moving forward without 2 steps back

[Jonny Hotnuts]

I just picked up our family 70 (short, ZERO options and 250ci). My grandfather got this new in 70, dad bought it in 84 and its mine now.

It hadnt ran since 06 but was able to coax it back to life and drove it home.

It has minimal rust, and is EXTREMELY straight.





I also have a 38





Im really trying to come to a direction before I start working on the 70. I like the idea of doing the 350, disc brake thing but dont want to be the guy that routed a floyd rose in a 63 strat (*most wont get the reference but its basically destroying something original for what is cool this decade).




(I found a passenger, I dont think he is feeling well).

So what do you think, keep it original or start adding changing stuff and hope it doesnt destroy a cool factor 30 years down the road.

~JH

[Greasey Harley]

Properly installing a small block in a formerly l6 truck will never destroy it.
As long as It's done properly it won't hurt the value, and [in all likely hood] will probably increase the value.
6 cylinder base model pickups are not particularly rare. It's intrinsic value is that it's an original short wide.
Do it right, do it nice, make it the way you want it. It's your truck. Doesn't sound like you're planning on selling it anyway.
Nice truck!!

[mike16]

keep it all origonal. sixs may not be rare in base model trucks but an all origonal base model truck is rare, especially owned by three generations of the same family.

[FleetsidePaul]

It's a family heirloom. That would hold me back from tearing into it. It's a cool truck as is.
Personally I'd get it running good, Clean it up and make some safety improvement's like good seat belts. Disc brakes are always good for safety as well.

Maybe add some personal touches.Whatever floats your boat.

See how you like it first. Drive it. You can always do something later.

And,no, I wouldn't mess with a 63 Strat either.

[1972RedNeck]

I would keep the inline as well. Get it tuned up and running and driving well and then take a look at your options. If it needs more pep, a mildly built 250 will run well and knock out some decent mileage.

[clay68c10]

Nice original truck, and cool family history. I say drive it for a while and see how you like it.

[rockyrivermark]

Originally Posted by Jonny Hotnuts

I just picked up our family 70 (short, ZERO options and 250ci). My grandfather got this new in 70, dad bought it in 84 and its mine now.

It hadnt ran since 06 but was able to coax it back to life and drove it home.

It has minimal rust, and is EXTREMELY straight.





I also have a 38





Im really trying to come to a direction before I start working on the 70. I like the idea of doing the 350, disc brake thing but dont want to be the guy that routed a floyd rose in a 63 strat (*most wont get the reference but its basically destroying something original for what is cool this decade).




(I found a passenger, I dont think he is feeling well).

So what do you think, keep it original or start adding changing stuff and hope it doesnt destroy a cool factor 30 years down the road.

~JH

I had a '64 fender jaguar signed by SRV. Being a foolish 16 year old I Routed humbuckers in the body. 2 months later we lost Stevie ray
Yeah. I get it!

[weq92f]

Replacing the I-6 is nothing like destroying the body of an old relic strat by routing in some cool, trendy hardware!

Now, if you start talking about chopping the top or doing things to modify the original body lines, that would get you there real fast!

Make the truck what you want. Personally for me I would start with just getting it road worthy and safe ( brakes and steering ). Then add some modern safety equipment like 3 point safety belts ( easy as can be and not expensive ) and maybe disk brakes up front if it doesn't have them already.

Drive and enjoy the truck. You will be amazed how these trucks get attention from all sorts of folk out there in any condition. You'll have an enormous smile on your face when you tool down the street in it.

Later on you can decide if you want to do anything else to it.

Hth,

-klb

[Jonny Hotnuts]

Originally Posted by rockyrivermark

I had a '64 fender jaguar signed by SRV. Being a foolish 16 year old I Routed humbuckers in the body. 2 months later we lost Stevie ray
Yeah. I get it!

Funny how some talk of old Fenders in relation to the c10. Ive got a 65 Jag, 63 Strat and a 59 Duosonic. I will likely take a couple pics with the 'old trucks-old guitars' once I get the 70 in better shape.



Pressure washed. Not a great job but most of the bad is off. Removed the aftermarket rope cleats, put some fresh gas in and installed a new battery.



Found this stuff in the glove box. It was at the bottom and was so full it reminded me of an episode of Hoarders.



Removed the old seat cover and cleaned up the inside.



Big bay, tiny engine. It has a reman sticker; I didnt know this but the mill was replaced at some point.

~JH

[darrellyates]

Nice truck. Better story. Congratulations. Don't let go of that truck ever... I'm building a C10 now, but wish it were my Dads... Long since gone. Fix it how you want to (or don't fix it) and don't worry about what anybody else says. Regardless of if you change anything or not, it's still your family truck.

[davepl]

Keep it original, including the inline motor. There are hundreds of thousands of small block trucks out there but none of them are your family's truck.

