Tomorrow The '63 Comes Off Of The Hill

[magwakeenercew2jh]

I bought a long fleet '63 that runs. Smells like cat. It has a 327 and a 4 speed with a granny. Four may-pop tires. Broken glass all around. The rats have built several nests under the hood.

When I went to the dude's house - a really good guy I didn't know before this transaction - he told me that he rebuilt the 327, and the motor has about ten miles on it. All on his Llama ranch. And all in first gear...."wa, wa, wa" thru the mud at 200 RPM for six years.

I paid him and took the paper work to DMV...It was non-op'd. I paid $202 for

While I was gone, he pulled some ancient tool boxes. I came back the next morning with new plates and stickers good for 18 months. He told me that the Harley stickers were all mine. He said, "The glass for the driver's door is there, but it fell down in the door".

After about an hour trying to get it running, he gave me the keys to HIS truck (He'd picked me up a couple of miles down the dirt road to his ranch. That's where the Jeep was parked, so I was stranded)...I drove down and picked up a battery. We sprayed some starter juice in, pumped up the brakes after loading in some new brake fluid....I was off......

I hit Highway 41 and the motor purred like a kitten. Like the truck smelled. Ran smooth. Smelled like cat. Good thing there were no windows.

Really funny thing was that I was going down the road, hair (what's left of it) blowing around and catching ten or more years worth of leaves...Bull Durham wrappers and other junk flying around so much inside the cab I almost couldn't see the road. Plates taped on the tailgate and inside the on the dash.

When I was rolling through the 3 mile mark, about half way to my house, another Chevy...same year, I think, drove by the opposite direction. The guy waved. I waved back. Cool.

Tomorrow, I'll take pics and post them...She's a roach, to be sure.

Plans and help needed:

I REALLY want to make her short. Maybe Fleet. Maybe a Stepper. Somebody here was very nice on showing his fine metal work on the frame and offered advice. But his work was so good I could never even get close.

Does anyone know how to cut the frame down so I could get my ironworker friends to chop it and re-weld with some strengthening brackets or gussets...whatever... so I can use a stock short bed?

Next, I'll mock up a tranny...whatever good one I can find on a budget...350 probably because of the availability...Shorten the driveshaft. Take the long bed to the metal reclaimer. Look for a shortie.

You all know the rest.

Thanks for any help with the frame chop measurements.