New member, first venture into American muscle!

[Artikgrau325is]

Hello everyone, my name is Mike and I just picked up a C10 from member ETsC10 last week.

I am a new homeowner and I got tired of borrowing trucks from friends to get stuff moved around. A friend of mine suggested getting a classic truck for their style and supposed ease of maintenance (really, I am still amazed that all that resides under the engine bay is an engine, battery and master cylinder).

I always said that if I was going to get a truck it has to be a Chevy, and I always had a thing for the flowing, classic lines of the 60's, so right from the start I had my sights set on a 68-72 C10. After a year of searching (and some disappointing "you missed it by 20 minutes" episodes on Craigslist) I finally found a decent project to start with. After I emailed the seller I soon found that ETsC10 was very knowledgeable about these trucks, a moderator on the forums here, and the doorway to a huge network of people that live and breathe restoring these trucks!

I was expecting more of a "get that rust heap out of my yard, I don't know anything about it, I just want it gone," but instead I stumbled upon an invaluable resource, so I have confidence that this truck will be on the road again in no time.

It is a bit overwhelming since I am completely new to all of this, but I want to someday make a nice weekend driver that looks good with plenty of power. I am a hardcore lurker so you all wont' seem me posting much, but 3k+ pages is a lot to look through so I figured I would go ahead and make my intro thread, ask a few of the questions that have me stumped at the moment, and hopefully get some valuable input.

Here is the truck:

Hitching up for delivery.


At her new home.


This is my project of the last 7 years (Yea, yea I know...it's a Honda):







For the truck I have been delving into research, I'm thinking of trying to do as much of the work on my own as I can. That includes trying to my hand at welding to replace the common rust areas in the cab (very intimidating).

The front end needs to be rebuilt, so far I have been eyeing two kits but I am unsure as to which one has all of the components I need:

http://www.classicperform.com/Store/.../6062SFKPT.htm

http://www.azproperformance.com/Prot...it-7-2024.html

The engine is tired, I am looking at a replacement crate engine. Again, I have several choices within my budget:

http://high-performance-engines.com/...duct_Code=HP29

http://high-performance-engines.com/...duct_Code=HP32

Lastly, I want to upgrade to disk brakes all around and power steering, lower it AND convert to 5 lug for a supposed wider choice in wheels. I have been searching around online for the past 3 days but I cannot for the life of me find the direct answer I'm looking for.

I am finding drum to disk conversion kits with drop spindles, and these are available in 5 or 6 lug configurations, but I can't figure out if I just can buy one of these kits and call it good, or if I have to do some parts swapping before I can get them to fit. If all I have to do is get a 5 lug disk conversion then I'm set...but again I don't know enough about them. It seems the common solution is to get parts from a 72 truck, but I prefer to buy new than deal with hunting parts down and installing 40 year old parts. Paying for convenience, I think they call that.

Lastly is wiring, it is a mess and rather than tracking down everything to figure out what is wrong (even if it is as simple as bad grounds) I'd prefer to buy a new harness and reroute it all myself, and make sure it is bullet proof for additional add-ons in the future.

So far I have found the Painless kits as linked below:

http://www.streetsideauto.com/p/pain...n=PriceGrabber

Then there's American Autowire, Keep It Clean, etc. Whichever gets the job most efficiently at the best price, so if anyone has any input on this...or ANYTHING in this thread, it is much appreciated.

Again I'm new so if you can point me in the right direction I would be very grateful. Brothers Truck is having a huge sale right now so I'm browsing their catalog to see if there's anything I can update now and save some cash on

Thanks again for reading, and it is an honor to be here. I hope that I can become a good contributing member of this site in due time.

[hayhauler71]

welcome and good luck with your project

[jmking9]

First of all, welcome to the site. Youre in the right place for any info on these trucks. When it comes to disc brake/5 lug conversion, www.earlyclassic.com is a great place to start. Give them a call. The guys there are VERY helpful and willing to answer any of youre questions. High quality parts and great costomer service. Several other places sell kits, but my recomendation is Early Classic.

I installed a painless kit in one of these trucks and a couple chevelles in the past. I recently bought an American Autowire kit and it is much more complete than the painless kit. It's worth the extra money IMO because you dont have to reuse any 40+ yr old connectors. Got mine on EBAY for about $460

The great thing about these truck is that there are alot of parts available from alot of different places. Everyone has their preferences, just thought i'd share mine with ya. Nice looking project, have fun

[steelhorse]

Welcome to the board and congrats on your "new"truck. I also will recommend ECE,great parts and great service.

[Street Smart]

Welcome to the party!!! BTW, nothing wrong with hondas, my kid races one.

[Tinkermc]

welcome to the forum looks like a real nice starter truck you got yourself there.

[i love my c-10]

Congrats on your truck. I am also new to classic trucks with my 68 longbed. I found this forum just looking around, and I find myself on here almost daily. The people on here are great. And the info is endless.

[RenoKeene]

Welcome aboard from Central Florida! Sweet 68, just so you know...there really is no end to these "projects". You have come to the right place and I can tell, you will have one cool truck when you are "done"

[dhaymaker]

to the board from Colorado! There are many knowledgeable and talented people here willing to act as a resource for other folks! Looks like you have an excellent foundation for your project. Good Luck!

[Mr Chevorlet]

Welcome form missouri, Looks just like my truck i am redoing right now. Good looking truck for a rebuild or driving as is.

[ETsC10]

I am so excited to have Mike and AprilFool here together!

The truck’s been with me for years and I’m happy to have finally found the
perfect new owner.

All there, stock and a clean platform for someone that can bring her back to
her glory and Mike is the perfect dude to do that…giving respect for her
heritage plus upgrades where needed. Looks like she's home.

As many here might remember, AprilFool was listed in my signature for years
and, yes, it’s the same old gal. I must admit I got the blues when she sold
but now am so excited to see a new 67-72 enthusiast in the making.
Heck-o-dear…another new life for an old truck!

Mike seems to know his way around projects, too…lots of Q’s, no knee-jerk
purchases without research…traits we all wish we had used in the past.
Plus, (coming from a person not too big on imports) I’m very impressed with
his incredible follow-through on that stunning Honda.

BTW to Mike:
Here on the 67-72 forum, we do demand more pics!

…and please start a build thread so we can follow along!

PS: new/old questions aren’t frowned upon here. Ask away!