"Midnight Rider" 1970 C10 SWB Fleetside

[omodified]

Time to blast the timing chain cover. First, I taped up all of the mounting surfaces and the supplied gasket. I dont plan on using this gasket, but I wanted to protect that area.




I blasted the paint off the old one just to experiment with what I would need to do to get the desired looked back. Media blasting was the right thing but the finish was a bit rough. I took some red scotch bright and very lighted sanded in a circular motion until it was nice and smooth.

Old vs new...




Since I had the technique down, it was time to blast the goods. Here it is, fresh out of the cabinet...




...and here is the finished product. I think this will work perfectly!

[SRU1436]

The motor is coming along great.

[MDPotter]

Beautiful! What kind of polish did you use?

[omodified]

Originally Posted by SRU1436

The motor is coming along great.

Thanks for the compliment!!!

Originally Posted by MDPotter

Beautiful! What kind of polish did you use?

Thanks MD. I've been using this can for a many years now. I just can't seem to use it all up. I was happy to see that it's still sold. Works great on aluminum and other metals. I used it a few years ago for water stains on my shower door.

[lolife99]

Thanks for taking time to explain everything you did.
Love this build.

[omodified]

Originally Posted by lolife99

Thanks for taking time to explain everything you did.
Love this build.

Hey Keith!. Thanks for dropping by. Good to see you again.

[omodified]

Happy to report that the cab and doors were picked up today. Piedmont Traction will begin metal work and paint prep. The build should start moving a little quicker now!

I still have plenty to do with the motor. While I'm waiting on a part that will help me finish up the oil pan, I decided to start of the valve covers. Original valve covers off...



I'll be reusing the original valve cover mounting bolts. They are in great shape. The grommets seem to be in good shape too but let's start with new ones here.



These are the valve covers I decided on. I really like the two-piece design to hide the coils. I'm not too sure about the Chevrolet script, but I do like it better than the other options that were available. Maybe I will black out the script so it's less noticeable. Either way, this should look nice when its finished.




The new grommets are installed and lubricant is on the threads. I bought new gaskets to replace the ones that were already here. The new ones were orange and could be seen between the head and the valve cover base. I didn't care for that, so I decided to reuse the original ones. They appear to be new so I washed them with Dawn soap and reinstalled them.



Valve cover bases installed. Bolts torqued to GM specs.




I had to stop here though. The bolts that Holley supplied to mount the coils are a bit too short. I did try to use them but I managed to pull some thread out of the hole. Holley recommended torqueing them to 106 lb/in (GM spec too), but there is no way I'll ever get there. So, I ordered some longer bolts to use instead. My plan is to just install them at 20 lb/in with some purple Loctite. To be continued...

[omodified]

The piece I have been waiting on to help me install the oil pan arrived. Everything I read about sealing an LS motor says alignment is critical. The front and rear covers depended on the oil pan and other tools for critical alignment. However, there are no tools to help align the oil pan correctly. GM says oil pan alignment for my application is critical due to the fact that the 4L80e transmission uses two mounting holes on the oil pan. So, all mounting holes have to be on the same plane to prevent cracking on the oil pan and/or the transmission case. The only option I had handy was to mount the transmission to the engine and I'm not ready for that right now. So, I found a used bellhousing on Ebay from a 4L60. This made things much easier to work with.



First, I removed the oil pan so I could clean the mounting surfaces really good. GM and Holley both recommend that a small bead of RTV is used on all four corners where the front and rear covers meet the block. Once everything was clean and dry, I used Permatex in the prescribed areas.




Put the pan back on with a new gasket. I lubricated the oil pan mounting bolts and installed them all hand tight.





Engine is back on the lift.



Bellhousing installed. I very lightly torqued the bellhousing bolts to draw the oil pan even with the rear engine mount plane. Then I torqued the oil pan bolts to GM spec.



Removed the bellhousing and put the engine back on the stand. Last thing was to seal it off with a new oil filter.

[big_al_71]

Great job thus far
Following
Posted via Mobile Device

[omodified]

Originally Posted by MDPotter

This is one of those build threads that is so detailed with all of the pictures, part numbers, and explanation that you can bookmark it for future reference. Good work!

