1968 C-10 "Project: Spot lives"

[JVictor75]

Hi guys!

I'm a verrry long time member/lurker (join date May 0f 2002) and am finally FINALLY going to start my project.

*whew* EDITED: I could probably fill up a few pages of TLR history and questions concerning the truck, but I just need some answers and advice.

68 LWB C10, no power, no ac, originally a white 307/3 spd.

I'm looking into ordering suspension/brake kits and want to stick with a static 3/5 drop for now. The truck will have a 396/700R4 combination, so I'd like power discs at all four corners and sway bars. POL has a kit doing just that (minus springs and shocks) on sale, and of course I've been drooling over the stuff at CPP for a while now*. Any thoughts or advice here?

The frame has been sitting out in the weather for 15 years now, but other than some surface rust appears to be in good condition. I'm looking into stripping what is left to strip and then soda blasting before Silver Oxide POR-15 followed by chassis black-ing everything suspension related. Anything else I should consider?

My questions are as follows: I have a mostly complete 1971 LWB C10, PS, PB, AC, on 15x10 rallies that I've just completely lost interest in. It's a salvage title with new springs front and back, shocks front and back, and front end rebuild (I/O tie rods, U/L ball joints, U/L control arm bushings) that I started messing with almost 5 years ago now (and then deployed). I also have a stripped, rust repaired 71 GMC air cab (no title).

I'm pulling the 350/350 that is in it this weekend so it can eventually reside in my girlfriends 78 280z project.

I would totally take a bath on both the 71 cab and 71 truck if someone would help me salvage the non-air 68 cab. It is mostly held together with rust, flaking paint, spider webs and wasp nests at the moment. But it has a full title, and it is matched to the frame.

When my parents bought the truck (in 1977-1978) it had been painted Ochre (by Earl Scheib) and had a vinyl rooftop installed.

Shortly after we moved from San Jose CA to San Antonio TX (in 1981), my grandfather died and my grandmother couldn't bear to look at his truck anymore (1978 Dodge D-150) so my parents traded the Chevy to her in exchange for the Dodge. After she had it for about 5 years or so, the roof started coming up on her. And instead of asking any advice from anybody she just ripped the vinyl off, leaving the glue residue and exposed metal roof skin for another 5 or 6 years.

Couple that with it being left in a cow pasture for 15 years now and I'm sure I don't have to draw anyone here a picture.

The eventual plan is to get the 68 running and then sell my 2003 Dodge Ram QC 1500 4x4. I'm getting medically retired from the Military/FedGov soon and need to cut way down on expenses. I understand that attempting to DD a 44 year old truck with a BBC in it is insane, but I also have a little POS buzz-bomb car and a motorcycle to get me around (and no, I'm not selling the bike - 2004 RC-51). I need a truck more often than not, and a little S-10 like vehicle would probably fit my needs more economically. But I see it as not having a payment for one, that I won't be driving it every day for another, and finally that I've been wanting this too damned long to wait anymore.

I'm in the Phoenix metro area (Gilbert). Any advice would be appreciated.

(*A full Porterbuilt suspension is of course what I really want, but I have to stick to a budget for a little while, lol.)