72 C10 for my 25th wedding anniversary

[sfont66]

My story is this: nearly 5 years ago my wife bought me a 72 C10 for our 25th wedding anniversary. I had a 68 GMC project at the time, however due to space we chose to let the 68 go and to focus more on the 72.
Most of the progress on this project tends to happen in the spring when it warms up a bit(shop is currently unheated and needs concrete floor).
Each year since I received the truck I have tried to do a few things to improve it, and make needed repairs, at the same time trying to resist the temptation to pull it apart and do a complete restomod. The 68 GMC was an example of what can happen if I pull it apart to far too far all at once....
I will try to add some pics and backstory from a few years ago, but honestly I didn’t think to take to many photos early on.
Here’s a few pics from the Craig’s list add and first few days.( yes those rims are still on it) hopefully can change them out this spring!

[cornerstone]

Originally Posted by sfont66

I have tried to do a few things to improve it, and make needed repairs, at the same time trying to resist the temptation to pull it apart and do a complete restomod. The 68 GMC was an example of what can happen if I pull it apart to far too far all at once....

First off, congratulations on finding a wife like yours! I'd love to be a part of the encouragement team to keep you rolling whether it be slow and seasonal or full steam ahead. Forum junkies like myself love it when the updates come in either fast or slow, but one thing is certain... we all want to see pictures! Your sound approach to the 72 is wise. I'd love to know the facts on how many intended improvement projects turn into full blown piles of parts that never find their way back together.

[sfont66]

Originally Posted by cornerstone

First off, congratulations on finding a wife like yours! I'd love to be a part of the encouragement team to keep you rolling whether it be slow and seasonal or full steam ahead. Forum junkies like myself love it when the updates come in either fast or slow, but one thing is certain... we all want to see pictures! Your sound approach to the 72 is wise. I'd love to know the facts on how many intended improvement projects turn into full blown piles of parts that never find their way back together.

Thanks for the kind words, i have a great wife, supportive and even likes to go to car shows with me. She even wants a C10 of her own, that one would have to have an automatic transmission and a/c .
I will take all the encouragement I can get, I admit sometimes its tough to get up off the couch and tackle a project when it’s a bit cold in the shop. Next winter should be different, I hope to finish the insulation and get the concrete floor done.

[sfont66]

Spring of 2016, again I wish I had taken pics of the progress now.
One of the first things I did that year was to install Cpp 2.5” drop spindles and cut one coil off the existing springs, this lowered the truck 4.5”. The brake hoses needed attention, so I ordered a set from Lmc, part number 34-4415. Next I replaced the rear coils with Cpp 4” drop springs, adding new retainers at the same time. I followed that up by installing Cpp shock relocation kit, and thru research and info posted by fellow members I was able to measure for the correct shocks and order them local from NAPA.part # 94038.
More to come.

[sfont66]

At this point it’s still 2016....
Pics show the truck lower, this is now March of 2016.
After lowering the truck, and getting the stance a bit more to my liking, I was in the need for more power out of the aging 350.

[sfont66]

Next on the list was to install a new cam to try to get more power. So I ordered a comp XE268H cam, double roller timing chain, and a set of mid length Headman headers. Using a 4” hole saw I then bored 2 holes in the trailing arm crossmember for the local muffler shop to pass the new 2.5” exhaust thru.
I should add that the PO of the truck had just installed a brand new edelbrock performer eps manifold and the 1406 600 cfm carb
Just a few pics of the engine back then. ( looking back it really was a greasy lump).

[sfont66]

The Spid shows the truck to be a low option model, I have made it more so by adding radio and heater delete plates....actually the heater delete is just another radio delete that I made a backing plate for to hold it securely in the recess.
That same spring I added a new seat cover from LMC. Not really happy with the pattern, or material, but it was cheap, so I guess you get what you pay for!
I don’t have pics, but that same spring, new bed sides, core support, inner fender on pass side, new inner grill, and relocated the battery behind the cab on passenger side

[jimbosprint]

Nice truck!

Save that toolbox bedside. Someone will pay good money for it. It took me a year and a half to find one for my C20.

[sfont66]

Originally Posted by jimbosprint

Nice truck!

Save that toolbox bedside. Someone will pay good money for it. It took me a year and a half to find one for my C20.

Thanks
I sold the bed sides a couple years ago to a fellow member, I just didn’t have the space to keep them at the time

[sfont66]

In the spring of 2017, I removed the engine to clean the 45 years of grease and grime from the engine bay. While the engine was out, I had thoughts of engine and trans swap, I didn’t truly have the funds at the time to do the swap I really wanted, along with all the supporting components. So I decided swapping to better heads was fair compromise. The old 882 heads had small valves and low compression 76cc combustion chambers, hardly ideal, as this truck is a toy, a hotrod. I choose to install a set of Brodix IK 180 aluminum heads, hopefully boosting compression a bit, and letting the engine breath better too.
With the engine at TDC I found the pistons to be .025 in the hole, not great. Using the recommended multi layer head gasket was not going to allow for the best possible piston to head clearance (quench). Research showed others had used the Fel-Pro 1094 steel shim head gasket. I was willing to try it since it provided the ability to achieve an ideal quench of .040.
I ordered heads, Fel-Pro gaskets, ARP head bolts, Comp magnum roller tip rockers. After bolting the heads on I was able to check for The correct push rod length and order push rods. After adding new motor mounts I was able to plug the engine back in the cleaned up engine bay.
The heads helped wake the 350 up quite a bit. Burn outs and tire smoke come easy, still I want more......

