Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Also wanted to share some pics of the new future home for my 63 & 64 projects. I was able to get a nice load of 40ft poles creosote soaked from the local utility company for free. I used my 63 to move the poles around and a friend to help set them by hand. We dug the holes by hand also....4ft down. The building will be 46x24 when completed, which gives me two 14x24' stalls and an enclosed 18x24' shop. I had to move the 63 this weekend to mow and took a picture for scale. It will have a 10' ceiling height.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Big Block is Awesome!!!:metal:
I prefer the Hood Ornament as shown in the 2cd Pic...:uhmk:
Nice Score on the poles, that will be one NICE shop when you get it finished!:chevy:

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Thanks Don. I mounted the ornament as shown in the 2nd pic. I took some pics, but just now realized I never loaded them. They are with the ornament mounted in the current location. It has grown on me...I always wanted one even though there is much debate over which years they are correct for. From what I gather...58-60 or even into 61, although they could be purchased from the dealer if available and installed on anything you want I suppose. Anyways...i like it either way, and for $100 I couldn't go wrong. I have seen them in mint condition go for over $1000. It may be the one non correct part on the truck, but it'll stay for now at least.

Im happy with the progress on the big block also...although as most things, time and money. Throw the work "big" in front of anything GM and the parts price seem to go up. Now that I have the engine home, I can do some more intensive work. I will mock it all up using the 64 frame for now, and transplant to the 63.

The building will be stout. Thats the main goal. We live 1.5hr from the beach and right off the I-95 corridor and see our fair share of hurricanes. I also milled my own 2" thick yellow pine 20" wide from trees I harvested on my own property with an alaska style mill mounted on my ms440 stihl chainsaw with a real nice ripping chain. Ill have to post some pics of the lumber...came out nice. I want an open style pole barn on the two 14' bays, and an enclosed shop with the 18' bay so that I can finally have a real shop. Be able to do teardown/assembly, paint, winter time projects, etc. I plan to install a steel i-beam in the 18" bay so that I can pull engines, cabs, etc.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Engine is looking great. I see your dist is larger diameter then the MSD I used that might be a little tight if you keep the engine in the rear frame holes.

Are you installing the bypass hoses to keep the engine running cooler?

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Yes, the bypass hose set up is to help balance out the block temp. I may go to a smaller HEI....points don't bother me either. I do plan on using the rear mount holes. If it comes down to clearance, a drop in distributor is a cheaper fix than firewall notching. I don't think my valve covers will pose much problem, as they are a lower profile. But I guess only time will tell.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Got whats left of the 61 over to the house yesterday. So I finally have all my parts in one location for the 1st time ever. I will use the driver side of the cab to repair the rocker & cab corner on the 63. This floor is in great condition, and almost a shame to cut up, but my project needs quality parts and the 61 will work for the job. You can still clearly see the markings on the firewall from the assembly line.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Heres a few more pics. When the site went down the other day for maintenance, they must have changed the size off allowed pictures as I have had to resize everyone to upload.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

My valve covers are the lower profile as well. They didn't hit the firewall but they were real close so I took a piece of 2" steel pipe and a BFH heated the edge of the firewall where it rolls in to the center. It worked out great. Looks like a factory bent.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Ok, I'll definitely keep that in mind. I don't mind tight, but I would like to be able to remove them for engine maintenance and to polish the aluminum from time to time.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

I went back and looked at your pictures where you did the firewall work. You have to really look to see it. I like the fact it looks stock.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Picked up an Eaton 12 bolt 8.875 truck 17 spine posi unit for the 63. The big block should like the upgrade a little better. Completely rebuilt and gone through professionally. Opted to just convert the factory rearend over swapping to a 30 spline unit. I have an extra 12 bolt 17 spline rear sitting here, so I like the extra parts factor for worse case scenerios. The Dana units made for the 17 spline rears are extremely hard to find parts for if ever from the couple of builders I've talk too, where as the Eaton units can still be rebuilt with avaliable parts. I've never done a conversion, but have seen lots of threads and have all the literature, watched a few shows and have the forum for backup questions, so I'm comtimplating doing the swap myself. Part of me is chicken too though with the amount of hp/torque with the big block and says let a pro do it....so stay tuned on that one.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

