Over 25 Years Later, Finally My 71 C-10 Truck Build

[hgs_notes]

It's been awhile and not a ton of progress. Mainly waiting for parts delivery. After contacting Jegs for the nth time, and howards cams directly, it looked like I was still weeks away from delivery. So I dug into the interwebs some more and found lifters at Competition Products in stock. They also showed the cam I'm waiting for as in stock. So I emailed them to confirm and asked if they would sell me those parts for the same price as the kit, which they didn't have in stock. Turns out the cam was NOT in stock but they had the same one with a 112 LSA instead of the 110. I can live with that. And they didn't come down all the way on price but did give me about $50 off, which was nice. They didn't have to. I probably would have got it anyway just because they actually HAD IT IN STOCK! It cost a bit more than my Jegs order but at least I finally have it.

The only parts left to buy is push rods, which will need to be measured for. Hopefully those will be in stock.

So the short block will be assembled soon and painted chevy orange. The transmission was dropped off today to get rebuilt. I was a little leary of the guy, not that he seemed sketchy or anything. I just didn't really know his experience background. Finding local transmission guys that want to mess with a 200-4R isn't exactly easy. But we visited quite a bit today and he used to have his own auto shop for awhile but sold it and works as a mechanic foreman for UPS. He is a hot rodder and does mechanical work on the side. He has a twin turbo LS swapped RX7 with over 1200 HP and a trailblazer that is also turboed and makes over 1100 HP. He also has a 79 K20 he's working on. He recently did build a 2004R for a guy to put behind a big block that the guy is happy with. He'll tear mine down and make sure it's a good core and hopefully he can get the parts.

That's the status of the apparatus. Fingers crossed that parts aren't a problem and it's a good core. IDK if I'll get it done in May like I was hoping for but it's not like I have a shortage of toys around here to play with.

One pic from yesterday, cam bearings installed.

[hgs_notes]

Crankshaft is in. And it's got a touch of paint on it.

[hgs_notes]

The short block is together!

[Low Elco]

Great Progress! What's the final engine size?

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Great Progress! What's the final engine size?

385ish

[Mike Bradbury]

I met a guy over the weekend who was attempting to build a stroker through Jegs and had the same delays as you did, they made excuses of supply chain issues and he felt stuck because they had already sent him a bunch of small parts off of the order but the big ticket items like the block were still MIA. He finally got fed up with the run around after three months and asked them to give him a return ticket and sent it all back. He called Summit and they had exactly what he needed on the shelf and sent it out that week. He had it on his door step by that Friday and installed it in time for Goodguys San Diego.

I have not had those kind of issues from Jegs given that I have only ever ordered smaller parts at any one time. But reading your back log account reminded me of the conversation I had this weekend.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Mike Bradbury

I met a guy over the weekend who was attempting to build a stroker through Jegs and had the same delays as you did, they made excuses of supply chain issues and he felt stuck because they had already sent him a bunch of small parts off of the order but the big ticket items like the block were still MIA. He finally got fed up with the run around after three months and asked them to give him a return ticket and sent it all back. He called Summit and they had exactly what he needed on the shelf and sent it out that week. He had it on his door step by that Friday and installed it in time for Goodguys San Diego.

I have not had those kind of issues from Jegs given that I have only ever ordered smaller parts at any one time. But reading your back log account reminded me of the conversation I had this weekend.

I've had problems with parts from summit, jegs and rockauto. Even a tractor parts supply order for a tie rod had issues. Inner and outer tie rod ends with a connecting tube. The outer tie rod wouldn't fit in the tube. The shaft was machined 1/16" too fat. I asked them to measure the replacement part before sending, they did and found the whole batch was bad. There was another part number that would work if I cut some length off but I asked them to measure that before I ordered, figuring it was likely from the same manufacturer. Finally after a couple weeks of waiting they let me know it measured ok and I got the part delivered yesterday. It looks like it's right, I'll try and put it together here soon.

I'm not blaming jegs or summit, they are selling parts that they state are not in their stock and shipped by the manufacturer. Shipping dates are estimates. I didn't send anything back to them that was delivered, just canceled the remaining part of the orders and moved on. During the 2 months of waiting I was routinely looking for other sellers that actually had the parts in stock, checking ebay, etc. Nobody had them. Competition Products is one I've used in the past but must not have sucked up to google enough to get placement during my searches. I was scrolling my old bookmarks looking for options and finally found the cam and lifters that way.

