I've got this Chevy C10 truck....

Bobzilla wrote:

Cousin_Eddie wrote: Where I am, rust is a non concern.

For this, I hate you. I brought home my 78 and after the first rain (it in the garage) the surface scratch on the tailgate instantly rusted over.

I'm not sure I'd have the fortitude to be much of a car guy in the rust belt. This stuff is hard enough at times anyway without having your project constantly sliding backwards due to corrosion.

Cousin_Eddie wrote: I'm not sure I'd have the fortitude to be much of a car guy in the rust belt. This stuff is hard enough at times anyway without having your project constantly sliding backwards due to corrosion.

I spent roughly the first 45 years of my life in the rust belt. Moving to New Mexico was like going to car guy heaven.

Today's update isn't real sexy, but progress is progress.

My buddy parts out trucks and he found me a transmission and rearend.

I'm no hot rodder anymore and I had wanted to do a little drivetrain adjustment to this truck. Here in Texas, roads are flat and wide and very fast. My truck has a non overdrive trans and 3.73 gears, so running down the highway at 3k RPM for long stretches wasn't very appealing.

This rearend is a 3.08 ratio which will be much nicer at 80 miles per hour than my current 3.73.

The transmission is where a lot of guys will be scratching their head. It's a TH350C. I have always liked them. Basically, it's a non overdrive trans (TH350) with an electric lockup torque converter. When you lock the converter the RPM drops a few hundred. And, the transmission is really a pretty decent unit. It has all of the good characteristics of a normal Turbo 350 with the bonus of even better highway manners.

Yes, I could have kept my 3.73s and swapped in a 700R4 overdrive to keep the good acceleration of the deep gears and still get good highway manners, but I don't want to spend the money to go that route. I've gone that route before a few times, and it's never inexpensive.

Now I need to get my learn on and figure out how the TBI ECM locks up the 700R4 overdrive converter and see if I can simply use that ECM output to lock up the TH350C converter. The Th350C was used in earlier GM products, before EFI, and the electrical system they used to lock and unlock the converter was crude and Rube Goldburg'ish at best.

I also grabbed the brake pedal out of the parts truck too.

My truck, being an original standard transmission truck, uses the narrow brake pedal. I want the wider automatic brake pedal to make the truck look exactly like it came factory with an auto trans.

And before anyone jumps to any conclusions, y'all know me well enough by now to know that there is no way I will put that trans or rearend into this truck without going over them both with a fine tooth comb. I just need to wait till next week when my car parts money tree has grown a little.

CuznE my 91 ext cab is sportin the same frame patina as yours(fire ant mound brown). Was getting all anal 'bout the put it together take it apart ten times two step(pre paint/powdercoat)... but your response has been an epiphany.....it's a dang PU for cryin' out loud! Thanks for not sweatin' the stupid stuff...

Typical of me, scope creep set in.

The rearend I got to swap into the truck came out of a perfectly fine (until the engine blew) running, driving truck. But, that never stops me from finding ways to spend time and money.

To recap, I'm swapping the original 3.73 rearend to a 3.08 rearend.

I found one of the axles was ugly where the bearing rides, so fortunately RockAuto had a new axle for 46 dollars. I won't mess with junkyards for that price.

I wound up changing both axle bearings and seals, one axle shaft, brake shoes, wheel cylinders, and park brake cables. Nothing was very expensive. I also found a new in box aluminum cover on eBay for half of new price from a guy who had it laying on a shelf forever. RockAuto had a brake spring hardware kit on closeout for 3 dollars. No brainer...

I also added shock extenders at the same time. And I took my leaf springs to my local spring shop and had the higher of the two dearched to match the lower one. I hate a truck that sits crooked when viewed from behind.

Not pictured : The rearends took different ujoints. The original one used 1310 series joints, the later rearend uses 3R joints. So I found a nice short bed driveshaft out of an 87 model truck and installed it using new Made in USA Spicer ujoints and a new trans yoke. I could have run conversion ujoints, and have done so several times, but I just wanted this one right. The driveshaft was free anyway. My original yoke had a bit of a groove worn into it from the seal. So, new u joints, new yoke, and free driveshaft was about 100 bucks total.

I'm not sure what I'll work on next on the truck. It's doing everything well right now and I can't think of a single mechanical thing to address. I guess cosmetics...

