1966 C10 Project Truck

[scoot_mcgrute]

So, going to look at a new motor tomorrow. Mine has been a crap shoot since I bought it, it had no oil in it, and the amount it smokes has me thinking it needs rings. Found a low mile Targetmaster 292 I6 mated to what looks like a T5 transmission (ad just says 5 speed) so more than likely going to be bringing it home! It's going to be awesome!

[scoot_mcgrute]

Figured since I'll be doing ball joints, I may as well slap some new springs in it too! 2" front, 3" rear CPP springs. Those paired with my 235s should give it a great look!

[scoot_mcgrute]

Picked this up today, the block says 4.8L but the head doesn't look like a 292 head, is it a 250 head?

[scoot_mcgrute]

Block stamp

[scoot_mcgrute]

No more 3 on the tree, it was fun for a couple laps around the neighborhood but the T5 will make it more fun for me

[mattfranklin]

What a great looking truck. Good progress, too.

[scoot_mcgrute]

Originally Posted by mattfranklin

What a great looking truck. Good progress, too.

Thanks! I didn't get anything done this weekend since I'm fixing my Jeep from breaking an axle shaft last weekend. I did get just about everything I need for the motor and tranny swap though

In my spare time (ha!) I am a board member of the local Wheelin With Warriors group and we had a meeting yesterday. One of the other members loves the pickup and was able to decode the bumper stickers for me. If I heard him right, it was a runway crew ordinance truck in Florida. I'm not sure how it found its way to the NW but it did

[Bomp]

Wow, all the way from Florida to these parts. Mighty long haul. Dependability.

[scoot_mcgrute]

After the Jeep was finished in the garage, I pulled the 66 back in. I'm getting ready to pull the front clip this weekend and start prepping for the 292 and T-5. While I was spraying down all the bolts with Kroil tonight, I found that the passenger fender was welded to the rocker panel with a piece of a barrel. Who needs bolts????

[62stepside longbox]

Looks like the PO was trying to make it a unibody

[scoot_mcgrute]

Originally Posted by 62stepside longbox

Looks like the PO was trying to make it a unibody

Right? I'm just glad to have rescued the truck from those hands

While I'm doing the motor swap, I need to swap the ball joints out. I had ordered everything for the drum brakes and was going to do a disc conversion this summer with a donor truck. The 6 lug wheels have kinda grown on me and not having a ton of space to part a truck out, I looked at my conversion options. I'll have the CPP stock spindle disc brake kit at my door before too long

[Bomp]

Rootin' for ya.
Have to ask. Whats the cardboard sign on the windshield in the older pics.

[scoot_mcgrute]

Originally Posted by Bomp

Rootin' for ya.
Have to ask. Whats the cardboard sign on the windshield in the older pics.

Thanks!

The sign is my original to-do list. Before I found out the motor was junk...

[scoot_mcgrute]

I've been sick as a dog the last couple weeks but I was feeling good enough over the weekend to get some progress made on the Chevy





I should have the motor and tranny out on Sunday and then I can pressure wash the heck out of the whole thing, paint the frame and start installing all my parts! I have a CPP disc brake kit on order and hopefully I will be ordering a Wilwood brake and clutch master cylinder this week. Way too nice of parts for way too junkie of a truck but it's going to be so sweet!

[joe dirt]

cool truck man,..nice to see another local on here!...what car show in june?

[scoot_mcgrute]

Originally Posted by joe dirt

cool truck man,..nice to see another local on here!...what car show in june?

Thanks! I'll have it at 2 in June actually. First one is the Sherwood Cruise In and the 2nd will hopefully be Cool Desert Nights up in Richland. Hoping to drive it up there with my buddy in his Ford. Should be an awesome time!

[scoot_mcgrute]

Dad and I were busy over the weekend! We pulled the motor and tranny out on Friday and started cleaning the frame up. Yesterday after the Easter festivities, we got the bed off the truck. I gotta say that it was way easier knowing that I had all new hardware coming so we didn't have to save any of the original stuff. The whole back half of the frame definitely has more rust than the front! I've gone through probably half a can of Kroil just on the back half of the frame

Pulling the engine






Starting the bed tear down. I worked on as many of the underside bolts as I could while dad was cutting the heads of the fender mounting screws. He did an X in each head and used a chisel to break the heads off. Worked great!


We also broke the boards loose of the mounting bolts and just cut the heads off with the cutoff wheels.




Dad swinging the hammer


Blurry shot of my shop pup and shotgun rider, Rockwell. He's an awesome dog!


Bed wood out and bed off. We ended up cutting all the bolts that hold the bed strips in too. I'm going to redo the floor with some nice plywood when I'm at that stage.


All cleaned up with a Rockwell photobomb


Plans this week are to pressure wash the frame really well and wire wheel what's left behind. I'll be getting some POR-15 and coating the whole frame with that. Pretty soon it will be time to start working on fun things like brakes and suspension

[62stepside longbox]

Keep up the good work

[scoot_mcgrute]

Originally Posted by 62stepside longbox

Keep up the good work

Thanks! I had a nasty cold that kept me out of the garage for almost 2 weeks. I'm sure happy to get some garage time in again!

[scoot_mcgrute]

I will be putting a power rack and pinion setup on the truck at some point and I was curious how people have done it themselves. The setup from Unisteer looks sweet but the price tag is just not in the cards and since I have some fab tools and skills, I'd like to do it myself.

For those that have done it themselves, did you attach the rack to the crossmember?

What about getting the geometry correct, did you space it the same distance from the crossmember as the center link?

I could build a bracket similar to the Unisteer bracket that would pick up on the holes for the idler arm and the lower steering box holes too, I just am not sure how to go about lining everything up front to back so I have proper geometry and steering.

Any help in this department is greatly appreciated!

[scoot_mcgrute]

Another thing I really want to do is swap the instrument cluster out for one with gauges. Is this a plug and play deal or do i need to redo the sending units and wire harness?

[DPowers]

Originally Posted by scoot_mcgrute

Another thing I really want to do is swap the instrument cluster out for one with gauges. Is this a plug and play deal or do i need to redo the sending units and wire harness?

This may help.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=598240

[scoot_mcgrute]

Originally Posted by DPowers

This may help.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=598240

Thanks! I may wait a bit on that, I just don't like warning lights. They usually don't come on until it's too late.

[Bomp]

Nice finds at the swap meet.
Getting a lot done.

[scoot_mcgrute]

Thanks!

I think I've hit the fun part where I get to install all the parts I've had sitting in my living room for a couple months. Last night I focused on getting the last couple things done to the motor before I could start painting it while dad came over and pulled the rear bumper off. It's got a hitch that was welded on to the rear crossmember that fought us a bit but we prevailed.


And my favorite part so far was getting that first coat of paint on the engine. I love it!


Tonight is looking like the night I will pressure wash the frame and clean a couple things up on the motor and give it another coat