Project "My Happy Mess"

[litew8]

New member and think this forum is awesome! 10 years ago I bought my 71' (C10/20, LWB, 350sb) Custom Deluxe with the intentions of someday restoring her to original condition. It was a farm truck used to haul horse manur, etc. Well, that day has come and the project (partial restoration) is well underway!

Though there's something the matter and I'm not able (or smart enough? lol) to figure it out. I think my truck was converted (and/or previously restored) from a C20 to a C10. Looking at the SPID and the driver's door, they both reference a C20 in the VIN #. But, the emblems on the fenders say C10 Custom Deluxe and not C20 Custom Deluxe. It's got a 12 bolt rear end and 5 on 5 (front and back). I have registrations dating back to 71', and even though the VIN # is the same, some registrations note C10 as model type. Maybe it was converted? I've tried contacting one of the previous owners, but wasn't successful.

I've got it stripped down - bed, hood and fenders off. Reading the forums here, I noticed that the frame should be stamped with the VIN also. But since I'm doing a "frame-on" (partial) restoration, I can't see the VIN # on the frame since the cab is still on (with no intention of taking it off either). The cab will need some work, after the blasting and undercoating (getting done next week! ) - a couple cab mounts, floor extensions, rockers, corners.

Is there any way for me to identify? Or is it really considered a C10 now that it has 5 on 5 with the matching rear-end. My concern is the front suspension and parts. I've read that 3/4 ton has slightly different parts than the 1/2.

Any insight or suggestions going forward, are my concerns valid? Pictures up soon!

litew8

[oldman3]

litew8, welcome to the site, sorry but I don't know that much about these trucks. I'm sure someone on here will help out......Jim

[litew8]

Thank you oldman3. Doing a little more searching, I found some visuals.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=296953

These boards rock!
I'll be able to check and see if a previous owner swapped out the entire frame or not, come Monday.
This will help me ensure I get the right cab mounts/bushings.

[litew8]

The story continues - my prior attempt at contacting the previous owner proved successful after-all. I received a phone call the other day, and got a lot of good information/history of my truck. Here are some recent pictures, I'm sure I have older ones, though I'll have to look later:

Before pics, July 4th, 2011 - cleaned, ready for blasting










Interior - will clean up nicely

[MarineChevyDriver]

Originally Posted by litew8

I thought there was something wrong with my frame when I got the bed off. Mine is twisted just like yours is. Do you notice the twist with the bed back on? I'm afraid it's going to really lower the resale value. I thought maybe someone tried to haul a load that was too heavy, but I can't be sure. Any ideas or knowledge on this? Thanks.

See post #34.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=1#post5813271

[mooseknuckles]

resale value?

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Welcome to the board from southern oregon... Hope you figured out the frame deal..c-10 or c-20

[litew8]

Originally Posted by FRENCHBLUE72

Welcome to the board from southern oregon... Hope you figured out the frame deal..c-10 or c-20

Well, the previous owner (1991) who dumped 3 grand (or more) into the truck and sold it said he put a new crate GM engine in it, touched up the passenger door due to paint peeling at the mirror mount (which got devastated since anyways).

Other stuff he said -

He didn't replace the rear-end or anything.
He did purchase custom wheels (not pictured yet) for the 5 on 5 - so that confirms it was like that when he bought it. He said (I'm pretty sure I heard right) he bought it from a kid who wanted a 4x4 instead. He says the truck had the original engine with only 50K on it.

When he had to replace the master cylinder, he had to return it because it wouldn't bolt up right. It turns out he had to order the master cylinder from the C20 instead.

I made a run out to the sandblaster today to drop off the bed rails. I was hoping my truck was sitting outside awaiting tomorrow, but it wasn't so I couldn't take any pictures tonight. So it's still a mystery.

***************
The pinstripe work was done by "Dirty Harry" (he gave the guy's real name, but I forget). At this time, Don Johnson (the movie star) flew "Dirty Harry" down to Florida for the week to have him paint "dolphins" on the side of his yacht or speed boat? Cool!

The previous owner said he may have a picture of the truck when it was "finished" back in 91', and that he'll mail it to me if he finds it.

--------------------------------------------------
It doesn't make any sense to suggest the truck rolled off the assembly line as a C20 with the 5 lug rear/front end, but C20 frame/coils, right? It did have the Auxiliary Spring - but all that is left now are the mounts for them, of which exhaust support brackets are welded to the underside of them.

[chevy2racr]

welcome to the board from up the highway (Marshalltown)

[VA72C10]

Welcome to the board. Looks like a nice project!!!

[litew8]

Thanks for the welcoming everyone! Chevy2racr, got any good OEM fenders or bedsides? Got some more pictures, time to show off more custom pinstripe -

Hood is in good shape, except for the hole someone drilled in the top.
Small amount of body work will conceal it well:



Bedsides not in the best of shape, might need aftermarket for both.
Front bumper has a indentation on the right bottom.
You can also see on the bottom of the pile, what was left of the wood bed.





