Heirloom - 73 C10 Cheyenne

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I've been thinking about putting this thread together for a long while. It is a bit of a story and a long trip (it isn't over yet either).

I've been looking and learning a lot from all the guys on here over the last five years and really haven't posted much at all. Maybe some of the stuff I can put up here will help some others with their projects...many things which seem simple in hindsight were really a difficult learning curve at first. I'm ok with my hands but don't have any real talent like some of you guys. Every piece of this has been a fight to get done at least halfway right.

Here's how it looked when I was getting ready to haul it back into the sunlight in 2011.

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I told a good buddy in college there was a 73 chevy stepside I was eventually going to work over. He asked me "why a 73? nobody wants those, you need a 68, that's what everybody wants".

Well this one has family history (plus I like the squarebody better anyway). Father in law bought it from family in California when he was 14. It was a factory big block truck - 454/t400. He drove it through high school. The 454 got pulled in favor of a L71 tri-power 427 out of a 68 corvette. Apparently this stuff was easier to find in the 70's.

The truck was sold to my wife's uncle (who didn't do anything except cut in a sunroof) and then came back to the father in law a few years later. My wife bought it in high school. Out came the big motor (she wasn't trusted with it!) and in went a 305. The 427 got shoved in a corner of the shop.

When I met my wife (then girlfriend) in high school she was driving it, but it got traded back to her folks when we left for college...couldn't pay the gas. It was parked permanently soon after until 10 years later...

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It cleaned up ok (with three generations worth of help) but was in pretty rough shape. Cab corner rot, couple of fender dents, bent bumper, had to keep it on one side of the dual tanks because switching to the other one sent a constant dribble of gas out of the switching valve (and onto the exhaust).

I drove it 2 hours away and got it in the garage. Stopped at napa on the way and grabbed a drip pan for the leaky 305. The thing had no power whatsoever but sounded pretty good (glasspacks).

Later that summer before I had done much with it my buddy from college stopped through town (picture relevant). We hung out a bit and I had to eventually look it up and prove to him that yes they did sell a 2wd half ton with a 454 as a factory option.

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I had mechanic'd on my own rigs for a long time. About five years before getting the truck I went completely through the motor and manual trans in a ford thunderbird (sorry, my fleet has contained a lot of ford over the years, I am somewhat brand agnostic).

The tbird had a roots blower, was kind of a cool car and the experience taught me a lot. Mostly it taught me that I wanted something that was easier to wrench on if it was going to be a "hobby"!

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So I knew I was eventually going to go get the old stepside. But I didn't know much about what I was going to do with it other than that it was going to get "newer" and I was doing more than just the motor this time.

Without any good plan I started fixing up the inside of the truck cab first (makes perfect sense right?). I have learned several times since then that interior should be the last thing you do, not the first.

I took the old carpet out, cleaned up the quart of oil that had spilled about three decades prior underneath the seat, and took a wire brush to the floor pans. They were pitted but solid.

The original trim color was charcoal gray but I SEM'd everything to black, the gray always looked dirty to me.

I also bought a new ABS headliner, was probably the biggest expense so far. The old one was saggy and because of the sunroof I couldn't just leave the roof bare. Also because of the sunroof I had to cut a big hole in the new headliner. Cutoff wheel threw plastic bits everywhere but did a good job.

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The truck had some good things going for it. The in-laws had almost always put it inside when it wasn't being driven. The original dash was perfect except for small cracks in the speaker vents. The bench seat's cover was not like any other I've ever seen, I suspect maybe it was aftermarket from the 70's. Anyway it was in great shape and not "velour" enough to be outdated.

I found a tach/small gas gauge from another truck and re-arranged my cluster. I soldered together leads on the back to make the flimsy circuit board work.

I also took apart everything under the dash and gave it a good cleaning. The truck was not originally an AC truck but it had been added from another truck at some point in the past. Up here in WA the temps don't really require AC and I liked the idea of less clutter under the dash/hood so I went to ripping it out. While I was at it I resealed the flapper in the heat distribution box with some foam camper mounting tape. This is a nice way to make the truck "feel" newer...when you pull the HVAC over to defrost it is really different to hear it close that flapper softly instead of with a metal on metal sound.

I even got online and found a couple sheets of a flexible rubber. After taking apart the manual kick panel vents I was able to drill out some rivets and replace the rotting rubber that seals these vents. Don't have any pics of these but they turned out really nice.

[MTCK]

Cool rig. Love the slot mags. Hopefully this story has a big block twist at the end.

[77 Big 10]

Looks nice.

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I also found a solid back window on craigslist for $30. I had a complete new rubber kit for all the window seals, door seals, etc. so I changed it out one evening with the wife's help. Getting the old slider glass out wasn't too hard - just razor knife the old seal. Getting the new one in was an absolute pain though. I have been persuaded that glass is worth paying somebody else to do.

