Parts you wish existed for the 67-72 C10?

[siggyfreud]

I appreciate everyone's input this far. I have a few pet projects I'll likely be starting with, and then I'll comb through the feedback here and see what is both in demand, and something I can make functional replacements for just with printing. Once that process is down better, then I'll fold in designs that may require external vendors or tooling to create, as that process gets more complicated.

As just a heads up on my pet projects they more geared towards the pro-touring market:

1. Custom grill that chops about two columns on each end of the grill, and in its place are air inlets that go through the core support.
2. An airbox that can be fed by one inlet to utilize either a cone filter or ideally a flat filter that slots into place, to feed fuel-injected projects.
3. A second box that will fit a fluid cooler which can be used as either an oil cooler, like for me, a power steering/hydroboost fluid cooler.
4. I'd like to build on to #3 a cover that also has reservoir holders for cylindrical containers for coolant, and washer fluid, so the cylinders are hidden, and you just unscrew the caps from the covers to pour in the fluid.
5. Custom headlight buckets that will accommodate larger true HID projector lights. I had to plasma cut mine but would have really liked to just cut a more uniform square out, and bolt in replacement buckets.

One of the biggest steps in all of this will be spending time trying to model the design and specs of the stock engine bay, so I can reduce time fitting and modifying, and do a lot of the test-fitting in the program.

Thanks again all!

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by siggyfreud

I'll PM you once I have the machine up and running. I'd be happy to slice your CAD and try and print with it and mail it to you for testing.

That would be fantastic.

I worked at the Air Force flight test center for several years and we made one-off prototype parts for testing so I have some experience with reworking parts to make them better than the initial design.

I have an idea to try on this one after we get the original design reproduced to see if we can make it better and still use the original perimeter seal and hinge guide pin sleeve assembly on it.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by siggyfreud

I appreciate everyone's input this far. I have a few pet projects I'll likely be starting with, and then I'll comb through the feedback here and see what is both in demand, and something I can make functional replacements for just with printing. Once that process is down better, then I'll fold in designs that may require external vendors or tooling to create, as that process gets more complicated.

As just a heads up on my pet projects they more geared towards the pro-touring market:

1. Custom grill that chops about two columns on each end of the grill, and in its place are air inlets that go through the core support.
2. An airbox that can be fed by one inlet to utilize either a cone filter or ideally a flat filter that slots into place, to feed fuel-injected projects.
3. A second box that will fit a fluid cooler which can be used as either an oil cooler, like for me, a power steering/hydroboost fluid cooler.
4. I'd like to build on to #3 a cover that also has reservoir holders for cylindrical containers for coolant, and washer fluid, so the cylinders are hidden, and you just unscrew the caps from the covers to pour in the fluid.
5. Custom headlight buckets that will accommodate larger true HID projector lights. I had to plasma cut mine but would have really liked to just cut a more uniform square out, and bolt in replacement buckets.

One of the biggest steps in all of this will be spending time trying to model the design and specs of the stock engine bay, so I can reduce time fitting and modifying, and do a lot of the test-fitting in the program.

Thanks again all!

Where were you thinking of mounting the air box and fluid cooler for the Hydro-Boost?

By the time you get a decent sized coolant recovery tank and washer fluid jar with electric pump on it installed there isn't a whole lot of room left. Guess it depends upon what coolant tank you use and where it goes.

I'm running low on free space in my stepside and remembered the steering cooler from one of my old square body Suburbans was mounted under the core support parallel to the ground. It just had bare aluminum tube run in a 4-pass S-configuration bolted to the bottom of the radiator support but a finned cooler with a small air gap behind it could still get a decent amount of air flow across it in that location for power steering cooling. I have a two-row finned type one from a NBS truck that I am going to install in that location.

I think there is enough room to put an oil cooler there too but would want to shield it with a heavy wire screen to give it a little protection from accidental damage by parking bump stops and the like.

[68 TT]

That reminds me of something else you can make on the 3-D printer. A copy of the original radiator fluid recovery tank and the unobtaniun lid that goes with it.

