1966 C20- Great Grandpa's truck

[studeclunker]

Nice truck! Love the tractor too! Is that an N9? Best of everything towards your health. Grace of our Lord to you and yours.

[plmadding]

Originally Posted by studeclunker

Nice truck! Love the tractor too! Is that an N9? Best of everything towards your health. Grace of our Lord to you and yours.

It's a 1948 8N. He has two more 8N's. They are what his father used to farm. My Great Grandfather also had the much less common Funk 6 cylinder 8N. He loved showing off the hydraulics to his neighbors using much more expensive John Deere's that didn't have hydraulics.

The truck in the background is a 1963 Ford.

[damnyankee36]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

Welcome to the forum

...but one thing puzzles me. The doors and bedsides had the side trim and holes where the trim is missing. But the front fenders show no signs of any trim having been installed. Could have the front fenders have been replaced at some time?

Don't want to get too far off track or hijack this thread but, I have always assumed a two-tone was a custom cab truck which came with the molding, (as seen on this truck). If it was a two tone/custom shouldn't it also have the sail panel trim, stainless trim around the windshield and back glass and the aluminum grille?

The interior doesn't have the chrome cluster knobs, a custom steering wheel, driver's arm rest, or the painted white trim on the doors. I don't know how to tell if a seat has the thicker foam...

I am basing this on my custom truck, which has all of these items and trim. I thought a custom cab would have all these items I mentioned. Are there different combinations or variations of customs/two-tones?

Confused...

[jocko]

Originally Posted by damnyankee36

If it was a two tone/custom shouldn't it also have the sail panel trim, stainless trim around the windshield and back glass and the aluminum grille?

The interior doesn't have the chrome cluster knobs, a custom steering wheel, driver's arm rest, or the painted white trim on the doors. I don't know how to tell if a seat has the thicker foam...

I am basing this on my custom truck, which has all of these items and trim. I thought a custom cab would have all these items I mentioned. Are there different combinations or variations of customs/two-tones?

Confused...

I believe the OP's truck was originally ordered as a two tone with RPO B98 only (i.e. no Z62 Custom Comfort (note the seat), no Z61 Custom Appearance (note the lack of windshield trim, horn ring, and sail panel you mentioned), and no V37 Custom Chrome (note white bumpers and caps). Two tone paint order did not mandate Z61 (which would include the sail panel) that I'm aware - though it is rare to see it this way because Z61 was such a popular option, especially with two tones. Also, note that the sail panel and the side trim are not part of the same option - this is why you can see some trucks with the sail panel and no side trim, and vice versa. Maybe the below will help with the RPO soup a bit.

[aerotruk63]

Nothing beats backing up a statement like Original Literature.

[oem4me]

Awesome to have a truck with family history, but I do think gramps did more to it than he remembers. The lack of trim on the front fenders and lower seat cover are good indicators. Seat back is the correct factory pattern. Still seems a fairly intact and semi low mile truck. Cardboard tank covers rarely survive, and I think I can see one there.

[jocko]

Forgot to mention, glad you are feeling better! I'd love to see a picture of the SPID and that original 283 when you get a chance. I'm a little puzzled by the lack of fender trim holes as well, but have to assume they were swapped at some point. Or perhaps this truck was not a B98 truck and grandpa added the side trim, but only from the doors back, for some reason. Doubtful, but ya never know.

[damnyankee36]

Thanks for the info jocko. Didn't realize all the combinations that were available!

[plmadding]

This is a great discussion! I need to get out there and see what is in the glove box and take more pictures.

It is possible things were done when the truck was fairly new. All the paint seems to match perfectly. Maybe Great Grandpa tore the seat when it was new and had it recovered early on.

Is there a common place to find the SPID?

[jocko]

It will be on a small sheet pasted to the inside of the glove box door. If missing, a build sheet (usually found under or behind the seat, trapped between the springs and cushions) has all the same info and then some. But only accessible by disassembling the seat.

[oem4me]

Originally Posted by jocko

It will be on a small sheet pasted to the inside of the glove box door. If missing, a build sheet (usually found under or behind the seat, trapped between the springs and cushions) has all the same info and then some. But only accessible by disassembling the seat.

Some smart feller here on the board done figured a way to collapse the springs and hold them in that position with a bunch of zip ties, facilitating easy/safe removal of the formerly trapped built sheet. Purty smart there, eh?

[jocko]

Yes, yes indeed

[sodly]

Hopefully I don't offend anyone here when I say.... let's see that Ford pickup hiding in the background. Looks like maybe a nicer specimen than even your Chevy. I'm non-denominational, in case you couldn't tell, lol.

[plmadding]

Originally Posted by sodly

Hopefully I don't offend anyone here when I say.... let's see that Ford pickup hiding in the background. Looks like maybe a nicer specimen than even your Chevy. I'm non-denominational, in case you couldn't tell, lol.

The Ford is an interesting truck. Grandpa bought that in 1971 and it was a very straight truck. The attached pictures is hanging in the barn today. Grandpa was a Chevy guy and a welder so he retrofitted first a 327 Chevy into the truck. He said the engine ran like none other but was a "mosquito sprayer" and burned equal parts oil and gasoline! He pulled that out and put in a Chevy 350 that he put a number of performance parts in. He said it never ran as fast as the 327. Because of the difference in dimension he had an extended drive shaft made to fit the 350. He was racing someone several decades ago and the drive shaft got eccentric and came out of the diff and popped the back end of the truck up in the air. He had wild times in that truck. It hasn't had functional brakes for at least 10 years now. The carb is off because he said it dumps gas all over when he tries to start it. It hasn't really been driven much since probably the mid 90's.

[plmadding]

Back to the Chevy, I found some great documents in the glove box and I took more pictures.

[plmadding]

Documents

[plmadding]

I talked to Grandpa more about the trim. He said he remembers that it went as far up as the doors and then curved up. The "evidence" on the truck supports that memory.

[oem4me]

Originally Posted by plmadding

Documents

SPID sheet is a great find! And we now know it had the side trim from the factory, although the "upward curve" bit is puzzling.

[plmadding]

Originally Posted by oem4me

SPID sheet is a great find! And we now know it had the side trim from the factory.

It was great to find that in the glove box! Grandpa mentioned that his dad ordered it with heavy springs. He said he has put 3 tons of sand in the bed before and that his dad used it as their grain truck for many many years. It would hold 100 bushels of wheat which is also about 3 tons. He said it always handled the weight very well. The stake bed sides are still in the barn somewhere. He had them on the truck a few years ago.

[Nappers]

Awesome truck. Gosh, I would love a gauge cluster for my '64. They aint cheap though! I have some mechanicals mounted on the lower dash.