The Stovebolt Site Forums Project Journals Completed Journals 1951 Chevy COE Car Hauler on a P30 Chassis

After a summer filled with family, yard work, car shows, white water rafting and a four-day cruise with the northwest Pantera club, I still found a little time to make some progress on the truck.

Last time I posted I was working on the wiring. I am really glad I went with the aftermarket wiring harness. I was able to work on it when I could find some time and with all the wires being labeled where they go, I could pick up where I left off without having to retrace where they came from or go to. I was able to finish all the wiring and get the gauges installed. I also ran all the wiring for the stereo and cameras to the consul and installed the plugs so when I complete the upholstery on the consul, I can just plug them in and drop the stereo into place.

With the wiring finished I started sorting out how I was going to plumb all the wet lines. I needed to get from the water pump to the radiator, from the power steering pump to the steering box, the transmission lines to the cooler and back and last but not lease fuel lines from pump to tank. The fuel line was just a matter of re-running the rubber lines on the ends of the original hard line that ran down the frame rails. For the water lines I had a model of how to run them setting in my other garage. With the Pantera being mid-engine it has hard piped water lines running under the cabin in a tunnel with rubber hoses on each end to complete the connection. Panteras were notorious for overheating from the factory but with repositioning the radiator, upgrading the fans and re-configuring them that's been resolved. So, I decided to copy what works. I ran parallel 2" stainless steel lines under the front cab, and I am tying the ends in with rubber hoses. I ordered new hoses for the power steering, transmission and what I need to finish up the water line and expect them this week so I can finish that up.

One more thing. When my brother and sister-in-law visited us from Iowa with their oldest son and his wife who have been following my progress on Stovebolt, they were looking forward to seeing it in real life. I am fortunate to have a good size shop but when you walk in through the door the truck is kind of overwhelming. I am used to it because it was just a cab when I started, and it has slowly grown and I never really thought about it, but when I was looking though some pictures that my wife had taken it hit me how big this thing is. Granted my sister-in-law is not a big lady but it still gives you an idea of the scale of it.

Stay tuned, the post may not be coming as fast as when I started but I'm still moving forward.

Thanks, COCOE

With the plumbing complete I installed the front hood to check for clearances at the oversized radiator. The bracing for the hood just hit the top of the radiator. I'm going to have relocate them outside the corners of the radiator but the hood itself has about three inches of head room. Once I get the bracing figured out, I will do the final adjustments on the hood to fenders and grill.

I have been putting off working on the upholstery out of frustration, but I knew I had to just sit down and try not to get frustrated and work on it. I set up a little sewing station in the loft of the shop and told myself that nothing else gets done until I finish the consul and get everything installed into it. It took me several attempts, some wasted material, a trip to the fabric store for more thread and more than a few bad words (sorry Mom) but I am happy with the way it turned out. With the upholstery covering complete on the consul, I was able to install the shifter, stereo/CD/DVD player, backup camera, auxiliary switches with USB port and the all-important cup holders.

And progress continues.

Looking good!
You may need a scaffold to get the upper cab windshield in place. It's way up there.

Your skills amaze me. Great work on such a unique project!

My words will not do it justice so, WOW! will have to do.

Well work continues.

I have been working on the doors trying to get all the new glass in and get everything operating properly. When I installed the windows in the back doors and tried to roll them down, they would only go about halfway down. The window frame ran into the rod of the offset that I made to lower the exterior handle. The stock location is outside the window track, but the offset puts it in the way. I used mirrors and flashlights to try to get a good look at what it would take to get them to co-habituate in the space. The upper offset in the latch was on the exterior side of the track but the lower offset was on the interior side of the track. When I first came up with the idea to lower the exterior handle I wasn't thinking about the window, and I just ran a die over the square end of the shaft of the handle and put a nut on it to keep the offset from falling off. It is long enough to go into the latch on the interior side of the door. After getting a good look at it and understanding what was interfering with the window, I saw that the shaft didn't need to reach the latch anymore so I could just cut it off and file a new square end in it to fit the offset and keep the whole contraption on the exterior of the glass. After re-installing it the windows rain freely all the way up and down.

The last thing I needed to do for the doors was to figure out how I wanted to deal with the interior door panels. I went back online to get ideas, and it also made me think about armrest. When I bought the trucks, the interiors were mostly non-existent, so I didn't even realize it had armrest. I decide on a pretty simple design for the panels and then mocked up some armrest. Last year when I painted the doors, I did the interiors too not knowing if I wanted to cover the whole inside or just the area by the handles, I glad I did. I like the way the panels turned out, but the armrest may function well I don't like the way they look so I will keep working on those.