A second version would be to modify the design to make it like the NBS truck style where the fluid enters down low on the side of the tank and uses that NBS truck style of vented cap instead of the rare original double feed cap with just an overflow port hose barb on the top side of the tank that would accept the stock radiator overflow hose.

The first design is for restoration the second is for people who want the best function in a truck that gets driven a lot.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by 68Stepbed

A simplified version of this frame brace that still uses the original trailing arm crossmember.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/s...SABEgJjlvD_BwE

I just looked through their installation instruction pictures and it looks like it could be easily modified to bolt up to the stock crossmember at the trailing arm mount bracket rivet points.

It looks like it is made by Summit, maybe you could just ask them to make a version of it that used the stock crossmember and included a set of bolt-on adjustable mount point brackets for the trailing arms.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by 68 TT

That reminds me of something else you can make on the 3-D printer. A copy of the original radiator fluid recovery tank and the unobtaniun lid that goes with it.

A second version would be to modify the design to make it like the NBS truck style where the fluid enters down low on the side of the tank and uses that NBS truck style of vented cap instead of the rare original double feed cap with just an overflow port hose barb on the top side of the tank that would accept the stock radiator overflow hose.

The first design is for restoration the second is for people who want the best function in a truck that gets driven a lot.

The more modern design would be made for an in tank pump, too, correct?

[Happy_dan]

I would just like to chime in on the radio bracket for under the dash. I would really like to leave the stock radio and all the dash alone but would love to have some modern tunes

[siggyfreud]

Originally Posted by 68 TT

Where were you thinking of mounting the air box and fluid cooler for the Hydro-Boost?

By the time you get a decent sized coolant recovery tank and washer fluid jar with electric pump on it installed there isn't a whole lot of room left. Guess it depends upon what coolant tank you use and where it goes.

I'm running low on free space in my stepside and remembered the steering cooler from one of my old square body Suburbans was mounted under the core support parallel to the ground. It just had bare aluminum tube run in a 4-pass S-configuration bolted to the bottom of the radiator support but a finned cooler with a small air gap behind it could still get a decent amount of air flow across it in that location for power steering cooling. I have a two-row finned type one from a NBS truck that I am going to install in that location.

I think there is enough room to put an oil cooler there too but would want to shield it with a heavy wire screen to give it a little protection from accidental damage by parking bump stops and the like.

Hope this helps paint the picture. Obviously the airbox would require a battery relocation, but many people doing LS/LT motors are already doing that and running the air filter to this spot anyways. This just incloses it and allows fresh air that hasn't been heated by the radiator (aside from ambient heat transferred from the housings/tubes) into the engine.

Initial thinking for coolant recovery is one of the narrower, longer aluminum cylinder styles. There are a plethora of aftermarket tanks out there, so I would likely try and build something that uses an off-the-shelf solution.

On the other side we'd have a washer reservior, likely square bodied, with a mounting spot for an external pump. Most aftermarket pumps are 3-5" long, and only about 1.5" in diameter. Then we'd have shrouding that would have something like a Moroso oil cooler up against it, hidden under plastic or aluminum top-cladding.

[68 TT]

Originally Posted by special-K

The more modern design would be made for an in tank pump, too, correct?

I was thinking that as a third option but didn't get a chance to write it up.

I currently use the 1988 to 1994 NBS truck washer fluid tanks with the pump that is hidden on the back side. They bolt up nicely on the fender next to the existing washer bottle location and would leave room for the stock style radiator coolant recovery tank. They hold about half a gallon of washer fluid too so you don't run out so fast when you live somewhere that you need to wash the muck off of your windshield frequently in the winter like I do.

[jaros44sr]

it would be nice to have a door handle not made out of pot metal, the pitting on handle makes for a difficult restore, but I suppose a casting in brass would be a more viable option then machining

[siggyfreud]

There are billet ones available that look awesome, they're just expensive. Not sure I could do it cheaper though.

[special-K]

OEM looking handles?

[siggyfreud]

Guess it's subjective but I think they look fairly oem:

[jaros44sr]

funny but I just saw GMC pauls has repop door handles for 25 bucks, do not know what the base metal is, but should outlast me

siggy, those do look expensive