Project black-ops
 

I have wanted a 1970 C10 for 10 years now. I finally made the decision to go for broke and find my truck. I live in Utah, so finding a rust free truck under $10,000 is about inmpossible. I searched far and wide for months before finally finding my truck in Bellevue, Nebraska. I got a great buy on the truck, so I convinced my buddy Mike to go with me on the 2 day journey to get it. Outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming we got caught in a hail storm that destroyed Mike's Duramax. Luckily his insurance company took care of the damage or I would still feel bad. It was quite an adventure getting to Nebraska but finally I loaded up my dream truck and came home to Utah. We pulled it home on a trailer because the previous owner (Rick) said it had been sitting for a few years in his garage. Rick built the truck for the track and the engine and transmission only had 500 miles on them. I purchased the truck for $7000 dollars which I feel was a steal. There is a little rust starting to show on the bottoms of the doors and the passenger floor brace. The truck fired right up and runs like a champ. This truck will smoke the tires right off the rims if I am not careful. The transmission shifts way hard and about throws my poor wifes head through the back window, but remember it is a work in progress. I wanted to start a build thread so I can share my passion with everyone on this board. Heres a little info about the truck I have found out:

1970 Chevrolet C10 2WD SWB

(All this information is from the previous owner who put a lot of time and money into the truck before I bought it.)

Previous owners: Cape Gerardo MO, Wentzville MO, Lake Saint Louis MO, and Bellevue NE

Engine:

Engine Block Casting Number: 3970010 (1968-1979) 2&4 Bolt Main
Truck Hi-perf
The engine was carefully engineered to be a street-able 375-400 hp
The engine was blueprinted and balanced with 9.5:1 compression.
The heads were opened up to 2.02 intakes
1.86 exhaust with hard seats installed so that pump fuel can be run.
Heads were ported and smoothed.
The engine had a high lift cam installed (5/8 race cam)
1:1.5 roller rocker arms installed.
The timing chain is a double roller.
The oil and fuel pump is a stock Z-28 spec unit.
Intake is a Holley 750 double pumper vacuum secondary’s.
Long Tube Headers
New heavy duty 4 core radiator


Transmission:

TH 400 Rebuilt
3,500 RPM Stall Converter
Transm (shift kit added)

Suspension/Drive:

Springs were replaced with stock ones.
A frame bushings, Ball Joints and tie rod ends were all replaced.
12 Bolt Rear End with stock Posi Track
New U-Joints
Balance Drive Shaft


Brakes:

Brake cylinders were rebuilt
Rotors were turned and new brake shoes installed.
Master cylinder was replaced
Used power booster was added to give the truck power brakes.


Body:

Rocker panels replaced
Moldings removed and holes filled
Stake pockets welded up
Body stripped to bare metal
All body filler removed
Truck was primed and painted with 8 coats of enamel black
4 coats were buffed off to create a clear coat shine
Bed was sprayed with enamel clear coat
Interior and under hood was painted
New front bumper
New rear bumper

Interior:

New door moldings
New windshield
New cardboard tank cover
New glove box cardboard
New duct work
New rubber floor mat
New dash pad
Seat was recovered

Re: Project black-ops
 

nice truck ,great story its always good to drag that truck home for the first time

Re: Project black-ops
 

Looks like a nice solid truck with some extra goodies....:):chevy:

What are the plans?

BTW...I had to drive to utah to find my solid truck...haha:devil::lol:

Re: Project black-ops
 

Cole,

Funny you found my thread! I have read yours from start to finish. I grew up in Kanab, Utah, very close to where you found your truck. I just ordered my front disc brake kit from ECE. I stayed with 6 lugs just like you did. I also ordered the 4/6 drop kit from ECE. I have my new wheels in my garage also, but I am waiting until spring to put my tires on. I went with the Summit Racing Legend 6 classic Torq Thrust look. I am planning on pulling the motor this year and re-painting it chevy orange, with new Pro Form valve covers. I am also going to dress it up with some chrome here and there. The exhaust needs done so I will throw on some Sanderson CC10 headers along with a full magnaflow dual exhaust. I need to dress up the engine bay a little while the motor is out. I bought the rust converter kit from Eastwood, along with some of their black frame paint so thats in my plans for spring also. I will eventually put new interior in the truck. I have plans to keep it black, but put a new paint job on it. It looks great, but it has no clear coat and I want to make it my own. I have considered going two-tone, but the last owner spent a lot of time smoothing up the factory trim holes and stake pockets. It has lots of small cosmetic stuff that needs done, but overall its a clean truck. Keep in touch and I will follow your thread as well. You and Nate have done a great job in detailing your work.

Re: Project black-ops
 

I can only hope mine looks that good when I am done. LOL Very nice truck to start with.

Re: Project black-ops
 

very nice start! awesome truck!

Re: Project black-ops
 

Diggin' the project and the plan you have for it.

My FIL installed a set of the Sanderson Headers on his '69 and they look and perform great!

Be sure to keep us posted on your progress.

