Over 25 Years Later, Finally My 71 C-10 Truck Build

[hgs_notes]

I got my truck back in 1983, by basically taking it over from my dad. I was about 15 and liked the body style. It was a total beater. Not much has changed! Actually, a lot has changed over the decades. It started out as most of these trucks do, a basic work truck. A C-10 Custom Deluxe with a 307 and 3 on the tree. AM radio, power nothing, including the engine. It had been in the family for a while. As near as I can figure, my grandfather bought it used about 1973, maybe 74. Then my dad bought it from him around 1975 or 76. We used it as a work truck, hauling wood, hauling trash to the landfill. It was also our only vehicle for a few years when I was younger. It had one of those aluminum toppers on it. My two sisters and I mostly rode in the back. I was the oldest so I got dibs sitting on the spare tire. When it got cold, and in MN, it does that occasionally, we got to ride up front. Me and my sister sat between my parents and my youngest sister sat in moms lap. Back in the good old days when seat belt use was practically unheard of. Enough ruminating, I'll jump ahead a few years.

Pretty much drove it as it was in high school. Fixed a few things and had a fender bender. I swapped out the 307 for a 283, which I blew a few months later. It had a screw in one of the cylinders, which cracked a rod. Swapped for another 283 that I built myself, which it still has. Then I went into the navy and parked it until I had a need for it. In 1986, I was transferred to Idaho for nuclear power school. I stopped at home and blew a pile of money on a dual exhaust system and new wheels and tires. Still using those wheels BTW, and the headers and part of the exhaust also. It was my driver for a year or so, then it was parked and I got a newer driver. That is when this became a hobby for me. I ended up using the truck as regular transportation off and on over the years, but for the past 19 years, it has been my form of therapy. It helped me attract my wife of 20 years. It was my enjoyment just to wrench on and sometimes drive, do burn outs and just put a smile on my face.

My first intentions were always to hot rod it. I lowered it 3.5" back in 1986 with new dropped coils. The engine was a mild street performer. I put a floor shifter in, then went to a 4 speed, then swapped to an auto, which died quickly (junkyard tranny) and was replaced with another TH350. I've installed C-20 power brakes, power steering and rebuilt a tilt column for it. I added a front sway bar. I custom made the dash out of wood as a high school project and I'm undecided if I will stick with that or use something else. I put a 4 core radiator in last friday which solved my overheating problem. My plans have not changed all that much, but here's what I have now and where it's going. I will be installing an electric fan and maybe the headlight relays with newer style lamps. I also plan on either building a 350 I have for it, or stroking that to a 388 for later installation. I will be picking up a posi unit and probably 3.08 gears very soon. As soon as the yard gets them pulled.




I had some body work done back in 1987. The guy messed up my cab big time. Patches were misaligned. Rust was covered over and not cut out, etc. It was never painted, just primered after that. I could never afford to fix it properly. My skills are mechanical, not body work. The new patch panels for my cab were going to run $250-300 or so, plus installation labor. So I looked for a cab and found one from a member in Colorado. I got it saturday, stripped the parts off today and I'll be dropping it off at the sandblaster in about an hour.

[hgs_notes]

I took some before pics of the cab. Other than some bondo on the back below the window, there wasn't any real surprises. We'll see what shows up after it's blasted. Cost of the cab was $200 plus $150 for delivery to Omaha, plus my cost to to drive the 600 mile round trip to get it with a bunch of other parts for my other project, see signature.






This was a little surprise, the bottom of the A pillar I think it's called had part cut or torn off.

[hgs_notes]

BTW, this build is now possible thanks to my wife. Getting my truck ready for paint was my 20th anniversary present.

There won't be any custom work on the body. It'll be a basic restoration. I'm even keeping the bed long. I have repro fenders on it now, which suck. So I have these to put on.


I'm pretty happy with the bed, but there is some rust on the floor that will need attention. And the bottom inside of the tailgate has a few small pits to repair. My hood is good and doors I think are ok. They need new seals, felts, etc. When I'm ready to swap the body, I'm going to see if the budget will allow for sandblast and paint of the frame. The local blaster is pretty cheap, we'll see.

[hgs_notes]

Here are the after sandblast pics. Cost me about $150 and I can pick it up tomorrow. There was a little more rust in the floor pans than I knew about, and 2 more spots of bondo that were found. I have floor pans I picked up for my original cab, that I see I'll be using now. Looks like I just need to buy the one cab corner. The supports and frame underneath were excellent.

[hgs_notes]

I spoke with a couple body shops interested in doing the work about a month ago. Time to load up the cab and fenders and haul them around to get a hard quote for repair and primer.

I'll get a quote for paint as a separate thing. I'm not sure I'll be able to afford that until spring when I get my next bonus, but who knows, money situation is not as tight as it was not so long ago.

I would like to get the frame sandblasted and painted black. Just depends on cost for the body work and timing.

Parting shots...

[ChevyDude]

It's a labor of love...and as the progress furthers the smile gets bigger and bigger!!! Good luck with your build!!!

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by ChevyDude

It's a labor of love...

That's it exactly, just like so many others I've seen here.

Thanks, for the positive feedback.

I just ordered a gas filler neck patch panel and bed stake pocket patches from infanti72 on ebay. He's a member here also. I bought a blazer tank to use on my junkyard jimmy, because I'm not sure the condition of what's on it now. Easier to swap it there. I'll then check out the old tank to see if it's usable. If not, I'll buy another for my C-10. That cab tank must go! Besides, I think that's where some speakers belong. It doesn't show it in the manual, but it should have been an option.