Custom pinstripe on the bedsides (more about this in a bit):



...on the inner wells -





Rear wells good shape, need minor body work -



The back-end of the fenders -





Check out the fancy work on the underside of the hood -



Now for the bold! Haha! Real men can appreciate these (as I have). I actually liked this pinstripe work, but I'm not going to restore it with the truck. It's a little too bold for driving to the office, etc... on the farm, very cool. I am however going to try and reproduce (via vinyl) the pinstripes shown above (not sure about under the hood (that may have to go if it gets repainted)) -

From a distance, they resemble corn, lol

[Hduramax]

welcome to the board, good luck with the project

[litew8]

Thanks! I made it out to the shop today. They haven't gotten started.

Got some more pictures. If what I read is correct, it looks like I have a C20 frame with a 5 on 5 setup. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I've outlined the C20 parts of the frame that distinguishes it from the C10.

First, here's a picture I found from 2004. Taken before the rust on the passenger door began breaking out from the bottom mirror mount.



Here's the air filter cover that "Dirty Harry" air brushed.





Rear cab mount



Front cab mounts. Sits lower than frame = C20





Extra support brackets not on the C10 = C20



Auxiliary Spring mount



Differential. Anyone know what the numbers mean?





The custom ordered wheels. Performance

[FRENCHBLUE72]

That looks just like the 3/4 ton frame that is under my now 1/2 ton..

[litew8]

Not the most exciting news, but blasting is 3/4 finished
Going to stop out and take more pics, posting late tonight.

[litew8]

Got some pictures after the truck was blasted. I think it turned out good, all things considering. He said I had quite of bit of "black rust" on the underside of the driver's side trailing arm, in between the affixed plate on the bottom side. The rust has warped the trailing arm a little, and has eaten through the trailing arm some. I'll have better pictures later.

The other issue - a pin sized hole opened up on the passenger's side/rear brake line.

[VA72C10]

Came out looking pretty clean overall!!! A couple spots to fix but all in all looks good and should look great painted!

[litew8]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

Came out looking pretty clean overall!!! A couple spots to fix but all in all looks good and should look great painted!

I agree!

I figured that brake line would disintegrate, it was the worst with rust. I ended up replacing the front lines about 5 years ago due to them rusting away. Okay, not bad for a 40 year old truck! The BEST steel in the world, ever made! Love this truck and everything it stands/stood for in American ingenuity/craftsmanship.

Here's the truck frame/suspension primed!









Trailing arm, may need some patch work



The "black rust", he said it "grows" - it's alive!



Pictured in an above post, I'm so glad the cab floor was clean! It had a thick coat of old undercoating that seemed to have protected it well.

You guys are fortunate I like taking pictures! lol

[msgross]

nice project

[lolife99]

Great looking truck.
Be care sandblasting where there are grease seals.
That sand goes everywhere.

[litew8]

Thanks all! Update on some context:

Decided not to have it undercoated, just primed (pics up next). Figured it would be difficult to do the cab (and other) work with undercoating, so it'll wait until later. I bought the truck off of a girl who raised horses. She owned the truck a few years, but didn't do any preventive maint. The previous owner I mentioned above sold it in 1991 to a guy, who sold it to her after a few years. This truck has had a handful of owners, of which all lived in rural areas. I do not live, or work, on a farm.

My goal is to restore the truck to at least a 5-10 year old level. It'll probably look allot nicer than that. Not going to be perfect, but good enough - I do intend to use it sparingly for whenever. It isn't my daily driver, so it sits around quite a bit.
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Sand and grease zerks- probably was my biggest concern going forward with the blasting. The guy who blasted my truck was really good. The company has been around for a long time. I'll probably end up replacing some of the suspension up front.

[VA72C10]

I'd probably just look somewhere like AZ, NV, or CA for a nice used set of 3/4 ton trailing arms. They're the same as the others but they have the extra support welded onto the top and bottom (what rusted the worst on the one)

[litew8]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

I'd probably just look somewhere like AZ, NV, or CA for a nice used set of 3/4 ton trailing arms. They're the same as the others but they have the extra support welded onto the top and bottom (what rusted the worst on the one)

Very cool, I actually have a brother that lives in AZ. He'd probably gouge me on the shipping lol j/k
I need to do something about that busted brake line. No garage and never enough free time.

[litew8]

Truck was dropped off at the brake shop an hour ago!

[wyoziff]

Nice looking project, wish I would have sent mine to the brake shop. I messed around for over a week before I finally got them working. I've got a 71 LWB and I'm stuck on the gas pedal assembly. Any chance you have a picture to post of the the back side of the pedal/how it attaches to the rod assembly. I think a picture would do wonders, can't find it in the books anywhere. Thanks have fun with yours!