Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

looks good. What did you do to address the rear where the tailgate steps up to the raised bed?

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

With the gate down, there will be a 3" step there. Not much that could be done other than fabricating a custom set of hinges, I guess :confused: Good thing the truck is low enough to just drop stuff in over the bedsides :lol:

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Wood floor looks GREAT!

Are you going to stain it?

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

very nice! Love the look of a wood bed!!!

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

nice work

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Any plans to space the wood up off the metal floor?
I wondered about water/moisture being trapped between the two.

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

I have a little bit different than the 'normal' resto plans for this one. We'll see what happens, as I'm prone to changing my mind frequently ;)
Thanks, me too!
Thanks!
Yeah, I have pondered using some sort of cross strips, but don't want to eat up all of my raised floor space. I can probably spare a 1/4 inch without missing it though. If I decide to bolt the wood to the steel floor, it will get painted and probably rubberized undercoating.
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Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Paging P.Tina . . ..... paging P.Tina.....
Is there a P.Tina in the house?
:)

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Never met her, but I do like the idea of not having to worry about every little scratch, chip, or door ding ;)
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Edit: I also hear she's cheap, low-maintenance, and doesn't mind hanging out in the Wal-Mart parking lot...

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Been playing with the truck a little bit more the last couple of days. I spent way more time than I care to share getting the fan shroud aligned- VERY little clearance around the clutch fan on my serp setup- but now it's done and installed for the last time :chevy: Also finished up the underhood wiring, spent a ton of time chasing down a new lower radiator hose (do you guys' LAPSs suck as bad as mine do? <--rhetorical question), and finished up the last few things on the front suspension which included welding up a wallowed-out upper shock mount hole and finished installing my 1.25" sway bar and poly bushings (more leftovers from the Blazer), which makes the front suspension officially DONE except getting it aligned :metal: Unfortunately, none of this is really picture worthy...

Buuuut, you can't have an update without pics, so I'll stick a few up of my 'new' brake booster and bracket assembly with the new master cylinder installed, which also shows the rad and shroud installed (I know, nothing to look at, but I am happy that stinking shroud is installed :smoke:). I went with a '68 3/4 ton booster to reap the benefits of dual diaphragm and still be able to use the '71-'72 1/2 ton disc/drum master cylinder. Most guys when upgrading will use the '71-'72 3/4 ton booster, which will only accept the C20 master cylinder. I also prefer the look of the earlier unit's shorter, straighter bracket. I don't like the 'lean' the later trucks' master cylinders have.

Almost forgot, since I snapped the end off of one of my tranny cooler lines while removing the radiator, and the other had a compression fitting already patching it, plus the fact that they were a mangled, PO hand bent mess, I decided to bend up a new set. Used a couple of 6' lengths of 5/16" pre-flared steel line from Advance- like $3 each. What a pain, but MUCH cleaner, better looking, and safer than before. Also, in the process of installing the new brake booster assembly, I dropped the steering column and figured while it was out, I might as well 'shorten' it 3" (Thanks for the write-up, Putter) to give me some elbow room (I'm 6'6")...

All in all, the progress feels good, but I think I should have accomplished more given the time spent. Seemed like everything was fighting me the whole way, one problem after another, but that's how it goes sometimes- hopefully the next round will go a little more smoothly and be more pic-worthy :cool:

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Great work as usual.
I bet those tranny lines were fun,...

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Those are great pics of the bed, I never realized how simple they are. Should've known I guess. Oh and good job on the shroud too!;)

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Nice work, love the bed wood!!

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Yeah, 'fun' is definitely the word :waah:
Thanks! Waaaaay too much time in that silly thing...
Thanks, hope to be installing it soon :)

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Little bit more progress today... Started by bleeding the brakes to complete yesterday's booster/MC replacement. Wrapped up the last of that messy-ness and moved on to the interior, a MUCH cleaner place to work :)

Below is what I started with and basically set about gutting the interior from there :ito: Upon pulling the carpet, I was pleasantly surprised to find only surface rust and NO rot whatsoever. Plenty of holes from POs drilling for various things, though :whine:

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Next, I set about taking care of what little rust I did find lurking. I started by using the shop-vac to remove all of the loose dirt and then attacked it with CLR. This stuff rocks! :metal:

It took care of most of the rust and even got back to bare metal in a few places. Whatever didn't come up with the CLR was wire brushed and hit with rust converter and then coated in rust encapsulator. This will hopefully keep it away, for a while at least...