anybody have an suggestions on an install kit? considering the eaton kit to keep it all the same manufacturer
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Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

more parts added to the stash last night. picked up a brand new hurst mastershift & install kit for $100 shipped of evil bay....good deal as ive priced them for 300-400
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Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Good for you. That really is a bargain.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

yeah ive been looking at them for awhile, but just hadnt gotten to the point i was ready to pull the trigger on the full retail price. the guy i bought it from said he got it at a swap meet and planned to use it on a project and changed direction. other than some age to the box, its brand new. has all papers/stickers etc w/it.
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Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Those poles really dont look that big. But WE know better!!!!

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Haha....thanks blue bomber. I assure you the measurements and weight are correct. I set more of them than I care to count by hand and with the exception of the main poles of the driveway gate....I hope Im done setting them. The creosote burn from cutting into them still has my arms buring, as well as my neck, upper back and most of my face. Creasote is some wicked stuff. Here is a pic for size reference of the poles...im 6ft and 185lbs

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

I finally got around to installing an overflow bottle Sunday. I wanted something that looked original....so being that I relocated the washer bottle to the firewall after the heater conversion, I located an OEM wiper bottle/mount and decided to install it in the factory location, but being an overflow instead. Looks much cleaner in my opinion with wiper washer lines not being run everywhere across the frame or inner fenders.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Shifter and install kit showed up. I will mock up prior to sending the trans to the shop to be swapped into the new main case. This is a Hurst Master Shift 3.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Found the correct 4 speed column collar also so I won't have the attachment for the 3 speed shifter on the column. Figure it'll clean up the interior some. Might be minor, but I guess it all adds up in the end.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

The OEM gas cap, painted the same color as the body from the factory and has the ribbed edge. (pics for Yelmer).

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Last of the bellhousing mocked up. I have removed enough material in the clutch fork opening to allow use of the gasket (which I had to trim some) and full movement for the clutch fork. I need to repaint the bellhousing and order a new gasket as this one was already torn, but was ideal for mock up phase. I know the Novak kit recommends the newer style bellhousing due to the work involved in making this style of bellhousing work, but i now have a fully functioning unit designed around a bellhousing w/frame mounts instead of the trans mount. I did all the filing by hand and opened it up on all four sides, but concentrating on the upper and lower sills. More to follow....

For those interested.... HCRC-78 is the kit I used from Novak. It is the kit with the 7/8" slave cylinder. If you want/need the kit with the 3/4" slave cylinder, use kit # HCRC-34

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Got the trans mocked up to the bellhousing this weekend. Working out the shifter and linkage now. Also got real lucky and a buddy came across another borg t-16 HD 3 speed transmission for me for $165 and it hasn't been installed since the rebuild 20 years ago. Took the side cover off and it looks brand new inside, so the price was right and I picked it up as a back up should I ever have an issue with the one I have. Pics to follow

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

having some great progress... looks good.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

slowly but surely......Ive got to make some time to put the truck up for a few weeks to knock out some of the bigger jobs....front end swap, disk brake swap, engine trans swap, posi swap in the rear end...

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Heres some pictures of the trans & bellhousing mock up. Just shifter linkage to mock up now. The transmission is a borg warner t-16 HD 3 speed fully synchronized, date code May 29, 1967. It has the 9 bolt side cover. Gears as follows....2.41, 1.57, 1.00. I do have another t-16 that has the optional 2.86 1st gear, 1.57 and 1.00 if the 2.41 is too low.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

The new grade 8 bolts, nuts & lock washers came in for the trans - bellhousing mount. 1 1/2" for the top two w/lock washers and 2" for the bottom two bolts. All are 1/2" coarse thread. Still working on the shifter mounting. Tried to get on the project last night but my uncle duties called and had to help my niece. Will attempt again tonight and more pics to follow

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Heres a pic with the grade 8 trans/bellhousing bolts. I don't know if it really matters, and I've never really paid much attention to it, but does anyone know if the 2 bottom trans bolts should come through the bellhousing or through the trans? Basically, which side of the bellhousing are the nuts supposed to be on? The top two are threaded, but the bottom two are not.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Here you go perro...pulled of a c-60. Only real difference is the repops have a bunch of info cast on them. The oem hooks just have a casting number on them.

