WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Hey all! I picked up a 63 a month or so ago and I finally got it home last week so I can get started on it. The plan is to look old but drive new and be fast and handle well. I've got a pretty extensive parts list so far some of which will be changing up so I'll have some new parts for sale at some point in the future.

Heres a picture from a few years ago before it was taken apart and stashed away in a barn since 2013 until I bought it and brought it home last week.

http://i.imgur.com/3QtsjBIh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/H7UAkC4h.jpg

And here are some from bringing it home.

Loading was easy!

http://i.imgur.com/RQSkHNFh.jpg

Ready for the drive

http://i.imgur.com/4vtKL2Yh.jpg

The sprinter makes easy work of all the additional parts and I have an aluminum ramp that made rolling the motor in and out a breeze.

https://i.imgur.com/zbGW55Xh.jpg

And then when I got home the fun began. My garage is only 17x20 and I already have a fairly large amount of large woodworking equipment in there so space is tight. Not having a way to roll it we had to get creative.

http://i.imgur.com/RzBrCbvh.jpg

The plan was to lift it up using the 4x4s we had put under it before setting it on the trailer and then drive the trailer out from under it, but of course the giant knot in the 4x4 had other plans and it snapped in half about 2" from our final height to clear the fenders of the trailer. The plan was to lower it onto a bunch of dollies and then roll it into the garage from the driveway but once the 4x4 snapped we resorted to pulling it off the trailer in the street with my buddies truck and tried to place it onto the dollies (which were a total waste of time and I destroyed 4 of them).

http://i.imgur.com/J7XUO1Eh.jpg

After some pulling and pushing with the truck and guiding the front with a rolling jack we finally got it into the garage 2 hours and 46 minutes after arriving home!

http://i.imgur.com/XUro2vah.jpg

And thats how it sat for a day or two

http://i.imgur.com/uyYzqSgh.jpg

More to come!

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

As stated in my first post I have a pretty extensive parts list that I was able to put together from receipts from the PO and by doing an inventory of all the parts since everything is still brand new and packaged with the part numbers on it. Out of curiosity/necessity I put together a spreadsheet of the parts and prices from the receipts I found in boxes and this is what I came up with.

http://i.imgur.com/nxBQgsrh.png

That total doesn't include tax or shipping and there are a few parts that I wasn't sure of where they came from or the cost but it's still a pretty decent list I think.

Included in the deal was a new GM 350 "330hp" crate motor and GM reman 4L60e trans complete with wiring harness and trans controller to run the electronic trans with the carbed motor. I will be selling all of this and going 6.0 LS and T56.

http://i.imgur.com/wKByXIhh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/HFZbtyIh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/DMlpXlXh.jpg

Also included were brand new wheels and tires that I will be selling at some point as well since they just aren't my style and don't fit the look I am going for.

http://i.imgur.com/zOuJHFYh.jpg

I have a literal truck bed full of new parts to waiting to be installed including new rust free doors that I just realized I forgot to include in my spreadsheet.

http://i.imgur.com/LJ5cM7Zh.jpg

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Looks like the start of a great project! I love those vent shade thingys above the door glass

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Thanks! I was looking at some other builds here yesterday trying to figure out what the the top of the door mirrors were called (which I now know are called "peep" mirrors) and saw the window visors on a few other trucks and I was thinking that I needed to get a set for mine and then forgot about it until I got home and saw that I already have them and upon closer inspection they are in great shape.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

That's always a pleasant surprise :lol:
Also, if you haven't noticed yet, those are 66 fenders that have been swapped on at some point. The fender badge is the telltale sign

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

I have done a few other build threads on other forums of other vehicles I've built in the past and they are always very picture heavy so if no one minds I am going to keep with that theme here as well...

Heres a few random pics of parts that I find to be very nice.

The freshly rebuilt/reupholstered seat

http://i.imgur.com/8CJwTZuh.jpg

The original gauge cluster with factory tach (not sure how rare the tach is but after seeing a few other posts about it being rare perhaps it is?) The entire cluster has been rebuilt by D&M Restoration in Greenville, SC. Notice the "1" mile on the odometer!

http://i.imgur.com/pJ2XmSMh.jpg

I even found a shop manual for the truck in one of the boxes that doesn't appear to have ever been opened until I found it.

http://i.imgur.com/ngWbIsYh.jpg

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

I did not realize that! That makes sense though because the PO gave me the bill of sale from 1989 when his mom bought the truck for his dad and said that his dad had redone the truck back in the mid 90's. I had a 67 and a 70 back in the day but this is my first time owning a 60-66 body style so I still have a lot to learn thanks for the heads up. The bottoms of the fenders are going to need some patch panels installed remedy some rust so now I won't feel as bad about cutting up fenders that aren't original to the truck.

