Hello. Thinking of a 69 C10 Stepside - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

Andreas · 05-22-2002, 04:21 AM

Hey all. New member from the other side of the world here. I´ve been driving a K5 Blazer for the last couple of years....well, not so much driving. Mostly rebuilding, sandblasting and adding bondo

I got tired of the Blazer and decided I wanted a late 60´s 2wd pickup instead. Found an ad on the internet of a guy selling his 1969 Chevy C10 Stepside. The seller lives kind of far away and I was wondering if you guys can tell me a little bit of these trucks, before I go see it in real life. F.ex what kind of brakes are in the front. Drums or discs? The seller said it had some rust. What are the places to look out for? What rear axle sat in those trucks in 69?

It has a 307 in it now but that has to go in favor for my newly built 406. Specs on it are as follows:

2 bolt 400 block bored .030". 5.7" GM rods connected to Speed Pro 10.1 hypereutic pistons. Moly rings. Fully balanced. Cam was a Xtreme Energy hydraulic 274 which I sold in favor for the new solid Xtreme Energy 274 (ill pick up another 15hp/30 ft.lbs there). Ported 520 (powerpack) heads with 2.02 & 1.6 valves, and yes the heads have steamholes. A Holley 780 vacuum (3310-S) sitting on a Performer RPM. Roller rockerarms. Magnum pushrods. New waterpump. Taylor plugwires. Hedman headers with 1 5/8 primaries and 3" collector.

Speaking of headers. Will my Hedman headers, designed to fit in a K5 Blazer, give me any issues in a 2wd pickup?

Ok, that´s all for now

/Andreas

------------------
Member of the secret sbc400 club :-)

[This message has been edited by Andreas (edited May 22, 2002).]

*Randy70C-10* · 05-22-2002, 07:16 AM

Welcome from Virginia! It should have a 12 bolt rear-end. The brakes will be drum on all four. Sounds like a nice truck, stepsides are cool!

------------------
Yeah, that's right. My name is Randy too!
WWW.Randysrods.freeservers.com
1970 Chevy C-10 shortstep
1930 Ford Model A Coupe 4 inch chop, 350, GMC 671 blower-Hell yeah it's fast!
1987 Harley Sportster
2002 Harley Dyna Wide Glide

Virginia Beach, VA.

[This message has been edited by Randy70C-10 (edited May 22, 2002).]

Andreas · 05-22-2002, 09:04 AM

Yes, stepsides are the coolest imho

I really love the way they look. 12-bolt you say, well that should be alright. I had 12 bolts on both my Blazers without any real problems. Changed the "yoke-bearing" once, but that was it. I´ve heard many horror-stories about front drumbrakes, how they manage to brake once but has to cool down before they brake again, so to speak. Is there any truth in this?

Thank you for your welcome

/Andreas

------------------
Member of the secret sbc400 club :-)

Woody · 05-22-2002, 09:40 AM

Yea Drums in stock form are dangerous. Now there are kits to install Kevlar shoes which they claim are better than disks. They ran about $240/ axle. An easy change over is find a donor truck with disk brakes(71-87) and swap front cross members, Get everything fromt the firewall to the crossmember.

------------------
Woody
'69 Custom-10 Deluxe
Short Fleetside,Factory 350cid/TH400,A/C,PS,PB,Carpet
Coming soon 700R4, 350 Crate Engine, Pwr Disks...

Andreas · 05-22-2002, 10:05 AM

Hmmm, finding donortrucks are impossible. I live in Sweden, so there aren´t any junkyards filled with U.S cars here. Too bad

Maybe I should try finding a 71 instead?

Andreas

------------------
Member of the secret sbc400 club :-)

*Randy70C-10* · 05-22-2002, 10:20 AM

You can always order a spindle and disk brake kit from one of the venders here. They cost a little more, but you'll end up with new parts.