Originally Posted by lunatic1968

Nice work, love all the details. Following

Originally Posted by big_al_71

Great job thus far
Following
Posted via Mobile Device

Thanks for the compliments guys! Glad you are following along.

[hewittca]

Heck yeah, lookin' awesome O. Your attention to detail is impeccable.

[omodified]

Originally Posted by hewittca

Heck yeah, lookin' awesome O. Your attention to detail is impeccable.

Thanks Mr. Hewitt. Nice to see you here. I’ll be checking on your new build too. I wonder who will be done first. 🤔

[omodified]

So, I received the longer bolts to install the coils. I decided to stick with my plan and torque them to 20lb/inch and use purple Loctite. Then, I ran into my next issue. While tightening the coil bolts by hand with a 1/4 ratchet and two fingers, the Holley provided plastic gen V coil spacers splintered all the way around. I didn't realize they were pretty much not useable until I had them all installed. I thought, well, if they are brittle now, how brittle will they be after they've been heat cycled a bunch of times? So, I called Holley to ask what could be done. I called on a Saturday and the rep said he would need to call me back on Monday. When I didn't hear anything back, I figured I needed to come up with something better on my own. So, I got some round aluminum rod and decided to make some spacers of my own. Seems like complete overkill now that it's finished, but it's one less thing to worry about down the road. Holley should just included these in the kit instead.


Putting in some work on the lathe...



3 hours and 16 spacers later...

[omodified]

Finally it's time to properly install the coils. Here is what we are working with.

MSD Gen V coils




Coil harnesses




Coil mounting accessories




First coil installed. 20lbs/in came too easy, so I settled on 30lbs/in.



All coils on and torqued.




Holley provided pretty nice 12 point finishing bolts for the outer valve covers. I had two issues though. 12 point isn't really what I have going on and the nickel finish didn't quite match the other stainless bolts. So, I used my own.



Finished!!!

[MDPotter]

This has to be the most detailed, clean, and neat build I have seen on here. Makes me want to rip my engine back out and go through it - at least more than I did the first time.

[88Stanger]

DAMN!! I was just commenting on the exhaust you are looking at and now look at this beautiful motor! The detail is incredible. Great job!!! Please keep up with detail pics, as others have mentioned a great resource to others i am sure....

[omodified]

Originally Posted by 88Stanger

DAMN!! I was just commenting on the exhaust you are looking at and now look at this beautiful motor! The detail is incredible. Great job!!! Please keep up with detail pics, as others have mentioned a great resource to others i am sure....

Thanks for the compliment Stanger. I hoped people would appreciate the amount of pics I post. It helps me to have the references and I think that helps others too. Historically, folks on this board love pics. So...I will keep em comin'

[omodified]

The next few steps I had to do multiple times, different ways. As I worked on one thing I figured out that something else needed to come before it and so on. So, after multiple test fits, this is what I came up with.

First up is installing the crankshaft position sensor. The factory engine setup utilizes several heat shields. This is important to protect sensors like this from extreme heat produced at the nearby exhaust. I won't be using any of the factory heat shields on my build, especially since I don't have any of it. I decided to go with stick on heat shielding instead. This version handles continuous temps up to 800°F. It was a bit tedious to splice so much for good coverage, but it will be worth the peace of mind. Installed the sensor and torqued to factory spec 18lb/ft.







Next up is the engine oil dip stick and tube. I originally bought a factory LS3 tube and dipstick, which is what Holley recommended for the oil pan that I'm using. However, when I tried to mock it up on this engine I ran into a few issues. The tube actually hit the starter, no matter what I tried. The other issue is the appearance. It sticks up way above the valve covers and has a huge yellow handle. So, I was in the market for something that worked better. What I came up with was a Lokar anchor-tight locking flexible engine dipstick. I went with the midnight series which gave it a nice black finish to match my theme. This had the look I was after and it gave me the clearance I needed for the starter. I had to sand the area in the engine block where the tube inserts. This gave me a nice area to apply some RTV, since this spot is prone to oil leaks. I applied the RTV around the base only and installed. I allowed it to dry for 24 hours before going to the next step.