The next big step is to install the windshields. klhansen your right I may need to scaffold the cab to get to the upper one, my next-door neighbor is restoring an AD truck also and is ready to install his windshield too. So, in the next week or so we are going to do a windshield installing weekend, hopefully just one.

One last thing. When I finished all the electrical and got all the glitches sorted out, I decided to see if it would start. I primed it a little and it started right up. I feel like I'm getting close to the maiden voyage.

Thanks to everyone following along, I enjoy your support and comments.

COCOE

Thank you for bringing us along on such a unique build. Your skills, imagination and tenacity have kept us glued to your Journal, looking forward to your next post. The “light at the end of the tunnel” is getting brighter. Keep up the great work!

Maybe just speaking for myself, or maybe even for some more of us readers, how is your build going?

I have to admit that it's been pretty slow working on the truck. But the good news is I've been doing a lot of skiing and the snows been outstanding. The snow at home finally melted last Saturday and the sun came out and it warmed up enough to get some time in the shop.

I have been thinking on how I was going to install the windshields in the cabs both upper and lower. As I posted earlier my next-door neighbor was ready to install his in a standard AD cab, so we decided to start on his to see how it goes. After watching several U-Tube videos and thinking we had a good plan we worked on it for about 4 hours and only managed to break one of the pieces and not get the other to seat all the way. It was a very frustrating day. I went back and rewatched some videos and though I saw what we were doing wrong in the way we were pulling the rope to get the rubber over the metal flange on the cab. I also gave it more thought on how I was going to get up to the upper cab to work the glass from the outside as klhansen stated early.

What I came up with was instead of trying to work it from both sides I order a pair of suction cups and worked it just from the inside. After I got the glass installed in the rubber, I laid a moving blanket on top of the lower cab and set the assembly on it to a line it with where it goes. Then I tilted it into place and installed a couple 1/4" bolts through the center divider to keep it centered as I was pull on it to get it to seat. Starting at the bottom I work my way around the windows pulling the rope. The corners were still a little bit of a challenge but after a couple hours of working it was seated, and the rubber was lying flat like it is supposed to.

With my newfound confidence I jumped right into the front cab. With the front hood sloping down there was no were to lay the glass before I stood it so I just laid it in place, and it rested there until I could get a couple bolts in it. I started at the bottom again on the first half and worked my way around but this time everything just fell into place and within 5 minutes it was in and seated. I sat there for a little while looking at it in disbelief that it could go in that easy. I moved over to the second half with my fingers crossed and started around again. This time the corners seemed a little tighter but with a little pulling on the suction cups and working it with the little screwdriver thing with the ball on the end of it the window was in and seated.

This was something I have been putting off but now with all the glass installed all I have left is the Head liners and a little trim in the cabs and it will be ready for the road.

Thanks All for Following, COCOE

While I was working on the interior trim the weather turned cold again so I had to hold off on some of the work that I needed to glue so I decided to work on something I could do in a cold shop.

The first thing I worked on was to figure out some side mirrors. first, I wanted them to look clean but stout. second, they needed to be out far enough to see around the bed, but I wanted them to be able to retract so I could fit into (relatively) tight spaces or when parking. I ran a piece of 1 1/2" tube steel inside a piece of 1 3/4" tube steel then welded a vertical arm to that and will mount a standard truck mirror to that. It will have a threaded nob on the back side so you can slide it in or out and tighten the nob to hold it in place. I'm going to mount it to the door with a fairly large plate inside to keep it from flexing. It will extend from 10" to 16" and that's enough to see down the side of the bed.

Next, I decided that I did want a front bumper. But when I got rid of the original chassis, I was lacking in foresight and left it on it. I'm not sure how I could have made it work with the tilting cab, but it might have saved me from having to fab one. I googled COE trucks and started looking to see what I liked and came up with a design that I liked. Then I started building one.

I'm prepping both the mirrors, and the bumper for paint and will have pictures of finish product when they are done.

The last thing, the sun came out for a little while last weekend, so I decided to take it for a short drive around the neighborhood just to test things out. It drove good and short of a couple little adjustment things I was very pleased. All the lights and gauges work like they are supposed to. It ran and shifted on que and the brakes work great. I still have some work before it's really road worthy but It's Insight.

You’re progressing nicely. Great job!

My last post I was working on the front bumper and side view mirrors. I finished them and got them installed. Also finished the rest of the door panels. I'm down to head liners and windshield wipers and then to the State Patrols for inspection and I will be ready for the road. I signed up for my first show with it on June 7th here in town. It's The Northwest C-10 Classic Truck Show. Hoping it won't be to over the top.

Nice work on the mirrors and love that bumper! Great work!

Oh it will be over the top, what else could it be?
Looking pretty awesome…
Chuck

Can't wait till you get it outside and get some full body pictures of the whole thing!
I don't normally follow too many project threads, but this one has intrigued me ever since you first started it. Definitely unique!

