Black Widow Build (1960 1/2 ton)

[60ShortStpeGMC]

I bought this truck in March, 2013. It ran and was mostly all there but the right-front wheel bearings were missing. If I remember correctly, the purchase price was under $900 - which left me room for trailering and the expensive wheel bearings.

I've done lots of small things to this truck since purchased. I'll list 'em here, adding photos where I have them. Eventually bring the build up to date. It still has the 305v6 in it.

I call it the black widow because after two days in my garage there were 3 or 4 fresh webs and associated, fat black widows roosting between it and the floor. The truck was built in Oakland, still resides in California. Lots of rust from the Bay Area, something I didn't really understand at the time.

Attached photo is straight out of the CL ad I found the truck in. After cleaning up all the spiders, I found the 4 original hub caps under the seat.

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[60ShortStpeGMC]

This is a list of the various and sundry items I changed on the truck during the first year :

April

- installed inner & outer wheel bearings, front passenger side - added missing lug nuts - replaced air filter & housing (in hind-sight, I shoulda just modified the housing to accommodate a standard filter) - added 8-ball gear shift knob (father-in-law extracted from his attic and drilled it out for me) - added turn signal controller to fuse box - wired turn signals to fuse box - fixed broken lug, driver side rear - wired cigarette lighter to fuse box - removed old floor coverings - removed "tow hitch" wiring - added driver side exterior rear view mirror

May

- changed oil & filter - adjusted exhaust pipe and muffler - removed bed rails, pinned down plywood bed (everything rattled like heck)
June
- added reflective foil to front turn signal housings - removed old speedometer cable
August

- replaced steering wheel w/one from '62 C10 (had a shmarmy 80's style steering wheel, good riddance) - added V-6 emblems to hood ($10 for the pair at local swap meet, couldn't help myself even if they're not factory corrrect) - trimmed plywood bed and re-pinned it down - replaced rear springs w/used springs from '62 C10 (old springs had been "heat treated") - replaced speedometer cable (used 68" length, can use 62 length") - rewired rheostat on old fuel sending unit (this didn't really help things though) - replaced fuel sending unit gasket and mounting hardware - removed seat, spray painted interior floor and sill plates - patched upper door sills (under drip rail the whole section was gone, both sides. Cut and bent some thin sheet metal, riveted in place and "sealed" with black poly-euro seal) - eliminated steering wheel wobble - removed exhaust pipe from muffler rearward (tried to cut it, but entire thing came off in my hand)

September

- cut exhaust pipe and added short piece behind muffler - cut and installed dash panel patch cover (got into the free pieces bin at the local plexiglass place) - cut and installed front turn signal covers (that free bin again)
- refurbished stock turn signal switch at base of steering column (not currently using it, but had fun learning. Practiced on a '62 column first.)

October

- refurbished front turn/parking light assemblies (grounding issues fixed)
- intalled new yellow bulbs in front turn signals - installed used gas pedal

November

- replaced both brake/turn signal assemblies with new ones ($7.50 ea at Pep Boys, yep went cheap but they look fine. Spent a minute spray painting the insides for a touch of class) - replaced screws that hold fuse box to firewall - restored brake/turn/running light harness connector

December

- replaced positive terminal battery cable - replaced battery
- replaced locking gas cap - added battery hold down assembly
- added two seat belts (after the kids slid across the seat during an average left turn this addition became a little more important) - added exterior peep mirror, removed temporary exterior mirror.

[6066gmcguy]

Great Truck, would love to see more pics.

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Lotta work already! I second the need for more pics. Every time you post a pic of a GMC an angel gets it wings.

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[60ShortStpeGMC]

A couple other pics of the truck.

[60ShortStpeGMC]

January
- replaced tail gate chains - purchased front hubs from 69 c10
- installed lock set (ignition, door locks, glove box) - rebuilt master cylinder - drilled holes for middle seat belt - purchased master cylinder & power brake booster from '71 Suburban (failed with this effort) - replaced all screws holding window actuator in the door panel on driver side, replaced most of them on passenger side (rust issues)

February
- installed new valve-cover gaskets - sent stick shift to blacksmith for bending - finished rebuild of '69 front drums/spindles (these were farm fresh to begin with) - installed new water temperature sending unit - installed new shift lever boot - purchased Captain Fab's bracket/clutch m/c kit


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March
- remade battery cable ends - tested alternator, works fine

April
- removed stock master cylinder - installed Captain Fab's bracket on firewall - added clutch master cylinder - added brake power boost master cylinder (87 chevy s-10, had all manner of issues finding a coupling for brakeline to m/c) - replaced all clutch tubing - replaced all brake tubing for rear brakes (reused tubing for front brakes, hand bent some and used prebent) - clutch pedal and brake pedal linkage customized - replaced front and rear brake hoses


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June
- replaced heater faceplate/control unit with used one

July
- replaced fuel pump and fuel lines (the truck came with an electric pump, so I continued with that. Bent my own lines.) - replaced fuel sending unit

August
- replaced chevy horn button with gmc horn button

December
- rebuilt orignial heater faceplate/control unit and reinstalled (the rivets holding the rear bracket to the faceplate were shot. I finally got enough nerve to drill into the rear of the faceplate and thread some screws)

[60ShortStpeGMC]

Hold tight, this'll bring us up to date here in 2015.

February
- replaced front hubs/drums with hubs/drums from 1969 c10 (yes, this match up really did work. Now my bearings cost $30, or whatever, not $100. Plus, a modernization benefit.)

April
- rebuilt wood bed using original plywood that was laid over everything - replaced tires (with used tires....{sigh} budgetary restrictions)


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May
- won "diamond in the rough" at local car show

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- at the car show with me are two out of the three reasons my truck budget is so low (father-in-laws red POS just beyond the nose there) - drove the heck out of the truck -

June
- drove the heck out of the truck part two (nothing better than a running/driving old truck!)

July
- replaced alternator (went with same as 75 chevy nova:63 amp, 3 o'clock pin location) - replaced starter solenoid - rebuilt Rochester 2g carb (new carb for about $45)

August
- replaced holley 1904 carb (single barrel) with Rochester 2g (because it was free..er..$45) - bought a hinky $15 two-to-one adapter (but, I mean, what the hey) - replaced original throttle linkage with cable - removed choke cable (just a temporary clean-up procedure) - installed "glow skull" in dash (yep, gimmick. but, pull the lights on and it glows: a decent "lights on" reminder. Monkey wired some inline fuses to dim the blinding glow-skull powers.)

September
$ all spent - reduced to toying with carb return springs and etc - clutch went out in between runs up and down the block (fortunately while in the garage)

October
truck fund still empty - pulled transmission (father-in-law said "oh sure, just lower it with your hands and rest it on your chest".)


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- for the casual reader, be advised that the SM420 weighs about 135 lbs. (my father-in-law later said "well I never'd done one of those!". and to this date he still hasn't

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) - removed clutch assembly


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November
- purchased clutch set (shout out to FetchMeAPepsi for the parts #s) - $ all spent - tried and tried and tried and tried to nudge them flywheel bolts free

December
- paid reg - $ all spent - applied liberal amount of penetrating oil to flywheel bolts, waited designated time and... pulled flywheel (finally!)


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[TJ's GMC]

Good looking truck! In for the build.

[6066gmcguy]

when I hear "Black Widow" I think of the old Southern Pacific paint job called the "Black Widow", here are some of my fleet of SP N-scale locos from one of my other hobbies.

[60ShortStpeGMC]

I like it.
In fact, a set of red side-wall tires might be in order.