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Projects Flat-N-Low's '64 C-10 thread

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Flat-N-Low, Jul 3, 2013.

  1. philly the greek
    Joined: Feb 15, 2009
    Posts: 1,863

    philly the greek
    Member
    from so . cal.

    I know that heard that old line " measure twice , cut once". I'm sure that it will match the rest of your work .
     
  2. Phill, I am definitely subscribing to the "measure 10 times, cut once" school of thought. My decades working in the aerospace industry has ruined me....

    I spent the afternoon yesterday getting the master cylinder lines bent so I could test fit them in the truck. I had to do a lot of measuring and taking the master cylinder in and out multiple times before I started bending lines. The lines are still only about 80% done, as I still have to figure out how I want to terminate them at the frame rail so they can continue to the front and rear brakes. I'm glad to be done with this part because I'm certain that it was the toughest section of lines to make.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  3. Still working brake lines, specifically the rear. With my truck being so low and the rear tires being so tall, getting the rear wheels off is going to be a challenge. The original route of the rear brake line is down the passenger side frame rail and the flex line drops down right above the rear end, but it's too short to allow enough droop of the rear axle to get the rear wheels off.

    Running the brake line down the trailing arm seemed to be the best alternative. My plan was to bring the line to the trailing arm crossmember and use a bulkhead connector (Earl's part# 989543ERL). These connectors are -3 AN on one end and 3/8 inverted flare on the other. It is held into place using a spring clip. The only problem is, the frame is too thick and the receiver groove for the spring clip is obstructed. So, I handed them over to Brad, and he chucked them into the lathe and turned them down. They fit perfectly now. Here is a before and after picture:
    [​IMG]

    I built a bracket to hold the forward part of the line and attached it to the trailing arm with two 8-32 button heads.
    [​IMG]

    Here it is with the fitting installed, the spring clip in place, and the line connected. It's a very secure assembly, nice and tight with no movement.
    [​IMG]

    Starting to clamp up the line.....
    [​IMG]

    Here's where it got tricky. I tried a couple of line routes using a piece of scrap tubing, but I didn't like the way it wrapped around the edge of the arm. I didn't want a brake line hanging out in the breeze, especially in an area when it can get damaged from everything in the road. The only alternative was to use another one of the modified Earl's fittings. The best place to install the fitting was right between the perch and the coil spring, but that was right in the area of the reinforcement plate. Here is a picture of the hole drilled to final size (5/8"). You can see what I mean about the reinforcement plate.
    [​IMG]

    I figured that chucking the arm in a mill and milling away a part of the plate was the answer, but Brad had a better one. He used a flat bottom mill and just spot-faced the arm. I actually liked his idea better!
    [​IMG]

    Here's a picture of the arm with the brake line installed. Once it's back on the truck, I will bend a small line to connect the fitting on the arm to the tee on the rear end. I used a 1/4" clamp along with a 1/2" spacer to secure the line. (there is a 3/8" clamp in the picture, but it has been changed to a 1/4")
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    A HUGE thanks to Brad for opening up the shop on a Saturday night to do the machine work for me. I can't thank you enough!
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  4. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    Just too cool Alex! It makes me feel downright "normal" to see you go through as much as I usually do to come up with solutions for what bugs ya.
     
  5. MUNDSTER
    Joined: May 11, 2011
    Posts: 292

    MUNDSTER
    Member

    Great job. I really love this thread and your work. I think you should be submitted for next tech week. Anyway, keep up the good work.


    Posted using the Full Custom MUNDSTER app!
     
  6. SAAAWEEEEET INSPIRATION - thanks for sharing the build!
     
  7. drtybiker
    Joined: Mar 11, 2014
    Posts: 303

    drtybiker
    Member
    from florida

    This is looking good my friend I just started reading it and I see another low buck build and a very sweeeeet truck in the makings keep at it looks awsome......

    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     
  8. This build rocks!
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  9. Excellent build! Not sure how I missed it??? I built a sweet 65 C10 (see my albums / excuse the OT wheels). Your's is going to be great!
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  10. daddio211
    Joined: Aug 26, 2008
    Posts: 6,012

    daddio211
    Member

    Haven't spent much time on the HAMB lately, so when I went to Brad's build thread to post a link on a FB group I saw he pointed us to this thread. Damn! Sure glad he did! What a bitchin' build man! Now get this sucker on the road!
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  11. It's all in the details..... very slick!
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  12. patman
    Joined: Apr 30, 2007
    Posts: 575

    patman
    Member

    Any updates?
     