[sfont66]

Spring 2018, since I had a radio delete plate, I needed to finish that out by also deleting the antennae hole in the cowl panel, so that was welded up.
While I was at it, I sandblasted the inside of the doors and epoxy primed them.At the same time , the corners of the doors had some pin holes, so that was cut out and patches welded in, along with the old holes for some mirrors that were long gone. After a little body work, blocking primer, and epoxy primer as a sealer,I painted the doors back to a medium bronze. I’m not trying to fool anyone with fake patina, just trying to make the truck all one color for now. Eventually this truck will be hugger orange. With that said, the color match is not even close to the original paint. The guys at the local O’reilly auto tried to match the old color code but said they were having trouble matching the old formula. Well swing and a miss! I had a can of old paint from 15+ years ago from a mini bike project that matched better!

[sfont66]

15+year old can of paint from another project, matches better,

[sfont66]

Pics of the doors, I had wet sanded them with the intent of respraying them, but got busy with other things.
Also added that spring was the wilwood master cylinder seen in post 10.
Also removed the step bumper and added a sport bumper that will eventually get painted body color, when the truck goes orange.

[sfont66]

2018
When my wife would ride with me in the truck she would often complain of a gas smell, it got to the point she didn’t like to take the truck anywhere. I thought it was a cracked vent hose or something like that. When I searched for the cause, I found a spot on the bottom of the fuel tank with a rusty hole, and a old repair made years ago with epoxy or fiberglass resin, it was leaking. Since I needed a new tank anyway, I decided to relocate the tank to the rear of the truck. On a Black Friday deal I purchased a Boyd tank.
Pics show nuts welded to the bottom frame rail, flanges on the Boyd tank allow it to be bolted to the bottom of the frame. This will allow the tank to be dropped more easily in the future to install a in tank pump for fuel injection.
Another pic shows the tank mocked up, I used a piece of rubber between the flange on the tank and the bottom of the frame.

[sfont66]

Spring 2019
The new tank looked so nice I just couldn’t leave the crusty frame as is. So I decided to sandblast it. The easiest way to get at all the nooks & crannies was to disassemble it, I could then flip and turn the trailing arms and rear end as needed. The trailing arm bushings needed to be replaced, so I did that before epoxy primer and low gloss paint was sprayed.

[sfont66]

A few more pics

[sfont66]

Next I needed to patch the fuel filler hole on the cab. There was also some odd chrome hardware covering a 3/4” hole , possibly for a CB antenna? And more body damage in the back of the cab that needed to be worked out with a stud gun.

[sfont66]

Few more pics , of course there was the need for new brake line, and hose as well as new wheel cylinders. Tank was plumbed front to back with braided steel line an A/n fittings. The primer on the box sides was getting chalky, I wanted to prime and block them to make them a bit less wavy, but lacked the time. I just sanded them down and sealed them with epoxy primer, and shot them with the same non matching paint as I had previously painted the doors. By now I had come to terms with the paint, I told myself it was only temporary anyway....

[jimbosprint]

More nice work

[sfont66]

Originally Posted by jimbosprint

More nice work

Thanks for the recognizing the effort it takes.

[sfont66]

In October of 2019 I was shocked to find damage on the rear of the truck one morning I failed to notice a day before. It was dark when I drove home late from work the night before. A dock truck driver, an employee where I work had cut the corner too close where I was parked and clipped the back of the truck! He never said anything to the office! I had not noticed until the following day when it was daylight. At first I didn’t know what to think, just thought I was out the $ to fix it. As a sick feeling grew in my stomach, I began to think, I had only driven to work that day, no where else. Then it dawned on me what had happened, I grabbed a tape measure and my phone with camera and took photos of the damage on the truck, then went back to work to try to prove my theory of what caused the damage. Pics tell the rest of the story.

[sfont66]

The proof......pics show the black primer and paint transfer at the same height on the dock truck. Our company office manager agreed with my findings and filed an insurance claim on my behalf. In order to protect the drivers driving record, no fault was admitted, as there are 3 drivers hired to drive .
I was happy with the insurance adjusters estimate of repair, he seemed like a “truck” guy. final settlement was $3300

[cornerstone]

Although unfortunate, with your skills and that fat insurance check, I'll venture to guess your truck is now all the nicer because of it. Sometimes what appear to be tragedies turn into bonuses. Back in the late 1990's my wife left her curling iron on top of a stack of towels which in turn gutted the house with fire. We were headed home from church and followed the firetruck right to our house, talk about a sinking feeling... The cat lived and all the termites didn't. Insurance check for roughly 64k fully remodeled the little house.

[MDPotter]

Good forensic work and a nice check! There is concern out there about recovering from damages to our classics so it's nice to see someone get compensated fairly.

[sfont66]

Originally Posted by cornerstone

Although unfortunate, with your skills and that fat insurance check, I'll venture to guess your truck is now all the nicer because of it. Sometimes what appear to be tragedies turn into bonuses. Back in the late 1990's my wife left her curling iron on top of a stack of towels which in turn gutted the house with fire. We were headed home from church and followed the firetruck right to our house, talk about a sinking feeling... The cat lived and all the termites didn't. Insurance check for roughly 64k fully remodeled the little house.

Thanks for your reply,
It does help when you are treated fairly by insurance, in your case with the house fire, thankfully no one was home to get injured or possibly lose their life! Material stuff can be replaced, but the loss of life leaves a permanent scar.
The damage to the truck hasn’t been fixed yet, other than ordering a new bumper and brackets. Still wrestling with myself on how& were to invest the $ into the truck. Really want a 6speed manual trans and more horse power. Just can’t pull the trigger yet.