1965 C10 LWB Project Build Thread

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by JohnIL

Scoti,
I know exactly what you're saying. The speaker location doesn't fit the look of the truck and it's definitely not ideal for sound quality. Once I get the fuel tank out of the cab, I plan to move the speakers back behind the seats. Before the buckets, I had the speakers under the bench seat. They were too muffled to be of any real use. I would like them to be more-or-less hidden from view without being muffled by the seats. The current arrangement is a temporary measure to get me by until the fuel tank relocation.

John

Gotcha. Small steps.

[JohnIL]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Gotcha. Small steps.

Exactly! I want to keep the truck drivable as I work through my list of projects.

At some point, I'll have to take the truck off the road long enough to gut the interior to fix the rusty floor pans and cab supports. That will be my opportunity to repaint the interior, soundproof, replace the carpet, etc. The first step in that process will be relocating the fuel tank.

But, the fuel tank relocation won't happen until I'm ready to pull the bed off the frame to clean up the back half of the chassis.

That won't happen until I get the front end rebuilt and converted to power disk brakes.

So, the speaker location is only temporary. I figure it should only take 10-15 years to move the speakers to their permanent location behind the seats.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by JohnIL

Exactly! I want to keep the truck drivable as I work through my list of projects.

At some point, I'll have to take the truck off the road long enough to gut the interior to fix the rusty floor pans and cab supports. That will be my opportunity to repaint the interior, soundproof, replace the carpet, etc. The first step in that process will be relocating the fuel tank.

But, the fuel tank relocation won't happen until I'm ready to pull the bed off the frame to clean up the back half of the chassis.

That won't happen until I get the front end rebuilt and converted to power disk brakes.

So, the speaker location is only temporary. I figure it should only take 10-15 years to move the speakers to their permanent location behind the seats.

My speed it seems as well. That being said, I know this about myself & why I'd be hiding them under the seat pedestals or something along those lines.

[JohnIL]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

My speed it seems as well. That being said, I know this about myself & why I'd be hiding them under the seat pedestals or something along those lines.

If I get annoyed enough with the current location, I can always put them back under the seats. I just hated the way they sounded when they were under the old bench seat. A subwoofer would be fine under a seat, but the two-way speakers sounded like they were buried under a pillow. The volume was cut in half and everything except the lowest frequencies disappeared. Time will tell which annoys me more, the exposed speakers or the lousy sound.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by JohnIL

If I get annoyed enough with the current location, I can always put them back under the seats. I just hated the way they sounded when they were under the old bench seat. A subwoofer would be fine under a seat, but the two-way speakers sounded like they were buried under a pillow. The volume was cut in half and everything except the lowest frequencies disappeared. Time will tell which annoys me more, the exposed speakers or the lousy sound.

[JohnIL]

It's been a productive week. The spring weather has been hit and miss, but it's been warm enough to knock out a few small projects on the C10.

Wheels and Tires
When I bought the truck last summer, it came with 12 year old dry rotting tires and steel wheels that had visible rust and were painted red. Replacing the tires gave me the opportunity to do something about the rust and the poor paint job. I put the truck on jack stands in the drive way a couple of weeks ago and had the old tires dismounted.

Then, I spent a week's worth of evenings stripping paint and rust. What a mess. Once the wheels were cleaned up, I shot them with high-build primer to help with the minor rust pitting. After a little sanding, I shot them with Rustoleum Steel wheel paint. The paint isn't perfect, but it fits the truck MUCH better than the old red color. There was more metal flake in the paint than I expected, but it looks pretty darn good.

While the paint was curing, I turned my attention to the baby moon hubcaps. They had some minor scratches and some spots of surface rust. I soaked them in CLR for five minutes and they cleaned up quite nicely. I gave them a couple of coats of spray wax in hopes of keeping the rust away for a while. Then, I applied a set of inexpensive CHEVROLET decals that makes them look like '47-'53 caps. Someday, I might spring for new wheels and proper '47-'53 caps. But, for now, they dress things up nicely.

With the wheels sorted, I ordered up a set of Mastercraft Stratus HT All-Season tires in 255/70/R16 and had them mounted by a local tire shop. The Mastercrafts are cheap, but they look the part and they ride nicer than the old all-terrains.

