Late 60's Chev Pickups

[hedotwo]

So, I'm going to venture out of my car building to try and replicate a '68 C10 my wife and I owned to pull our old, heavy '64 Winnebago 15' trailer.  Knowing next to nothing about what's available in kit form, or how much to expect to pay for either a decent builder or a kit, I thought I'd ask here.  I did recently pick up the new release '72 Wedge kit with the thought of maybe trying to back date it if I could figure out what it would take.  At a glance I can see the grille and front bumper are different and I've seen what look like "stock" pics of the hood with some having the Chevrolet script while others smooth.  I wouldn't be too concerned with the interior differences, or the small block.  Mine had a 307 but any SBC would work.  

If I need to pickup (no pun intended) a builder I'm guessing anything from 67-72 would work as a donor?  I prefer a builder because I don't (and can't) likely pay an arm and a leg for a kit.  All would need the front end changed?

Thanks!

[Mark]

AMT created both of the Chevy/GMC pickup kit tools, a lot of parts interchange between them.  To get a '68, for the exterior you will need a grille, a hood, and probably a tailgate.  You might be able to find all of these in resin.  You'd then have to figure out how to backdate the grille opening on the '72 cab, then rework or eliminate the side trim from that cab.

[hedotwo]

So, if I were to find a resin grille/bumper for a 68 it wouldn't be a direct fit on the opening on the 72 Wedge?  Quickly looking at the 72 cab it looks like I'd need to source "bowtie 10" emblems as well as redo the side trim and side marker lights.  At least the basic body lines appear the same.  Obviously I'd rather have to do as little as possible to the body so waiting to find a 67-69 builder might make sense?  While there'd still be work it doesn't look like it'd be as much as using the 72.

Thanks Mark

[Can-Con]

Rich, the seller "hoppersbazaar" on e-bay sold a resin grille that was modified to fit in the '69='72 pickup grille opening. I don't see any listed with them right now but it might be something to look into.

A '72 hood could be modified to look like a '68 with some sanding. That's what I did for mine but I think the front of the ;68 hood is actually lower too so a pie wedge cut from the front to back would be in order.

[Mark]

The grille opening area is definitely different between '67-'68 and later cabs.  I just saw resin emblems on eBay, someone probably has the grille too.  Rebuildable pre-1971 builtups go for stupid money lately.

[Can-Con]

1 minute ago, hedotwo said:

So, if I were to find a resin grille/bumper for a 68 it wouldn't be a direct fit on the opening on the 72 Wedge?  Quickly looking at the 72 cab it looks like I'd need to source "bowtie 10" emblems as well as redo the side trim and side marker lights.  At least the basic body lines appear the same.  Obviously I'd rather have to do as little as possible to the body so waiting to find a 67-69 builder might make sense?  While there'd still be work it doesn't look like it'd be as much as using the 72.

Thanks Mark

No, the opening for the '67/'68 grille is smaller. as I posted above hoppers did sell one modified to fit.

They also sell a set of fender emblems for these trucks that includes the '68 emblems.

[Mark]

Another option is to look for a damaged '67 or '68 promo model, or parts of same.  After looking around a while and keeping tabs on selling prices, you can then decide on which way to go.

[Can-Con]

Here's a couple pics of the '67/'68 front for reference,,

[hedotwo]

Thanks guys...  I'll keep watching ebay for something that might work without having to mortgage our house.  

[stitchdup]

There's been alternative grilles on ebay recently. they were 3d resin prints if i recall it correctly. It might have been iceman collections that had them

[hedotwo]

Thanks Les.

After digging into this a bit more I see the tailgate is quite a bit different in 72 as well as having to figure out the too wide 72 grille opening.  Unless these resin pop grilles on ebay fit the 72 opening?  It's looking like it's going to be one of those waits for an "affordable" builder to appear unfortunately.  I'm not against doing mods to make things fit and look ok however, so I'll keep the wheels turning as to how I could do it.

 

[Can-Con]

20 minutes ago, hedotwo said:

Thanks Les.

