My 1970 C10 build in South Africa

[kolle_hond]

Hi All,
A quick history of the truck:
It belonged to a man who used it as his work truck. He and his wife are supposed to be retired, but sadly they lost most of their pension money through a series of events and he kept on doing steelwork/construction. I first had a good look at it when we got him to build a roof over our parking in the yard. The couple was then in a car accident (luckily they both recovered), but I decided to make an offer on the truck, as the owner would probably not be lifting heavy objects again in his lifetime. So then I got the truck.






I did not have much time to spend on it due to work, so when I finally got round to taking it to the roadworthy test, we accidentally poured some water in the fuel tank Luckily, we noticed it before attempting to start the truck again, so I got someone who knows a bit more about these things than I do, to help me clean out the tank.




So, finally getting it to the roadworthy centre, I only had to do a few minor adjustments, biggest of which was getting the exhaust replaced (the only thing keeping the rusted thing in place was a piece of steel wire!).
Then, with my new stainless steel exhaust, neatly covered electrical wires, straightened steering wheel etc. I went back, and I finally passed the roadworthy assessment, meaning the truck was now officially mine

Fast forward a bit, then in January 2014, I took it to a guy to get resprayed. The person I took it to, was recommended by our neighbor, who is manager of the used car sales in probably the biggest Ford dealership in the country. The original estimate of six weeks was waaaaay off. I checked in every now and then, but I think I got it back somewhere around August/September.
I know I have some earlier pics somewhere, but this is all I can find for now:



Now, you have to note, there was a long time period in which Chevrolet withdrew from South Africa, due to sanctions as a result of apartheid, which ended in 1994, but Chevrolet only returned somewhere in the 2000's. I found a guy who imports parts from the states, for all sorts of restoration/hot rod builds. So I ordered a few things, (chrome front bumper, mirrors, etc.) and when they arrived, the truck was re-assembled and it could be taken to have the bin rubberized.




Then I finally got it home, and put other wheels(from a Chevrolet Trailblazer, as that is the only new Chevrolet that uses 6 lug wheels currently being sold here) on.






Since, I have re-connected the tail lights (they cut all the wires) and had the brakes adjusted a bit (I think the rear brakes are still not working properly). I have placed an order for more parts from the local guy, which should be here next week. I will update as things progress.

[FOSTER21]

Cool setup man! Now get that bed gap straightened up.

[Katrina/10]

Neat truck, never seen one with a bed like that.

[kolle_hond]

Thanks for the comments guys. The reason why the bed is like that, is because the previous owner, for some reason, welded the bottom halves of the canopy to the bed. So the bed door was actually just a makeshift one, that can be easily removed when the canopy is fitted. I got the canopy as well as an extra bed for the truck in the deal, so I figured I would swop them out at some stage. I have to give credit to the guy who did the painting, the makeshift door looks much more like a part of the truck now than it ever did.

I got some bad news yesterday. It seems my new parts will only be arriving somewhere next week. I'll try to have the plate & wiring for the trailer connector done by then.

BTW, does anyone know where I can get a full floor carpet for a right-hand drive truck? I really don't like the rubber floor cover.

[kolle_hond]

My new parts will only be here tomorrow at the soonest, so I took my C10 in yesterday for someone at the garage to have a look at the brakes and do a routine service (I don't know a lot about building/fixing cars/trucks, and even though I want to learn, I am planning on taking it along to family this coming weekend, about 400km away, so I don't have the time to do everything myself before then). I got a call from the lady at the dealership this morning, and she was like "are you sitting down?". So apparently there are quite a few things that need attention/replacing, including the shocks, some engine mounts etc. Total cost? R20 000 (about 1900 - 2000 USD). I arranged for them to do just the service (R4400 - about 400USD), so that I can get the truck back today or tomorrow, and they will give me a full list of things that need to be replaced, as well as a quote. Knowing that my contact can get me LMC parts for about 2* the listed price (he handles shipping, taxes and adds his commission, so there is no 'hidden costs' or problems at customs that I have to worry about. Having shipped stuff from the states before, I know I would pay a lot more for the oversized parts just on shipping if I tried to order it myself), I will compare the quote with one obtained from him, before obtaining the new parts.

[kolle_hond]

Ok, so I found the rest of my photos. Note that it took something like 8 months to get the truck sprayed, and I took photos almost every time I checked in on it, so there are a lot. Enjoy:

[swamp rat]

Cool truck! cant emagine what it would be like to drive a right hand drive truck.

Oh, even tho the previous owner welded the bottom portion of the canopy to the bed the rear of the trucks where you are are still different from here in the states, most notably around the tail lights and possibly the tail gate too if i recall correctly. The driver side foot step is also not common here.

[Justin@EntropyRad]

Awesome..RHD truck is just super!

[Mac93]

Originally Posted by kolle_hond

BTW, does anyone know where I can get a full floor carpet for a right-hand drive truck? I really don't like the rubber floor cover.

Neat truck! I noticed your question from a while back and not sure if you got it solved but the carpet kits should not bed dependent on whether your truck is R-hand or L-hand drive since none of the steering components go thru the carpet (except the high beam switch on the floor, but you can cut that out with a utility knife).

Keep us updated with your work.