Bucket Seat Adjustment
I recently installed a set of ProCar low-back bucket seats, but they didn't "sit" quite right. I compared them to the modern buckets in my daily driver pickup and realized that the ProCars where sitting too flat. The front of the seats needed to be raised. Luckily, it was an easy fix. The ProCar slider/mounts have three mounting holes, at different heights. I had the foresight to mount them in the lowest holes. So, raising the front of each seat was as simple as removing the front bolts, lifting the seat front and rebolting using the highest holes. Now they sit at roughly the same angle as my daily driver. Much more comfortable now.

Temporary Center Console
With the bucket seats sorted, I wanted to do something with the space between the seats. I wanted some sort of storage console to corral small items and a couple of cup holders for the morning coffee. I went out to the woodshop and knocked together a console. Then, I blatantly stole an idea from the great minds here on the forum and welded up a set of exhaust pipe cup holders. I don't know who originated this idea, but it's genius!

the console isn't quite finished yet. I plan to install a cell phone charging pad in the recess in the console lid. Then, I'll give the whole thing a coat of paint to make it look a little nicer than raw MDF and steel. Someday, once the fuel tank has been relocated out of the cab and the speakers are moved behind the seats, I'll build more permanent console that extends back to the rear wall of the cab. Until the, this will keep my garbage from rolling around on the floor of the cab.

Alternator
Long time readers will know that I replaced the alternator a couple of months after I bought the truck. The replacement came from our local O'Reilly's. Luckily, it included a lifetime warranty, because this weekend, it stopped charging and left me stranded at a gas station. After a quick jumpstart, I headed back home.

O'Reilly's replaced the alternator, no questions asked, and it was an easy repair. The truck is back on the road and appears to be charging normally again. No harm done and only an afternoon lost.

Door Seals
I replaced the door seals last fall, but I wasn't happy with the way they fit. The doors were VERY hard to close, even after adjusting the striker and hinges. After a bit of reading here on the forum, I learned that this is a common problem with reproduction door seals. Some smart forum contributor found an elegant solution.

Apparently, Honda makes a set of door seals for a 2006-2001 Civic that fit these old trucks almost perfectly. And, they are more pliable than the reproductions. They're not cheap, but they were easy to install, they seal well, and the doors as much easier to close. It turns out that Honda makes pretty nice old truck parts.

Here are the Honda part numbers for the seals I used:

Left: 72355-SVA-A01ZA
Right: 72315-SVA-A01ZA

Headlight adjustment
When I bought the truck, it came with a set of old replacement headlight bulbs. One the high beams was burned out, so I used that as an excuse to upgrade the headlight wiring harness and install as set of halogen replacement bulbs. The new bulbs were better, but something still wasn't quite right. At night, the dims were pretty good, but the high beams were almost nonexistent. Onc night, driving outside of town, I figured it out. The headlights had been adjusted so high that the dims were where the high beams should be and the high beams were lighting up the treetops!

So, on Friday night, I drove the truck out to my parents place where I could shine the lights on the side of a large machine shed. I parked it next to my Dad's late model pickup for comparison. Whoa! These things were all messed up. Not only were the lights aimed at head level, but the passenger side was about three feet higher than the driver side. With both sides adjusted to match Dad's pickup, nighttime visibility is much improved.

More Carb Tuning
Frequent readers will know that the truck came to me with a poorly tuned Holley carb that has caused me much consternation. Last fall, I got it tuned well enough that it would run reliably and the exhaust fumes wouldn't burn your eyes. But, there was still an annoying stumble at partial throttle, pretty much every time I shifted gears.

Over the winter, I did some reading and formulated a plan of attack. Theorizing that I was dealing with a lean condition caused by a stingy power valve, I ordered a Holley 8.5 replacement power valve. The old power valve was a 4.5. The engine pulls almost 16" of vacuum at idle. Based on that, the 4.5 power valve was opening way too late when the throttle opens, thus causing the engine to faceplant on acceleration.

With the new 8.5 power valve installed, the throttle is much cleaner, but under heavy acceleration, there is still a slight hesitation. That leads me to believe that the primary jets are a bit too small. The carburetor came to me with #66 jets. I have a set of #68 jets on the way. Hopefully that will clean up the hesitation without overrichening the mixture. Fingers crossed....

