Need some advice
 

I need some help guys, so I have suddenly run into an issue where my 69 C10 will be my daily driver. So I have a budget of 10k to put a new motor and transmission, new tires, and new brakes(disc up front). Can some one recommend a shop in OKC area, and let me know if my budget is reasonable? I have not purchased anything for it yet, and this build will be mild, I would like reliability and driveability to be the main focus. I would prefer to swap the transmission to a manual. It currently has a sbc 350 and turbo 400 in it. I am not averse to the idea of a rebuild but would like other options as well. I don't have the space or knowledge to do most of this so I will be relying on a shop. I know that affects the budget but it can't be helped. I appreciate any and all help or advice.
Mike

Re: Need some advice
 

Btw, how do you edit the signature?

Re: Need some advice
 

Go to User CP in the blue bar at the top of the page. Click on Edit Signature on the left.

As far as your budget, are you willing to learn to do any of the work yourself? At roughly $100/hr labor is going to eat into your budget pretty quickly.

If the transmission works well, I would leave it for now. It may be fun to change them yourself, but that TH400 is a very dependable transmission and it would help your budget considerably to leave it there. There's a lot of labor involved in the swap.

Really, the place to start would be an honest assessment of what you have now. If the engine runs well, why replace it? Tires, brakes, steering, and lights are safety items, so they should go to the top of the list.

Re: Need some advice
 

The transmission is starting to slip, and the motor isn't running properly. It was installed about 30 years ago and needs either rebuilt or replaced. I am not averse to getting them repaired but I want reliability and peace of mind. I wouldn't mind learning to do it, but I am hesitant to screw up and cost myself money through avoidable errors.

Re: Need some advice
 

This is probably not what you want to hear, and I promise I'm not trying to be a jerk, but consider this:

Spend 5k on a reliable vehicle from craigslist.
Spend the other 5k on making your old truck your fun toy.

This way, you don't have to worry about downtime while working on a truck that is also needed as a Daily Driver.

Re: Need some advice
 

This is good advice. In light of your recent tranny update, keeping the 400 series still makes sense.

-klb

Re: Need some advice
 

X2.............5K gets you a nice reliable Toyota, just have to find the right one.

Re: Need some advice
 

x3.
Less stress and more enjoyment getting the truck squared away.

IF you decide on transmission work, there's a shop in Del City that does good work, owner is Tommy - DC Transmissions. He is not inexpensive (if anyone is) but he does good work and will make sure everything is right.

Re: Need some advice
 

I echo the advice of getting a reliable daily driver and leaving the truck as more of a toy. I recently did the same spending $3000 on a 2001 Accord with 100k on it. It was always garaged so it’s in nice shape and had lots of work done fairly recently like timing belt and tires so I won’t have to spend any $ (knock on wood) for awhile and I should get another 100k with minimal investment. There are these kinds of cars out there. Plus, while the girlfriend is happy to ride in the truck, there are times she’d rather be in the boring but more comfortable sedan.

As for the truck. You could get a reliable truck for your budget depending on the route you go. What’s wrong with the engine exactly? Not running right sounds like an issue that could be resolved by tuning, maybe new carb or other parts instead of completely rebuilding or replacing. If the engine isn’t smoking or rattling itself to death you could just replace carb, replace distributor, timing gear set, cam, fuel pump (eliminating all the usual causes of reliability issues), have the trans rebuilt and have brake system completely overhauled with front disks for about $5000. That’s if you buy the engine and brake parts and take them to a shop for installation to avoid the shop marking them up.

So it’s actually feasible to buy a daily driver and make your truck completely reliable within your budget.

Re: Need some advice
 

Doing as much of the leg work as possible will help keep costs under control. Obtaining all the parts for the conversion to manual will be really costly if you have it hired out, not to mention the cost of cleaning them up. With no space to work on the truck or store a parts truck you are at the mercy of whom ever you hire.
My suggestion would be to take your 10k and buy the best $8000 truck that is outfitted how you want it leaving $2000 to chang out consumable parts like water pump, alternator, radiator, fuel pump, have the carburetor rebuilt. And of course your current truck would be sellable to contribute to the fund. Going this route gets you on the road sooner and avoids the possibility of your truck disappearing into repair shop hell.