WA 1968 Chevrolet C20 w/ build sheet and Protect-O-Plate

[68 TT]

UPDATE: Price reduced to $2,700 o.b.o.

The truck now runs and drives. Turn signals work, wipers work, heater works, all dash lights work, brakes work but need bled a little better.

I purchased this truck with the intention to restore it to all original condition with just safety improvements but no longer have the time to put into it that a vehicle with the documentation and history this truck has deserves to have put into its restoration.

Purchased new at Camp Chevrolet here in Spokane on June 8th of 1968 as a special order vehicle. I purchased it from the original owner’s son who at the age of 16-years old was with his father when he picked up the truck from the dealership. He inherited the truck from his father who drove it as his daily driver from the date he purchased it.

The truck has the Camp Chevrolet filled out 1968 Chevrolet New Vehicle Inspection report filled out before the owner picked up his special order truck which is signed by the original owner and shows the VIN of the truck, the Owner Protection Plan and New Vehicle Warranty book with the metal Protect-O-Plate insert in the original Chevrolet paper warranty book packaging envelope and the original owner’s manual. All are enclosed in the original Chevrolet plastic owner’s manual pouch. The truck went the entire warranty period without a single warranty repair of any kind as every single page of the tear-off section of the Protect-O-Plate warranty book is completely un-used and intact.

It also comes with the build sheet which I removed from behind the seat springs to keep it from deteriorating any further than it already had before I purchased the truck. It has been kept in a climate controlled environment for protection since that time. Glove box SPID label is intact and shows the same options as the build sheet. The build sheet shows a few more but that is typical as the assembly line workers who filled out the SPID label only listed the bare essentials.

The previous non-original engine threw a connecting rod in 2006 and the engine sat torn down out in the weather, but the block looks to be salvageable. It is a 327 block and the correct casting number for the truck. It comes with the truck and is loose in the bed. The crank was damaged heavily from the rod failure as well as being exposed to the weather for too long, so it was well beyond repair and discarded. With the way the connecting rod failed by pulling the rod bolt retaining flange off the big end of the rod I chose to dispose of the rods rather than trust any of the remaining parts being any less metal fatigued. I kept the failed rod as a memento. It will come with the truck. With the engine out and on the ground the truck sat partially disassembled for several years in the owner's yard before I purchased it with much of it in boxes and loose in the bed or inside the truck.

Over the past six years I have completely torn the truck down to the frame and disassembled the cab to remove the years of built up crud and debris as well as to evaluate what I was working with. I have been working through the truck from end to end replacing damaged, worn out or incorrect components along the way with low mileage correct original parts as needed. I have been building the 67-72 Chevy trucks for more than 30 years and I had collected a few nice original low mileage and / or rare parts that I used to repair this truck. Nearly every component has been removed, cleaned, inspected and reinstalled with the only exception being the front suspension as I had intended on upgrading the truck to disc brakes and the heavier duty square body 5/8” tie rods and steering linkage components for reliability and safety.

I have the disc brakes and new steering linkage components assembled onto a cleaned up spare 3/4-ton crossmember and A-arm assembly with new ball joints and have the matching 3/4-ton disc brake master cylinder to go with it but do not have the proportioning valve or hard lines needed to complete the installation, so the assembly has not been installed. It will come with the truck.

UPDATE: The truck is complete and runs great with a fully functional factory automatic choke assembly on the Q-Jet. I have replaced the one damaged hard line on the rear end, flushed and refilled the brake system with new fluid. The parking brake is functional and operates properly.

It currently has a 4-bolt main truck 350 in place of the original 327 connected to the original SM-465 granny gear 4-speed manual transmission. The engine is clean internally and has new gaskets, fresh oil, plugs, plug wires, cap, rotor and points with a clean Quadra-Jet carburetor and new air cleaner. It also has a rebuilt alternator, starter and new USA made voltage regulator that fits under the original Delco-Remy regulator cover. It has the 1971-up style power steering assembly on it, but I have the correct two-piece crank pulley set for the early style power steering that will come with it if you can locate a set of the early power steering pump mount brackets and a pump body to match so you can use them. The original exhaust manifolds to work with them are also included. I have the dual exhaust that was on the truck, but it doesn't fit the manifolds currently on the truck. It will fit the correct ones included that work with the original style power steering system. The truck does have an original GM exhaust system on it that has been modified to fit the exhaust manifolds currently on it and fit with a new muffler.

