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Project "Old Skool" V.3
It's time to document this build that has been a big part of my life for the past 10 years. Here's the one paragraph version of what's going on:
I got the truck when I was 15. My dad and I bondo'd all the rust and put it on the road for a 16 year old to drive. I drove the wheels off of it and put several motors, transmissions, and axles in it. Then i tore it down to do a 4wd conversion. I was nearly done when I just recently changed my mind and I'm taking it back to the roots as a 2wd 'daily driver' fun truck. Plans are for a 5.3 LS swap mated to a Sm465 manual and a 12-bolt diff out back. I'll be using Megasquirt MS2 engine management because i already have it for the TBI conversion I was going to do on my SBC. A turbo may be in the truck's distant future. I got $3500 for my 4wd drivetrain. I'm planning on that being my budget to finish the truck. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- READ-ONLY GOOGLE SPREADSHEET THAT DOCUMENTS EXPENSES OF THIS BUILD https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...8SnMYQ/pubhtml ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- but first. A little history.. |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/000_0195.jpg
http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/000_0192.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/000_0189.jpg Here is the truck sometime in 2004. It was a 1970 C10 with a 350/TH350 AC, and a side toolbox. It was a pretty high-optioned truck for not being a custom. When I got it, it had a worn pearl-white paint job. It was originally white/med bronze/ white :sumo: I haven't seen very many medium bronze trucks, but I'm guessing they were an acquired taste :lol: The engine compartment was probably the worst-looking one I've ever seen too. My dad and I bondo'd all the rust up and painted it rust oleum safety red and gloss white (unaware that a big trend of rolling on a rust oleum paint job that was developing). We fixed a few mechanical problems the truck had, and turned me loose in it. The truck wasn't entirely finished by my 16th birthday, but that didn't stop me from driving it with a yellow hood. My first modification was a foam air cleaner until someone told me how easily they catch fire. :lol: http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_0836.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_0972.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_1084.jpg here is the truck several months later all shined up with the maxxis mudder tires and still with front drum brakes. I can tell because my disk brake conversion left me with a newer looking set of the same wheels and 5 lugs up front (still have a 5/6 lug truck :/ ) http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_1620.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
First came a disk brake conversion when I was 17. I ebay'd a set of 72 c10 rotors, calipers and master cylinder and bought a set of mcgaughys conversion spindles. I did some things I regret now. My factory rubber lines were rubbing on my spindles for years. I'm lucky I'm not dead. Brake lines are something I will have to go through.
Then came time for a new motor! I pulled a 350 out of our 69 C10 parts truck and bought a harbor freight engine stand. I tore the motor down in my dad's shop. I was suprised to find a set of 4-bolt mains. I thought I was awesome. I got the block bored. (It was already .030 so we went 0.060), added a set of new dished pistons, vortec heads set up for screw-in studs and guideplates, a weiand manifold and a tiny cam. (sometime in there I traded the q-jet for a new holley 600cfm 4160). Finally got rid of the points with a HEI conversion :devil: http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_2122.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_3698.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_3697.jpg All was well and good until the added power and old age killed the front pump on the Th350. So I got a free 700r4 from a friend of mine and got it rebuilt ($1200). Overdrive was nice, but the mileage didn't improve. (Probably my 18 year old lead foot). Sometime after that, I had an issue with the motor. A combination of improper break in, and excessive tightening of the hydraulic lifters killed a cam lobe. I didn't catch it soon enough and it sent enough metal through the engine for me to loose all oil pressure. Yay. time for a rebuild. The truck sat out my high school graduation while I saved up for a new motor. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_4335.jpg The new motor was a beast. The same vortec heads with a scat 3.75" crank, H-beam rods, A moroso 6-qt oil pan ( the stock one wouldn't clear the rods). and a larger cam. I spec'd the motor with dished pistons, but unknown to me the motor was put together with flat top pistons netting a compression of 11:1. (I didn't build this one due to complications with the last one) I also painted the engine compartment while the motor was out. White was a terrible idea no matter how good it looked at first. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_4331.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_4349.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_4354.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
The power of the motor was insane. Here I was a 19 year old kid with a farm truck that did a 14.0 quarter mile. It's a wonder I'm not dead. The truck hit 120mph racing a friend in a souped up Titan.
