I just acquired this truck and I'm going to try to drive it from Nebraska to Arizona next weekend. I plan to spend Friday and Saturday doing my best to get it roadworthy. I don't know much about these, so it will be a learning experience. If anyone has any advice I'm all ears.
It supposedly ran when it was parked here a decade ago. Immediate plans are: Clean everything Rebuild or replace carburetor Replace air filter Replace fuel pump New tires Check/replace belt and hoses (look ok though) New fluids Hope brakes work Remove wood bed. The wood is in pretty bad shape so I'll ditch all of that but keep the hardware to rebuild after the drive.
I admire your plan, but a couple of things to consider. That truck will be happiest at 45 mph. What condition are the brakes in? Lastly, those tires are very unsafe. I wish you luck, and I sincerely hope your luck is better than mine. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
We are taking it in the shop for a couple days to make sure everything is in working order. Brakes to be determined, if we can't get them working we won't make the drive. New tires ordered today. It's a 5 speed, not sure if they all were, but hoping for/planning on 55-60 mph on the highway. Do you really think 45 is the best it will do? That puts it into unsafe territory on the interstate.
If it were me, once the brakes , tires, engine tune-up and cooling system and gas tank clean out,plus carb rebuild, I would find two lanes and run about 50 mph and enjoy the trip. I don't do interstate highways in old vehicles, makes my stress level go too high and I can't afford all the beer and whiskey it takes to calm me down at the hotel after a hard day
I think that's the right call Buckeye. There is a route that isn't much longer that sticks to smaller roads.
Good luck on the journey. Keep us posted, all along the way if possible. Local HAMBers might be able to help out with tools or a place to work if something goes wrong......Don.
Cool truck. Did something similar years ago. Bought a 60s f350. Been sitting for years. Took a boat gas tank, brake fluid, oil, gas, gas line carb cleaner, set of points, wires, battery, couple tires.... First we got it to fire, set the boat tank in the bed and ran some fuel line. We had an extra carb but cleaned up the one it had. We also had an extra fuel pump. Bled the brakes, aired up the tires. Swapped a couple out. Topped off the fluids. A rear seal was out, dumped a couple quarts of oil in the rear. Drove it as hard as I could drive it home. About 230 miles. Had a blast.
Those engines are simple. The biggest issue would be the brakes. Those things had issues new. The clutch on the 6s are usually hydraulic. Should have a tandem master cyl Plus an additional frame mounted booster set up. And hopefully the gen still charges
That's great. Hopefully I won't have to MacGyver anything that complex. It will be an adventure for sure. Thanks for the info on the truck too.
Well......I just joined the 1960 C-60 club myself as of yesterday. I have always liked the 1960-1961 style. I have been looking at farm sales out west with not much luck. This week I bought a 1960 farm truck at an estate sale in North Dakota. Common dark green.....faded literally in same spots as yours. Mine is a 283 V/8 with 4spd and 2spd rear axle. It has 15ft. wooden farm box on it. It also has a hoist which I wanted. Mine runs ? but has no brakes. I am right now looking for a hauler to get it back to Iowa or Wisconsin for me. The adventure begins !!
After talking all about my 1960 C-60 recent purchase, I would like to get back to some comments on your planned road trip. I am 74yrs old and I worked in a Chevrolet dealership both in high school and in/out of college. I actually worked on some C-60 trucks for farmers, feed store and a lumber yard......was partial to the 1960's because that was the year I started during high school. I drove these trucks in that era in some newer ones in the 1970's-1980's. I would never attempt what you are planning. That 261 is a wonderful engine, I have one that I took out of a truck several years ago. Their strength is low end torque. You may well grenade it trying to do the trip you are planning. Yes.....I am an old guy.....but I would rather arrive home with my truck in one piece, instead of breaking it on the trip home. Even with trucks when they were newer, you had your hands full just keeping them straight going down the road.....when the suspension was not totally worn out. Brakes are a real issue and lines are very prone to be rusted out or weakened after being in storage for a long period. If you do attempt it, I hope you have a fully equipped support vehicle and road buddy to caravan with you. Just as a side note, you mentions 5spd trans. More than likely that is only a 4spd unless somebody did a swap. Also, does it have a 2spd rear axle ? That would at least help in preventing the 261 from buzzing itself to death. God bless you......have fun.....keep us posted.
One more thought......if you do attempt the trip......be sure to adjust the emergency brake on the back of the transmission......might come in handy.......if it's not soaked in 90wt gear lube from the trans.
Ive got a 61. they have torsion bar front suspension. I hauled mine home on a 20 ft flat bed tilt top trailer pulled by a 66 chevy 3/4 ton. Not that heavy of a truck about 8000 pounds. Mine has a single speed rear axle and a 5 speed trans with the double granny low. The brake boosters are prone to failure and hard to find and very high dollar. They mostly has 20 inch tires mounted on split rims. Mine has a set of 22.5 tubeless tires on the front. They came from a school bus.
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