O'l Buck · 05-22-2002, 11:18 AM

Welcome from Nebraska, Some places to look for rust are, the cab corners and rocker panels, front fenders on the bottom front part, and the bottom rear, doors, and the windshield frame, at the top corners of the windshield. Also, check the floor boards and on the stepside box, check around the edges of the fenders where they meet the boxside. Another place they like to rust is around the bolt holes for the fenders on the box. As far as drum brakes go, If I were you, I'd convert to disc front....conversion kits are available new, but pricey.

If I missed any rust spots, other members can probably tell you better, but I think my truck is one of the rustiest on the board, and that's were all the rust is on it.

------------------
"In the words of Motley Crue, This will always be my home sweet home"

Ol' Buck: '72 Chevy 1/2T 4x4 shortbox stepside 350/350auto on '84
ralleys and 31/10.5s

Angel girl: 67 Cutlass convertible
330, 3spd stick

Greener: 90 GMC Jimmy
350/auto
Chad Stephens
Orleans,NE

no name yet: 72 442 under serious construction
my site:
http://communities.msn.com/Beastonabudget/homepage

Blue68 · 05-22-2002, 03:34 PM

Andreas,
I think the challenge you have is finding one that will be 'local' that meets your criteria. Rust can be your most expensive adversary. My guess is that getting replacement parts will be double the price to ship overseas (doubtful there are many vendors in Europe). So I would think finding a relatively rust free truck is more important than the mechanics of it. I realize finding donor trucks for disc brakes would be few and far between, but just about any 2wd Chevy truck up until around 1987 model will do. You can probably find one of those sitting out back of any American army base in Europe.

------------------
Frisco, Tx

'68 C-10 LWB, '98 Z-71 350 w/accessories (Serpentine), Edelbrock Performer, Edelbrock 1405 (600cfm) carb, GM HEI, CompCam Extreme 4x4 roller cam, Thorley Headers, Carter Electric Fuel Pump, Vintage Air, 700r4, 3.73, disc brakes and power steering upgrades.

Way too much money and time invested..But it's a hobby.

Andreas · 05-22-2002, 05:02 PM

O´l Buck. Sounds like you´re talking about my first Blazer

Blue 68. Try quadrupling the price and you´re close :/ Building my 406 cost me close to $5000 and it´s mainly built up with what you´d consider "normal" parts. Anyway, I haven´t bought anything yet and maybe I can find a decent truck with the disc-swap already done....or maybe I can find a nice 71. Funny you mentioned ol´ trucks from U.S armystations in Europe because I just saw an ad about a 68 C10 in good condition that had been in service in Germany. Judging by the picture it looked exceptionally clean and rust free....with a matching pricetag. Ofcourse I´m not expecting a truck in mint condition for $500 but it just seems impossible to find trucks in the "middle-league" i.e trucks with some minor rust and a little dent here & there, with a medium price. It seems like it´s all or nothing when it comes to old trucks. Oh well. I´m not in a hurry this time, as I was when I bought my first Blazer. This time it´ll come out OK, I hope

Thanks again for your welcoming messages and info.

/Andreas

------------------
Member of the secret sbc400 club :-)

[This message has been edited by Andreas (edited May 22, 2002).]

bobs409 · 05-23-2002, 06:51 AM

Drum brakes are fine if you have them cleaned and adjusted properly. I have a '69 short stepside and my drum brakes work just fine and I have yet to experience any brake fade. They have been stopping this truck for the past 33 years so there must be some truth in what I say.

The short stepsides are the best looking IMO. They aren't the easiest to find however. I believe these will be the most collectable in the future due to their rarity. (just my biased oppinion-LOL)

------------------
63 Impala*66 Chevelle SS*69 Chevelle*69 C10 Stepside*71 Cheyenne 20*72 Chevelle

Parts for sale:
http://www.angelfire.com/trek/mr409/items4sale.html

Andreas · 05-23-2002, 08:32 AM

bobs409. Yeah, I guess testdriving (with some hard braking) is the only choice here.

