Just bought a 73 c10
 

I just bought a 73 2wd c10 lwb, got it for $1000, not too bad considering the prices that trucks are going for in cali lately. it has a 350, th400, and a 10-bolt rear end. the color is hideous, but some sanding and primer is going to fix that in the near future. ill be sure to put up some before pictures.

Im just curious what ideas you guys have for any easy power/performance options. I would like to swap heads and cam, it runs really well, i think the bottom end is pretty solid so most of my engine mods will be up top. any info on simple fixes/power upgrades would be appreciated.

id also like to lift it a little, nothing crazy just 4" at most. any ideas on how to go about it would also be appreciated, i understand that in order to do most of the aftermarket spindle lift kits you have to swap for 88+ control arms.. is that correct?

thanks in advance
Lee

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

welcome to the site. congrats on the buy. have any pics?

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

this was a friends truck it had a 3" body lift and 1 ton coils 235/85-16s
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...IMAG1723-1.jpg

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

Here's some pictures, I told you guys, the color is awful.. this will be one of my first fixes.

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

and here are a couple pictures of the engine.. its a 350, it looks pretty bad.. but it runs strong.. im in the process of getting a new carb, the fuel filter cover was stripped out..

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

welcome & i dig tha color

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

Why replace the Q-jet? That's one of the best carbs ever built. IMO.

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

That spacer on the carb is off of a TBI engine. I think a 6 banger. Leave it for sure. I put one on my 79 with the 350 and it helped out on the power. I would definantely put an open element air cleaner with a K&N filter.

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

I personally love that green, kinda like a 70 camaro. What are the brackets welded to the bed for ? Is it 2 or 4 wheel drive ? if it is 2 wheel why raise it ?

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

not bad. welcome

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

Its a 73 so its smog exempt. I'd deal with an ugly color for no more smog!

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

Oleblue79- I plan on keeping the q-jet.. i was just gonna get a rebuilt.. but i was able to make this one work so I won't have to replace it..

SSdeluxe- the brakets are from a 5th wheel setup the p.o. had.. I'm giving those back.. and it is 2wd.. I dont like the look of lowered or stock height longbeds.. so I'm just goin to replace the stock springs with 1tons and block the rear.. the stock susp is sagging so much that it has that raked look...
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Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

Oleblue79- I plan on keeping the q-jet.. i was just gonna get a rebuilt.. but i was able to make this one work so I won't have to replace it..

SSdeluxe- the brakets are from a 5th wheel setup the p.o. had.. I'm giving those back.. and it is 2wd.. I dont like the look of lowered or stock height longbeds.. so I'm just goin to replace the stock springs with 1tons and block the rear.. the stock susp is sagging so much that it has that raked look...
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Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

2 wheel drives arent meant to lifted.

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

then dont lift yours

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

Hahaha.

I dig that green and white.

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

I like the color on it as well for some odd reason, it snaps well in my opinion. The original red would look good as well though, just a matter of opinion on what you want. :)
I put heavy duty springs on the front of my 1/2 ton LWB, brought the front end up level with the rear. I like the look of it going "up" rather than bringing the rear down, again just personal choice though. My '74 I will be bringing down, a first for everything I suppose.
In the end, the only persons opinion that really matters is yours. ;)

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

I just bought an 81 C10 swb 2wd...Theres really no point to lift a truck thats 2wd. 2wd are meant to be either left alone or dropped an inch or 2. If you lift it you'll wanna drive like its a 4wd and that could be bad...I agree with the majority of this forum. Leave the color. just polish it up a little. It looks like you need to work on the motor before you even think about touching the paint. I have a 350 with a Q-jet with electronic choke and it runs great. Just put a 2.75 x 14" K&N on there and it runs even better. I also suggest the open element.

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

cool truck......welcome to the best website ever!

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

I lifted my 86 2wd 6" 3" body and 3" suspension running 35's. I really loved the look but had no use for 4wd. Know hate body lifts because of that truck and would never use one again but it acheivd my goals and looked killer after I raised the front bumper to match. I say do it and don't worry bout the people that don't get it.

