Re: 69 c50
 

Also, if you buy your Tires at a local truck tire dealer for comparable prices, they will usually install them for no charge. But after you get their pricing, ask if it would also include installation first.

Re: 69 c50
 

Don't mind my ignorance but I feel like I'm missing something here.

The 295s that are on the back of the truck are already 22.5s so I shouldn't have to replace the rims just the tires? They do say tube tire on them. Can I put a tubeless tire on those rims without tubes? Or can I put a tubeless tire on the rims and run tubes if need be? What is a good option for a taller tire to help get the top speed up? Some confusion sets in here for the rears, since they're already 22.5s should the rear tires be tubeless currently and someone put tires that require tubes on them?

I think I have a good grasp on the fronts. 22.5 rims and tires just replace everything for convience down the road if I have a problem. No need to change the spokes or hubs and the 22.5s are a direct swap. And I would be running tubeless tires at that point.

I've never had one of these tirea off or apart so bear with me and my learning curve. I appreciate the help

Re: 69 c50
 

Answers above

Re: 69 c50
 

Thank you! I will be doing the fronts before the rears because I noticed a crack in the tire right at the rim. For the rears I'll be stuffing the tallest tire I can find back there. Hopefully then I'll be able to break the 60 mph goal I have in mind.

So much to do! Since I won't be putting it on the road any time soon tires will wait but was definatly worth talking about. Thanks guys.

Any info on the flywheel? I can't find a definite answer to that yet.

Re: 69 c50
 

I like to approach things first that may destroy me, someone else or my truck. Updating the electrical system, then brakes then the other trival things. Change all the fluids.
You'll find that a lot of cab parts are interchangeable with the c10.

Re: 69 c50
 

That's my plan with the exception of the exhaust. The gaskets are gone at the block/manifold and since I have to pull them anyways I may as well upgrade. I was thinking long tubes at first but after getting under there earlier before it started snowing I think short tubes or block huggers will fit better.

I'm hung up on this flywheel...

Re: 69 c50
 

If no one answers your Flywheel question here, try asking over at Stovebolt.com

There are some pretty knowledgeable guys there.

You will find them at the Big Bolts forum.

Re: 69 c50
 

11:00 22.5 tubeless are the way to go. What is wrong with your flywheel? A machine shop can surface cut it and make it good as new. If ring gear is bad they can press on a new one. Both are cheap repairs.

Re: 69 c50
 

I've been reading a lot about tires. For now I'm torn between the 11/22.5s and the low profile 295/80r22.5s. They seem to be very close in height. From what I'm reading the 295s net a tad bit better mpg and a lower rolling resistance vs the taller (not by much) 11/22.5. It's looking like it'll come down to price when I'm ready to buy since savings will be minimal long term.

A member here has one. I talked to him through PMs. Neither of us have a clue on what the price of one should run or what the weight of one is. Mine is missing some teeth. I won't be able to tear into a project like that for awhile anyways. I'm debating taking it to a shop and letting them do it. I have no clue what that would run me. Any ideas anyone?

Re: 69 c50
 

Starter Ring Gear:

Best I can determine you should have a 13" clutch (7.0, 427). If you do, this should be the correct ring gear. You can count the teeth to know for sure. Rock Auto seems to carry more parts for these older trucks than some of the other vendors. If you cannot find the parts you are looking for, try a newer model year. Parts were common on many model years. Your clutch size, if other than standard, would be listed as an option on the glove box door option list.

Re: 69 c50
 

Thank you. I found the flywheel part number through a member here with a an original book. Unfortunately the p/n is impossible to look up. I'm going to forget about the flywheel until it's warm enough and nice enough to drop the transmission. I have a million things to do with it anyways so I'll cross some things off the list as I go. I'd love to get an OD transmission to replace the current on and will be keeping my eyes out until the time comes to drop it.

The truck won't be used until next spring. My back is in no shape to drive all over the place so I have time to replace, fix or upgrade until then.

Thanks again guys. I'll get some pictures today after physical therapy if I think about it.

Re: 69 c50
 

Man since you had back surgery, you probably shouldn't be messing with that truck. Better let me come get it from you.

Re: 69 c50
 

Hahaha everything's for sale if you're willing to pay the price.

Re: 69 c50
 

Attachment 1875332
Here is a description on how to shift an electric 2 speed real end from an IH. Hopefully you can enlarge it and read it better. It's from a cool but overpriced truck on Hemmings.https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds...#&gid=1&pid=20

Re: 69 c50
 

Believe it or not my truck still has a similar sticker in it. I had the guy I bought it from drive it when I looked at it so I watched and learned. It was as simple as that.