/Andreas

bobs409 · 05-24-2002, 06:26 AM

Yeh, you'll get used to them! LOL Those manual drums will put some hair on your chest.

I guess im just different. I also like powerglides, manual steering, points, etc, etc. No "mod-cons" for me.

------------------
63 Impala*66 Chevelle SS*69 Chevelle*69 C10 Stepside*71 Cheyenne 20*72 Chevelle

Parts for sale:
http://www.angelfire.com/trek/mr409/items4sale.html

Andreas · 05-24-2002, 06:39 AM

I like to stockpile engineparts I have no use for LOL

/Andreas

------------------
Member of the secret sbc400 club :-)

*Fast68Chevy* · 05-24-2002, 12:12 PM

all sound like symptoms of being infected with the sickness most of us here have, wait til i get my digicam, ill show you real rust and stockpiled parts!

------------------
Randy- Lincoln, IL
randy@ccaonline.com 2177353230
parting out: '81 Cutlass Supreme, 84 SE Firebird T5 3.73, 90 corsica 3.1L, 71 C-10 project truck, 68 fenders, clean doors, repairable cab, 3.07 axle, 465 tranny, blazer tank, etc
*Paint is overrated* © RSS Enterprises 2000

busterwivell · 05-24-2002, 12:29 PM

You could do what a lot of Europeans do, come to the states, buy a truck and ship it home. I see it happen all the time at Pomona. I sold a car to a guy from Belgium a year ago. A friend sold his Buick wagon to a guy from Sweden. A rust free vehicle will put you WAY ahead in the long run.

By the way, the guy who bought my car told me it cost $2000.00 to ship it home.

------------------
Bill - Tucson, AZ
56 Studebaker 2 dr Wagon
66 Chevelle 2 dr 4 speed
71 C30 Longhorn
86 Monte Carlo SS
96 Tahoe

Andreas · 05-24-2002, 05:34 PM

$2000 is waaayy to much for me. Then, when it finally gets here, I have to register this and that, pay various taxes and end up spending $5000 which would´ve bought me a nice truck in the first place. I probably end up with a boring 77 LOL.

Actually, right now a 77 would do. I´m going crazy if I can´t fire the 406 up soon. Have been building on it for 2 years.

/Andreas

/Andreas

------------------
Member of the secret sbc400 club :-)

05-22-2002, 04:21 AM	#1
Andreas Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 9	Hello. Thinking of a 69 C10 Stepside Hey all. New member from the other side of the world here. I´ve been driving a K5 Blazer for the last couple of years....well, not so much driving. Mostly rebuilding, sandblasting and adding bondo I got tired of the Blazer and decided I wanted a late 60´s 2wd pickup instead. Found an ad on the internet of a guy selling his 1969 Chevy C10 Stepside. The seller lives kind of far away and I was wondering if you guys can tell me a little bit of these trucks, before I go see it in real life. F.ex what kind of brakes are in the front. Drums or discs? The seller said it had some rust. What are the places to look out for? What rear axle sat in those trucks in 69? It has a 307 in it now but that has to go in favor for my newly built 406. Specs on it are as follows: 2 bolt 400 block bored .030". 5.7" GM rods connected to Speed Pro 10.1 hypereutic pistons. Moly rings. Fully balanced. Cam was a Xtreme Energy hydraulic 274 which I sold in favor for the new solid Xtreme Energy 274 (ill pick up another 15hp/30 ft.lbs there). Ported 520 (powerpack) heads with 2.02 & 1.6 valves, and yes the heads have steamholes. A Holley 780 vacuum (3310-S) sitting on a Performer RPM. Roller rockerarms. Magnum pushrods. New waterpump. Taylor plugwires. Hedman headers with 1 5/8 primaries and 3" collector. Speaking of headers. Will my Hedman headers, designed to fit in a K5 Blazer, give me any issues in a 2wd pickup? Ok, that´s all for now /Andreas ------------------ Member of the secret sbc400 club :-) [This message has been edited by Andreas (edited May 22, 2002).] __________________ Member of the secret sbc400 club :-)