[kolle_hond]

Sorry for not updating this thread for a few years, let me quickly break down some things that have happened:
I had a ton of motor work done to try and fix a misfire. When it finally got solved, I somehow ran low on oil and while going 130km/h on the highway snapped a rod and it went through the block.
So I got a new engine block installed, also switched the radiator for an aluminum one with an electric fan and a new alternator for the extra load.
Currently I'm doing some more wiring, as I finally got my hands on some door jamb switches. Click here to see the video how I installed them
I still have to tidy up the wiring, figure out a short circuit with the lights (the indicators don't work when I turn on the headlights) and a few other things. I will try to cover as much as possible on my YouTube channel. And sorry for the poor quality and voice stuttering, I don't script any of my videos, I just film what I'm doing as I do it, so I don't always know what to say.

[Sparky dave]

Awesome right hand drive truck I’m definitely jealous as I’m in the uk. Is there many of these trucks in South Africa I’d love to import one

[cornerstone]

[QUOTE= Is there many of these trucks in South Africa I’d love to import one[/QUOTE]

I’m curious about this as well. I have a friend in Malawi, which is no short drive from South Africa, but would you say these trucks are common or rare on that side of the pond? I would also really enjoy having the steering wheel in the passenger side.

[kolle_hond]

Hi All,
Sorry for the delayed response.

There are quite a few of these trucks in South Africa, as they were built locally (Port Elizabeth). Not a lot of them left on the road though, and some extras were not available standard (like a/c). I have a 71/72 flyer here somewhere, I'll scan it and upload it for reference.

Mine did not have a build sheet, but the original owner kept everything, so I assume it was either removed or they simply did not use build sheets.

Locally we refer to pickup trucks with up to a capacity of 1 ton as a "bakkie", so you might encounter that in your search. Some South African classifieds you could try are OLX, junkmail, gumtree, auto trader, etc.

There are not many (if any) of these trucks left in 'showroom condition', as they were work trucks, but you can usually find one or two for sale at any given stage.

I hope this helps you in your search.

[kolle_hond]

Note the hand written prices on the first page. That is South African Rand (ZAR) at the time!

[Katrina/10]

Very nice you were able to find the old brochures, do you have a factory tailgate for your truck?

[kolle_hond]

Originally Posted by Katrina/10

Very nice you were able to find the old brochures, do you have a factory tailgate for your truck?

Hi, sorry I took so long to reply.
Yes, I do have the factory tailgate, and that is also something that is different about the South-African trucks. I still need the body shop to paint it for me and install it. I have painted it with rust converter, so it is in bad shape, but not getting any worse.

[Katrina/10]

I was wondering about the panels in the rear of your bed, until I saw the pictures in the brochure and see there is a factory tailgate. He must have installed those panels for the work he was doing. Glad you have the original, it looks fixable!

[kolle_hond]

The panels were actually part of the canopy, which had a full length door. Since I got a fibreglass canopy, I scrapped the old steel canopy, as it was pretty rusted anyway, so I don't need the panels anymore. Getting them off is going to be tricky, as I don't know all the mounting points and the bin is coated with thick rubberizing.

[kolle_hond]

So, for about 4 years I did not see my truck, as it broke down (engine related) and I opted to get a 350 sbc motor put in, as I was fed up with the straight 6 constantly giving me issues.
I sent it to the guy who did most of the mechanical work previously (replaced the engine block, did a front disc brake conversion, etc.), sold me a 350 sbc for cheap as he needed the cash at that stage, so I took it to him to do the swap.
Unfortunately he had lost his brother, who worked with him, so he struggled doing things on his own and was heavily depressed for a while.
Long story short, I have the unfinished truck back, 350 engine on the back and some parts missing.
I don't have the money to do much to it at the moment, but I am slowly working on it.
Included photo is where it is currently standing.
I'll try to keep the thread updated with any progress.

[kolle_hond]

I'll just keep a list of things that are missing here so I don't forget:
Brake Master Cylinder
Brake pads
Radio
Carburetor
Air filter
Fuel pump
Radiator bracket
Bolts and nuts to mount everything.

[kolle_hond]

So, I assembled some of the engine to figure out where all the parts go. I'll need to make a list of missing bolts and screws so I can go buy them.
The distributor is also incomplete, so I'm not sure if I should just get a new one with a coil.

[kolle_hond]

I'm making a modification to my battery tray as my first attempt learning to weld.

Previously my father just cut the side of the tray and bent it, but there was still a 'lip' left, so we had wooden plank at the bottom of the battery to ensure a flat surface, which worked but looked terrible and has since rotted away. We use weird battery sizes in South Africa, the numbers don't make a lot of sense, but after some research, I figured out the stock battery size was 622, which generally has a CCA of around 300. This is obviously not enough for a 350 ci small block, and even the 250 ci had issues with it, so after a bunch of research (no one seems to have a proper chart for South African battery sizes), I settled on a size 650, where the CCA is 600+, depending on the make and variant.

As for the tray, Im planning to sand/brush off the rust and paint it with some anti-rust primer once I'm happy with the welds, then do a coat of black on it before I put it back in the engine bay.
https://youtu.be/nZiY3dD8iuc

[SCOTI]

Pretty neat truck.

Sorry you had to experience the set-back w/the engine swap. Looks like the motor is a later model Vortec era engine so that's a good foundation.

[kolle_hond]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Pretty neat truck.

Sorry you had to experience the set-back w/the engine swap. Looks like the motor is a later model Vortec era engine so that's a good foundation.

Thanks!
Yeah, the motor seems nice, but it won't turn over at the moment, so I'm planning to get it off the back of the truck as soon as I can convince someone to help me push the truck forward.

I did finally manage to get almost all the old canopy steel cut off today, so I'm quite happy with that. The rear of the truck bed has probably not seen sunlight for 40 years.

[MellowYellow70]

Wow! I can't imagine the import fees and delays trying to get any parts. Glad to se you're still keeping the initiative on it.