Charlotte - A Stock 1970 K10 Build

[Love 70 Chevys]

These are the requested pics. Seat pic is best I could do with my phone and no dome light. Will try to get a better one when I am home in actual daylight. (Weekends only) Motor was easy as front clip is off. Third picture is us winching the old girl out into the world and into the trailer last weekend for the first time in many, many years!

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1487642379

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1487642379

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1487642379

[SonnyBoy]

Welcome !!
Beautiful
Beautiful
Beautiful
What a cool truck .Your a lucky man !

[Ken B]

That is one heck of a score for sure! Need some side view pics when you get a chance.

[Love 70 Chevys]

I have not posted in a very long time. My progress is slow but steady and I felt I should "save-up" until adding new material, but I am realizing I soon forget things. After reading the things other people share on here, I now know I need to improve my detail. It is super useful when people share what tools they used, part numbers they bought, torque values etc. I have pics of everything I have done (far too many to put on here) but I will be going from memory for what I will put up over the next few days. I promise to improve! I am 57 and this truck is my retirement project, but I am not quite retired yet. I tend to work 60 hr weeks, but I cherish every hour I get on the old girl. I bought this truck before I was really ready, but it was a once in a life find that I could not pass up. Another of my hobbies is woodworking and my shop is all set up in the basement. I really am not set up very well in my garage yet, so the first thing I had to do was to at least get a good solid workbench in place. I built this one and it is strong enough to put a V8 on it. If anyone would like to make one, I can send a pdf of the plans.

[Love 70 Chevys]

These are photos I took at the P.O.'s storage the day we picked her up. She had been there a long time, and the front end of the truck had been torn apart long ago. Parts scattered about, not all of them there. My fellow club members were able to borrow an axle dolly and we were able to winch it into a trailer. You can see here I had some work ahead of me!

[Love 70 Chevys]

My first goal was to get the Dana 44 front axle rebuilt and get her (Her name is Charlotte by the way) back on four wheels. This cross-section I found in the GM chassis manual was fantastic. As I mentioned, I did not have all the parts and would not even had known what I was missing without it. It is tough to put something back together when you are not the person who took it apart!

[Love 70 Chevys]

Started by pressing out the old u-joints in the axles, wire brushing all the rust off the visible portions, coating with rust encapsulator (Corroseal), painting with POR15 top coat and pressing in new u-joints.

[Love 70 Chevys]

Spindles and hubs needed some attention next. Borrowed a bearing puller and slide hammer set and popped out the old bearings. (Both have internal bearings if you look at the diagram.) Went through the clean-up and paint process on visible portions and pressed in new bearings and seals. All parts still readily available at your local auto parts stores! In the future I will do a better job of documenting part numbers, as although it is true you can still pick up locally, it takes a while to make sure you have the right items! (Probably involved 3 or 4 trips to finally get things right.)

[Love 70 Chevys]

Knuckles needed the same attention! Takes a lot of time to get all the rust off without a sandblasting cabinet, but for some reason I find it to be very relaxing and rewarding to do some work where I can just let my mind wander. Pressed out the old ball joints and pressed in new ones. So fun to take stuff that looks like it was salvaged off the Titanic and make it look better than when it left the factory. Also wondering what it will be like some day to drive a truck that feels as "new" as it did in 1970. (Subpar by today's standards, but "new" all the less!)

[Love 70 Chevys]

Tie rod needed some TLC (obviously) and fresh new ends installed. Still after that new truck steering feel!

[Love 70 Chevys]

Next were the brake mounting plates. I only had one. Since I am keeping the truck 100% stock, I am sticking with drums up front. I needed to get another one, and this is not something you can buy. Probably thousands of these have been thrown away as people converted to disc brakes or trucks were scrapped. Could not even find one at Carlisle when we went. Then a bad thing turned into a great thing when another forum member told me he had some for sale. He was located in Canada (not all that far from me) and I drove up on a sunny fall autumn afternoon to meet him. He had replaced his Dana 44 on his '69 4x4 Suburban and he sold and gave me a plethora of odds and ends parts. In the end, I could not have rebuilt my axle without his kindness! There are many washers, springs, spacers, small fasteners, etc inside the locking hubs and between what was left over from the P.O.'s years ago tear down and what he provided I ended up with everything! With a little work I had the brake plates looking better than new. I know it will not be long that they will be mostly invisible and covered with brake dust, but I can't help myself!

[Love 70 Chevys]

As long as I was on brakes, I wanted to get the drums ready. Took a 2 second look at my ancient ones and decided I needed to buy new. They are still somewhat available for the front of K10's, but got some serious sticker shock when I found out how much they cost! (Rears are not quite so bad.) Decided to look again at what I had, took the rust off the shoe surface and discovered there was only some minor scoring there. Invested some more time in rust work and painting. The "after" pictures are before they were turned. A fellow club member owns an auto shop and very kindly offered to turn them for me. He got them very clean and round and they will have lots of miles left in them. Probably more than new as chances are they are all China made now.