COSMETICS ............NOOOOO!!!! Leave as is ...Perfect, stance, rims, tires,patina...Job well done!

Nah, that patina thing is getting old. This truck will look better with a decent paint job.

In reply to stuart in mn: NOT here in in Texas.....bubba

Cousin_Eddie wrote: That truck was cobbled up. I did it to prove what could be done in a week and very little money. That was my point. But it was solid and safe with new ball joints and brakes and tires. Have patience. This is a one owner truck. It won't get anything cobbled up on it. I owe it to the man who loved and cared for this truck for 42 years. I mean, seriously, I had the engine hardware re-plated. Most guys would wire brush and spray paint that stuff. Have you seen me even come close to cutting any corners so far ? My plumbing truck. I can make patina on a bed when I need to. This one only looked ratty. It was my absolute daily driver for 100k miles. It had every bit of the care and detail that you've seen me do on this build, just hidden.

just about my dream truck. Let me know if you ever want to part with it.

stuart in mn wrote: Nah, that patina thing is getting old. This truck will look better with a decent paint job.

Under no circumstances will I do a decent paint job. This truck isn't worth it.

Cousin_Eddie wrote:

stuart in mn wrote: Nah, that patina thing is getting old. This truck will look better with a decent paint job.

Under no circumstances will I do a decent paint job. This truck isn't worth it.

So does this mean you're finished with this?

759NRNG wrote:

Cousin_Eddie wrote:

stuart in mn wrote: Nah, that patina thing is getting old. This truck will look better with a decent paint job.

Under no circumstances will I do a decent paint job. This truck isn't worth it.

So does this mean you're finished with this?

I'm losing momentum on dreaming up stuff to do to it. I'm up to my elbows building a Model A pickup right now so the C10 has been doing legit shop truck duties as I round up old Ford parts from all over. It's been nice using the thing, and I mean really using it, and not being afraid of it being too nice.

This morning I did order a pair of new injectors for it from RockAuto though. The current injectors are junkyard refugees and their spray pattern could more aptly be called a dribble pattern.

I will say though, I never got a single compliment or remark about the truck till I cut to down to short bed. Now I get someone offering unsolicited compliments every time I go somewhere in it. I kind of think it has "the look" now.

Short bed is definitely the right look. I wouldnt be too upset about getting it too nice. A decent respray and some bedliner is what this needs. Nothing over the top, dont go crazy with prep. And dont go bonkers with flake and clear, I think a plain white single stage with a black spray-in liner is just what the doctor ordered. Not so "patina'd" that it will look "so teens" in a few years, and not so nice that you cant go drop a busted washing machine off at the scrapper with it.

I was looking through my pictures the other day. Here is another one that I did about 10 years ago. I had forgotten about it.

I guess you could categorize me as a lowered short bed kind of guy.

And both of these are righteous in their own ways.....the 10 year ago c10, was that local to you when you found it?

759NRNG wrote: And both of these are righteous in their own ways.....the 10 year ago c10, was that local to you when you found it?

Yes. I found it for sale in a little classified newspaper that we had around here before the internet made such things obsolete.

Will there be a build thread on the Model A? Restore to stock or your version of a period correct slammed PU ?

759NRNG wrote: Will there be a build thread on the Model A? Restore to stock or your version of a period correct slammed PU ?

I'll probably keep the Model A stuff over on the HAMB. I'm looking to build it as a true early hot rod. I'm trying to buy nothing new and only use genuine vintage Henry Ford parts even down to the hardware (as much as reasonably possible).

what is your nom de plume over at HAMB?

I have no posts at the HAMB to see. I've been the silent lurker since 2003. If I do a build thread over there I will link to it here.

Awesome can't wait for some ol'skool hot roddin'.......flat head or HiPo 4 cyl? Though this is YOUR build I hope you use split bones up front.

I hope you have a source for early tin....most of what I've seen and that ain't much like at LSRR....those kats are proud of their panels.

I'm planning on a Model A "banger" original 4 cylinder with some period correct speed equipment. Dropped axle in the front, lowered rear, and hydraulic brakes. Otherwise, stock Model A stuff. Bias ply tires, the usual...

I've been socking money away for a pretty good period of time. When the right sheetmetal comes along I'll step up as needed. As hard as good early sheetmetal is to find, I won't miss out of a good part over a little money.

Those don't come in five window versions do they?

This thing needs an update. Just sayin!