New (To Me) 64 C10 LBFS

[kingchr]

Hey Everyone,

I am new here, my name is Christopher, and I just recently pulled the trigger on a '64 C10 Long Bed. Has some form of non stock SBC and a four on the floor where a three on the tree used to be. I have been wanting one of these trucks since I was 15, and now that I have a good job, had the ability to purchase one. I have had many projects before, mostly Square Bodies and Fieros, so I have been spoiled by good easy to find used replacement parts... She has cancer in all the usual spots... lower rear portion of the front fenders, the rockers and the hood... but otherwise seems to be in pretty good shape. She had sat for about 6 years, and I drove her 100+ miles home no issue... just topped off the fluids, and aired up the tires...





Her First Fill-Up in 6 years on the way home...


(that's my silhouette in the foreground with the cowboy hat...)

It's amazing what comes off with a pressure washer... I cleaned her up after I took most of these pictures... and found even more rust in the hood and rockers...



The bed wood is rotten of course, not a big deal, as I work for a lumber company...



This truck had a PO at some point who apparently felt the need to have approx. 100 Gal. of fuel storage. He installed two "saddle bag" tanks in the rear, and then left the in-cab tank connected as well. There is a valve coming up through the passenger's floorboard to control tank selection. Both rear tanks have locking fuel caps that the PO didn't have a key for. Anyone have a good idea of how to gain access to the fillers? Keeping the caps isn't a huge concern, they look like a pretty easy part to come by.

The interior surprised me with how complete it was. However, someone spray bombed it at least once, maybe twice as it has a DARK blue showing through the peeling flat black... Does anyone have a good link to a climate switch repair thread? Tried a couple of searches to no avail.

Also, will any sun visor from a 60's-80's Chevy car-truck fit the stock holes in the cab by any chance?



In the next few weeks-months, I will be doing as many others on this site have, and swapping over to a front cross member out of an '82 C10 Sub that I parted out... Yielding power disk brakes, and power steering with very little cost or effort. I also have the rear end out of said Sub. and am contemplating swapping out the existing rear end, as this one has only a few hundred miles on it, and should have 3.73s. From driving this truck, I can tell you that this thing sounds like it has 4.11s or something similar.

I have already learned quiet a bit from browsing here the last couple of days... any suggestions or comments are welcome...

[MikeS.]

Christopher, welcome to the board and the addiction. Congrats on getting yourself one of the classiest trucks ever made. Fix it up and keep it for life.

Beaware that we expect pics, lots of pics. Of all the repairs and improvements you make.

Mike

[kingchr]

Thanks Mike! I will be sure to keep everyone who cares up to date.

I agree that these have to be one of the sweetest looking body styles ever made... They sure don't make them like the used to...

[MalibuSSwagon]

Its usually pretty easy to pop the top part of the plastic locking cap off with a flathead, had to do so when I got my truck, got to the station and found a lock cap behind the door!

[glos55]

Welcome to the site!!!! What a great project!!! Always brings a tear to the eye when another one of these great trucks is going to be saved! As MikeS said it's an addiction for sure!!

[kingchr]

Thanks for the support already y'all! Should make it harder for this truck to get "back burnered"...

[CRGRS 66]

welcome sir!
I have been on here for about 5 months. This site has been an amazing resource for me so far. Everyone on here has been immensely helpful, all they ask in return is pictures

[Captainfab]

Welcome to the forum Christopher

[Torqueforce]

Welcome and beautiful truck you have there! I love seeing our old trucks in their original, non restored condition, its a testament to their durability. Interested in what kind of small block you have there, looks like original style ram-horn exhaust. I'd recommend upgrading to disc brakes asap!

[mud.man.rj]

Welcome to truck land where we spend lots and lots of money and have fun doing it.

