in need of some advice..

[allout]

well, heres the deal im 15 and i got a 69 lwb cst 10 a few months ago. i was excited for it to be my first truck and was hopeing to have it done by my birthday ( late november). my plan for the truck was do interior and paint, lower it, and wheels and tires. i wasnt wanting to do a full frame off due to it was just going to be my dd. well since then nothing much has happen besides some dissasembly and things like that. well recently im starting to realize that i dont have the time, or money to finish this project. this is due to my dad having to work a lot latley, and my uncle who is good with automotive stuff has been busy too to help me through it. now i am trying to decide if i should maybe reassemble the truck, and maybe a coat of primer and sell it, and get a truck with less work. or keep it and try to finish it before im 16. Also if it helps the truck has a rebuilt 350 with headers, cam all that and a th400 trans. any advice is appreciated, thanks

ive also attatched some pictures of the truck when i got it and how it sits now, minutes the dash in the interior.

[allout]

also, the paint wasnt nearly as nice as it looks in the picture, and it had many electrical issues.

[jbristo67]

If its not all that important to you then sell it

[allout]

well i love the truck, and have had fun with it so far and have been frustrated, but im just trying to make a decision with it.

[mclairmo]

If I were you, I would get it back together and drive it as is and work on it slowly, as time and money permits, while always keeping it driveable. Tearing it down is only ok if you don't want to drive it for several years. You should always keep it driveable, which means making some big sacrifices, like no powdercoated frame, detailing stuff while it is still on the truck and no installing air bags or anything else that takes more than 2 days to install. If you perform simple mods, repairs and maintenance that can be done in one weekend, then you can keep it as your dd and still improve it. That is how I did my 71 Mustang when I was 12 years old until I was 16. I then drove it to highschool and it was great, because it was never out of commission for more than one weekend. At your age (and I was that age once, too) it is hard to wait, to have patience and to slow down but this will teach you some valuable lessons about life, hard work and not giving up. Don't sell it just b/c it's hard and just because nobody will help you out. I had very little help but I taught myself and I read everything I could find and there was no internet back then in 1987. I took auto shop in highschool and took an auto painting class at the local junior college and spent every summer and weekend under a car because I loved it and I ate, slept and breathed hot rods. You can sell it and buy another car or truck, but you may face the same issues again. However, if you are not that into classic cars and trucks, then sell it to another kid that does love them enough to tough it out. Good luck.

[allout]

i love old cars and trucks like no other, im on this website every day

im a good mechanic and working on things from my dirt bikes, so i have some know how about simple things, i just need help with body work, electrical.

[mclairmo]

I hear ya, but bodywork and electrical are no different than any other part of the truck. You just need to learn the skills and techniques needed to repair them. Sanding panels, hammering em out and applying Bondo is not hard and you can do that easily, just read up on how to do it and start practicing like I did. Even welding is not hard, just takes practice. Take a welding class at the local junior college, like I did. Even highschoolers can take classes there, I believe. 110V Mig welders can be found for cheap or borrow one or rent one. Electrical is easy, once you understand that electricity flows like water in a pipe and always takes the path of least resistance. Buy yourself a Haynes Automotive Electrical Manual Part No. 1654 (like I have), a wiring diagram for your specific truck, a digital multimeter and cheap test light and you can diagnose and fix 99% of all electrical issues on your truck yourself. Crap, all you need on that truck are a few wires to get it running. You may not have any lights, horn, wipers, etc. but the starter and ignition are easy to hook up directly to the battery. Just need a couple wires, a toggle switch for the ignition and a momentary push button for the starter and you got all you need to drive it. Buy a one wire alternator and it's even easier to wire it up. I wired up a buddy's Harley from scratch all by myself with no help (on a dare one night) and if you know bikes, then cars/trucks are no different, just a little bigger. It sounds like to me that you are bright and that you can do it, you just need to stay motivated and be persistent. Tell your dad and uncle that you really need their advice and would appreciate it if they could spend some of their valuable off time with you and the truck as it would mean the world to you to learn form their years of wisdom and experience. If they see you are very serious about doing this and they see you out there under that truck trying your hardest to learn, I think they will find the time to help out.

[allout]

i have a 110v welder, drill press, table saw, etc. tons of stuff my grandpa left behind to me. and i deffinatly have a garge to do it, just finished it last night since we moved. so i should be good on that, thanks for the advice i am going to keep the truck

im pretty pumped on this garge, because my old one was a disaster!

[mclairmo]

Awesome garage. Sounds like you have most of what you need to tackle what needs to be done. Use the resources here on this forum and read everything you can to teach yourself and you will figure it all out in time. Avoid the expensive bling items and focus on the oem stuff and things will go easier and cheaper for you. Buy just what you need, not what looks good or what you want. Later, you can always upgrade. Good luck.

