Advice please

[j_lee223]

Hello everyone,

My name is Justin, and I got a 65 c10 short bed step side working man truck. My wife surprised me with it after getting back from over seas wile I was gon my first truck was stolen a 67 short bed step side, so there is a sentimental attachment to my 65, but it is not my dream truck. I want a 4x4 cummins with a modern suspension possibly air ride with a small lift almost stock looking in a 65 c10 and tight steering lol I know it's a dream truck. The truck would be a daily driver that would pull an old camper from time to time.
Is this possible?

I don't know how to start my parts list because I don't know what rout to take.

I have been thinking of boxing the frame Fitting a 12v and doing a 4link but I'm not to great with the whole technical part of suspension fabrication. The welading part is not the problem it's the engendering behind the design.

I also thought of doing a frame swap, so I could get the modern suspension, 4x4, and Diesel at the same time maybe a kelderman kit also. I have seen on many posts that it never ends up looking good tho.

I had the opertunity to test drive a used diesel at the dealership that had a kelderman air ride. The ride was surprisingly smooth. I also thought it would be an easy upgrade if I went the frame swap route.

I am trying to figure out if any one has done a dodge frame swap right?
And
Is there any one who has converted a c10 to a 4x4 air suspension diesel truck?
And
Are there any kits for a non leaf front suspension with or with out air ride? I know there is pleanty of kits and mounts for the command swap I am more concerned about the suspension I want.


Thanks for your time Justin Simper Fi.

[Indian113]

Let's get this moved to the right section because I think All of your questions will get answered quicker.

[j_lee223]

Thanks for the help.
How do I do that ?
What section do you think would be best?

[Indian113]

I'd start by PM'ing a Moderator and ask to have it moved to the 60-66 section. There is a bunch of really nice people on the board. This is for introducing yourself to the Board. By the way welcome and there's always room for another 60-66 truck lover.

[j_lee223]

Awesome I always feel comfortable on this form.

[j_lee223]

Hello everyone,

My name is Justin, and I got a 65 c10 short bed step side working man truck. My wife surprised me with it after getting back from over seas wile I was gon my first truck was stolen a 67 short bed step side, so there is a sentimental attachment to my 65, but it is not my dream truck. I want a 4x4 cummins with a modern suspension possibly air ride with a small lift almost stock looking in a 65 c10 and tight steering lol I know it's a dream truck. The truck would be a daily driver that would pull an old camper from time to time.
Is this possible?

I don't know how to start my parts list because I don't know what rout to take.

I have been thinking of boxing the frame Fitting a 12v and doing a 4link but I'm not to great with the whole technical part of suspension fabrication. The welading part is not the problem it's the engendering behind the design.

I also thought of doing a frame swap, so I could get the modern suspension, 4x4, and Diesel at the same time maybe a kelderman kit also. I have seen on many posts that it never ends up looking good tho.

I had the opertunity to test drive a used diesel at the dealership that had a kelderman air ride. The ride was surprisingly smooth. I also thought it would be an easy upgrade if I went the frame swap route.

I am trying to figure out if any one has done a dodge frame swap right?
And
Is there any one who has converted a c10 to a 4x4 air suspension diesel truck?
And
Are there any kits for a non leaf front suspension with or with out air ride? I know there is pleanty of kits and mounts for the command swap I am more concerned about the suspension I want.


Thanks for your time Justin Simper Fi.

[spacedebris]

Originally Posted by j_lee223

Hello everyone,

My name is Justin, and I got a 65 c10 short bed step side working man truck. My wife surprised me with it after getting back from over seas wile I was gon my first truck was stolen a 67 short bed step side, so there is a sentimental attachment to my 65, but it is not my dream truck. I want a 4x4 cummins with a modern suspension possibly air ride with a small lift almost stock looking in a 65 c10 and tight steering lol I know it's a dream truck. The truck would be a daily driver that would pull an old camper from time to time.
Is this possible?

I don't know how to start my parts list because I don't know what rout to take.

I have been thinking of boxing the frame Fitting a 12v and doing a 4link but I'm not to great with the whole technical part of suspension fabrication. The welading part is not the problem it's the engendering behind the design.

I also thought of doing a frame swap, so I could get the modern suspension, 4x4, and Diesel at the same time maybe a kelderman kit also. I have seen on many posts that it never ends up looking good tho.

I had the opertunity to test drive a used diesel at the dealership that had a kelderman air ride. The ride was surprisingly smooth. I also thought it would be an easy upgrade if I went the frame swap route.

I am trying to figure out if any one has done a dodge frame swap right?
And
Is there any one who has converted a c10 to a 4x4 air suspension diesel truck?
And
Are there any kits for a non leaf front suspension with or with out air ride? I know there is pleanty of kits and mounts for the command swap I am more concerned about the suspension I want.


