Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Hey, all. I got involved in a build on a 63 C10 with a friend, who wasn't sure he wanted to spend the money on a rust free Texas C10 Custom with the big back window. So, I decided to split the build with him and flip the truck. When I told my father about the build he wanted in as well.....first time we'll be doing a father/son build. Anyway, we picked up the truck locally in early April and we've almost got the complete chassis/drive train mocked up. Just waiting on the front brakes/spindles and steering components that are on backorder from CPP. We are using all CPP suspension, steering and brakes. Everything has bolted on easily so far. Still have to fab a new panhard frame mount as the CPP kit is only for 65-72 frame mounts. No big deal. We are also using a 5.3 and 4L60E from a 2003 1500 Suburban 2wd with 135k miles on it. We'll be leaving the patina on the outside but the chassis and inner fender panels will all be getting black SPI Epoxy. We also picked up some 2008 Tahoe 6-way power seats from the same yard we got the motor/trans. All in all, the build is coming along nicely. Building a Chevy truck seems to be a lot easier than building the 60's Ford cars I'm used to taking on.....at least in terms of parts availability and pricing. Enough talk. Time for pics!!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

More pics of the tear down. A pic of my pop's with the truck and a shot of the Dirty Dingo adapters....which are a great little piece of engineering!!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

We also picked up a rear axle from a 65 that had the bolt on backing plates so we could do a disc conversion....it's sitting on the rear of the frame in these pics. Then we found a set of 2012 Camaro SS wheels and tires locally for a great deal so we picked up those and a set of 5x5 to 5x4.75 adapters.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Got the cab off and power washed 50+ years of Texas dust from the frame. The frame was in great shape except for one area where a previous owner used the ol' hot wrench for something. Not a problem to weld in some new steel. The motor trans dropped right in....pretty easy when there is no cab or dog house!!!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Stripping down the frame to get ready for the new CPP suspension components. Glad I had my buddy to help me get all those damn rivets out!!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Finally some parts started to roll in. Got the LMC tank installed and started mocking up the fuel lines. Then the BIG delivery came!! That was better than Christmas!! Took longer to unbox everything then to get it bolted on. Only time consuming part was the C-notch install and even that went pretty quickly. You can see the area where a previous owner cut out some the passenger side rear frame. I will fix that with new steel once the chassis mock up is complete.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

C-notch going in and finishing up the rest of the rear suspension and brakes.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Just got a few shots of where the truck stands today. We are running bulkhead fittings thru the top of the frame rails for the fuel lines and brake lines.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Some pics of how the panhard bar is currently mounted. I have a few options, but I think fabbing up a frame bracket is probabaly the best way to go. That way I can drop the bracket down to be a little more level with the rear.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Welcome to the forum :D

Looks like some nice work and nice parts.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Greetings from Enon,OH just up the road. I have a Cnc plasma table if you need any brackets or things cut for your build. Hope to see it out soon at some local shows!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Cool project! Very nice work... :metal:

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Thanks for the kind words, fellas. This Ford guy has learned a lot from all you Bow Tie fans already. Can't wait to hit some shows with my Pop's. He's gonna love this truck!!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Welcome to the forum. Nice work so far. I enjoy following these father/son builds. And you get the benefit of a friend helping along the way too!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Thanks, Aggie!! Having a couple extra hands sure helps!!

I finished the fuel lines, mocked up the radiator to start fabbing trans cooler lines and started fabbing up the exhaust as well.....which is always a PITA!!!
Anyway, here are some pics.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Exhaust pics:

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

What are you using on the engine to connect that exhaust to? Headers or Manifolds?

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Speed Engineering shorty headers. They are on back order until late June.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

I was able to complete the suspension and front disc brake installation on Saturday with the help of my buddy. Also got to roll the chassis out of the shop for a bit in between rain storms. I'm very happy with the chassis components. Now to complete the exhaust system, trans cooler lines, radiator hoses and front brake lines.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Not much of an update but progress none the less. My pop's helped me buid these wood stands so my lard butt can crawl around the car easier when welding up the exhaust and setting up the chassis. This way the truck is under it's own weight at ride height when I finalize the positions for the exhaust, drivetrain and plumbing.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

I was able to finish up cutting/fitting all the exhaust from the mufflers back before it got way too hot in the garage. Damn June humidity. Now just waiting on the headers from Speed Engineering then I'll test fit the cab and bed to make sure everything fits before doing final welding.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Little update. Got the bed on to make sure the exhaust fit before final welding. Got it all to work with a few tweaks. Finally got the headers in as well as the LS harness and re-programmed ECM. Just about ready to test fire the motor.


Troy.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Got a lot done this weekend. Test fired the motor which went flawlessly. So we decided to put the cab on and roll it out for some pics. Then we just had to put the fenders on. Everything is coming along nicely!!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Few more pics:

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Nice!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Thanks, Karl. You've got some nice trucks yourself!


Troy.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Very nice. Panoramic View really stands out to me...

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

I really like how this is turning out. Good work!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Man, it's been a while since I've updated this thread!!

Well, since last August we completed the mock up, tore the truck down to the bare frame...again. Blasted the frame and other parts/panels and I got the frame coated with SPI epoxy primer. I've also done some patch work on some panels and started to rebuild the motor. Enjoy the pics!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

More pics:

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

...and one last pic:

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Started final assembly of the chassis last night. So nice when everything gets put together for the final time...fingers crossed!!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Got some more of the chassis together. Now I have to paint some parts before moving forward on the chassis so I started on the motor. Got the block cleaned, prepped and painted. I went to install the crank last night and Summit Racing sent me a bad cap bearing so now I have to wait for a replacement. Looks like I'll be painting parts this weekend rather than assembling the motor. Such is life.

Oh yeah, I also had a friend 3D print some fender emblems for the truck. I love them! Now I just need to paint them as well. Not sure if it'll be a "new" looking emblem or patina'd.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

nice work so far!!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Thanks, buddy!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

New emblem is cool! Chassis is looking good too!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Agreed. Love the emblems

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Finally got the axle completed and installed. Still waiting on heads from the machine shop then I can finish the motor and test fire it. Hope to have a complete rolling chassis by fall.

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Back to a rolling chassis!! Here is a pic from last June during mock up and some pics from yesterday during final assembly. Coming along nicely!!

Re: Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build
 

Got some more work done this weekend. We also got a great deal on paving our driveway so I had to roll out the chassis to get some pics on the new asphalt! My dad spent probably 20+ stripping the inside of the hood down to bare metal so I could lay down some epoxy. However, I had some gun issues so I'll need to sand over what I laid down last night and put down one smooth top coat. The diff cover turned out nice though. That was the absolute last piece to the puzzle for the rear end. Still waiting on the darn cylinder heads from the machine shop. So. I cleaned up the old 706 heads, which are cracked, in order to mount the motor and test fit all the exhaust one last time before it gets painted. Everything is coming along nicely.....except those darn heads!! Ha!!