It could be worse. Really glad these things I'm working on are not my daily or critical for my income.

[hgs_notes]

The engine is almost done. The heads are on. Push rods were delivered but had to either grind or replace the guideplates because I ended up ordering fatter push rods. Not because I felt it needed it, I don't, but it was what was available. Only cost a few bucks more. The test stand is ready. We are going to try out Mikes corvette side pipes on the test run. He wants to see how they sound, lol.

The transmission parts were mostly delivered the other day. Waiting for the machine shop to fix a couple things and then it can be reassembled. The next week is super busy so the soonest I can get up north to test out the engine is Memorial weekend. Hopefully that works out and the transmission gets done in the next week or 2, then SWAP TIME!!

[Ol Blue K20]

It sure is pretty!

[Low Elco]

Awesome news, hope it goes well!

[Dieselwrencher]

It's looking really nice. The parts unavailability currently is just mind boggling.

[hgs_notes]

Got my new engine fired up yesterday. It's the first completely new/rebuilt engine since around 1985 for this truck. We ran it through the Corvette side pipes he picked up for his car. It was surprisingly smooth. I say that because I thought it would sound a little more lopey. It's about 9.5-10:1 compression, hydraulic roller cam with .525 lift and around 269 duration. So not a big thumper but will make good reliable power. It has promaxx 200 aluminum heads that have good flow. It had up to 19" vacuum. Should have over 400 HP and plenty of torque. Hopefully the transmission will be ready soon. It will finally have overdrive! Can't wait to put some miles on this.

https://youtu.be/AsJtGjqlv30

[hgs_notes]

Started disconnecting everything from the old engine and transmission. Got a short list of things left to do and should be able to pull it out by the weekend. The transmission might get done tonight. I'm thinking about dropping the driveshaft off to get rebalanced but might wait until I install the new stuff to make sure I don't need to adjust the length. I know I need to do some cleaning in there. So many oil leaks! From the engine and transmission both. I should also try and do better routing of wires. Not going to throw it together quick just to get it done.

[OneOffStroker]

Engine looks great!

I feel ya on the parts shortage. I ordered wheels from Summit for my '72 back in June of last year. Said all were in stock, ready to ship. The fronts (18x8) got to me in about two days...but the rears (18x10) ended up being backordered until August. August became September, then November, then January, then May. I called every other wheel distributor that I could find that carried American Racing, but the 18x10 was sold out everywhere.

I had to buy two new 15" tires to run on the factory wheels just so I could move the truck from my shop to my house. I ran the 15s on the passenger side, and both 'fronts' on the driver's side.

Late February, I finally got my rear wheels...but of course I had to jam out to Europe to support NATO, so I still don't have them on my truck. Ugh.

[hgs_notes]

Out with the old...

[hgs_notes]

The new engine has been in the back of my Yukon for a few weeks until yesterday, I finally unloaded it. Big progress.

Today I did a little more. Last weekend I got the pressure washer going and cleaned the years of grime out of the engine bay. Today I finished wiping it down and sprayed the frame black again. I pulled out some stuff that didn't need to be there anymore.

I stripped the parts off the old engine needed for the new one and thought I would get the transmission mounted to the engine but I don't have enough transmission fluid so that was enough for today. I think I will have the new stuff in the truck this weekend. Can't wait for the first drive.

[Low Elco]

Get some!
Good Luck!

[Ol Blue K20]

Getting closer!

[hgs_notes]

First off, parts stores are a ripoff for fluids. Went to Walmart to get ATF and they only had 2 gallons at $18/gal. I need 11 qts, that's almost 3 gallons for you math wizards. Menards was out of it Napa just had synthetic. So I went to O'Reilly's. $32/ gallon, but I gotta have it. Don't have time to search around town for a better deal.

And filling a torque converter is a slow process. But it's on and the transmission is mounted to the engine. I need to do a couple more things before I drop it in the truck but it's close.

Tomorrow I'm going to the back to the 50s car show in St Paul. Thousands of cars and trucks.

[hgs_notes]

I painted the frame up front the other day. Wrapped some of the wires. I'll do more as I finish the install. I got the engine in today.

[hgs_notes]

Just plugging away at the list for reassembly. Headers done, starter in, etc. etc.