The truck also lost it's turbo mufflers. In their place was a set of 24" glasspacks. It was loud enough to set off car alarms rumbling through a parking lot. :devil: http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_5649.jpg Then came the pain of "high" HP. The 700r4 just wouldn't last. I blew it up within a few thousand miles. Lost 2nd gear first and then the rest slowly went away. I took it in under warranty and the guy who built it said it was "installer error" and insisted on charging me more for him to put it in ($400). It lasted a few more months and blew up again. I took it back and he rebuilt it and told me my warranty was over. The guy was a jerk so I ended up taking it to the guy who built my motor. I got it rebuilt again ($1500) and it lasted a few months before it went back out. I got it rebuilt a couple more times after that, but I grew tired of the problems. I almost built a stalled Th400, but decided to go manual in the end. To this day I hate 700r4s and automatic transmissions in general. My daily drivers are all manuals now. T My parent's 2001 Silverado 2500 was my first experience with LS power. bone stock 6.0/4L80E 4x4 with 4.10 gears :devil: http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_4580.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_4575.jpg The factory open-diff 12-bolt let go somewhere in here. It was a big bang on the highway. I threw in the 12-bolt out of our parts truck for a few months until I found a nice 3.73 12-bolt and eventually added a powertrax locker. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_5145.jpg The v-belt system also didn't like 6000rpm. I blew through so many v-belts. Every other time the motor would hit 6000 the v-belt would come off. I got to where I could change them in 10 mins flat. The green "garden" v-belts would give me a couple of extra runs, but even they wouldn't last. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_4370.jpg It was somewhere in this time period that Old Skool got her name. I was out one night racing a tundra. When I got back one of my buddies told me "everyone was standing on the sideline yelling OLD SKOOL'S GOT IT!" the name has stuck since then. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_5644.jpg Then came the manual conversion. A $300 SM465 from an 89 C2500, and a new RAM billet flywheel and musclecar clutch. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w.../Photo0094.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w.../Photo0051.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Then came some low-compression 487 casting heads and a smaller cam. Quieter mufflers too. I was tired of getting in trouble with the truck. plus the high-spirited motor wasn't much fun with the slow-shifting sm645.
http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w.../Photo0591.jpg water started appearing on my carpet from where the rust holes in the cowling was speading. I pulled the truck down to fix this, and I ended up buying a K20 frame with a C30 cab on it. I decided to do a 4x4 conversion. That's what I've been working on the past 3 years. The facebook page has tons of info, but I'm going to give the short version. I also switched to the C30 cab because it was in slightly better shape (and had cab lights). I did a ton of welding and some crappy body work on top of it, and painted the entire truck flat black. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_5651.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...20908_0003.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/PB120001.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_6732.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w.../PB1200091.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps7919e86e.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps436706fe.jpg bought an 84 K10 for the lift, axles and tires http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psbf5aeaa4.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps0d008d41.jpg new Exhaust and serpentine conversion http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psba7e8e57.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps436706fe.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psj8qktbqs.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psmfjkmfle.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps20de7661.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps9lurtxft.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Last weekend I sold the entire 4wd drivetrain.
http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps1y4nzevx.jpg It was a hard decision, but I don't live at home anymore. I live in Austin, my girlfriend is 3 hours north in Dallas and my family is 2 hours south in Victoria. I want a highway cruiser that i can actually take places and that does really well on the highway. I know from driving my C10 vs K10 that there was a notable difference. So I sold the k10 drivetrain. Now I have a mostly complete body, $3500 and my old C10 frame. Time for part 3 :metal::metal: I've already started pressure washing my old frame. I'm about to put the order through on a 5.3. I still have my 2wd Sm645 and driveshaft. I'm ordering a 6.0 flywheel, BBC clutch and throwout with a LS7 pilot bearing. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pst9kqxlag.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psportqg8a.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psag1mt2mq.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
I bought an engine today. And a set of motor mount adapters, LS7 pilot bushing, GM crank and pressure plate bushings and some new shocks. Can't wait to start putting this thing together. I have a few days off over thanksgiving. hoping to have the motor and transmission mounted by the end of November. :metal:
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Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Ordered a set of ebay F-body longtubes hoping they fit
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Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Alright! I got some serious progress this weekend! We started with a bare, rusty frame, and a motor on a pallet. Saturday the frame got sanded and painted, and the motor got pressure-washed and degreased. Then we pulled the manifolds and coil packs off the motor and started working on the motor mounts and flywheel. The motor mount adapters I bought kinda sucked. The holes didn't quite line up with the holes on the 5.3. I ended up having to drill the holes in the plate a bit oversize, but everything went together feeling plenty sturdy. Also, Next time I install a motor in factory 67-72 stands. I think I'll drill the hole in the stand a bit oversize and use a big thick washer on the motor mount. I had a heck of a time getting the motor mounts to line up as always. I did have to move the motor stands back a couple of inches to get close to where my driveshaft already fits. I will have to move my transmission crossmember back an inch or two and modify my custom carrier bearing adapter.
