Jinxy's 69 C10 Short Bed - let the journey begin

[Jinxy81]

Today I officially have a roller! I got the rear axle in, but I have not completely torqued the u bolts down yet. It definitely looks like the drive shaft would not be lined up, but when I measure from the edge of the wheel or a hub to a reference point on the frame its only 1/2" or less difference. So I need to do some research on centering the rear end. This is my first time doing all of this









I also completed all of the steering today including mounting the power steering box.



Thanks to MMcMasters for the idea of building a dolly for the cab! I completed this last night.

[MMcMasters]

Man you are killing it...great progress, frame looks super clean

[TexasLS1]

I'm going to follow along on this one -- not just because the work is awesome, but also bc the stickers on your fridge in post 14 mean you have some other nice "builds" as well. The LT stickers caught my eye

[Jinxy81]

Originally Posted by TexasLS1

I'm going to follow along on this one -- not just because the work is awesome, but also bc the stickers on your fridge in post 14 mean you have some other nice "builds" as well. The LT stickers caught my eye

I love me some larue tactical components! If had to move from KY it would be to Texas. I still have a build in the safe I haven't shot yet with a Larue 18" stealth barrel and larue optic mount. Waiting on the optic still

[R.S.S.]

Awesome looking roller!

[jmking9]

Looks great!

[Jinxy81]

I have been meaning to update the thread but I have been pretty busy. Dad and I hauled the roller up to my house and put it in my garage so I could work on it more often. I had been driving a half hour on my Fridays off to work on it. Already discovering my dad has more tools than me

I have accomplished a few more things:

-Put another coat of paint on the frame
-Mounted boyd welding tank
-Routed brake lines













I'm hoping to pick up the engine tomorrow and get it dropped in this week!

[Jinxy81]

Inch by inch, I am getting there! Yesterday I was able to get the engine dropped in. I bolted up the headers to do a test fit and the 1 7/8 Thorley Tri Y's clear very well. Next step is to get the cab up here and begin doing some metal work with the help of a friend who has more experience than I. Once we get that going my plan is to set the cab on the frame to check the engine spacing. Once I know where it needs to be I will probably have to adjust he trans crossmember and then bolt the trans up.

If any of you have advice on that process let me know!









One thing I noticed, it seems like my camber went positive after putting engine in? I thought It would have went negative...

[Jason7121]

Nice truck I have a similar build going on.

[Jinxy81]

Yesterday I was able to get the fuel line plumbing 90% completed. The only part I have left is from the hard line to the engine. I am waiting until I set the cab on and check engine placement before finishing. Big thanks to Travis at AZ Pro Performance, he has been very helpful with any questions I have had!

I also ordered some new Holley LS tall valve covers to clean things up a little bit. I painted them the with Duplicolor DE1607 (chevy orange/red). I also painted the coil packs with some high temp engine paint.















Next week I hope to have the radiator support and get the Entropy radiator installed!

[hewittca]

Exceptional work, it's looking great! And bonus points for keeping it in the family. The history of these trucks, to me, is just as cool as the progression. Also I laughed at the random haircut picture. Didn't expect that in a build thread...

[Jinxy81]

I have spent a couple of weeks out of town for work But it pays for these fun toys right? I have mocked up the radiator and radiator support. I discovered that the old 4 row mounts fit much better than the ones that came in a kit I received, so I will definitely be re-using them.





I cleaned up the old parking brake system and did a little preliminary routing.





The metal work on the cab has finally began as well! We are installing extended rockers, kick panels, all pillars, and cab braces. My friend is in-between jobs right now and he is an exceptional welder and fabricator, so I have hired him to help me out.









The biggest hurdle I am seeing already is finding a good painter/body man where I live. Don't get me wrong, we have some talent who can sling paint, but they only want to do insurance jobs. The guys who do hot rod painting do it on the side and are booked up or are not taking anymore work. If anyone can suggest a good paint shop within 120 miles of zip code 41101 send me a direct message.

[mcbassin]

Very nice looking project! I'm looking forward to following along with the build.
Good luck finding a reputable paint shop. You can read tons of stories on the net about "paint prison".
I hope you get a good shop that can get the job done for you.