05-22-2002, 09:04 AM	#3
Andreas Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 9	Yes, stepsides are the coolest imho I really love the way they look. 12-bolt you say, well that should be alright. I had 12 bolts on both my Blazers without any real problems. Changed the "yoke-bearing" once, but that was it. I´ve heard many horror-stories about front drumbrakes, how they manage to brake once but has to cool down before they brake again, so to speak. Is there any truth in this? Thank you for your welcome /Andreas ------------------ Member of the secret sbc400 club :-) __________________ Member of the secret sbc400 club :-)

05-22-2002, 10:05 AM	#5
Andreas Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 9	Hmmm, finding donortrucks are impossible. I live in Sweden, so there aren´t any junkyards filled with U.S cars here. Too bad Maybe I should try finding a 71 instead? Andreas ------------------ Member of the secret sbc400 club :-) __________________ Member of the secret sbc400 club :-)

05-22-2002, 11:18 AM	#7
O'l Buck Recovering Truck Driver Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Orleans, NE USA Posts: 1,883	Welcome from Nebraska, Some places to look for rust are, the cab corners and rocker panels, front fenders on the bottom front part, and the bottom rear, doors, and the windshield frame, at the top corners of the windshield. Also, check the floor boards and on the stepside box, check around the edges of the fenders where they meet the boxside. Another place they like to rust is around the bolt holes for the fenders on the box. As far as drum brakes go, If I were you, I'd convert to disc front....conversion kits are available new, but pricey. If I missed any rust spots, other members can probably tell you better, but I think my truck is one of the rustiest on the board, and that's were all the rust is on it. ------------------ "In the words of Motley Crue, This will always be my home sweet home" Ol' Buck: '72 Chevy 1/2T 4x4 shortbox stepside 350/350auto on '84 ralleys and 31/10.5s Angel girl: 67 Cutlass convertible 330, 3spd stick Greener: 90 GMC Jimmy 350/auto Chad Stephens Orleans,NE no name yet: 72 442 under serious construction my site: http://communities.msn.com/Beastonabudget/homepage __________________ 67 K-20 350, SM465, Eaton rear, 4.56 no spin option 00 Dodge 2500 4x4, 24V cummins, 5 speed Chad South Central Nebraska

05-22-2002, 03:34 PM	#8
Blue68 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Frisco, Tx, USA Posts: 606	Andreas, I think the challenge you have is finding one that will be 'local' that meets your criteria. Rust can be your most expensive adversary. My guess is that getting replacement parts will be double the price to ship overseas (doubtful there are many vendors in Europe). So I would think finding a relatively rust free truck is more important than the mechanics of it. I realize finding donor trucks for disc brakes would be few and far between, but just about any 2wd Chevy truck up until around 1987 model will do. You can probably find one of those sitting out back of any American army base in Europe. ------------------ Frisco, Tx '68 C-10 LWB, '98 Z-71 350 w/accessories (Serpentine), Edelbrock Performer, Edelbrock 1405 (600cfm) carb, GM HEI, CompCam Extreme 4x4 roller cam, Thorley Headers, Carter Electric Fuel Pump, Vintage Air, 700r4, 3.73, disc brakes and power steering upgrades. Way too much money and time invested..But it's a hobby. __________________ http://home.comcast.net/~r.landrum/w...tos.html-.html '68 C-10 LWB, '98 Z-71 350 w/accessories (Serpentine), Edelbrock Performer, Edelbrock 1405 (600cfm) carb, GM HEI, CompCam Extreme 4x4 roller cam, Thorley Headers, Carter Electric Fuel Pump, Vintage Air, 700r4, 3.73, disc brakes and power steering upgrades.

