Seems like I attract freebie projects. Here's the latest. Its a 64-66 chevy C10. Pretty much complete and almost entirely rust-free. Its missing the grille, but otherwise its ready for flat black :)
Just wanted to share.
Seems like I attract freebie projects. Here's the latest. Its a 64-66 chevy C10. Pretty much complete and almost entirely rust-free. Its missing the grille, but otherwise its ready for flat black :)
Just wanted to share.
nice beats my dollar alfa http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/racetearoffs/?action=view¤t=009-9.jpg
Is that a Camaro wheel I can almost see there?
Nice turck.
Karl- I'll give ya $5 for the Alfa.
Free is good!!
If you do a chop remember that this particular model has an inner and an outer cab skin. Too much work but looks nice when it's done.
Dan
I have the one I drove when I graduated High School 23 years ago. It is sitting in my shop awaiting resurecting. I also have a parts one. My favorite truck body style.
Sweet!
If it were a shortbed I'd consider a chop, but I don't want to invest a ton into a free longbed.
For now it will get a vortec 350 I have sitting around. The granny 4 speed is really tight and looks recent. The initial plan is power steering, power discs, vortec, suede black, and new weatherstripping. Long term maybe 6BT/NV4500. I want it to look pretty rat, but I want it to be able to mechanically replace my current 98 F150 as daily driver/boat towing rig.
Oh... and no doubt, definitely red steelies, dog dish caps, and wide whites.
Stealthtercel wrote: Is that a Camaro wheel I can almost see there?
No.. they're six-lug. They're just cheapy wagon wheel type from American Racing or Cragar.
A friend of mine just got a free 62 Chevy shortbed. He installed a 73-87 style front suspension in his...it's a near bolt-in and offers better steering and brakes. Cheap too, so it may be something to look into.
I had a '64 in high school. It was a 230 with three on the tree. It wasn't free, but it should have been. It tried to kill me on a weekly basis. I miss that truck.
You may want to move the gas tank outside of the cab.
That's cool and sounds like you are going to make it cooler.
Woody wrote: I had a '64 in high school. It was a 230 with three on the tree. It wasn't free, but it should have been. It tried to kill me on a weekly basis. I miss that truck. You may want to move the gas tank outside of the cab.
I don't want to thread jack but...
Why do we always remember the problem vehicles more fondly than the ones that faithfully serve?
I miss my 78 Regal that was on it's second junkyard 231, my 86 Charger Turbo that cracked heads on a monthly basis and had a screwdriver for an ignition key, my 96 240SX that took 3 major accidents to finally give up the ghost and the 78 Datsun station wagon I had to borrow for transportation for a couple months. The Datsun was real fun. It had to be roll started, used another screwdriver for a key and the doors just kinda opened when they wanted to...mostly when you were moving. I don't think it had reverse either.
I remember the Chevette I learned to drive stick in. It waited until I had to downshift for a turn then the driver's seat flew back and the shift knob came off in my hand...mid-turn.
Ok, back to the thread with the cool truck.
My friends Chevette had the passenger floor board completely rotted away with just a mat to prevent if becoming a Flintstones car. No reverse, non-functioning starter............so we got real good at parking on a little incline so we could always push start it.
We remember them because you had to be so "involved" to drive them.
curtis73 wrote: If it were a shortbed I'd consider a chop, but I don't want to invest a ton into a free longbed. For now it will get a vortec 350 I have sitting around. The granny 4 speed is really tight and looks recent. The initial plan is power steering, power discs, vortec, suede black, and new weatherstripping. Long term maybe 6BT/NV4500. I want it to look pretty rat, but I want it to be able to mechanically replace my current 98 F150 as daily driver/boat towing rig. Oh... and no doubt, definitely red steelies, dog dish caps, and wide whites.
Sounds like a killer plan! Keep an eye out for brake upgrades- for your safety. And note- most trailer ratings are about cooling vs anything else- so consider going above and beyond if you can find the parts.
Karl La Follette wrote: nice beats my dollar alfa http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/racetearoffs/?action=view¤t=009-9.jpg
I'll give you $10.
Why can't I find these $1 Alfas? It looks like a great car!
If I found that, I would consider another run at the Challenge.
Can you graft on a second gen Camaro sub-frame onto those? I seem to remember that that is a good cheap way to get more modern componants up front.
