Re: 1966 c20
 

Yeah he's in his 40's, that's the worst part! Not even a punk kid! If he was my age I could set him straight, but MR. Midlife crisis is out of my reach


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Re: 1966 c20
 

That is what they make lime for.

Re: 1966 c20
 

I'm just going to stay out of it, I don't need to be getting into trouble with someone like that, they will just drag me down to their level and beat me with experience.


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Re: 1966 c20
 

I don't know if I could actually live in a regular neighborhood after 42 years on our little acre. We have neighbors of course but everyone minds their own business quite well. We have older single women living on either side of us. One of them yells at her dogs alot and the other one says she don't mind my parts stored behind my shop. All in all good folks! The county is another story---now they are saying my driveway isn't up to their standards. Never heard of such nonsense in all these years so I tore it up and threw it in the garbage where it belongs. I have two unlicensed outfits in the back yard but so far no issues-------

I did yet to yell "Get off my lawn" to a kid last summer though! He was riding a little dirt bike through my driveway and across part of my lawn repeatedly and I finally caught him in the act!

DAC

Re: 1966 c20
 

Hey now!

It isn't just the neighbors. Out here almost all neighbors have a "project" vehicle or two or three. I'm even across the street and down 1/2 block from the wrecking yard.
City was on my case for years (I dared sue, and lost, over something they did) and it was the city, not my neighbors who were giving me grief. The claim was that anonymous people were driving by my house and complaining
-that after I pointed out none of the neighbors were complaining and the city response of " the wrecking yard doesn't like you being in competition " when the nuisance officer checked he found out they -loved- me taking the wrecks they didn't want, and they wouldn't take anything I had... which pissed the city off because how were they going to make me get rid of them when the only wrecking yard doesn't want them!

It all came to a head when the city attorney passed away and the city manager and police chief announced they were retiring. Some referred to those three as running their own kingdom here. At that point they got a search warrant, without a docket/case number, (I was almost finished with the privacy fence) so they could cite me for having 14 inoperable vehicles in public view... and arrested me for it. Who knew owning a bunch of trucks was an arrestable offense? My parents bailed me out (which irked the city manager and judge) and my court appointed attorney kept putting the pressure on them to either charge me in court or drop it... they drug it out for a while before dropping all the charges (since when do you need a search warrant for something in public view?).

So let me tell you about life in Oregon. Its great as long as you don't run afoul of an egotistical city manager... :)

Been bliss since he retired.
And his replacement (who he personally taught) was charged with embezzling city funds.
Now if they would just get rid of that jerk they have doing nuisance now. Too much power, and he loves to use it.

Upside of the story, when all was said and done, not a single GMC went away due to their actions. Most of my other projects stayed as well. End result, city zero (well, my bail and fines) and me back the way things should be. Being left alone! Which is the way this city used to be.

-GMC Content-
Gave a truck to a young guy I know. He loves it, got it running and is only scrounging my extras for parts to keep it running. And he may be laid off so he wants to know in what order I want my projects fixed. I just gotta find money for parts!!!

1966 c20
 

Awesome! I would totally work on someone's projects in my free time if I could!
I'm glad you ended up getting off Scott free though. I came from the country to the middle of the city and I hate it.

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Re: 1966 c20
 

Cool stories of getting one up on the powers that be! I read somewhere, (facebook I think) that some free-thinking politician in Oregon is trying to get a law through that folks could have a choice between ethanol and non-ethanol fuels? We can still get non-corn gas here but pay out the nose for it even now.

DAC

Re: 1966 c20
 

Yeah our non-ethanol fuel is around $5.17 a gallon last time I saw it. Basically, I don't buy it.


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Re: 1966 c20
 

So I managed to tighten up my steering a little, and must say it definitely makes this truck more driveable! Now I still need to get the brakes / blinkers figured out.
Starting a new job Monday, and I think that I want to get those LMC LED brake lights. I'm not sure about the resistors, but I'll probably need to get two of them wit my luck, unless somebody knows if I need one or two, I'll give them a call though.

