'69 C10 - Black on Black

[68Gold/white]

Originally Posted by MDPotter

We thought we had it figured out, but routing on the outside of the frame takes a little more planning and test fitting than inside where you can use the frame as the guide knowing that no part of the cab or bed drop lower than the top flange of the frame. Not so on the outside! I noticed yesterday after reinstalling that section that the bend over the axle is now too high and will hit the underside of the bed. It won't be a big deal to fix, it's just more time.

I guess you didn't want to cut away any of that cab piece for exhaust clearance???

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by 68Gold/white

I guess you didn't want to cut away any of that cab piece for exhaust clearance???

Why didn't I think of that?! That would have been way easier.

[68Gold/white]

A good friend of mine had a 66 C-10, LWB, (this was back in the 80's...)underside essentially the same as a 67-72. I had been under my 68, at that time, working on something, got an idea about routing exhaust out the back. Bends in pipes are restrictive, and a pain to make correctly

He's a legit machinist, and can fabricate ANYTHING...
I said, Why not make a couple of bends, just behind the headers, and run the pipes straight out the back,outside the frame, put the mufflers where they need to be????
He says, what about over the rear end???
I told him to calculate how far down the extreme movement of the suspension will be, put the pipe above that. The rear coils are only going to compress, so far (his rear coils were stock)
I visit him in a few weeks, and he's got the system installed on his pickup, exactly as we talked about...he was thrilled!!!
Back then, the only good sounding, good flowing mufflers were the Sonic turbo mufflers. Don't remember who made them. They were maybe 18" long. He complained they were a little loud, and he bought 2 more of those mufflers. Had 2 mufflers on each side, running end to end. Sounded real nice, but still pretty unrestrictive. THat 66 had a SBC 400 in it, ran incredibly well!!!

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by 68Gold/white

A good friend of mine had a 66 C-10, LWB, (this was back in the 80's...)underside essentially the same as a 67-72. I had been under my 68, at that time, working on something, got an idea about routing exhaust out the back. Bends in pipes are restrictive, and a pain to make correctly

He's a legit machinist, and can fabricate ANYTHING...
I said, Why not make a couple of bends, just behind the headers, and run the pipes straight out the back,outside the frame, put the mufflers where they need to be????
He says, what about over the rear end???
I told him to calculate how far down the extreme movement of the suspension will be, put the pipe above that. The rear coils are only going to compress, so far (his rear coils were stock)
I visit him in a few weeks, and he's got the system installed on his pickup, exactly as we talked about...he was thrilled!!!
Back then, the only good sounding, good flowing mufflers were the Sonic turbo mufflers. Don't remember who made them. They were maybe 18" long. He complained they were a little loud, and he bought 2 more of those mufflers. Had 2 mufflers on each side, running end to end. Sounded real nice, but still pretty unrestrictive. THat 66 had a SBC 400 in it, ran incredibly well!!!

We weren't confident enough in exhaust fabrication when we did my dad's 64 C10 so we took it to a local shop and that's how they ran it. But now I see why they insisted on having the truck all put together - so they know all of the obstructions and what they are working with.

[MDPotter]

It's finally starting to look like a truck again. We have the doors, fenders, grille, and bumper installed. We spent a lot of time fitting the grille and the fenders - they're all aftermarket so of course it didn't go together as nice as factory pieces. After slotting the grille brackets about 1/2" and doing some hammer and dolly work on the grille, it's all in place and looks decent. We put on the hood to test fit as well. Pretty happy with how clean the engine bay is.

[MDPotter]

We've also been assembling the interior - wiring is all in place as well as most components but we had to order a few little parts that kept us from installing the radio, gauge cluster, and glove box. We had some heat shield/sound dampening left over so we used that up on the back and floor of the cab and laid the carpet and installed the seat belts as well. Wing window frames are stripped and epoxied. Also reapplied epoxy to the hood and cowl in preparation for bodywork. Lastly, bought a reman power steering box since the old one was leaking.

[1971Stepside]

I was wondering when we would get an update! Looks great. Those grills will really fight you.

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by 1971Stepside

I was wondering when we would get an update! Looks great. Those grills will really fight you.

I know...I will go weeks without pictures and then BAM! Front end assembled.

I've gained even more appreciation for factory parts in working on this truck - the combination of aftermarket fenders and grille has made it challenging. Aftermarket parts are rust-free, damage-free (most of the time), but the fitment and quality aren't always there.

[rodstored-72]

Originally Posted by MDPotter

I know...I will go weeks without pictures and then BAM!... Aftermarket parts are rust-free, damage-free (most of the time), but the fitment and quality aren't always there.

preach on brother!!

[Low Elco]

I have a oval carbide burr in a die grinder- Known by all as the "hole stretcher". It gets a workout upon front end assembly. Lookin' good!

[MDPotter]

That tool and a dremel have came in handy.

[72Teeroy]

Beautiful work and very nice truck

[MDPotter]

Making good progress despite the heat.

Had a local metal fab shop bend up a piece of aluminum to secure the top of the electric fans.


Also applied filler to the hood. Nothing too major, except the two big circled areas that are oil canning and are currently huge low spots. If I put my hand underneath and lift gently, it looks pretty good. I've done a little research and heard of guys adding braces to add some structure to these hoods, but I'm open to any suggestions. Also considering replacing the pads between the braces and hood skin, but that might not address these low spots and lift up the spots under the braces too much.