the frame when I started http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psht3fvx52.jpg hours of sanding later http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps9nduaeuk.jpg straight off the crate http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psijgat6cv.jpg pressurewashed. attaching the 6.0 flywheel http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pstcduoc4i.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psobuyemgn.jpg 1972 K20 402 clutch http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps4eraqqt5.jpg first time in the frame. Motor stands were moved back http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psok9ghwjd.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psx2mrdj0u.jpg Test fitting the headers http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psldlvttnu.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pssz5j2k6v.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psh710juhx.jpg the collectors will need work http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pst0sabuy5.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psnf4wixwj.jpg Pulled the wiring harness http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psls75bxk5.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psm9hcwyjq.jpg My carrier bearing adapter http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pshx7dmryy.jpg clutch fork. I'm worried at how far the clutch fingers went in when I tightened the pressure plate down http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps1ijvdj93.jpg Need to move the crossmember a bit. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psa7gaoco4.jpg not sure what this is http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps3unsm3e3.jpg or this http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pscgekyk8d.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
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I had the belt flip clean over on me and I took a picture of it. That was from running the vbelt too tight I think. |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Got some more things done over thanksgiving weekend.
The original truck harness. It was cut by the wrecking yard. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pskyecuaeg.jpg The harness after removing all wires I don't need. Since I'm using a megasquirt MS2 I have removed even more wires than a normal LS swap with the GM PCM. The MS2 has no provision for MAF, knock sensors, or oil level sensor for example http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pskea20bxn.jpg Finally got the Driveshaft hooked up to the trans and the transmission crossmember bolted down. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psqcgwi7fk.jpg Started working on a hydrualic clutch slave mount since I'm not using a hydro bellhousing. I have two aluminum non-hydro bellhousings. The plasma wasn't working so I had to do it all with a torch and a grinder :devil: http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps6nedhomn.jpg Semi finished product. Probably going to have to do a version 2 because now my DS header wont' clear it at all. :( http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psdppdr7z0.jpg My 12-bolt didn't have any brakes. they went with the other 12-bolt that I sold with my 4x4 driveline. So i grabbed the 12-bolt out of the 84 K10 parts truck. The axle was shot, but it had a mostly complete set of 11x2.75" big drums. I pulled the axles off and took the backing plates off with all hardware and swapped them out. The 84 12-bolt was so screwed up that the spider gear pin wouldn't come out of the diff. I had to end up torching the pin out. :devil: One side looked like it had gear oil leaking in it for ages. Took 5 cans of brakeclean to get it looking good enough to use. I added new wheel cylinders and shoes but I didn't snap a picture. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps65czftxm.jpg We were going to run the brake lines but we decided it would be easier to do with the master cylinder in place and the cab back on. It's sitting crooked in this picture because I found out that the 3/4 ton cab mounts won't work with a 1/2 ton frame :uhmk: http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps2mvujf0k.jpg Here is why. Here are the rear cab mounts side by side. I put on the old ones for now and ordered a new set on Brother's cyber monday sale. I also picked up some sweet high-hump red carpet :metal: http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psirhk1pbu.jpg Here it is with the correct height cab mounts http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psepzmgor1.jpg I haven't updated my price spreadsheet yet, but I think i spent $800 bucks this weekend at auto parts stores. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pso5niuznt.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
More parts and more fun this week!
First off, I worked on setting up the megasquirt to work with my 5.3. I had some ignition mods done to it to support TBI. I removed those and then realized that the MS2 doesn't support waste fire in it's base configuration. I only has one ignition output without mods. So I went on a late night run to Radio Shack and grabbed some 4k7 resistors and a transistor and worked on the necessary mods. For those of you interested in modding your megasquirt. I used the logic level outputs listed here.. http://www.msextra.com/doc/general/sparkout-v30.html Actual Progress on the truck was slow this weekend. The weather was super nice for once, but I just feel like I was spinning my wheels more than normal. I got all the brake lines done excluding the rear axle lines. I still have to anchor them down in a couple places. I also fixed my front brake hose situation. The truck previously had the brake hoses not going through their retainer tabs (17yo me did that) and I cut the factory drum tabs off, welded them to a small tab, and bolted them in the front of the crossmember like they are supposed to be. I got the clutch slave to clear the headers finally. I had to modify my bracket and my slave. I also got the alignment to the clutch fork a little better. I got my loose rear shock bracket mounted and both rear shocks on. I got the new bushings in the tracking arm and attached it. I installed a new power steering pulley because mine was bent from shipping. And finally, I got the fuel pump mounted and pump to engine hose made up. I'm using a truck engine with the regulator built into the fuel rail (as opposed to a returnless used on 2004+) I'm using AN from the fuel pump to the engine and everything else will be rubber line. This was my first time ever using AN line. It took me 4 tries to get the first hose fitting, but after that everything went smooth. I bought 15ft of braided hose and used 5 feet. I have enough to do the pump to tank run, but my tank just has a barbed fitting. I'll probably just run rubber lines. I mounted the pump (a Walbro 255 external) under the drivers side seat on the top of the frame. I hope its not insanely noisy there. I used existing crossmember holes instead of drilling new ones. I also realized that we put the backing plates on the differential the wrong way. My parking brake cables face to the rear of the truck. Now I have to drain all the oil out and pull the axles to flip the backing plates. :devil: I also welded up the EGR bungs on my headers and I brought them back with me to wrap this week sometime http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps1ro1a2ys.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psvfxeaooi.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psds5ciajz.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps6wfpffct.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psdjm2hmwa.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pscjrawkhr.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps7kxkpnce.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psl6qh3wct.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psfjli4f2r.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psjbz7zedu.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pszbtsq4nr.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psahviaxuq.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psy6slgb1v.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psbybwt9nc.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
It rained all weekend. I got a minimal amount accomplished. I got the backing plates switched around on the axle, got the brake booster and clutch master mounted to the firewall. Got my rear brake drums together, got my power steering lines hooked up, and got my throttle cable situation figured out.
