"Wrongside" - 1967 Right-hand Drive C10

[Russ.W.]

OK, so here is my new toy - and first ever C10. A factory built RHD 1967 C10 Pickup I've dubbed "Wrongside".

I've wanted a C10 for work duties for years, but due to the fact other people will have to drive it at times, it needed to be right hand drive (I'm in Australia). Converting one properly is costly, which is why I never took the plunge - that is until I found one already RHD.

Details:

1967 C10
Shortbed
250 Inline 6
3 Speed - Originally 3 on the Tree, changed to floor shifter some years back.

Absolute POV pack with manual steering, drum brakes, no air, no factory gauges other than speed & fuel, no radio (not even cut out with delete panel).

Story goes, special ordered RHD in '67 by a gentleman in Connecticut. Owned a farm in the UK which is why it was ordered RHD. Bought it back form England in the 80's, then sold to a fellow Conn. gent who used it for a while as a mail truck. Bought by 3rd owner a year or 2 back. Bought by me a few months back.







That's about as good as it gets. My original plan was get it registered, drive it for a while as my daily work vehicle, then start tidying it up bit by bit. Unfortunately the body is in pretty bad nick, and it's not currently running. Stuck in first gear, and when you turn it over it sounds like the starter or flywheel ring gear is missing some teeth. Cranks, winds over then dies.

We have fairly strict regulations here in Australia regarding vehicle condition etc, and there's no way I can get it road legal without a getting fair chunk of rust sorted. Underneath it's rough and needs a lot of work. Has had some quick repairs; plating over holes in the cabin floor; and even some fibreglass work, which will all need to be undone and corrected.

Floor and braces are pretty much rooted. The frame is rusty, but savable. Nothing has eroded through anywhere. Will know more once it's sandblasted but it should be OK.





Roof is good!





Fuel tank is new





Dash is in excellent shape.







Original KPH speedo.





Under the hood? 250 Inline 6. Single barrel Carter carb (not correct for car)









A lot of pars specific to it being right hand drive are long gone (30TT linkages etc), included the accelerator linkages to the carb. This is how the previous owner had it setup to get it running.





...and tension for the return.




Unfortunately there isn't a single thing under the hood that doesn't need either replacing or restoring. Lots of little things missing and improvised like the above linkage. I might get lucky and be able to find something off a local GM car from the same period, otherwise I'll have to have a few pieces made. Probably a mix of both.


I donn't really want to do a complete build, but it's something I will get to eventually. For now I'll concentrate on rust repairs and getting it running. It'll probably sit in primer for a while so I can spend money on other parts. When I do decide to go the whole hog, those plans will include:

Body Changes:
- Paint: Grecian White (same as my Impala).
- Bed: Fleetside.
- Relocate fuel tank from cab to elsewhere.

Interior Changes:
- Colour: White & Blue.
- Bench seat.
- Dash fascia with all gauges (temp/volt/oil etc).
- Stereo.

Drivetrain: No idea.
- Engine: Will keep the I6 for now. Definitely liking the LS swaps I've been seeing on this forum though.
- Transmission: Will stay with the 3sp whilst using the I6. Will go Tremec 5sp if I go the LS route.

+

Front disc brakes.
Lowered front and back.
New shocks.

Will also replace every single piece of wire, front to back.


All the above is a ways off though. For now I need to get it running so I can move it around, get it stripped and see what's what.

Let the fun begin!

[Katrina/10]

Very interesting project! How did you transport it to Australia?

[BMERDOC]

Awesome!! RHD?? I want one!!

[twangismythang]

welcome, camt wait to see your progress.
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[NewType72]

this is too cool to pass up I'm almost liking the RHD looks they aren't very common up here in North America too cool my friend

[Russ.W.]

Originally Posted by Katrina/10

Very interesting project! How did you transport it to Australia?

Had it shipped in a container. Don't know too much about the ins & outs as I had a company import it for me. They took care of everything. All I had to do was pay. Nice & easy.


No progress as of yet. Replacement starter only arrived a couple days ago, and only managed to get in on late Saturday morning. Bought a Powermaster Torque Starter from Summit.




Only had a few seconds to try and start on before they closed the doors, with no such luck. Have to wait until Monday before I get another crack at it. Fuel tank was dead empty, and after throwing a few litres in and cranking it over, you could see the rust coming up into the fuel filter.

