New to the forum and to rebuilding. C10 help

[c10fan]

Well Im new to the scene but a fast learner and I want to know who has the best c10 rebuild out there. Some things that I have seen that I like were the fuel tank being relocated from behind the seat to under the truck bed, I like the truck a little bit lowered and on 20`s but not actually "slammed" all the way to the ground what would be the best way to achieve that. I can send a pic of what I mean if you want. I also like the idea of replacing the original gauges with electrical gauges so if anyone has done it and has any pointers let me know. I want to do a frame off rebuild and I would like to know what steps I should go by for rebuilding from there, I assume i should take out the motor and trans. first and have those rebuilt or flushed or something. sorry if this seems like alot but all the help you can give is appreciated. I also want to convert the tail lights to LED but I can make my own so that isnt a problem, I have a 1970 C10 Long bed all original still except for the rims and stereo

[geoff.clark]

Welcome to the board. Here is a great build thread - very detailed.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=318544

[c10fan]

Thank you so much, Im very excited to start it all but Im just concerned about rebuilding the engine...I want to update it heres some pics

[c10fan]

Here`s mah behbeh

[Slick67]

Looks like a Longhorn fan with that color. Nice truck to start with should be a really solid project. Don't be scared to ask questions here, you'll get plenty of answers. As for the drop, do you want static or bagged? If you are planning a static 7 inch drop in the rear you may want to get your mini c-notch ready. Set your goals within reason and you will be much happier with the final product!

[c10fan]

couldnt figure out whether to bag it or not, cant figure the mechanics out

[c10fan]

I know the blue one is bagged and sitting down but the black one is how I want it to look, n rims comparable to those I think that would be nice. I just have to rebuild the engine

[c10fan]

nevermind got it figured out, im an idiot and i will probably bag it

[Slick67]

Your pics didn't show. Look through my build thread and it will show you the easiest way to bag our trucks. From personal experience I would suggest spending the few extra bucks and doing a four link rearend so you won't have any issues with the trac-bar in the back, just my advise. Let's see some more pics!

[c10fan]

Well I will hopefully be posting some pics soon, they will be of me pulling the engine and starting the rebuild of it, I dont even know where to start even with that I was going to have my grandfather help me with it he knows all about that stuff. tell me more about the four link rear end and the trac-bar. Oh and Ill repost the pics later they were just of trucks I was getting inspiration from before I joined this forum

[Slick67]

On the trac-bar (which is original to the truck) as the rearend goes up and down it travels from one side to the other then back as you raise and lower it. Kinda works like a lever. With a four-link it lets the rearend travel up and down in a straight motion without moving from side to side, therefore it keeps the rearend centered at all times. I think you are doing the right thing building the motor now as opposed to later. You will have plenty of time to work out the bugs as you do other things to the truck. It sounds like you are going to go the direction I did, kinda custom. Go to the link here and it will open the doors to more questions and answers that you may have not thought of, like tank relocation, wiring, electric one-peice windows, hiding the gas filler, shortening your steering column and tons of other useful stuff.
You will be overwhelmed, but it's not too bad!!!
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=157669

[c10fan]

Very Very good to know, I have seen trucks do that before and I didnt really like that they did that i just assumed that was a quirk I would have to deal with. Well a coworker of mine also has the same truck and he already rebuilt his engine he has a 305 in his, I thought about swapping him my stock 350 for his already rebuilt 305 but I decided I like the 350 better. So should I have the engine block scanned to see of it has any cracks in it? I am actually very good with this stuff but I have never worked on a car or truck besides with my dad he just told me what to do I work on helicopters so like I said Im good with my hands they are just what Im used to. Im hoping to take off the grill and work on that while I gather/figure out what to do with the engine. I was inspired by what i saw in the link you gave me especially the grill so I will do that. I saw a few methods that I liked but I still have questions. One method said that I could use bondo to fill in any scratches or dings, and then paint it with some kind of aluminum paint and then spray high gloss clearcoat over it. Would the shine be just as good as new? another said to spray it with oven cleaner to get all the paint off and then sand it to get the scratches off then polish it with aluminum polish then clearcoat it to keep the shine. Have you used any of these methods? Im very anal about most things I do especially when it comes to this kind of thing. I have a vintage set of aluminum playboy tankards with see through glass bottoms from the 60`s or 70`s that I polished to a mirror shine so I think that i can shine the grill like that right since its aluminum??

