New guy with a 1966 C-10 shortbed

[maydaymike]

Here's my new truck that I was finally able to pick up today! Super exited! I've wanted a good running and driving older truck for a while now, and finally had the opportunity. I sold my 2012 Jeep to pay off some debt on the condition that I got a good portion of the proceeds to buy pretty much anything I wanted, with the caveat that it could be used for light hauling or towing the trailer for Home Depot runs, trips to the dump, etc. I have a long commute that I mostly do by motorcycle, but I needed something that could also be used for the occasional trip to work if the weather is especially foul.

So now for the truck (this is a thread about a truck!) It's a '66 shortbed fleetside with a 250 and a 3 speed. It's been dropped 3"/5", and converted to 5 lug with power disc brakes with components from CPP. All the ball joints, suspension bushings, tie rod ends, etc were also replaced at the same time. The rear end has been rebuild drum to drum, and has been regeared to 3.42 from the original 3.73. The engine and transmission are bone stock for now.

The body is pretty solid, but it does have some rust in the usual places. There's some bubbling at the bottoms of both doors, and the bottom corner of the front fenders. The lower rockers have some small 1/8 holes on each side. The floors, cab corners, and cab mounting points appear to be solid. The original bed wood is in usable shape as well, though the wood has shrunk enough that the steel bed strips are loose and rattle going down the road. It is wearing an older amateur repaint that has pretty much faded to chalk, and is flaking in places and showing a little primer. I may do something with body and paint in the distant future, but plan to enjoy the patina for now.

Current plans include correcting a few minor electrical issues (dash lights , backup lights), replacing the missing horn contact stuff in the steering wheel, and repairing the turn signal cancelling mechanism. (it cancels after a left turn, but not to the right.) I also intend to install a pertronix kit or an original style HEI ignition. I'll probably also swap out the 5" springs for 3" to get a bit of rake and more suspension travel. At the current ride height, the axle is only 1.5" from the bumpstops.

My first task today was to deal with the comically oversized wheel/tire combo the previous owner selected. The 18" fronts didn't rub anywhere, but the 255 width tires made the (non power) steering a little heavy. The 20" rears (275/55-20. 31.9" tall and nearly 11" wide!) pretty much rubbed everywhere. It rubbed on the inner wheelwells enough to scrape off all the lettering from the inner sidewall in only 1000 miles of use. The clearance was also very tight on the outer fender lip.

I stayed very conservative (and cheap!) with the new combo. Cragar Delux in 15x6 and 15x8 with bullet center caps and lugs. Tires are 215/75 on the front and 235/75 rear. The whole setup was under $700 including mounting and balancing. I may add narrow trim/beauty rings at some point, or maybe paint the wheels, but I'm pretty happy with them as-is. Sharp eyed viewers may notice that the bullet lugs are not installed in the photo. I ordered 7/16" lugs, because that is what was originally on a '66 half ton, but the 5 lug conversion kit uses 1/2" studs. The correct lugs are on the way.