I also put on the new door seals and strikers. Wow what a difference that makes. Another way to make the truck "feel" newer...when you close the door and there is no clanging or banging, just a solid feel.

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Originally Posted by MTCK

Cool rig. Love the slot mags. Hopefully this story has a big block twist at the end.

The slot mags are staying as long as I can manage it. They are a bit different than what I have seen everybody running. First off they are not repro's, these are the real deal, they even have the western wheels spinners for them. I've seen these going for serious money on ebay...

The other difference, which is kind of good and kind of not, is that these are actually van wheels, not truck wheels. I think it was done on purpose back in the 70's for the california low rider look, but these only have 3.5" backspacing. What is good about that is that the clearance to the A-arms is great! What isn't so good (IMO) is that the 295's stick out of the fenders a bit too much.

I hope to end up using some 275's eventually in front and maybe solve the "bubble" tire look a bit. The mags also need polished but I need to find time first.

Oh yeah I will get to the big block...

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Originally Posted by 77 Big 10

Looks nice.

Thanks Paul! It's getting there...eventually...maybe.

[rusty76]

I'm following. Nice truck.

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At this point, which was about spring 2013 if memory serves, I had a 40 year old truck with a leaky 305, about three coats of orange-peeled rusty black paint, body damage, and a nice fixed up interior.

So I decided that obviously the next step was a redneck frame off and commenced tearing it apart.

One thing that I love about working on these old trucks is how ridiculously easy it is to access every nut and bolt. Contrast this engine pic with the thunderbird motor up above...much happier working on this. Kids helped as only kids can and I tried to bag and label all the hardware as it was coming off.

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One of the best tips I've found on here, and I don't remember who to give credit to, is that you can build a jig for an engine crane and use it to remove a cab. I will buy a tall frosty beverage for whoever came up with that and posted pictures.

Before I knew it I had parts everywhere. Storage has definitely been an issue with this project.

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I think it might be appropriate at this point to reflect on a few things.

A buddy of mine has a 66? or so Chevelle. It was his wife's earlier in life too so we have talked over these projects several times. He has something like $70k into his, a lot of professional work and it is a super nice car (as one would expect).

It was a little before I took the truck completely apart that I asked him what drove him to the point of building something that ridiculously nice. He said something along the lines of "we just envisioned a higher level of performance".

Building a rig that was once your wife's does give a little leeway as far as budget goes. That being said, you have to pay to play, and if you are fundamentally a tightwad to begin with...well. I wanted to build something that was "a higher level" but in no way was I going to throw 70k at something.

So I did what I usually do in these circumstances which was start figuring out ways to cut out the middleman and do everything possible myself. It may not turn out as nice in the end, but I will know it was (almost entirely) done with my hands. In the end if I get a good "date night" truck out of it, and some quality time with family in the garage, it will be worth it.

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So with everything ripped apart I started on frame and suspension. I had originally thought about leaving the cab on and just POR15'ing the parts of the frame I could get to but there was something deep down inside me that was morally offended by the idea. To be clear, if you are ok with doing that on your own truck, more power to you. I think I must be a little bit wrong in the head.

So I unbolted absolutely everything I could from the frame. I wanted all the little pieces to be separate so I could clean them up. I used purple power, oven cleaner, wire brushes, and what seemed to work the best was a grinder with a wire wheel. We set it up on stands and brushed on chassis saver which is a por15 competitor. I don't really have any pictures of this and you will see why below.

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Three more quick things. When you are wire wheeling old steel, wear a good mask with filters (like a bandit from harbor freight), wear good eye protection that covers all possible angles, and wear hearing protection. I finally got tired of coughing up rust and so I started wearing a mask. The grinder screaming on the frame got old after a while so I put in plugs. And you really don't want to hear my story about going to the eye doctor.

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I really wasn't happy with how the chassis saver turned out on the frame and all the control arms, etc. It covered ok but it did not self level like I thought it should. I think it would have been fine if I had sprayed it but at that point in time I was not up the learning curve on spraying paint of any kind.

It was around this time that I had an outfit in town do a big sandblast and paint job on a piece of equipment for work. They did an awesome job and I half jokingly asked them what it would take to do the frame. The next week I hauled everything down there in my 95 GMC, with the frame up on top of a ladder rack.

They returned it on pallets and it was gorgeous. Two stage semi-gloss. Very satisfied and the price was right too.

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The suspension on the truck as it came to me was a bit different from most of what you read about on the forum. It was about a 4/6 drop or maybe a little less. The front was lowered on heated springs. The thing drove awesome, straight as can be and no rougher than you would expect.

The back had not had the axle flipped or anything. It was lowered on a mono-leaf lowering spring. You can still buy these if you look in the brothers/LMC/whatever catalogs, they are 400 or 500 a pair. People don't like them because, if they break, you are losing a rear fender (at best).