I didn't take many pictures. For the power steering, I was able to use the stock lines from the 70. I had to pull the fitting out of the back of my old pump and swap it with the newer pump, but it worked like a charm! the pressure line fit with minimal bending. for the throttle cable I followed lockdoc's advice in this thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=691155 It's not nearly as close to the fuel rail as it looks in the picture, but I may want to do a revision 2 just to clean up the look and make sure it doesn't get caught on anything if the motor flexes http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psyfhxftb0.jpg Late model GM trucks have combination MAF/IAT sensor in the intake tube. I didn't need a MAF (MS2 doesn't support GM MAF) so I followed this guide and popped a 2000 Buick lesabre IAT in the intake. I ordered the correct connector for it, but it hasn't arrived yet. https://sites.google.com/site/sloppy...n-truck-intake http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psm8wygdcg.jpg the core support is on and the the radiator hoses off of the 2000 silverado seem to be a direct fit. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psdja81idv.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Look great man! Keep it up!
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Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Sorry for the lack of updates. Christmas was crazy, but I've been chipping away whenever I can.
Everything I've done: 1. All the brake lines are done and tied down. 2. put the fenders, hood and bed back on 3. modified my battery box hole in the bed to go around the 2wd crossmember. Still need to weld up the excess space 4. finished the wiring harness. It's functional but still plenty ugly right now. 5. wrapped the headers. Again, its a bit ugly, but I'm so frustrated with them that I might want to go a different header route. 6. New GMT400 radiator fits right in and the 2000 silverado hoses are the correct size. 7. Tons of little stuff. heater hose and steam line are hooked up. 8. Fuel return is nearly done. still have to run it into the tank. For temporary testing I just ran the hose into the fuel filler. 9. four new Cooper Cobra 275/60r15 tires 10. Ran the 0ga battery cable to my battery box. ran two 8ga cables from the starter to my wire junctions 11. Plugged in the harness and test fired! It runs!:devil: One of my coils was shorted directly to ground. I left it unplugged for the test. Also didn't have any coolant in it yet. didn't want to run it for too long. don't use these headers if you have a manual trans :( http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps1mxvxmkd.jpg new tires http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psp4vsvrd8.jpg wrapping headers (painted them black first) http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psrrdvdvod.jpg more wiring mess http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psivkxyzty.jpg 0ga cable is massive. crimped it with a railroad spike, an anvil and a BFH http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psmtvhgikk.jpg everything gets heat shrinks http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psedyopiz1.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psk4d8svsa.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pslt6ccikf.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psy5sj7dwq.jpg I need to get some better shots of my power distro and fuse box. It's actually pretty legit. still have tons of wires to organize http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psmey1eojm.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psxt69idmy.jpg The interior is nothing but storage right now http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pszbl51bj7.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psvbveboik.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psas4k0bjf.mp4 |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Now I really need to figure out exhaust and headers. I'm really out of budget and these headers don't have 3 bolt flanges. I want to do dual magnaflows and an x pipe. I might just be doing a pair of cheap turbo mufflers dumped for now ( I already have the mufflers)
Still need coolant, a hose for my MAP sensor, and I need to relocate my bungs for my O2 sensors so i can actually install them. with that, I should be able to run the motor long enough to confirm my clutch is going to work. |
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I FINALLY got a chance to do some serious work on the truck. I went down this weekend and did a bunch of little stuff that needed to be done. The truck finally has an air filter, the battery relocation is done, the alternator charges the battery, the ECM controls the fans, and the tune is 100% better (but not perfect).
My goal now is to make the truck ready for inspection so I can put it back on the road. Even if the interior is still very Spartan. I spent a lot of time working on the electrical of the truck, but I'm only about halfway done. I have headlights and parking lights, but no brake lights or turn signals (I need a brake switch and new flashers). We did finally take the truck out for a short road test, and even though the tune wasn't perfect, the truck has a surprising amount of power. It has 3.08 gears in the rear and a 5.3, and it honestly felt as powerful as my old 383 with 3.73 gears. I'm not sure what to say there other than the part-throttle power may be better. I took Monday and Tuesday off next week. So I will have four days to work on my truck. I'm planning on making some serious headway. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pshpvnkwh5.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psttozrvj5.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pscbg0euey.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Wow! Six months without an update. The truck is still going strong. I got it licensed in early May, and have since moved it to a rented garage in Austin with me.