This video is as far as we've got.

1967 RHD Chevy C10 - 250 Inline 6 first start...

The carby on there isn't original to it - it's some kind of Carter - and as you can see, the throttle linkages from the firewall to the carb are in fact just some bent steel and wire.

Was gifted a Rochester single barrel with some original linkages, but will need to find out what exact model it is, find a rebuild kit for it, and figure out what goes where. Only part number I can find is 7025332-C-25. No luck finding any info on it yet.




Here's a few shots of underneath and the work that needs done. Upper shock covers have rotted away near completely. Must have sat outside for quite some time.







Unfortunately, can't really do much until I can get it moving under its own power. Once that's achieved, I can get it to my storage space and begin the process of documenting and dismantling, so I can get the cab & chassis over to the body man - which fortunately is a convenient 100 metres from said storage facility


.

[NewType72]

at least theres a day of some sort of progress whether tearing apart the entire front clip or just doing some nick nack cleaning up progress is progress slow or fast good to hear you're excited about getting her going

[Katrina/10]

Fascinating how they converted a LHD truck into RHD from the factory with all those linkages! Would love to see what the original shifter setup looked like, must have been very complex. Thanks for the update.

[NewType72]

In the big red and white factory assembly manual they have diagrams of the rhd setup in the back pages I can try to get them or find them for you
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[Russ.W.]

Yeah I have that manual. Handy to have, when you can find anything in it.

Originally Posted by Katrina/10

Fascinating how they converted a LHD truck into RHD from the factory with all those linkages! Would love to see what the original shifter setup looked like, must have been very complex. Thanks for the update.

Actually the front suspension system in these trucks is fairly simple. It's pretty much a parallel system. By the looks of it all they had to do was switch around the Pitman Arm & Idler arm with its mounting bracket.

Haven't had the chance to have a proper look under there yet, but as I see it that's all that they've really done. The idler arm mimics the position of the Pitman arm on the other side, in relation to the frame etc - so everything else is still the same.

[Russ.W.]

Finally had the chance to get the C10 picked up and towed to it's new home.

Last update I mentioned trying to get it started but no go. The following day I went back and all the fuel was on the floor. There's a slow leak in the tank somewhere. The rust from inside the thank is also coming up into the fuel filter.

Pushing it out for the towie I discovered 2 things, 1) It has no brakes. They're there, but not functioning. Glad I didn't get it driving. I wouldn't have been able to stop. 2) This bastard is heavy!

After getting it into storage and having time to give it a solid look over and think about, I've absolutely given up on the "get the body right, then get it running and rego" idea. I'm going to do a complete nut & bolt rebuild. Every single piece of this vehicle will be removed and checked, cleaned/blasted/rebuilt/repainted/re-chromed - whatever is required will be done. Big fan of using original parts over repro stuff, so everything that can be saved & re-used, will - unless it is being upgraded. Currently has drums on all 4's and manual steering. That will change.

I bought myself one of those "pot" type sandblaster's awhile back, so I can clean almost everything myself save for the cab & frame.

Not going to even pretend to get this motor running as is. Going to yank it, open it up, and get it rebuilt properly. Same goes for the trans & diff. If I'm going the whole hog on the body, half-arsing the drivetrain is just stupid.

This will not be a build to rival most the builds on this forum, but it will be thorough. Once complete it will be a daily work vehicle so general cosmetic issues will get a pass.



First job starting tomorrow morning is to head over to my local Hardware and buy myself some small boxes and storage containers so I can keep everything organised, labelled, etc.

Both batteries for the cordless drill are on the charger, as are my camera's batteries. Got a couple A4 books ready to document everything I can regarding what goes where, which direction it faced, what's missing etc.

This will be awesome, so long as it doesn't put me in my grave









Have to take the time to give props to the towie from Coastwide Towing. Helped me push it into the storage shed, which I was intending to do myself. Would absolutely not have been able to do it either, hahaha. As I said, this bastard is heavy!



.

[Beetle]

Looks good so far! Interesting how the throttle linkage is setup!

[NewType72]

Certainly in for the fun!
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[70c10stepside]

Wayyy cool! Nah, they aren't that heavy. Rust IS lighter then carbon fiber ya no? lol Can't wait to see more.

