69 K10 From the Field
 

This 69 K10 will be the next build now that the "Fix and Sale 72 GMC 3/4 ton 4x4 K2500" has been sold. This truck is in really good shape and no visible signs of rust. The truck currently has a 350 V8 motor, however the SPID says from factory it was a 292. So here is the story on the two truck deal that led me to this K10.

I was surfing Craigslist for potential 4x4 build projects and came across a 1972 K10 Cheyenne with 557 paint code, which is a Light Olive roof and Dark Olive body. Nice truck with all original metal and Rally rims. Called the owner and made the drive out which is about a 2.5 hour drive from my place. Once I got there I noticed the pictures that I saved from the ad must of been taken several years ago when the truck was in better shape. Talked with the owner and he said it was his in high school so I figured he must of had an emotional attachment for the price he was asking. I made an offer and he was not going to budge on the deal.

So I also noticed the Light Blue K10 on the property and asked what the deal was with it. He mentioned that it was dropped off there for paint and body work five years ago and the person never came back, he stated that he tried to reach him several times with no luck. He then said I will throw in the Blue truck if you give me full price for the 72 K10. We haggled back and forth a little and finally came to this deal. Then he said do you need a motor, I said what do you have, he said I have a completely rebuilt 292 motor in the other out building. Was recently rebuilt by his father that passed away, I checked it out and verified it was a fresh rebuild. So I said I will pay the the $3000 as long as you can get title for the blue truck.

The owner stated that he was the owner of the body shop and he would apply for mechanics lean and have a title in about 4 to 6 weeks. We kept in touch over that time period and finally all the paperwork arrived. I made two trips to haul back both trucks and the 292 motor. Both trucks have clean titles in my name.

I got lucky on this deal and most of all being patient and allowing the deal to develop. You never know whats out there until you really look. So now you know the history of the truck and the two truck deal. When I was pulling out on the second load the owner said hang on a minute I have a few parts that can go with the truck that I will not be needing. I said sure if you don't want or need them. He threw them in the back of the bed and a few in the cab of the truck. I really could not see what it was since I was still in the tow vehicle and enjoying the AC. Got home and found a complete stock AC system, extra grill, few light bezels and some other small items in the bed. When I looked in the cab after unloading there was two boxes of parts. Everything in the boxes were NOS items like tail light lens, radiator holding clamps, dome lens, turn signal setup and a few other small items all in the original GM boxes. I really feel like I hit the jackpot on this one.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Here are a few pictures from me hauling it home.
-hauling it home with rental truck
-292 motor in the back
-SPID picture pretty faded- I will try to get a better one later

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

That is a great deal. Looking forward to the build.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Times two.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

what is the story on the green truck that was parked next to it in the picture?.


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Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

sounds like that you made out well with this purchase ... esp with the extra part(s)

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

I purchased that K10 truck also, it will be next inline for a build. that truck was all original, missing the 350 motor, has a TH350 automatic trans, Rally wheels and the full Cheyenne package. It will need a few things done like inner and outer rockers, possible a little bottom of door repair. Grill and front bumper are toast, frame and core support no problems. It is a 557 paint code Dark Olive and Light Olive. Which I will bring back to life with original paint scheme.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Cool, glad to see there are still older trucks laying around in Idaho.

There was 50s Napco truck and a late 40s early 50s chevy 4x4 sitting near the oregon border in a small town(secret). I google mapped the location recently and couldnt find them. Might be gone now

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Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

I had a break towards the end of the GMC K20 build to drag this over for a weekend and pull the front clip off to get a better look at the motor, frame, mounts, etc. Very clean truck, look at how clean the cowl and firewall is after about 5 minutes of scrubbing with soap and water and power washing.

I know it might be hard to tell but the truck was originally a 292 motor install from factory, somewhere along the way they removed the 292 motor, 292 4x4 crossmember and mounts. Then they installed a 350 V8 in place by the way of using 63-66 motor mounts that extend from the frame with no crossmember. I have spent the last few months trying to locate the right 292 crossmember for a 4x4 and have had no luck on that subject. I have a few ideas up my sleeve on fabbing one from a DIY4x4 kit or from a V8 4x4 crossmember. I also will not give up on finding the factory correct one.

