My long lost 65

[jmabx]

Hi everyone! I'm new here and after checking everything out, it seems I've landed in the right place. An abundance of knowledge here and I'm going to need a lot of it!

Well, here's my little story. My dad bought me an old 65 Chevy C10 when I was 17 and it got driven into the ground my junior year in high school. The truck didn't cut it as a chick magnet for a 17 year old so I bought a Camaro, parked the truck and never looked back. I moved out of my parents at 18 and moved from Arkansas to Rhode Island at 20. Never thought about the truck again.

A couple of years ago I was talking to my brother in AR and he says; "Hey, you remember that old white truck you used to have?" "Yup" says me. "That old thing has been sitting in my yard for years." he says. "Cool" I said and forgot all about it.

A couple of months ago, a regular customer pulls into work in an old 65 C10 that he just bought. I took a walk outside to check it out and after a few minutes I had the itch. With ants in my pants, I rang up my brother. He still had the truck. After a little instigating from my co-workers and a lot of hard earned cash, the old truck showed up at my house after a 1500 mile journey on a trailer. Reunited after 22 years.

She's in pretty sad shape now. Apparently it had been stored here and there for a few years before my brother got it and it was used for parts. stripped of engine and tranny and a few odds and ends. Here's how she showed up at my house.



Front clip was in the bed and managed to get it hung back on after a few hours.



And a good bath didn't make me feel any better!




So, I have an engine and tranny lined up and looks like I'm going to need a new grille and header panel and many other parts. Right now, I want to concentrate on the floors. I had to clean the rodent mess out of the cab with a shovel, so needless to say, there's some rot inside. As you all know, patch panels are available but I'm having trouble figuring out what to do with one spot and hopefully someone can help.



This is where the gas pedal mounts to the floor. I can't tell if this area is included in the large floor repair panel or if this is something I will have to make. I'm assuming that there are nuts welded underneath for the pedal studs but they are gone too. I would appreciate any help with what to do in this area.

Thanks for looking in!

[Mathew21]

Cool story. Sorry I'm no help on your question. But I'm glad you're going to save her.

[Micmac]

That is an awesome story, not a welder so can't help you. I love Arkansas, I go to Branson every year and ride the bike down through Blue Eye down to Eureka Springs. I'll keep an eye out for you down this way for stuff.

[LostMy65]

Real cool story.
Check out my story.

[Leverhead]

Congrats you still have the truck. Are you looking to go stock with the pedal? If not, you could patch with sheetmetal and get an aftermarket firewall or floor mount pedal...firewall mount will give you a little extra legroom. Also, maybe you can find a donor truck for all the parts you are missing....would make things a lot easier to piece together.
Just a thought.....

Attached is a pic of the captured nuts under the truck for the pedal bolts in my '64. Don't know about the patch panels but I would give the aftermarket companies a call and ask. Hope this helps.

[jonzcustomshop]

looks like the part you need is part of the low hump transmission cover, which is welded in in your year truck, the floor patch will not cover that hole.
with what I see I suggest cutting out the rusty area, make a paper pattern, and cut a piece of sheet metal and weld it back up.

[rickywideglide]

my story very similiar had a 66 in high school,traded up for a newer camaro then the chicks started noticing me,sold the 66 havent seen it since.its pretty cool that you got your old truck back

[Captainfab]

Welcome to the forum

You're going to either have to make a piece as Jon suggested, or if you're lucky, find a donor cab to cut a patch piece out of. You might check the '60-'66 classifieds here on the forum to see if someone might have that piece in a cab their parting out.

[Improbcat]

Another RI truck owner!

If you aren't in a hurry, I will be swapping cabs either this winter or next spring, and that section is still good in my old cab. Once I get them swapped you can have that section of the floor.

I also have a grille panel, it needs some work to the braces on the back, but if it is better than what you have you are welcome to it.

[Mikes66ChevyC10]

Welcome to the forum! Can't wait to see your truck come back to life!

[jmabx]

Thanks for the welcome and all the help! I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions in the future. I'll be sure to keep my eye on the classifieds for spares.

It's pretty cool that I'm not the only one with a similar story. A lot of great looking trucks and projects here.

Improcat - I'll definitely take you up on your offer. Would be cool to check out your truck in person one day. I'll send you a PM in a few.

I know this will be a long row to hoe as time and finances always dictate but I hope to get work done as often as I can. My ultimate goal is to get her back to mostly stock. Definitely a brake upgrade and a little lowering for good looks. I'm really diggin' the original white over blue two tone hiding under that brush painted white.

Thanks again everyone!