Are steering boxes meant to be wide open? Here's a picture of mine:


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It seems fine now. But appears to be missing a ball bearing and it seems odd.


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Re: 1966 c20
 

Oh and it would appear that I have 4.56 gearing in my rear axle.


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Re: 1966 c20
 

Although I don't have one of these trucks right now, I am sure that there is a major problem. I wouldn't drive it anywhere until a different steering box is installed.

DAC

Re: 1966 c20
 

Okay, I figured it didn't look right. But I don't actually know anything about these trucks, im just using applied common sense lol.


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Re: 1966 c20
 

Bearings should never be exposed and the full rack of bearings should be there, like you were thinking. All the lube is gone. I bet that isn't a difficult box to find at junkyards yet. Good exercise in common sense!

The 4:56 will definitely take more away from your top speed but it will pull anything! I would think 55 mph is still realistic though.

DAC

Re: 1966 c20
 

That's what I figured, I get my first paycheck in two weeks, so I'll have to go and see what I can find, I have no idea how to remove one though, guess I'll find out!


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Re: 1966 c20
 

---
Hello Hantke,

I've seen a couple of GMC/Chevrolet steering boxes but I don't know that much about them. I've not heard of GMC/Chevrolet designing and building one with open-air-flow cooled ball bearings. If you are sure you have one so designed and built, remove it from your truck as it is too rare to be driven upon the roadways. If you are not sure that is what you have, follow GMCDAC's advice posted at 07:18 PM today.

Please don't let the lady behind the windshield in your earlier posted photo (and others) ride in this otherwise good looking vehicle until it becomes safe.

Regards,

Culver Adams

PS: In my GMC Trucks Maintenance Manual X-6023, on page 575, Figure 2 shows "Typical Steering Gear Construction". My copy is smugged. Your similar manual for your truck likely shows (more clearly) a worm bearing thrust screw, or something related to that, accompanied by some text, that might be helpful as you motivate the front wheels to head in the direction you want to go.

1966 c20
 

Thanks, i honestly wasn't sure how it was meant to be, especially since there have been some oddities working on this truck already. It doesn't appear to have any mounting abilities for a cover or anything of the sort on the bottom, which is why I asked. I'll make sure to find a more appropriate working steering box or replace it and opt for power steering, which seems to be a cheap upgrade anyways, sooner rather than later.


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Re: 1966 c20
 

If you would clean and de-grease the box back down to the iron, it should be evident that some type of welch plug or threaded plug probably what Culver Adams was referring to once resided in that hole. More pics from other angles will help everyone walk you through replacing it. All that greasy stuff on the outside used to be on the inside until that cap or plug left the scene.

DAC

Re: 1966 c20
 

I'm out of town unfortunately so I'll have to wait till Monday to do any work on it, I tried wire brushing it and that's as far as I got, it also got a good bath in brake clean (maybe that will loosen it up before I get home). I'll work her down the rest of the way over the week, but it's midterms this last week and next week so ill be pretty well swamped.


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Re: 1966 c20
 

Okay, well, on to the next problem! My starter this morning was spinning pretty quick, then for some reason it decided not to engage and was spinning freely, so I turned everything off and it kept going for another 5-10 seconds as it was slowing down. I went to turn it back on and try it again, but the starter wouldn't spin, so I popped in my car and headed to school, I'm hoping to diagnose it tomorrow, but any input would be appreciated.

Thanks! Sorry for the lack of updates, finals are around the corner and I've been paying off debt / working a lot so I really haven't done anything. Looking forward to some body work and welding this summer though!


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Re: 1966 c20
 

Hantke,

That sounds like the solenoid. It is an easy remove and replace. Replacement part should be any 1970s Chevrolet 60-65 series trucks with the 366 or 427 engine. NAPA versions often carry lifetime warranties. For the full starter NAPA part number is 46-4078. The starter for the V6 is part number 246-4078, however it is usually more expensive.

