Omodified's 1970 SWB Custom/10

[67cheby]

nice work

[oldtinrods]

Keep up the good work..

[gcburdic]

glad to help...It's our secret....I would never tell anyone that you were installing the battery clamp backwards

[camrycurt]

Originally Posted by omodified

By the way, I had to replace my radiator cap to enable the coolant to return to the radiator once it cools down. It was a $6.00 purchase from AutoZone.

Cool thread with lots of great ideas!

What radiator cap did you have to get to enable the coolant to return? I'd like to do this upgrade and want to make sure I get the correct cap.

Thanks!

[omodified]

67cheby and oldtinrods - Thanks a lot guys. Keep checking back!

Geoff - Ya, out all the things that I have done so far, leave it up to me to mess something up like the battery clamp. Atleast I found a good resource in the process. Thanks again!

camrycurt - Thanks for the compliments! As for the cap, I would recommend this Stant model. It is 13lbs and will work with open or closed systems. http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=48502 There have been some good discussions here about this subject. Advantages seem to be higher boiling point = better cooling, no puking/leaking messes in the garage or driveway and no more topping the radiator off all the time because you keep losing coolant. It was a no brainer for me. Looks like most Advance Auto stores sell the Stant model too. http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...110944&ci_sku= Good Luck and keep checking back!

[71Sleeper]

Were did you get the overflow tank?

[omodified]

Originally Posted by 71Sleeper

Were did you get the overflow tank?

I bought it on Ebay from a place called Corvette Central but I just checked and they aren't offering one right now. However, here is another just like it. http://www.ebay.com/itm/68-69-C3-COR...item4cfb5de2be It drops right in our factory washer bottle bracket and you can order those from any 67-72 C10 parts store. Thanks for asking!

[71Sleeper]

Great thanks for the info.

[omodified]

I got a few things done tonight. I moved the coil from the old distributor cap over to the new one. Not real exciting stuff there, but since you all seem to enjoy pictures, here ya go! Here is the old cap just before I removed the coil.





And then there was my proud moment tonight. I found a nice piece of used swb upper bed trim this past weekend. Apparently, there isn't much that Dave's Truck Parts doesn't have in stock. After trying to figure out the darned clips for a day, it is now a permanent addition. NO MORE MISSING TRIM!!!!!

[71Sleeper]

Looks good! I will be ordering my new inner fenders form him soon. I love the bed shelf you got for parts storage. I have a front seat parts shelf.

[VA72C10]

Looking good!!!

[gcburdic]

Always glad to help....keep up the progress...whne are ya gonna be driving this thing again??

[omodified]

Geoff, I am hoping to prime and time this weekend, but we shall see...

[omodified]

So, my daughter is spending the night with a friend tonight, which gave my wife and I some time to ourselves. She wanted to go see a movie which we don't get to do much. Dinner was first on her list. Lowes was second. Third, work on the truck to pass some time until the movie starts...for real??? I had a few things I wanted to do anyway. One thing, I needed her help with too. So off we went to the garage. Many reasons I have always said that she is a great woman, this is just another to add to the list!

So, a few weeks ago, I mocked up the stock throttle rod with the Edelbrock adapter. For one thing, I wasn't real happy with the looks of it. Another thing, after researching here, people have complained about them binding up and making the throttle stick. Well, I didn't want that happening to me. So, I took some time to collect some ideas. I found a thread here that discussed this subject and a member had a threaded rod with heims on the end. It looked really nice, but I wasn't a big fan of all the exposed threads. Plus, you know me by now, always worried about corrosion. On top of this find, I also discovered that the rod I have was a 4x4 rod or something and it was bent to shorten so it would fit this truck. Oh, it had to go now!

While I was at the GoodGuys show, I met the owner of a real nice silver 1968 C10. It was parked on pit road. He had really nice throttle rod with no exposed threads. The only threads were on the ends for the heims. The rest was nice and smooth. So, I asked him where he came up with that setup. From his Harley Davidson! It was the shifting rod that he had replaced with a chrome piece a while back and it was the perfect length. Sounded good to me. I came home and found one on Ebay that was black powdercoated. I put it together with some rod ends that I had at work. He was right, the length is absolutely perfect! Looks perfect too.


