New truck...68 c10 stepside (and a simple question)

[downbytheriver]

Picked this up last weekend.



Damn near made it all the way from Atlanta to Jacksonville before that kinked hose I had noticed earlier put too much pressure on the water outlet gasket. Good thing for Haggerty's towing!

Get it back to the house, turn the first wrench, and bam, blew both bolt heads off on the water outlet. Anyone know what size bolts these are? Gonna try the easy out method, but might have to resort to just finding someone with a themrostat holder and water outlet for sale I guess.

[truckster]

If I recall correctly, the heads are 1/2 inch, so that should make them 5/16 bolts. If the heads are 9/16, they bolts would be 3/8.

[Already Gone]

Nice score on the truck. When you get the chance we all would like to see more pictures and get the details of your truck.
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[SlowYourRoll]

Cool truck! I had an issue with my water outlet where I stripped the intake manifold holes several years ago. My local Kragen (at the time - now O'Reillys), price matched LMC Truck catalog and had a new one in about 4 hours from a nearby location. It even came in polished chrome (cool!). It was definitely a pita. I tried some jb weld in meantime waiting on a solution but that didn't hold at all.

[MARKDTN]

I think those are 3/8 bolts. A good parts store will have that housing.

[downbytheriver]

Thanks for the help, guys. I'm going to try the easy-outs tonight. I don't want to sink too much money into this tired engine, because I have a 5.3 ready to install.

I'll get a build thread together as well....anyone have any advice on doing a rolling project? This won't be my DD, but I'd like to enjoy it every once in a while as I'm building it.

[Tx Firefighter]

You're gonna break the E-Z out off and have more problems than you do now.

Look at it this way, if a 3/8 bolt is seized so tight that it broke off, an E-Z out, which is even smaller than the bolt is surely going to break off.
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[Hutch]

you're gonna break the e-z out off and have more problems than you do now.

x2

[downbytheriver]

I ditched the EZ out plan and just took the assembly to the local machine shop, who had it done in an hour.

See, this is why I'm here! Thanks for the help.

She's running a little rich and dieseling after shut off, gonna see about doing a small tune up this weekend.

Build thread is up now, here:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=578220

[Tx Firefighter]

I didn't mean to come across as negative on the EZ out deal, but I've seen it a million times. That bolt is obviously seized in there tighter than the hinges of hell, so if you drill a smaller hole into the bolt and use a small, brittle, EZ out, i can predict the outcome every time.

A broke off bolt is a real annoyance. A broke off EZ out if a game changer. You're not gonna drill that thing out.

If there's any of the bolt stub still sticking up above the part surface, you can usually weld a nut onto it. Then heat the cast iron part nice and hot with a torch and put a wrench on the nut. They pretty much always come out. Failing that, sand the bolt completely flush and center punch and drill it out and HeliCoil the hole. Between those two methods, there are few bolts that can't be overcome.

Use antisieze when reassembling and no more worries down the road.

[downbytheriver]

That wasn't negative at all, it was honest. That's why I come here. I'm glad I didn't mess with them, because it was way easier to have it done right at the shop. I'll have to remember the trick for welding the nut on, that's a good idea.

Anyway, thanks for the help...it runs now, but I think I need to look into a cab rebuild kit.

[Tx Firefighter]

One of my projects just a couple of days ago. Three ruined studs changed with new ones. I have much more time than money so I wound up spending several hours dealing with the broke off studs rather than buy a new exhaust manifold.



The funny color on the manifold is penetrant residue that I hadn't removed yet.
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