-Jeannie



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Re: 1966 c20
 

Thank you! I'll be calling my local parts stores and seeing what I can find


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Re: 1966 c20
 

Hantke

Nice truck for a survivor. I've had a few like it.
My 2 cents, the brake pull can be misadjustment on
left front, the wheel cyl sticking out, or contaminated
shoes.
You said the gear ratio was a 4.56. I found mine all came
with 3.73's in the 12 bolt axle, stock. Yours may be the optional
gear ratio.
When I tired of working on the supplied carb, I took all my beverage cans
in and bought the clifford Research weber carb kit with intake and header.
Pricey, but worth it, in the long run. May take a few more cans on your
budget.
The hole in the side of your valve cover is supposed to run to the air cleaner.
I tee'd it in with the PCV line to the manifold next to the carb base, with a
grommet and 90' fitting. No leaks or pressure issues. Your engine looks like mine, a '73 250. The serial # should be down by the starter on a machined pad.
Mine is a '65 1/2t short step. I'll get a thread going on it and the '65 1502 series shortly
Sorry for long wind. Was holding my breath while reading the thread.
Mike OTH

Re: 1966 c20
 

Thanks! Sounds like a nice truck! A friend of mine has a '63 shortbed stepside that I was originally going to buy until I got my truck in a trade, I like those models for the 2wd trucks. Only seen one shortbed stepside that was a 4 x 4 in person though, and it was a pretty nice truck. Anyways, hope to see your thread soon!


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Re: 1966 c20
 

Ongoing debate of the day, how can I test my turn signal switch? it used to blink fine, then it was a little slower, and now the blinkers don't even come on at all. I replaced both bulbs, and I noticed nothing changed. The only things I can think of is either A) When i hooked up the front blinkers the system short circuited. B) there is a bad ground C) The switch is acting odd, I push up it clicks, i push down it clicks, but it no-longer has a definite left, neutral, right positioning, it's fairly floppy.

I am debating on taking the bed off in a couple weeks, and sanding down the rust while i'm at it (My boss said he will most likely let me take the left-over sand paper and palm sander from a job over the weekend). I figure that would be a good time to re-wire any bad connections, and make sure everything is in good shape. anything else I should check into while i'm there?

Another question, I have a very small red wire coming off the positive terminal, it feeds in behind my headlights and disappears, are these trucks positive ground? or is this another "jerry-rigged" contraption? I'm thinking about ordering the digital copy of all the owners / maintenance manuals and supplements from LMC and the wiring diagram, has anybody purchased or used those? I think it could be very helpful.

Re: 1966 c20
 

Hanke,

It sounds like the turn signal switch is just flat worn out, if it feels that
sloppy. Pick up another signal relay like the one that should be plugged
into your fuse block and see if that makes a difference. Inspect the complete
wire harness run under the truck for breaks or grounds. these trucks are
bad for grounds coming off the tail lights. You may end up running a separate
wire to a frame ground from the body of the tail lights.
The small gauge red wire you're looking at should run across the radiator
support to the voltage regulator on the left inner fender (on chebbies anyway)
or the horn relay, mounted under the wiper fluid tank at the left side of the
radiator, if I recall correctly. They both have 12 volts going to them.
Just thought about the floppy feel of the lever. The screw that holds the
turn signal lever to the switch assembly may just be loose. Pull you wheel
and look at it, tighten it up, replace the screw with the next larger sheetmetal screw. I had to do that with my '65 short stepper.
My signal/tail circuit is acting the same as yours, gotta do the same steps.
If the harness is mucked up, it isn't hard to rebuild/replace.
I picked up the switch assembly from LMC for small money. It was identical
to the installed unit when I compared them.
Sorry for the long wind. Sitting here watching Adult Swim on Spike with not
much better to do at the moment.
Pick up a set of carriage bolts before you pull the bed. Not all of them
will be coming out in one piece.