[35boulder]

Nice progress. Enjoying along with the others.

[Love 70 Chevys]

Before starting reassembly of the axle, I had naive plans of taking the leaf springs off, and having them reformed at a local spring shop. They were willing to do so for a reasonable price and were able to look up the necessary specs. Once I took them out (a big job involving lots and lots of pounding and PB Blaster) I discovered cracks and corrosion that meant this plan was not going to work. Unfortunately, the aftermarket ones available now are not exactly the same. The stock ones have a taper to them, and the new ones are all straight. It required cutting the front bushing (a little too wide in width) and making spacers for the rear shackle (a little too narrow). I went for Urethane bushings. (I know a departure from the stock rubber ones, but I will depart from time to time!) At least I was able to buy a heavy duty three leaf version that my truck was originally ordered with. They get shipped with just tape and a tag, not even in a box, so I repainted them. The scuffs wouldn't matter on an everyday truck as they soon would have a layer of rust and dirt. After, fresh grade 8 bolts, new U-bolts and nuts, new plastic leaf spacers and new bushings, she should have a very nice stock ride height. (Maybe a little higher since the 250 might be a tad lighter than other power plants.)

[Love 70 Chevys]

Next came axle reassembly. Wish I could include more detail here. I learned so much reading the Spicer service manual and watching YouTube videos. Lots of Jeep guys with good ones as the same axle exists in lots of older Jeeps. There are specific procedures, lock washer tabs and torques that have to be done correctly. The video I learned the most from was by a guy in Sweden who made a video of rebuilding a Dana 44 outside in the snow using parts he bought on Ebay! How his old '72 K10 made it to Sweden we will never know! It is becoming a very small world. First inspected the gearing and decided it looked good. (May find out different once she is drive-able.) Spent some good quality "cold concrete time" on my back wire brushing, corrosion converting and painting the axle. I apologize for not including more detail as had I taken better notes it would have been a golden opportunity to pass on the knowledge. A special 4 tooth socket is also needed to tighten the bearing nuts. I promise to do better in the future, but at least I have a pdf of the complete spicer service manual and can email it to anyone who would like a copy.

[Love 70 Chevys]

The next part was supposed to be fun. Just bolting together nice clean parts with all new hardware. My nirvana state quickly dissolved as I immediately ran into trouble with the knuckles. There is an important procedure that must be followed on partially torquing the bottom ball joint, bringing down the top adjustment nut, final torquing the bottom ball joint, then final torquing the top one. Even though I had all of the information in front of me, on the second knuckle, I went awry and over-tightened the upper adjustment nut, wedging it in place, and then had it partially break while trying to back it out. Luckily after taking deep breaths and stewing on it over night, I was able to use a BMF sledge the next day to knock out the new ball joint and take the pressure off enough to back out the nut. I decided to put the almost 50 year old (factory quality) nut back in, as I was disappointed that my brand new made in Mexico one had broken while trying to back out. After that, things went smoothly as the axles, tie rod and spindles went back on. There is an orientation to watch out for on the tie rod, as there is a slight angle on the ends that allows clearance with the pumpkin in the center when turning the wheels to their extremes.

[zicc1835]

Originally Posted by Love 70 Chevys

The next part was supposed to be fun. Just bolting together nice clean parts with all new hardware. My nirvana state quickly dissolved as I immediately ran into trouble with the knuckles. There is an important procedure that must be followed on partially torquing the bottom ball joint, bringing down the top adjustment nut, final torquing the bottom ball joint, then final torquing the top one. Even though I had all of the information in front of me, on the second knuckle, I went awry and over-tightened the upper adjustment nut, wedging it in place, and then had it partially break while trying to back it out. Luckily after taking deep breaths and stewing on it over night, I was able to use a BMF sledge the next day to knock out the new ball joint and take the pressure off enough to back out the nut. I decided to put the almost 50 year old (factory quality) nut back in, as I was disappointed that my brand new made in Mexico one had broken while trying to back out. After that, things went smoothly as the axles, tie rod and spindles went back on. There is an orientation to watch out for on the tie rod, as there is a slight angle on the ends that allows clearance with the pumpkin in the center when turning the wheels to their extremes.

real nice work... looks like a few of my tools laying on the floor.... were you at my shop today

[Love 70 Chevys]

From the first pic, you can see how tight it is where the u-joints rotate. I had never seen this put together before. I had to pull out the axles, lube the upper ball joint and then remove the zerk fitting so it would not interfere. Once the hubs were assembled, everything centered and moved up the centerline of the axle so the nut on the bottom ball joint cleared. Everything rotates cleanly now, but not by much! In the future, I will have to lube the ball joint by needle squirting under the boot. Next came my "Canadian '69 Suburban" brake plates and then the hubs. Next photo is the hubs all complete with all of the locking hub mechanism stuffed inside. I found this to be very interesting. It was such a messy, grease filled job and at times felt like I needed three arms so I did not get any pictures. For now, I used some faded, beat up red locking dials, but I have a nicer pair that I am painting nicey nice new stock red. Installed a new drag link and the steering wheel makes the front wheels turn for the first time in who knows how long!

