63 C30 Camper to Flatbed Project

[edub981]

So my grandpa had a 64 c10 and when I saw the add for this camper it was listed as a C10. The similarities where close enough so I went for a look. Upon arrival I saw I that it was a C30and even though I didnt necessarily need a 1 ton truck I wanted it. So after the engine warmed up I test drove it and it just felt right. The 292 ran aliitle noisy but it was strong the interior was nice, clean, and original. The camper portion was a fleeting thought and upon inspection it was determined not worth the effort. Though kind of stylish and oh-so roomy! Nothing functioned properly, the right side of the camper had a leak, and I like to camp in the elements anyway.

I feel lucky to have made it home without incident. PO said the carb had just been rebuilt, but the second time I started it to reset the timing, I noticed that gas started to dribble then pour onto the exhaust manifold. I believe this to be the cause of the backfire and rough idle... at least its a starting point!

Anyways my plan is to completely remove the camper portion and install a flatbed. I do have some concerns as to what style of bed as well as wheel/tire size. Any thoughts?

Oh and as a newbie to the forum "Howdy y'all!"
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[chevyrestoguy]

Welcome to the board! You're going to like this site!

Guys around here love pictures, so post some up whenever you get a chance.

As far as your plans, are you building a hot rod or a hauler? That will be a big determining factor as to what type of flatbed will work and your wheel/tire combo. There's guys on here with flatbeds at both ends of the spectrum, from stock to modified.

[clemdaddy]

most flatbeds you find will fit. mine is a 10 foot bed from a 50s model chevy 1 ton. another great feature is that you can upgrade suspension components using 70s and 80s c-30 parts... they will bolt right up.

good luck and welcome

[edub981]

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So here are some pics. The Capri camper was added in 63 in California. It will need back glass, on order, once the 4 ton camper is removed. It leaks and isnt in great shape inside. Should be fun.
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[hemifalcon]

That's a pretty good looking truck.. Best o'luck with it!!

[Captainfab]

Welcome to the forum

I agree, that's a nice clean and straight truck

That should be a 157" wheel base C30, so that will accomodate a 12' to 14' flatbed. What style is up to you. For a somewhat custom look, I prefer to have side skirts, so that you don't see the frame, springs, etc.

[Dinos63]

welcome ,clean truck

[1963c-10]

Looks like the larger rims and caps too....hard to find.

[KroAutomotiveInc]

Wow nice find i pulled parts off of a c30 just like this once in a bone yard. Your motor probably just needs a valve adjustment to quit her down and as for the carb its probably shot like most of the 1bbl rochester i would look into a 2bbl before you spent to much time on the rochester. As for wheels you cant beat org, cant wait to see more!

[edub981]

Looks like the larger rims and caps too....hard to find.

They are 17.5s. This sizing was new to me as I havent had much experience with older trucks. I like em, but havent found a lot of places that carry tires for them. My local tire guy wants to sell me some newer used steelies for more tire options. They dont have that classic bowtie look so I passed. Any 8 lug chevy rims will fit right?

as for the carb its probably shot like most of the 1bbl rochester i would look into a 2bbl before you spent to much time on the rochester

I just rebuilt it... both the power valve ball and the pump plunger were froze up. I'm putting it back on this evening. I hope it runs a bit better.

I also need to drill and easy out a valve cover bolt that the po decided to break off. Why do people feel the need to wrench those down so much?!
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[KroAutomotiveInc]

i hope that dose it for you then on the carb and i know what your saying about broken bolts i had one in the valve cover and one in the thermostat housing how it didn't leak ill never know lol as for chevy wheels other then the brand new wheels like 2012-2013 everything else should bolt right up.

[edub981]

Well the carb isnt the best but what really seems to be a bigger issue is the leak between the intaje and exhaust manufold. You can see some soot in this pic... ive read in sone other threads that this exhaust mani is done for... sound right?
Here is a fuzzy pic but you can still see where the leak is...
Bummer!
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[KroAutomotiveInc]

depends i wouldn't call it shot just yet there is a gasket that goes there which im sure is burnt out and you could beef up as well, also i'm sure a bit of filing on the intake and the manifold to level those surfaces out would do some good to when i redid mine the manifold was pack with carbon which im sure slowed the flow down.

