Project "Financial Burden": 1968 SWB C10

[68Gold/white]

Job well done!!!
I had no need to any more tool boxes, but bet that deals were to be had with Sears crapp'n out (at least near me...)

Where did you purchase high hump, parts?

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Originally Posted by 72 tigger

Can’t be too organized- great attention to detail- any goals for paint?

Thanks, I'm still planning on painting the truck myself at this point. We'll see if that holds true as I get closer. As far as the color I still plan on going with the original 503 Light Green color code.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Originally Posted by 68Gold/white

Job well done!!!
I had no need to any more tool boxes, but bet that deals were to be had with Sears crapp'n out (at least near me...)

Where did you purchase high hump, parts?

Thank you. Unfortunately, the Sears where I live closed down several years ago. The toolbox was on sale over Christmas at Lowe's since Craftsman is now part of Stanley Black and Decker. I'm really hoping they can bring back the brand. I liked that the box is made in Sedalia, Missouri just like my old Craftsman box and the drawer fronts are unique. I had to take it apart to get it out of my truck and it is really well made.

I just made those high hump parts myself based on images I saw of originals. I spot welded them to the underside of the cab floor. They helped to stiffen up the sheet metal overhang quite a bit.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Originally Posted by slowcpe

Very nice. I'm jealous of the heater. This time of year I have the constant taste of keroscene in my mouth.

Yep, the heater is nice. Definitely money well spent. I was doing the portable propane setup prior to this. I had to tell myself that yes I could by more truck parts instead of a heater but this will make me more productive (and more comfortable) during the cold season. It has a 10 year warranty and this version pulls fresh air from the outside so I don't have to worry about paint fumes running through it if I decided to paint inside.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

I finally completed the installation of the 69-72 style bucket seats that I picked up quite some time ago. These are actually out of 1971 Blazer. I'll need to do some upholstery work on them of course. I went with the 1975 and up Blazer console to get cup holders instead of the seat belt buckle provisions. I also fabricated my own under floor cab brace that I think others might be interested in as well. Here’s a link to the installation details.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S4E...LFE1f29zF/view

Next thing on my list is mounting the under dash AC head unit from Restomod Air.

[KMC3420]

I don’t plan on running bucket seats but that write up you did is very detailed and will be much appreciated by many! Looks like good progress moving forward. As always, excellent work! I’m super excited to hear those turbos light.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Originally Posted by KMC3420

I don’t plan on running bucket seats but that write up you did is very detailed and will be much appreciated by many! Looks like good progress moving forward. As always, excellent work! I’m super excited to hear those turbos light.

Thanks KMC3420. I'm getting excited with each item I cross of my to do list.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

I finished the Restomod Air under dash unit mounting and put in a Lokar throttle pedal. I'm now gearing up to complete all things plumbing related (exhaust, engine, turbo, brakes, etc.).

[KMC3420]

Looking good, patiently awaiting your mock up and running AC. I assume you have a relative idea where you are going to run the turbo piping? I want to run AC on my truck but will only be running a single turbo. Just not a ton of room for the AC in the stock location and a turbo. Keep up the progress.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Still working on plumbing... Was able to modify the Flowmaster C10 kit to tuck into the frame. I used temporary wooden spacers to keep the spacing correct going through the trailing arm cross member. I substituted dyno max resonators instead of the 40 series Flowmasters included in the kit. The kit included 4 different tail pipe options so I used the spare bends to complete all of hot side turbo plumbing. I used a nice mock up system from icengineworks that really helped with all of the 2.5 inch plumbing. I also made a simple tube cutting jig that worked out well for all of the tube cutting.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

I added some bosses to the ls valley cover for coil mounting under the Holley high ram intake manifold. I blended them in to make it look like they were cast in. I was able to route several other lines on the valley cover.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

I shaved the mounting bosses off the Holley ls valve covers. They were the only standard height valve covers I could find that had PCV baffles and connections. I also needed the billet oil fill provision since it's so close to the turbo. Since the coil bosses are taller than the factory ones you can shave them off easily without needing to fill holes. The two bosses I left will be used for a power steering reservoir heat shield.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Engine re-installed... again...

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Now onto intercooler plumbing. The mock up plumbing blocks really help out here.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

I also installed stainless brake lines from inline tube. I had to make the lines for the Ford 9 inch and the master cylinder. While I was at it, I plumbed in a line lock for burnout fun.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Originally Posted by KMC3420

Looking good, patiently awaiting your mock up and running AC. I assume you have a relative idea where you are going to run the turbo piping? I want to run AC on my truck but will only be running a single turbo. Just not a ton of room for the AC in the stock location and a turbo. Keep up the progress.

Thanks, AC plumbing is next on my list.

[KMC3420]

Wow! You have been busy. Excellent progress and the twin turbos are both fitting very well. The plumbing looks very neat and well thought out, the two intercoolers seem like a good idea if running twins. The coils under the high rise really cleans up the look as well. Keep at it.

[STOCKISH]

Looks amazing!!

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Thanks for the comments guys. I'm still working through all the little detail items. I finished up the power steering plumbing with a mixture of stock and aftermarket parts. I converted the clutch rod delete from the plastic plug style to the later, two bolt cover plate. I was concerned that the plastic plug may melt since it's close to the exhaust manifold. I also modified two LS3 coil harnesses to work with the compact coil configuration on the valley cover. I placed the main ignition coil bulkhead connectors in a similar location to stock so that the main EFI harness connection doesn't have far to travel. Although, I'm confident now I can shorten harnesses pretty easily with all the re-pinning I did on the coil harnesses. I'll add some loom to them later.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

I searched for quite some time for a remote mount battery option. I wanted something sturdy and subtle. It seems like most of the aftermarket battery trays are setup for a floor mount or they carve the manufactures logo on the side which I wasn't a fan of. I finally stumbled on the fact that large GM passenger vans have an optional second battery mount on the frame rail. They are inexpensive, well engineered, and stamped from heavy gauge material. I thought this looked like a more factory appearing option. I had to modify the mounting ears and fill in the original holes to make way for new locations. It's mounted on the passenger side frame rail just behind the cab corner. The bottom of the tray is above the level of the bedside so you will not see it in a side view. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Finished up the under dash AC and heater plumbing too.

[SIXTY9]

Very nice mod on the battery tray. Would you mind sharing the part number? By the way enjoy reading about your truck.

Thanks,
Wally

[KMC3420]

Originally Posted by SIXTY9

Very nice mod on the battery tray. Would you mind sharing the part number? By the way enjoy reading about your truck.

Thanks,
Wally

Agreed, nice updates and would like that battery box part number as well. It looks like the ticket.

[Old_Truck_Fan]

Thanks Wally and KMC3420. The GM part number on the battery tray is 20970916. It was used on 2006-2016 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana cargo vans. I purchased mine off of ebay as a "take off" unit, which included the hold down clamp and bolt. They can also be purchased new from a variety of sources. I included one more picture to show the other mounting ear configuration. I'll be using a group 34/78 battery with side posts.

[cornerstone]

Nice work! I believe that's what I'd like to do also. Thanks for the part number!