That being said, this truck had driven fine for a lot of decades. I decided to rebuild the front with 2.5" drop spindles (heard that 3" caused a lot more control arm interference). I bought new stock height coils for the front as well.

I compressed the springs in the front with 2" wide ratchet straps around the control arms and across the frame. I won't show pictures of that because honestly I don't think anybody else should repeat it. It got the job done but was probably stupid.

I used all new MOOG stuff with grease zerks (their "fix it" line or something similar). Rockauto is your friend, very affordable.

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For new grade 8 hardware I looked at my bags of stuff from the teardown and started making lists. I just wanted american hardware with good plating and I didn't want to spend a fortune. Some guys on here talk about tractor supply (they sell grade 8 by the pound) and while I do have one in town the plating usually leaves something to be desired.

Online I found Allen's fasteners which is in CA. You can put together an order and they will pick it and ship it, all exact lengths, etc. They even have the specialty type screws and bolts. I have probably spent about $150 with them on the whole truck (frame, body, etc) but it has been money well spent as they have quality product. It is a way to get things looking nice without thinking that you need stainless hardware.

Once I had it all assembled I stuck the cab back on. How could that be a waste of time, I mean obviously I was ready to reassemble everything.

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I had gotten into the whole square body thing at this point. I always liked the looks of the 80's trucks too (although I've got what I want more than anything - a 73-74).

So the university surplus near me is getting rid of an 83 crew c20. My 95 gmc is a nice little truck but it doesn't carry the family any more. I looked at the c20 and thought, nah, this thing is more beat up than I want to deal with. Plus they wanted like a whole $1500 for it.

Then I went back a few months later and they still hadn't managed to sell it. I look again and decide that I'll try driving it. In the middle of WA winter (this isn't seattle, we get snow). Stickshift and I'm thinking it probably won't even start.

Well it fires on the first crank from dead cold and the college kid working the surplus store tells me while we slide around dodging cops in town (no plates) that the gal running the store will probably take $700. Sold!

Take it home, get excited and knock the busted bedsides off. It is honestly refreshing at this point to work on something that I really don't care much about.

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As a result of buying the 83 c20 I was able to cash out and sell my 95 gmc. Like almost all the rigs I have sold I wish I hadn't sold this one, it was a cool truck. That being said, I came out a couple grand ahead and it allowed for some other work to get done on the stepside.

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Back to the stepper. While I was in the middle of various frame and suspension work I tried to clean up other things underneath the body. I wire wheeled and undercoated the two gas tanks. I used Dominion sure seal's BUF undercoating, it took a 20 dollar shutz gun to spray it (over some rattle can primer). This was my first foray into spraying stuff with any kind of gun setup. I was pleased with the result.

I also redid the tank straps, was able to save the metal but made new "insulation" inserts to go in between the straps and the tank from a roll of roofing felt I had laying around. New fuel pickups and socks from rockauto.

Then I put together a stand for what I call the "redneck rotisserie" and flipped the cab up on it's back. Had to grind off the little trim points so that it wouldn't dent the back of the cab. After making a gigantic mess with a wire wheel and lacquer thinner I primed and shot the underside of the cab too.

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Well the weather finally turned better that spring. I was having fun junkyarding parts for the 83. I found some bedsides and was figuring that, when it came to paint, maybe I would practice on the 83. I even found some correct-color buckskin buckets out of a 'burban for $22. I don't think they even had any rips.

That's when another buddy of mine called and wanted to borrow it for a few days. His business (lawn care) truck threw a rod and he had to keep rolling, so I lent him "big yellow".

A few days later he deemed his truck "big blue" not cost effective to fix. I gave him 500 and he hauled it to my door (using my truck). I figured maybe I could put it all together into a nice k30 some day - the yellow body wasn't very rusty and his had a good 4x4 frame/drivetrain.

(if you are thinking that is a tough truck/trailer combo to turn around, you are right)

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This was 2014. The stepside was ready for the next step. The bed, fenders, hood, core support and doors were all off of the truck. The cab was on, but I had stripped almost all of the interior back out, good thing I refurbished the interior first, oh well.

So the motor that I knew was still on my father in law's shop floor came to mind. I gave him a nominal fee for it, about the same amount I paid him for the truck. Nothing for free. That being said, with both items, the price was good, and I can't sell them unless it is back to him. No problems there.

This is a numbers-proven L71 427, factory rated (or under-rated for insurance purposes) at 435 hp. I gave him back the ram horns (although they go for good money online). He has the tri-power intake but I really don't want to screw with triple carbs, especially since he doesn't have those and they go for 1200 a set on ebay. He had always run it with a holley 850 double pumper and a dual plane intake...I kept the intake and gave him the holley back. I definitely kept the M/T valve covers, which are marked inside with a Chevrolet part number, unique as far as I have heard. The covers are actually off at the powdercoater right now.

I know there are many very good arguments on here about the superiority of LS motors. But I was (and am) very excited to try working with the old iron and see what we can do.