Sticking with the rust topic I am going to have to do a bit of surgery to the floor pans and inner rockers for sure. The cab corners are rock solid somehow and other that the floor pans and fenders I think everything looks pretty solid but I still need to finish ripping out the rest of the carpet and poke around with a screwdriver for a while.

http://i.imgur.com/JVTPVCuh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/CsKRHD6h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/h56Bv48h.jpg


Time to do some research on the "best" patch panels.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Since you already have to do some rust repair, you could fill the holes for the 66 badge and replace them with the 63 badge in the correct location. Using the search feature on this site and the FAQ page is great for finding info that's already been shared. Also, reading through people's build threads can offer a variety of ideas and inspirations for your own truck

Also, I love the cluster. It looks great!

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Welcome to the forum :D

That is a desirable truck IMO. A '63 short fleetside, big back window, with all of the custom cab option trim including the polished aluminum grill. What a great find and will be a nice truck when you are done. I see someone has changed the differential at some time in the past 56 years.

Let me know if you need one of my '63-'66 booster brackets with the hydraulic clutch conversion to go along with your T56.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Welcome.

Your opening posts make me grin madly.

Will be watching this build.

I am just restarting after 4 years of not working mine.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Thats not a bad idea and I will be looking into it for sure. I love the cluster its one of my favorite parts of the truck.

Thanks I'm glad to be here, forums have helped me learn so much in the past and this one is proving to do the same already! I am really excited for this truck for sure and you are right it does seem to be well optioned. I wish there was a way to decode what options it came with from the factory like the newer vehicles with the RPO codes.

I'll be reaching out about your brackets soon once I figure out what all I need to put the T56 in.

I hope I don't disappoint you! I can relate to to just getting back to it it's been about 5 years since I built my last truck.

Just for fun here is a pic of my last truck I built. Dana 60 front 14 bolt rear all chromoly shafts on 40s plus a whole lot of other bits along the way. I miss this thing for sure.

http://i.imgur.com/PEyFmhMh.png

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Found a little time over the last couple evenings while the wife has been out of town to get a couple small things done.

I cleaned the cab out and did a quick wire wheel of the floor to figure out which patch panels I need to order.

Driver side

http://i.imgur.com/4xKdUyJh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/mZdpauzh.jpg

Passenger side

http://i.imgur.com/6tJsFG2h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gkkAdmZh.jpg

And then pulled the windshield out. I have a new one and this one was destroyed so I figured I'd get it outta the way and allow a little extra fresh air and light into the cab while I'm in there.

http://i.imgur.com/npnP3Rqh.jpg

It's only got one small rust area around the windshield which isn't to bad at all luckily.

http://i.imgur.com/IwFQvqgh.jpg

I'll get my patch panels ordered after I figure out how much I am spending on xmas gifts but for now I am going to start working on getting the front suspension put together.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

very nice project

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Nice project! I am in the process of a long bed fleet. Love these trucks!

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Thanks!

Thanks! I am also a lover of these trucks and am beyond happy to finally have one of my own.

With the holidays time has been limited on doing anything at all but now that thats behind us I hope to be able to get some more hours in on it. So far I have only managed to remove some uneeded things in the engine bay, do a bit of wire wheel cleanup and got the power steering box installed on the frame. I still need to cut and weld the flange on the steering shaft but I am waiting to do that until I have the front suspension and steering done so I can clock it properly.

http://i.imgur.com/6GiQprHh.jpg

Thats all for now but hopefully the updates will be more regular and I can start to feel like I am making some progress soon!

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

I'm in for this build, sweet so far

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Finally found a little time to spend in the garage this weekend. I got the front clip removed so I would have a little more room to work and this way I can clean up and paint the frame and firewall. This also makes it that much easier to install the suspension and motor. I dropped the front engine crossmember to make it easier to clean up and drill out the u bolt holes to accept the larger 9/16 u bolts.

http://i.imgur.com/mZIbW07h.jpg

Luckily a full replacement bolt kit is cheap for the front clip! I've got some broken bolt removal to do I guess. Some idiot put those two shiny bolts into the inner fender to fire wall holes and decided to just send it when they realized they weren't the correct thread size.