I drove it a lot when I first got it up here, but it had to sit for a while when work got really busy late summer. After a couple months hiatus, I'm back at it. I didn't make too many big changes yet. I added a 2/4 drop and reworked the front suspension with all new ball joints and tie rods. I also got rid of the pipe front bumper in favor of a painted stocker. I've made several trips from Austin to Victoria with no issues at all. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pselwsyeee.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps0huk71me.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psaddmwf48.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psswruugze.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...pszoq2gqba.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
also my interior is still very spartan. I've picked up two NV3500 transmissions. one is a close ratio (would be great with lower gears) and the other is a wide ratio. One of them is going in soon. I also have a lead on a 12-bolt with 3.73s finally
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Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Boy i screwed myself on the new rear-end. The guy wanted $250 for it and I got there just around dark. I looked at it and it didn't have any signs of water intrusion, but the drums were locked up. I offered him $200 if I could just take it as is.
Turns out that was a bad deal. it's a 3.73, but the ring gear has rust pits, one wheel bearing is shot (axle shaft is damaged too) and the carrier cross pin is galled. I payed $200 for a housing and one good axle shaft (the other one might be ok with a repair bearing). I really could have used the $200 to re-gear my 3.07 rear end. For now I guess I'll keep the axle and rebuild it after my trans swap is done and I have more funds available. |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Well after much thinking about building a 700r4/4L60e to go behind my 5.3, I just changed the transmission. And the rear main seal, and the oil pan gasket, and insulated my cab. oh and new carpet
The easiest part was swapping the transmission. The only oddity i found was that the C/K1500 NV3500s use a th400 style slip yoke and the s10 models take a th350 style slip yoke. I ordered a long th400 yoke and the driveshaft bolted right in. The 12" BBC clutch works just fine with the modern hydraulic TOB. I added these fittings to a stock 98 chevy hydraulic TOB and then added a piece of short -3an line to my hardline going to my 89 C2500 clutch master. Also the shifter off the S10 transmission doesn't fit the C/K1500 shift tower, so I had to make do with my transmission jack handle for testing. http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps4hmzukjq.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psiwap49q7.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psyqjeynlf.jpg http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...psxwjsye7i.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
I forgot to take some completed pictures. i took it for a drive today for the first time in two months. The interior is much quieter and i can't feel heat coming off the floorboard, but my fuel pump is dying and my wideband O2 sensor is dead :devil:
I already have a replacement gsl392 fuel pump. I ordered some AN fittings and a big ass 100micron fuel filter. I'm going to move the fuel pump closer to the tank and replace my somewhat restrictive paper pre-filter with the 100micron one. |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Oh man. No update in over three years. Where do I start? I'm looking back at my camera roll to not miss anything.
I did replace my external fuel pump with another GSL392 and re-worked the feed into the fuel pump with 1/2" fuel line. The short answer is external fuel pumps suck, and gas tanks without a sump suck for EFI. More on that later http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...123_211028.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...124_000842.jpg Oh, and I finally put my interior back together. I still to this day don't have the visors or the heater blower motor installed, but I have door panels, carpet and arm rests. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...124_000949.jpg I bought another 12-bolt with 3.73 gears to swap in place of my 3.07 axle. Turns out, while everything looked okay, the center pin had friction weleded itself to the carrier, the gears were okay but one axle shaft was toast due to a bad bearing. So i paid $350 for a housing, gears and one axle shaft. yay. I think at this point I had spent $600 on used 12-bolts that didnt' work and I could have bought a set of gears and a posi for my current 12-bolt. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...131_193118.jpg Early 2017 I sold my perfectly good 2008 WRX and bought a clapped out 1997 2wd Jeep Grand Cherokee for a daily driver. This seriously slowed down my truck progress for the rest of the year as I was always working on the ZJ. I put two motors and a transmission in the thing in a year. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...408_180616.jpg some time around June, 2017, the External fuel pump started making noise again. I did weeks of research and I settled on a late 80's blazer EFI tank. The tank was huge and held 26 gallons, but I did it right. Steel hardline down the frame and nice poly braided -6an fuel line on both ends. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...702_195733.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...624_174933.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...705_195213.jpg I also re-did my previous rear mount battery box for a fuel pump access hatch. I ended up having to use this several times on the side of the highway over the years and it's been very useful. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...702_180836.jpg I realized how much i hated cheap header wrap and I pulled all the old wap off when I changed header gaskets. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...824_200521.jpg The end of 2017 was pretty slow for truck stuff because I got married and bought a house. The only thing noteworthy was that one of my hood hinges broke and i figured out how to remove and reinstall the hood by myself with a cherry picker. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...909_215122.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...428_111626.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
January 2018. I didn't drive the truck for several months. I drove it on my birthday and had a blast. Took a couple of photos.
