Where do I start?

[chevykid65]

Not a bad start at all. Find yourself a doner for the motor and trans. Make it run and drive. That's the hardest part. When I first got started I ripped everything apart and I severely regret it. I spent more timetrying to figure out where stuff went than actually working on it. Persistence is key. You'll start seeing the picture come together after awhile.

[Emily]

Originally Posted by Turtleman

Yee Haa!... you even have a Easy Rider Rifle Rack in it... that means its a keeper

Lol...we certainly love our guns down here and I am a FFL...put daddy's 10g Ithaca on that rack!

[Emily]

Originally Posted by PGSigns

Looks to be a good solid truck. I see a 6 cylinder carb and distributor in the cab on the floor. Looks like a powerglide in the bed. Here id what I would do. try an pump up the tires and get it out he field. Once on solid ground pull the wheels and put 4 tires on it so it will roll with out tires going flat every day. Then give it a good cleaning inside and out so you can see what you have. I'll see if I can get a number to a guy I know in Dallas who is a good trans guy.
Jimmy

Excellent! Will do just that and see if AAA will tow it to my house and make room in my garage for it.

[Emily]

Originally Posted by cg285

most women NEED less makeup.

what are your expectations of a finished product?

Lol makeup. Expectations: that it hauls major ass thanks to a v8, doesn't fall apart, is dependable, after the body work is done that it looks pretty good. Y'all have got me thinking about the patina. I was thinking about a nice paint job in purple...don't cringe...I went to TCU and I'm a very proud and active alum...lol

Mom and I were unable to pop open the hood. Pics to come on that and the floor boards.

[Emily]

Originally Posted by nail pounder

What does it say on the doors? Old company logo?

Frantz (sp?) oil filters...apparently mind blowing in the 60s

[Emily]

Originally Posted by franken

That looks better than the truck in my driveway. I'd make it run and work on the brakes and mechanical bits. You may find that old trucks are a lot different than new trucks/cars. You may hate it. I sort of compare riding in/on my junk vs the new stuff as car vs tractor. But the old junk is always a thrill while the new junk is just an appliance.
I'm right up the road from you so if you meed help, shoot me a PM.
The most cost effective way to make old stuff better is to learn to do things yourself, gather used tools from CL, swap meets, garbage sales, etc. and do.

thank you Franken...I'll be in touch! Thanks for reaching out!

[Emily]

Any recommendations for where to take it to have it rewired?

[cg285]

Originally Posted by Emily

Any recommendations for where to take it to have it rewired?

who will be doing the majority of the work? all those harness can be bought reproduction. they're plug and play

[ls60apache]

I figure I'll cut the budget for shoes

oh no!!... a lady cant cut the shoe budget,,but u can put the jewelry under the hood.

[Emily]

Regarding wheels...I can just use the stock ones shown in the photos and just put new tires on right?

[Emily]

Beware the stupid questions. There will be plenty

[64 Stepside]

Originally Posted by Emily

Regarding wheels...I can just use the stock ones shown in the photos and just put new tires on right?

Yep.

Keep in mind the wheels are likely 5" wide so you'll be limited to around a 215/75-15 tire. I'd just find some real cheap ones to get it rolling if you are thinking of upgrading to a wider tire/rim combo or even a 5 lug conversion in the future.

[YellowPatina65]

Nice truck Emily...you look to have a good foundation for your build. Most everyone has good ideas to help you out. I would suggest looking through the build threads for ideas on how you want your truck to look. We all have our trucks completed in our mind's eye. Also look through several parts catalogs or go online...there are tons of stuff for them.
Best of luck

[cv65]

Just remember,were all here for ya, somebody here knows somethin about every part on your truck,so if you run into problems ,somebody here can answer ,great to have a lady in the room lol welcome cv65

[Emily]

How do you know when one is too rusted to use?

[Emily]

Any recommendations for someone who can do great body work without getting ripped off? Seems to be an issue these days

[Emily]

Originally Posted by cv65

Just remember,were all here for ya, somebody here knows somethin about every part on your truck,so if you run into problems ,somebody here can answer ,great to have a lady in the room lol welcome cv65

Thanks cv65! I'm very happy to be here and so excited to have experts willing to help.

['63GENIII]

Originally Posted by Emily

How do you know when one is too rusted to use?

Yours is definitely too rusted to use. Send it over here and ill make sure that its not used anymore. Seriously, that truck has "patina queen" written all over it.

If it were mine, Id figure out how to stop the decay as much as possible, get the mechanical sorted out (meaning make it safe and fun to drive), drive the wheels off of it while figuring out what to do with the body and who you're gonna hire to do it.

I think that most everyone here has seen way worse trucks (rust and otherwise) come back from the dead. From what Ive seen from yours, if it ran, Id rock that all day, every day and twice on Sunday!

I think you have a great start there and you're in the right place for information. Time to start a build thread!

['63GENIII]

Originally Posted by Emily

Beware the stupid questions. There will be plenty

Haha! You crack me up! EVERYONE here has has some doozie questions. Ok, maybe not everyone, but Ive had a bunch for sure.

Don't worry, the only stupid question is the one that's never asked.

Around my area, there are a few people that post on CL for LS engine / trans swaps. Not saying that they're reputable but with as many people that are out there doing it, theres bound to be a few decent mechanics in your area that could swap in a modern running engine and trans combo that will get your truck moving again.

Tuned in on this one. Can wait to see some progress!

[nail pounder]

Originally Posted by '63GENIII

Yours is definitely too rusted to use. Send it over here and ill make sure that its not used anymore. Seriously, that truck has "patina queen" written all over it.

If it were mine, Id figure out how to stop the decay as much as possible, get the mechanical sorted out (meaning make it safe and fun to drive), drive the wheels off of it while figuring out what to do with the body and who you're gonna hire to do it.

I think that most everyone here has seen way worse trucks (rust and otherwise) come back from the dead. From what Ive seen from yours, if it ran, Id rock that all day, every day and twice on Sunday!

I think you have a great start there and you're in the right place for information. Time to start a build thread!

X2! Not to mention as you start getting the mechanical done and driving you will for sure wind up talking to people who have classics and can recommend a body man, if that's the route you decide to take. That looks like original paint, and it's only original once. People pay good money for a weathered rig like that.

['63GENIII]

Is it just me or are those rockers looking REAL solid? Id be dying to see whats under the floor mat. Im sure theres a little rust but man, its looking better and better every time I look at the pics!

[rvrfoot]

Gas monkey fast and loud lol

[Emily]

Is this cancer?

[64 Stepside]

Kind of gnarly but I've seen worse, then again, I live in Michigan. It's definitely fixable and can be taken care of later. I say get it going mechanically first. I lived in Grapevine for about 4 years, it blew me away when I moved back to Michigan how rusty everything was.

[Captainfab]

Yes that is cancer. It isn't all that bad from what I can see. I also agree with getting the truck running and driving first. It is easier to stay interested and motivated when you can at least drive it some. Most people tend to get discouraged when that have a truck completely torn down to a frame that they haven't driven in months or years and they are struggling to get it back together. That is often times when they bail and sell off their project for pennies on the dollar.