http://i.imgur.com/e5mlL76h.jpg

After that I pulled the rear axle to clean it up and rebuild. I have the outer bearings and new carrier bearings but I'll need to get new pinion bearings. I probably could have left them alone but if I'm this far in I should do it all I figure.

http://i.imgur.com/OVufFUKh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0Tp2izah.jpg

I still need to clean and de-grease the axle more but this is where I got to today. Hopefully I can keep moving forward and get this thing at least as a roller here in the next few weeks.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Cool truck I’m watching for sure

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Nothing much to update other than I got the axle bearings removed last night after receiving my bearing and race driver set from Amazon yesterday. I almost ordered the proper bearing removers and slide hammer but I figured I would see if I could make this work and I'm really glad I saved the money! I slide the driver inside the tube followed by a piece of scrap 1x2 and three wacks with a dead blow and the bearings popped right out.
http://i.imgur.com/MCBhfOfh.jpg

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Sold my motor on Saturday faster and for more than I expected so I ordered a full air ride setup today! After looking at complete kit options I opted to piece everything together via eBay. Ended up with the following

Accuair VX4 manifold
AVS 7 switch controller
5 gallon 9 port seamless aluminum tank
Dual Viair 444c compressors in stealth black
Airlift dominator 2600 bags for all 4 corners
SMC water trap
All the various fittings, pressure switch and safety/blow off valve
50 ft of 3/8 air line
Bag brackets for the front

The only pieces left that I need are air gauges, some sort of notch and shocks and shock relocators but I still need to do some research and figure out what I want before those are purchased.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Subscribed. Good job so far, looking forward to the updates.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Thanks!

A few of the air ride pcs have started showing up!
The sticker is going to have to be removed...
http://i.imgur.com/A0ccYkuh.jpg

And the controller, manifold, adapter harness for the controller and 50ft of 3/8 hose. Accuair does a killer job with the packaging on those manifolds. Opening the box is like looking into a display case!
http://i.imgur.com/Z0mMbn7h.jpg

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Nothing much to update other than a few more parts have arrived.

http://i.imgur.com/3NDElf2h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0klilyIh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/jU13tbSh.jpg

I sill need to order some notches and I plan to order the sheet metal for the cab repairs this weekend as well.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

I ordered a new trailing arm crossmember, notches, drop spindles and some mounts to mount the compressors on the frame yesterday to compliment the rest of my recent acquisitions:)

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Sorry for the huge pictures I'm not sure why they won't resize!

Well it's been way to long since I've worked on this thing but now that it's cold out and most of the honey do list is complete I finally found some time to spend in the garage this weekend and made some decent progress!

The first step was pulling the cab and getting it placed on the rolling cart I made for it.
https://i.imgur.com/cQ4suNW.jpg

I did square it up on the cart after I took this picture and it's now good and stable and rolls around easily.
http://i.imgur.com/d6kq9i4.jpg

After that was done I made a pile of rust, dust and cut/snapped off bolts
http://i.imgur.com/qAvibMK.jpg

This was the end result after a couple hours last night.
http://i.imgur.com/1Ni6l96.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1YTV8Oc.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/THnZ89i.jpg

Now I need to spend a few hours cleaning up the garage and getting the clutter sorted out and put away then keep on trucking with the truck. I am considering renting a storage unit for a few months to get the cab out of my way so I can have clear access to the frame and make life a little easier on myself since this is all happening in my 17x20 garage.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Got spare fireworks there i see also. LOL
I know where you are... been there... just grab a piece of paper or white board, make a list to complete, not a complete list, just say a list for the cab, or ??? one that you can finish in a month or two, then just jump in. I like to make a smaller list, finish that so i can feel like i made progress and move on. Before you know it, you will be driving this bad arse truck all over!

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Yup those are the crappy little kiddy fireworks though. For the 4th this year I took up a collection from the neighborhood and put on a solid 45 minute show for everyone with the good stuff from PA. I like the whiteboard idea a lot and will be doing that for sure as I am list or should I say list crossing motivated lol! I just called to get a quote for blasting and powder coating the frame so we'll see what they come back with and perhaps that will push me to move a bit faster if the price is right.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Good! Hopefully they will give you a good deal on getting both done at the same time, assuming the same shop does all. I told my coater in the beginning that this will not be the only thing i bring him wink wink so .... he caught the hint and i got a great deal. So i have returned 3 times with things for him and hopefully will be again with a roll cage to have coated and possibly a few other large pieces. I have my own old oven and powder gun, so for small pieces I do them myself, works great and it is addictive!! LOL

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

I hope they aren't crazy expensive!

