One look at this mangy old '66 Chevy and you'd say hanging a new grille and bumper on it would be like putting perfume on a pig, and you may be right. In fact, you'd be absolutely right, but as you might be starting to suspect, there's more to the premise of this story than meets the eye. To give you folks a little sneak preview of the January 2008 edition of Custom Classic Trucks running a main headline reading Winter Wonder Plans, we are going to begin with one little ol' story with the very first steps of preparing to take on a new project.
Unlike as portrayed on television gearhead shows, the first step on a new project is not to dive in and start blowing the vehicle apart and trashing everything in sight, leaving a big pile of ruined parts. Nope, the first step is to commit yourself to the idea that you're going to stop trying to get by with patching your truck up and accept that the only way to do it properly is to completely tear the truck down and rebuild it from the ground up. That said, the second step is to carefully disassemble the truck, and before each assembly is removed, mock up any changes that might be included in the project's new plans.
Good examples are the grille, mirrors, and front bumper on the '66. Before we yanked the doors off the Chevy, we needed to decide which mirrors looked best and would actually function as practical items. Not too excited with the prospect of leaving the West Coast-style mirrors hanging off the sides, we looked into our options. Liking the looks of the original equipment mirrors fitted to a '66, our first move was to break out the Brother's catalog and order a set.
We've learned the hard way in the past that the right time to bolt on new accessories is not after the truck has been repainted. Ditto for the grille and front bumper; we needed to check for fit and alignment before the truck was in new paint. Not only is fit a concern, but typically an old truck always seems to acquire a few extra holes drilled in by the previous owner with some kind of goofball homemade accessory or a couple of "oops" while trying to install something like a hula girl license plate frame or an airplane propeller that spins when the truck picks up wind speed.
Before we tore the '66 apart,...
Before we tore the '66 apart, we looked for any extra holes that wouldn't be needed when the freshly customized version goes back together. Bingo, the front bumper-mounted trailer hitch proved to be a goldmine of extra unnecessary holes.
If there's nothing else a...
If there's nothing else a person should learn about tearing a truck apart, it is to use a ton of Liquid Wrench-type penetrating oil to presoak everything before attempting to unbolt parts.
The most effective way to...
The most effective way to use penetrating oil is to locate as many exposed areas of the bolt's threads as possible and hose it on. This is one of the six bolts that retain the '64-66 grille. We sprayed penetrating oil on the front and rear sides of the bolts before disassembly.
Although reproductions are...
Although reproductions are now available, the original T3 headlight was a nice find.
At this point it's a good...
At this point it's a good idea to take photos for your own records to answer any questions you might have when it comes time to reassemble the grille.
Notice the special flat rivets...
Notice the special flat rivets used by the factory to attach the grille mounting brackets to the grille. This type must be used on the new Brother's replacement grille or it won't fit flush to the surround area.
Bumper bolts that spin and...
Bumper bolts that spin and can't be untightened must be held in place with vise grips. The bumper bolt will be ruined, but that's OK, because chrome bumper bolts will be needed to match the new Brother's chrome replacement bumper.
Just as we thought, Billy...
Just as we thought, Billy Bob's homemade front hitch left a ton of extra holes.
Here's a close-up in case...
Here's a close-up in case anyone wanted to make one at home. Hey, don't laugh, they come in real handy when it's time to get Thelma Lou a U-haul trailer.
Thankfully, Brother's carries...
Thankfully, Brother's carries a good assortment of all the special nuts, bolts, and clips needed to restore the front end just like new. We just used baling wire to mock things up.
Why is it that almost every...
Why is it that almost every old truck out there comes with a cheap set of West Coast mirrors?
After trashing the West Coasters,...
After trashing the West Coasters, we located the original mounting holes needed to mount the Brother's replacement mirrors and soaked the threads with Rapid-Tap.
Then we used a 5/16 coarse-thread...
Then we used a 5/16 coarse-thread tap to chase the rust out of the factory threads.
After chasing the threads...
After chasing the threads with the tap, we used Rost-Off to flush away the swarf left behind.
Assuming the job wasn't done,...
Assuming the job wasn't done, we screwed in new bolts by hand to make sure the threaded holes were right.
Next, we checked to make sure...
Next, we checked to make sure the gasket lined up properly with the mounting holes, and then mounted the Brother's polished stainless steel mirror base to the door.
The finishing touch was to...
The finishing touch was to mount the beautifully chromed Brother's mirror head to the base.
Bingo, this is exactly what...
Bingo, this is exactly what we were after: mirrors that function as well as they look.
Years of use and abuse left...
Years of use and abuse left the '66 minus bezels and with a pair of cloudy lens so fogged the Pope himself couldn't see out of them.
Before we did any major bodywork,...
Before we did any major bodywork, we figured it would be a good idea to check if the opening for the turn signal lights was correct.
The stock turn signal housings...
The stock turn signal housings on the '66 unbolt from behind. Note that the mounting bolt at the bottom left was broken at some point in time.
Before attempting to remove...
Before attempting to remove the lens screws, we soaked them with Rost-Off.
Planning ahead, we ordered...
Planning ahead, we ordered everything we would need to install the new turn signals, including chrome-plated Phillips screws, from Brother's.
To avoid fracturing the anodized...
To avoid fracturing the anodized finish on the aluminum turn signal bezels, we carefully tightened them down while alternating the tightening pattern.
One glance at how much better...
One glance at how much better the '66 looked with the new grille and bumper from Brother's and we were very excited to get on with the restoration and customization of our trusty old farm truck.