http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...111_003412.jpg I took the truck to the track in Feb, 2018. With the stock 5.3, longtubes, the wide-ratio NV3500 and one tire fire 3.07s, the truck did a respectable mid-15 second pass. I went real easy on the NV3500 shifts. I also didn't take a lot of pictures. My cousin brought his LS-swapped 2000 Ford Ranger with a stock 5.3 and TH350 and ran a mid 13-second pass. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...204_164037.jpg Shortly after that, I wanted more power. So i grabbed my Th400 that I've had for a couple of years and tore it down and rebuilt it. I don't remember the exact parts, but for sure a 34-element sprag and a fairbanks shift kit. I also went with a tiny 2400rpm stall converter to try to maintain streetability. Oh and new pump gears because I learned my lesson on my cousin's Th350 that we blew up the 50 year old pump gears in. I also went with a TCI fast gate shifter. No regrets there. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...525_195146.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...616_134926.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...201_221146.jpg While I had the Transmission out, I pulled the 5.3 and freshened it up with a good cleaning, ring gap check, new gaskets and a $100 LS2 cam. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...317_205841.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c..._090701(1).jpg My cousin came up and helped me install the motor and the trans. Turns out that I had a super weird early th400 with the small tailshaft and my yoke didn't fit so we found a spare Th400 from some meth head hillbilly on craigslist so I could have a new tailhousing. That was still a weird adventure we talk about to this day. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...407_154637.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c..._171404(1).jpg The next few months were filled with sorting out new transmission problems. I changed the dipstick and the pan to solve some leaks and had to get my hughes torque converter replaced under warranty because it was bad and causing the truck to have no power on take off. I also finally combined the good 3.73 axle parts with a spartan locker and swapped in a lockered 3.73 axle. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...428_193714.jpg I drove the truck off and on through the summer. The fun factor was down compared to when it was a 5-speed. The truck would barely spin the tires and seemed to be lacking low end. Around october I had an answer. I spent $800 on a used GenV 454. The engine was complete and "running when pulled" according to the redneck I bought it from. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...1802878463.jpg I gathered an intake, carb, distributor and basically every part I needed. Then I put the engine on a stand and tore into it a bit. The top end was super clean, but I got a shock when I got to the bottom end. I found multiple spun rod bearings and spun main bearings. I took the block to a machine shop. They said the rods and the crank were no good. I'd need new rods and crank. My $800 engine had snowballed into a $2000+ rebuild that still wouldn't have more than 400hp. I seriously comtemplated a 489, but priced it out and it quickly went above $3k. I started pricing doing a turbo setup on my 5.3 and i figured i could do it for about $2k and easily clear 500hp. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...1036336401.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...103_212613.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Turbo time!
The first thing I did was swap out my converter for a 3000rpm unit with an anti-balloon plate. It's still a cheap Summit branded converter and I wish I had spent a little more. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...111_151941.jpg Next was a Denmah kit from VS racing. This was back when the base Denmah kit came with a 69mm GT45 and I was too dumb to upgrade it. I also ordered 80lb siemens injectors, a Walbro 450, exhaust tubing, schedule 80 pipe, and a LS header flange. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...123_111846.jpg Since I now had a "nice" harbor freight vulcan Mig, I did all my own hotside fabrication. I decided where I wanted the turbo and then built a log-style manifold on the passenger side with a crossover from the factory driver's side manifold. The Factory truck manifold flange wouldn't clear the frame, but i was able to weld a V-band onto it. Turns out the factory exhaust manifolds are quite weldable. no pre-heating and it's still fine 2 years later. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...123_132554.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...123_161631.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...123_215745.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...125_113734.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...125_134153.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...202_210350.jpg The down-pipe was just 3.5" exhaus tubing dumped right after the front tire. That stayed for approximately one highway trip before I added a 3.5" cherry bomb glasspack and enough tubing to run it in front of the rear tire. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...205_233214.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...125_203214.jpg I finished installing the turbo the same day I went to the track. Which was probably not the best time to go in retrospect. I fought issues with boost control. My wastegate wanted to run at 6psi or more than 20psi. I also found out that my breather/pcv setup wasn't adequate for boost. I also found out later that I didnt' have the fire ring in the wastegate and i had serveral boost leaks. Despite all that, I had a ton of fun and managed mid-13s on only 6psi and the turbo spooling about half track. My cousin's Ford Ranger was still faster. He was now on a cammed 6.0 and ran a best of 12.7. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...214_211556.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...39426304_n.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...456cropped.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...214045_464.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...515_181611.jpg The next several months were just sorting out problems with the turbo setup. I discovered what a wastegate fire ring was and where it went. I added a boost regulator and got dialed in about 12psi. I fixed boost leaks. For Christmas I bought myself a new cam. An Elgin 1840P "sloppy stage 2" http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...229_165509.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
March 2019 we put the truck on the dyno at the texas mile. She made a max of 419whp and 452 torque, but the power stopped climbing after 4000rpm. I finally figured out a week later that my spark gap was too big and she was blowing out the spark gap at high RPM. Once I gapped the plugs at .025, the power came back. I haven't put it on the dyno since though.