It is running and I have set the timing, dwell and idle. UPDATE: I have installed a new radiator, fan shroud and fan clutch along with new hoses and thermostat. It also has a new Interstate battery. I have also drained and refilled the transmission and rear end with new gear oil.

The commonly rusted in place spring mount bolts and panhard bar mount bolts have been removed and replaced along with all the bed mount bolts, bumper bolts and cab mount bolts. All the sheet metal mounting hardware has been removed, all the threads chased and cleaned then reassembled. As the door hinges were very worn out from daily use for 40-years they were in dire need or replacement. The door hinges I installed are from a truck that was only 12-years old when it was parked due to engine problems. The doors close like they were new and can be closed with one finger.

The heater housing has been completely disassembled and cleaned out along with the cowl vent areas to remove any built up debris and accumulated dirt from the years and was reassembled with a pressure tested original copper / brass heater core and the blower housing re-sealed to the firewall to prevent any rain water or air leaks. All the original cables still function properly but some of the control levers were repaired to restore function.

All the wiring was removed, cleaned up, inspected and repaired as needed then reinstalled.

The truck also received the low mileage original AM radio, speaker and wiring from the same truck that donated the door hinges.

Everything in the engine compartment is as correct and original as I could manage to make it. The truck did not come with power brakes, but the original owner retrofit it with power brakes from a square body truck. I removed the cobbled together parts he installed and installed the correct for this body style 3/4-ton dual diaphragm Delco power brake booster assembly and firewall braces with the correct pedal linkage rod parts.

The original plaid cloth insert seat upholstery was in sad shape after so many years of use but I kept it for reference when re-covering the seat. It is included with the truck. Classic 60's Chevy red black & white plaid striped pattern. Original vinyl covered door panels are in great shape and just need a good cleaning to bring them back to the original bright red appearance. The original rubber floor mat was dry rotted and very torn up with large missing areas to the point it was unusable in a restored truck so it was discarded. The arm rests were ripped and damaged so they were replaced with new correct color reproductions. The original owner installed a chrome 3-spoke steering wheel some time in the 70's. It was heavily rusted and missing the horn components so it was replaced with a correct 1968 Chevy truck 3-spoke steering wheel. The horn button is very rare and comes from a CST optioned gold & white anniversary edition 68 Chevy truck I owned years ago. The rest of the interior is original to the truck all the way down to the original glove box liner.

All the body panels are original to the truck except for the driver side front fender which the original owner had replaced many years ago. Typical dents, dings and wear & tear for a truck that got used as a truck but overall it is in great shape for a vehicle that is over 50 years old. Typical 67-72 Chevy truck inner & outer rocker panel rust and outer cab support rust but the cab corners and lower A-pillar and B-pillar supports are in great shape. The floor pan looks great and should only need very minor touch up here and there, nothing major. The roof skin has some loose cargo damage from being used as a truck for so many years so I have a complete original GM production line inner & outer roof skin assembly to go in its place that I removed from another truck of mine. It is an easy installation job requiring only a little patience and some spot weld drill bits to reverse the assembly line process of installing the inner and outer roof skins onto the cab structure. Plug weld and grind smooth then repaint. Looks like it was new again and it was installed just like the originals were so no compromised structure by cutting & welding at the A & B-pillar areas like some people do for roof repairs. I have done it twice before and it takes about a weekend to complete taking your time not to damage anything. You can even put a layer of sound mat / heat barrier material in between the inner & outer skins during the process to keep a little noise and some of the heat out of the interior. Most of the great looking 67-68 B98 option side trim is intact except for the tailgate section is missing and the driver side tail light piece is off the truck and bent up but I have it and it comes with the truck. I replaced some of the CHEVROLET hood letters that were damaged or broken with nice original parts so all of them are in great shape and tighten down properly now.

I have put more than 500 hours into the tear down, clean up, repair and reassembly of this truck. I hate to sell it at this point but just don't have the time to invest into it to go to the next step in the restoration that this truck deserves. I don't want to do a rushed job of it and not do this truck justice, so I would rather sell it to someone who can put the time into it that it deserves. I have close to 1,000 digital photos of it during the process and will make a copy to go with the truck for your records.

UPDATE: Asking $2,700 o.b.o.
Mike
(509) 230-6142
Call or text
No trades please, I have too many projects as it is.