We got hit with an ice storm and bitter cold. My circulation hasn't been right since surgery so if I don't have to stand out in this cold I'm not going to. Dressed for it or not that Michigan wind is like nothing I've experienced anywhere else. I'll get those pictures so you guys can check it out soon.

Re: 69 c50
 

I'm in MA. Cold here too. I've got a small propane heater for my garage but if it gets below 30, forget about working out there in it. Hope your circulation gets better. You're gonna need it to work on the big trucks. I wish I had a use for one.

Re: 69 c50
 

I built myself a wood burner out of 1/4" diamond plate for my garage with duct work and a blower fan :lol: I wasn't messing around. Problem is neither of the trucks will fit in it :lol: my truck is at least a foot too tall and the wife's is at least 2 and a half feet too tall!

Re: 69 c50
 

Time to shop for a new garage!!

Re: 69 c50
 

I plan on moving in a few years. If I build one I'm not moving and my wife and i want to move! I do have a nice little 40×70×12 dream barn built in my head that I'll build once I get to the next house.

Part of the reason for this truck is for when my wife and I do finally sell our house and move. We're going to get another camper and travel around for a little while until we find a place to settle down. So I'll be working on making it a little more fuel efficient also. Weather that's includes efi and an OD transmission or a full engine and trans swap. Either way she's on board with whatever I want to do to it and she'll end up doing a lot of the work for me too. At least with this truck there's no limit on the size of the camper I can pick!

Re: 69 c50
 

Nice!!

Re: 69 c50
 

Ok, you have kept us in suspense long enough, what did your daughter say about the truck?

Re: 69 c50
 

She actually wasn't all that impressed! She wants my trucks to go fast and have a diesel engine :lol: I can't say I blame her. I guess I raised her right in some aspects at least. I ruined her eye for gas engines with the old 600 hp Cummins I had. She said it doesn't have a bed or room for all of us! It has a bench seat but I have my niece a lot too (sister in laws kid) who is 14 and is more of my partner in crime when it comes to being in the garage, she wants to be a pipe welder like I was and already "knows" how to weld!! I told her don't look at it as it is but what you know I'll make it. That seemed to help but there was a lot of question in her eyes. Once I'm all healed and back to work I gotta do the cool dad thing and impress my girls :lol: :metal:

She doesn't know the full plan yet simply because we'll... I don't know it right now either. I need the weather to break so I can change the flywheel gears and do a compression test. If it fails the compression test I'm not sure if I'll keep the 427 or not. It will go one of a few ways that I'm thinking as of now 1)Cummins and nv4500 2)stroke the 427 to a 496 3) find a "cheap" truck with an 8.1 in it.

Anyone know what psi a healthy 427 should be when I do a compression test? A round about number? I'm sure it should be obvious I have a problem if the numbers are all over the place. It'll be another month or 2 before the weather starts to break enough for me to get out and really dig into her! I hope before then my circulation improves because before surgery I would have been outside bundled up and able to stay warm in this weather. That was something they didn't warn me about at all!

Here's a picture of my girls helping me set a 460 in the chassis of the 53 Willys I was building http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...325_150730.jpg

My daughter putting in a reverse manual valve body in a C6... 9-10 years old ish. Flash light on her chin. The old wood burner before so built the new one too.
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...7_103657_1.jpg

My niece mig welding the seat brackets for me in the Willy. 10-11 years old ish
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...213-235710.png

Re: 69 c50
 

Wow, great help! I would love to see some of your finished projects! Here are some pictures of my boys helping on the C70.

Link to the C70 project.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=721374

Re: 69 c50
 

Regarding the power issue, my boys think my C70 needs a "buzzin dozen" 12-71 detroit instead of the 4-53T. I don't mind having to shift and going just a little slower, gives me more reaction time. Having said that I seldom get to drive it as my sons are always eager to do the driving. I expect you would get much the same response, especially with the air brake factor. Having to shift on the hills is part of the enjoyment.

Re: 69 c50
 

Awesome! You gotta love getting the family in when building things!

Unfortunately for the Willy someone came along and offered me a price I couldn't turn down... I wanted to finish that thing! I worked on it for 2 years. Here's what it looked like before it went away. I had originally planned on a kingpin D60 and a rear Dana 70 which is what it was sitting on in the pictures but I should have known better. I changed my plans right there to put a set of 2.5 ton Rockwells on it. I had no interest in doing any body work because I thought it looked great the way it was.
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...709_201556.jpg

Here's a couple of my wife's truck
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...2_201024_1.jpg
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214-111430.png

Re: 69 c50
 

As promised. I'll get some of the underside when it warms up. Don't mind the air filter, it was one I had laying around I took when I went to pick it up.

