1970 Chevy Custom/10

[wrangler94]

Hi everyone, I"m back lol. Years ago I had a 69 GMC for a short while, but it was too far gone, engine locked up, etc.. Quickly lost motivation and sold it off. Back around August I was doing a favor for a friend's father in law, hauling an excavator for him on a Saturday, and saw this truck. I asked about it and he said he might sell it to me for about 1000 dollars. Then life got in the way for a while, etc.. and it was on my mind but on back burner for a few months.
Early December he has his son text me to talk about the truck again, so I go out there again and he says he'll GIVE me the truck in trade for 4 loads of topsoil. Of course I agreed, because my cost for 4 loads of topsoil was $60, and the owner of the company I was working for let me use the truck for free.
Following is a few pics of the truck as I found it, one on the rollback when I towed it home the day after Christmas, and a few from last Saturday when me and a buddy got it running on it's own and sucking gas from the fuel tank, not just dumping some in the carb. Also a video of it running and burning off the oil we'd sprayed in the spark plug holes to help the rings after sitting for 12 years.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WXi4zKlsMsI

[yuccales]

Good looking truck. That tailgate looks straight. Always good to get them running. Kinda laughed at your one picture, I just came in from checking the spares on the 70, Tahoe, and Mitsu, using a piece of cardboard on my gravel driveway! BTW, score on the deal you made!!

[wrangler94]

Originally Posted by yuccales

Good looking truck. That tailgate looks straight. Always good to get them running. Kinda laughed at your one picture, I just came in from checking the spares on the 70, Tahoe, and Mitsu, using a piece of cardboard on my gravel driveway! BTW, score on the deal you made!!

Yeah the tailgate is straight, bed isn't rusty, and doors even open and shut properly. The lower doors are rusty, and rocker panels, which seems to be pretty common. The inner roof near where the driver side visor flips down is rusted out pretty bad, but outer roof skin looks fine. Seemed like somewhat of a mystery to me at first, until I saw where at some point someone had drilled through the inner and outer roof skin for a CB antenna at some point, then caulked over the hole but the caulk dried out and leaked water into the roof, and with how it was sitting/leaning, the water collected there and rusted it's way out. Otherwise the cab is in very good shape as far as I can tell so far. I'll load more pics of the inside shortly after I resize some more so they load right.

[wrangler94]

OK a few new pics. SPID in the glove box for one, and rusty area above driver side visor.

[yuccales]

Nice options. Rust don't look that bad.

[Chevys4life]

Nice truck to start with!!!!

[wrangler94]

Plans for the truck right now are as follows.. Rebuild the carb for sure, because it seeps gas a little and runs pretty rich, but it will idle down as it should and all that. Float was initially stuck too until some sucking and blowing on the fuel line while tapping with a big adjustable wrench freed it up. I've had it run for over an hour already, awesome oil pressure, (new oil as soon as i knew it would turn over) Thermostat and all works, needs new fan clutch though just cus it's a bit wonky feeling. Brakes are dry as a bone, so rebuilding all new soft lines, wheel cylinders, and drums and shoes all around, and new master cylinder. Fix the passenger side vent window and hopefully after that be able to drive and enjoy it some as I figure out where to go next.

[RCbowtie69]

Keep on Truckin''

[wrangler94]

OK, so for what it was worth, the trim was all still on the truck til the day we got it running, that carboard on the ground had been propped against the truck for a minute, and when Russell pulled it away, of course it popped the trim off. From digging in old threads in here apparently shopping at LMC for the clips to fix it is not the place to go, I did find some NOS clips on Ebay, is that the best route?

[wrangler94]

Originally Posted by wrangler94

OK, so for what it was worth, the trim was all still on the truck til the day we got it running, that carboard on the ground had been propped against the truck for a minute, and when Russell pulled it away, of course it popped the trim off. From digging in old threads in here apparently shopping at LMC for the clips to fix it is not the place to go, I did find some NOS clips on Ebay, is that the best route?

Anybody?

[clay68c10]

I've always had a good experience with GMC Paul's

[wrangler94]

Little update on the truck, I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I've had it running and it runs fine one it's started, but I've got a kit from Cliff's High performance to rebuild the Quadrajet that isn't stock to the truck, it's a rebuilt unit from pre 68, because of the spot for a round tag on it that's gone. Accelerator pump was no good so needed a squirt of gas to crank it but would idle for hours once running. Tore the front brakes apart last weekend because they were frozen up, and got all new AC Delco soft lines, master cylinder, wheel cylinders, etc.. Hopefully next weekend I will have the carb kit, rebuild the carb, and be able to crank it and drive it around the pasture at least.

[yuccales]

Waiting for more updates.

[best view]

That truck is worth fixing up

[ghackett1]

Gonna be a beauty, great foundation.

[wrangler94]

video of it running. the carb is off and in pieces on my dining room table right now lol.
https://youtube.com/shorts/WXi4zKlsMsI?feature=share

[wrangler94]

Any quadrajet experts looking at this? As I said I know this one is pre 68 because it has the spot for a round tag but that's missing now and it's got a sticker saying it was rebuilt many years ago. My truck came with air conditioning, and one day, way down the line, I intend to get that working again on it. Will this carb even work for that? Was just looking at a youtube video about rebuilding a newer model quadrajet and it mentioned a solenoid for the AC.

[wrangler94]

Update. Got the carb apart further so Cliff himself from Cliff's High Performance, literally the guy who wrote the book on how to rebuild and modify Quadrajets, could Identify it to put together a parts kit. Just my luck, when he identified it, he said he's worked on quadrajets over 30 years, and he'd throw that in the trash and start with a better core. He said this particular carb is the one that gives all quadrajets such a bad name like "quadrajunk" and quadrabog, etc. So i'm watching Ebay for certain coded quadrajets now for a core worth rebuilding.
Mine's a early, like pre 68, quadrajet with provision for the round tag, but it's missing, so had to tear into it for Cliff to identify it properly. A code correct one for my 1970 would be awesome, but anything within a year or so I'd settle for so that I know what I'm starting with for a rebuild kit, and so that if anything has to be done for it to work with AC one day when i fix that, that it's the right foundation to start with.

[Impact02]

Cliff is a great guy and very helpful. We were at a poker run a few years back and I was talking to him about my 86 pick up and he was shocked that the carburetor has not been touched since the truck was built Nice truck to start a project with good luck with the truck

[wrangler94]

Another update. got a bid in on a 69 quadrajet core on ebay that Cliff approves of. I'm the only bidder so far so I should win it Friday. Cliff's book about rebuilding quadrajets showed up this week so when I get the new carb I should have alot better idea of what the heck I'm doing from here on out.

[wrangler94]

I won the bid on the 69 core, and have also received the book from Cliff on rebuilding these things. Today I ordered all the tools I'll need, pin vice and small bits, different taps, including the one to add the vacuum port for brake booster, etc.
Like I told Cliff the other night, if I'm gonna rebuild this thing, I'm gonna build it like I intend to win the Daytona 500 with it, which got a good laugh out of him lol.

[wrangler94]

Had lofty goals of rebuilding the carburetor and also totally rebuilding the brake system all in a day, but that didn't work out lol. Brakes are all new now and replaced though, and ignition switch back safely in the dash where it belongs, instead of hanging by the wires near the floor, because I had to destroy the bezel and spacer to remove the original as i didn't have the key for the truck when I bought it. A few pics of the progress, and better pics of the project because I keep forgetting to take a lot of detailed ones to show what I'm working with.

[wrangler94]

more pics