64 C30 Stakebed Question

[Lndeatr]

Hi All, I'm new here. I would like some advice from true Chevy truck folks. Yes I am mostly a Ford guy but I have owned my share of Chevy trucks ('59 El Camino, '65 C10 Fleetside, ‘66 C10 flatbed (not original), ’66 C10 Stepside, and a ’76 C20). These were all work trucks except the Elky. It was my Dad’s and was going to be a project with my son but he had no interest. I ended up selling it to a guy that had been looking for 17 years for an original complete California car. It was his very first car he ever bought new. He is in Indiana and couldn’t find anything that wasn’t Swiss cheese.

Anyway, a few years back I rebuilt an old Ford tractor and was given a 1964 C30 Stakebed as payment. It’s all complete, runs good and only has just under 85,000 original miles. My intention was to flip it but my daughter, now 14, fell in love with it and wanted it when she started driving. Well it went into the projects line and I have done a few things here and there. Brakes, carb rebuild, exhaust manifold, and cleaned it up. All I have left is to replace the bed wood. I have an ’87 350 TPI and trans from an IROC z28 that I was planning on dropping in. It currently has the 292 six.

I am a service tech and work on tractors which takes me all over to farms and ranches. Seen some really good barn finds and ended up with a ’58 F100 that had been sitting in the equipment graveyard since 1969. Well my daughter fell in love with it and now I am at a crossroads with the C30. Gonna pull it off the project line and work on it. I hate doing anything that would hurt the collectability of the truck but I am considering the motor swap, especially if I keep it as a driver. I would imagine its gonna be like my other past projects. Build it, drive it for a couple years, see another project that I want and then sell the C30 to help fund the new project.

So my question is should I keep the 292 in it? Will I be happy with that motor? Am I hurting the value of the truck if I do the engine swap?

I’m gonna move it up to the shop and clean it up tomorrow. I’ll post some pictures.

Thanks.

[TJ's Chevy]

Personally I'd keep the 292 in it. That'll keep your daughter from showing off to the guys. 292's are reliable engines with a well earned reputation for lasting and durability. 170 hp at 3600 rpm and 275 torque at 1800. They aren't the fastest in the world, but they have never had a problem getting the job done. My 292 had 150,000 on it and about 20,000 of that was 5000 rpm burnouts and quarter miles runs and all the abuse you could give it....50 year old motor with 95 psi compression and a 4 barrel and headers. Moved my C10 down the road with Ease.
The 350 would also be a good choice. It'll get up to speed a bit faster...if that's the smog version though it may be Slower....and will also last well. Mileage Might be better but I'm not sure. I think you'd like the 292, but you might like the 350 as well. I'd drive it around...see how you both like that engine. I loved mine, and if I hadn't abused it so much it'd still be running today. lol No it didn't blow up.....valves recessed in the head. I rebuilt another 292 and went fully through it...310 hp and 330 torque backed by a tremec 5 speed.
People make the 6 cylinders out to be junk, but they have a dang good reputation.

[Captainfab]

A C30 with a flatbed is already going to have fewer interested buyers as opposed to a pickup. If the truck is in very nice original condition, you might consider leaving the 292. However the TPI 350 and I assume, 700R4 trans will make the truck more enjoyable to drive, particularly with the OD considering the low differential gears in a C30. The TPI should get a bit better mpg than the 292. If you do decide to go with the TPI 350, I would also add power steering and power brakes.......and maybe even front disc's. That is all fairly simple to do. The most difficult part will be the TPI wiring.

[Lndeatr]

Appreciate the posts. After digging into it today, I think I am going to run it as is and then sell it. Runs good, has power brakes, and is pretty cool looking. Maybe save the 350 for a future project though I have a buddy that wants to buy it.

I know I promised finished pictures buy my day was not as fruitful as I wished. Our power went out and then when it came back on it jacked the well pump. Took up a lot of my day. I did have time to drive the truck up to the shop and change the exhaust manifold. Old one was burned out on 2 ports. New one (actually it is 50 years old) is nice and flat. No more exhaust leaks!!! Here are a couple pictures of the before. Tomorrow I am gonna degrease and pressure wash the entire truck (well not the inside). I’ll post the after shots.

Question about the wood used on the bed. Everything I can find about the bed wood is for stepsides and fleetsides. Consensus is 3/4" thick. On mine, I have 1 1/4" between the outer metal rim with the holes for the stakes (not sure the technical name) and the crossmembers. If I use 3/4 in wood I am gonna have a gap. Is the stakebed wood thicker than the pickups?

I planned on using some 1 1/8 tongue and groove flooring plywood I have but the bed is 9' long. I think I may use 2 layers of 1/2” plywood, offset the breaks and screw them together. Then I’ll put the runners on top of the plywood and bolt them through to the frame in the original holes. I’ll use a good varnish or sealer. Then I’ll build some sides and a gate. You won’t know its plywood unless you look close.

[Captainfab]

The flatbeds are totally different than a pickup bed. The pickup beds were factory installed whereas the flatbeds were dealer or owner installed. It sounds like you need some 5/4 boards for that flatbed. That flatbed is one of the nicer looking beds that I have seen on these trucks. Overall that is a rather nice truck. I think leaving it as it is, is the right choice.

[Lndeatr]

Well my time was consumed by everything but working on this truck. I did pressure wash it and get the wood cut, in place, and drilled for the runners. Next step is to paint the wood on the undercarriage and the wood for the bed.

For now, I am using 1" plugged and filled plywood I had laying around. I am going to use some black fencepost paint. I think it will match the current theme of the truck (beat up and ugly...). If I get off on time, I will swing by Tractor Supply and get the paint.

Here's some current pics....

[Lndeatr]

Well here are a few more pics and an update. I have decided to make it safe and road worthy and find a new owner. It's just a little too big for my daughter and she has now fallen in love with my '58 F100 project and wants to work on it with me.

So far I have rebuilt the carb, cleaned the tank, new cap, wires, points, condenser, upper and lower radiator hoses as well as the bypass hose, new thermostat, radiator cap, gas cap, brake shoes, wheel cylinders, master cylinder, replaced the exhaust manifold, oil and filter, rebuilt the bed, 2 new tire tubes, new tranny and rear differential oil, greased about 25 zirc fittings, and did a whole lotta cleaning. For the bed, I ended up using the plugged and filled 1 1/8” plywood I had. Cut it to fit, painted it with Black-Beauty asphalt fencepost paint, and put all the metal runners back on with new carriage bolts. Turned out pretty nice. Since this is not a show truck it didn’t make since to spend a bunch of money and get showroom looking wood.

Gonna degrease the engine and undercarriage, wash the outside, put a seat cover on it, new head lights, and list it in Craigslist. I am thinking that at this point, sinking any more money into it won't really increase the value. Everything I am finding tells me it is a cool truck, but not that collectible. I'll see what kind of interest it brings. We have a bunch of wineries in my area and maybe I can convince them they need an old original truck for marketing....

[DPowers]

Looks good.
Nice job on the bed.