Wife got me while I was installing it.





The finished product...

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Nice update to the old throttle assembly..

[1970ChevyChamp]

Any updates?

[omodified]

Ugh...updates. Well, I have been busy as heck at work. Most people in my industry slow down this time of year, but my work ramps up to triple time. Lots of work in the shop and lots of work on the road. Needless to say, there hasn't been much time for the old truck. Can't wait to get back to it!!!

[67cheby]

boy arent you just a total show off !!! LOL, wow, totally JEALOUS !!

[omodified]

Got some large parts in today. I figured if I was tripping over these all the time, that it would push me to finish the job. According to Dave's Truck Parts, these are direct bolt. Cost a bit more money, but no headaches trying to line them up. We shall see...

[omodified]

Time to get this thing running!!! Had an interesting problem come up right off the bat. Was preparing to drop the distributor in. Needed to turn the motor over to TDC. Guess what, motor seized up. I tried to turn the block either direction using the crank bolt. Wouldn't budge. Unbelievable. Not the time to panic. Think, think. Ok, took the inspection cover off of the flywheel. Used a prybar to turn the flywheel. It won't turn forward. Dang it!!! Might as well try backwards. It worked. Got it to spin 360 degrees. Now it will turn forward too. I can't think of anything that would have caused this. There is absolutely no way that something is lodged in one of the cylinders. Motor turned over several times when the cylinders were pressurized to install the valve springs. Just doesn't make sense. The only thing I can think of is that I seem to remember the new fuel pump said that it needed primed prior to installation and I forgot to do that. I did attempt to prime it by hand at first but it wouldn't budge. So maybe that cause it all to seize up. I'm a little nervous to proceed, but I don't want to tear down after all that has been done. Gotta move forward and hope for a little luck. Compression seem decent now that is is turning , so that's a good sign. No clanking noises...

[omodified]

TDC is set and the distributor is in. Time to run the wires.





After careful consideration and reading how most people have run their wires, I decided to use the factory routing method. I plan to run the ramhorns for a while and this look is just a cleaner look (minus the rust, I know). One day I may decide to run headers, but until then, this is the best looking IMO.

[omodified]

Ugh, more problems!!! Good news is, the motor turns over by use of the starter and no unexpected noises. Bad news is, it won't fire. Checked the plug wires and it's getting spark. Fuel is entering the filter and carb, so it's getting fuel. Pulled distributor cap off and distributor wasn't quite matched up to TDC. Repositioned the distributor and tried to start again. Engine tried to fire but wouldn't quite start. Pulled the plugs and boy were they fuel fouled. Cleaned the plugs with carb cleaner and dried them off. Turned the motor over to clear out the cylinders. Hopefully it will fire tomorrow.

[omodified]

Grabbed these markers off the "other car" sitting in my driveway. These wires aren't 8.5mm so they didn't quite fit how they are suppose to. However, they are giving me a piece of mind right now knowing that I have the wires routed correctly.

[omodified]

Tried to start it again and no go. I fouled the plugs again too. So, I removed the plugs, cleaned, cleared and checked the distributor orientation. Turns out I was off a tooth. So, I put the plugs back in, wires are correct, distributor in, turned the key...

The engine fired up on the first hit. Advanced the timing and let it break in for 20 minutes. I made sure to use ZDDP so the camshaft will last more than 1000 miles. After the break in, it was time for an oil change. I will be using Joe Gibbs Hot Rod oil from here out and it is loaded up with zinc. The oil coming out looked perfect, no metal that I could see. I do have a bit of an oil leak at the valve covers though. Probably the stupid cork gaskets I used. I better install some Fel-Pros now while I am at it. I think I will pick those up tomorrow. As long as that goes as planned, I just need to adjust the carb, tidy up the engine compartment and install the inner fenders. Almost time to hit the road!

[lolife99]

Congrats on getting it fired up.
Your truck is still one of my favorite trucks here,...