Mike OTH

1965 1502 GMC ramptruck
1965 Cheby short step
1965 1000 series for parts
1985 3/4 t GMC hybrid dually
1962 willys p/u on 37's

Re: 1966 c20
 

Hanke,

In the middle of his build thread, APHaynes has pics of the horn and turn
signal issues that you are into at the moment. I thought I'd read about it
earlier than tonite.

Mike OTH

Re: 1966 c20
 

Thanks! I'll have to look into it this weekend, had some issues with the truck today, got a gas leak and it caught fire. Not too bad but I have to get towed home later


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Re: 1966 c20
 

Well, looks like the vacuum hose on the carb was the culprit. It's all burned to ashes and the fire was located all around it. No serious damage, but o should probably try and make the spare carb work and see if anything else is having issues


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Re: 1966 c20
 

So are there any other carbs that will bolt up to the 250's intake? From what I see, hear, and read, those to heaters are garbage anyways. I found a couple conversion kits, but a $300 intake requires the use of a $300 set of headers + a carb + an adapter plate. Seriously? Got to be a cheaper solution!


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Re: 1966 c20
 

Try TransDapt for a carb adapter, I've seen 1-2bbl adapters before. That way you can upgrade to a Rochester 2GC, Stromberg WW or Carter BBD 2bbl.

Re: 1966 c20
 

Awesome, thanks! I wonder if they make an adapter for the little holly's... Well off for some more research!


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1966 c20
 

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#2041 Holley 2bbl to chevy straight "6" adapter.



I think this is the answer to my needs! drop a holly 350 and she should be up & running smoothly!



Thank you!



***** EDIT *****


Holly 350 ordered be should be here in two days (Tuesday), adapter should be here tomorrow afternoon. In the mean time, gonna pull the existing Rochester and the intake manifold off and clean her up!

Re: 1966 c20
 

Well, got the intake mostly painted. But the adapter doesn't quite fit right, I have to modify it then try again once I find my dremel (which walked away somewhere, go figure).

Some progress pictures:
(I know the I6 was blue back then, but mine is already orange so I'm just trying to match what I have)


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Re: 1966 c20
 

Moly Orange was generally the right color on engines of that era. The 60-62 235 six was blue but that was a totally different engine from the 194, 230, 250 and 292. In 1977 all GM engines were a switching over to Corporate Blue. There was an odd looking green that was used on Chevrolet pickup truck engines around 1965-66 but it was mostly on the 283 engines.

Re: 1966 c20
 

The 230 that was in my '64 was orange. My truck had a 305 in it when new but sometime before 1977 that engine was replaced with the 230. A 305 went back in a couple years ago.

Re: 1966 c20
 

Cool, guess I'm not out of the era then! Got my exhaust removed from the manifold today after alot of brake clean, a dremel, and an extra pair of hands. Not I just have to clean it up and paint it then re-assemble it all!

Unfortunately my transdapt adapter has needed a lot of modification to fit properly, so I'm still just finishing that up. Some progress pictures should be coming in a day or two


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Re: 1966 c20
 

Cool, guess I'm not out of the era then! Got my exhaust removed from the manifold today after alot of brake clean, a dremel, and an extra pair of hands. Not I just have to clean it up and paint it then re-assemble it all!

Unfortunately my transdapt adapter has needed a lot of modification to fit properly, so I'm still just finishing that


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Re: 1966 c20
 

Is this supposed to be exposed?



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Re: 1966 c20
 

Well, no, but the 230 in my '55 GMC is in the same boat. someone neglected to install that shield. Been driving it that way for 5 years. I will take care of it when the engine has to come out eventually. No time tonight but tomorrow afternoon I will show a pic of my other engine with the shield in place.

Hope you replaced that steering box.

DAC

Re: 1966 c20
 

I'll replace the steering box for sure, right now my priority is to get it out of the driveway at my moms house ASAP so she can have it back. Just need to drive it down the street and park it, but it will most definitely be replaced once it is up and running again


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