Father/Son/Friend 63 C10 Build

[cla5675]

Hey, all. I got involved in a build on a 63 C10 with a friend, who wasn't sure he wanted to spend the money on a rust free Texas C10 Custom with the big back window. So, I decided to split the build with him and flip the truck. When I told my father about the build he wanted in as well.....first time we'll be doing a father/son build. Anyway, we picked up the truck locally in early April and we've almost got the complete chassis/drive train mocked up. Just waiting on the front brakes/spindles and steering components that are on backorder from CPP. We are using all CPP suspension, steering and brakes. Everything has bolted on easily so far. Still have to fab a new panhard frame mount as the CPP kit is only for 65-72 frame mounts. No big deal. We are also using a 5.3 and 4L60E from a 2003 1500 Suburban 2wd with 135k miles on it. We'll be leaving the patina on the outside but the chassis and inner fender panels will all be getting black SPI Epoxy. We also picked up some 2008 Tahoe 6-way power seats from the same yard we got the motor/trans. All in all, the build is coming along nicely. Building a Chevy truck seems to be a lot easier than building the 60's Ford cars I'm used to taking on.....at least in terms of parts availability and pricing. Enough talk. Time for pics!!

[cla5675]

More pics of the tear down. A pic of my pop's with the truck and a shot of the Dirty Dingo adapters....which are a great little piece of engineering!!

[cla5675]

We also picked up a rear axle from a 65 that had the bolt on backing plates so we could do a disc conversion....it's sitting on the rear of the frame in these pics. Then we found a set of 2012 Camaro SS wheels and tires locally for a great deal so we picked up those and a set of 5x5 to 5x4.75 adapters.

[cla5675]

Got the cab off and power washed 50+ years of Texas dust from the frame. The frame was in great shape except for one area where a previous owner used the ol' hot wrench for something. Not a problem to weld in some new steel. The motor trans dropped right in....pretty easy when there is no cab or dog house!!!

[cla5675]

Stripping down the frame to get ready for the new CPP suspension components. Glad I had my buddy to help me get all those damn rivets out!!

[cla5675]

Finally some parts started to roll in. Got the LMC tank installed and started mocking up the fuel lines. Then the BIG delivery came!! That was better than Christmas!! Took longer to unbox everything then to get it bolted on. Only time consuming part was the C-notch install and even that went pretty quickly. You can see the area where a previous owner cut out some the passenger side rear frame. I will fix that with new steel once the chassis mock up is complete.

[cla5675]

C-notch going in and finishing up the rest of the rear suspension and brakes.

[cla5675]

Just got a few shots of where the truck stands today. We are running bulkhead fittings thru the top of the frame rails for the fuel lines and brake lines.

[cla5675]

Some pics of how the panhard bar is currently mounted. I have a few options, but I think fabbing up a frame bracket is probabaly the best way to go. That way I can drop the bracket down to be a little more level with the rear.

[Captainfab]

Welcome to the forum

Looks like some nice work and nice parts.

[Free Candy Inside]

Greetings from Enon,OH just up the road. I have a Cnc plasma table if you need any brackets or things cut for your build. Hope to see it out soon at some local shows!

[jchav62]

Cool project! Very nice work...

[cla5675]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

Welcome to the forum

Looks like some nice work and nice parts.

Originally Posted by Free Candy Inside

Greetings from Enon,OH just up the road. I have a Cnc plasma table if you need any brackets or things cut for your build. Hope to see it out soon at some local shows!

Originally Posted by jchav62

Cool project! Very nice work...

Thanks for the kind words, fellas. This Ford guy has learned a lot from all you Bow Tie fans already. Can't wait to hit some shows with my Pop's. He's gonna love this truck!!

[aggie91]

Welcome to the forum. Nice work so far. I enjoy following these father/son builds. And you get the benefit of a friend helping along the way too!

[cla5675]

Originally Posted by aggie91

Welcome to the forum. Nice work so far. I enjoy following these father/son builds. And you get the benefit of a friend helping along the way too!

Thanks, Aggie!! Having a couple extra hands sure helps!!

I finished the fuel lines, mocked up the radiator to start fabbing trans cooler lines and started fabbing up the exhaust as well.....which is always a PITA!!!
Anyway, here are some pics.

[cla5675]

Exhaust pics:

[aggie91]

What are you using on the engine to connect that exhaust to? Headers or Manifolds?

[cla5675]

Originally Posted by aggie91

What are you using on the engine to connect that exhaust to? Headers or Manifolds?

Speed Engineering shorty headers. They are on back order until late June.

[cla5675]

I was able to complete the suspension and front disc brake installation on Saturday with the help of my buddy. Also got to roll the chassis out of the shop for a bit in between rain storms. I'm very happy with the chassis components. Now to complete the exhaust system, trans cooler lines, radiator hoses and front brake lines.

[cla5675]

Not much of an update but progress none the less. My pop's helped me buid these wood stands so my lard butt can crawl around the car easier when welding up the exhaust and setting up the chassis. This way the truck is under it's own weight at ride height when I finalize the positions for the exhaust, drivetrain and plumbing.

[cla5675]

I was able to finish up cutting/fitting all the exhaust from the mufflers back before it got way too hot in the garage. Damn June humidity. Now just waiting on the headers from Speed Engineering then I'll test fit the cab and bed to make sure everything fits before doing final welding.

[cla5675]

Little update. Got the bed on to make sure the exhaust fit before final welding. Got it all to work with a few tweaks. Finally got the headers in as well as the LS harness and re-programmed ECM. Just about ready to test fire the motor.


Troy.

[cla5675]

Got a lot done this weekend. Test fired the motor which went flawlessly. So we decided to put the cab on and roll it out for some pics. Then we just had to put the fenders on. Everything is coming along nicely!!

[cla5675]

Few more pics:

[aggie91]

Nice!