[rbruno68]

The steelie rims look great. I have a set of K truck ralleys, but I am starting to like the steelies and caps more and more. I have a while before they go on my truck to decide, but yours look great.

[JohnIL]

Originally Posted by rbruno68

The steelie rims look great. I have a set of K truck ralleys, but I am starting to like the steelies and caps more and more. I have a while before they go on my truck to decide, but yours look great.

Thanks Bruno! I can't identify them for certain, but I think they are an old set of US Wheel Series 51 "Smoothie" wheels. They are 16" x 8" 6-lugs.

John

[JohnIL]

That Danged Carburetor
So, I think I finally found a solution for the cantankerous Holley carb. I threw it out the window! That's right, I finally gave up fighting the Holley and replaced it with an Edelbrock.

If you've been following along from the beginning, I'm sure you're sick of hearing about my feeble attempts to tune the Holley 600 that came with the truck. In my last update, I mentioned that I had new #68 primary jets ordered. I installed the new jets along with a new 6.5 power valve. That finally fixed the lean stumble... For about two days... It ran beautifully for just over a hundred miles. Then, the engine started surging violently at light throttle and it died completely at idle. I'm pretty sure all of my tinkering dislodged some crud and fouled the idle circuit somewhere. I'm certain that a rebuild would put back right, but I was out of patience with the Holley. Really Holley, it's not you, it's me. It's just not going work out between us.

So, mysteriously, a brand new Edelbrock AVS2 650 arrived in the garage and found its way under the hood of the C10. I'm sure the Holley could be fixed, but it was time to try something new. I pulled the new Edelbrock from the box and plopped it on the intake. And, guess what, the engine ran perfectly. Well OK, not perfectly, but pretty darned close. The engine started, idled, and ran very well. I set the idle speed, adjusted the idle mixture a bit, and set the fast idle choke speed. Done. That's it. No more tuning needed. The engine idles smooth, pulls hard through the gears, and clearly has better low end torque. Thanks Vic!

While I was at it, I installed a 1" phenolic spacer to help with the hot fuel evaporation. When the engine is hot, it still takes a bit to refill the bowls, but it's definitely better than it was before, without the spacer.

There might be a slightly used Holley 600 available on eBay soon. It would be a perfect rebuild candidate for someone who knows more about tuning Holley's than I do. It really is a nice carb. It's just beyond my know-how and patience.

Electrical Fixes - Alternator, Ignition Switch, and Starter
I mentioned in my last update that I replaced the alternator. The new one seemed to be charging OK, but occasionally, I had trouble with a "dead battery". After driving and parking, the truck wouldn't restart. Click. Just click. Then, one day, I noticed that if I tried the key a few times, it would eventually start. The battery clearly wasn't dead. I just wasn't getting reliable voltage to the starter solenoid.

I suspected the problem might be the ignition switch, because of some electrical hackery by the previous owner. So, I installed a new switch. While I was at it, I replaced the ignition lock cylinder. The old one wasn't the original style anyway. Everything worked OK for a couple of weeks, then click returned.

Then, I had an epiphany. About a year ago, I replaced the starter because the PO had overtightened both the battery cable lug and the ignition wire lug and cracked the housing. Being paranoid about cracking the new starter housing, I purposely did not overtighten the lugs. That is to say, I undertightened the lugs. They weren't lose, exactly, but they weren't tight either. I gave both lugs a bit more snugging and the mystery click seems to be solved. Time will tell.

Electrical Fixes - Tail Lights and Marker Lights
When I first bought the truck, I had a flaky tail light. I thought I had if fixed with a new light bulb, but it's always been dimmer (not as bright) as the other tail light. It dawned on me the the other day that not only was the tail light dim, but so was the brake light. That told me that problem was something that impacts the whole socket, not just one circuit. The problem turned out to be a sketchy ground. The original light bucket was rusty and the light socket was corroded. I little emory cloth got things shined up. It's working well now, but the bucket and trim ring are both pretty banged up. So, I ordered a new set of tail light housings, light sockets, and new lenses. When those arrive, I'll go through the wiring and add new dedicated ground wires to both tail light housings.

