Project Charity Case

[72BlckButy]

Originally Posted by brn agn

... I have dropped the rear another inch, so I have a 4.5" drop in the front and 6" drop in the rear.

Now that's what I'm talking about, but... where are the pics?

Glad to see you made it back home safely.

[brn agn]

Hmmmm...pictures are going to be difficult at this time. Give me a few more days and I will see what I can come up with. Deal? Ha, ha...

[oldblue1968chevy]

cmon man wheres the pictures?!?!?!?

[jbclassix]

subscribing

[brn agn]

Here is a teaser for you. I will get better pictures soon.

[sourkraut]

ah come on man, dont do that to us! from the angle i am looking at the drop looks awesome!

[mcbassin]

Truck looks great!

[cable666guy]

Great build-up...really good work on the rust repair, too!! IMHO, trucks need rake!!

[yukon ratrod]

love the look of your pick up! I sold my 89 a few years back and have not yet replaced it with a daily driver. Ive had a soft spot for these forever! My lady has been trying to convince me to get one going. I have a 72 that is screaming to be put back on the road. not enough time in a day! lol I have a 48 on an s-10 chassis, but its not quite scratching the itch for a 72!

[brn agn]

I have a little update on the truck for those that are interested.

A couple of you asked about pictures of the truck after I swapped the 5" rear springs for 6" springs. So, here it is...this is 4.5" drop in the front and 6" drop in the rear.





I personally like how it looks. As you can see, it still has a little rake, but nothing like it did with the 5" springs.

I also have been doing some necessary engine work this summer. Earlier this year, I noticed that the engine was using A LOT of oil (2 quarts in 300 miles), but the compression was good and it only smoked on start up. I suspected that the valve guides were worn. I also had a slight hesitation at cruising speed that I could not fix, so I decided to pull the heads. I found two valve seats that were sunken due to the unleaded fuel. I had been running lead additive, but the damage was likely already done when I bought the truck.

My plan was to put the engine back as cheaply as possible, so I took the heads to a local shop to get them rebuilt. The owner talked me in to finding a better casting, because the 307 heads do not have great flow characteristics and have tiny intake valves (1.7"). So, I found a set of rebuilt 305 heads. They were from a early 80's Camaro and the seller had already installed 1.94 intake valves, Z28 springs, new valve seats, etc... I realized that the stock camshaft was not going to let these heads breathe like they should, so I chose a camshaft that had good low end torque to match the heads. I also threw in a new timing chain set, gaskets and a fresh coat of paint. Here is what the engine looked like today right after I broke in the new cam:



The engine seems to run much better now. I still have a few bugs to work out, but overall I am happy.

On a side note, half way through the head replacement, a friend called me because he received a 1970 LWB on trade for a car he was selling. I looked at it and it has a decent sounding 327. It has a fairly radical camshaft, headers, single plane intake, double hump heads and a holley carb. I pulled a valve cover off and it was obvious there were some new parts inside the engine. The previous owner said the engine was rebuilt, but had no paperwork. He also thought it was a 350, but the casting numbers confirm that it started life as a 327. I bought the truck and may swap this engine over into my truck. I need to think about this one some more.

[VA72C10]

engine looks great! Sounds like you have a tough decision on swapping out the other but either way you now have two nice engines!

Oh, and the 6" springs complete the drop perfectly! Love it!

[72BlckButy]

Much better running the 4.5/6" drop IMO... man that looks good!

Diggin' the engine mods as well.

[gcburdic]

Nice work Jesse....love the 4.5/ 6 drop....I think it looks awesome on our trucks!!!.....let's ssee some pictures of that 70LWB!!!....That see thru passenger rocker is AWESOME

[brn agn]

Geoff, I didn't want to post pictures, because I knew you would be jealous over the wheels that are on the truck. Honestly, the only good thing on the truck is the engine, doors, hood, a few interior parts. The cab would be good for patch panels. I haven't decided if I am going to part it out or just swap engines and sell it complete. Here are some pics. Bring on the envy!!!!

[oldblue1968chevy]

swap it lol nice truck, looks like a lot of good pannels still!