After digging into this a bit more I see the tailgate is quite a bit different in 72 as well as having to figure out the too wide 72 grille opening.  Unless these resin pop grilles on ebay fit the 72 opening?  It's looking like it's going to be one of those waits for an "affordable" builder to appear unfortunately.  I'm not against doing mods to make things fit and look ok however, so I'll keep the wheels turning as to how I could do it.

 

Yes, that's what I'm saying. The vendor I mentioned has a regular '67/'68 grille as well as one designed to work with the '72 cabs with the gap around the grille cast on the grille.  Honestly, I'd try to find an annual '68 cab but this would be a cheaper way to go.

[hedotwo]

24 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

Yes, that's what I'm saying. The vendor I mentioned has a regular '67/'68 grille as well as one designed to work with the '72 cabs with the gap around the grille cast on the grille.  Honestly, I'd try to find an annual '68 cab but this would be a cheaper way to go.

Ideally I'd like to find an annual cab too rather than cobble.  Can I get by with a 68 cab or will a 67 get me there too?  They sure look similar.  A point I see right now is that ours did not have that heavier chrome trim along the body line.  I'm guessing the 67-69 C10's all have that trim?  Not a show stopper though.

Other than the cab it looks like I'd also need a tailgate that has the large, plain Chevrolet script?  

Will the new release MPC 72 wedge running gear work under the 67-69 AMT annuals?

Sorry for all the questions ? 

[Can-Con]

1 hour ago, hedotwo said:

Ideally I'd like to find an annual cab too rather than cobble.  Can I get by with a 68 cab or will a 67 get me there too?  They sure look similar.  A point I see right now is that ours did not have that heavier chrome trim along the body line.  I'm guessing the 67-69 C10's all have that trim?  Not a show stopper though.

Other than the cab it looks like I'd also need a tailgate that has the large, plain Chevrolet script?  

Will the new release MPC 72 wedge running gear work under the 67-69 AMT annuals?

Sorry for all the questions ? 

Never worry about asking too many questions, that's how you find stuff out.

The only difference I can see between the '67 and '68 cabs is the '68s have the side marker lights and the '67 doesn't. But the latest reissue of the '72 Jimmy has a couple sets of marker lights on the decal sheet.

I used a chassis from one of the newer '72s under my '68 with no problems. Basically the same parts except for the details.

I made a more correct tail gate for mine by splicing in the lettering section from a revell mid '60s kit. The back of those trucks is pretty awful out of the box.

 

[hedotwo]

Your tailgate treatment was kind of what I'd thought I may have to end up doing.  I have a derelict 65 Revell stepside that has a tailgate available but the lettering appears to be  too small to work on a fleetside.  Not that it matters in this case, but I've seen the tailgate lettering both proud and recessed.  Not sure which is more correct, but both work fine.   I'm thinking I'll expand my search to include a 67 as well as the 68, figuring I have twice the opportunity to find a reasonable builder.  Looking around just now I found an interesting site for listing the differences between these years....  www.pattson.com/maych/67_72_chevy.htm.

Thanks Steve

[Plowboy]

8 hours ago, hedotwo said:

Thanks guys...  I'll keep watching ebay for something that might work without having to mortgage our house.  

That's your best bet. By the time you buy a '72 kit and the parts to convert it to a '68, you probably won't be saving a great deal. Then there's the work and time involved doing the conversion. Plus, the different interiors between the two. Be patient and you'll get a good deal. I bought a really nice '68 promo years ago for $80 shipped. Also, don't hesitate to make an offer if available. That's how I got mine. Good luck!

[hedotwo]

Thanks for the encouragement Rog...  I just saw a 68 C10 Promo on ebay last week go for a bit more than $80 ?  I even threw an early bid at it but it didn't happen.  

[Plowboy]

It'll happen Rich. Years ago, I was after a unibody Ford. They always went for way more than I was willing to pay. So, I started bidding on every one I found. I ended up winning three in one month! I got all three of them for less than $50 each shipped. I couldn't believe it!