[Russ.W.]

... and so it begins! My first weekend of the tear down.

Saturday.

Hood is off, most of the front grill, battery tray, headlights etc - but the rain put a stop to it. My arse got soaked!

I'm trying to do it piece by piece and not jump the gun. I don't wont to have bits from each end of the truck laying everywhere so I bought myself a few little "organisers" to get started. The idea is to separate everything and make a note of it. I have designated this box for the front - grill, lights etc. Also have one for the body panels, one for the engine bay, one for the interior etc. Should help me keep track of what goes where, what's missing, what needs to be replaced etc.

This is what I've started with:



I'll illustrate each box out the same, and list each compartments contents. A) Fan Cover, B) Hood Latch / Grill, C) Hood Latch / Hood ... and so on, plus mark each if they will need replacing.

I could have done more today but ran into a few things I overlooked. Need to bring a bucket/container down to drop what's in the radiator. I can let it go on the ground and wash it out, but that way I run the risk of water getting under the walls into the adjoining shed (Truck is in a storage facility). Don't want to ruin anything they may have in there.

Need to go back with some WD40 or the like and give the bumper bolts a good soaking. Those things are on and good. The rust build up is amazing. I'm sure this thing sat outside on grass for a decade or two. Couple of bolt heads are rounded to the crap-house as well. Will surely need to let an angle grinder attack a few places.

Other problem is I want to try and do everything in order. Front, engine bay, fenders, and so on. Easier for me to keep track of things that way and pay attention to what is what - rather than attack it willy-nilly.


Will take a bit of time, but I've given myself a January 1, 2014 completion date. We'll see how I go




Sunday.

Drained the coolant and removed the radiator. Had to let it dribble out so I could control where it went. Used the case for my angle grinder as a back-up catcher




Got the wipers and cowl vent panel off. Doesn't look too bad inside.

Right side fender & inner fender removed. Inner fender is shot and needs to be replaced. Dodgy fibreglass repairs on the top. Outer finder isn't too bad. Has some repairs. Will wait until I get them blasted before I decide on corner patch panels or complete new fenders needed.

Radiator support is shot. Old repairs on the right side, left side is almost gone. Will need to be replaced.

Still couldn't get the bumper nuts to budge. Soaked them again in WD40 and will leave them for a bit. Can't get the grill off either. Same thing. Bottom bolts are rusted on. I swear the rust has rust on the underside of this thing. Same goes for 2 bolts on the right fender. Bottom bolt to cab rusted on, and lower bolt joining fender to grill is rusted, but also rounded. Can't get anything even close to gripping it.


Couldn't get any further with that so I started inside the engine bay. Got the fan off, ignition coil bracket off, carby off. Got to the intake manifold, all good until the 2 nuts holding it to the exhaust manifold - rounded! 12-point sockets would slip, and so did the open ended spanner.

Then gave up and drove home, only to discover I didn't shut the beer fridge door properly last night - only warm beers.







Right fender corner with previous owners attempt at patching. Entire area is non existent on the left fender.




Right inner fender with fibreglass repairs.






... and the other side!




Previous repairs on Radiator Support.





That'll be it until next weekend, unless a get a couple of rain days between now & then.

[NewType72]

Yikes she didn't have much lovin goin on for her in her past days good thing you got ahold of the truck from the looks or your organizers she's going to have a proper rest of her life. Definitely wouldn't mess with the stuff with fiberglass glazed on buying the replacement pieces like the lower fender cup would be best and new inner fenders should work just fine. Repop stuff has really advanced in te past decade compared to the early stuff. Just amatter of getting it all shipped to you.

As far as the bumper bolts go there should be stuff like PB Blaster or liquid wrench that you can purchase that will aide better than wd-40

Great progress though!
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[67cheby]

how cool is that , i dig the right hand drive !

[Russ.W.]

Not much of an update. Slow goings of late. Been busy the past few weekends. Managed to get a few hours in today.

Went and spoke to a media blaster yesterday. Liked what I saw and booked the frame & cab in for blasting 2nd week of April, so it's time to get crakin'.


I still can't get to that single bolt that holds the grill to the fender. The head is completely rounded. Here's the bugger in question:





To make matters worse, the fender and inner fender are welded together at the top.





