Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

I have converted to HEI on 3 trucks and never regretted it.
Does the American Autowire harness have an HEI feed line?

If not you can get an HEI pigtail [Packard type dual connector 12 V to Coil/ Tach] from Jegs. Run a 12 ga wire from IGN Unfused on the fuse block to the Coil hot line. Disconnect the 20 ga Yellow lead to the points coil. Tape it off or delete it. it's connected to the Orange/Purple/White Resistor wire from the Bulkhead Connector. This line drops voltage to the Coil when heated. Less than full 12 VDC to HEI Coil will burn the Module up.

Many other posts about HEI conversion on this site, if mine was confusing.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Started the disc brake conversion on the 68 . Was a little worried the lower control arm would hit the wheel but it’s got plenty of clearance. Some before and after .

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Changing all the ball joints the uppers were definitely original lowers not sure about . They wernt worn but the dust boots were shot .

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

I have been digging into the front end on my relatively new to me '69 1500 for the first time and there is a dust boot on a lower ball joint that is pretty shredded on one side. I was squinting at it and wondering if I could slap a little Flex Seal on it and forget about it for a couple years. :lol: How big of a job is is to change the ball joints??

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Not a hard job with the right tools . The lowers pop out with a hand press I bought this one recently as my old one bent really bad doing my 3500 Dodge . The uppers if original I grind the rivet heads and drill them out a bit . If I had an air compressor I would use the air chisel . I’m doing this job at my rental property .

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Yes the kit came with provisions for both, minus the resistor. If I do I will hang on to the old one just in case. Thanks for the reply!

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

I did the same on my '68 C/10 Stepside w/ 292 L6. I converted to Pertronix, using a points type Delco Remy L6 Distributor. But I did not rip out the points wiring. After about 7 years the Pertronix burned out. I went back to points operation for a year, until I had amassed all the right stuff for the rarer L6 HEI.
:chevy:

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

what points do you trust to put in these distributors? I'm leary of a lot of new stuff. But then you have the same with the unit that goes into the HEI distributor. I do IT and I LOVE mechanical over electronics lol.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Well, I haven't used points on either of my running trucks* in about 8 years.
[* '68 C/10 -- 292 L6; '71 GMC JIMMY K/1500 -- 350 V8]

I had a bunch of legacy L6 points and condensers. I liked Standard Blue Streak when I could get USA-made ones. The ''Asianization'' of replacement parts was one more reason to move to HEI.

There is more than one ''unit'' inside the HEI distributor.
- Module [Keep a spare in your glovebox, w/ the white insulator grease]
- Pick Up Collar and Harness
- Coil, Ignition
- Contactor ''Button'' from inside Coil to exterior cap Terminal Stud

I understand your preference for uncomplicated mechanisms over Electronic systems. I have a Feuerhand kerosene lamp on my back deck to illuminate my BBQ.

But GM HEI really is a performance upgrade.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

tonight I layed out the cross sills and the bed strips so I could determine where the fuel fill will line up .....I want to put a round stainless fuel access hatch over the fuel cap IS 2.5 ROUND so I need like 4 inch access hole
ANY SUGGESTIONS ?
I bought this Boyd welding fuel tank years ago used... never had fuel in it couldn't pass up the deal so I will make it work

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Did u buy the side markers used or find a vendor with them.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

They were brand new from a vendor at the C10 fall festival. Dave’s truck parts

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Now I guess I have to find one. What is a reasonable price for a functional one? What brand to get for replacement parts?

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

I diagnosed a fuel gauge problem (bad sending unit), reattached driver side vent window latch, un-seized and reinstalled the sun visors.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

I was having an issue with the factory AM/FM radio in my Blazer. The volume would fade in and out, and sometimes would not come back at all unless you shut off the radio and turn it back on. The weakest link on these old Delco radios is the germanium output transistor. I noticed that a previous owner had replaced the output transistor with a cheap replacement, not a Delco part. I happened to have an old convector (amplifier) assembly from an early '70's Pontiac that had two original DS-501 Delco output transistors. I swapped one onto my radio, which on the truck/van AM/FM units is easily accessed in the aluminum heat sink on the side of the radio facing the passengers side of the truck. After swapping it out, I bench tested the unit, and it came to life, and the irregular volume was gone.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/B3YAA...n/s-l1600.webp

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Coming along . And yes I cleaned the work area afterwards ;)

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

looking good.... Im sure you will be happy with the performance of this conversion

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Yup, the difference in braking performance is worth it. Many will argue differently, but I'm on board with the pads wiping the rotors in the rain and making better stops due to less wet brakes. I'll have to say that drag racers may see an advantage in stock classes due to lower front brake friction with drum brakes, off the line...they tell me.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Shop: RockAuto, Jegs, Summit Racing.
I don't know what you'd find at your local junkyard.
When you look, add ten years later to your parts search, as there were no HEIs in 1968 [for example] so pretend you have a '78. Computers have a hissy fit if you try to get a more modern part for an older truck.
But you want the first generation of GM HEIs. Later ones have computer interfaces.