One solution I am willing to try is the motor mount adapter for a 292 motor from 12bolt.com, it is listed under accessories. What it does is replace the mount on the passenger side and move the location to the stock V* location instead of the offset. One downside is that it blocks the stock fuel pump location and forces you to use an electric fuel pump. I will do some mock ups and testing to see which direction it takes me.

I will post a few more pictures of the mounts close up that are on the truck now and a few of what I am thinking about doing.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Nice find!

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

So went back over to where the truck is at storage to check on a few items and tried to get a better picture of the SPID. No matter what I did it was just hard to read from a photo. So I removed the glove box lid to get better lighting and a magnifying glass back at home . Here is the results of playing Sherlock Holmes. It will be a few more days and the truck from the field will be the truck in the garage. More to come!

First Column Options:
BX2 -B Side Mldg-Wide Lwr
F76 -Frt Wheel Locking Hubs
M20 -4 Speed Trans
Z62 -Cust-Conf & Conv EQ
607 -Blue Custom Cloth Trim

Second Column:
A11 -Tinted Glass
B85 -Body Side Molding
L25 -292 C.U. in. L6 engine
Z53 -Amm. Oil Gauge
537 -White/Light Blue

Note: Was not sure what the Z62 was so it translates to this ( Foam seat, Nylon Trim, Lighter, Arm rest, Door Lock, Sun Shade, Insulation)

Model No: KS10934 ( think this was right hard to tell 100%

Vin: KS149Z****** K=4WD S=I6 motor 1= 1/2ton 4= Pickup 9= 1969 Z= Freemont CA ******=serial number starting at 100001

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

I had a cherry, all Original, 1969, CST/396 short bed, no rust calif truck

I should have never sold that truck :crazy: :(


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Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

I know the feeling so well. I had a 72 stock K5 blazer missing the motor that I bought for $900. Had it at my storage lot for about three years waiting to get to it to make into my daily driver, put it up on Craigslist for $4500 and sold it in about an hour. Yes I made great money on it, but I will never find one as clean as it was. I do regret that sell the most.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Following along- nice project

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

OK finally got a few things wrapped up on my long term project Fixrupr and back on the road. This weekend I purchased a used long bed for future project needs, in really good shape has a wood bed that will need to be redone if used. I purchased for the purpose of using panels off of it if needed. Then I got the "69 K10 From the Field" moved into the garage and ready for tear down.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Sunday I was able to get into the project for some of the tear down discovery phase. First item was to remove the farmer bumper with the wrap around sides that were crunched. Clean out the dirt, mud and miscellaneous items left in the back of the truck from previous owner. Was able to break off the first two bed bolts the rest I used 4.5" angle grinder and a large punch to remove. After that I was able to attempt the removal of the P.O. installed Gooseneck hitch. The Gooseneck hitch was built out of heavy duty plate steal and bolted to through the frame directly over the axle. The only problem was it was a dirt and moisture trap that destroyed the bed in that location. I will need to cut out that section, then treat and weld in a section of bed floor. Not sure yet if I will need to replace that bed support until i get it onto the bed dolly for further inspection.

After all that I removed the tail light housings, cut all wiring to the rear of the bed and removed trim from passenger side of bed where there was some damage. Lifted up the bed and put two 2x4 runners underneath to get it ready to move over to the bed dolly for future repairs. Not worried about the old wiring since this truck will also get a new American Autowire Classic Update 510089 harness. As I remove the old harness I will be salvaging any of the connector bodies that are still good for future repairs or replacements.

img 1 - Shows the Gooseneck location

img 2 - shows the damage it did to center of bed

img 3 - shows me holding a straight edge to the rear passenger corner panel area to show how far it was pushed in

img 4 - shows the small tear in the fender on the passenger side where the damage started

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Also was able to remove the seat and pull out the trashed carpeting to inspect floors and rockers. Here are the rocker areas, replacement on passenger side for sure and possible the same on drivers. Under side of truck is spotless, cab mounts look great.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Here are the floor sections in great shape, only repair on inside is the passenger kick panel below the kick panel vent. Will do a general clean up, repair metal, re-coat and install weather proofing/ sound deadening material before new carpet.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Well when I got home yesterday it looks like the Brown Santa visited my house. I purchased a 292 4x4 cross member from 72IronMike. He knew I was looking for one for the project and he snatched it up and then offered it to me....what a great deal. Thought about possibly taking a few measurements and fabricating up a backup. This would be the time to do it while I am almost ready to pull the V8 and put in the 292. Thanks Mike!

