Nik's '68 GMC C15 build thread

[nikwho]

Hello all,
I figured that I should start a build thread to document progress on my '68 GMC short bed. I bought it a little over a year ago off of Craigslist, from a guy over in Lake Havasu, AZ.

Long story short, it was not what I was expecting, based on info provided in the Craigslist ad, but it is indeed a solid truck. My intent is to build a fun hot rod/cruiser.

Upon getting the truck home that felt like it ran pretty good in Havasi, I serviced the engine that was advertised as being a 350, bit ended up being a 305... it must of had some awfully think gear oil in it, or something, as right after I did an oil change, the engine developed an awful rod knock.

A little while after purchasing the truck, I had to pull the transmission and go through it. I freshened it up with a rebuild kit, upgraded some internal parts, added a Transgo kit, 2,600-2,800 stall converter and a remote cooler.

[nikwho]

The engine that was advertised as a freshly rebuilt 350 ended up being a 305 cubic inch boat anchor. Oh well. I had a machined 350 block and rotating assembly sitting on a shelf that had been waiting for a home. I assembled my short block and sourced some decent factory cylinder heads that had a little bit of work done to them and picked up a Weiand aluminum intake and rebuilt an Edelbrock 1406 carb that I had on a shelf. I modified an HEI distributor and added an MSD Digital 6+ ignition box to control my spark.

[nikwho]

About a month after getting the truck, the seemingly original radiator began leaking. I took it into a local radiator shop and they were not able to repair it. So, I sourced an aluminum radiator and built an aluminum shroud for it that would allow use of an electric fan. I added an electric fan, relay and a Derale electric fan controller. I also added a timed switch, so the fan comes on once the engine is warmed up (at thermostat housing) and shuts off when the engine temp falls below 180°, or will run up to 5 minutes after the engine is shut down, whichever comes first.

[nikwho]

Spent some time getting the ride height sorted out. CPP 2" drop spindles, Hotchkis lowering springs, an axle flip kit and some shock relocators got things about where I wanted them. This GMC came from the factory with leaf springs, but I'll sort that out before too much longer.

I also added some 17"x8" Boyd Coddington Junkyard Dog wheels and some Cooper tires that I had.

[nikwho]

I finally got my frame cleaned up, sanded, epoxy primed and sprayed with a single stage Dark Cyber Grey Metallic. Same color that comes on the newer Corvettes and I believe Camaros. Anyway, it's a cool color that I've always enjoyed. I needed to paint my frame and didnt want to go with the standard semi gloss black. I plan to spray the wheel tubs and inside of the hood this same color. Perhaps the radiator core support, too.

[nikwho]

I traded my SBC to a friend and fellow member here. It will make it's way into his '66 C10. I have been collecting parts for my BBC build for quite a while. It's got all forged internals, a roller cam and some work done on the heads. I think that it will scoot the '68 along very nicely. Also just got my th-400 back from getting built. Has been completely gone through, TransGo 400-3 shift kit and some upgrades internally, along with a 2,800ish RPM stall converter, deep pan and external cooler.

[68bowtie]

Now we’re talking. What tc did you buy? I’m looking for one now.

[nikwho]

Originally Posted by 68bowtie

Now we’re talking. What tc did you buy? I’m looking for one now.

I ordered a TH-S3 converter from The Converter Shop. In the mean time, I'm gonna put it together with a new converter that I've used on a couple of builds, from Summit Racing. It's part # SUM-G2703. Advertised with a 2,200-2,800 stall. Truck with a big block will probably stall in the 2,600 RPM range. I've got the same converter in my '59 with a small block and TH-350 and it stalls closer to 2,400, I'd say. I'm excited to compare the two, with the Converter Shop converter being a much higher quality piece.

Heres a couple of links:

http://www.tcsperformance.com/s3seriesconverters.html

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g2703/

[68bowtie]

Thanks. Subscribed.

[cornerstone]

Originally Posted by nikwho

I finally got my frame cleaned up, sanded, epoxy primed and sprayed with a single stage Dark Cyber Grey Metallic. Same color that comes on the newer Corvettes and I believe Camaros. Anyway, it's a cool color that I've always enjoyed. I needed to paint my frame and didnt want to go with the standard semi gloss black. I plan to spray the wheel tubs and inside of the hood this same color. Perhaps the radiator core support, too.

I love this color man! What brand of paint did you use?

[nikwho]

Originally Posted by cornerstone

I love this color man! What brand of paint did you use?

I'm using all Limco Supreme Plus paint. I love that color, too! That is the color that my '59 Apache is getting painted, after the '68 is done. Trouble is, I'm torn between colors for this project! I'm torn between the new Jeep Wrangler Red (I THINK that it's called Firecracker Red) and a two tone green and ivory! The green I like is called Verde Chiaro Light Green. It's a Fiat color. Two totally different looks. I've always wanted a red hot rod, and the '68 would look great red, but I think that it'd look great in this green, too! I found one truck painted essentially exactly how I am imagining. I dont know if it's a board members truck, but it's beautiful! I'll attach a photo of it here.

I also attached a picture of the red that I had mixed up.

[darkhorse970]

I really like the look of that green and white paint scheme, but if you’ve always wanted a red hot rod this is a great opportunity to have one!