I hesitate to recommend AC Delco/Delco Remy anymore. They're now made offshore just like other Asian crap. Not worth paying more for the name with Americans unemployed.

Basic distributors seem to run about $75 at Jeg's.

I once bought a new [US-made] MSD Distributor Cap, and the contacts inside were too big. The rotor broke up hitting them. I don't buy MSD anymore.

I just looked up a '78 HEI at RockAuto. $186 for a reman Delco Remy. That's including core charge and NO Coil included. Forget them.
Tucson Craigslist shows one for $125. They say it's for an '85 Corvette! No thanks.
Summit seems very proud of theirs. Prices range from $97 to over $300.

Or look on the Parts Bord on this site.
Good hunting.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Installed the Blazer style fuel tank in the '65. My box is in really rough shape, and the wood is rotten in spots, so I opted to perform the installation while leaving the box on. I couldn't find any online resources for this, so I documented the installation and posted it on youtube.

Here's the link if anyone cares to watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ_JNM3lkpA

Cheers!

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Forgot to show the ball joint tool in action . Worked super easily on the lower joints . Had to take off the portioning valve to get some adapters for the lines to work . Trip to NAPPA and it done .

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Got the brakes buttoned up today the brake line adapters worked well. The Duralast brake hoses worked out better than expected . I did have to file the head to fit the brackets . And add some scuff guard wher it just touches the upper control control arm

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

All back together and driving . Total front drop 5 1/2 inches rear 4 . I’m thinking of going with 1 inch blocks on the rear .

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Totally stealing this trick. Thanks for sharing

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Prepping for pulling the drive train.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

It has a nice stance to it right now.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Wow. What a nice original truck.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Finally got around to getting the seat new foam and cover. Fixed broken springs. What a difference in the ride.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Thanks. It's the one you've been giving me help with on the column. Keeping it original, but the 283 is tired and needs some love.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

I'm looking forward to seeing updates on your progress.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Looks nice.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Me too.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Had the alignment done today . While it was on the rack I trimmed the bump stops ride is much nicer now not bottoming out.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Lookin real good

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Hey the lights even work. On my way back from vacation I stopped at Classic Parts in KC to pick up a new bumper and front grill assembly (saving about $250 on shipping).

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

We took the next step and installed the fuel filler housing and connected the fuel fill tube and air relief tube.

I've never claimed to be a welder -my intent was only to tack the seam together since the "unfinished" theme matches what's left of the box.

Also, I quickly sketched the fuel filler housing part in AutoCAD and included dimensions. Feel free to use the attached PDF or modify for your application. A couple disclaimers:

1. Coordinate the length (and bending) or your fuel filler hose with the height of the fuel filler housing and where you would like it mounted.

2. I took the metal sheet to a local machine shop and they charged me $100 to cut the large center hole, so needless to say I did the rest of the cutting and bending myself.

Parts used:

Blazer style fuel tank: Classic Performance Products Fuel Tank Conversion Kit 21 Gallon OEM-Style Chevrolet C10 1967-1972
Classic Performance Products: 6772FMT-K

Filler with Keyless Cap: ISURE MARINE 1-1/2"(38mm) Boat Fuel Deck Fill/Filler with Keyless Cap with Screws, Marine Mirror Polished 316 Stainless Steel Hardware Angled Neck for Boat Yacht Caravan

Air breather elbow (I drilled and tapped a hole in the filler): Podavelle 1/4 NPT Male to 3/8 Hose Barb Fitting Adapter 90 Degree Aluminum Black

Fuel filler neck: Gates 24702 Flexible Gasoline Fuel Filler Neck Hose-3' Length, Inner Diameter 1 3/8"

Tank vent valve: Holley 19-174 Remote Mount Vent Valve

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

I installed a new ignition switch this morning. The old one all of a sudden would not engage the starter solenoid. Voltage check showed it was only getting an intermittent 7-8 volts on the purple wire.

Based on a lot of forum comments about the reproduced versions of the switch, I bought a NOS Delco Remy. Glad that the failure happened while the truck was in the garage.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Driving the 68 home last night and it started to buck and stumble . I removed some plugs and found this on number 1 and 3 rest were great little stumped . I put two new plugs in checked the timing which was dead on . Truck burns oil but that shouldn’t cause this .

Plugs have about 1000 miles

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

That was a hard 1000 miles, they look about 30 years old. I bet the truck is running great with new plugs!

Do you keep your truck parked outside?

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Truck is inside . I put them in this spring and haven’t really driven it much but everything flash rusts here almost immediately.

Runs good now but I’m a little concerned if it happens again . They don’t look overheated or like they ran lean