Project My First Chevy: 1970 C-10 Longbed

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Boy am I ever happy to find this forum! This is my first Chevy. I have to admit, I'm kind of excited, and that worries me just a little.

I've got a 2000 Jeep rock crawler project that I keep making more complicated, a '74-'75 International Scout II project, and a little Saab convertible that barely gets enough attention to keep it going. Money is tight. Seems like the last thing I need is another project, but I do need a pickup truck, so here goes!

Got this here 1970 C-10 Long Wide-Side for about the price of a good set of forged FSB pistons. Here she is fresh off the flatbed. Needs some work, but she's pretty much all there.



She has a 350 with stock 4bbl Rochester, TH350, and 6-lug 12 bolt. HD Coils all around. Not too sure about rear coils on a truck, but we'll see.



The body is very straight. Just some SoCal surface rust and a long, horizontal dent in the tailgate. Oh and a bent front bumper. I will be painting it with something before I take this truck out east to the salty roads.



Yeah it came with some extra wheels, tires, and several rebuildable smallblocks which I'll have to pick up after I get her running.

She's been sitting since 2003. The PO installed a new starter, and soon after, one of the starter bolt ears broke off of the engine block. He figured the only way to fix that was a new engine, which he never got around to, and so it sat. About the only attention it got was from the local rodent population.



According to the PO, that engine was installed in the '90s. With all the gunk on it, and with the very stock look of the installation, I would have believed it to be original. The dust and rat snacks and turds are gone now (from the air cleaner, too), but the thick layer of baked-on grease/ dust is proving quite stubborn. Gunk gel bounced off. My third application of Easy Off oven cleaner is in process...

Note the rodent nest in the glove compartment. They got at the registration paperwork pretty good too.


I have to say I like the look of the dash.


This was a work truck owned by horse people. Lots of dirt and hay dust caked on after sitting for years. Midway through cleaning this out, I decided to take a pic. Seems like the resto projects around here usually begin with a shovel.

Don't be hatin' on the custom plywood/ fiberglass fuel tank cover. I think a fresh coat of latex paint, and she'll be as good as new. Available for free to a good home!



Well those are all the pics I have before I did the initial cleaning and the snow hit. Hope to post more soon.

[67chevylongbed]

Looking forward to more pics! And welcome to the board

[stich626]

Welcome..
I'm just starting work on my 71, and I've had it since '03 (don't ask)
looks like a good start.. as far as the engine,, if you are brave, chevy has two starter noses, one the bolts are straight across from one and other, the other is at an angle.
you might be able to pull the engine, line up the angled bolt pattern starter, and drill and tap the hole..
you'll need a different flexplate but, it be cheaper than a new engine,,
good luck..
or if money isn't that tight a good 350 shouldn't be all that hard to find

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Thanks for the welcome, guys! stich626, thank you for the tip. First thing I'm gonna try to braze on a new ear with special brazing rod. I hope to do that with the engine in-place. If that fails, I will definitely consider your suggestion. Money is tight, but if all else fails, another motor should be quite doable, considering it's a SBC. I have a rebuildable 4-bolt 350, and I may have a line on a ready-to-go 383 stroker for a lot less than a rebuild would cost. Kinda skeered about the mpg with the 383, though; need to talk with the owner more.

Well, I gotta go drain the oil now: it's black as pitch.

[gferris5]

Cool! What else do you have planned for it? Always good to see one of the long-sleds getting some attention.

[Invert'd]

Thanks! Right now I just want to get her running and reliable again. She will be worked like a truck was meant to work. Front disc brakes are a good near-future possibility, since a friend has offered me a complete front cross-member w/ discs.

I need traction. I don't yet know if she has a LSD. If she does, I expect to put in a clutch pack. Otherwise I would probably install an Aussie Locker (have two in my Jeep and they're great). Being a wheeler, the first thing that occurred to me was a 4WD conversion, but again, I have enough projects. I don't want to ruin the gas mileage either.

Cleaning all the years of gunk off the chassis and such will be an ongoing process for awhile I'm sure, as will dealing with the surface rust.

I may shoot some paint in the next couple of months. I'll be looking for a good low-budget paint (not rattle-can). I'll have to figure out the color. White is a very practical color out here, and would require the least work, but I'd kinda like a two-tone scheme. Since there's no body molding, I was thinking of maybe just keeping the cab white. I'll be browsing this forum for ideas.