Included a pic of the repops that have all the casting numbers on the side.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Seems a lot of the larger trucks mounted them on the front bumpers also..

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

You've done a great job with your truck 63 c-10! I love it just the way it is! If you don't mind me asking....Were did you get the chevy badge that you mounted on the front of your hood? My guess was off a 1960 or 61??? After seeing that it gave me the idea of doing that, and if you still have the badge I would love to buy it from you. Thanks. T.J.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Hey T.J., Thanks for the compliments. The hood emblem was a 60-61 6cyl truck emblem. I got rid of it a few moths ago. It actually fit pretty good and looked decent on the truck. I wanted to use the hood jet, and it was just too much for the front of the truck. I can get a part # for you, and they are fairly easy emblems to find. The 60-61 v8 emblem is a little harder to find.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

T.J., the part # is 3767009 for the I6 emblem, the big truck v8 emblem is 3768897 and the light duty v8 emblem is 3767009. I had all three at one point, but have gotten rid of all of them. Id put a listing up in the classifieds and you should be able to find one pretty easily.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Here is the truck at work this weekend. Moved 1200lbs of shingles to finish the carport which is 21 x 24ft. Also moved all the plywood and dragged the logs that I milled all this lumber out of using the 63. Another fine job done by the old 63!!

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

For what it's worth - the 1960 Chevrolet Truck Shop Manual does not indicate which direction the lower bolts are installed. All it says under removing the transmission is:

1. Remove the upper bolts and install pins to support the weight of the transmission.
2. Disconnect all the other stuff.
3. Remove the lower capscrews.

Sorry that's no help, but i don't know of a better resource to check for that detail.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Thanks for the help Mark. I ran into the same issue myself. I looked in the 63 book and got the same answer. I use new lock washers, and my thinking is that if it were to come loose, I think I'd rather a nut fall into the housing than a 2" bolt, so I think I'm going to reverse it tonight. I've always run the bottom two bolts through to help line up the trans on install, but I've never really paid much attention to which way they came form the factory or if there was a "correct" way to install them. Ive also found a lot of reference pics online, but they all show something different. Half are through the bellhousing and half through the transmission, so maybe I'm just being over picky about it.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Thanks Bud, What company do the part numbers belong to?? Meaning are they from a place like Classic Parts or are those factory???

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Those are the original GM casting #'s. None of the 3 have ever been repoped, so you'll have to look for an original part. They pop up on ebay quite a bit also.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Picked up a factory sway bar off ebay for $25.00.....pretty good deal. Ordered a set of sway bar brackets from CPP for $24.00 part # 6372SSB (stock height), they have them for lowered trucks also. I will order new Moog bushings once I measure the bar. Should be 15/16" if factory I believe. My truck didn't come with one, but I plan to install. Any advice on the install will be appreciated. I hope there is no issue drilling a arms on the ground.

Re: 1963 C-10 in NC
 

Mine was a little easier than yours, because the lower control arms that came with the 75 front suspension were already drilled for the end brackets. I think the rest of the same procedure I used would work just as well. The truck needs to be on the ground with the suspension loaded so the control arms are in the proper orientation. Rest the ends of the bar centered on top of the lower arms, and rest the center of the bar on a floor jack.

With the frame brackets bolted to the inner bushing brackets, jack the bar into position until it touches the frame. After insuring everything is square and centered, mark the frame with a scribe or felt marker and remove the bar and brackets.

Because of clearance with the upper control arms it may be difficult to drill the lowers with anything bigger than a 1/8” pilot bit. After that you may need to raise the truck and drill the lower arms from below. Rather than using increasingly larger drill bits, I recommend using an inexpensive step drill like the kind from Harbor Freight:

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/2759/qepl.jpg

They slice through frame thickness material far easier than conventional drill bits. And unless you like dealing with squeaks it's probably better to stick with rubber bushings instead of urethane.