68 swb, LQ4/4L80E swap, custom gauges...

[tstadel]

This is my old 68 that I have had for about 8(?) years. Its been an on/off project since I bought it. I did a poor job with pictures up to this point but will hopefully do better in the future...

[tstadel]

This is a couple of pix from the engine swap I just did. LQ4/4L80E out of '05 Chevy HD pickup. I tried to utilize as many pieces from the doner truck that made sense. Radiator support is a blended piece that combines the upper tie bar from the 05, a lower tie bar that I fabbed up, with the original 68 support for the rest. This way I was able to utilize the 05 radiator, shroud, lines, etc. Looks better I think...

[tstadel]

The gaping holes are to be filled with a Vintage Air GenIV kit I just bought, more on that later. I was able to use the hydro-boost off the 05, what a difference that made. I had already swapped from 6 lug/drums to 5 lug and disc brakes all around but, the my old motor (396/th350) never made enough vacuum to work very good. Problem solved!

[HavinSomeFun]

I like it! What headers are those?

[tstadel]

The factory gauges are not really compatible with my engine swap. CableX and so forth did not really apeal to me and I never really liked the look of most a/m gauges. I called New Vintage USA and talked to Mark about making a custom set for this truck. These are all electronic gauges, the speedo has a digial odometer, the tach was relocated and has all the warning lights prewired in (ie check engine, hi-beam, cruise, brake). Mark made me a custom clock to fit where the tach used to be. The other gauges are pretty standard but they look pretty much original except for the chrome rings... I had to remove a bunch of material from the back of the instrument panel and make a gauge carrier for the speedo, clock, and tach to fit properly. I will take a picture of that when I remove the cluster for the a/c install. Anyway, here you go...

[drewskiren]

What did the gauge package end up costing? They look beautiful.

[tstadel]

The truck has buddy buckets but, I am a big guy at 6-6 so not much leg room. I removed the gas tank and relocated it out back with a stainless one from Rick's. That freed up some room so I could slide the seats back. I removed the original seat frame and made my own and gained about 4" of leg room. In the process, I cut the seat back frames and and rotated them back about 12 degrees (since they dont recline) for comfort. Lastly, I radiused the rear inner cab panel (below the back glass) so that the seat backs would fit even further back. A bit drastic? All I know is that one of the reasons I never drove this truck is because it was so uncomfortable. Also, I added shoulder belts and made new anchor points to fasten them.

[tstadel]

Originally Posted by HavinSomeFun

I like it! What headers are those?

Doug Thorley headers. I tried about 3 different cast iron manifold styles but I didnt like the way they fit. Headers are a little too bling for this engine compartment so far but who knows how this project will end...

[tstadel]

Originally Posted by drewskiren

What did the gauge package end up costing?

Right at $1000.00. Seems like a lot but, if memory serves correctly a cable x box is about $400. Another option was a tail-shaft kit (also about $400) to convert the trans over to a mechanical speedo output. I figured if I was going to spend that kind of money I might as well go a little further in order to have a modern gauges that dont bounce and actually have some accuracy.

[STOCKISH]

Looks awesome! Great work.

[Mike J]

wow, awesome truck with lots of nice touches!

[Pop's C-10]

sweet truck

[HavinSomeFun]

So tell me more about those gauges... Who, what, where and etc... Thats the one thing I have not done to my truck yet.

[tstadel]

Originally Posted by Mike J

wow, awesome truck with lots of nice touches!

Thanks!

[tstadel]

Originally Posted by HavinSomeFun

So tell me more about those gauges... Who, what, where and etc... Thats the one thing I have not done to my truck yet.

Kind of new to the forum so I dont know what kind of vendor info I can give out. I would hate to get bounced on my first thread! Happy to share though, send me a PM if necessary.