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

nice

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Started this morning with completing a few repairs on the bed dolly and the bed lift. Once that was done I was able to remove the bed and place it on the dolly cart. Now I had access to the large bolts that were going through the frame that held the Gooseneck hitch on. P.O. had welded them on top and bottom of the frame. I removed with a angle grinder cutting bit and then cleaned up residual with a flap disc. Next I will cut a plug for one of them and weld anything left of the holes shut. Then grind and dress them so they can be sealed. Rest of the frame looks great in the rear, the only thing I saw that was kinda farmer was the mufflers were wired up with bailing wire. Heck as a kid on my grandpa's farm we used bailing wire for everything, that was before duct tape became the go to fix-all.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Subbed

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Today was a successful day of tear down. Removed all bolts holding motor to transmission. Removed bolts to motor mounts and disconnected clutch rod, oil pressure line and other items necessary to remove motor. Cut the exhaust lose, removed all four cab mount rubbers and jacked up the cab about 4 inches and put on blocks on frame. That really helped in getting to all the bolts on back of motor going into the transmission. After all was completed I moved back to the interior and removed the transmission tunnel, seat belts, door panels and gas tank. Gas tank needed to come out so I could inspect the floor areas and cab corners as well as get rid of all the bad gas and see if the fuel sender is good or not.

So what I found was that the cab corners were good, all four body supports were good, only small portions of each rocker was bad, small area about 1/2 inch or so on the bottom of drivers door bad, passenger inner kick panel below vent about a 2"x3" area bad, firewall good and complete floor good. Will inspect inner rockers and A & B pillar when I open up for rocker replacement.

Going to be placing an order with A&D metal direct for all body panels needed. I will also place an order for a few items I will need for the 67 GMC K15 that I purchased. AMD charges a flat fee of $200 for shipping freight no matter how much I order so I will try to combine my order to save on paying freight twice. I am pretty excited about the GMC since it is number 100 off the assembly line and is all original.

Next in order is to push back out into drive and power wash frame, interior and anywhere I can so I can get rid of all the farm dirt once and for all. After that I will scrub down the entire truck with some Simple Green and Citrus Orange spray especially in the interior where I found some rat droppings and about an inch of dirt. Then pull the motor and prepare it for storage.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Sounds like a full workday, maybe even some overtime !

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

I know, actually it was a good 5 hours of solid work. I had a few items give me a challenge. On the K10 and 20's the motor sits back really close to the firewall. I was fighting it for about an hour then I decided to remove the cab support bushings and jack the cab up about additional 3 to 4 inches. Once I did that it was pretty easy going. the other item was the screws that hold on the arm rest, spent about 20 minutes each on getting them off. Tomorrow afternoon will be good to get it outside and power wash it and get the smell out of the cab from rat droppings.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Getting ready for the motor removal and the install of the 292 I6 motor. Here is a list of what I have and what I have coming to do the task. Only item below that I have not finalized is going with new HEI distributor or freshen up existing distributor and stay with points.

Have these items:
• freshly rebuilt motor that is John Deere green (needs green paint removed, new primer and paint)
• 292 4x4 cross member (needs cleaning, sandblasting and paint)
• 292 motor mount clam shells and spacers (needs cleaning, sandblasting and paint)
• Motor mount pads (new)
• finger guard shroud (has been sand blasted needs paint)
• battery cables (new)
• offset I6 air cleaner (needs sandblast, little metal work and paint)