Looks pretty awesome. I like the extendo mirrors. Do you have structure inside the doors to support them?

Yes, I have a 4” X 8” 1/4” plate that I shaped to the same curve as the door on the inside. I also welded a 1/4” cap on the end of the tub steel and covered it with 1/16” rubber so it wasn’t metal to metal. That has two 1/4-20 bolts thur it to hold everything tight.

I knew you would have. Everything you’ve done has been excellent quality and seems to be well thought out.

When you don't have anything better to do, you might consider mounting turn signals in the vertical part of the mirror arm.

Thanks for all the commits, all. Bill, that is actually my intent. I have some of the 3/4" round lights left that I used for clearance lights down the sides and, on the steps, but I wanted to get everything fit and make sure it was going to be stable enough before I drilled for them. I think I will do one on all three sides right at the elbow or at the top of the vertical piece.

Last fall I was working on the door panels. I got all the FRP cut out that I was going to use as the backer board and the bow tie logo that goes under the vinyl, but I was short vinyl for what I needed to finish covering them. I guess my learning curve on the console consumed more than I had anticipated. Oh well, I haven't had a chance to drive into Seattle to get more until last week. So, this week I've been working on them. I got all 3 remaining panels covered and installed. All winter I've been pondering the armrest. For those who have been following I made one last fall back when I finished the first door panel but was not happy with the way it looked, so I looked online and read in the interior forum what other options were out there. It sounded like the aftermarket plastic ones were very susceptible to breaking after about a year. So, I started working on a design I could do out of steel. First, I dug thru my steel supply and found sum 1" X 2" tube steel and some plate stock that would work for what I had sketched out. Then I cut one out and welded it up to see if I liked it. I had to tweak the angle a little, but I liked it. So, I built three more. When I designed them wanted them to be universal so there wasn't a right or left. Next, I covered the tops with 1/2" yoga mat (it works great for padding, and I can get it cheap at Goodwill). Then I grabbed some pattern material (Bud Light box) that I seem to always have some around and made a pattern for the vinyl cover. To fit the angles of the armrest I needed to sew a couple seams in it. Once they were all stitched up it was time to start glueing them up. I need to work on my upholstery work, but they will never break like the plastic ones.

Bill, while I was waiting for the contact cement to dry it gave me time to get the turn signals in the side mirrors. They are all wired up and working. I also got the strapping done for the dual Batteries. There is one on each side behind the swing out steps with an automatic transfer switch. All the hydraulics, sound system and auxiliary lights runs off the second battery. I don't want to be sitting at the track till 3:00 am waiting for AAA.

I like the cameo appearance if that is you in the reflection of that mirror shiny metal.
that is how clean it is. pic 4-15-25 003 jpg picture or the 4 23 25 014 jpg.

It's been almost a month since my last post, and it's been busy!

I'm going to break my progress up in a few posts or I would be typing all night.

In my last post I was starting to work on the interior trim, and I had mentioned that I needed to deal with the state and the Dept. of Licensing. Well, that proved to have some hurdles. But in the end, it is fully licensed and ready for the highways. I could share the whole story, but it would take too long and nobody cares. IT'S DONE!!!

First, now that I've been driving it, I started thinking if I had any issues (not that that would ever happen) and needed to be towed, with the front bumper so low and everything up front tilts with the cab and is soft it would end poorly! The first hard tow point is the front cross member and it's above the bottom of the front bumper. So, I made a thick wall tube steel receiver that bolted to the front cross member and made 1/2" "U" bolts that go around the front 1 1/4" sway bar. From there I made another receiver that steps down 6" to clear the bumper. I wanted it removeable so as not to an eye sore when not needed. From there I can insert multiple receivers for towing. One with a shackle for a strap and a nether with a ball for a hard tow bar. Just to keep it clean when not in use I welded up a cap receiver.

While I was working on this I was still progressing on the interior. I started by installing sound matt on both ceilings. Then I needed to pad what was left of the dash of the upper cab. It needed to wrap around to where the grand kids wouldn't bump their heads when crawling through. I used 1/2" Yoga mat and started at the upper windshield and worked my way around with contact cement a couple inches at a time trying to stretch it and keep it flat as I went. Very pleased with the results.

Enough for now, the push is on for June 7th and the first public show.

How close to the ground is that tow shackle and would it hit the deck of a roll-back you were trying to load this truck onto before the front wheels got to the deck?

I have Got to see video of that thing rolling and driving out the driveway. And a bonus would be other people face reactions. Think of this as a formal request. its it a awesome looking well build machine.

Me too. And with the race car on it!