[Love 70 Chevys]

Put the tires on and she is on all four wheels again for the first time in a very, very long time. Charlotte is starting to look like a real truck again! The ancient bias ply tires are far from road worthy, but they hold air just fine. I know my square body dog dishes are not stock, but I have always thought that era hub cap with white steelies is a really nice look, so that is the way she will roll into the future!

[Love 70 Chevys]

When winter settles in, even though I find nothing more rewarding than working on my truck; after a ten hour work day plus commute time, it is tough to summon up the energy to go out into the cold garage with nothing but a kerosene heater. Because of that, I come up with "chip away at it" small projects that I can do down in my warm basement workshop with a cold beer and some music on. One of these was the front grill. It has some scars, but we all do as we age. I like to think that we earn them. Even though they are nice and shiny, I can tell a reproduction grill a mile away. (Look at the spacing of the parking lights on a '70). Charlotte is going to wear the scars she has earned. Her grill was filthy, had some small dents, rusty headlight buckets, some paint over-spray, but all in all it could be saved. I worked out all the little dents, and used metal polish and a buffing wheel for hours to get off all the filth and over-spray. Bought a LMC rebuild kit, painted the black plastic grill semi-gloss black, and rebuilt & repainted the parking light assemblies. Corrosion controlled and repainted the black mounting brackets and am happy with the results. A very rewarding winter hobby! I also won't have to worry about the shininess of the grill matching the front bumper, as Charlotte was a working girl and she will sport her factory white painted bumper.

[Love 70 Chevys]

The alternator was another nice little basement project. It was filthy like everything else, but I took it to an alternator shop for testing. They put it on their test machine and it tested good! I wanted to save it very badly, as it is the one that came on the truck from the factory. The farmer who ordered it, ordered it to plow his driveway and you can see in the "before" picture the third pulley. It was added, as an auxiliary belt was run off the alternator for the plow hardware. I took the alternator apart, as it was very clogged with grease and what looked like horse hair inside. The brushes really had very little wear and were in good shape. (Another clue that the 38K mile thing is very real.) I will point out other things as I go along that help support this, even though I have no maintenance records to prove it. However, I cracked one of the brushes as I was reassembling it. Locally, we have an alternator shop called Golden alternator. It is an awesome old school place. You walk in, and they must have 10,000 old alternator cores just piled up in heaps and on shelving. When I showed them the alternator, they said, "oh yeah, we have those" and went to an old filing cabinet and pulled some out. Charged me $3.00 and put the ones in his pocket after he handed me the brushes. I love Americana! I removed the third pulley as my truck will not have a snowplow, but I love the story and the pictures! (BTW, retested after putting in the new brushes and all is still good!)

[Love 70 Chevys]

Next was the power steering pump. Again, pretty nasty looking, but fundamentally sound. I spent lots of time de-greasing, scraping, primering and painting. I am such a nerd, that I even laid some bondo over some of the slight dents in the case and sanded smooth! After I had put all that time into it, I thought to myself, "I wonder if this thing is even any good?" As a test, I found that the v-belt on my old Craftsman table saw was an exact fit for the pulley. So I put in some power steering fluid, hooked up a hose from inlet to outlet and ran the thing. At least no fluid leaked out through the pulley bearing, so I think the thing is probably good! More satisfying fun and another small step forward.

[Shinysideup]

Your detailing is on point !

[Love 70 Chevys]

The next winter project was the heater core assembly. I was able to hook up 12 V to the fan motor, and it ran fine. I found mice nests inside of the plastic housing, and they had been chewing on the plastic fan cage and some of it was gone. I ordered a new one from LMC. The heater core itself was very interesting to me. It was date coded 1969 and was labeled Harris radiator which is located in Buffalo, very near to me. I love history and especially local history so I am really hoping it is still good. I was not able to pressure test it, but I put water in it, let it sit, and nothing leaked. I did not replace it! (More 38K evidence?) When I work on Charlotte, I often think of the men who worked in the factories in the late 60's in the good old USA to make her, and I love it that this part was made right in my back yard. The back of the assembly is very thin sheet metal and was very rotted. None of these parts are re-popped, so I had to cut out the cancer, make paper templates and reconstruct. Luckily, none of it is visible. I also had to re-fabricate part of the gasket for the flapper door, as it was gone. Put a UHMWPE spacer on the friction plate and it feels better than factory now. (Came metal on metal.) Cleaned everything, repainted and bagged it for the day when I put her all back together! (Hit the max on pictures, so some are in the next entry.)

[Love 70 Chevys]

Pics of the assembly when it is all done: