1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Hey Guys,
I recently purchased a 1966 Chevrolet C10. I'm a college student and figured since I like trucks I should buy a classic and fix it up. Maybe make some money in the process if I can. I reviewed many through craigslist ebay etc and found the one I wanted. It was listed on Craigslist for $4,000 and was stated as running. It had a flat tire or two and no bed. I liked it because the body was pretty good and the guy was negotiable. I told him I'd buy it for $2,000 if it was running right and everything seemed right. Well It didnt run when I went there and the bed was completely missing no wood. The brakes also didnt work. We settled for $1400. I have it behind a friends house and everything is set up for shop. The frame was really rusty so a couple of wire wheels were purchased and the sanding began. I'm new at this and this is my first truck so I'm posting for help and advice. As well as enjoyment.

Some things I've done so far. got it running by changing the coil and filing the points. It doesn't idle yet not sure why but it runs. It's on cinder blocks for now since I need to get tires later on. Ive also been sanding the bed frame a bunch and applied a rusty paint spray can to the parts that have already been sanded.
I'm looking to fix the A//c i think its original.

Original motor as far as i know.
283 automatic.
I'm pretty sure mostly everything is original. but you guys can probably tell me otherwise. anyway heres some pics. these are when I bought it. I will post progress pictures right below.

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

here are some recent pictures. im new to this so its not professional. just trying to have fun fixing up the truck and doing it decently,cheaply

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Howdy, welcome to the forum.

neat truck.

-W

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Welcome and nice find! That looks like the thriftair basic heater with , and fetch some money when all cleaned up, it's probably a vintage piece.

It's a shame you live so far away, i have a ton of parts that you could use to get her back together, but that's how it goes i guess.

You'll love this forum, full of knowledgeable nice people.

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Nice looking truck. Watch closely what you spend on the truck. Not very many people are able to make money on a restore. You will be better off only going so far and trying to sell it if that's what your trying to do. If your planning on keeping it work away.

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

thanks for the comments guys!
quick update.
I've continued to sand and paint the frame with rusty metal products.
I've also began work with fixing the drum brakes. I purchased a new master cylinder at a nearby autoparts store for 40$ and new brake fluid/rebuild kits(the new springs/drum parts. I also bought new shoes for all four brakes. I was able to get the drums turned for 10$ each rather than buying them all new from the same parts store for $30 each. So when its all said and done, I'll have new drum brakes all the way around and a new master cylinder for under $200. I thought that wasnt too bad. I'm trying to keep my expenses low while maintaining the truck back to original condition. Thats why I went with all drum brakes. What do you guys think? are four new drum brakes good?

Also I've had an issue with getting one of the drums off. front drivers side. it is extremely locked up and i tryed to take the bearing out but jamed/bent it in the process. so i bought a new brearing and grease for all the brakes. I'm thinking about just drilling the bearing out with a metal bit and inserting the new one. Sound good? any advice is great thanks guys! Also where do I start when trying to fix the a/c?

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Drilling out a bearing is tough, they are generally not soft steel. What is still stuck, inner race on the spindle or outer race in the hub? Usually heat is called for.

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

heres some progress pics of taking off the drums. and I'm very concerned with the last picture. there was this electrical piece with a cut wire right on the swivel. this was on the left side bolt connecting my master cylinder to the firewall. I cannot find the other end of where a wire must have been cut. what was this piece? is it important? i have wire to fix something like this but I have no idea what electrical piece would have been connected to a master cylinder bolt.?? anyone know?

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

i believe its the inner race on the spindle. thats the one i was considering drilling out. i actually tried to drill it out already but i figured my bit wasn't the correct one. but maybe that just proves the truth in your idea that it is extremely hard to drill throughout the bearing. The whole drum in stuck. won't even spin. i tried loosening the brakes shoes by spinning the bottom piece. didn't really work. tried for over 3 hours. seems very stuck. when i try to adjust the piece it spins one or two knotches either way but after that it spins right back into place when i try to adjust it further. this drum is very stuck.

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

it also won't idle but it is close to idling. what could be the problem. its ran for total of 30 minutes or so throughout the last week. probably hasn't been running before that for years. i'm the only one to ever work on this truck seriously. it originally smoked gray air out of the duel exhausts. this isn't so much of a problem as before probably because i emptied the black out and added new sw10-30(i think). so main question. why does it get close to idling but then cuts out?