Thanks for your time Justin Simper Fi.

Hey Justin, welcome.


Well it is possible to do everything you want (within reason) but it will cost. 1st off, doing a cummins swap is NOT cheap. Just for reference follow the link in my sig to take a look at my panel with the cummins started. Lets take a look at your wants one at a time.

Cummins-- Very possible. Depending on which cummins you want would determine a lot. A 4bt would fit fairly easily and would give decent power and decent MPG. But lets be honest, most that want a cummins want the big one. Typically either the 12v or 24v. I like the 12v myself (pre 1998 for the manual pump). But both the 12v and 24v will have trouble fitting without some major modifications. I've seen two ways of doing it. One by stretching the frame and adding about 6-8 inches to the front fenders. Or like me, cutting the firewall and sticking about 1.5 cylinders under the dash. Again take a look at link in my sig, I got some pics up of it.

Frame swap-- Many have done it. However nearly everyone says that it is better to use the frame you have rather than try making another fit. I've talked to many who have done it and most say they would never try it again. And most have varying amounts of success in doing it. Also since the vin is on the frame on these trucks, you may or may not have legal issues with your states DMV. Probably the easiest would be to convert your existing frame or grab a 63-66 4x4 frame to use. I too want to make mine 4x4, but I'm wanting to go leaf spring on all 4 corners and about a 3-4 inch lift.

kelderman--I have no idea. No experience with it.

Suspension-- more modern suspension is fairly easily with a 65 as there are many conversion kits for disc brakes and the like.

Others here will pipe in with more detailed on some of this as it is discussed fairly frequently.

Bottom line is, how close to your dream truck you can get is how much money do you want to spend on it. You can do just about anything with enough money.

[j_lee223]

Lol yes I would have to throw lots of money at it so I am saving every penny. With cutting the fire wall are there issues for maintenance. I would not want to lift the cab to do modifications or swap out parts. I am thinking in the long run because to my family and I have a tendency to run them till the wheels fall off fix em and start the cyscle all over lol. Is there a kit for a 4x4 convention ? I have tried looking and I only found a coil over kit for 80s and above. Evan if it was for a 65 the kit was too much of a lift for what I want.

Thank a lot for the info from what I have seen online most frame swaps cause more headache.

[AcampoDave]

Welcome, what you are dreaming seems a very tall order to fill. Sure it can be done, but you need to ask yourself if its really worth doing. It's not gonna be done really soon that's for sure. Do you have the time, the $$$ and the know how to succeed? Or would you be better off working with what you have while you gradually make more moderate uprades. I'm just sayin' sometimes big dreams lead to a pile of parts collecting spiders and dust or worse....rust.

[spacedebris]

As far as I know there are no kits for 4x4. You'll find that the 60-66 family are the red headed step children of the Chevy Truck family. No love. Lots of repros and kits for the pre 59 and lots of repros and kits for the 67 and on with the 60-66 out in the cold. Especially the 60-63's. So nearly every upgrade, change, modification, or enhancement will be made from other year parts and made to work on our trucks.

As for the maintenance on the engine through the firewall, I've thought of that. Once all the firewall cutting is done and I have the engine in the final location I plan on leaving enough room above the engine to remove the valve cover and then make a removable cover for the interior of the cab. That way any time I need access to the engine, I can just remove the cover and access it from inside the cab. When I saw the location of the engine I became acutely aware that that would be required because of the location of the oil filter and fuel filter on the cummins.

Now one of the cool things about a 12v pre 98 is that once you have it set, get the fuel plate finished, do the killer dowel pin fix and have it running. These things will run forever and need very little internal maintenance beyond oil changes and filter changes. Even with a daily driver the engine will likely outlast the truck. LOL Unless of course you go crazy and try building 1000+ Hp and torque.

As for the lift if you do not plan on doing major rock crawling and just want it for looks and slightly larger tires and just the occasional dirt road camping trip type use, you may just need a couple inches and do it with a body lift. Body lifts get a bad rap a lot of the time. They are no good if you want to get 6 or more inches and 40+ inch tires. But...if you just want some 33's (give or take) and just want it a little taller and only need 1-3 inches body lifts work great for this. And just about any body lift blocks can be used on just about any truck. Hell it would not even be hard to make your own for these trucks. On the other hand if you want a slightly larger lift, the rear of the truck would not be difficult as it is simple leaf springs. Oh you may need to make minor mods but a kit for the 67-72's should work fairly easily on the rear. As for the front, many take a front clip from a mid 70's chevy and put it on the front of the 65. If you do this with a 4x4 front then you can use a lift for that generation. again, depending on your budget, skill, and patience there are lots of options.

