71 Cheyenne 10 slow build

[ZacharyDouglas1992]

Just another progress thread from another overly ambitious board member with wayyyy too many irons on the fire.

I got this truck a couple years ago now in a wheeling dealing shenanigan, much like just about everything else I have. I bought a clean 80' C10 from a co worker at the time who needed money yesterday to save his house. Gave him 700 for a truck that didn't run for unknown reasons, having only seen pictures. Didn't feel great about the deal, wasn't looking for a truck, but I love old chevy's. Being able to use a good cause as an excuse to get one just made it a reality. Anyhow, a carb rebuild and base gasket later, it ran like a dream and passed smog with flying colors. Great! I put it up for sale for 1800 bucks and figured id come away pretty clean. Well... I got about 3 million calls and 3 million of them were dreamers who came to buy the truck about $1300 short of my price, willing to make payments. After reminding them I am not a credit union or a fool, I kindly decline. Then I get a call from an older gentleman telling me he is interested in my truck, and would like to propose a trade. He had a 71 Cheyenne 10 I had seen for years, and I always wanted. It wasn't running but was still worth more than the 80, especially in CA when the 80 is a smog year truck and the 71 is not. We made the swap, and although it may have been impractical to trade a running truck for one that didn't, I've had no regrets. Here is the truck the day I had it towed to my shop from the PO's house.

[ZacharyDouglas1992]

The motor it came with was minus a distributor. Popped an HEI one in and it fired up, new oil, antifreeze, tilt column and I had it going!!!.....


for about 20 miles. Then the engine made all kinds of disastrous noise and I presumed it dead. I am sure when I get around to tearing it down ill see tons of bad bearings. No matter, I had no expectations of this engine. And after I got tired of it being a driveway decoration, about 6 months later, I ordered a crate 350 from Summit.

[ZacharyDouglas1992]

and assembled it promptly with some goodies...

primarily a serpentine set up from a 94 ish Silverado, that I pressure washed and scrubbed and shot with some enamel.

New Alternator and water pump

Edelbrock performer intake

[ZacharyDouglas1992]

out with the old...

In with the new

along with a new aluminum radiator (serp clutch fan didn't cooperate with fan shroud) and dual electric fans.

Summit ceramic coated long tube headers

Edelbrock 600cfm elec choke carb and air cleaner

[ZacharyDouglas1992]

and as for now, the truck is currently at the shop getting a 700r4 swapped in. The tired TH350 had a pump issue and needed to come out to be fixed. So it seemed like the perfect time to make the change. After that, I will be installing a conversion kit for the evap. so I can run a more modern orifice style ac system. I already ordered the conversion brackets to run a Sanden style 508 compressor instead, as I have never had great luck with the pancake R-4s. I will be sure to post pictures of that process when I get to it.

This truck is far from priority #1 with my chevelle and 4x4 crew dually project going on. But it is my favorite body style gm truck and somehow I keep justifying things on it, and so I felt like I should post some of that hasty progress on here. If nothing else, so I feel like something is being accomplished ha ha.

[zeldman]

Looks good, thanks for the pictures. I don't think you got the short end of the trade.

Just one suggestion, build a radiator shroud out of aluminum to really clean up the engine compartment.

Seeing that your 67 Chevelle is taking up too much of your time, I would be happy to take it off your hands....

[ZacharyDouglas1992]

I second the radiator shroud idea. It's looked a bit funky in there now that I lost the fan shroud and went with the aluminum radiator and electric fans. I've been looking into what others have done with that and I've been very impressed at how far it goes to clean things up.

Well really what is taking up too much of my time is this pesky old job haha. I would prefer not to let it go, but if I did I would hope it would land with a fellow board member.

But for now I will keep throwing too much money at it and cursing it and loving it and trying to make it look as good to everyone as it has to me since the day I got it. If only everyone wore the "potential goggles " I seem to look at things through.