[tstadel]

Originally Posted by tstadel

Right at $1000.00. Seems like a lot but, if memory serves correctly a cable x box is about $400. Another option was a tail-shaft kit (also about $400) to convert the trans over to a mechanical speedo output. I figured if I was going to spend that kind of money I might as well go a little further in order to have a modern gauges that dont bounce and actually have some accuracy.

PS-

drewskiren - Been following your build. I am liking what I see. Sent you a PM.

[Wildstreak]

Originally Posted by tstadel

Kind of new to the forum so I dont know what kind of vendor info I can give out. I would hate to get bounced on my first thread! Happy to share though, send me a PM if necessary.

Its ok to say where you got it and any info really, just as long as your not trying to advertise or sell the product. At least thats my understanding.

$1000 for the gauges seems not too bad to me, I was just pricing out a/m gauges and just the speed is 220, so for having all those gauges and a warning light and what not 1000 seems good. A/m gauges dont have any warning lights or cruise ctrl lights for that matter.

[tstadel]

Originally Posted by Wildstreak

Its ok to say where you got it and any info really, just as long as your not trying to advertise or sell the product. At least thats my understanding.

$1000 for the gauges seems not too bad to me, I was just pricing out a/m gauges and just the speed is 220, so for having all those gauges and a warning light and what not 1000 seems good. A/m gauges dont have any warning lights or cruise ctrl lights for that matter.

Exactly what I thought. In for a penny, in for a pound...

[Wildstreak]

And theres no way A/m gauges would have looked so clean in there, that looks better than stock. Im doing a LY6 swap and may get gauges from them, was the install of the instruments a headache?

[tstadel]

Had a couple of PM's on the gauges. Here is a little more info. I am in no way advertising for New Vintage, just relaying the customer experience I had with them. Hopefully this is OK with the mods...

I dealt with Mark Surel at newvintageusa.com (owner) and he was absolutely fantastic to deal with. EXCELLENT communication, very hard to get this kind of service these days. Anyway, Mark can basically do anything as it relates to a gauge set. Speedo can be ordered with any register reading (ie 100 mph like the factory or 120 mph like I did or anything else you want), any color, and any function light is possible. I had Mark make my tach with an 8000 rpm limit and a 6500 rpm redline but you can specify whatever you want. I also had him install all the warning lights to the tach such as the high beam indicator, check engine light, brake light, and cruise. You can specify any color light, any function, and add it to any of the gauges. I did a clock only because I didnt want a blank spot on my panel, again the clock was custom. The rest of the gauges were pretty standard and except for the background and needle color (again you can specify any color). The small gauges fit the panel perfectly with no modificaiton needed. The speedo and tach are slightly too small in diameter to fit the panel so I had to get creative and make a backing plate which I bonded to the backside of the panel. That allowed me to mount those gauges as you saw in the photos. The clock was another matter, it was too large to fit the panel like the rest of the gauges so I made a housing and bonded it to the backside of the panel. This allowed me to be able to give it the recessed look as with the other gauges. I should have taken more pix when I was doing all of that but I will be taking the cluster out soon to do the a/c and can snap a few pics of it then.

[tstadel]

Originally Posted by Wildstreak

And theres no way A/m gauges would have looked so clean in there, that looks better than stock. Im doing a LY6 swap and may get gauges from them, was the install of the instruments a headache?

I went through a few beers thinking about how to mount everything from the backside to look clean. I had to make the wiring harness and pin outs for all the connectors on the backside. I work slow/methodical. Wiring took about a full day...

[Wildstreak]

Originally Posted by tstadel

I went through a few beers thinking about how to mount everything from the backside to look clean. I had to make the wiring harness and pin outs for all the connectors on the backside. I work slow/methodical. Wiring took about a full day...

Figuring stuff out is some of the most fun and frustrating times.

I just went through their site and Im really liking what I see. You'll have to take a picture at night with it lit up.

[drewskiren]

Originally Posted by tstadel

PS-

drewskiren - Been following your build. I am liking what I see. Sent you a PM.

Thanks.
I have most everything figured out already in my head except for the interior. Thanks for helping me get started.