['63GENIII]

First off, thanks for your service. Secondly, props to your wife! Thats a good woman that would surprise a guy with something like that. Mine would likely sell all my stuff if I was gone long enough.

If you want a little inspiration, look up Matt Hughes' 66 Chevy Duramax. I know its not a Cummins but it can be done. I would also stay away from the frame swap. You'd be surprised what can fit in these frames with a little fabrication. Only seen a few frame swaps done right and theyve taken an enormous amount of work.

There is a member Argonaut who IIRC has a template or might have even cut plate for the boxing of his frame. He knows the 4x4 '60-'66 as good as anyone here. You might even see if a moderator can move this to the 4x4 section. Lots of stuff to read there.

I think that there is a member or two that may have done the Cummins swap. If Im not mistaken, Dodge would have the passenger side drop for a GM front axle too so that may be a benefit.

As far as a more modern suspension, look into longer leaves for the front and rear. It really does make a difference in the ride and uses mostly GM parts.

If it were me, Id drive the truck as is even using it to collect most all of the parts you need for your swap. Hopefully saving time and getting her back on the road sooner.

Either way you go, best of luck. You're in the right place if you own one of these trucks. Lots of knowledge on this site!

[j_lee223]

First thanks for the quick response guys. I really apretiate that.

Yea I was so bummed to find out my first truck was stolen but I was still happy to be home then out of no where a baby blue step side rolled up. I was so confused. I had thought something horrible happens like MTV did some crazy thing to my 67 lol I was so happy that was not the case. Yeah my wife is amazing.

I never thought of a removable cover kind of like the vans and busses I would be happy with the fuel plate, pump and maybe injectors.

What year from frame would I need to open The door for 4x4 kits 70-??

I can handle the ride but I know my wife is not to thrilled about it. Although, she does love riding shot gun on week ends. I don't think she could do it forever once it became my daily as a 4x4.

Oh and Matt Hughes truck it what got me going. I have been trying to find a write up on it and only the trucks web site pops up. I can see he does not have leafs in the front and the post on trucks says it has an f250 lift kit :?: Unless it's an 06 and above superdutys had leaf spring leafs.

I am going to try and get on the 4x4 section. I need to message Argonaut I need to find out where to tie the frame together so it stiffens it up more along with boxing it.

Thanks again.

[bpmcgee]

If you look in the build forums, there's a guy who put a Duramax in his, which is about the same size (huge) I would imagine.

B

[spacedebris]

Justin, another thread I would read if I were you is this one by mosesburb

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=303017

Granted his is a 72 Burb, but a lot of the challenges would be the same (or at least very similar). Be warned though, it is a very long thread (50 some odd pages and still going) and very heavy on the pictures. But it is a very fun read. I got a lot of great ideas from him that I plan on stealing for my own project. If nothing else you can see some of the troubles, solutions, and ideas that may help with any decisions you make.

[patrickk1]

The Matt Hughes truck is an entire 2006 Silverado HDCrew Cab 4x4 chassis, engine, trans, and rearend. The front axle is a Solid Axle Swap (SAS). I've had a 64 cab on a 2003+ Ram frame before and it fit nicely. I did not have then engine/trans in it but would expect that the mounts may need to me moved backwards a little. The body mounts fit right over the frame but you'll have to torch off the old mounts. You'll fab new mounts right over the frame rails. There about 3/4 off the center of the frame rail. The other issue is that the bed kickup on the 2003+ ram frame is much larger than on the 64-66. There are three solutions: 1) raise the bed floor (I think this was done on the hughes truck too) 2) z the rear rails to lower them 3) maybe try a cab and chassis truck (i have never looked at one to see if the kickup is gone). Somewhere on the forum is a kid who threw his 64-66 cab on a 1st or 2nd gen dodge frame with diesel.

[Sik5chevy]

If your in TX, do a chassis swap and going through the title process. When the auto theft guy inspects it they will register it as the chassis and you will get it titled as such (201? Whatever dodge) What is worse is if you do an aftermarket frame they will make you registere it as an assembled vehicle then it will carry the year of inspection as the year model. Ex 2016 assembled vehicle. If that dont matter- go for it.

[j_lee223]

Wow thank you guys and I'm sorry I was getung ready for midterms so I haven't been able to log on. Well I have a lot of reading to do.

[Clyde65]

Only thing I can add is DO NOT LET THAT LADY GO ANYWHERE! She is definite keeper!

[nail pounder]

Welcome to Fallbrook. Look forward to seeing your build here and around town too.

[j_lee223]

Yes she is. I'm doing the build in Texas. I moved back to Texas because of school. But I plan on going back to Fallbrook once I am done, in about 5 years. Hopefully my 65 will be ready to roll down main aveinue by then.