Carolina K10, 1979 Reg cab short bed.

[TheBlueBomber]

The plan of action as of now is:
•to get the engine/transmission/tcase.
•get LS6 top end
•get my turbo setup (from headers to exhaust tips)
•remove bed clean up/reinforce frame as needed. Body work and gas tank/fuel pumps
•remove cab and do the same thing as above
•remove front clip (again do everything like above.) Drop everything in and hope to God it will run.

IF it doesn't blow up, off to get dyno tuned it goes. If it does I'll just cry for a minute and start over.

For the gas tank I'll start looking at either newer tanks or building a sump in mine. I want to keep the truck looking as stock as possible from the outside so like I said above, no in bed tanks for me.

If anyone has any questions/comments/concerns/complaints, put me on blast. I want all the help and ideas I can get.

[TheBlueBomber]

... In other news, I got the plate mounted.

[TheBlueBomber]

This build should start to get interesting soon I promise. As of now I have a 5.3l on the way to my friends business. Weather permitting it'll be here Friday so I'm going to give it a few days extra.

133xxx motor from pan to intake with ecu and harness. I'll go through the motor just to make sure it's all good and get to the head work.

[TheBlueBomber]

Motor is here! Came a couple days earlier than expected and I am not complaining at all. Started snowing like crazy as soon as it got to my buddies shop so I haven't had a chance to look it over. Once the storm passes I'll go check it out.

[TheBlueBomber]

Picked up the motor yesterday. It's all there, the harness had a broken map sensor and missing passenger o2 sensor. Other than that. Wasn't too cut up.

I'm going to drive the truck while I'm getting the turbo setup so I'm not going to pull the heads at this time. I will pull the intake/ oil pan so I can fix some leaks and paint it before I put it back together.

[TheBlueBomber]

Got a little work done this morning. First I started with unbolting the computer (2, 7mm bolts). Then disconnected all the sensors and clips (a couple of grounding straps and one bracket on the front of the oil pan had bolts)



Here is a reference picture of the orientation of the harness.


Harness removed


Looking much better. Now I can start working


Took off the water pump. Alternator/power steering bracket I took off the day I got it but I do have it.






Thats as far as I got this morning, had to go in to work. Tomorrow I've got to reorganize the garage and get those christmas ornaments out of the way. Hopefully I'll have time after that and I'll pull off the intake and oil pan and start prepping for paint.

[TheBlueBomber]

I've been working on this a little bit at a time over the past few mornings but I got the motor torn down to as far as I'm going this time around.

here is the intake off.


Found this little guy. It's pretty nasty under there.


Valve covers off. Pretty clean




Ready for cleaning and new gaskets.

[TheBlueBomber]

Not the cleanest in the world but it was a good deal.


All the plugs look good and so do the knock sensors. Ill be replacing the sensors with new ones but ill keep these handy if the need for them arises.

[swamp rat]

Been reading with interest, I don't know nothing about this new modern engine stuff.

[TheBlueBomber]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Been reading with interest, I don't know nothing about this new modern engine stuff.

I didn't either until about two weeks ago. I have a friend who's big into fuel injection motors and I've been going to him for information. It's really quite simple. Not as simple as a mechanical motor but it's definitely manageable even for a noob like me. It just takes patience and understanding that if one thing isn't tuned in or out the truck won't run. Just about every upgrade you make needs to be tuned in the computer for maximum performance.


At the end of the day I'll be able to walk outside to the truck at any temperature, hit the key and immediately start driving.

Oh and you become an expert at disconnecting PITA switches haha!

[swamp rat]

I started out life wanting to be a mechanic for a living back in the 70's, trained in over the road, farm and construction diesel mechanics, then one day i came to the realization that sensors and computers were the wave of the future, i bailed from that line of work in the mid 80's, so i never became the big gear head i imagined i would be when younger, a new career and riding dirt bikes kinda took over my life. i still like old technology and hate computers today. Reading posts like yours is just another reason I like this forum, maybe one day i'll get brave and try a transplant, but then again maybe not LOL! EDIT: but at least i'm learning about new stuff.