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Gringo,
Where did you mount the prop valve? I'm guessing on the cross member 73 and later style?

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Looking good man! Nice floor on that truck!!!

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

I also tore into the dash, spending a bunch of time tearing it apart, removing the heater components in preparation for the Classic Auto Air kit, and re-wiring quite a bit as I went through it. At least with the seat out, I was fairly comfortable lying on my back working under the dash :chevy:

While I was in there, I replaced the dash cluster circuit. I did it with the cluster in place, as with the recently 'shortened' column, it is impossible to remove the cluster without dropping the column, which I didn't feel like doing two days in a row. Actually wasn't to bad to do the swap behind the dash, just a little tight, but nice to have the other components removed. Check out the old circuit- amazing I hadn't started a fire :devil:

Also got around to mocking up the new floor covering (sorry, no pic- but, soon) and the new shifter, as I have always hated the silly Mega-Shifter. This is NOT a '70s Camaro- not that there's anything wrong with that, I just don't prefer the slot mags and air shocks look. If you look back on the earlier pics you'll also see a barefoot pedal to go with the '90s stepside bed- this truck was a true 'custom'- just needed a 'Heartbeat' logo somewhere :rolleyes: The Lokar is well made and the perfect height, but will require some more head scratching before it is permanently installed- clearances are tight with the 700r4 in the tunnel...

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Yes, it is mounted exactly as a '73-'87 truck would be. I was VERY tempted to bend new lines for it, but restrained myself due to time concerns, so I just painted them black; it will leave me something to do after the truck is 'done' ;) I need this thing road-worthy by mid-June...
Thanks! I was happy to find so little cancer lurking under the carpet, as I knew it had been wet before and wasn't sure what to expect.

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

It's looking good man

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

nice progress

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

I love this truck. Simple, clean, awesome! Yesterday I decided to do my steel bed with a wood kit too........so.....if you don't mind.....what are you at in the $ area??? I guestimate under $300.

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Thanks!
Thanks- yours is lookin' good too. Nice to see someone making inner fenders for these trucks- last piece of the puzzle...
Thanks! So far on the wood floor:

Strips - $90
Wood - $80

Hardware shouldn't be much, I'll prolly just go to Tractor Supply, maybe Fastenal. If I were using wood floor cross-sills, that would bring the price up some, but I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna lay them on the metal floor. $300 will be close, but doable. Good luck!

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Little more today... Started by deciding where to put the Lokar. I really wanted it centered, but it just wasn't happening with the clearances above the transmission, so i moved it over towards the driver a bit. Mocked it up with the bench installed and it should work out nicely :) Drilled some more holes (and a big slot) in my already swiss-cheesed floor to make the installation permanent.

I can't say enough about the quality of this shifter. All of the hardware and components are beefy and cad plated, there are numerous adjustments available, it is very sturdy and it just feels right in your hand. Top-notch piece, but then again, you pay for it. Lucky me, I found a smokin' deal on Amazon for this one :metal:

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Once I had the shifter in, I decided to start on the Classic Auto Air install. It is a decent kit, but leaves some things to be desired. There were compromises in all of the kits, so I went for the one I got the best deal on :chevy:

I decided to make one minor modification right off the bat. The CAA kit is designed to use the factory heater control panel, which I don't really care for the look of. There is an option to use the factory A/C controls, but it leaves one of the levers useless--that just seemed silly to me. So, using the little-known fact that the A/C controls for our trucks are the exact same as '65-'66 'big' cars (Impala, Bel-Air, etc), I went to eBay and scored a set of heater controls from a '65 Impy. This way, I can have the look of the A/C controls without the extraneous lever :D

It has taken some creativity to make them work, as one of the levers pulls when I need it to be pushing (and vice-versa), but I *think* I have it all figured out now. You can see where I mounted the CAA blower switch to the top of it. I am using a factory truck A/C control bracket (that I scored here on the board) to bolt it in place in the dash. I do need to figure out how to remove the knobs without destroying the arms so that I can replace them with the more square truck style knobs...