[propanemudtruck]

For the engine, tear it down to a bear block, crank and pistons/rods (all seperate) and have some machine work done to clean them up. The machine shop can tell you about what bearings to order with your kit and what oversize pistons and rings to order too. I've had great luck with northern auto parts 350 kits, you can customize the individual parts and a great price for the kit. Find out what heads you've got and if they're worth sinking any money/work into before just having the work done. Reading up on the details of your build on other people's buildups will help greatly and have fun!

[c10fan]

Has anyone ever heard of NDI? It stands for non destructive inspection basically I guess its an xray of the metal, we use it on aircraft all the time I wonder if it would work on an engine block... besides that I will do that them right now my truck is in the country and Im in Austin at my apartment so no room to work on it here I ll have to wait till the weekend

[c10fan]

also I was looking for wiring schematics for my truck but I havent been able to find any on te forums most of the sites people were hosting them at arent anymore

[c10fan]

Well hopefully I will be posting pics soon, maybe this weekend if weather permits. I called a machinist here in Austin and they said they would bore the engine to whatever size pistons I bring them for 125 dollars. Is this right it seems pretty cheap. I just really wanted it cleaned out a little but what is a good size to over bore to? Anyone have any opinions on pistons and rods? Would I have to replace my Cam? If I do could I change it up to a roller lifter cam?

[Slick67]

The link I gave you covers the schematics and fuse panel. If not someone will chime in, these are on the internet. The engine shop could magnaflux your block for cracks cheap I'm sure. As for your grill, inspect it to see how many actual dings are in it and determine if it is worth all the time you will spend on it as opposed to purchasing a new one. If you chose to do it then the best stuff to use is Hair and Grease remover. It is in a black bottle and the bottle is in a see-through plastic bag, you can get it at Home Depot in the plumbing department. Brush it on and let it sit for 15-20 minutes, wipe it with a rag, and that will take the anodize coating off of the aluminum so you can sand and polish it, then soak it really good with water to stop the stripper from eating the aluminum . Be specific when you buy this stuff cause I have had zero luck with oven cleaner, even the original Easy-Off didn't work for me. Make sure to get the grill shell as straight and ding-free as you can before spending time and money on it. It may prove to be a time consuming mistake. If you are going for a show look, just spend the money on a new one.

[c10fan]

ok thanks again man, I may ask alot of questions but Im sure you understand Im very very serious about rebuilding this beast. Im thinking about having it bored over to about a 400 but link I said I wanted to keep the original 350

[Slick67]

Originally Posted by c10fan

ok thanks again man, I may ask alot of questions but Im sure you understand Im very very serious about rebuilding this beast. Im thinking about having it bored over to about a 400 but link I said I wanted to keep the original 350

Askin questions is the best way to go! The block in the truck may have been rebuilt and bored before so you may have to let that guide you in your decisions also. Take as many detail pics as you can cause that saved my butt during my build up several times. It's amazing how much you can forget from the teardown. I put my draglink on backwards and didn't catch it till I got my airride workin and my front tires went both directions at the same time........I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed I guess.

[propanemudtruck]

There's the saying "there's no replacement for displacement" but keep in mind that only some castings have enough sidewall to be able to bore that big and keep a good sleeve for the pistons. Like Slick said, get it apart and take some measurements and go up a size or two if needed instead of taking all the meat off at once.

[c10fan]

Sweet thanks for the info guys Ill keep you all posted

[RCbowtie69]

Welcome,hey from N.C.,nice truck