My first step is always mechanicals - get it roadworthy, safe, and reliable, and then go from there.

[In The Ten Ring]

Always keep things original. Increasing its value shouldn't have any meaning to you, as I get the impression you only bought it because it was your father's truck and his father's before him.

My truck was bought new by my father and when I was younger I wanted to put on chrome everything, put in a V8, on, and on, and on. Now that I am older and more experienced in the world, I want to keep it as original as I can.

Whatever you do, keep that engine and manual transmission! The speeds on the column are basically unheard of where I live and are so much fun to drive. That engine (with proper low gearing) will give you all the pulling power you need. If you have a bench seat, keep it! Your son will thank you when he starts driving so he can haul one more friend around. The bench seat and column shifter will also allow him to haul his girlfriend around sitting right next to him.....something he'll really appreciate also.

The manual tranny will also come in handy when it comes time to teach your boy how to drive. I had to learn how to drive on a manual and that experience has served me very well.

[LT7A]

I get the Strat' reference and I think that's a good guide. That's a cool looking truck as it sits. I agree with the clean it up, get it running well, and drive it approach. At that point you can figure out how you want it to be for how you want to use it.

I wouldn't cut it up with any kind of body mods like the Strat'. But I wouldn't hesitate to swap out items to better suit how I use it: engine, transmission, lowering components, etc. Although I really like those wheels that are on it. Because of its history I would keep everything that I pulled out so I could put it back in later if I wanted to.

If you pull them out, that six and the trans will look cool in your shop/garage/barn? mounted to stands, degreased and sealed or painted.

A front disc brake conversion is bolt-on, reversible, and won't look out of place and may preserve the original front sheet metal.

[garyd1961]

I would clean it up and only replace damaged parts like the seat cover, hoses, belts, ect. I wouldn't replace the engine as long as it runs but if it ever needed to be replaced I would go with a new GM 350 crate engine.

[projectking]

Love the truck.....and the guitars! I say do what you feel is right with it but personally I'd run it with the 250. It suited 2 generations before you good enough that it wasn't already replaced with a small block.

I had a '65 Jazzmaster here for awhile that I repaired for a buddy....even tried to buy after hearing it through my Dual Showman!

[GR8-68]

I say it is yours do not ask others and make it your own whether it is stock or if you slam it with a 402 stroker does not matter. Opinions are biased

[Fozzdik]

I think I have it's twin!

[68panelman]

Clean it up and enjoy it. Better than looking at a stripped down in pieces truck. I love your 38

[Daves70]

My 67 is a bare bones short step like yours except it has no family connection at all. It has a built 408 smalblock and 700r4 and is a absolute ball to drive. But........ If I had the original 6 and 3 in the tree then it would be under that hood. Most people put a LS or a smallblock but I will checkout one with the original 6 because I look at it as after 50 years someone rejected the temptation to change it out and turn it into just another hotrodded pickup. In the end it's your truck but a 6 is more cool in my eyes.

[70 shorty]

well, if it's a replacement engine, then you're wide open as to what you could do engine wise, since it's not the original one anyway. Myself, I've got a 70 shortbed with a straight 6 and I'm not changing it. Everyone yanks them out and installs v8s, so I'm keeping the 6 to be different. On the looks of truck, I'd clean it and put different wheels on it, maybe drop it a LITTLE, and maybe disc brakes. I wouldn't change much though. Love the truck, love the story.

[Jonny Hotnuts]

Thanks for all the comments guys.

I 'think' I have come to a direction:

-As apposed to doing the SBC swap I am going to have a 250 built (rods and low cr pistons, maybe a little heavier valve springs) and running a turbo in the 10 psi area.

The turbo shown will not go in there (waaaayyyy too much, its a billet Forced Performance HTA GT3582r), I just put it there for clearance checking. I have about 10 turbos of different sizes. I was thinking something like a t4 and target the 350whp area.


-Going to lower/level it. Not anything radical....maybe 2.5" (spindle) drop and disc brakes.

-Paint it OEM color with a little metallic (*BTW, WHAT IS THE COLOR CALLED?)

-New wheels, recover seat and replace the other soft parts in the cab.

-Will also weld in some rocker panel patches on at least one side.

Nothing that cant be returned to OEM without a little work.

ANY OBJECTIONS TO WHAT I AM SUGGESTING? PLEASE LET ME KNOW BEFORE I START!

~JH

[darrellyates]

I think you will be extremely happy with what you have planned. Good luck, make sure to post pictures as you go!! I admire you hot rodding the 6, most won't take the time. Can't wait to see it (in pix anyway)!!!

[70 shorty]

Love the idea of the hot rodded 6. I'd love to slap a turbo on mine, even though it already has a lot of hot rod parts on it.

[weq92f]

Turbo 250! Didn't see that one coming! One more thing to add to your list in this case is to ensure it has a posi so you can do full on burn outs!

-klb