05-22-2002, 07:16 AM	#2
Randy70C-10 Account Suspended Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Virginia Beach, Va. U.S.A. Posts: 15,320	Welcome from Virginia! It should have a 12 bolt rear-end. The brakes will be drum on all four. Sounds like a nice truck, stepsides are cool! ------------------ Yeah, that's right. My name is Randy too! WWW.Randysrods.freeservers.com 1970 Chevy C-10 shortstep 1930 Ford Model A Coupe 4 inch chop, 350, GMC 671 blower-Hell yeah it's fast! 1987 Harley Sportster 2002 Harley Dyna Wide Glide Virginia Beach, VA. [This message has been edited by Randy70C-10 (edited May 22, 2002).]

05-22-2002, 09:40 AM	#4
Woody Registered User Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Georgetown, KY, USA Posts: 631	Yea Drums in stock form are dangerous. Now there are kits to install Kevlar shoes which they claim are better than disks. They ran about $240/ axle. An easy change over is find a donor truck with disk brakes(71-87) and swap front cross members, Get everything fromt the firewall to the crossmember. ------------------ Woody '69 Custom-10 Deluxe Short Fleetside,Factory 350cid/TH400,A/C,PS,PB,Carpet Coming soon 700R4, 350 Crate Engine, Pwr Disks...

05-22-2002, 10:20 AM	#6
Randy70C-10 Account Suspended Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Virginia Beach, Va. U.S.A. Posts: 15,320	You can always order a spindle and disk brake kit from one of the venders here. They cost a little more, but you'll end up with new parts.

05-22-2002, 05:02 PM	#9
Andreas Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 9	O´l Buck. Sounds like you´re talking about my first Blazer Blue 68. Try quadrupling the price and you´re close :/ Building my 406 cost me close to $5000 and it´s mainly built up with what you´d consider "normal" parts. Anyway, I haven´t bought anything yet and maybe I can find a decent truck with the disc-swap already done....or maybe I can find a nice 71. Funny you mentioned ol´ trucks from U.S armystations in Europe because I just saw an ad about a 68 C10 in good condition that had been in service in Germany. Judging by the picture it looked exceptionally clean and rust free....with a matching pricetag. Ofcourse I´m not expecting a truck in mint condition for $500 but it just seems impossible to find trucks in the "middle-league" i.e trucks with some minor rust and a little dent here & there, with a medium price. It seems like it´s all or nothing when it comes to old trucks. Oh well. I´m not in a hurry this time, as I was when I bought my first Blazer. This time it´ll come out OK, I hope Thanks again for your welcoming messages and info. /Andreas ------------------ Member of the secret sbc400 club :-) [This message has been edited by Andreas (edited May 22, 2002).] __________________ Member of the secret sbc400 club :-)

05-23-2002, 06:51 AM	#10
bobs409 1969 Custom 30 wrecker Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Pottsville, Pa Posts: 2,611	Drum brakes are fine if you have them cleaned and adjusted properly. I have a '69 short stepside and my drum brakes work just fine and I have yet to experience any brake fade. They have been stopping this truck for the past 33 years so there must be some truth in what I say. The short stepsides are the best looking IMO. They aren't the easiest to find however. I believe these will be the most collectable in the future due to their rarity. (just my biased oppinion-LOL) ------------------ 63 Impala66 Chevelle SS69 Chevelle69 C10 Stepside71 Cheyenne 20*72 Chevelle Parts for sale: http://www.angelfire.com/trek/mr409/items4sale.html __________________ Bob 63 Impala 283/PG/3.36 (under restoration) 66 Impala 327/PG/3.36 66 Chevelle SS 409/M22/3.55 69 Chevelle 307/PG/3.08 (future restoration) 69 C10 short stepside 454/TH350/3.73 69 Custom 30 tow truck 350/4 spd/4.10 (resto done, CRUISIN TIME!) 71 Cheyenne 20 fleetside 350/4 spd/4.10 71 Chevelle 6/PG/3.08 72 Chevelle 454/M21/4.10

