times. Parts include: rad hoses, spare 1bbl carburetor, spare HEI pickup coil/module/rotator, complete points dizzy with spare points/condenser/coil/cap/resistor, spare plugs/plug wires, spare universals, spare bulbs, spare stators (for hazard flashers), spare drive belt, and a few other odds and ends. Beyond basic tools, I keep a timing light, feeler gauges, a multimeter, and a bottle jack on hand.

You also need to understand that no matter how well you build it and/or maintain it, she will be a maintenance hog. I've spent untold hours on the side of the road, at truck stops, in parking lots, etc, quickly running maintenance and solving occasional problems. Its very much a labor of love.

Thanks for the Replies thus far. I'm planning to make all of the upgrades I can, while keeping the original frame. I want to convert it to disc brakes and ditch the 2 speed rear. A lot of people chassis swap these to one ton frames, but I will not be doing that. I do however want to convert the front to use the P30 independent front suspension as well as a power steering conversion. It currently has a 292, which after speaking with Clifford Performance, I'm confident I can get plenty of reliable power out of it. It has the standard GM 4 speed, which I haven't decided what to do with yet. Has anyone converted one of these to independent front in this forum? A search didn't reveal anything.

Hy Cu29head, thank you for the pictures, the wheels that I can see in them definitely look like RH5s. When you say you want to convert to discs, do you mean all around, or just the fronts? Wishing you good luck with your project!

Cu28head,

If you look around, there are 22.5” wheels with that bolt pattern on ‘60’s +/- trucks. They come in at least 2 widths, so measure carefully.

Ed

CU29head That is not a 292,probably 261 unless I am seeing things. Waas going to comment if 292 very important not to overheat,will crack it. Good chance of overheating in a towing situation. Used those trucks for real in another life,great equiipment easy to work on. Listen to others on your brakes,good luck ! I'm wrong is 292 ,if you shave your head may have to shave manifold side too,they warp like a chunk of firewood !!

You're seeing things!

Lifter cover is wrong for a 261. Not a 261.

292, pushrod cover about 6” high.

Ed

very cool truck, you are in the right place.

-Woog

Plus there are 2 of them, not single long one.

Hello and welcome to the forum,

this is a very cool truck.
Get ready for a lot of work but also fun.
I am currently restoring a Chevy c60/1966 Firetruck.

When I'm done it will be technically completely new, only the old "nice" look will remain.

If you have time, I would be grateful if you could send me pictures of your brake bosster (under the cab/driver side), if recognizable with serial number. This is currently the only part that is difficult to get and I do not yet know exactly what must go in there. There was none in mine when I bought the truck. Thanks and good luck :-)

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

BC59 Yes I'm blinder than a batt,they just overhauled my eyes too !! I think it was the color,really those eye guys done me a great job can see to drive 80 mph on the interstate and can read a newspaper !!

Just a heads-up when communicating with Clifford- - - -they have a habit of promising more power gains than their parts can deliver, and a lot of what they sell is biased towards hotrodders, not people doing real truck stuff. Two of the biggest mistakes many people make with engines in general, and inline sixes in particular are "too much cam" and "too much carburetor". The 292 in "as manufactured" condition is perfectly suited to towing. Don't get tempted to mess with cam and carburetion mods!

Edit: When/if you replace those wheels with something that's not illegal for a truck shop to service, I could use the centers from a couple of them for a project I'm working on. I'm planning to build a "doodlebug tractor" and I'll be using the rear wheels for a Farmall Cub, adapted to fit a Chevy 2 speed rear end with the same 10 lug bolt pattern as yours. Please keep in touch!
Thanks!
Jerry

Just don't try doing both at the same time!!

Nice looking '65. The 292-6 is one of my favorite engines. I would not get rid of the 2-Speed Rear, unless it would be to raise it to a higher gear. Also changing to Disc Brakes would be a challenge, but if you accomplish it let us know how it goes.

So I dropped a 292 in my '38. I have not heard of head issues. Do they warp if you wink at them? From my understanding its a very reliable engine with great low end.

p.s. what a GREAT looking truck with a cool set up. I was JUST like you. They wanted me to change uot the frame.. NO WAY. Your rear will get you to safe and reasonable speeds, A PLUS! I Kept it as original as I could .. on the drivetrain.. I fought that.. but the 45mph limit stopped me.. and the widowmaker rims. :/ Why?

1. Rims/Tires: The cost of the bias ply .. okay fine.. but the rims *could* kill someone.. AND the bias ply wears out fast and tram-lines.. I went solid rims as close as original as I could get.
2. 45mph: I want to be able to DRIVE this truck for trips, and needed at least 55mph (and probably max). After gaining knowledge from these swell folks:

The cost to maintain or potentially redo the babbit bearing 235, max safe speed and rim and tire debacle .. and 6.xx rear I ended up changing out the drive-shaft, rear and trans . and engine. So I went 292ci (largest chevy inline - HAD TO STAY INLINE MAN! ) carter 400 4bbl for coolness and efficiency, nv4500 5 speed and dana 60 rear
- BETTER mpg combo(why not!?)
- BETTER power (why not?)
- LOOKS more original and stays with theme of inline 6..

When my 292 burnt a valve years ago I sent the head out to be re-done. They called me and said that the head was also warped and no problem, they can just shave it. I put it back on the engine and the truck ran great for many more years.

Bill on the 292, dumb ques, how did it burn a valve? Overrevving, load or somehow just normal wear?

I believe just normal wear. About a year after I put the truck on the road it started to pop thru the carb one day. Tell-tale sign that it was an Intake Valve. I just sent the head out to be "re-done". They gave it what it needed, but not sure of the details. But I do remember that the head was warped and needed shaving. Ran great for many more years as mentioned. Plenty of power and great gas mileage to boot.