http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...323_181022.jpg April 2019 I got a nice paycheck and spent it all on a Billet 7875 from VS racing. The new turbo spools a little quicker and will support more power in the future. I also completed my Raspberry Pi based dashboard. It has all the readouts I need plus warning lights if something goes out of bounds. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...514_152453.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c..._232339_01.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...514_104926.jpg bonus shot of the fact that my exhaust is larger diameter than my driveshaft http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...328_203352.jpg June 2019 we moved out of our 3000sqft warehouse for work, so the truck and a bunch of stuff got crammed in my garage for a while. Truck progress slowed down. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...528_221842.jpg I drove the truck through the summer of 2019, but the spartan locker started giving me issues. It did not like the power I was putting through it and it would unlock completely sometimes and just grind. I decided to buy a yukon posi and go back to my 3.07 gear rear end. I also took the opportunity to do new poly trailing arm bushings and shock relocation brackets. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...001_095949.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c..._205603_01.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...109_160800.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...109_215327.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...109_230057.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Late 2019 I bought a stepside SWB bed from a friend. I then gave my original bed to a guy in San Antonio who needed some parts. I drove back from San Antonio to Austin with no bed. 20+ gallons of fuel in the back helped a lot with stability. I also ordered the Brother's SWB conversion kit.
http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...103_121031.jpg A month later, I cut the truck in half and shortened it to SWB. I also replaced the driveshaft with a one-piece http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...126_190409.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...126_191207.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...129_113935.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...203_133120.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...203_202907.jpg Finally I cut the end of the frame off and popped the SWB bed on. There's a plywood bed floor for now because I'm about to change the fuel tank. The 26gal blazer tank sticks out past the plywood and won't clear the bed filler like I had it before. I'm working on a different tank solution now. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...208_130505.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...505_121742.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
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Hello all,
I am the cousin that was mentioned in helping install the 5.3. I have been quite involved with this truck since pretty early on. (Probably around 2010 or so) it's awesome to see this thread and how much this thing has changed over the last 10 years. Having helped him with the LS swap I learned ALOT and eventually I (with americanmusc1e's help) LS swapped my 2000 Ford Ranger. Also got lots of spare/used parts from him lol. I have some embarrassing pics of us working on it but I shall resist posting those. @americanmusc1e we need to take a pic with both our trucks now that I own one. The 4x4 build was my favorite part of this whole trucks story which lead it to be the inspiration for me to get my own 67-72 4x4, so last summer I finally bought my first classic truck, a 67 K20. Nothing super special about mine but I'll drop some pics and a link to my thread on mine. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s....php?p=8766947 |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
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Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Fuel tanks and fuel pumps have become a reoccurring part of my C10 project. I haven't been happy with the way the 26gal Blazer tank sticks past the SWB frame, but I didn't want to spend the money or the headache to fix it.
Well last week the truck kicked me in the butt and now it's time. I went to run some errands in the C10 and I stopped at the gas station by my house to fill up. I filled the tank up all the way and got back in the truck to start it. It sputtered and died and just cranked and cranked. I checked the fuel rail schrader valve with a pocketknife. No fuel pressure. after checking the fuel pump fuse and a few other basic things, I left my truck at the pump, walked the half mile back to my house and biked back with tools. I was convinced that the problem was in the relay or the wiring to the pump. I spent a lot of time with a multimeter checking things and finally hotwired the pump with the license plate wire. No change. I got desperate and pulled the sending unit and found this. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...702_123814.jpg That could have gone far worse. I bypassed the bulkhead with the fuel pump wire directly into the tank so I could get the truck home. It was a nervous half mile. My fire extinguisher was on the seat next to me ready to go. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...618_225638.jpg I spent the last week researching tanks. i wanted a large capacity EFI tank. After much back and forth I decided on the factory 67-72 21 gallon Blazer tank with a tanks inc EFI SUMP CONVERSION. The Blazer tank got here today and I'm now convinced that the tank won't clear the bed floor with the efi fittings on top. Even with the bed crossmember completely removed. I finally said I'd had enough and I sent the blazer tank back to Summit and ordered a $500 aluminum EFI tank off of a guy on ebay. My truck has been down for two weeks and i'm getting impatient but I really didn't want to have the tank hang even lower than a factory blazer tank. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...702_094025.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...702_094243.jpg All the classic truck places are very slow on shipping right now. This ebay seller says the tank will be here mid next week. I guess the only thing I can work on this weekend is pulling the old tank out and draining the fuel. Luckily I have a ton of stuff to do on the 49. |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
The past few weeks have been a nail biter. The place on ebay I ordered the tank from messaged me that they were out of stock but they were drop shipping the tank. The tank arrived almost a week ago, but it came with none of the other hardware. I was missing the mounting hardware, filler neck and sending unit. I held off from doing much with the tank until I was able to get the ebay seller to respond two days later that they were shipping the rest of my stuff. Everything else is supposed to be here today.
