Project - Alter Ego - '63 Chevy C10 Truck (from the UK)

[C10Glenn]

Hi all,

So aside from piccies everyone likes a story, I've been heavily into Vw's for many years and I guess a good few Vw fans find their way into the American scene eventually. I toyed with Yank Trucks a while back when I was skint (not a wise move) a super clean UK F plate F150, sold it soon after and regretted it so hankered after another Truck but wanted an older model.

This cropped up on Ebay a few times, I rang the owner who said despite loads of Ebay msgs and texts I was the first one to actually speak to him, i agreed to bob down and have a look.

It was everything I wanted in a Truck really, I'm not a loud shouty person and have quite good restraint so the name above "Alter ego" fits quite well as this truck is low and loud, Very shouty and very very loud.

The owner turned the key and without saying anything to him I'd already bought it in my mind

The test drive it was baking hot, the collection day was torrential rain, the gap in the lower windscreen rubber wasn't kind to me !!
It sways all over, is ear splitting loud with a constant thud of the exhaust and feels like it's gonna drop to bits if I hit 60mph (that's if I knew how fast I was going) but......I love it, my kids love it and most importantly for happy vintage vehicle ownership, for the first time in roughly 200 Vw's I've owned......my wife loves it

enough waffle, piccies (i'm sure someone on here will know it already)

I'll list its faults in another post :shake:

Untitled by C10 Glenn, on Flickr

Untitled by C10 Glenn, on Flickr

Untitled by C10 Glenn, on Flickr

Untitled by C10 Glenn, on Flickr


WP_20170729_12_34_27_Pro by C10 Glenn, on Flickr

WP_20170729_12_34_38_Pro by C10 Glenn, on Flickr

WP_20170729_09_55_48_Pro by C10 Glenn, on Flickr

[C10Glenn]

So, faults & niggles here goes

Neither door shuts properly - now resolved with a jiggle of the catches
It has C20 wing emblems
It is low and scrapes on slightly humped roads
It is like stiring soup trying to find the 4 gears
The cabin is red hot, even in the torrential rain on my drive home, to the point I had to drive with the windows and quarter windows fully open.
No heating to speak of (other than what comes from the engine bay which is like a Volcano)
No mph gauge, temp gauge is questionable as is probably every other gauge it has which isn't many.
No fuel gauge
Front Suspension must be original as its ALL over the place when driving, it wanders badly
Steering wheel rocks back n forth, clearly a bearing missing somewhere
it needs P/S asap, it's on order with a forum member just need it collecting
Wing mirrors are rusted and useless, they'll be tacked in place to suit my driving position
Rear bumper was cut off rather than unbolted (madness or laziness you decide) it's back on now.
After a 10 minute run you could cook a 20oz Steak under the hood, the engine bay heat is capable of giving you sunburn !!!! not normal surely
There's some other silly bits like the dipped headlight beam has been grafted into a plastic stalk on the column but it's easily sorted.

I am very very new to this scene so will be asking some very very dumb questions I'm sure, hopefully you'll all bear with me.

[C10Glenn]

lets resize them pics hey

[Grizz1963]

Welcome Glenn.

You know I love your truck.

I also hope you will get all the advice you need on here.


Also, I know you are in need of some bits to make the truck even more pleasant as a daily driver.

Guys, please welcome another 100% petrol head.


Look forward to updates and advice on here for your truck Glenn.

[Llay R. Rac]

Cool truck, it looks like it will be fun to fix and drive.
I like the Arizona license plate on the firewall, heater delete plate?

[C10Glenn]

Originally Posted by Grizz1963

Welcome Glenn.

You know I love your truck.

I also hope you will get all the advice you need on here.


Also, I know you are in need of some bits to make the truck even more pleasant as a daily driver.

Guys, please welcome another 100% petrol head.


Look forward to updates and advice on here for your truck Glenn.

Thanks for that warm welcome guys, hopefully all my questions can be answered or searched for on here.

More updates soon as we get some progress

Thanks

Glenn

[mjh1965]

Welcome great to see another truck thread from the UK

[65chevysub]

Originally Posted by Llay R. Rac

Cool truck, it looks like it will be fun to fix and drive.
I like the Arizona license plate on the firewall, heater delete plate?

I noticed that too. I'm thinking the same thing: heater delete.

[ibrown50]

Welcome to the forum Glenn, great to see another C10 in the UK. Your truck looks really cool and as Rian says above no matter what your problem, there will be someone on here with the answer


A quick fix for your under-hood heat problems might be to wrap those stainless headers, I know they look great but they're great at creating heat under the hood too. I did mine and it made a big difference,





It also looks like you have no fire wall pad, buy a pad (they're cheap as chips) or use dynamat or similar that will really help keep the heat out too.

[C10Glenn]

Thanks Ian for the advice, I'm off to see your thread as that engine bay.....man that's nice

My intention is to get it steering right and handling a little better then I'm gonna treat myself to a inner cab re spray and dyna/carpet so its actually a nice place to be rather than dusty old work truck.

cheers
Glenn

[allytle]

I really dig your truck! I come from VW land myself. I have a 63 C20 and I also have a 65 beetle I inherited from my grandmother. Good luck getting your truck in order!

[C10Glenn]

few jobs ticked off, wing mirrors tacked in placed so they don't flap about anymore.
Clutch adjusted so I don't knee myself in the face when changing gear now.
Rear bumper now back where it belongs

As with any Truck the more you dig the more you find.

Next issue, my steering column and horn. It looks like the original column in that it's old, there has been some needless tinkering and bodge work with the 80's plastic indicator stalk that acts as the horn and full beam, why oh why do things like this?

I presume there is a missing bearing that fits into the top of the column as at the moment is wiggles like mad. Then there is the non existent horn wires? the pushy down contact ring is there and appears to push down and back up correctly but there are obviously key pieces missing here, my friend and I are both learning as we go so its to the forums for help we go

few pics to make sense of the above ramblings.

Untitled by C10 Glenn, on Flickr
Untitled by C10 Glenn, on Flickr
Droopy column by C10 Glenn, on Flickr

[C10Glenn]

Originally Posted by allytle

I really dig your truck! I come from VW land myself. I have a 63 C20 and I also have a 65 beetle I inherited from my grandmother. Good luck getting your truck in order!

Cool, lets see the beetle too. I've also "inherited" a limited edition MK1 Golf, when I say inherited it came up for sale before during and after I was buying the truck so couldn't say no