The new mini starter is nice and much smaller than the big old one. Hopefully it doesn't have the heat soak issue for restarting.

[hgs_notes]

I wish I was posting a video of a running truck but nope. I'm super frustrated right now. It cranks over and fires for a second and that's it. Some problem with the ECU I think. It's not reading the tach signal so it doesn't open the injectors or keep the fuel pump going. I had to fix the tach wire but even after that it wasn't working. Another issue could have been voltage but I topped off the battery and no change. So I'm stuck until I talk to FI tech Monday and see what other steps I can take. Still need to install fans and shroud, bolt down the tranny cross member and a few other things. Gotta work tomorrow though so...

[hgs_notes]

It's a runner! I'm having a beer to celebrate. The transmission grabs in drive and reverse. Can't drive it yet, still have work to do but soon!

FI Tech helped me diagnose it. The firmware needed a reboot basically. Started right up after that. I'll post a video later on. A huge load lifted off my shoulders.

[Mike Bradbury]

Hey alright! Like the old vintage with the EFI, let us know if it is worth the price of admission. One thing I do like about my LS swap, is that there is no warm up time in the cold mornings or no fiddling with the carb in the mountains.

Good progress, I feel your frustration with the crank, no start scenarios.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by Mike Bradbury

Hey alright! Like the old vintage with the EFI, let us know if it is worth the price of admission. One thing I do like about my LS swap, is that there is no warm up time in the cold mornings or no fiddling with the carb in the mountains.

Good progress, I feel your frustration with the crank, no start scenarios.

This is the second EFI setup I've had. I think it's worth it. Especially for a vehicle that is parked over winter. When I had a carb I ended up having to clean it every spring to make it drivable. These newer throttle bodies are really easy to install and not that much more money than a good carb.

But then again, it's giving me trouble at the moment. It was a firmware problem that kept it from running. Fixed that. Now there's a tuning issue I need to solve. Part of the problem is the old gas for sure. The new engine has much higher compression and I can hear it pinging on acceleration. It's just chugging when I hit the throttle and sounds terrible. Once it's at speed or cruising along it's fine, as you can see in the video. So I'm using up the fuel and will fill up with premium. I have an update to install on the ECU and I'll restart the self tuning process on it again.

I had one concern about this EFI while building the new engine that I hope isn't the problem. I don't think it is but can't rule it out yet. This was the base model EFI rated for up to 400 HP. The new engine is capable of more than that. I figured it wouldn't be a problem other than running full throttle under load, like driving 140 mph. I can't imagine it being a problem at part throttle from 0 to 60.

Also, I don't think my torque converter is locking up. I wired it according to the instructions from the builder. I'll be verifying my connections and test it with a meter before the next drive. The engine RPM is running a couple hundred higher than it should and you can't feel it locking up or releasing for that matter.

Only other thing, and we don't know if it's really anything to be worried about, is vapor coming from the valve covers, mainly the driver side. We finished up the install Saturday, set the timing and went on a test drive. Valve covers don't have the breathers installed, no hood. We're driving along watching the EFI handheld unit for parameters. The tranny is shifting, temps are good, vacuum is good, etc. Everything is ok and we're cruising down the road. I noticed a few wisps of vapor from the valve covers. We go about 5 miles and pull into a lot to look things over. No leaks except for the PS pump cap. Looks and sounds ok. Drive home and vapor is coming out of the driver side cover pretty steady. It's not blowing oil out, just vapor. Get home, look it over, not doing anything weird. Mike, who built the engine is with me and I know he's a bit concerned but we can't figure what would be doing it other than a little blow by on the rings, which may or may not have set yet. I'm thinking it's something nobody would ever notice if they weren't driving around without the hood on. Something to keep an eye on but I'm not worried at this point. I told him I would find him if it goes south.

I know this is a long post but it's how I remember stuff for a later date. Bare with me. Sunday we put the hood on and I put some breathers in the valve covers. Mike heads home, I drive to town for a much needed car wash and then to the store for some supplies. Other than the crappy acceleration issue and no torque converter lock up it's going great. I take some video about 15 miles into my drive. I open the hood before leaving the store, no problems. Have a nice drive home 20 miles and burn up a bunch of old gas.

Here's the vid. I'll update as I solve my problems. BTW overdrive is AWESOME! Oh and my tach isn't hooked up. I need to replace it. I have the new one, just need to install it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1OXCg46Sx4