Clearance!!! (Spoiler alert!)

[omodified]

Next is the starter. I decided to go with a mini starter and I found one in black from PowerMaster. This one is particularly nice because of the built-in adjustability. Even though it didn't 100% help with using the LS3 dipstick, it was plenty enough to give me the clearance I needed for the Lokar dipstick and the pigtail/wiring that will plug into the crankshaft sensor. I had to use the supplied shim to space the pinion so it wasnt 100% engaged with the flexplate. Once I torqued it down with new ARP bolts, I had the ideal spacing that PowerMaster recommends. Now that it was mounted correctly, I could loosen the torx bolts and rotate the starter for the clearance I need inboard. I marked the plate with index marks so it can be tightened back down correctly. Then, I had to remove the starter so I could be sure the plate remained flush to the starter mount when I torqued it. Then I install the starter back on to the engine and torqued to 37lb/ft.

[omodified]

More progress on the cab. Still needs some more massaging, but getting close. It's starting to look really nice.

[MDPotter]

That's a good idea on the coolant temp sensor location, it will be yet another touch that makes this engine build so clean and thought out. Let us know what you end up doing so we can steal your idea!

[omodified]

Along with the cab, I took custody of some other parts. Time to get busy with some new nickel plated hardware!!!




Gonna need some of this so the bolts don't freeze up over time.




The engine crossmember is tricky. It's a tight fit to the frame where it lives. So, you have to raise it more toward the front, where the frame is narrower and then walk it backwards into place.





...and just like that, more problems!!! So, as I mentioned a while back, this crossmember has been pancaked. Doing this, causes you to lose the ability to bolt it back to the side of the frame using the original holes. The eight holes that were used will no longer line up. In hind sight, I should have welded up the bottom holes and re-drilled so I could use the threaded nuts on the upper control arm plate. This would lock in the crossmember fore/aft. Now that I am this far along, I will have to depend on the bottom holes.





Now for the problem. I pulled out the new grade 8 bolts that I planned to replace the originals with. Every one of them are 7/16". Again, not a problem if I could've mounted to the side of the frame. The holes on the bottom of the frame rail and the crossmember are 1/2". If I use the 7/16" bolts, the crossmember could walk back and forth and possibly open the holes up even more. Ever see what loose lugnuts do to a wheel after several miles? So, I need to use 1/2" bolts for sure. Well, I didn't nickel plate any 1/2" bolts for this application. So, the front suspension will have to wait a few weeks. I'll just put some temporary bolts in for now so I can get this floor jack out of here.

[omodified]

After the last two issues, I need a good solid win. Let's install some crossmembers that actually fit!

Here's what we are working with...









So, this part could've been a lot harder if I didn't have the right tool to assist. With all of the crossmembers out, the frame actually shorten in width just a bit. It was just enough to make the holes misaligned. So, I put new 1/2" bolts back in the front crossmember. That ensured it was in the correct location. Then I used a hydraulic ram(and pillows) to spread the frame rails apart until my holes were lined up just right. I found several answers on how much torque to use on these bolts. With the nickel anti-seize, I decided on 40 lb/ft. Progress!!!

[omodified]

I received a PM earlier this week from a fellow board member here, "Pick". He read my build thread and had some suggestions and motivation for me to repair coolant temp sensor hole in my cylinder head. My biggest take away was his suggestion of using a tapping block when I tap my threads. I have heard about these but I have never used one. It sounded exactly like what I needed and would certainly help with my biggest concern. I researched what was available to buy, but I couldn't find anything that was near the size I needed (0.555"). So, I decided to make my own. I had some scrap round stock that was perfect. The lathe made quick work of it and I had exactly what I needed. This should work great, thanks Pick!!!





The tap I am using for this job came with the 12x1.5 HeliCoil kit I bought. It also came with the drill bit, installation tool and 5 new steel threads.