Items I need:
• paint for motor
-Quart Eastwood 2-part Chevy Orange Ceramic paint
-Quart Eastwood 2-part Gloss Black paint
-Eastwood 2K high temp primer
-Calyx Manifold coating
• gasket set
• clutch kit
• carburetor
• exhaust system
• fuel pump
• hoses and belts
• spark plugs and plug wires
• distributor cap, rotor, points ( might go HEI here)
• coil if I don’t go HEI
• 507 Light Blue paint for firewall (BC/CC)
• Eastwood Chassis Satin black paint for frame (single stage)
• oil , oil filter, antifreeze, fuel filter
• battery
• possible radiator, need to test old one first

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Removed the exhaust from the motor and frame, jacked up the cab and removed rubber supports and placed on 2x6 boards. Cab and frame scrubbed down with Purple Power and power washed outside in driveway with temperature at 35 degrees. Spent about fifteen minutes on each door filling with water and clearing the debris through the weep holes on the bottom. Finally I was able to fill with water until it all drained and ran out weep holes clear. Probably got a couple pounds of dirt and mud chunks off the frame and cab. It will make it easier to work on going forward with items cleaned up. While things are drying in the sun I have about an hour of cleanup detail in the garage from the initial tear down over the last few days. Move the bed to side yard and get ready for motor removal.

Then off to pickup a Uhaul rental trailer to go pickup a 67 GMC K15 1/2 ton 4x4 on Sunday that I purchased a few days ago in Oregon. So Sundays work on the truck will not happen since I will be traveling 5 hours each way.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Oh forgot here are pictures of the truck I am going to pick up in the morning.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

After cleaning off the door panels and the transmission hump I noticed something that made me wonder. The transmission hump hole for the transfer case looks like it was cut with a torch which would not have been the way it was done at factory. The truck is a K10 by all the VIN numbers and and the number on the frame, all of the inside stickers etc......VIN plate is attached by standard Rosette pop rivets that looks it age. The paint looks exactly like the rest of the paint in the cab without any variance in color. The SPID has the vin number matching and one of the items listed is front locking hubs. So with all of that there is no reason for me to think it is anything different than a K10.

Only thing I can think of is that maybe it had a NP205 transfer case originally which sits to the right of the hump and somewhere along the way they swapped out for a different transfer case that sits more on the left side like in the picture. I did flip it over and there are no signs off welded metal or patching of any sort.

The door panels are in excellent shape, I will treat them with some plastic vinyl conditioner and at this point not sure if they will need to be resprayed with SEM color. The back side is in good shape, will cleanup with red scotch brite and put a coat of paint on them to preserve.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Well was able to get the truck on Sunday , the trip was interesting with all the snow and fog situations. Should have been five hours both ways turned into about a total of thirteen hours driving in one day. Here is what happened when I got there. The owner had messaged me and said to park out on main road and not to come down the driveway with trailer. With all the snow there was no where to turn around up by the house. So when I got there the road out front was a two lane road with my truck and trailer taking up the right lane. There was no side of road because the snow was piled on both sides about six feet high. He was walking down the long drive and I yelled up " Is it O.K. to park here in middle of road - he said no problem we only get a car or two a day that goes by". So I started to walk up the driveway with him and as we were talking he had two dogs running around playing in the snow. Next thing I knew was that I was being flipped upside down and landed on my head and shoulder in the middle of a hard packed snow driveway. The large dog cut me down from behind at a full run like a linebacker clipping someone from behind. I was in pain and took a few minutes to get myself back together.

After getting it loaded up on the road I felt the pain from the spill the next six hours driving back. Not a great way to end the day, but made it back safe and sound. Here is a picture of the truck loaded up when I stopped for a break and some lunch in Baker City Oregon.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

I'll be following. I'm amazed at the quality of trucks you're able to find up there, and enjoy your approach to getting them back on the road.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

There are a few still left out there, however they are getting harder and more expensive to purchase. I try to look in different places a not just Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, KSL, auctions and my favorite sitting in the farm field.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Got out in the shop early this morning to get a few items on my checklist done on the K10. First I disconnected the master cylinder from the firewall and the steering shaft from the steering box. I did this so I could next jack the cab up a little higher and slide a 4x4 beam under the cab on both sides. After doing that I was able to move the cab back a little to give me more room to remove the motor and get to cleaning the frame up. I also remove the doors so that I can do better inspection on rockers and any other rust repair.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Here is the K10 with the motor removed. After removing it I placed it on a rolling motor stand I purchased from Summit racing. Scraped off an area of hard grease and exposed the engine block casting number 3782870. That makes the motor a 1962-1967 2 bolt 327 motor. I will later clean it up and rebuild it for another project.

