"The Buzzing Half Dozen" 63 pickup build

I recently picked up a 63 Eco pickup. I have already started work on her.
I am currently trying to get the engine to fire up and tearing into the body to see what all kind of damage is being hid under a mountain of Bondo.

So far I have replace the timing chain, points, and condenser on the little 144. I will not put much more money into the little 144 since I plan on swapping out the 144 with a built 200 (hence the name "The Buzzing Half Dozen")

plans for the 200 are
Dual roller timing chain
bored .30 with flat top pistons
clay smith cam
Clifford headers
and a tri-power set up.

As far as the body goes I am basically leaving it stock with the exception of shaving off the emblems, and replacing the rotten bed with a sheet of diamond plate.
I will be replacing both side panels with new patch panels along with the rear corners. She will get a Hot Rod Flats Dayton Blue Pearl Paint job with some grey/silver scallops. And A soft tonneau cover for the bed.

The interior will get a matching paint job and some blue and silver metallic vinyl upholstery
As Far as wheels go I plan on running rocket injector wheels. 15x8 out back and 15x4 up front.

So enjoy the pics and follow along as we rebuild this ol girl into a cool daily driver/ parts getter.

Yesterday I welded up a few holes in the passenger side door and front wheel well. I still need to fix the rusted out area on the wheel well. I have not put any filler on yet. I just primed over the bare metal to keep it from rusting.

Looking great already!!!

Yesterday I removed the heater box, air vent boxes, and headlight bezels.

I also removed the brake pedal and master cylinder. I plan on doing a disc brake conversion on the front and running new brake lines all around.

I started stripping the front of the truck and guess what I found?...More Bondo. It was thick enough that the easiest way to remove it was using a hammer and screwdriver. Just like the other spots on the truck that have been covered in bondo, the damage underneath isn't that bad. Dont get me wrong..the nose is pretty beat up but not enough to warrant that much bondo.

The pic below with the grid looking pattern is from where I used the edge of an old stripping disc and cut into the bondo just to see how much was on the front panel and how thick it was.

I still haven't got the motor to fire up but part of the problem is that I think I have a bad fuel pump. I will be replacing that in the next few days.

I am also thinking of rewiring the whole truck. If i do I will use a rebel wiring harness. I have used them in the past and it is my wiring harness of choice for any future projects.

The Bondo on the sides of mine look just like that!

That a lot of filler!!
Cool truck though, looks like a good project good luck with it.

Joel

Im thinking about cutting part of the front panel out and trying to make a new piece to go in its place. pic below is about the area i would cut out.

You may be able to find a used piece..Save some fab time.

campin'fool wrote:You may be able to find a used piece..Save some fab time.

I really hope i can find a good nose piece to use. That would be a lot better and easier than trying to make one

Nice work so far, nice to see you saving one

Thanks to this site I have a possible lead on a nose for my Truck. Hopefully we can work out a deal.

Is it that rusted or can you bang it out??

There is a nose of mine in jersey. It is up for sale. Casamir has it in his possession. Contact him for pics as I dont have any anymore. I have not picked it up yet and have already replaced my nose with a better nose. If it is something you can use then make a donation to the site and see if casamir will ship it to you or have him cut it down and ship it to you.

Cool choice of wheels. I wanted to go with those but they were late coming out last year and had to go with something else. Good Luck with the project. I'm pulling up a seat

This weekend I removed my steering column, steering box, and clutch pedal.
I tore the steering gear box down, cleaned and rebuilt it. I also tore the column shift apart and cleaned it up. I am waiting for my new washer springs to come in for the column. I also need to repair the upper pivot mount on the column. the original broke.





I also started stripping the rest of the dog house so I can get it primered and prepped for paint. I would have finished the dog house yesterday but some of my car club family showed up and drug me off to a BBQ. As hot as it was yesterday a little swimming, cold beer, hanging with my friends and good food sounded better than working on the truck.


I cleaned out the cab of the truck to see what all I needed to fix on the inside. I have a few small patches to replace at the back of the cab and a crack in the front passenger side.

If the metal is not rusted through you might not want to cut out and replace it. If it were mine I would remove the bondo and straighten the metal. It's already bent up so a good way to remove bondo is to heat the back side of the metal with a torch and the bondo will pop right off. You already have the heater out so the only thig in the way is wires and wiper motor. Keep the flame away from them and you will be OK.
Nice looking PU!

66ThunderVan wrote:If the metal is not rusted through you might not want to cut out and replace it. If it were mine I would remove the bondo and straighten the metal. It's already bent up so a good way to remove bondo is to heat the back side of the metal with a torch and the bondo will pop right off. You already have the heater out so the only thig in the way is wires and wiper motor. Keep the flame away from them and you will be OK.
Nice looking PU!

My nose is pretty rusty. The lower seam under the headlights is rusted thru almost all the way across. I have big rust holes at the hinges and there are holes thru the headlight area. And also on the A pillar at the bottom edge of the windshield.

I guess you do need a nose job!

Yesterday I tore the heater box down all the way. I will have to sandblast the base piece because of all the pitting. The rest of is should be ready for primer in the next day or so. And lucky me the fan motor is still good.


I finished stripping the the dog house and got it primered..I still need to to do the lid to the doghouse. It is in good shape so I am thinking about just scuffing up the paint that is currently on it and just painting over it.

I also did the battery box.

The dog house, battery box, and heater box will all be getting painted here soon. the Battery box and heater box will go back black and the doghouse will be blue with white scallops to match the truck once it is painted.

Looking good! I wish I had your time and energy!!!!

66ThunderVan wrote:Looking good! I wish I had your time and energy!!!!

I try to put at least a couple hours everyday after work in on my rides...thats if i have something I can do to them. a lot of times its lack of parts or supplies that hold me up.

Here soon I will have a lot more time to dedicate to my rides. I will be out of the Army in a couple of weeks and I will have a lot of free time to dedicate to getting the truck and my Mercury going.

Here is my other project I am working on. It is a 56 Mercury chopped 4",smoothed, shaved, air bags all around, and 292 Y-block,

She is my pride and Joy. I cant wait to get her going.





Pictured below is my Y-block with the marine interceptor intake I am running.

That Merc is going to be sweet but then so is the Econoline. Keep posting.
Oh and
thanks for your service in the Army.

hey kage I have that front I can cut out and send cheap been holding on to way to long . pm me