In reply to curtis73:
I always liked those. My dad managed National Wildlife Refuges for a living, and when I was a kid Uncle Sam always sent two or three of them for use as service vehicles. They were a shade of green I've never seen anywhere else. Weird thing..IIRC, they were all shortbeds. You'd think if they were intended to be nothing but work trucks, they would have sent us the big ones. Were the shortbeds cheaper?
A 6bt would rip that truck to pieces, they are too heavy and have too much torque. I am pretty sure the engine bay is too short. A 4bt would work though. You should be able to bolt in a 73-87 from crossmember along with the disc brakes, and if it has the trailing arm rear suspension, a 71 or 72 chevy truck rear axle will have the same bolt pattern (if you keep the 1/2 ton stuff), and bolt right in. V8 ones will usually have 3.07 gears, inline 6 ones will have 3.73. Some of them have a decent posi in them too. Some of the 73-87 ( you will have to find out which year) trucks have quicker steering, so if you convert to the 73-87 suspension and power steering, grab the steering box too.
Other than that, if you are looking for better handling, dropped spindles and rear lowering springs are available easily, and you can get big front swaybars from a 3/4 ton truck, and a rear swaybar from an iroc 3rd gen camaro can be bolted onto the rear with a little work (spacer blocks between the mounts and the frame, and coming up with mounts for the axle).
Engine bay is plenty long enough with room to spare. The current small block in there has two 4" fan spacers stacked and still has about 4" to the radiator.
I appreciate the warning, but torque is torque. 550 lb-ft from a stock 6BT is a lot less than 850 lb-ft from a blown big block, and the 6BT doesn't weigh that much more. I've helped put a modified Duramax in a G-body and it was fine. I think the chassis is up to stock torque levels. I have done 4BT swaps before in Jeeps and Scouts but I want a little less tooth chattering and vibes for this truck. 4BT is usually first on my list, but its not a very good match in this case. My second choice would be Dmax, but its a little excessive in the sophistication category.
Plus, a 6BT just sounds mean :)
Hmm i guess putting a 6bt in would be possible, but they are just huge. lol 3/4 ton springs and runing gear, along with possibly some frame reinforcements would probably be necessary though. Someone i know bought a 6bt to swap into an m715, and it was in a 1/2 ton chevy that had the rear axle forcibly removed from the springs by the amount of torque.
Travis_K wrote: Hmm i guess putting a 6bt in would be possible, but they are just huge. lol 3/4 ton springs and runing gear, along with possibly some frame reinforcements would probably be necessary though. Someone i know bought a 6bt to swap into an m715, and it was in a 1/2 ton chevy that had the rear axle forcibly removed from the springs by the amount of torque.
Yep... 1000+ lbs huge... but a big block with a blower can be up to 850. Forget 3/4 ton springs, they won't be enough. People commonly think that a diesel will "rip a 1/2 ton to shreds" but they forget that chevy trucks for nearly 5 decades all shared the same exact frame and crossmember. Although you can't actually change the GVW of a vehicle, getting it to support the weight and torque of the engine can sometimes be as simple as swapping over applicable parts.
The other thing about this era of C10 is that it uses long torque arms with coil springs for the rear. The diesel torque will destroy the axle long before it rips off two 5-foot long 4" I-beam trailing arms.
I agree with you in most situations, but the names 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton don't really mean as much to the older trucks as they do today.
curtis73 wrote: The other thing about this era of C10 is that it uses long torque arms with coil springs for the rear. The diesel torque will destroy the axle long before it rips off two 5-foot long 4" I-beam trailing arms.
On my six cylinder '64, one of those torque arms tore out of the frame mount, resulting in instantaneous four wheel steering. Check that area carefully and reinforce as needed.
Stay away from tha stock power steering from those years (provided you find one) It is a boost valve located midway in the pitman arm and flowes boost to a hydraulic cylinder mounted to the crossmember and the steering arm. Efective but crude. It give the steering wheel about 2" of free play before the wheels move. Not good for feedback. My 66 has that power steering system from the factory as well as factory air conditioning and a 326hp 327 and two speed powerglide.
You can get a radiator for an air conditioned truck with more rows in the core. There is so much room onder the hood I could sit on the radiator with my feet on tha headers and work, I could probably squat down in front of the engine and close the hood.
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