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Welcome to the forum :D

That wire to the master cylinder bolt is not original. It may be a ground wire that someone added at some time. It is not needed. As for the not idling issue, I would suggest first installing new points, condenser, cap and rotor. The points will need to be correctly set at .019". You may also need to adjust the timing. I would start with 8-10 degrees advanced. On your front drum/hub and bearing issue, I would remove the drum from the hub. If it is still riveted to the hub, remove the heads of the rivets so that you can seperate them. Then it should be easier to remove the hub and bearings from the spindle.

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

I concur with Captainfab on the wire.

-W

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Dear Fellow Repliers and Chevy Enthusiasts,
Great to hear that the wire is not needed, thanks very much.
Regarding the points/cap/rotor/condenser, how much will these pieces cost? Keeping in mind that I'm trying to keep my costs low, are these new parts necessary to assessing the issues I'm having with idling. If so, I'm happy to replace these parts. Where should I purchase these items concerning my budget?

Thanks!

Brock.

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

When they sit a long time the fuel tank gets thick and gummy. This tends to turn to shelack. and clogs and restricts the fuel system. I think to get it to run well it will need a carb rebuild and the above mentioned tune up parts. Pick a local parts store and try and find someone to help you that knows older cars.
Jimmy

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

When trucks have been sitting awhile, those parts tend to get corroded. They should not cost a whole lot, as they are parts that are designed to get worn. Sometimes you can scrape/sand/file some of the corrosion crud off of the electrical bits to keep it going for awhile. It'd be simpler to replace it tho'.

You can shop around on prices, but your local parts stores should be able to source them.

-W

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Thanks on the advice guys,
Earliar PGsigns said If my truck was sitting a long time the fuel tank begins to get thick any gummy. I want to rebuild the carb like said but I'm wondering if that means I should take out the gas tank and pressure clean the inside or something. I also pulled out the fuel sending unit and it was all dirty/gummy/rusty. cleaned and hand sanded some parts and stuck it back in but i believe it isn't reading the gas levels correctly. Should i get this part new? or just try and fix it.

also will I run into issues down the road with transmission? i noticed the transmission fluid was almost empty probably really old stuff. what should i be expecting. thanks so much.

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Thanks on the advice guys,
Earliar PGsigns said If my truck was sitting a long time the fuel tank begins to get thick any gummy. I want to rebuild the carb like said but I'm wondering if that means I should take out the gas tank and pressure clean the inside or something. I also pulled out the fuel sending unit and it was all dirty/gummy/rusty. cleaned and hand sanded some parts and stuck it back in but i believe it isn't reading the gas levels correctly. Should i get this part new? or just try and fix it.

also will I run into issues down the road with transmission? i noticed the transmission fluid was almost empty probably really old stuff. what should i be expecting. thanks so much.

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Welcome to the forum! Nice truck! :chevy:

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Thanks! i got about $3,000 devoted to it right now. any advice?

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

572 bigblock chevy!!!!! :lol:

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Replace the parts as you can afford them. You will learn as you do and will be amazed and proud of what you can and have accomplished.

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Thanks DPowers,
I appreciate that. I'm very new at this but catching along fast. New things I'm looking to do.

Continue replacing my drum Brakes(already have parts).
Simple green to engine area making it look nice.
Rebuilding the carb.
New points/condenser/rotor/cap.

But thanks!

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Also,
I'm also looking into shaving my white letter tires now to make free white walls. It seems like a good option to make the truck look nice considering my budget!

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Yes you should be able to fine the points, condenser, rotor and cap locally. You may or may not be able to get someone at a big name parts store to find them, so a small locally owned store may be a better source. I would expect them to run you ~$50.

I agree that the gas tank may need to be cleaned out. There may not only be varnish and sludge in there, but rust as well. A carb kit isn't very expensive either, and should make a noticeable difference. Just be sure to install a new fuel filter inside the inlet, and maybe an inline filter for good measure.

I would also consider changing the trans filter. Those are not expensive either and it would be a good idea to change it and add the correct amount of trans fluid to bring it up to full.

Re: 1966 Chevy C-10 New project-need help
 

Nice truck. Check out Rockauto.com for parts; normally stuff is a lot cheaper there than parts stores, and they also actually have the stuff. (Do watch out and make sure you don't get stuff from ten different shipping locations.)

x2 on the fuel tank--if the sender was rusty the whole tank probably is. Best thing is a replacement, but I cleaned mine with a chain and still haven't plugged a fuel filter in several thousand miles (I always like to add a metal in-line filter with paper element before carb); didn't do that to another and it plugged filters every 100 miles or so IIRC, and did that for a few thousand miles until it kind of stopped.