Newbie with some questions...

[TruckintheBoro]

Hi Guys,

I have a '67 C10 that I've been driving about 6 years. (original 283 with a 5 speed manual on the floor from a '92 Silverado). I bought it just to have a basic truck for weekend projects and a buddy recommended this generation Chevy for a lot of reasons. To be clear I am NOT a car/truck hobbyist so apologies if my questions are naive! I'm now making a big push to get it running reliably and safely...replacing the engine with a 350 that's being rebuilt locally, and then improving steering and brakes. The engine installation will either be me and my friend or the mechanic who works on this vehicle with distressing regularity. :-) The questions I have related to the steering and brakes.

Last summer the steering shaft literally sheared in two while I was slowly turning a 180 in the street. The lower bearing had failed and slowly scored the shaft over probably years until if failed under load. I had a hard time finding a replacement shaft, so the mechanic had the old one welded back together and reinstalled it with new bearings. The steering is loose still and my mechanic suggested replacing the gear box. I want to replace that welded shaft as well and figured I should probably either get a whole new column or have someone rebuild the existing column if they can find a shaft (mine is not a tilt column...just straight and I'm fine with that). So my questions: I assume a rebuilt gear box would be all right and would save some money. Any suggestions on where to get one? Do I need something specific for my truck or are they standard for the '67-'72? And what do people think about the steering column...should it be possible to find someone to rebuild the one I have or is it faster/easier to just buy one online already rebuilt (and if the latter where should I look)?

My other question is about the brakes. I want to swap out the front drum brakes for disc. I have the original 15 inch 6-lug wheels. I see that both CPP and POL sell kits for making the swap at ~$800. But both kits say this "may" not work with the original wheels. My buddy says this is because the 15 in wheels aren't big enough to leave clearance for the calipers. Is that the issue? So I'd need to buy a new set of rims and tires for all 4 wheels? Not a deal breaker, but a bummer. There's probably an extensive thread on this that someone will point me to.

Thanks for any help! Sam in North Carolina