Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

I know...I am so far behind on doing this, and many of you have asked. This thread will document the beginning to present of my current C10 love, Dianah. She is a 1972 c10 stepside that is currently bagged, and has begun surgery to become a 6.0L LSx recipient with a 6-speed manual for gear selection. I toyed with this combo or a while, and it is happening. Stay tuned for pics and more info!
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Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

Bout time buddy!

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

alright....you know better then to start a thread and not post any pics !!

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

I know.......here I come
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Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

So, when I bought my C10, I still had my 70 C10 and my 72 GMC C1500. At that point, I was at 9 cars and trucks, and my wife said I was getting crazy....so I had to slim the fleet down some.

Here is my C10 the day I brought it home.
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge.../stage-1-1.jpg

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

Of course I knew that the bed was not right, but I did like the look of it being a stepside. I would find the proper bed for it once I got further along. To me, first things first - get it running the way it needs to (adjust carb, new brakes, and a tune-up....oh yeah...get it one color in preparation for its altitude adjustment).
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge.../stage-104.jpg

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

At this point, I could deal with it. I was hoping to bag this one, and then bag my 72 GMC as well...but Operation Slim the Fleet was in effect...sold the Porsche, two Bimmers and my GMC.
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge.../stage-107.jpg
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge.../stage-109.jpg
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge.../stage-123.jpg

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

Shortly thereafter, I began the debate on if I was going to do a static drop and some 20 or 22" Coys, or just bag it, and run whatever wheel I wanted when I wanted to. I started doing the numbers, and the parts for the static drop were looking mighty close to those of the bag pricing. I figured at the end of the day, I may not be happy with the stance of the static drop, and after putting coilovers on my BMW, I liked the option of adjustability...and feared if I had a load, or got stuck in my driveway, etc...that would be an issue. So BAGS it was.

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

I decided that I have plenty of cars with computers and whiz-bang cool stuff in them...I wanted to keep my truck as simple as possible. This helped a lot when I was driving and I would have to replace the alternator or voltage regulator or a power steering belt....these things were fixable on the side of the road with simple tools. So, as much as I liked the AccuAir ads (I watched the GMC one at least 3x a day), I was going to use switches, and set it up in a way that would not have side-to-side transference of air when in turns, and would be quick enough for up and down action. I was not trying to hop my truck (even though it can do that). I decided on 3/8 lines and valves, 2 ViAir Compressors with a 5 gallon tank and Firestone bags.

I did the aluminum tank instead of chrome
http://www.coolcars.org/air/hi_res/5gal9portsilver.jpg
http://www.coolcars.org/air/1multiportkit.jpg

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

My goal was to be able to lay frame, still keep the truck drivable and usable as a truck when needed.

To get the front down low, we did a Z in the front, boxed and gusseted for strength. The long tube headers that were on were ditched for Sanderson Shorty Headers to make room for the laying low...
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...rame-C10-3.jpg

In the rear, a mild c-notch and custom trailing arms/4-link suspension were created.
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...rame-C10-5.jpg
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...rame-C10-7.jpg
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...ame-C10-15.jpg

The finished product at the time:
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...ame-C10-50.jpg

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

At some point, I began contemplating where I wanted to go with this truck. I originally was going to do motor/transmission upgrade, then consider the bags...but I thought that the bags were more fun....and did them first. I then decided it was time to require the truck for ease of use and efficiency. So I drove the truck down to Summit Racing, and bought The Painless Wiring (18 circuit kit), and all of the gauges that I needed: Tachometer, Speedometer, Fuel, Water, Voltage and Oil. I had the typical three gauge cluster under the dash that most people had, but I wanted to remove the three hole cluster, and fill it with these Autometers...and that is what I did.
I wanted to get rid of this under hood situation, and be ready for the day I do my engine upgrade.

Here is what I had to deal with first:

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...se-2-50007.jpg

The solution:
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...se-2-500-1.jpg
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...se-2-50000.jpg
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...se-2-50002.jpg
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...se-2-50004.jpg

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

Ok, I have a lot more of this information to share with you all...but I need to get ready to head to the office. I will pick up where I left off later this evening...

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

looking forward to the progress !

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

Can't wait to see more.

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

Always liked this truck.
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Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

Thanks guys! I will be posting more shortly!
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Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

As I mentioned before, here are the AutoMeter Gauges that I bought. 5" Speedo and Tach, 2 1/16" Fuel, Water, Voltage and Oil.
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...LzE8UWJPuk.jpg
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...HEQn9xKbzA.jpg

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

Looking good man, I am glad I am not the only one to start a build thread a year after I was into it :lol: Can't wait to see some pics of the bag install??

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

looking forward to updates

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

lookin good

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

LOL!

Yes, more pics are coming. I accidentally posted the thumbnails up there. I have a lot more to post...stay tuned

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

Cool! #TeamStepside!

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

One thing about the year late threads is the pics come along quicker, for sure. Looking forward to seeing more.
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Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

Nice looking project so far. Was it hard to find the six speed?? Asking because I have been looking at it for my 68 long bed.

Re: Dirty Dianah (No)... Bagged 72 Stepside/LSx/T56
 

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...se-2-50011.jpg

The aforementioned Autometer Gauges. This and the Painless Wireless kit are some of the best money spent on this project.

Removed seat, and began prepping the dash for the installation of the new gauges, as well as trimming the original hole for the fusebox. It is significantly larger than the stock eyeball damaging glass fuse box.

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...se-2-50012.jpg

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...se-2-50016.jpg

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...se-2-50017.jpg

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...se-2-50018.jpg

New gauges are a beautiful thing. I decided that I would do something fancy with the housing later - just depended on where I go with the theme of the truck. For now, this was a step up, because the original speedometer was broken (guess it wrapped around 80 a few times and snapped), and I needed clean and functional vs. beauty.