John
Ontario
Canada
/pro/rebuild/
energizr67@hotmail.com
/pro/rebuild/
energizr67@hotmail.com
I got the truck for free and drive train was no good and couldn't find parts to fix it,so out it goes.
I found an 87 chev that was rolled for 900.00 bucks. With a good drive train and 35 inch tires. The gears start going I'll mate the 2 of them.
The bottom of the 68 was so rotted I had to fix the floor,mounts and rockers before I could take it off the frame or I thought it would collapse, haha not good!
So I stripped the chev down to frame and cut 14 inches out of the frame so it would be the right wheel base lenght and was just going to put that frame right under the 68 body,but after some more measuring I found that the truck would be to high due to the differences in the frames about 4 more inches.
I don't like body lifts and I would have a 4 inch one no good.
Then came plan 2 with a bit of measuring, what I did was kept the rear half of the 68 frame and front of the 87 with motor,tranny,stearing and front axel.
I slid the front frame into the rear frame 16 inches and it fit like a glove.Used 21 nuts and bolts on each side 3/8,grade 8 and 1/2inch grade 4.There were some 2 inch holes in the inner {front}frame so I welded the two together in the holes tacked the top and the bottom. I hope its ok like this. I have no doubt,it will be strong enough but don't know if the D.O.T will like it.
When I removed the frame from the 68 I blocked the cab up and it touched the roof of the garage.There was just enough room to get the frame out.I wanted to put the chev rear end,leafs and shackel brackets in while the frame was out but then I wouldn't be able to get it back under the cab. I had to put it back in with the old rear end and change it after.
Next I did some more welding, patch after patch a never ending thing on this truck it seems. Then put it out of the garage with the tires flat {only way it will come out} and changed the rear ends and bolted them in with 3/8 inch grade 8 nuts and bolts.
Then bolted the cab down to the frame and it all fit perfect.
After the cab was bolted down I started to hook things up,like steering, shifters, brakes and pedals.
Then came the tough part for me the wiring. I did most of the wiring my self, the main harness and the dash which was way beond anything I have done before.
The dash is the orignal gages out of the 87 chev. I had to map out the printed circut board and figure out where all those wires go. Man it was a job but, turned out ok.
Then my dad came up and helped me with the wiring for all the lights,horn,rear shocks and wipers which was a real stressful job, {we had 6 different wiper motors out of chev, ford, toyota and jeep} we couldn't get any of them to work on the chev harness except the original one out of the 87. Fuse after fuse and I had manuals for all the wiring of the different motors. No good I was so close to snapping at this point it wasn't funny! Then I decided to reshape the firewall to accept the 87 chev wiper motor. So it didn't need rewiring. I just had to rebuild the arms inside the cab to the right lenght and offset, which was a lot less stressful.
More welding, installed the gas fillers in the body. The 68 is supposed to be in the front fender but I didn't like that, so I put them [2]in the back quarters.
I next installed the exaust pipe and muffler and cut down a drive shaft to fit.
I still have a ton of work to do but it's comming.
Its been a year sence I have worked on my int. I did get it running and that was a good day purred like a kitten and all gages worked perfectly. To do that I put in gas tanks and hooked up the filler pipes.I just set the front clip on and mounted the rad and made a shroud hooked up the batery and turned the key and it fired right up.Sounded so nice!
I have installed the bases for the 2 front buckets seats and spray tared the entire underside.Looks a lot nicer under there now.
Then it happened. In the winter there was frost on the inside wall of my kids rooms so something had to be done. So in the spring instead of working on my truck we gutted the house right down to the studs.
We found only 1 inch of insulation in walls and roof
(story and a half]. So we restud it with 2x6 and put in 9 inches of insulation,plastic,drywall,paint,trim and did all new wireing and plumming. So in the spring I will get back to my 68 I hope!
I have bought another drive train for my wifes 52 international pick up as well but that is another story!
As you can see from the pics I got it all welded,mudded,primed and painted. I didnt work on it much this past summer as I would have liked. It went from welded to painted in about 10 weeks. Still lots of work to go yet but now there is light at the end of the tunnel.I have to paint the bumpers,door pannels and floor black. Im going to try to paint black flames on the front as well.Its been about 2.5 years now but I did have a year off the truck doing the house [It's nice and warm now] I used 1 and 1/2 10 lb spools of mig wire to weld that baby up 15lb is a lot of welding but worth it in the end I hope!
I was thinking of nameing it Resurrection but getting a little flack over that.I think it fits. Do you?
I will get it engraved on ss for the dash.
I did bring it back from the dead didnt I.
Update I have named it Sixtyateher.
I would like to thank all the people that helped me.
They know who they are!