Speaking of dim lights, one of my front marker lights (the right one) has always been dimmer than the other one. A few months ago, I connected the brown tail light wire to the purple wire for the front running lights. This turns the front running lights on, even with the head lights on. The problem was, at the same time, I lost the right turn signals when the headlights were on. Since I was messing around with the tail lights, I decided to dig into the front marker problem too.

If you are familiar with the wiring of the front marker lights, you've probably already guessed what was going on. Someone, in the past replaced the light socket on the left front marker light. They reversed the two wires (marker light and turn signal). The dim right light was wired correctly. The running light function is supposed to be dim. Then, when you turn on the turn signal, it flashes MUCH brighter. Because the wires on the left light were reversed, the bright circuit was lit at the wrong time. When I connected the brown wire, I made things worse by causing a short between the running light circuit and the turn signal circuit.

Once I corrected the wiring, everything started working. The running lights come on with the tail lights and both turn signals work, with and without the headlights.


Electrical Upgrades - Auxiliary Fuse Block, Cell Phone Charger, and Courtesy Lights
When I installed the bucket seats and built the console, I added an inductive cell phone charger on the console lid, but I never connected the power. I was a little leery of adding one more current draw to the ignition switch. So, I added an auxiliary fuse panel next to the factory replacement fuse panel installed by the previous owner. The factory replacement panel didn't have any unused keyed circuits, but it did have an unused keyed tap. I used that tap to feed the new panel. Now, I have fused circuits for the keyed accessories I've added in the cab, like the stereo, the tach, and the new inductive cell phone charger. And, I have three more unused fused circuits for future toys. If I add any high-draw accessories, I will use the keyed tap to switch a dedicated relay to power the auxiliary fuse panel.

Next on my list was a feature we take for granted in our modern daily drivers. This truck had no interior courtesy lights. The only interior light was the dome light, powered by the rotating headlight switch. It was terribly inconvenient at night. Sometimes, it was down right dangerous. Luckily, LMC sells a simple set of door plunger switches and under-dash courtesy lights. Wiring them up was tedious, but simpler than I expected.

Basically, here's how if works. You install the plunger switches in the door jambs. Next, you tie the plunger switches, the black ground wire from each of the new courtesy lights, and the ground wire to the dome light circuit all together. Then, you tie the white power wire from each of the new courtesy lights and the power wire from the dome light circuit all together. Now, when either of the doors is opened, the plunger switch grounds the whole circuit and the dome light and the new courtesy lights all come on. And, if the doors are closed and you rotate the headlight switch all the way to the dome light function, the dome light and the new courtesy lights all come on. It's downright futuristic! I can't recommend this upgrade enough. It's really nice to be able to see to get in and out of the cab at night.

What's next?
When the new tail lights arrive, I'll get them installed.

I'm also going to replace the cooling system thermostat with a 160 degree unit and add a fan shroud. The engine doesn't really get hot, but it hovers around 190 on hot days. I'd like to see that come down a few more degrees.

[Braunschweiger]

You've done a lot, I had to smile a little at the carburetor story, an Edelbrock is really easier there.
Your cabin is a jewel.

[SCOTI]

Nice updates.

[JohnIL]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

You've done a lot, I had to smile a little at the carburetor story, an Edelbrock is really easier there.
Your cabin is a jewel.

Thanks Harald! I've enjoyed watching your truck come together. Your work is an inspiration.

John

[JohnIL]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Nice updates.

Thanks Scoti. I have a long way to go on the truck. For now, I'm trying to make it a bit more drivable while I chip away at the bigger picture projects. It's cruise season and I plan to enjoy the truck as much as I can.

John

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by JohnIL

Thanks Scoti. I have a long way to go on the truck. For now, I'm trying to make it a bit more drivable while I chip away at the bigger picture projects. It's cruise season and I plan to enjoy the truck as much as I can.

John

I feel your approach keeps things 'simple'. Far too many people tackle multiple objectives @ once that might take a vehicle out of service. Next thing you know the timing has them missing events they could have participated in.

The sound logical approach to things seems to work well. Nobody eats an elephant in one sitting.