[edub981]

Originally Posted by KroAutomotiveInc

depends i wouldn't call it shot just yet thereeis a gasket that goes there which im sure is burnt out and you could beef up as well, also i'm sure a bit of filing on the intake and the manifold to level those surfaces out would do some good to when i redid mine the manifold was pack with carbon which im sure slowed the flow down.

Ahh, so there is a gasket between them. Thanks KroAuto. Should I take both the intake and the exhaust manifold off to put on the new gasket or can they be re-aligned if I just take off the exhaust?

This is good news to me as the doughnut in the down pipe is gone too and im sure I will have to drill out those old bolts... either way its a lot easier to work with on a bench than from on the ground.!
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[KroAutomotiveInc]

ok so the intake is bolted to the exhaust manifold but it also shares the bolts going into the block, pay close attention to these bolts take pics if your unsure i tossed mine in a can and when it came time to bolt it back up it took about 40 min to figure it out lol.

it also shares the gasket on the block you will want to get a new one of those as well. check your services that touch on the intake and exhaust make sure they are not to pitted or rough take a file to them to flatten it out if they are don't take to much though.

Then that way you will know you are not having any leaks from your intake on the block or where it is on the exhaust.

heres a few pics from my 64 that may help.

[edub981]

That's great! I appreciate the help. I heard that the manifold bolts can be tricky sometimes... did you have any issues with removal? I plan to use some penetrating fluid as usual.

Also, my exhaust manifold has three bolts attaching the exhaust pipe... is this a difference between the chevy/gmc versions? I have read that the later model 292s had the 3 bolt flanges and the earlier had 2 bolt versions. This makes me wonder if I have the original engine!? I'll check the numbers this weekend.

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by edub981

That's great! I appreciate the help. I heard that the manifold bolts can be tricky sometimes... did you have any issues with removal? I plan to use some penetrating fluid as usual.

Also, my exhaust manifold has three bolts attaching the exhaust pipe... is this a difference between the chevy/gmc versions? I have read that the later model 292s had the 3 bolt flanges and the earlier had 2 bolt versions. This makes me wonder if I have the original engine!? I'll check the numbers this weekend.

Old bolts, particularly those on the exhaust, with excessive heat and rusting can be very brittle.
I personally would recommend you use PB Blaster as your penetrating oil, and soak the snot out of them at least twice, then let it sit until the next day before messing with them.
I would also use a battery operated impact wrench on a low setting to get them started.
If you dont have one of these then instead of just throwing a wrench on the bolts and giving them a hefty turn, I would suggest tapping the wrench with a hammer to get them started.

If you do not have a broken bolt extraction set, then you are going to want to err on the side of caution.
Nothing worse than snapping a bolt off in your engine block and not having the proper tools or skills to get it out !!

Good luck, keep us posted, you have gotten some great advice from Kro already

[KroAutomotiveInc]

on the exhaust manifold question i am unsure i have only worked on my 230 and the bolts i didn't have any trouble at the time i cant say i even thought about it i just took a wrench to them and they all came right out but after reading what McMurphy said it makes since those bolts would be brittle and im probably very lucky i didn't snap one off!

[edub981]

Thanks Kro and McMurphy. I did spray the manifold bolts with pbblaster... and they came suoer easy. It took me all of 5 mins to get the manifolds off- after of course I took the carburetor off and then took the vacuum advance and fuel line off. The fuel line broke off at the pump. I forgt that that the tank is still higher than the pump and gravity pushed a far amount of fuel out before I could crimp the line. Anyway it was all a good break from work. Here are some before and after pics.

A little dirty.

The paint on the gasket appears to be original. Which leads me to believe that the 48xxx miles are original as well.

Here is the blown and rotted gasket allowing the exhaust leak and probably a cause of the poor tuning.

The doughnut gasket was completely gone as well.

I am hoping that the installation of these gaskets will dramatically improve the performance of this old green engine. I am also very glad that the gasket kit is only 10 bucks. Has anyone had good luck with felpro kits?
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[65 wonton]

Don't know what others will say but Felpro has been making gaskets for a long time. Kinda an icon in the industry. I was using them in the 60's.

Dave.

[KroAutomotiveInc]

looking good man another sign of the motor having low miles is that intake those pockets that let exhaust heat in on mine 100k+ miles it was completely leveled off with carbon build up.

[McMurphy]

Another tell tale sign of low original miles is the rubber on the pedals.
If both, or all three of the pedals (in the case of a clutch) still look un-worn, then it is probably under 100k.