Building and rebuilding my grandpa's 63

[burlapen]

Alright....I guess it's just about time I start a build thread. I've been lurking around for quite awhile getting inspiration. I'd like to share what I've got going so far.

So here goes the backstory on grandpa's 63 Chevy C10. My grandfather's best friend bought this pickup new in 1963. One year later he decided to "upgrade" to a 3/4 ton and traded the pickup back to the dealership where my grandpa bought it from. I guess they did the whole deal through the dealership for financing reasons.

Grandpa rocked this pickup from 1964 all the way until 1989 when he decided it was finally time for a new one. He still drives the 89 today, that's the kind of guy he is. The man has owned three vehicles in the last 45 years.

The 63 worked out great for him. It was a long bed equipped with the 292 "high torque" and the SM420 4 speed transmission. It served as his daily driver, camping rig, tow truck, hunting rig, you name it. It went cross country a few times and even up to Canada. I remember all of the early morning fishing and hunting trips we took in the old pickup. The square cut gears whining away and the host of any given AM talk radio show rambling on about things a 10 year old has no interest in. To my left my sat my grandfather, one hand steadily sawing back and forth on the great big steering wheel while the other pulled on the tall black shifter handle in front of me surely pulling the clunky trans into the next gear as the engine grunted to pull the weight of the pickup up the next grade. To my right sat my father, talking with grandpa about the things men talk about, how to make a dovetail joint, the proper grit sandpaper to use, how to wire a garbage disposal or the time my uncle shot one horn off of a deer.

I remember the noises and smells of the old pickup as and the impressions the seat would make on my skin as my 10 year old self would fade in and out of sleep because it was so early the sun had yet to show itself.

The old pickup served well until as I mentioned it was relieved by a new model in 1989. My uncle drove her for a year or so until a bent pushrod put her out of commission behind grandpas cabin in the foothills.

Years passed until my uncle, with some prodding from grandpa, agreed to let me have a crack at getting the old pickup up and running again. So at the end of deer season around 2005. The old pickup was loaded up onto a flatbed and drug down the hill to my house.

I was so excited to get my hands on it and I wasted no time tearing into it to get it back on the road. I replaced a couple of pushrods and rebuilt the carb. I changed the plugs and points, cleaned out the gas tank, replaced the hoses and viola, the pickup was alive once again.

I drove it that way for a couple of years. The pickup was once again serving all around duty. Towards the end of 2007 I decided it was time to give the drivetrain a once over. I picked up a 383 V8 shortblock from an old friend of mine, I added some new heads and a cam. I purchased a 72 c10 for a parts donor for the V8 swap. I had to stay out of town for over half of 2008 which meant by the time I got the pickup back together it had sat for around one year. While I was doing the motor swap, I painted the firewall the original green and did an all around cleanup of the engine compartment. I upgraded the cooling system with an aluminum radiator and new fan clutch. I had some new dual exhaust built and when the 12 bolt decided to eat a tooth off of the ring gear, I rebuilt it and swapped in some 3.08's in place of the steep gears required with the 6 cylinder.

That's how It was until a few weeks ago. I had been meaning to get the rest of the body work done and get the thing painted for some time. A couple of months ago grandpa was diagnosed with cancer. Seeing him go through bouts of chemotherapy has really lit a fire under my rear to get this thing done.

I know this is a long read, but bare with me. I hope to really get the ball rolling with the old pickup even if it means redoing some of the work I have already done. I'll let the pictures do the talking from here. Thanks for listening.