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_115607.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_115057.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_115234.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_115225.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_115209.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_115200.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_115150.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_115141.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_115112.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_115045.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_115025.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_115016.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_114955.jpg

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...214_114934.jpg

Re: 69 c50
 

You're probably going to need a larger reserve tank.

Re: 69 c50
 

Looks good.

Sheet Metal looks pretty solid.

Re: 69 c50
 

A larger reserve! 2 gallons will get me all the way to the next spot I run out of gas hahaha!

For being 50 years old I think it's in very good shape. Only one spot that has been patched around the gas pedal on the floor board. Only a couple small dents. It being dirty doesn't help.

Re: 69 c50
 

Wow, it looks like you got the factory tach. Also looks like you have a vacuum or air two speed. Install a pair of factory mufflers with down pipes and your ears will appreciate it. The truck big block will make plenty of great sounds with good mufflers. Just my two cents. Give it a real good tuneup and enjoy driving it.

Love your 1972 Chevy short beds. What is the horse power on them?

Re: 69 c50
 

I figured I'll see if I can get the gauges working before I buy new. If I can't save them for a decent price then I'll make a custom dash. I'm going to run a set of headers to a set of 40 series flowmasters with the tips as far back as I can run. I'll wrap the headers and pipes to the mufflers to help with heat.

There's only one 72. The color we painted it really changes depending on the light hitting it. Right now it's a crap 366. We've beat the ever loving snot out of it and it just keeps going! We're trying to grenade it so we have a good reason to upgrade to a different engine. It's backed up to a th400, SCS transfer case, 2.5 ton Rockwells sitting on 14.9/24s (50" or so) tires. Nothing crazy. My wife has some plans for it and my back screwed up our plans for the next year or so.

Re: 69 c50
 

The 366 was the best of the big block Chevrolet engines in terms of durability. Hard to kill it!

Re: 69 c50
 

I'm happy with mine. I have a friend with a chipper truck and his 366 has over 200k and still runs strong. Never had more than a tune up.

Re: 69 c50
 

It's no power monster that's for sure. It'll get a 454 or a 496 one day. The truck really needs about 6/700 hp but it's on the back burner since it runs and we can have reliable fun with it the way it is.

I've already been offered $600 more for my C60 then I paid for it! It's not going anywhere.

Onto the next thing. The rear end... I haven't really looked into this I'll admit. Its a 24k gvw if that helps. How can I tell what rear end I have and what gears are in it? I want to look at potential gear swaps and see what that will run vs an OD trans. The current trans shifts like a dream and I'm not completely convinced that the nv4500 will live a long happy life in it.

If you guys haven't noticed I'm trying to take in as much as I can about the truck before I make a solid decision on the direction I'm going to take for sure. I've found without a solid plan going into something is usually why people loose interest.

Re: 69 c50
 

Why not keep your trans and rear end and add a gear vendor overdrive?

Re: 69 c50
 

Gear vendors looks like a promising unit. I haven't looked very hard at it. It looks like a final ratio should be about the same ratio as a final drive in an nv4500. I need to pull some numbers off of my trans and figure out which one I have for sure. From the quick look I did do I didn't see any for an Eaton transmission. I will be digging into it further because it seems like for the price it would be a lot easier to add then to do a full trans swap.

Re: 69 c50
 

Would be nice if there was a way to replace the final gear in the Trans you have to an OD. Whether it was a factory replacement or an aftermarket replacement. I've heard that you can actually create your own OD in a 10-Speed Road Ranger, but never heard of one in a 5-Speed. Would be worth checking into though by a truck trans specialist.

Re: 69 c50
 

I found a gear calculator and was messing around with it. According to it and assuming I have a 6:40:1 rear high gear puts me at a top speed of 59 mph at 3200 rpm... seems about right.

A lot of gear vendor options/nv4500 or a era correct Eaton OD transmission are right around a .80 final drive. According to the gear calculator that would make my new top speed 72 mph at 3200 rpm. They all seem like good options to get me what I want. The OD factory Eaton from negative been reading is like a unicorn so that's not much of an option.

Re: 69 c50
 

On the inside of your glove box door is an option list. It will show the type of rear end your truck had from the factory. On mine you can see it had a E17201 2 S (Eaton 17201 two speed). Lower down on the list it should list the rear end ratio in hi (5.29). If you have a Eaton 17201, I still have my 5:29 ring and pinion. I upgraded to a 4:56 as my engine only turns 2,500 rpm. This gives me a top speed of 71 MPH.

Re: 69 c50
 

I'll be taking a close look at that tomorrow, I hope it's there. What was a rough cost to regear it? I'd be more then happy with 71 mph as a top speed. Roughly what rpm are you at cruising 60-65? That's where I plan to have the truck live it's life at mostly. How much did that effect pulling and driving empty?