[bohmankid]

Nice, let me know how the top end swap goes. My 5.3 needs a head rebuilt so I haven't been in the mood to touch it lately.. I'm considering LS6 heads and cam for mine. Good for boost.

[TheBlueBomber]

Originally Posted by bohmankid

Nice, let me know how the top end swap goes. My 5.3 needs a head rebuilt so I haven't been in the mood to touch it lately.. I'm considering LS6 heads and cam for mine. Good for boost.

I think the mostly stock heads will be just fine with the turbos honestly. I'm more worried about the bottom end letting go more than anything and even that isn't a big concern to me. There's a few of these builds out there already and they seem to be holding up pretty well. LS6 cam is a must have unless you go with a custom cam.

[TheBlueBomber]

Had a little time to pressure wash the engine today. Looks a lot better. I'm thinking of painting the block either silver, black, or Chevrolet orange. I got a little water in the cylinders but I got most of it out with air and a little WD40.

[Hankster]

Go Chevrolet orange, Idk about where your at, But we dont see that much anymore round here..

[silverbear]

This may could go without saying but as some people may not be aware, I will mention it anyway. This series of engines are notorious for getting water down in the pocket for the knock sensors when power washed. Make sure to get that water out or it will ruin your knock sensor.

Have been enjoying your build. I remember the days when I had a truck to take out in the woods and had no worries if the paint got scratched or dented. Keep up the good work.

[TheBlueBomber]

Originally Posted by Hankster

Go Chevrolet orange, Idk about where your at, But we dont see that much anymore round here..

Yeah same here. Plus it'll give it a little bit of an old skool look.

Originally Posted by silverbear

This may could go without saying but as some people may not be aware, I will mention it anyway. This series of engines are notorious for getting water down in the pocket for the knock sensors when power washed. Make sure to get that water out or it will ruin your knock sensor.

Have been enjoying your build. I remember the days when I had a truck to take out in the woods and had no worries if the paint got scratched or dented. Keep up the good work.

Thanks, I took everything off and noticed right away that the knock sensor pockets were slap full of water. It looks like the water runs down the valley's between the intake and heads.

[1963c-10]

Engine cleaning up real nice Austin, be real cool once its installed. Id keep the heads aluminum and go w/black on the block

[TheBlueBomber]

Originally Posted by 1963c-10

Engine cleaning up real nice Austin, be real cool once its installed. Id keep the heads aluminum and go w/black on the block

I've still got to get in there with a wire brush so I can still think about what I want to do. I have lots of Chevrolet orange and a little bit of Chevrolet orange red so If I do go with a color other than black it'll be one of the two. Just need to decide if I want to do it all or just block/covers or only block.

EDIT: Manifolds will be silver.

[TheBlueBomber]

I'm really digging the red and I think it will go great with my color. So the options I'm weighing are,

Red block/covers and polished heads







Chevrolet orange block/covers and polished heads







Or all Chevrolet Orange





I apologize if I stole these pictures from anyone on here, found these images on Google.

[TheBlueBomber]

Heres how my bay looks as of now... should be selling the motor this sunday.

[swamp rat]

All red or all orange, when i rebuilt mine i picked up the Chevy red but i thought it was the standard Chevy orange, got it home then said to hell with it, was never disappointed by the color.

[bohmankid]

My favorite is red with polished heads. Whatever you pick will look cool though.

[1963c-10]

That red looks sharp.

[TheBlueBomber]

This past weekend was a very busy one. Lots of pictures to upload but my computer and phone are not cooperating this morning so I'll just post what I can...

Saturday I helped Jon (1963-c10) pick up a 1963 Fleetside shortbed down in South Carolina. The body was off the frame so we had to bolt the cab and bed down before we put it on the trailer.




Yesterday I was inspired and I needed to make the engine more accessible so I pulled the front clip off by myself.

It all started at me pulling the radiator out. Then my friend called and said that I should pull the clip off but that I wouldn't be able to get the hood off by myself....

Challenge accepted!!



Little by little, piece by piece I got her taken apart. I was working with hand tools since the truck was so far from the garage. By the time I got to the bumper bolts I said to heck with it and brought over the compressor.










And a couple cracks