Also rebuilt the vent windows, loaded the doors, and installed the head unit and ignition.

[TA_C10]

Looking great man. Normally for oil canning you would shrink the metal to tighten it up but if it's low then hmmm, that would make it lower right? Interested to see how you tackle this one.

[sfont66]

Again, nice work, and great progress. at the rate you are going you will be driving it before winter comes!
Will this become your wife's truck? So much hard work put into it, i would hate to see you sell it now!
The recent photos certainly show that you have a good size shop to work in, well equipped too.
Keep up the good work, your progress is very motivating to the rest of us.

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by TA_C10

Looking great man. Normally for oil canning you would shrink the metal to tighten it up but if it's low then hmmm, that would make it lower right? Interested to see how you tackle this one.

I have used the heat shrink technique before. Definitely an amateur at it, but it has worked to eliminate oil canning. I want to explore other options first though - I don't want to make it worse. If I could figure out a way to push up the metal and hold it in place permanently, I would be happy.

Originally Posted by sfont66

Again, nice work, and great progress. at the rate you are going you will be driving it before winter comes!
Will this become your wife's truck? So much hard work put into it, i would hate to see you sell it now!
The recent photos certainly show that you have a good size shop to work in, well equipped too.
Keep up the good work, your progress is very motivating to the rest of us.

No, not a truck for the wife or for us to keep. Just a project for us - I'm sure we'll find someone that will enjoy it. But yes, the goal is to have it done this fall. It's my dad's shop and it's been such a great place to work on various projects over the years.

[Grumpy old man]

This may help .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Tx...8nzAgT&index=6

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

This may help .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Tx...8nzAgT&index=6

Thanks for sending this link - I watched a couple minutes of it and looks to be the same problem I have. I think I'll watch the whole series actually. I have a lot of respect for guys that do this every day and have been doing it for decades.

[MDPotter]

So we took a shot at heat shrinking the hood to try and tighten up the steel, but no luck. We just don't have the experience or knowledge when it comes to working sheet metal. We would heat up a spot until it's red, then use a shrinking dolly underneath and use a hammer on top and then quench it. There was hope on the passenger side, but we kept getting high spots on the driver side and seemed to be chasing the oil can around. I can't remember if the hood was this bad in these areas when we bought the truck or not, but I have a level of confidence in the blaster that he knows how to not warp large areas of sheet metal. We all know that these hoods lack rigidity and I think that's the primary issue. In this case, with our lack of skills, we decided to throw in the towel, cut our losses, and order a new hood. Even if we could have made it work, we would have been left with a really ugly underside and it could have been covered with insulation, but we just couldn't bring ourselves to go through all the filler work and cover up that ugliness. Felt a little beat by the outcome, but relieved in a way.

We pulled the bedsides back out and are resuming filler work on them. We still have a few months of warm weather left, but quite a ways to go on the bed so we're trying to focus on bodywork.

What I've learned on this truck is this: if you want to have a truck that is all GM sheet metal, you're going to have to spend a lot of time and money fixing original sheet metal or tracking down panels that are in good shape. Or, you can buy new sheet metal and deal with the fitment challenges but avoid a lot body work.

[TA_C10]

Sorry to hear about the hood man but sounds like you got a good plan.

[MDPotter]

The hood showed up and doesn't appear to be damaged. The quality level is about as good as you can expect. The spot welds on the back edge are raised so I'll have to do some hammer & dolly work on those. Lots of sharp edges. Fit is okay, except the overall width at the back. The gap between the fender and the hood is almost an inch at the back. What we're thinking about doing is drilling out the spot welds where the rear structure attaches to the skin and then try to bend that brace outwards or put some kind of shims between the two.

You'll see that the grille isn't aligned with the driver side fender in the picture - we took it back off and fixed that as it has been bothering me and it will make the hood/grille gap go away.

[MDPotter]

Also got the bedsides into their last round of epoxy. I had previously put on 3 coats of 2K and they blocked out very well - I think I spend more time with filler and glazing putty and less time with primer/surfacer than some guys because I was expecting another round or two of blocking. But it came out great so I put on 3 more coats of epoxy for final sanding prior to paint.

Also applied epoxy to the front bed panel and tubs so they can enter the filler work phase.

Really starting to see the light on this truck - it's all coming together and it will be a complete truck in the next few months.

[TA_C10]

Nice work. And that hood seems a lot less work than a beat up old original. I guess they all end up needing help in the end.

[sfont66]

I am very interested in the tricks and tweaks needed to fit the aftermarket hoods. I have 2 original hoods to choose from, but both have some issues, I am likely a couple of years before needing to address this area on my project, but I am following along to see how and what needs to be done for a good fit, with the aftermarket hood , if I need to go that route.
You have a lot of skills, and a ton of ambition, keep up the good work, its very motivating/ inspiring to the rest of us!

[MDPotter]

Originally Posted by sfont66

I am very interested in the tricks and tweaks needed to fit the aftermarket hoods. I have 2 original hoods to choose from, but both have some issues, I am likely a couple of years before needing to address this area on my project, but I am following along to see how and what needs to be done for a good fit, with the aftermarket hood , if I need to go that route.
You have a lot of skills, and a ton of ambition, keep up the good work, its very motivating/ inspiring to the rest of us!

I will try to remember to take pictures of what we do. It'll be a couple weeks before we work on the hood. Focusing on getting the bedsides in paint and getting the tubs and front panel through the filler phase.