On Line pics of my new 68 SWB CST

[Vince M]

Click on the link to see my one and a half week old SWB CST.

It's got a 327 / TH400 combo. Bench Seat, wood bed, power steering, tilt, power drum brakes, factory A/C, all new chrome bumpers, trim is new.

Interior, frame and motor all need some work but I'm doing a frame off resto and am about 3/4 way apart with it. Drove it 90 miles home and began the disassembly.

Plans include discs, lowered a bit, new rims and tires, and a complete clean-up of everything. Found the proverbial mouse nests in the heater already......

I wanted to thank everyone for the answers to all my questions so far...!!


http://groups.msn.com/72ChevroletTruck/pictures

[imaindianoutlaw]

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[WORNBRAKES]

Vince, that is one hell of a truck! That is exactley what I want. My favorite year. Was the truck previousley restored? That wood bed looked to be in great shape. The whole truck looks to be in great shape. I bet when you are done, It is going to be a head turner.
Do you want to trade for my 68. I will tow it to you. lol

[Hutch]

I always wondered if the rear cab light was an option in 1968.
Maybe some of the experts will shed some light on this subject.

That is one Sweet truck as it is.

That would be the Haunted Mouse Mausoleum that you found inside that heater box.

Keep us posted on your progress

[Palf70Step]

One very nice truck. Wanna adopt me and will it to me?

[Longhorn Man]

Actually, the cargo lamp was not avalible untill '69. There are a couple other things that are from other trucks on there...the door panels are 70/71 and the tilt wasn't avalible till '69.

[toms68cst]

Very nice 68!

I like the stance and wheels on there the way they are.

A couple of things look different from other 68's I've seen. One is the air cleaner with a preheat hose on it. Have you run any numbers on that 327? It looks like a 327 with the oil fill on the intake manifold but I've never seen that air cleaner on a 68. It could be a California smog thing perhaps.

I'm pretty sure there were no bed lights on 68's. Is there any evendence that the cab's been changed? It looks pretty stock with the fire wall being the same color as the body though. It's also got the 67-68 style parking brake handle. It looks like the outside of the body's been painted because the grill insert and tailgate lettering are not white. The inside door panels are a 69 and later CST style. What's listed on the glove box for options?

Great Find and good luck with the resto!

[Longhorn Man]

69 door panels don't have the wood grain on the top...only 70 and 71.

[Vince M]

Thanks for all the comments...

The engine is a 68 327 but whether it is the original I don't know. There are a few items that had me going when I was looking at it. I knew the door panels had been changed but the cab is original to the truck. It's been repainted but it is the original color. Bed is original except for the wood. It was not replaced very well and no finish was put on it. Oh well. The paint looks good from the outside but underneath there was no cleanup. Rockers were replaced and what is left of the cab corners seem to be original.

I didn't know about the cargo light but will look into it once I get it out.
It's got a TH400 which I don't think is original but I could be wrong. Looks like the crossmember has been moved. It has a one piece drive shaft also.

There is no option sticker on the glove box as the interior was repainted and they completely stripped the door down. Bummer.

Tires are 31x10.50x15 on factroy slotted ralleys. Look to be 15x8 but I'm not sure.

While removing the grill I found the white paint underneath. The a/c is original and the power drum brakes....so apart from the tilt, power steering, door panels, cargo light, and tranny it seems to be original.

I'm sure I'll be asking more questions as I move along.

[Longhorn Man]

Th400 was avalable in 68...the TH350 came in 69 if memory serves.
Of course, the powerglide was opted i a few 68's too thoguh.

[Vince M]

Well I did some checking on the truck questions...

The cargo light was added. The cab was plasma cut and it was added. The light appears to be a 69 unit according to the lense.

The dash was cut and the A/C was added in so it is not original. The A/C unit is from 67 though according to the sticker. Whoever did the work did a good job on the dash though.

It's realy hard to tell what originally came on the truck. The red seat belts are dated 68, but the seat looks to have a blue cover under the red one. I haven't confirmed this yet but I did see some blue under the seat. Looks to be that somebody "made" the truck as they wanted it. It looks to have been restored a few times but the red color is definately the original color of the cab.

Are there any other items that are dated to help track items....

So far I've checked the motor, A/C, and seat belts.

[Hutch]

I seem to remember other boardmembers posting about finding the build sheets for their trucks inside the seat.

If someone has done this maybe they can shed some light on this subject.

As always thanks in advance