[JohnIL]

Since we have family in town for Independence Day, I only had one day to play in the garage over the weekend. I didn't want to start any major projects, so I took advantage of the free day to add some more shiny stuff to the truck.

Chrome Rear Sport Bumper
I'm not 100% sure what kind of bumper the truck came with originally, but sometime shortly after it was purchased (judging by the original paint color behind the bumper), someone installed an inexpensive steel work bumper. It's similar to the heavy towing bumpers you see on farm trucks, but it's not as heavy. The bumper wasn't factory installed and I don't think it was a dealer install either. It wasn't bolted on. Instead, it was welded (and I use that term loosely) to the frame using chunks of bar stock. If the truck had ever been hit from behind, the bumper almost certainly would have come lose and destroyed the rear of the bed. Credit where credit is due, at least it was mounted straight and it fit the truck reasonably well.

Being tired of the monochome blacked out bumper, I ordered up a chrome sport bumper from LMC. It matches the front bumper I installed last fall.

The bumper installation was pretty straight forward. However, there was a problem with the brackets. They bolted to the bumper OK and they bolted to the truck frame OK. But, they positioned the new bumper way too close to the rear of the truck, like actually touching the rear quarter panels. So, I slotted the mounting holes in the brackets. That allowed the bumper to slide backward about 1/2". I think this is a bit lower (because of the downward angle of the brackets) than intended, but I like the way it fits. It hangs about 3/8" below the rear corners of the quarter panels. It's just low to provide some modest protection to the sheet metal.

License Plate Mount
I considered ordering a factory style license plate mount, but I really don't like the way they hang off the top of the bumper. So, I opted to body mount the license plate just below the tailgate. This allowed space for a chrome plate frame without crowding the tailgate. I'll come back later and add a license plate light below the bumper, shining up at the plate.

New Taillights
The original taillights were in decent condition, considering they are almost 60 years old. But, as I mentioned in my last update, they had some functional issues and the housings were a bit dinged up. So, my LMC order included new taillight kits for both sides. If you haven't replaced your taillights yet, I highly recommend it. The installation was quick and easy. And, the new lights look and work fantastic.

The new shiny parts completely transformed the rear of the truck. It looks more like street cruiser now and less like an old work truck. Two enthusiastic thumbs up! Before and After pictures included below.

New Thermostat
I mentioned in my last update that the engine runs a bit hotter than I would like. Late last week, I spent an evening changing out the thermostat. I speculated that the truck had a 194 degree thermostat installed. In reality, it was a 180 degree unit. I installed a 160 degree replacement and went for a drive. The temperature never budged over 170 degrees. I won't celebrate until I get a chance to test it out on a 90+ degree day, but so far, I'm optimistic. I also have a Speedway Motor's DIY fan shroud kit to install. That should help keep things cool too. More to come on this one.

What's Next?
This week's LMC order included a few more shiny bits. I have a new rear view mirror to replace the rusty original. And, I have a set of reverse lights. The truck was ordered as cheaply as possible. The original owner didn't spring for reverse lights. I will consider this a modernization/safety upgrade. I also have the fan shroud kit that I mentioned above. That installation will take some fiddling, but I think it will be worth it.

[SCOTI]

Definite improvement in my opinion.

[JohnIL]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Definite improvement in my opinion.

Shiny makes everything better, even a truck with flat paint.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by JohnIL

Shiny makes everything better, even a truck with flat paint.

Nothing wrong w/that paint option when you still get to enjoy the truck. That's what makes classic trucks so great. Shiny & slick or worn w/bruises... They're still cool & functional.

[Braunschweiger]

It looks great, the new tail light is fantastic.

[JohnIL]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

It looks great, the new tail light is fantastic.

Thanks Harald!

[JohnIL]

Since I had Independence Day off from work, I spent some time tinkering in the garage.

Rear View Mirror
My latest LMC order included a new rear view mirror. The original was definitely showing its age. The mirror surface was starting to lose it's reflective backing and turning black. And, the outside of the mirror housing was pitted and rusting. Installing the mirror was simple and the new mirror looks great. My only concern is the size/shape of the mirror. The new mirror is an elongated oval shape. The original (I assume it was original) was a little bit wider and the bottom corners were pointed. So, the new mirror is a little bit smaller. Not a big deal, but someday, I may try to find a wider replacement.