05-23-2002, 08:32 AM	#11
Andreas Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 9	bobs409. Yeah, I guess testdriving (with some hard braking) is the only choice here. /Andreas __________________ Member of the secret sbc400 club :-)

05-24-2002, 06:26 AM	#12
bobs409 1969 Custom 30 wrecker Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Pottsville, Pa Posts: 2,611	Yeh, you'll get used to them! LOL Those manual drums will put some hair on your chest. I guess im just different. I also like powerglides, manual steering, points, etc, etc. No "mod-cons" for me. ------------------ 63 Impala66 Chevelle SS69 Chevelle69 C10 Stepside71 Cheyenne 20*72 Chevelle Parts for sale: http://www.angelfire.com/trek/mr409/items4sale.html __________________ Bob 63 Impala 283/PG/3.36 (under restoration) 66 Impala 327/PG/3.36 66 Chevelle SS 409/M22/3.55 69 Chevelle 307/PG/3.08 (future restoration) 69 C10 short stepside 454/TH350/3.73 69 Custom 30 tow truck 350/4 spd/4.10 (resto done, CRUISIN TIME!) 71 Cheyenne 20 fleetside 350/4 spd/4.10 71 Chevelle 6/PG/3.08 72 Chevelle 454/M21/4.10

05-24-2002, 06:39 AM	#13
Andreas Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 9	I like to stockpile engineparts I have no use for LOL /Andreas ------------------ Member of the secret sbc400 club :-) __________________ Member of the secret sbc400 club :-)

05-24-2002, 12:12 PM	#14
Fast68Chevy Account Suspended Join Date: May 2000 Location: IL Posts: 0	all sound like symptoms of being infected with the sickness most of us here have, wait til i get my digicam, ill show you real rust and stockpiled parts! ------------------ Randy- Lincoln, IL randy@ccaonline.com 2177353230 parting out: '81 Cutlass Supreme, 84 SE Firebird T5 3.73, 90 corsica 3.1L, 71 C-10 project truck, 68 fenders, clean doors, repairable cab, 3.07 axle, 465 tranny, blazer tank, etc Paint is overrated © RSS Enterprises 2000

05-24-2002, 12:29 PM	#15
busterwivell Registered User Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sahuarita, AZ USA Posts: 2,033	You could do what a lot of Europeans do, come to the states, buy a truck and ship it home. I see it happen all the time at Pomona. I sold a car to a guy from Belgium a year ago. A friend sold his Buick wagon to a guy from Sweden. A rust free vehicle will put you WAY ahead in the long run. By the way, the guy who bought my car told me it cost $2000.00 to ship it home. ------------------ Bill - Tucson, AZ 56 Studebaker 2 dr Wagon 66 Chevelle 2 dr 4 speed 71 C30 Longhorn 86 Monte Carlo SS 96 Tahoe __________________ Bill - Tucson, AZ 47 Chevrolet 2 dr sedan 56 Chevrolet 210 2 dr sedan 66 Chevrolet Malibu 2 dr 4 speed 71 Chevrolet C30 Longhorn 86 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS (Sold) 01 Chevrolet Tahoe IM - BUSTERWIVE@aol.com



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05-24-2002, 05:34 PM	#16
Andreas Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 9	$2000 is waaayy to much for me. Then, when it finally gets here, I have to register this and that, pay various taxes and end up spending $5000 which would´ve bought me a nice truck in the first place. I probably end up with a boring 77 LOL. Actually, right now a 77 would do. I´m going crazy if I can´t fire the 406 up soon. Have been building on it for 2 years. /Andreas /Andreas ------------------ Member of the secret sbc400 club :-) __________________ Member of the secret sbc400 club :-)

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