Getting my 84 silverado C-10 back on the road

[Schultze09]

Hi all,
I've been lurking on here for quite some time and now its time for my first post. This truck was purchased new in Houston by my father in 1984. We then moved shortly after that to Phoenix where he passed nearly 15 years ago. I got the truck and drove it for a few years then I moved to Minneapolis. I drove it around for awhile in the summers and parked it in the winters. About 10 years ago I just parked it and its been setting ever since. It has 70,000 miles and the body is completely rust free. AZ took its toll on the dash, seats and headliner. Well its time to get it going and have some fun with her again.

Things that need / should be done prior to trying to start it:
This is where I will need help from the GM truck guru's on here
1) buy a battery
2) change the oil
3) replace belts and hoses
4) remove gas and replace with new
5) ?
6) ?
You get the idea.
I have it in a nice heated shop with plenty of space to work on it.
I hope the pictures work, bad shots due to space limitations.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

[kody1234]

nice looking truck,i have one like it that I bought in 84.got to get mine painted.

[barry1982]

Nice truck! Sitting that long, you may want to carefully inspect your rad/heater hoses, and the radiator. I got one running a few years ago that sat for a long time. It seemed my coolant got a little corrosive sitting for the extended period. I also had to change the frost plugs as one had rusted and was seeping.
Sometimes the fuel pumps dry up and leak as well

[PAWS 72]

From what I see on my phone it's a good looking truck. Get it going and drive the stew out of it.

[MikeB]

Check all vacuum hoses for visible cracks
Check distributor vacuum advance canister for leak
Check brake booster for leak
Check emissions devices themselves for vacuum leaks
Change fuel filter
Change coolant
Lube wheel bearings
Change diff lube and transmission fluid/filter
Replace tires, if over 10 years old (Google "tire date code" to find the dates)
The latest halogen headlamps are probably brighter
Change wiper blades
Have fun!

[Schultze09]

Thanks guys for your input and comments. Is there a battery preference you guys are going with? Or is a battery a battery.

Thanks,

[kody1234]

buy the largest cranking amp battery you can afford,

[barry1982]

I agree that the high cold cranking amp batteries have more power. Not positive how cold your winters get in MN, but up in northern Alberta (it gets really cold) we stay away from the high amperage batteries. The reason being, higher amps = more/closer lead plates in the battery. A charged battery will not freeze, but if you let get run down it doesn't take much freezing for the closer lead plates to "touch" and short out your battery. I typically use a 650 CCA

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by Schultze09

Is there a battery preference you guys are going with? Or is a battery a battery.

Thanks,

When I bought my 82 C10 truck 2 years ago, it had a 3-year old "Budget Battery" with a 12-month warranty. I assumed it was a total POS and I'd have to replace it when I installed a new 350 in place of the tired 250 six. But after years, it's still working fine, even after the truck sat for 5 weeks in December-January and required 20-30 seconds of cranking to start.

After this experience and others with Sam's Club and Costco batteries, I'm inclined to say "a battery is a battery is a battery" unless you have a high compression big block or diesel.

Nothing but the highest quality brand names for the previous owner.

[Schultze09]

Well I spent some time with the old girl this weekend and for some reason the battery pan and coolant reservoir are missing. I vaguely remember at some point years ago the battery leaked and I removed it. Must have removed the pan and reservoir also at that time. Well I've looked everywhere and can't find them. Anyone have a battery pan laying around they would like to sell? Are the reservoir tanks available new still?
TIA

[Schultze09]

Pic of missing parts.

[Schultze09]

Delete the WTB in the above post. Just read I cant do that until I am a paying member which I will soon.
Thank you.

[brakenit]

Before trying to start it I would recommend removing the distributor and priming the oil pump with a drill and spinning the engine over by hand. It's some cheap insurance to prevent spinning a bearing due to a dry start from sitting for so long.

[barry1982]

You might want to check with GM for the overflow tank. I bought a new one for my 82' a couple years back, couldn't believe they still stocked the part! As it turns out, I ended up taking it back twice.... bad molding.... the tanks were seeping where the two "halfs" were joined.

[Schultze09]

brakenit,
Great advice I will look into that procedure to prime the oil pump. I have already rotated the engine an few times.

barry1982,
I called my local dealer with no luck but I did find both missing parts on the LMC website and in stalk too.

Is there any thing else I should do prior to firing the engine up or at least trying to? A little oil in the cylinders?

Thanks, Steve

[barry1982]

Too bad I live so far from you..... I have at least 10 parts trucks with battery trays.... If you pull the dist. and prime the pump until oil comes up to the top end you will be fine. I'm sure it doesn't work as well, but I have seen guys pull the hot wire off of the HEI, and crank the engine with the starter for a bit to pump up a little oil as well.