[kingchr]

Hey Y'all,

This long week-end let me get some things done on her. The Holiday started with a simple plan to get a couple of newer tires moved onto my rims plus doing a coolant flush, and ended with leaking an entire fresh tank of E10 gas all over the driveway .
What follows is a blow by blow of my truck "experience"

A buddy of mine that lives in a town about 30 miles down the road has a tire machine and bubble balancer. Since two of my tires had serious dry-rot issues, Dad and I limped it down to his place to swap em out for some almost new looking tires I had that were currently on 5 lug rims (which I will be using when I convert to power disc brakes and steering). Well he wasn't there, and the phone number I had for him told me his phone was off, and that he hadn't setup his voicemail... I had some errand I had planned to run another 30 or so miles down the road (in Medford), so I said to heck with it and we loaded back up and went the rest of the way "into town". On the way back from the hardware store, I saw the Les Swab sign and on an impulse, I swung in. The gentlemen explained that it would cost me approx. 50 bucks to have two tires swapped over and ballanced. I closed my eyes and said "make it happen". At this point Dad and I are standing right outside the bay, while the kid that got our work order grabs one of my tires-5lug rims out of the bed of the truck. He has already popped the tire off one of my 6 lug rims. He places the 5 lug on the machine and starts to do his normal thing, but keeps stopping while he is removing the upper bead. Like an idiot, I turn to dad and say "watch I am going to have to buy new tires". Sure enough the guy comes over and asks me to have a look. The beads on both the tires he has worked on to date have both torn alll around the edge.
I need to get home at this point, and the other tires are probably also not going to survive being pulled off their rims (at least by these guys) so I asked him what kind of deal he could make me. He went inside and came out with a price quote for $235.00 for two new 31x10.5x15s. I just shook my head at the way my trucks always wind up costing more to fix than expected, and told him he had a deal.

Fast forward to the next morining. I am about to simple pull the truck around from where I parked it to where I was going to install a new WORKING temp guage. I smell a little gas, but the saddle bag tanks still have their rotten gas, and I have been living with that smell to one degree or another since I picked up the truck. I turn it over, and the smell gets stronger, and she doesn't want to catch. Popping the hood I see that my rubber line going into the fuel pump has rotted out. I have run into this before when first feeding a truck E10, as the rubber is not only not ratted for ethenaol, but is very old and porus. I replace the fuel line with some we have around the place. Get back in, turn her over, and she starts! Great I will just move it around back... Oh wait, it REALLY smells rich... pop the hood and actually get doused from head to toe in gas mist. The weep holes on the pump are now spraying gas into my fan creating the mist. Guess the diaphram didn't like the new gas either... So I shut it down, and go take a shower before going 30 miles back down the road in another truck to score a new fuel pump.

When I get back and finsish installing the new pump (only took about 35 minutes to put in, thank God). I turn it over, and again she won't even try... I bail out and check the in-line filter by the carb, bone dry... At this point I am about convinced I have another bad fuel pump (having just had one on saturday while trying to fix my dad's Burb). Then I notice how large the dark spot is under the truck. As it turns out I didn't install a set of vice grips until I was taking the lines off the old pump... but while I was gone, the pump leaked the entire tank of fuel out past the ruptured diaphram.
Made a run to the local gas station, and got 5 Gal. worth of fuel for "only" 20 bucks... poured it in the tank, and she started right up... no leaks or any other issues...

So that concludes the week-ends happenings truck wise. For anyone who made it all the way through, thanks for listening to me wine a little bit.

How was your "Truck Laborday"?

[SIR]

...welcome from southern oregon...great start!!!

[kingchr]

Thanks! I had to stop for the week, as I work in Northern Cal. I will be back at it on Friday night though!

[Jeff La]

Sounds like the normal workings of a truck that has sat for that long. But look on the bright side, your getting it in better shape for daily driving. LOL

[PAPA KENT]

there is always going to be speed bumps when a truck has set that long so keep a stiff upper lip,things will get better.but i would certainly pull the drums and kit the wheel cylinders before taking it to far.6 years is a long time.

good luck and welcome!

[MikeS.]

Smile, it'll get better.
Posted via Mobile Device

[kingchr]

Picked up a nice pair of doors, a spare fuel tank, a boarderline useable left fender and a few other misc. parts this week-end. $70.00 took it all, I was pretty happy as both my wind wings needed rebuilt, along with the drivers side regulator. These doors also appear to match the original color of my truck that you can spot in chips in the now lighter blue. Now I just have to figure out a new place for the speakers (don't want to destroy prefect doors), any good suggestions? Behind the seat maybe? Like in a stock 80s truck... Only planning to run a pair of either 6" or 6"x9"'s.

I am now on the hunt for easily scored front fenders and a hood... I am going the patch panel route on the cab floor-rockers, but I am just not feeling the need to do more spot weld drilling, trimming, cursing,and re spot welding than necessary, as originals of these parts appear to be easily source from CL.

[61_FL_Apache]

Welcome Christopher! That should be a fun project for you.. Start a build thread to show your progress.