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

i understand where everyone is coming from as far as lifting a 2wd truck.. but if u think that just because its a 2wd truck it wont ever be going off road, or even carrying a heavy load.. think again.. its nice to have a little ground clearane in alot of situations.. this isnt going to be a show truck by any means.. it will be a mostly a daily driver and for hauling things around... if i was going to do a nice show truck then yea it would be either stock height or lowered a bit.. but anyone who has ever owned a truck should know that they were meant to be functional.. so sorry if u dont like that i want a little ground clearance on my truck, but again.. if you dont want to lift your 2wd then dont..

to each his own...

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

amen! :lol: that has always been my preference.. I used to work at a place that had a 92 GMC 3/4t 2wd, and it sat really high. I always thought it looked killer, and really 2wds for the most had are far more practical as they are so much cheaper to maintain The reason I bought a 4x4 was for all the snow we get around here.. Nice truck by the way, my vote for paint would be to reverse the 2 tone with the white upper cap ;)

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

yea.. i think im gonna go ahead and update the original color. I really like the new gm red jewel tintcoat which is kind of a metallic maroon and i think im gonna end up going that route in the future. but for now im just going to sand down to the original paint and primer over it..

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

Welcome from Santa Fe, NM. Cool truck. I am also a fan of that green. My '73 was originally that color as well. I changed it, but later on it grew on me. I may go back one day. Also, was that truck originally a 454 truck? I see it has the emblem on the grille.

Can't wait to see what you do with it. :chevy:

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

welcome bro! i dig the color also...very nice find!

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

thanks guys.. the color is kind of starting to grow on me too.. i just dont like the green stripes on the hood.. and the rest of the body, the colors need to be reversed.. but we'll see what i like when that time comes around..

i dont think it was a 454 truck the fram would have had some signs of big block motor mount being there at some point. i think its a junk yard grille that one of the p.o.'s put on..

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

wow. i started to decode the vin on this truck, and the vin shows it as a 74 with a 454.. it makes me kind of wonder if there was a body swap at some point.. anyone know where i can find the vin on the frame and see if it matches the body?

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

And the titles says its a '73?

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

where can i go to decode a vin?

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

Yea.. the title says 73 but the vin says 74..

Justpball- lmc has a vin reference in their catalogs and on their website..
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Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

Does the VIN on the title match the VIN on the cab? The frame is etched with the VIN as well, but you'll have to yank the cab pretty much to see it. Some say you can see it with a mirror, I really don't see that happening very easy myself.

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

oh yea...thanks brother!

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

well guys.. did some more research, i didnt know the significance of the cheyenne super10 emblem, but that is one of the options that came from the factory on this truck and it also came from the factory with a 454, so i wil be trying to find a big block for this truck now..

Right now i am in the process of rebuilding all the front suspension.

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

Very nice! Something about that color code that I like!!
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Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

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Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

well.. i have the suspension almost done and im moving into the valve train(not what i had planned on). I had some valve chatter and decided to adjust it out. a couple tries adjusting it led me to a seized lifter that ate a pushrod on the #7 cylinder.. and this was where my valve chatter came from.. so now i have the whole top end apart(heads and all) and i found a screw that was all chewed up in the # 3 cylinder. ( Iwonder why this truck was sold for so cheap)

But anyways all is good now.. the cylinder wall and valves all look good on #3 so its now time to clean that up and put her back together..

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

cool truck, man...sorry to hear about the motor problems... I think the raised 2WD is a great idea...I looked at a new Chevy truck about 3 years ago that offered all the 4WD suspension, but w/o the transfer case and front diff/axles, straight up work truck...at the end of the day, it's your truck, do what YOU want...

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

well.. i keep trying to load some pics of my progess but i keep gettin an error message on here.. so i put all of my pics on photobucket.. heres the link if you guys wanna check it out.

http://s166.photobucket.com/albums/u...%20super%2010/

I pretty much have the front end buttoned up minus the brakes. the picture doesnt show it but the steering is installed now and there are a couple pics of the issues i had with my motor. I also cleaned up the heads a little. let me know what you guys think.

Re: Just bought a 73 c10
 

well.. the truck is up and running again. I havent had a chance to hook the exhaust back up so its running open headers and the neighbors are starting to give me dirty looks.

i ended up replaceing all the lifter, push rods, and rockers. I also replaced the head gaskets for piece of mind. and all is well now and the truck is running great.

All i have left is to replace the brake master cylinder, button up the exhaust and then start digging into the rear end. for some bearings and seals