[jbristo67]

Hey your a motocrosser. You are alright after all. I used to ride tema green when I was a youngster. Last bike I had was a 2004 crf450r. It was actually one of Kevin Windhams race bikes that I bought used from a Honda dealer in Cali. Glad to see you are going to finish it up. Good luck man

[cdowns]

it's a nice looking truck a good project for you to complete. the trick is just break it down to small jobs and just do one at a time // you've got the interior pretty well stripped so just clean it up good and give the floor a good coat of paint, i've found rustoleum is very cheap at about$8a quart//as far as electrical problems they usually dont cost alot of money it's just an understanding of how the system works and tracing out the wiring and good solid repairing of the wires and establishing a good ground for the circuit to work properly//

DON'T BE IMPATIENT is the number one rule in old cars and getting thru a project.

[oldblue1968chevy]

your set man got all the tools a big garage, if you were closer id be over there with ya helpin! dont sell it!!! (ive thought the same thing) 16 almost 17 here just stay at it and dont do a frame off...it wont be done fast lol...get it running driving and work on it every now and then

[Arizona oldguy]

You have sure gotten some great advice from the brothers, I have to echo what is being said. Working on this truck is like eating an elephant, you got to take it one bite at a time. When I was 16 (I'm 50 now) I purchased a 1964 Ford Fairlane from a women my mom worked with, I paid $50.00 for it. Her son had taken the 289 out of the car, he took it all apart and put it in the trunk. Guess what? he lost interest. This car was a two door with a factory under dash air conditioner and 3 speed with overdrive, interior and exterior were just about perfect. I poked around this car for awhile but never got serious about it, sold it for $20.00 Now I go to car shows and see cars like that one and just about cry, I had a cherry car in my hands and let it go. Keep that truck if you can and do little projects on it to make it better, you will never regret it and you may want one in the future, you will find out how much you gave up when you do.

[chevy_mike]

Take the advice of the people on the board and just move forward, little by little. In many ways you have a nicer garage and more tools than a lot of people out there. At that point, you are ahead of the game.

Now just break things into small steps. Personally if the first picture was how it was painted, you should have left that alone. It looked way better than MANY project on this board and others. Paint is a major project, period. At this point, get things primered up so it doesn't rust, even if you don't get the body work done yet.

Then, get a wiring diagram, a test light and a mulitmeter. Start testing wires, replacing what is needed and leaving what is good. Get the truck to the point it is running. Once you are at that point, start doing the NEEDED mechanical stuff, things like brakes, steering and such. If you don't have the funds right now, don't start getting into modifying things like drop suspension, air bags and such. Save up for those as they always will cost more to do it right than you think it will.

Basically build yourself a nice reliable driver, even if it's ugly. Once you know you can drive it with it breaking down each time, then start working on different projects like interior, paint, etc.

You can do it and it sounds like you are above average in mechanical skills (which many kids today are not able to do) and just take small steps.

If you were closer, I would be happy to help but with this site, help is not far away. Good luck and post up pics as you move forward.

[cparman]

Excited to have someone that is 38 years younger than me liking these old Chevys!!! You have your hole life in front of you! Ask your parents to let you subscribe here, and DO NOT GET IN A HURRY. Work on one thing at a time, and soon enough you will be driving a nice truck. There is some serious talent on this board, and in my opinion there is no such thing a a dumb question. ask lots of them, and the help will soon follow!

[BAGNDRAGIT]

if you need help with wiring, i can help you, and so can many others on here. if you need i have a set of wiring diagramks for the truck that i can give you to aid in your project. my vote is dont sell the truck, keep it as a project and like others have said, take care of the main driveability issues, then start on the rest, breaking it down into peices you can handle and still drive it.

i actually did this for a long time, then i bought a new car and have let it sit since, occasionaly taking it out to roast some tire haha

[72GREENC10]

dont sell your c10, i have been to hell and back with mine, from body work, to electrical, to the motor,to now the flip, as far as mine goes, all i need is to cut the springs on the front, and paint it. if u need someone to help out, hit me up.

[suville]

Welcome to "gearhead addiction" I got it at around the age of 10 I'm 62 and still luvin it. I spent 40+ years in the auto industry mostly autobody but I've done most all of it at one time or another plus built custom Harleys for many years. Hang in there and its nice to see young blood come on board. And as a side note you will acquire skills and knowledge you will carry with you the rest of your life and IMHO if a person has these kinds of skills you'll stand a much better chance of finding work and supporting yourself,family and hobby.Hang in there Pard its all a learnin curve.

[PanelDeland]

Ditto to the above advice.Also remember that anything you learn with the truck will help you in life.The patience and such mentioned above but also the fact that you will know what the mechanic is talking about in 15-20 years when your wifes car needs to have the blinker fluid changed.

[71swb4x4]

What's the plan. I see you posted this in August, any updates?

[allout]

Originally Posted by 71swb4x4

What's the plan. I see you posted this in August, any updates?

yeah i made quite a bit of progress on it. unfortunatly i put it off for about a month and a half due to racing. but now im back in it the past few weeks and i finished rewiring most of the truck and almost all the body work is done. just a few final touches and she'll be in paint within two weeks. well thats my goal after that just put the drop on it, wheels, put everything back together and finally get to really enjoy it