Canada Green K10

[MikeandCheryl]

I'll add our truck to the mix of nice builds here. Hoping not to get too bogged down with the volume of work, and looking forward to a functional safe and decent runner. Show truck no, enviable truck maybe. Thinking the timeline between buying and using isn't too, too long. Some new skills needed (read bodywork) but mechanicals should be doable. My wife is in charge of how it looks, I will be in charge of how it works. We'll see. Oh, and we'll need some guidance. So far, every pic attempt is sideways. K10 - 4sp - Longbox - Green. that's what we know so far. And it fits in the garage. Sort of.

[tutone]

Love to see that. Hold your phone horizontal with the camera lens on your left. Should work when you load photos then.

[LockDoc]

-
You might also load the pictures you have into a photo editing program, rotate them so they are correct and rename them when you save them. Some times that gets rid of the embedded picture information.

LockDoc

[MikeandCheryl]

i thought i'd be able to make a written report each time some milestone was reached, but of course, life gets in the way and often it doesn't happen as one thinks. So, I offer a summary, and if i get the pics right, it's maybe a visual too.

[MikeandCheryl]

So, garage is now full. Box is off. Front end, fenders and such off. engine tested 185 psi per cylinder seen, cab off. Engine accessories off. Pipes off. Clutch off. Transfer case off. Transmission off. Brake lines broken, rusted and off. Lots of cleaning, examining and thinking.

[MikeandCheryl]

[attach][attach]

[/attach][/attach]

[MikeandCheryl]

Some observations.
1. There's a little rust.

[MikeandCheryl]

2. It has a 4speed and four wheel drive. Looks like an add-on.

[MikeandCheryl]

3. Compression is sort-of good. Odd thing with 3-4 plugs - the electrodes have their gaps a little tighter than the others. Something on the pistons? We'll see when the heads come off. Rebuild? Not sure just yet.

[MikeandCheryl]

4. Close to getting the engine out, and off to the side.

[MikeandCheryl]

5. A Classic? I think not with the 4sp addition and paint job. Glove box sheet differs from the truck.

[MikeandCheryl]

6. Did I mention rust? Figures, from the salesman.

[yuccales]

Couple of observations. You had a couple of dead holes with those plugs. And, is that a Tiger you have under the moving blankets? Looking forward to your progress on your build. In my eyes, all our old trucks are classics.

[MikeandCheryl]

7. Next in line, engine out. Suspension out. Frame attachments/brake lines etc. off. Steering and such off. Sand blasting frame? Perhaps a good wire brush and some rust paint. We'll start from there and see how it all progresses. Oh, and it's really, really dirty. Probably so much goo on the truck it's affecting the mileage. A Scrambler. Bone stock.

[yuccales]

Originally Posted by MikeandCheryl

Probably so much goo on the truck it's affecting the mileage.

Clean or dirty mine get the same mileage. Nice Triumph.

[MikeandCheryl]

May/June progress.
Suspension has been removed. Man, what a pain to get the bolts out of the hangers. Now there is an even bigger pile of stuff to go through.

Questions to the knowledgeable...

1. Frame measurements - how does one know if the frame is even straight? I am at the point where I'd like to remove the middle cross member to investigate the upper surfaces of the frame where the box is - also to smooth and repair where the shock towers sit. I think that the removal of this major EAST/WEST component will be a mistake, at this point, so I am considering doing one of the cross members at a time until they are all back in place. Starting with the front (which actually stays there), then the engine xmember, then the one for the Tcase, etc...

[MikeandCheryl]

2. The front end.
Is it better to remove the components of the front end while it's off the truck, or just be patient and take it to the shop once the truck is running (they can wrestle with the ball joints and such). how does one know if the king pins (or upper and lower ball joints) are pooched? A complicated job?

[MikeandCheryl]

3. The drive train.
This truck has an original Automatic Transmission, changed out for a manual SM465 and extras. How complicated would it be to return this truck to an automatic, and perhaps using a newer mill? Worth the change? Better driveability? Better mileage? Easy job? New driveshafts would be in order, but other than re-positioning the trans mount, complicated? Already i see the need for the trans to have the output shaft renewed - the teeth are near gone.

[MikeandCheryl]

[/ATTACH]4. Suspension.
I have successfully removed the suspension - some work needed on those bolts I'll tell you. I'll take them apart, clean them up and see what they are all about. New leaf spring packs are about 325 per corner plus hardware and new bushings. Fronts come as a set. Rears can be tweaked with a new leaf here and there. What about re-arching? any thoughts? Also, what constitutes a 'worn out' suspension? yes i have one broken leaf. Yes this suspension is probably original. How better will new be in comparison to the old?

[MikeandCheryl]

THE SUSPENSION - No, it's not that dramatic, but the rear leaves had three broken, and one of the front set (of three) had been hit and was out of line, with damages to the front shackle. So...new suspension all the way around + new hardware. Yikes! so far, not much of anything is going to be re-usable...bummer. Haven't got much farther after the suspension to go, and I'm on to the frame to assess and determine it's future. Frame shopping - not quite yet.
THE FRONT AND REAR AXLES - Interesting to note from the pictures, if i can get them online, is that the rear appears more narrow than the front. I've included a picture of the differentials to see what they are, but for now, and I don't think its an illusion, i appear to have two different widths of axles, if possible. Ideas?

[hevy_chevy67]

Originally Posted by MikeandCheryl

THE SUSPENSION - No, it's not that dramatic, but the rear leaves had three broken, and one of the front set (of three) had been hit and was out of line, with damages to the front shackle. So...new suspension all the way around + new hardware. Yikes! so far, not much of anything is going to be re-usable...bummer. Haven't got much farther after the suspension to go, and I'm on to the frame to assess and determine it's future. Frame shopping - not quite yet.
THE FRONT AND REAR AXLES - Interesting to note from the pictures, if i can get them online, is that the rear appears more narrow than the front. I've included a picture of the differentials to see what they are, but for now, and I don't think its an illusion, i appear to have two different widths of axles, if possible. Ideas?

Front was a bit wider then then the back right from the factory. My 71 K10 is the same.

[MikeandCheryl]

i have spent the better part of the heat of the summer and fall beating on this truck frame - no sense installing new suspension on a rusty old frame, eh? So it has become a slog - a learning lesson in the careful examination of a vehicle prior to purchase, and one that has tested my disassembly skills. My friends the drill, the hammer, the chisel and the zipcut have helped with no complaints. just this past weekend, i removed the last rivet i hope ever to take out.

[MikeandCheryl]

Looks like the frame in and around the box is in need of some love. My welder friend will ascertain whether frame gussets are warranted, or whether i should be looking for a new frame. Either way, it's another chapter in the book of 'most everything I've taken apart is no good', and i sit on the fence of completion or abandonment. Looks like the Rust Brothers auction was true to form.

[MikeandCheryl]

I've taken so many of the factory rivets off, that the frame is now two long pieces.

Let's hope there is some salvation by welder.

[68 C10 Driver]

That, my friend, is a lot of work. I hope you can save the frame. I still have to take my frame apart, but nowhere as far down as you have gone.

I look forward to see what progress you make. I hope all of the surprises are over with.