[tucsonjwt]

Buy an Interstate battery from Costco (assuming a Costco is near you) with a 3 year replacement warranty - you can return it to Costco before the 3 years are up and get a free replacement - they don't check the condition of the battery.

You can get most parts you need from various sources. Here are the usual suspects when looking for parts:

rockauto.com
oehq.com
oewarehouse.com
lmc.com
gmpartsdirect.com
davesauto.com

Always check ebay and amazon for oem parts. Rock auto is good for getting the GM or AC Delco part number which will simplify your search. You want to get oem parts whenever possible.

Clean, sand, repaint your battery tray area before you install an new battery.
If the inner fender is rusted replace it. Get a battery absosrber pad to go under the battery before you replace the battery - cheapest ones are on Ebay.

Try the sources I listed for your overflow reservoir. They are still available. You will find that it pays to be persistent in looking for parts.

When you get the truck on the road drive it slowly for the first couple of tanks of gas. Also, it would be a good idea to drop the gas tank and drain it and clean it, then put fresh gas in it. Also, check the rubber fuel lines and replace them it they look cracked. You can buy rubber fuel hoses much cheaper online - like from Amazon - Gates brand. I bought different size fuel hoses in 25' rolls for cheaper than a few feet from the local auto parts stores. I assume that you will replace all hoses. Radiator and heater hoses are also much cheaper online.

I would check your radiator for leaks. If you need a new radiator you can get a plastic/aluminum one for about $125 if you look around - Spectra brand. A couple of us posting here have used a Spectra with OK results. Don't forget to disassemble your copper/brass original radiator and take it to the scrap yard - you should get $25-$30 for it even with low copper prices.

[MalibuSSwagon]

Originally Posted by MikeB

After this experience and others with Sam's Club and Costco batteries, I'm inclined to say "a battery is a battery is a battery" unless you have a high compression big block or diesel.

You would be correct, there is only 2 manufacturers in the US of car batteries, Johnson Controls and Interstate. They are re-branded and distributed to retailers from there. So even if you are buying from Walmart, Costco, Autozone; you are going to get a quality battery.

Right now my truck is running on an Interstate I saved from a parts truck, usually when I part out a vehicle I save the battery and charge it then let it sit, if it holds the charge I stockpile it just in case I need a battery for something.

[ext5060]

As with all the guys mentioned above the key is oil, water, and trans fluid. Make sure it is changed or in goo shape. Then go to looking for bad/old hoses etc.. Peace out..

[Schultze09]

Originally Posted by barry1982

pull the hot wire off of the HEI, and crank the engine with the starter for a bit to pump up a little oil as well.

If this basically does the same thing as priming I will go this way. Unless I hear otherwise from this forum. Exactly which wire needs to be pulled to keep the engine from firing up?

Thanks for all the great info from you guys regarding locating the parts and safely firing this thing up after 12 years of storage.

Now I'm getting ready to put it up on jack stands. I understand v shaped stands work great on the rear axel but where do you put them on the front? Frame as close as you can towards the front but still behind the front wheel well? Or is there a better place?

Thanks,

[MalibuSSwagon]

The only thing with doing it that way is you are spinning the whole engine over, essentially doing the same thing you are trying to avoid, ya know, spinning over the engine dry. Whereas a priming tool just spins the oil pump. And they are cheap.

[Schultze09]

Thanks MalibuSSwagon That's what Ill do. I assume if I pull the distributor out and re-install it after priming the oil pump there will be no need to adjust the timing?

Does this look about right for jack points?

Thanks,

[1redbowtie3]

Originally Posted by Schultze09

Thanks MalibuSSwagon That's what Ill do. I assume if I pull the distributor out and re-install it after priming the oil pump there will be no need to adjust the timing?

You'll need to pay attention to which terminal the rotor is pointing at ... you'll want to reinstall it so the rotor is pointing at the same terminal, the distributor gears are curved so you'll want to drop it in and let it rotate to the appropriate point.

[barry1982]

I can't recall exactly what color the power wire is(think it's red) it's a heavier gauge single wire with a little plastic fitting that clips into your HEI. If you pull off your air cleaner, and look at the HEI you can't miss it. Because you are manually spinning just your oil pump and not turning the engine you should not have to re-time. It can get tricky to get the dist back in. I have had the gears line up, but the dist doesn't engage back into the oil pump, and won't drop in that last 1/2". I than pull the dist back out, and rotate the oil pump slightly with a long flat screwdriver, than try again.

[barry1982]

It's very important that the rotor is pointing in the exact same place it was at before you pulled the dist. It will spin slightly as you lift the dist out.