[gcburdic]

There you go making me all jealous and crap....dang I want those wheels!!!

Glass looks good in the cab...I'd be interested in it if you part!

Are those helper springs

[brn agn]

Originally Posted by gcburdic

There you go making me all jealous and crap....dang I want those wheels!!!

Glass looks good in the cab...I'd be interested in it if you part!

Are those helper springs

I knew you would be lusting after those fine wheels.

The glass (factory tinted) is in good shape. I will let you know if I part it out.

Those springs are a factory option (RPO G60). Have you ever seen anything like that? It was new to me. The truck came from Nebraska and it appears that it was a service truck of some type. It is hard to see in the first picture, but there is a huge "N" painted on the hood and smaller ones on the doors. I think it stands for "Nice Wheels".

[gcburdic]

Originally Posted by brn agn

I knew you would be lusting after those fine wheels.

The glass (factory tinted) is in good shape. I will let you know if I part it out.

Those springs are a factory option (RPO G60). Have you ever seen anything like that? It was new to me. The truck came from Nebraska and it appears that it was a service truck of some type. It is hard to see in the first picture, but there is a huge "N" painted on the hood and smaller ones on the doors. I think it stands for "Nice Wheels".

Never saw those springs before, but I believe that is what I've seen others call "helper springs"?!?!?

Was it a big red "N"???....That is a University of Nebraska Cornhusker truck....surprised it isn't red!!!...Ironically, my Dad actually played football there, so my family grew up as Husker fans!!!....That's awesome!!!

[brn agn]

It may have been red, it is hard to tell. I talked to a co-worker, who is from Nebraska, and he thought it may have been a university truck at one time also. I'm in the process of getting the last owner's contact info, so I can find out what is in the engine. I'll ask him/her about the history of the truck.

[mcbassin]

Diggin the parts truck! Drop the skinny 327 in there

[FRENCHBLUE72]

The truck has really come along ways nice work..

[brn agn]

The last few days have been busy! My Dad was visiting and wanted a project, so I decided we could pull the tired 307 out of the old truck. We slid a low mileage 327 in it's place. It is an old school build, and that is perfect for me. When I bought the engine, it had a single plane intake and Holley carb on it. I decided to swap in an aluminum dual plane intake and quadrajet carb so it would look more stock and hopefully help the driveability. The engine has a .470" lift cam with 226 duration at .050", so it lopes pretty good and the operating range is 2500-5500 rpm. Not the best choice for a street engine, but I will live with it. After I get the engine tuned, I am going to clean up a stock 4 barrel air cleaner to put on the truck and possibly paint the intake manifold orange to make it look even more stock. I even thought about getting some "307" stickers to put on the valve covers.

I am convinced that the exhaust is likely holding the engine back (2.25" single exhaust and the pipe from the passenger side manifold intersects the pipe from the driver's side manifold at a right angle). I hope to get better flowing exhaust on the truck in a few weeks. I'll take a video of the engine after that.

It is not much to look at, but here is a picture of the "new" engine:

[oldblue1968chevy]

Hmmm Ive got same exhuast setup...

wonder if it'll hold mine back also

is that the 327? You need a dual snorkel filter and some finned valvecovers!

[brn agn]

Originally Posted by oldblue1968chevy

Hmmm Ive got same exhuast setup...

wonder if it'll hold mine back also

is that the 327? You need a dual snorkel filter and some finned valvecovers!

Yes, that is the 327. It is ironic that you mention a dual snorkel air cleaner. My Dad called me when he was packing his truck and asked if I needed anything from "home" (Missouri). I told him to throw in a stock 4 barrel air cleaner from his parts stash. Well, he showed up with two of them. I was looking at them tonight and I think I can cut and weld them together to create a dual snorkel air cleaner.

I like the idea of the finned valve covers too. If I come across a set of original ones, I might pick them up.

[oldblue1968chevy]

they made aftermarket finned VC's..

there was an faq thing around somewere how to make your own dual snorke, or maybe it was on the powerblock musclecar, yeah it was on the powerblock..try checkin out the website maybe?