Newbie help c10 64 what to look for

[crowdaddy]

I'm looking for things to watch for as I'm running my c-10 around trails. I don't have it ready for the road yet, and so far there are three things to do that I know of.
1. replace radiator cap ( guage goes red once in a while, leaks at cap, small)
2. gas cap, just because it is old. Gas guage doesn't work.
3. anyway to tighten manifold bolts to the head? exhaust leak there and noisy

Are there other things I should look out for? I can't really get it out of first gear on the trails. But I'm working with it, cutting wood hauling small, very small pieces of wood. Mostly to have an excuse to run the truck. I'm leaving it running while cutting, figuring it needs to be run. Any harm in running it with the exhaust leak? Thank you in advance.

[markeb01]

Welcome to the forum. Nice to hear you’re using and enjoying your C10. It’s kind of hard to diagnose what your truck may or may not need without hearing or seeing it in person, but if you have specific issues those can be addressed easier. If you engine is truly overheating when idling for long periods, you should check out the common items like if the water pump and thermostat are working okay. If you have molded radiator hoses that are tired, the bottom one can tend to “suck shut”, blocking water flow. And you should check your radiator itself to see if the tubes are open and capable of flowing coolant.

If you have a fuel filter anywhere in the system, it should probably be changed. Depending on the history of your truck, if it sat for a long time the gas tank could have a lot of crud in it that needs cleaning.

It’s been decades since I’ve worked on an inline six (assuming that’s what you have), best I remember once the gaskets go, the only real way to fix the problem is to remove the manifold and replace them, which can be a pain. Running any engine with leaking exhaust gaskets can cause two problems – poison the occupants, or burn the valves by letting cold air come in contact with the hot exhaust valves.

Good luck!