I spent a couple hours last night and made a little more progress. I guess you could say I'm officially in the mockup stage at this point because I got the first new shiny piece attached to the frame!

Removing the crossmember was an exercise in perseverance to say the least! Those rivets are really not meant to come out lol. I removed all of the rivets and will replace the the others that I removed with grade 8 bolts to match the look of the new bolts for the crossmember.
http://i.imgur.com/tyzrIZO.jpg

Then I set the new trailing arm crossmember in place and I was able to get 7 of the 8 bolts installed. The 8th will go but its going to require a ratchet strap to pull the frame in a little and I ran out of time so I'll attempt that tonight and see about getting the trailing arm bushings pressed in and bolted up just to add more shiny bits and feel like I am actually making progress!
http://i.imgur.com/JUXDQf4.jpg

I'm going to get the rebuild kit ordered for the rear axle today so I can get it built this weekend if time allows and maybe I can have it on the rear wheels by Sunday evening.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Quick note: If you are going to get the frame blasted and powder coated, I talked with my coater and he said if i knock off most of all the heavy grease and grim that the price to blast would be less, less work, less mess for him.... cost savings for me. I had a huge mess to clean up, but that is just sweat equity for me... so no loss there.
Not sure this will help you, but never hurts to ask.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

I made a little more progress last night. First and foremost it is pupper dog approved! It's crazy that he is 3 days shy of 11 months old and is 120lbs already but he's a great shop dog.

http://i.imgur.com/VmOJ1Te.jpg

After bolting the arms on and setting the bags there just because I wanted to see what it looked like I got the axle housing bolted on the arms and used that to mark out where my notches needed to be after removing a whole bunch more unneeded rivets and brackets. Once I had the layout marked I drilled and cut out the first notch and got it temporarily bolted in place.

No turning back now!
http://i.imgur.com/8CJCmiC.jpg

Then it was on to drilling and bolting
http://i.imgur.com/1igZGmN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AlFiTpM.jpg

These bolts are temporary and will be replaced with grade 8 hardware along with welding the notches in place.

http://i.imgur.com/jWAsDUx.jpg

Overall I don't think the fitment on this one isn't to bad for cheap ebay special notches. I'll massage this spot a bit before I weld it on but I need to wait for my weldable primer to show up before I permanently weld it in place. I'd like to have a good thick layer of primer between the notch and frame rail first.

http://i.imgur.com/MKh9HqU.jpg

We are fostering a pitbull right now who is going to meet his potential forever family tonight and my wife has a tattoo appointment tomorrow night so I likely won't get any time on this until the weekend.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

That's good to know thanks! I've spent a fair amount of time cleaning up the engine area of the frame so hitting the rest with a wire wheel shouldn't take too long at all!

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

So here's something I am hoping someone has some insight on. I have the POL crossmember and trailing arms but when I went to bolt them on last night I found a have a LOT of space between the arms and brackets. It seems like it may be more than an acceptable amount of space to be taken up by tightening the bolts but I figured I would ask and see if anyone has encountered this before. I'll also give POL a call and see what they say but wanted to ask the real pro's here before calling lol!

http://i.imgur.com/ItZoGD8.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/rVpDwPB.jpg

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Shim w/washers or spacers (aka thicker material) on each side as necessary.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

That's what I was thinking as well. I called POL and they said it would be fine to pinch the tabs in with the bolt when I tighten it but I don't like that solution so spacers it is!

On a separate note I got the quote back for blasting and powder coating. $700 for blasting plus another $900 for coating for a total of $1600 for the frame front crossmember and rear axle housing. That seems really expensive to me but I also don't have any basis or idea what others have paid or if my area has anything to do with the price. There's a couple other places I'm going to call and see what they say as well even though they are a bit further away.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

The POL bushings for the trailing arm, are you using theirs? or stock?
The ones I got from them are much thicker on the sides and take up all the space.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

They are the ones that came with the trailing arms from them.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

;)

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Shop dog and shop cat, great accessories to any shop.

I still miss my Harley.

Your boy looks like a laid back partner in crime.

Re: WunTon's 63' BBW/SWB Fleetside build
 

Don't pinch the tabs or.... Pinch them in enough so they're square if they are tweaked outward. The compression on the bushing needs to be square w/the face of the bushing so washers/spacers can accommodate that need.

The blast/PC price quote seems high but it could be a 'location' thing. Shop around to get your answer & seek out other enthusiasts in your area to see if you can find a recommended source.