[ajgriffin]

Looking good so far!

Board member theastronaut isn't within 120 miles (Anderson, SC), and I have no idea if he only does paint work, but he's awesome! If not, check out his prep instructions here and do it yourself: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=592011

Also, you can try visiting a few local car shows to see who has killer paint with good recommendations on timeliness.

[Jinxy81]

The metal work on the cab is about wrapped up.

-Right and left side floor pan
-Right and left side rocker panels
-Right and left side kick panels
-Right and left side front pillar
-Right and left side door lock pillar
-Both front and rear cab supports
-Right rear cab corner

- We discovered that we needed inner and outer lower door skins too sooo, thats just how it goes. That work begins on Sunday

A few pics of the metal work on the cab.

[Jinxy81]

Tonight my dad and I built a cab lift for my engine hoist. We didn't have any tubing that would fit into the large main piece so we improvised. I think this should work pretty good for lifting the cab.

Tomorrow we plan on sitting the cab on the frame so we can get the engine spacing set and install the transmission. Once I get that locked down I plan on getting a driveshaft made (1 piece) and then the exhaust routed.







A few more pics of some additional metal work. Fender cup on right fender replaced.



I got some dollies from harbor freight to move the roller around a little easier



Barry who is doing my metal work, this is his C10...its pretty bad ass. Has a Cadillac 472 engine thats been cammed, roller rockers, edelbrock carb etc.

He did all of the metal work on it and it is slick...

[Jason7121]

I like the radiator and fans you purchased. Is that radiator for ls swaps and does it have to steam port fitting? Where was it purchased. I have a similar build and need an Ls swap radiator. Awesome work btw.

[swamp rat]

Nice work!

[Jinxy81]

Originally Posted by Jason7121

I like the radiator and fans you purchased. Is that radiator for ls swaps and does it have to steam port fitting? Where was it purchased. I have a similar build and need an Ls swap radiator. Awesome work btw.

Its an Entropy for a lsx swap. it has a steam port fitting and the connections are on the passenger side.

[Jinxy81]

We put the cab lift we built to work today! It worked out very well. We loaded it up from my dads and trucked it up to my house. We dropped it on the frame and I have adjusted the engine spacing. Now I'm going to install the transmission and position the transmission crossmember to its final resting place.

[Jason7121]

Great job so far I like the cab hoist. You have same wheels I do our builds look similar ��

[Jinxy81]

A little more progress lately, but not where I want to be. I dropped the transmission in and bolted the flex plate to the torque converter. The engine was then moved back as far as possible in relation to the cab. The transmission crossmember was then drilled for its new location. I have tried to mock up as much of the wiring and other systems as possible to get an idea of how things will fit.

The cab lift we built has been a very valuable tool. I bet I have taken the cab on and off 7-8 times when test fitting and mocking things up.



The old wiring nightmare has been pulled from the cab. I ordered a new harness from American AutoWire.



Removed the clutch pedal...man that spring was a beast!!!



I drilled a hole in the firewall for the ls engine harness. Oh what fun it is pushing all of those fittings through that little hole!





New home for the ECM and TCM



Mocking up the Vintage Air system...







Dakota Digital gauges



Brake booster and proportioning valve...



Still have a good bit of metal work to be done on the doors. Inner and outer lower skins. I need to begin taking the windows out of the doors and removing internals. The search for a painter continues. I am contemplating taking it to a guy 7 hrs away in VA.

[TexasLS1]

Looking awesome. I like the pic of the Flag through the firewall hole, nice! Great to see some pics with the cab on

[Jason7121]

Loving the build so far. What compressor mounting system is that and does it use a factory belt or does it come with one? Thanks awesome work so far.

[Jinxy81]

Originally Posted by Jason7121

Loving the build so far. What compressor mounting system is that and does it use a factory belt or does it come with one? Thanks awesome work so far.

Its a Dirty Dingo LS Sanden 508. You have to specifically use Sanden Compressor model # 4711 or the belt will not align (they sent me the wrong compressor 2 times). I had to use a Gates K061123 belt per the instructions.

http://www.dirtydingo.com/shop/pages...ID=20&CDpath=3