Once I got the motor out I removed the motor frame mounts that were from a earlier 60-66 truck with a V6. Then started to clean off the large areas of hard dried grease and oil on the frame and running gear. I used a new tool that I purchased at H.F. a couple weeks ago/ I purchased the large air needle scaler. Every time I start a new project I try to purchase a few new tools and this was one of the new tools along with a new DA sander. I was really impressed at how fast it removed the dried caked on grease and oil deposits. It will be a keeper in my book.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Was able to pick up a good solid long bed after work today. I will take it apart and use some of the panels for the build and possibly use the floor or portions of the floor for this build also. the tailgate looks rough but it actually is pretty straight just scratched up a bit. Also going to take a look at this floor I found on Facebook Marketplace, if I get it I would patch the small area where someone cut out for fuel filler tube.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Grabbed another load of parts from a Craigslist deal today. This will help a few projects along the way.

2- doors with everything on them
4- inner fenders
1- complete core support
1- 67 grill with hoop rings, emblem and center piece that goes between core support
1- extra hoop ring for grill
2- GMC fenders
1- 67 hood
2- battery trays
2- high hump transmission covers 1 is for a 4x4
4- radiator support fastners with rubber
1- 6 cylinder fan shroud finger guard
3- cowls

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Got the rest of the cab disassembled, removed the heater box on outside of firewall - found it full of leaves and debris. Did find some rust in the bottom of the cowl where the debris was. Pretty typical if it is packed with leaves, dirt, mud , rats nest etc. The rust will be an easy fix are about 4" x 2" will need to be cut out and repaired with new sheet metal. While I have it cut out I will treat the inside of cowl. I did find one small area on the firewall face upper drivers corner where rust is, about a 1" x 3" size. Both repairs will be fairly easy and then i can prep the firewall for paint.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Removed all items from door including the trim. All items looked good, nothing worn out as far as mechanical. Door felts, window felts and wind wing rubber will be replaced. Bottom of the drivers door corner has some rust to remove and repair. That piece will be cut from a template an formed to match existing.

One other item I wanted to address with the doors is the trim damage underneath. The last few trucks I have rebuilt had damage underneath the trim. This truck is no exception. Starting to bubble up on the lower side of the trim where it retains the trash and garbage. I will have to make a decision if I will replace all trim after repairs are made or fill the holes and go with a no trim option.

Other than that the door are in great condition, hinges are solid, glass is good and very straight metal.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Also was able to remove all the wiring harness when I striped the cab. I have a new AAW Classic Update 510089 kit on its way. Cab is ready for one more complete cleaning now that there is nothing left inside. Once it is clean I will make a few rust repairs and get it ready for paint. Firewall to back of where the gas tank goes will get a stick on weather/sound underlayment. I will treat the cab corners once they are cleaned out well and surface rust is addressed with a rust reformer and coat of rusty metal primer.

Was also able to start tearing down the long bed I bought a few days ago. Still have one more side to remove all the bolts from. It is a tiring process when doing it by yourself. I do a combination of removing if possible, on about 1/3 of the bolts on the bottom I just cranked up the Rigid impact drill and broke a bunch off. Most of the metal is good on this bed and will be used for two or three different projects. The bedside on passenger side has a nice dent that I want to challenge myself to remove.

Re: 69 K10 From the Field
 

Was able to get the rest of the extra long bed torn down and cut the floor into three sections. Now I will have the center section to replace that bad area on existing bed.

Also received first shipment of parts today from Summit.
-AAW wiring harness 510089
-Pertronix electronic ignition
-Pertronix Flamethrower coil
-Energy Suspension - new cab mount kit
-Valve cover gasket for repaint of motor
-3 heavy duty ground straps
-Set of single Delphi Packard crimpers (tool)
-Summit clutch kit for 292 motor
-Most important the free Summit hat and stickers