Rear License Plate Light
This was a continuation of the rear bumper makeover from the weekend. I picked up a chrome LED license Plate light at O'Reilly and fabbed up a little bracket to mount the light on the bottom of the license plate frame. It does a great job of lighting up the license plate. The wiring was simple. The new driver side taillight I installed over the weekend included a pigtail (brown taillight light wire) specifically for the license plate light. It was simply a matter of tying one of the license plate light wires to the brown pigtail and grounding the other wire to the frame. As far as I can tell, this is the first time the truck has ever had a license plate light. Legal, at last!

What's Next?
I have a DIY fan shroud kit from Speedway Motors. It's been hot this summer. I've never seen the engine temp over 200, but a little extra cooling help couldn't hurt.

That last LMC order included a set of backup lights. The truck didn't come from the factory with this option. So, I'll have to cut big holes in the rear quarter panels. That part will take some courage.

And, I think I'm almost ready for a new exhaust system. The truck came with a set of old rust headers. The PO also included a set of chrome ram horn manifolds. I think I'm finally ready to ditch the headers, install the manifolds, and take the truck to an exhaust shop for new pipes. That will be a fun day.

[JohnIL]

New Thermostat Housing
A couple of updates ago, I mentioned that I installed a new thermostat. That installation exposed a weakness in the thermostat housing/water neck. The old housing was cast aluminum and had obviously been on the engine for a long while. The sealing surface was no longer flat and had a bit of corrosion. My attempts at resealing the housing were unsuccessful. The solution was easy. I tossed the old housing in the trash and installed a shiny new chrome housing that utilizes an o-ring seal. Problem solved.

Fan Shroud
I mentioned in my last update that ordered a Speedway Motors DIY aluminum fan shroud kit. I believe the kit is actually made by Northern Radiator. Installing this kit turned out to be a much bigger project than I expected. I knew there would be some assembly and fabrication involved, but I severely underestimated what it would take to make this shroud work with the C10. If you are in the market for a custom fan shroud, buckle up and read on. This is going to be a long one...

I chose the Speedway Motors kit because of its universality. Originally, I wanted to use a factory-style fan shroud, but there isn't much factory-style equipment left under the hood. The engine isn't factory and the radiator isn't factory. So, a universal shroud was really the only choice. The radiator in the truck is a bit of a mystery. The radiator core appears to match the dimensions of the factory V8 radiator, but whoever installed it had to notch both frame rails to make room for the width of the bottom tank. I suspect the radiator is a replacement radiator for a later '67-'72 C10. Also, I'm missing the side baffle plates that the original fan shroud would have mounted to. I suspect they were removed when the wider radiator was installed. That left pretty much nothing for the new shroud to mount to. Speedway Motors sells these kits in several sizes. I chose the size that was closest to the size of the radiator. It fits the height of the radiator well, but it is about 4" narrower than the radiator core (about 6" narrower than the radiator tanks). The kit comes with two primary pieces, a large rectangular pan and an extension ring.

I began the installation by fabricating new side baffles. I used some 20ga sheet steel that I had on hand. Heavier steel would have been better, but more difficult to bend without a brake (maybe someday). I mounted the baffles to the core support using the factory mounting holes. I extended the baffles around the front of the radiator about 4" on each side. I used these "wings" as mounting points for the new shroud. To help stabilize the thin metal baffles, I welded ribs, made of bar stock, to the inside near the top and bottom.

With the baffles in place, I removed the cooling fan and temporarily mounted the rectangular pan. I marked the center point of the water pump pulley on the shroud. Then, I dismounted the shroud and cut out a circle large enough to clear the fan blades. The challenge was that the fan blades were larger than surface of the pan. The pan is about 18 tall and about 22" wide. The last two inches of each side are angled (flared) toward the radiator. That gives you an approximately 18" x 18" face to work with. In order to accommodate the 19" diameter fan blades, the circular cutout (about 20" diameter) extended beyond all four sides of the pan. It was just as ugly as you can imagine. I prettied it up later on.

