Over 25 Years Later, Finally My 71 C-10 Truck Build

[hgs_notes]

I got my truck back in 1983, by basically taking it over from my dad. I was about 15 and liked the body style. It was a total beater. Not much has changed! Actually, a lot has changed over the decades. It started out as most of these trucks do, a basic work truck. A C-10 Custom Deluxe with a 307 and 3 on the tree. AM radio, power nothing, including the engine. It had been in the family for a while. As near as I can figure, my grandfather bought it used about 1973, maybe 74. Then my dad bought it from him around 1975 or 76. We used it as a work truck, hauling wood, hauling trash to the landfill. It was also our only vehicle for a few years when I was younger. It had one of those aluminum toppers on it. My two sisters and I mostly rode in the back. I was the oldest so I got dibs sitting on the spare tire. When it got cold, and in MN, it does that occasionally, we got to ride up front. Me and my sister sat between my parents and my youngest sister sat in moms lap. Back in the good old days when seat belt use was practically unheard of. Enough ruminating, I'll jump ahead a few years.

Pretty much drove it as it was in high school. Fixed a few things and had a fender bender. I swapped out the 307 for a 283, which I blew a few months later. It had a screw in one of the cylinders, which cracked a rod. Swapped for another 283 that I built myself, which it still has. Then I went into the navy and parked it until I had a need for it. In 1986, I was transferred to Idaho for nuclear power school. I stopped at home and blew a pile of money on a dual exhaust system and new wheels and tires. Still using those wheels BTW, and the headers and part of the exhaust also. It was my driver for a year or so, then it was parked and I got a newer driver. That is when this became a hobby for me. I ended up using the truck as regular transportation off and on over the years, but for the past 19 years, it has been my form of therapy. It helped me attract my wife of 20 years. It was my enjoyment just to wrench on and sometimes drive, do burn outs and just put a smile on my face.

My first intentions were always to hot rod it. I lowered it 3.5" back in 1986 with new dropped coils. The engine was a mild street performer. I put a floor shifter in, then went to a 4 speed, then swapped to an auto, which died quickly (junkyard tranny) and was replaced with another TH350. I've installed C-20 power brakes, power steering and rebuilt a tilt column for it. I added a front sway bar. I custom made the dash out of wood as a high school project and I'm undecided if I will stick with that or use something else. I put a 4 core radiator in last friday which solved my overheating problem. My plans have not changed all that much, but here's what I have now and where it's going. I will be installing an electric fan and maybe the headlight relays with newer style lamps. I also plan on either building a 350 I have for it, or stroking that to a 388 for later installation. I will be picking up a posi unit and probably 3.08 gears very soon. As soon as the yard gets them pulled.




I had some body work done back in 1987. The guy messed up my cab big time. Patches were misaligned. Rust was covered over and not cut out, etc. It was never painted, just primered after that. I could never afford to fix it properly. My skills are mechanical, not body work. The new patch panels for my cab were going to run $250-300 or so, plus installation labor. So I looked for a cab and found one from a member in Colorado. I got it saturday, stripped the parts off today and I'll be dropping it off at the sandblaster in about an hour.