Project '67

Installing the Interior

Now that the main cab is complete we can start installing portions of the interior.

1. The dash.
The dash was covered with gray vinyl using Liquid Nails Contact Cement. The wiper motor and assembly were installed. The dash switches were mounted. The dash wiring was repaired and installed. The gauge cluster was installed. The glove box door was covered in vinyl and installed.

2. Heating and cooling.
The truck will be fitted with Vintage Airs Gen II compaq system (with defrost). The controls were fitted where the old ashtray was located. The evaporator was mounted under the dash on the passenger side. This required drilling 2 holes in the firewall and one under the dash. While it is still visable, it is much smaller than the original units. The only drawback of this location is that it requires the shortening of the glove box. I'll be using the center seat back storage for most of the junk usually located in the glovebox. I also installed original kick panel vents in case I want to use them. I originally felt I would weld up the holes and eliminate them. However, this would leave no access to a portion of the cowl that will certainly fill with crap and rust out. This way I can clean the area by pulling out the vents.

3. Wiring.
At this point I decided to do some dash wiring. I basically hooked up all the original 67 wiring as original first. The only complication with the original wiring was the 79 column wiring. The basic light wiring is reletively simple. But the addition of cruise control caused some confusion. To further complicate things, I used a cruise system from an 85 F150. The cruise switch panel located in the steering wheel was swapped and the 85 cruise system was installed (except for the engine attachment). I believe it is installed correctly and will work fine. When it's functionality is confirmed, I will add the swap info to the tech section.

I grabbed a delay wiper system from a mid 1970's model. It's basically just a box with two plugs and a switch. The unit just plugs in and it works. No alterations to the motor or anything!

I also added a courtesy light located above the rear window. It's out of a newer Chevy truck and has both switched lights and a stationary courtesy light. The wires were run up the windshield pillar and also to the door switches.

The wiring for the dash portion of the Vintage Air environmental system was installed as well. Wiring was pretty simple and everything seems to work fine.

4. Install the carpet.
I purchased a molded carpet online. I used a carpet from a 1974 model as I was concerned that a 67 version would be to short since I removed the gas tank. I'm happy to report that the fit is very good. The extra length in the back is nice. The sides were trimmed to fit and the sill plates were installed.

5. Install the seat.
The seat was taken out of storage and mounted in place.

6. Install the power windows.
Next I installed the Spal aftermarket power window kit. This installs pretty easily per the instructions. After install they work great! The windows move really quick and smoothly. The kit basically mounts a motor away from the mechanisms and operates the stock crank mount.
The kit comes with small plugs to put over the crank hole. I made my own little switch pods that doubled as a hole cover. You can see the construction of these in the tech section.

7. Install the door trim.
Before installing the door panels, I painted the inside of the doors with Chassis Saver and then undercoated them.
The original metal door skins were used and just covered with gray vinyl. The original chrome trim was polished and painted silver rather than black. The power window switches were installed. The door handles were mounted. Because the power windows add about a quarter inch to the panel thickness, the door handle stud had to be lengthened. I'm still pondering what to do about arm rests. The originals are pretty rough.