First thing I did was rotated the block until the plane I was working on was upside down but parallel to the floor. I needed to make sure that any metal shavings that are created have a chance to fall out of the head. Next, I put some grease on the supplied drill bit and started drilling out the hole. The grease should catch all of the metal shavings. I went very slow and only took out two old threads at a time. Each time I stopped, I cleaned the shavings out of the drill bit and replaced the grease. I also kept vacuuming the hole out. Here is the hole after all passes were complete.






Next, I put cutting oil on the threads of the supplied tap. I used the tapping block to make sure the new threads were tapped perfectly straight. I cut about two threads at a time and back out the tap. Again, making sure I clean up the shavings from the tap and vacuuming out the hole. I continued oiling the tap and cutting threads until it was complete.





Next, I used red Loctite and inserted the new threaded coil into the hole with the supplied tool. I was a bit tricky to get it started but once it did, it only took a little pressure to keep it threading to the end. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to pull the installation tang off of the coil. Here is the finished product after waiting 24hrs for the Loctite to dry.




The last thing to do was finish it off with a nice plug. I found a nice stainless plug with copper crush washer at McMaster-Carr. I used high-temp thread sealer and torqued to 15 lb/ft. This thing is sitting 100% flush! What was I ever worried about???

[omodified]

Earlier in this thread, I previewed just a few of the parts that I've been able to find over the last several years. In post #13, I previewed a nice original hood I found locally on FB Marketplace. In post #20, I previewed some really nice NOS sheet metal I found in Tennessee and Virginia. The hardest part of my journey with this project so far has been searching for the coolest parts I can find. It takes a while to find some of this stuff, but I have learned to be patient. It's out there somewhere! The best part about my journey so far, was travelling to meet some of the coolest people to buy it all. We travelled quite a bit to shows and swap meets and peoples homes all around the eastern half of the US. Sometimes I came up empty handed, but it was always worth the time spent with my wife. I'm proud of what we were able to find and it's a comfort knowing exactly what this build consists of. Let's document some of those cool parts and mock-up the front end of the truck.


First up, was a score I found on Ebay. NOS cab cushions and mounting accessories.
Front cab mount kit x2 - 3957829
Rear upper cushion x2 - 3948408
Rear lower cushion x2 - 3948406
Front cab mount bolts x2 - 3816365 *need to nickel plate
Rear upper cushion washer x2 - 3889870 *need to nickel plate








The rear cab bolts I will be using are originals. I removed the rust from mine a few posts back, but I found a better pair locally. The remaining hardware was bought new and I already had it nickel plated, except for two of the sleeves. I will be plating those and the cab bolts soon.




The next thing to do was jack the cab up one side at a time and swap these loaner cushions for the new ones. Since we want to make sure everything lines up as close as possible during mock-up, it's important for the cab to be sitting at the correct height. The way to ensure this is to use new cushions and torque the cab to proper specs. GM says to start at 70 lb/ft front and 35 lb/ft rear. From there, if you need to make a slight adjustment later, you can increase torque to 55/90 lb/ft respectively.





Now that the cab is secure to the frame, we install the radiator support next. This NOS radiator support was one of my early finds. Dean's Truck Farm in Tennessee came through for me on this one. The mounting cushions I found on a secret underground NOS website that only true enthusiasts know about. I could tell you all about it, but I don't want to be the one to spill the beans.

Radiator support - 3980038
Upper rad support cushions - 3951798
Lower rad support cushions - 3953135







Just like the cab, the rad support has a recommended torque spec. GM says to start at 35 lb/ft and adjust up to 55 lb/ft. I used nickel plated aftermarket hardware to install it.




Next up were the fenders. I found an NOS right side fender at the same time as the radiator support. I was told for years that the left side was a lot harder to find because it wasn't commonly made or replaced. The right side was commonly replaced due to leaking battery acid eating away the front cup. So they were more readily available as replacements. A few years ago, forum member "billsbowtie" had a pair for sale, in boxes. I didn't need another right side but I couldn't pass on the opportunity to get he left one. I'm glad I did because I haven't seen another left one since. Thanks for the deal Billy and I hope your doing well.

RH fender - 3936668
LH fender - 3936667










I used a new front end hardware kit in black oxide from The Truck Shop (Orange) to install.





To be continued...

.