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

very cool! I love these shifters!!!

and good idea on the A/C....interested to see it installed!

You're going to have a really nice looking/driving truck when it's all done!!!

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

I decided that instead of following CAA's directions (just another man's opinion), I would NOT cut out a huge section of my firewall, but use the provided block-off plate as a template to drill holes for the pass-thru fittings. I realize looking at these shots (and the ones of the shifter install) that I tend to take pics when the paint is wet- good time to take a photo break :uhmk:

I got the main unit wired-up and installed, which required poking a few more holes for fasteners, this time in the firewall... I included a shot of the underhood and one of the techniques I used when I couldn't reach under the dash and hood simultaneously :lol:

Last two show how she sits as of now and the lack of free space under the dash as I continue to cram components in. The dash speakers leave just enough room to snake the center air vent's ducting in- they would not have worked with a factory air set-up- you'd think I planned it this way ;)

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Thanks! I sure hope so- trying not to over-do it, but I tend to get carried away sometimes... :exit:

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

i really like your brake booster... i am thinking of doing something like this... i need a booster that will clear the manual shift arms.... can you tell me more about this booster, plz.

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

The booster is a dual diaphragm from a 67-70 3/4 or 1 ton (C20 or C30). It accepts the 71-72 1/2 ton disc/drum master. I like it 'cause it sits closer to the firewall than the 71-72 unit, is smaller, doesn't have the 'lean', and using the 71-72 3/4 ton booster forces you to use the 3/4 ton master. You will need the booster, brackets, and linkage if upgrading a 71-72 1/2 ton, as these parts are different between the two.

Any more questions, just ask :)
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Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

very good.. i am looking for some of the same characteristics...i want something smaller, the closer to the firewall the better, i will be putting it onto a 67...am shooting for 4 wheel disc brakes... i may PM you later on for more specifics.... thanks for the input.

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Nice work..... hope you make your deadline!

Just one question - I've been eyeing the Lokar shifters for a while now. Do they have no provisions for park/neutral safety switchs? I've never seen it in any pictures. I'd like one but most racing organizations will not let you run without those provisions.

Not bagging on them, just curious? (by the way, if you still have your 80's shifter I may be interested)

Keep it up!

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Guys have used corvette masters for 4-wheel discs. I also have a fiero booster modified for use on these trucks- it's the same basic unit with a disc/disc master that uses the same fittings. Let me know if I can answer any questions.
Thanks! Me too :D The lokar has a switch on the right side and another available at the trans linkage. The b&m will be on the parts board soon; I'll let you know ;)
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Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

I kinda like the rounded knobs on the ac unit??

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Yeah, kinda growing on me me too since I can't bring myself to try to pry them off for fear of breaking the arms... :lol:

Not much in the way of progress, other than spending a whole bunch of time working on getting the car heater controls to work. I spent the better part of an afternoon fabbing up a bracket to reverse the mechanism on one of the arms, getting all of the cabling aligned and functioning 'just so', and having the doors opening and closing for the defrost while simultaneously contacting the microswitches that turn the compressor on/off. Finished up, worked the slide, everything performed FLAWLESSLY with the exception of the fact that it was backwards. Off was on and vice-versa... I had modified the wrong cable actuator!

So, tomorrow, I will tear out all of my awesome work and start the same process on the correct cable... :waah:

Here's a couple of pics of recent scores that I picked up from a couple board members (thanks SS68 and BB72CHEVKT) as I was passing through Texas. The '67 hood just barely fit in the back of the Yukon. Guess what I have planned for it, if I don't manage to screw it up in the process...

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Also got my rallies back from powder :chevy:

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Those are all purdy like :D

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

nice

Re: How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10
 

Thanks, fellas! Hope they fit...