Thanks for the continued interest, Bill I didn't realize until you asked the question but the receiver with the shackle can be flipped 180 degrees and that get you 3" more ground clearance for a total of 10".
even still if needed I would most likely have to run the front wheels up on blocks to get clearance. I've had to do the same thing with the Pantera loading it on ramp trucks.

Now on to progress. I finished the interior. First, I covered everything with sound matt even the ceiling. Then I glued light gray foam backed suede like material to it. From there I made panels out of FRP (fiber glass reinforced panel) and covered it with the same vinyl I used for the conceal and door panels. Then I tucked all the headliner ends under the perimeter and screwed the panels over it. I'm happy with the way it turned out. Then I made panels for the sides that cover the transition between cabs and used a single piece of vinyl to cover the upper dash that I padded with 1/2" dense foam.

Next, I needed a glove box, and I didn't want to go back to the cardboard ones so I fabed one out of some scrap 18 ga sheet metal I had left from the bed sides. Then I covered the inside with vinyl and installed it.

While I was making up the glove box I also bent up a cover for the winch to it from getting wet and dirty.

By the way Videos are coming. My wife shot some yesterday and I will get them posted as soon as I finish the saga.

Thanks

Cool idea to make the glove box out of sheet metal. Those cardboard ones do get pretty flimsy after while.

Just finding this and planning to go back at the beginning. But from what I've seen so far, this beast is bad to the bone.

After doing a little driving the brakes still felt spongy, and I wanted to bleed them again. I'm glad when I built the rear deck that I made the center between the rails removeable. I was easy to get to the rear brakes to bleed them.

The next thing that I have been working on is the emergency brake. I wanted to use the old original one out of the COE but couldn't find a good place to have it come out of the floor. The center console was in the way to put it back in the original location and if I tried to move it to the outside it was in the way to get in and out. So, I settled on using the P 30 one and put it alongside the driver seat. It's convenient to get to and out of the way.

Next, I installed the engine dress-up kit. Lots of nice a shiny stuff.

As I was loading the straps and other stuff in the toolboxes and it became apparent that it needed some padding on the floors of the boxes. So, I ordered some 1/8" rubber matt and fitted it in the bottom of all the boxes.

Another thing missing when I was driving around was the ability to see out the back. The side mirrors worked great down the sides and the backup camera when I was in reverse but straight out the rear was a blind spot. So, I ordered a rear-view camera and installed it on the rear of the upper cab. It gives me the ability to see straight out and also what's going on the bed.

Last but not least I installed a radiator recovery tank.

It's funny that everything is brand new except the overflow tank.

Seriously Otto, you're going to bust my balls for repurposing an overflow tank? Just kidding. Actually, it was from the old motorhome that I used the chassis from. When I went for the first drive and got back the blowoff hose from the radiator was dripping a little, so I needed to catch any blowoff. I started looking for a recovery tank online but didn't see any that I loved but then I remembered I had saved the one form the motorhome for some unknown reason. But I have to agree I could have put a little effort into cleaning it up before I installed it.

After the first drive as, you can see by the video I live on a gravel road and everything got very dusty. It was time to start the final clean-up. First, I started with the paint I spent a long day wet sanding followed by two long days polishing. Then on to the interior. At lease that only took a few hours.

Next step loading the car. Sorry I need to figure out how to post videos.

That is one cool looking truck! Well done!

Talk about a behemoth!

Are your deck boards pressure treated pine?

No, the boards are tongue and groove Doug/Fir 2X6 (car decking). I sanded them and then applied two coats of a full body black stain to all sides. I don't foresee this being left out on the weather a lot, so I didn't see the need to use treated wooded.

Next up is loading the car. I rolled the deck back and lined the car up to check if the front valance would hit before the front wheels started up the ramp. I was pretty sure it would because it has on every other ramp truck that I have loaded it on and loading a Pantera backwards is a real bad idea. Wind gets caught in the back vent opening and will flip the rear deck over the roof of it. When I bought it 18 years ago this had happened, and I had to do some significant repairs to the roof and the back deck. After seeing it wouldn't go up, I pulled the two center panels out of the deck and hooked them in the slots on the rear of the ramp. Then rolled the Pantera on them almost level and hooked up the winch cable to the axle straps that I had hooked around the frame and snugged it up. Then I raised the ramp until the ramps were in line with the deck. From there I just winched it up the deck and strapped it down with the 4-point system slid the ramp/deck panels back in place raised the deck and I was ready to head out.

First truck show here I come.

That's pretty cool.

Congratulations on the concept, the creation and the success!
Well Done!

That is a great look out in the sunshine. Post a youtube video and send us a link. The world needs to see that beautiful creation

Great looking rig. Good luck at the show. I'll bet the COE gets more comments than the Pantera.