How to: Ruin a perfectly good C10

[SOON2BLAZE]

It's looking good man

[67cheby]

nice progress

[Slick67]

I love this truck. Simple, clean, awesome! Yesterday I decided to do my steel bed with a wood kit too........so.....if you don't mind.....what are you at in the $ area??? I guestimate under $300.

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by SOON2BLAZE

It's looking good man

Thanks!

Originally Posted by 67cheby

nice progress

Thanks- yours is lookin' good too. Nice to see someone making inner fenders for these trucks- last piece of the puzzle...

Originally Posted by Slick67

I love this truck. Simple, clean, awesome! Yesterday I decided to do my steel bed with a wood kit too........so.....if you don't mind.....what are you at in the $ area??? I guestimate under $300.

Thanks! So far on the wood floor:

Strips - $90
Wood - $80

Hardware shouldn't be much, I'll prolly just go to Tractor Supply, maybe Fastenal. If I were using wood floor cross-sills, that would bring the price up some, but I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna lay them on the metal floor. $300 will be close, but doable. Good luck!

[gringoloco]

Little more today... Started by deciding where to put the Lokar. I really wanted it centered, but it just wasn't happening with the clearances above the transmission, so i moved it over towards the driver a bit. Mocked it up with the bench installed and it should work out nicely Drilled some more holes (and a big slot) in my already swiss-cheesed floor to make the installation permanent.

I can't say enough about the quality of this shifter. All of the hardware and components are beefy and cad plated, there are numerous adjustments available, it is very sturdy and it just feels right in your hand. Top-notch piece, but then again, you pay for it. Lucky me, I found a smokin' deal on Amazon for this one

[gringoloco]

Once I had the shifter in, I decided to start on the Classic Auto Air install. It is a decent kit, but leaves some things to be desired. There were compromises in all of the kits, so I went for the one I got the best deal on

I decided to make one minor modification right off the bat. The CAA kit is designed to use the factory heater control panel, which I don't really care for the look of. There is an option to use the factory A/C controls, but it leaves one of the levers useless--that just seemed silly to me. So, using the little-known fact that the A/C controls for our trucks are the exact same as '65-'66 'big' cars (Impala, Bel-Air, etc), I went to eBay and scored a set of heater controls from a '65 Impy. This way, I can have the look of the A/C controls without the extraneous lever

It has taken some creativity to make them work, as one of the levers pulls when I need it to be pushing (and vice-versa), but I *think* I have it all figured out now. You can see where I mounted the CAA blower switch to the top of it. I am using a factory truck A/C control bracket (that I scored here on the board) to bolt it in place in the dash. I do need to figure out how to remove the knobs without destroying the arms so that I can replace them with the more square truck style knobs...

[VA72C10]

very cool! I love these shifters!!!

and good idea on the A/C....interested to see it installed!

You're going to have a really nice looking/driving truck when it's all done!!!

[gringoloco]

I decided that instead of following CAA's directions (just another man's opinion), I would NOT cut out a huge section of my firewall, but use the provided block-off plate as a template to drill holes for the pass-thru fittings. I realize looking at these shots (and the ones of the shifter install) that I tend to take pics when the paint is wet- good time to take a photo break

I got the main unit wired-up and installed, which required poking a few more holes for fasteners, this time in the firewall... I included a shot of the underhood and one of the techniques I used when I couldn't reach under the dash and hood simultaneously

Last two show how she sits as of now and the lack of free space under the dash as I continue to cram components in. The dash speakers leave just enough room to snake the center air vent's ducting in- they would not have worked with a factory air set-up- you'd think I planned it this way

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

You're going to have a really nice looking/driving truck when it's all done!!!

Thanks! I sure hope so- trying not to over-do it, but I tend to get carried away sometimes...

[faribran]

i really like your brake booster... i am thinking of doing something like this... i need a booster that will clear the manual shift arms.... can you tell me more about this booster, plz.

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by faribran

i really like your brake booster... i am thinking of doing something like this... i need a booster that will clear the manual shift arms.... can you tell me more about this booster, plz.

The booster is a dual diaphragm from a 67-70 3/4 or 1 ton (C20 or C30). It accepts the 71-72 1/2 ton disc/drum master. I like it 'cause it sits closer to the firewall than the 71-72 unit, is smaller, doesn't have the 'lean', and using the 71-72 3/4 ton booster forces you to use the 3/4 ton master. You will need the booster, brackets, and linkage if upgrading a 71-72 1/2 ton, as these parts are different between the two.

Any more questions, just ask
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[faribran]

very good.. i am looking for some of the same characteristics...i want something smaller, the closer to the firewall the better, i will be putting it onto a 67...am shooting for 4 wheel disc brakes... i may PM you later on for more specifics.... thanks for the input.

[STINEY]

Nice work..... hope you make your deadline!

Just one question - I've been eyeing the Lokar shifters for a while now. Do they have no provisions for park/neutral safety switchs? I've never seen it in any pictures. I'd like one but most racing organizations will not let you run without those provisions.

