Nice find!

Just remember, all of those tweaks and dings are "character".

 

I agree. My plan for the truck is to leave it alone as much as possible. In my book, nothing beats original paint, even if it's not perfect. And, I tend to search out vehicles in original paint and leave them that way unless significant damage or rust are present.

With this slick, my plan is to do the following (slowly, over time):
- Straighten out and repaint the front bumper
- Repaint the hubcaps
- Repaint the rear bumper
- Replace all, or nearly all, of the rubber in the truck
- Replace the window channels
- Remove the bed, clean up and paint the frame, treat the surface rust on the underside of the bed, then re-install the bed with the original paint intact.
- Pull the engine and transmission, clean and repaint them, do a mild freshening up on the engine, then reinstall with new motor mounts.
- Find and install some sort of overdrive (either a factory unit or a Gearvendors unit)

There are probably a few other things that I haven't mentioned, but you get the picture....make it a good, reliable driver, while still preserving the great look that an old car only acquires over time.

On this truck, you can see where the owner leaned over the bed countless times and wore down the paint, and where he rested his forearms on the hood while talking to someone on the other side of the vehicle. These worn spots are like tatoos on an old war veteran....maybe not the best looking things in the world, but they tell a story and they just look right under the circumstance.

The dealer that I bought it from rebuilt the carb and replaced the whole brake system, minus the master cylinder. He also installed 4 new tires....so there are a few big items that I won't have to spend money on.

 

Do tell....I'd love to know what that tool is.

 

nice, it looks very clean and well maintained. congrats!

 

Do you know if the truck originally came from Arkansas?

 

My 65 must have a ton of character then. What does alot of rust give em??? Sorry didnt mean to hijack the thread just couldnt resist.

 

As far as I know, it came from Seminole, Oklahoma. Although, I don't have records all the way back to it's purchase. Does it look familiar?

 

Yes it does. I had tried to buy a truck identical to this a few years ago with the same story. Truck was very solid and original and being sold by family members. I'm sure others exist but it just fits the bill perfectly and you aren't to far from where I thought it was from. Congrats on acquiring a nice truck!

 

Interesting.

This purchase was quite the ordeal....the seller kept canceling appointments and was very difficult to deal with. I almost gave up several times, but was very persistent because solid original 65-66 shorties are not anywhere near as easy to find as they used to be.

Also...I insisted on having a 6 cylinder, column shift, and that made this truck even more appealing. So, even though I initially contacted the seller in November of last year and endured the frustration of several cancelled appointments, I knew that another one like this (at this price) wouldn't come along for a while.

 

Very cool indeed!

 

Nice truck. It's hard to find them with low miles and original paint. I also like the 240. Gas is going up again.

 

nice truck, tell me a little more about the overdrive. i think i would like to do something to my 65 if it helps out on gas mileage. again very nice truck

 

I have the original overdrive and it worked great the gear vendors one is the one to get if you are having to purchase one. It will shift under load with out having to lift your foot off to go in. With the od engaged on the original unit you free wheel and have to be very careful when you park. They do get better fuel I saw a 2 mpg drop when mine went out

 

yeah Jim....I'm officially lusting after the GearVendors unit. I just don't know if I can convince myself to part with that much cash.

 

Great looking truck. One question though; What is a slick?