I finally decided to start mounting the fuel pump module in the tank. It hurt a bit to cut into my expensive fuel tank, but I like how everything is looking. I went with a brand new Walbro 450. I'm keeping my old one as a spare. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...708_224335.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...708_231133.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...708_231143.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...708_231833.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...709_113631.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
After cleaning all the metal out of the tank, I cut some rubber for where the tank contacts the frame rails and mounted it using existing holes in the frame.
I wired the tank up with some bullet connectors which should handle 60+amps according to my research. My existing -6AN line works and it'll work even better when I move the vent to the tank bung and install a flat 1/4" NPT plug where the vent is now. The last thing I did was clean up the wiring on the tail end of the truck. Since the original taillight connector was long gone, I took the wire nuts off and did bullet connectors for the taillighnt wiring. I then shortened and color coded everything. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...711_161838.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...711_182522.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...711_182602.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...712_121159.jpg My meter was reading 97 degree air coming out of my fan in the shade. :devil: http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...711_182221.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
After a bunch of checking and re-checking, I cut a hole in my bed floor plywood (it's getting replaced anyway) and reinstalled my bed floor and battery. I filled the tank with 6 gallons and let it sit for a few hours and checked for leaks. I then pressured it up and checked for leaks again. Everything looked good so I took the truck to the gas station and filled the tank up all the way. It only took 11 more gallons so I guess I have a 17 gallon tank. I drove it for a bit and triple-checked for leaks around the fuel pump module and the sending unit. No leaks so far.
I snapped a few pictures in the harsh sunlight. I really need to work on color matching the bed soon. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...713_150351.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...713_150317.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
I'm back after a bit of a break. I put some info on my 49 build thread about the homesteading project that's taking all my time. I've been a bit bummed since mid October I was in a fender-bender in the C10. I was going about 35mph and someone turned left into the side of my truck.
http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...003_171037.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c...020_162439.jpg I didn't drive the truck for so long that I had to replace the battery the other day. I got the gumption to work on it and I finally settled with the insurance company so now I have some extra funds to work on it. First stop after the new battery was chasing down a few transmission leaks that have been bothering me. I re-sealed the kickdown bulkhead connector and replaced the rear seal and bushing on the transmission. I also turned the boost down a bit because I feel like the truck has plenty of power. I'm currently running 10psi and pretty happy. I also looked hard into what I'd need to put a proper compressor and valve setup in the truck for the bags and I ended up buying a set of drop springs. the bags were nice when I didn't have a 3/4ton pickup to haul stuff with and I had the extra weight of the LWB. I didn't use the bags for adjustable ride height and the did leak down if I let the truck sit too long. I went back to 4" drop springs in the back and I'm happy with the ride height. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c..._031124933.jpg http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c..._033517756.jpg I gave the old girl an oil change and just did some driving.The truck drives well. I'm working on getting a few little annoyances ironed out before I switch gears and work on the 49 again. I still have to find a new fender to replace my smashed one. http://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/70c..._035041291.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Here's a dissapointing status update for the truck. :waah:
May of 21 the aluminum fuel tank cracked and I parked the truck for several months in frustration. https://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/db..._232533999.jpg https://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/db..._233733075.jpg I wasn't very happy with the 17gallon aluminum tank so I went back with a modified blazer tank at the expense that I'll need to raise my bed floor an inch to clear. A few extra gallons and I had a blast driving the truck through the spring. https://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/db..._055948106.jpg https://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/db...1658.NIGHT.jpg May of this year I was doing a ride along with the Hot Rod Tour of Texas. I got seperated from the group while getting gas. I took a shortcut down a winding road. It was raining. I thought I was going an appropriate speed (~25mph). I hit a very steep downhill curve and locked the brakes up. I crossed over the stripe and got fish-hooked by the utility trailer coming the other direction. The wreck was very low speed but it managed to rip up most of the front end. The truck drove home just fine, but is once again sitting while I collect parts to replace most of the front end. I've gone through various stages of grieving with the truck. What I've come up with is that I'm going to attempt to take my time bringing it back. I want to fix a few shortcomings while I have the front end off. I now have a 4L80E out of my old daily that might go in. I want to clean up some wiring and do some upgrades to the front suspension. https://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/db..._151244236.jpg https://americanmusc1e.com/Photos/db..._153532618.jpg |
Re: Project "Old Skool" V.3
Bummer about the accident.
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