Not bagging on them, just curious? (by the way, if you still have your 80's shifter I may be interested)

Keep it up!

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by faribran

very good.. i am looking for some of the same characteristics...i want something smaller, the closer to the firewall the better, i will be putting it onto a 67...am shooting for 4 wheel disc brakes... i may PM you later on for more specifics.... thanks for the input.

Guys have used corvette masters for 4-wheel discs. I also have a fiero booster modified for use on these trucks- it's the same basic unit with a disc/disc master that uses the same fittings. Let me know if I can answer any questions.

Originally Posted by STINEY

Nice work..... hope you make your deadline!

Just one question - I've been eyeing the Lokar shifters for a while now. Do they have no provisions for park/neutral safety switchs? I've never seen it in any pictures. I'd like one but most racing organizations will not let you run without those provisions.

Not bagging on them, just curious? (by the way, if you still have your 80's shifter I may be interested)

Keep it up!

Thanks! Me too The lokar has a switch on the right side and another available at the trans linkage. The b&m will be on the parts board soon; I'll let you know
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[FRENCHBLUE72]

I kinda like the rounded knobs on the ac unit??

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by FRENCHBLUE72

I kinda like the rounded knobs on the ac unit??

Yeah, kinda growing on me me too since I can't bring myself to try to pry them off for fear of breaking the arms...

Not much in the way of progress, other than spending a whole bunch of time working on getting the car heater controls to work. I spent the better part of an afternoon fabbing up a bracket to reverse the mechanism on one of the arms, getting all of the cabling aligned and functioning 'just so', and having the doors opening and closing for the defrost while simultaneously contacting the microswitches that turn the compressor on/off. Finished up, worked the slide, everything performed FLAWLESSLY with the exception of the fact that it was backwards. Off was on and vice-versa... I had modified the wrong cable actuator!

So, tomorrow, I will tear out all of my awesome work and start the same process on the correct cable...

Here's a couple of pics of recent scores that I picked up from a couple board members (thanks SS68 and BB72CHEVKT) as I was passing through Texas. The '67 hood just barely fit in the back of the Yukon. Guess what I have planned for it, if I don't manage to screw it up in the process...

[gringoloco]

Also got my rallies back from powder

[VA72C10]

Those are all purdy like

[67cheby]

nice

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by VA72C10

Those are all purdy like

Originally Posted by 67cheby

nice

Thanks, fellas! Hope they fit...

[gringoloco]

Ok. Re-worked the control assembly and it is now finished and functioning perfectly. Heater hoses and heater valve are in, the pressure lines are cut to length, but need to be crimped. Also worked on installing the compressor, which proved to be a fun time, since it didn't want to align with my serpentine setup. The bracket kit I used is from Nostalgic Air, made to convert an R4 mount to a Sanden, but the spacing was off by 1/4". Dunno if it was made for a different year setup, or my clutch is different, but a few shims took care of it and it seems to run true. We'll see once I start the engine again, which will be as soon as the Blazer tank goes back in...

The engine bay is looking a lot different than it did before- not sure if it's for the better or worse. I don't particularly like the look of the A/C, but it's form over function. Funny, most of the work I've done (wiring, plumbing, painting, etc) doesn't really show in pictures but at least I know it's done right.

[lolife99]

Gringo,... does the hose placement have to be "exactly" where you put it in your pics?
I wonder why these A/C companies don't allow you to move the hoses to a different location?
(i.e closer to the engine or closer to the fender)

[gringoloco]

Started working on installing my cheesy stereo 'system' These truck box speakers came with the truck when I got it and have been bouncing around behind the seat not functioning for a while. Somewhere along the way, the power wire shorted to ground and smoked the other amp.

I simplified the setup by using only one amplifier and got to install my first piece of bed wood - I used it to build a mount for the amp (better than being wood-screwed to the cab floor like it was before) that will also serve to tie the boxes together and help keep them from sliding all over the cab. Worked some on wiring the head unit too- it is getting VERY tight behind the dash with all the new components installed. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm gonna route the A/C ducting...

Hopefully no one steals my cheesy speakers. I know they look cool, but they're really cheap crap

[gringoloco]

Originally Posted by lolife99

Gringo,... does the hose placement have to be "exactly" where you put it in your pics?
I wonder why these A/C companies don't allow you to move the hoses to a different location?
(i.e closer to the engine or closer to the fender)

On the firewall, yes. The fittings come off of the main unit there, so no real room for any changes.

The compressor end is actually better than what they would have you do. The kit is intended to have the fittings on top of the compressor, with a long, sweeping, spaghetti-mess of hoses covering the passenger side of the engine compartment. Considerable time was spent shortening the routing of the hoses by re-clocking the compressor mounting and trying to make things look 'cleaner'. I am still overall not very satisfied with the look of it...

[lolife99]

I think it looks great.
Even better when the windows are up,... on a 90 degree day.