Found a 63 sittin on a nearby county road and I talked the kid into buying the 63 truck for parts (same year as mine) for $250 (no title) including delivery which I think is great. It has a 283 with 4 on the floor and 4 barrel carburetor. His dad (which I think I can trust since he owns his own shop) said the motor ran good and no black smoke. The dad grew up around a wrecking yard so he knows what he has but is ready to see it go. The body is pretty bad on it but I really don't need any of the body parts. I do need a piece that is rusted out on mine by the window and inside on the floor. Original key in the ignition. The dash is totally complete which mine had been cut out in the center. It has the sun visors which I don't have and the rings around the head lights. Mine is missing a back bumper so I'll use this one. Lastly, my windshield is majorly spider cracked and this one has a few rock chips but no cracks. I think I did very well knowing that the motor alone would have cost me at least $250 or more. The straight six that is currently in it runs great but I would rather have the 283 and of course the 4 on the floor is much better than the 3 on the tree. Can't wait to get it over here and start tearing it up! Post a photo soon. <!-- / message -->
Nice score on the parts truck. Be aware, swapping windshields in the '60-'63 is a MAJOR pain due to the curves. Be patient. '63 grills are worth decent money since they're not repopped. Sell one and make half your money back. I love these trucks, post those pics. Holler if you need any info.
cgT, you did good, real good, if you mean a Muncie or Saginaw type 4 speed, heck a good used 4 speed alone around where I live will fetch $600. Plus you got a good 283 that's awesome.
I always liked those trucks and owned a few myself. Easy to work on, parts are available new and used as well. What 4-speed is it, the heavy duty one with the long stick? I had a couple of trucks with those in it. I'm tempted to get a '63-66 truck myself, just to piss off the neighbors and have some fun with it. Bob
Good score; you can't hardly go wrong for $250. Is the trans a regular 4 spd. or a granny 1st truck unit? The windshields are supposed to be very difficult to install without breaking. Your chips could turn into spider cracks by the end. I have a `63 Short Fleet. Great bunch and good info over on Chevy Talk's 60-66 truck forum.
I got good at swapping the curved windshields in these trucks. Never broke one, even taking them out of donor trucks, of course I had to waste the gasket on those getting them out. Broken windshields come out a lot easier. Bob
Ya that windshield is going to be a pain. Hopefully we can get it out. Oh forgot to mention that the truck has grill guard which I actually like. I think it might be a factory one. Not sure. The trans is a granny 1st truck unit. Just so excited I found this at this price.
I've been lucky and found most used windshields already out in junkyards, only had to take a couple out of a scrap cab. I figured you may have had the SM420 box since you have a long bed. They usually have a lousy top end speed and the rear gears start at something like 4:11 and get steeper. Bob
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