Good morning, My name is Will Mahle and I am glad to have found this group. I have just recently purchased a 1966 Chevy Stepside and would like to get some ideas on maintenance and restoration.
Hello Will, welcome to the forum. I'm new myself. Just joined a few days ago. There is a lot of knowlegable folks here. Huntsville is a nice little town, I used th hang around Trianna alot. Nice ride.
Thanks cgardner. I used to live in Sumter SC for a few years while stationed at Shaw AFB. I really enjoyed SC
Hey Mahlew..welcome. I to am knew here and have learned alot from these fella's also. Nice 66 by the way..I'm curious though...I noticed your radio antenna is on the left side? Mine is on the right. Anyone have any idea's as to why?...is it possible they just put them in either side at random?
Hello Will. I am new here also. I have a 1964 Step side. I live just south of you In Cullman Al. Looks like you have a nice truck. Welcome and good luck.
Welcome to the forum. It appears you bought a very nice ride that someone put a lot of care into. My suggestions would be take a lot of photos of it now, before anything might change. This is usually an overlooked task, and years later when many things have been modified or improved it’s disappointing to realize there aren’t any “before” pictures. Next would be a complete systems check of all the operating features to make sure everything is working correctly, like brakes, steering, wipers, heater, turn signals, etc. If you find you have gremlins in the headlight or turn signal wiring, the first improvement is to add separate ground wires to each of the light buckets. These trucks originally depended on the ground side of the electrical system working its way through sheet metal connections back to the battery. After 40-50 years of use, dirt, and corrosion all sorts of odd problems can crop up. If you get ambitious enough to tackle major restoration aspects, try to keep the projects small enough to get completed over a weekend. It’s much easier to remain enthusiastic about a truck you can actually drive and enjoy.
Welcome to the forum! There is a tonn of information for our trucks hidden in previous posts, take the time to search and you should find that most topics have been covered. Your 66 looks to be in great shape, I bet it looks even better in person!
I found the parts manual for the 60 series very helpful as well. Bought it off of Ebay a few years back.
Nice truck, if you decide to do any brake or steering upgrades let me know. I came up with a combination of things to use that is cheeeeeep and easy and you could possibly make money when you are done off of your left over parts. Everything you see here in these pix was built outside in the driveway including the conversion from a small window to a big back window...Big Tim
Brake Upgrade Big Tim, I would like to do a brake upgrade if you have some ideas. I got a quote and a brake upgrade is almost as much as I paid for the truck. I also would like a window regulator, sliding back window, and maybe fuel injection. It is running very good right now, just leaking a bit of oil. Will