  13. philly the greek
    Joined: Feb 15, 2009
    Posts: 1,863

    philly the greek
    Member
    from so . cal.

    I saw him last month , it seems that he's getting lazy in his advancing years .
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  14. Thanks, Phill.....Well, here goes.
    I have been slacking off on posting up pictures lately, and I had been blaming it on a buddy at work who works in our IT Department, and he offered to refresh my computer and install the latest anti-virus programs, along with a bunch of other upgrades. Three days after he got it, he went out on Medical for 6 weeks! It really wasn't his fault, because I have a tablet that I surf the net with, but I never knew how to post pictures until Brad coached me through it.

    I had been procrastinating making the power steering hoses because when we Z'd the chassis, I got a little carried away on trying to make the inner fenders look "stock" and I didn't leave a gap between the lower lip and the top of the frame rails to route the hoses from the box to the pump. I didn't want to drill holes through the freshly painted inner fenders, so the only other way to do it was to bring them through the frame. The other issue was that the hose routing had to clear the steering linkage, which was now 2" higher due to the "Z". Here's what I came up with:
    [​IMG]
    I had the hoses crimped on the end that attaches to the steering box, and then established the route I wanted. The '79 C10 box I used has lugs cast into it, so I drilled them for 5/16 fasteners and butterfly'd the clamps back to back. At this point, I cut the hoses to fit the pump and crimped the pressure line. To keep the hoses from contacting the frame, I built a clamp and bent a 90 degree bracket and secured it to the frame.
    [​IMG]
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  15. I was looking for a small project to do in the evenings after work, and I decided that the grill was a great one to tackle. My grill was a Craigslist purchase a while back, and it was cheap because it had a couple of dents and the factory anodizing was really cloudy. The inner brackets were also covered in surface rust. I drilled out the rivets and completely disassembled the inner brackets from the grille. At this point, I removed the dents and straightened the center mesh. You can never get the dents out completely because the aluminum stretches when it gets dented. It turned out pretty good.
    [​IMG]
    After sandblasting and paint, the brackets were ready to reinstall. I removed the factory anodizing from the grill by spraying it with Easy Off and letting it sit for 45 minutes. I then polished the grille, along with the headlight bezels. The center of the grille was really pitted and didn't polish out very well, so I decided to paint it the same color as the center of the wheels.
    [​IMG]
    I even installed a pair of flat lens H4 headlights. I'll make the final decision on them after I get the grille installed. I may go with round lens H4 lights if the flats look too "late model".
    [​IMG]
     
  16. I am in the middle of wiring it right right now, and I don't have any pictures to post. I did install the hidden hitch and modify the license plate box, but I used my tablet to take pictures and they turned out awful. I'll post up better pictures soon.
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  17. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    Dude, did we talk about the flat lens H4s? Or is that yet another major coincidence with you and I? I have them in damn near anything I build.
     
  18. philly the greek
    Joined: Feb 15, 2009
    Posts: 1,863

    philly the greek
    Member
    from so . cal.

    OK Alex , after reading your post , I'm officially pulling the "lazy" comment ,,, at least for now !
     
  19. gimpyshotrods
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 23,263

    gimpyshotrods
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Hey! I have those too!
     
  20. patman
    Joined: Apr 30, 2007
    Posts: 575

    patman
    Member

    Thanks! Top quality work as always...
     
  21. MUNDSTER
    Joined: May 11, 2011
    Posts: 292

    MUNDSTER
    Member

    Super glad to see you posting again! Great job!


    Posted using the Full Custom MUNDSTER app!
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  22. We never had a conversation about H4s, but we tend to think very much alike. I think a lot of it comes from our upbringing. We had TONS of motivation and drive, but very little money. You had to get creative and crafty and do cutting-edge kinda stuff on a budget. Running a motorcycle headlight in a car back in the '80s was something that only very few people understood, and those were usually the hard-core hot rod guys who "got it".

    No problem! As a retort to your "lazy" reference, I posted on Facebook that everything you have done in the last 40 years was done with a Beugler tool. Man, I sure hope that everybody that read it thought I wasn't serious........

    Thanks!