[seldomseen65]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

That's it exactly, just like so many others I've seen here.

Thanks, for the positive feedback.

I just ordered a gas filler neck patch panel and bed stake pocket patches from infanti72 on ebay. He's a member here also. I bought a blazer tank to use on my junkyard jimmy, because I'm not sure the condition of what's on it now. Easier to swap it there. I'll then check out the old tank to see if it's usable. If not, I'll buy another for my C-10. That cab tank must go! Besides, I think that's where some speakers belong. It doesn't show it in the manual, but it should have been an option.

and the adventure begins, little parts ordered here and there, then you fall head over heels for the work you've started and can't quit. welcome to the board, congrats on your work, looks like a labor of love. good luck hgs

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Sweet congrats on finnally getting to build it..

[MrBeast]

Nice project, and awesome story to go with it.

I am looking forward to seeing how it turns out. Good luck with your build.

[72BlckButy]

Good luck with the build, this will be one sweet project!

[my67chevytruck]

Looking good... Keep up the work.

[Infanti]

Looks like your off to a good start,Mike.Parts shipped out Friday.
Thanks, Gerry

[hgs_notes]

I took the truck with the new cab and fenders in the back over to the first body shop. He estimated the cost to repair the cab and get it painted inside and out around $1500. At first he said $2000. Sounds like a big chunk of money, but I can understand the time involved. He estimated the work for the whole truck around $5000, painted. It was too late in the day, especially friday of a holiday weekend to haul it to the other two shops I have in mind. Really makes me wish I had a knack for body work.

On a lark, I pulled a rusty fender off the wall of the garage and tried my hand at welding. A little history, I was a nuclear certified welder back in the navy, and also passed a test pipe in the 6G position for an ASME code shop. Top of my class and I can do TIG on pipe like buttering bread. Sheetmetal with a little Craftsman 120 volt wire feed with flux core wire is not anything like that. It's like learning to weld all over again. Any kind of gap and it wanted to burn through. The welder was not set up properly, wire feed tension was way too high, speed is hard to figure. This is just a hi/lo setting for power and then adjustable wire speed. I've got it close though. I tried to get a gas bottle, but the local guy that leases them had left early also. I have a regulator set up for it.

I looked at my floor patches and they will cover all the floor rust easily. I can trim some off to use on the bottoms of the kick panels. I think I'm going to practice some more on my crappy fender, get the gas bottle hooked up and see if I can get enough confidence to try my hand at the floor repair. It will be hidden by carpet, so if it gets a little ugly in spots, it's not really a big deal. The more I can do myself, the better I'll feel about the whole project. That is unless I screw it up completely, that would be very bad.

[hgs_notes]

I'd like to use my doors, but will need to get the bottoms blasted clean to see how much damage there is. I don't think there is much of anything, but want to be sure. I do have a very good passenger side door extra. I have 2 driver side doors to choose from.

My plan is to get the cab ready to go, then doors and fenders. My hood is in good shape. The bed and tailgate will be last. I'll be installing the blazer tank, so I'll mod the bed for a fuel fill. This is one of the styles I'm considering...
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=211579

Or I might put a bed side filler in from a newer car.

[hgs_notes]

I got the old body filler off the cab today and sprayed a little primer over the bare metal. No major surprises there. Couple small holes to close up is all. Then try to pull the dents out a bit.

I also pulled the trim and embloms off the fenders. The driver side is about as good as you can get, just need to have the holes filled. The passenger side has 3 small dents, otherwise very good.

That's probably about it for a while. I need to buy a few parts. I need to work on some dents. And wait patiently for the body guy to get started. It's been 25 years, a little more time won't kill me. Besides, I have a Jimmy to play on too.

[hgs_notes]

Not really a progress update exactly, but meaningful anyway. I have the color picked out and the wife approves.
Pic in the sun:


Pic in the shade:


I've been searching high and low for years for a color like this, when I came across one in the junkyard. It was a GMC only color, used for a few of the production years. I was able to get pretty much the whole interior from the truck so I don't have to re-color other stuff. A good dash pad, seat belts, ashtray, radio delete, etc. and the radio delete cowl also.

[msgross]

thanks for taking pics of your build. What did your blaster use on the cab? sand?

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by msgross

thanks for taking pics of your build. What did your blaster use on the cab? sand?

Yep, just sand.

[PipsC10]

I bought some of the filler patches from infiniti a few weeks back and they fit PERFECT. I installed the fuel filler patch last week, it was my first body work attempt, came out perfect.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by PipsC10

I bought some of the filler patches from infiniti a few weeks back and they fit PERFECT. I installed the fuel filler patch last week, it was my first body work attempt, came out perfect.

Cool, good to know.

[hgs_notes]

With some help from ClassicAutoRest on the paint and body board, I've got 2 paint codes. Went to the local paint supplier and ordered up small samples of each.

The first is for a 1969 GMC Turqoise Poly 511 or dupont 5056. The second is 1972 GMC terrace blue 503 or dupont 5335. This came up as 509 in in another mfr code. Anyway, I'll have samples to try out.

[hgs_notes]

Turns out the 1969 Turquoise Poly is the one. The terrace blue from 1972 is like the chevy medium greem, but slightly darker. The poly has a bit of metal flake in it and is the color I've been looking for for years. Aqua with some brightness. Time to do some body work.

[68 Stepside]

By all means, keep those turbine wheels when you get it all done, those are classic. Cool story, can't wait to see the truck painted.

[Palf70Step]

Love the history of you and your truck. Can't wait to see it progress.