I figured if I get everything else unbolted, I should be able to pull rad support, grill, left inner and outer fender all in one go. Not so much. On one right side near the front frame mount, it gets stuck somehow. Will lift up an inch or 2, but there's something amongst these crappy welds that gets caught up.





On top of that, I notice the left fender side is stuck and it feels as though I've missed a bolt to the cab underneath somewhere. I go have a look and low & behold, amongst all the rust, bog and dodgy patches, the bottom of the fender has been bonded to the cab. Good times!





Bit that gets me is the grill to fender bolt. The grill is the only major panel on the front end that doesn't need replacing. I'd usually bite the bullet and just cut/grind/saw through anything, but repro grill's sell for $350 a pop. At that price I'd rather not hack up a perfectly usable piece. Think I'll just get the angle grinder and hack the fender off at this point.

Did manage to get a few things done though. Seats & fuel tank are out.




Will attack the dash and steering column next, then I'll have to buy some shelves so I can get all the junk off the rear tray to get that off. It's been a handy bench 'til now.

[jmorri34]

Wow, that thing was tired when you got it. Hey keep up the good work and dont get discouraged, tearing down is the hard part and all your hard work will pay off in the end. What you are doing is definately the right way to do it and you are doin a great job. I like the little divider box for the bolts and such, gonna use that when I do what your doing: Great build, look forward to seeing it through!!!

[72BlckButy]

Great looking project.

Any pictures of the Impala?
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[Russ.W.]

Originally Posted by jmorri34

Wow, that thing was tired when you got it. Hey keep up the good work and dont get discouraged, tearing down is the hard part and all your hard work will pay off in the end. What you are doing is definately the right way to do it and you are doin a great job. I like the little divider box for the bolts and such, gonna use that when I do what your doing: Great build, look forward to seeing it through!!!

Thanks.

Looking at it there's no other way to go about it. With the exception of a few parts, the rest has had it. I've either got to go the whole hog, or pull the handful of salvageable parts and scrap the rest. The previous owner tried to do some work, but unfortunately that was more about covering up what was underneath for as little $ as possible, as apposed to actually fixing something.

Originally Posted by 72BlckButy

Any pictures of the Impala?

Surely do.

1967 4 door Hardtop. Australian Assembled Right Hand Drive. 327 w/ 2sp Powerglide.

[Katrina/10]

Those are some good looking cars you've got way down there!

[Russ.W.]

Originally Posted by Katrina/10

Those are some good looking cars you've got way down there!

Thanks mate. I enjoy them



Had a good day today.

Firstly, stopped in at a hardware and grabbed one of those boltless shelf things. Needed to get all the stuff I've removed, off of the tray, so I could remove the tray.

From this:





... to this:




Then I began on the tray. This is obviously not the factory original tray. It was a PO's home-made effort, with 2 layers of 6"x1.5" timbers, 12 lengths per layer. Nailed together with a few screws here and there. Approx 20 nails per timber To make it easier to pry up, I grabbed the circular saw and cut the top layer into 3 pieces. Saved a lot of time.










... the nails removed from just the top layer:





Was going to head home after that, but decided to have a quick look at the pesky rounded bolt on the front fender and see if I had missed something - and I had. There was one more bolt on the back of the radiator support going into the outer grill/light surround piece. Moved that, and it allowed everything else to move more freely. Grabbed the chisel and hammer and smashed it between them to try and make some room for the reciprocating saw ...





30 seconds later ...





The fender is still attached by the smallest piece of metal down near the door where it was bogged together, so tomorrow I'll come in from the other side with the chisel & hammer and just smash it out.





Now that I have access to the bumper bolts and everything under the bed, I covered every nut & bolt with penetrating lube to try and soften them up for tomorrow, so hopefully I can get the bumper off, and a couple things off the back.

Also, noticed this with my Diff. Has a hose coming out the top that goes to nowhere. Is this just a vent tube?





Tomorrow I'll hopefully get the bumper off, and I'll have a crack at removing the dash & steering gear as well.

Due to be at the blasters in 9 days, wonder if I can make it in time

[ol'blazer]

awesome project! i find the right hand drive trucks cool. and that tube from your diff is just a vent tube.
good luck!

[NewType72]

Man every time I check in there is such a huge amount of progress I really wish I was working on another project again I always love the tear down portion. Though you might not like it right now
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