    I have been doing a lot of stuff on the truck, but I've been too "lazy" (I have to agree with Phill on this) to grab the camera and take pictures. I'm at that stage in the build where you spend hours and hours trying to do a bitchin job on something that nobody will ever see (ie: wiring and plumbing).
     
  23. Here's a quick shot of some wiring work I've been doing. Although the harness connectors are in the stock locations on the firewall, I'm trying to hide all of the wiring as much as I can. Here is a picture of the forward lighting harness, which normally lays on the inner fender. I decided to hide it inside the inner fender instead, so the harness makes a 90 degree turn and goes through a grommet. The harness is covered with a woven overbraid that I bought from So Cal Speedshop. I made my own clamp standoffs and JB Welded them inside the inner fender and clamped the harness to them.
    [​IMG]
     
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  24. willysguy
    Joined: Oct 2, 2007
    Posts: 1,224

    willysguy
    Member
    from Canada

    Nice work, looks like a cool pick up coming together!
     
  25. I did more wiring today, before the rain came and stopped my progress. I mounted the horn (stock '95 Tahoe) on the forward side of the core support, and it tucks out of site behind the core support wedge panels. I wired the horn using a Weatherpack connector, and I coiled and stowed the electric fan wire (the orange wiring in the picture). I am running a mechanical clutch fan, but I retained the wiring just in case I wanted to upgrade to an electric fan in the future. The next step is to figure how I want to route the headlight wiring to the grille, and I'm thinking of using a grommet and sneaking it in directly adjacent to the driver's side headlight.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  26. philly the greek
    Joined: Feb 15, 2009
    Posts: 1,863

    philly the greek
    Member
    from so . cal.

    Thanks for the update , it's going to be a good truck . Maybe by the CHRR ?
     
  27. I'm hoping to have it completed before the L.A. Roadster Show. We normally get a swap meet spot so we can hang out and BBQ and sell a part or two. This year, Brad's uncle is giving him their family heirloom 17ft vintage travel trailer from the '60s, and we plan to have a nice little "Command Post" for anybody who wants to drop off their parts and grab a cold beverage. I've already installed the hidden hitch and all I need to do is wire up the trailer plug, which will happen soon. One of the prerequisites of building this thing is that it will be still be used as a truck, and not a pampered garage queen.
     
  28. Although I haven't been posting much lately, I have been working on the '64 as much as possible. I have been doing wiring mostly, and spending way too much time trying to hide it all. I have also been trying to figure out a clean way to route the PCV and brake booster lines. My intake is an Air gap, and Edelbrock decided to place the fitting location for the vacuum t-fitting directly below the rear float bowl of the Holley. After much research to determine a solution, I found that this is a very common issue and there are dozens of threads online with guys in my exact same predicament. I could run a 1" spacer, but I don't like the way they look. I am deciding between whether to run the PCV line forward and drill and install a fitting in the intake plenum or to just remove the intake and drill my fittings in an out of sight location. Here's a pic of the line if I run it forward (disregard the crusty old mock-up Holley and the fact that the TV cable isn't in it's bracket):
    [​IMG]
    I also built some wiring conduits for the wiring that ends up on the front of the engine. It's just 3/8" tubing, with 3/8 clamps under the intake bolts. Real simple, and it cleans up the top of the engine. On the driver's side, I brought the alternator wiring up to the mount and routed it under and around the backside:
    [​IMG]
    I'm still doing the finishing touches on the gauge cluster, and I'll post up pictures when I'm done. It's turned out nice, so far.

    I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and yank the intake and start drilling. The current PCV tube route is really close to the arc of the throttle linkage, and putting the fittings in the rear will make the engine look more tidy.
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2015
    kidcampbell71 and need louvers ? like this.
  29. I love your attention to detail on this build; very nice!

    I'll mention (too late now) that I've had good luck 'restoring' cloudy anodizing with good ol' low-tech rubbing compound. Lots of rubbing, and it won't come back perfect, but you can get very close...
     
  30. I wound up removing the intake and drilling and tapping the rear plenum for the vacuum and power brake ports. I'm glad I did, because I just wasn't real crazy about the way I was going to plumb the PCV. I also realized that my Fel Pro intake gasket (part# 1255) that I originally installed was not the preferred gasket (per Edelbrock), so I went with a factory GM gasket like they specified. Maybe I dodged a bullet?
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.

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