The next step was to add the extension ring to the face of the pan. The pan is 2 5/8" deep. The 3" The extension ring is intended to be mounted to the face of the pan, extending the depth of the shroud to 5 5/8" inches. That was more depth than I needed. So, I recessed the ring about 3/4" into the surface of the pan. This served three purposes. One, it made the shroud shallower. Two, the structure of the pan helped to keep the extension ring round and significantly stiffened the ring. Three, it helped to visually "integrate" the two pieces together. Instead of looking like two pieces cobbled together, they now look like they were meant to fit together.

Once the two pieces were joined, I removed the baffles, gave them a coat of flat black paint, and reassembled the whole thing in the engine bay.

The part that I didn't expect was the fiddling time involved. It took A LOT of test fitting, cutting, bending, adjusting, and cursing to get everything to work together. I lost track of how many times I removed and reinstalled the baffles, the pan, the extension ring, and the fan. All told, I have about 30 (not a typo) hours of garage time into this silly fan shroud.

On the plus side, I like the way it turned out and it seems to do its job. I took the truck for a test drive. Out on the open road, the temperature never climbed over 170 degrees. Around town, it never climbed over 180 degrees, even sitting still in traffic. I will keep an eye on the temperature on the next 90+ degree day to verify the results.

What's Next?
I need to get the truck ready to go to the exhaust shop, hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

I have a fuel pressure regulator that needs to be installed. The fuel pressure provided by the mechanical fuel pump is just on the high side of the recommended pressure for the Edelbrock carburetor. The regulator will keep me in the safe zone and prevent the needle valve from getting overpowered.

The backup lights can wait for a rainy day. Besides, I'm still building up the courage to drill those giant holes in the back of the quarter panels anyway.

[cwcarpenter98]

Originally Posted by JohnIL

...The radiator in the truck is a bit of a mystery. The radiator core appears to match the dimensions of the factory V8 radiator, but whoever installed it had to notch both frame rails to make room for the width of the bottom tank. I suspect the radiator is a replacement radiator for a later '67-'72 C10. Also, I'm missing the side baffle plates that the original fan shroud would have mounted to. I suspect they were removed when the wider radiator was installed. That left pretty much nothing for the new shroud to mount to...

Allow me to help solve your mystery radiator. The previous owner of your truck did the same garbage that the previous owner of my truck did. Hacked the frame rails to fit the 63-66 v8 radiator into the inline 6 location. You currently have a inline 6 upper radiator mount that has been bent up to make the v8 radiator fit.

The inline 6 radiator sat between the frame rails and had some shrouding between the radiator and the core support. There was no fan shroud since the fan was basically next to the radiator.

The v8 radiator, and optional heavy duty radiator for the inline 6s sat on top of the frame rail up against the core support. The v8s used a short water pump and shroud with the side baffles to mount the shroud.

You shouldn't have a problem with what you came up with, so I wouldn't worry about trying to change things unless you just wanted to make it look more original again.

[JohnIL]

Originally Posted by cwcarpenter98

Allow me to help solve your mystery radiator. The previous owner of your truck did the same garbage that the previous owner of my truck did. Hacked the frame rails to fit the 63-66 v8 radiator into the inline 6 location. You currently have a inline 6 upper radiator mount that has been bent up to make the v8 radiator fit.

The inline 6 radiator sat between the frame rails and had some shrouding between the radiator and the core support. There was no fan shroud since the fan was basically next to the radiator.

The v8 radiator, and optional heavy duty radiator for the inline 6s sat on top of the frame rail up against the core support. The v8s used a short water pump and shroud with the side baffles to mount the shroud.

You shouldn't have a problem with what you came up with, so I wouldn't worry about trying to change things unless you just wanted to make it look more original again.

Very interesting. Thanks for the information. So, the V8 radiator actually sat higher in the truck and used different mounts? That would explain why the current mounts fit so poorly.

[cwcarpenter98]

Originally Posted by JohnIL

Very interesting. Thanks for the information. So, the V8 radiator actually sat higher in the truck and used different mounts? That would explain why the current mounts fit so poorly.

Yup, it sure did. I put mine in the correct v8 spot. Eventually I'll get around to repairing the frame rails