2-yr build for my 13-yr old (1968 C-10 SWB fleetside)

[Elliot949]

Looks like you are heading the right direction...

[neal64ss]

Got some more parts sandblasted this weekend. Ran out of time before I ran out of parts to blast. Did get the crossmember blasted, so one less large part left to "clean up". Hope to get these painted and do some more sandblasting in a couple of weeks, weather permitting.

Going into outage at work so 72 hrs a week for next 5-6 weeks. May not get much done for a while.

[eagleuh1]

Yeh, them 72 hour weeks suck. But it's nice to get a new outage toy afterward. Coming along nice. Jim

[neal64ss]

Found these numbers on the frame when I cleaned it up and painted it. Anyone know what they mean? I'm just curious since the frame was a craigslist find and not the one that came with the truck I bought.

Top - O S 1 3 9 6 0 4

Drivers side - 3 9 3 5 8 0 - 4 6 7
10 - 10 31

Passengers side - 3 9 3 5 8 0 - 4 6 7
10 - 13 31

[68bowtie]

0 = 1970, S = St. Luis, 139604 = serial number (partial vin)

the other numbers are frame rail part numbers.

[neal64ss]

Originally Posted by 68bowtie

0 = 1970, S = St. Luis, 139604 = serial number (partial vin)

the other numbers are frame rail part numbers.

Thank for the info.

[neal64ss]

Made the most of some time off from work and got some more painting done.

Also added some new wheels to the frame, but just to make it easy to roll the frame around.

[neal64ss]

Haven't posted in a while but have been working on truck off and on. Trying to get all the suspension finished is my current goal, and I have about prepped all the parts for assembly.

When trying to remove the rear end from the original frame to put on the "newer" frame I found one of the rear control arms welded to the rear end mount. Only on one side, the U-bolt looked good and was securely bolted on. Why would someone weld these together? Talk about a pain in the butt to grind the welds out just to remove the axle.

[Xeen]

That right there is what we here on the board like to call "previous owner B.S."
Lets just hope he didn't make any other "improvements" to the pickup.
How do the trailing arms look otherwise?

[neal64ss]

Originally Posted by Xeen

That right there is what we here on the board like to call "previous owner B.S."
Lets just hope he didn't make any other "improvements" to the pickup.
How do the trailing arms look otherwise?

Axle and trailing arms both look normal to me. That's why I can't figure out why it was welded, and only one trailing arm.

[neal64ss]

Got the rear end sandblasted, painted, 5 lug conversion axles installed. Also blasted and painted the remaining small parts for the rear suspension assembly. Now just need a few hours to put it all together and can move on to the front suspension assembly, and the tranny crossmember and power steering gear got cleaned and painted as well

[Xeen]

The rear axle looks great, are you going to do the rear disk conversion on it?

[neal64ss]

Originally Posted by Xeen

The rear axle looks great, are you going to do the rear disk conversion on it?

No plan to convert to rear disk. Haven't really looked at it but I expect it will be cheaper to install rear drum parts than convert to disk. I would consider disk conversion if I thought it was cheaper, but don't plan to get the brakes completed until late summer or early fall.

[Xeen]

Originally Posted by neal64ss

No plan to convert to rear disk. Haven't really looked at it but I expect it will be cheaper to install rear drum parts than convert to disk. I would consider disk conversion if I thought it was cheaper, but don't plan to get the brakes completed until late summer or early fall.

The reason I mention it is because improved stopping power and handling characteristics will help with defensive driving and potentially save your son from getting into an accident.
The truck probably didn't come with a factory front sway bar either and it would be wise to add one of those as well.
There were two different ones available from the factory 1-1/16 and 1-1/8, I believe the later comes off of the 1 ton truck.
Little things like that will drastically change the way the pickup behaves.
I know it all costs money but it is all worth every penny and you can't put a price on safety.

[neal64ss]

Originally Posted by Xeen

The reason I mention it is because improved stopping power and handling characteristics will help with defensive driving and potentially save your son from getting into an accident.
The truck probably didn't come with a factory front sway bar either and it would be wise to add one of those as well.
There were two different ones available from the factory 1-1/16 and 1-1/8, I believe the later comes off of the 1 ton truck.
Little things like that will drastically change the way the pickup behaves.
I know it all costs money but it is all worth every penny and you can't put a price on safety.

I agree about the safety thing, just that conventional wisdom is that rear disk do not provide much extra stopping power. I am converting this truck to front disk. I did front disk on my 64 Chevelle, and the difference was incredible compared to 4 wheel drums. I do plan to do the sway bar up front, and all the suspension will be new everything. Urethane bushings, new 17" wheels and tires, new ball joints, control arm shafts, coils springs front and rear.

I just cant justify the extra $500 for rear disk. I feel it is not a good value and would rather spend that money somewhere else on this project.

[eagleuh1]

Neil64SS, sucks on the welded trailing arms, but the rest is looking real good.

[eagleuh1]

Any progress, you're not in outage are you?

[Justin@EntropyRad]

Looks to be killer progress

[neal64ss]

Long time since last post but have been working on build as time allows. Pretty much got the "frame" done. All the suspension, brakes (still need to run a few lines), & steering linkage together. Replaced all rubber bushings with polyurethane, 3 inch drop springs in rear, 2.5 inch dropped spindles in front. Flipped the forward trailing arm brackets to help with pinion angle. Replaced rear axles with 5 lug and converted front brakes to 5 lug disc. Did my first steering gear box rebuild and was surprised that it did not give me much trouble. Flipped the rear lower shock plates and pressed them flat for better shock angle. Also did the rear upper shock bracket mod that many others on here have also done. I know people like pics so I am going to post several to get caught up.

[neal64ss]

More pics. Both front and rear brakes all are completely rebuilt. I haven't bent brake lines in a while. I hope to get better at it as I work my way to the front of the truck with the rest of the lines.

[neal64ss]

Boy is it hard to compress the front springs without the body or drive-train on the frame. I ended up using parts from my spring compressor kit and my ball joint press kit in unison to get the springs compressed. The drop spindles were interring with the outer edge of the upper control arm so I had to clearance them a bit. They may have been OK at ride height but I wasn't sure.

[neal64ss]

Before and after.

[neal64ss]

Got cab stripped down, glass removed. Starting to do the rust repair now. This is my first effort at body work. Got a rocker off today. Going to be a lot of work, but I plan to just go slow and keep at it. I bought the kit with inner and outer rockers, cab corners, ect. Looks like I am going to have to get forward cab floor for both sides and the footwell on both sides as well. I suspect most would fab these pieces, but based on my experience level I feel I will have better results if I can mostly just cut and weld.

[neal64ss]

I have been trying for weeks to get the cowl vent door off without success. I think that the screw should be removed and then the rod would pull off the shaft but I cant get it to budge. I have tried many time penetrating oil without success. ???? Its the part that is in middle of picture sticking out from the cowl area.

[neal64ss]

Guess I just needed to complain about the stuck vent door because it came loose with no trouble when I tried again today.