Re: Project black-ops
 

I finally got around to pulling my truck in the shop and putting on my ECE disc brake upgrade, and the 4/6 drop kit. I could not believe how good it turned out. ECE makes very high quality parts, and I will do business with them every chance I get. The kit went on pretty easy, with the help of my good buddy Jeremy. I will not post too many pictures of the install since you can go to project blankslate like I did for helpful tips. I will have to do my exhaust sooner than expected, because my long tube headers are about 2" from touching the ground. I sent back my 17" wheels and upgraded to the 20's. I hope to have them on in the spring. My truck does not see any winter driving here because the salt would take a toll pretty fast. I also painted all the brake components with Eastwood Disc Brake Gray paint. Heres a few before and after pics.

Re: Project black-ops
 

looking good!!!

Re: Project black-ops
 

I have a set of stock springs out of this truck I would sell if somebody is interested. They were replaced when the truck was built about 10 years ago and seem to be in great shape.

Re: Project black-ops
 

Much better... ;)

Re: Project black-ops
 

I finally put the new wheels and tires on this weekend. I went with TOYO PROXES ST II tires. 295/40/20 on the back, and 255/40/20 on the front. I wanted to keep a classic look, and the six lug, so I went with the American Racing AR 604 Torq Thrust wheels. I could not be happier with the look of the truck. The disc brakes make a big difference in stopping power also.

Re: Project black-ops
 

looks great!! sweet ride!

Re: Project black-ops
 

Looks awesome! Love the torque thrust ST's (6 lug) Had a set myself but never got around to finishing the project so I sold them.

Yours is only the second 67-72 and first 70 I've seen with them on!

Re: Project black-ops
 

Truck looks great:devil::metal:

Hard to go wrong with that drop/wheel combo.

Keep up the good work I know I have about a million things I want to do to the truck and most are hindered by my lack of $$$...lol

Re: Project black-ops
 

We are building a house so my truck might be on the back burner for awhile. I want to get my headers and exhaust on soon, but we will see how the house goes. Even when you start with a clean truck it can nickle and dime you to death.

Re: Project black-ops
 

Decker looks good in his future truck!

Re: Project black-ops
 

Hey Dan, Cute kid! Here's a few pics of my engine compartment that you requested. I really just tried to keep things clean and simple, and tried to hide as many wires as I could. Good luck on your truck!

Re: Project black-ops
 

BigSnookMaster,

I love your engine bay. Thanks for all the ideas. I am still in the process of tearing things down. It seems like I just keep finding more stuff to buy and more parts I want to replace.

Re: Project black-ops
 

Here is some updated pictures of my engine bay makeover. We are painting the engine with POR 15 Chevy Orange Enamel. I am in the process of installing a 700R4 as well. Here is the list of new parts going on the truck:

PROFORM ORANGE SLANT EDGE VALVE COVERS
TAYLOR SPIRO-PRO IGNITION WIRES HOT ORANGE
EDLEBROCK PRO-FLO AIR CLEANER CHROME LOGO
FRAM AIR HOG AIR FILTER
SANDERSON-CC10 HEADERS
CHROME PULLEY’S
BILLET DIP STICKS
MADE FOR YOU PRODUCTS VERTICAL WIRE LOOM KIT
700R4 TRANSMISSION W/ COAN 3500 STALL
TCI 700R4 TV CABLE CORRECTOR KIT
KUGEL KOMPONENTS SHIFT LINKAGE
EARLY CLASSIC ENTERPRISES TRANSMISSION CROSSMEMBER

FUTURE: MAGNAFLOW DUAL EXHAUST (If my wife lets me)

Re: Project black-ops
 

nice....your really going for it!!:metal::devil::chevy:

Re: Project black-ops
 

Finally finished up the engine this weekend. I tried spraying plastikote chevy orange on the engine and it was like orange tinted clear coat. I ended up taking the paint off with aircraft stripper. I think I might have lost some of my skin in the process. I decided to go with POR 15 brush on paint and it turned out really nice. I installed the 700R4 and now I have to wait until I can save enough money to put on my magnaflow exhaust. I have a guy coming to the house tonight to measure my driveline so I can cut it and install the new yoke. I added a ton of new parts I have collected over the past year, and I couldn't be happier how it turned out. Here is some pics:

Re: Project black-ops
 

Super nice!!!

Re: Project black-ops
 

Wow motor looks great

Re: Project black-ops
 

Beau-tiful!!!!

That motor looks amazing. :)

Re: Project black-ops
 

I finally got the 700R4 transmission in and working great. I ended up changing my stock crossmember to the one from Early Classic. It gave me the room I needed to run the exhaust. I highly reccomed spending the 90 bucks if your looking at doing the 700 conversion. I put a large aftermarket cooler on it because of the heat from the stall converter. I adjusted the TV cable myself, and then took it to a transmission shop to double check my work. He drove the truck and said he wouldn't change a thing. It is the best thing I have done to the truck so far. The tranny made it very driver friendly. I also had the exhaust done. I ended up going with dual 2.5" 40 series flowmasters. I need to take some pics of the finished product because it turned out great. I ran the exhaust through the framerail and came out behind the rear tires. I will try and get some pics up soon. My header paint is burning off faster than I expected. Don't use the Eastwood spray can crap or you will be dissapointed. I followed the directions step by step. I love the Sanderson CC10 headers, but wish I would have spent the extra money to get the ceramic coated ones. I think I will have the ones I bought chromed eventually.

Re: Project black-ops
 

Truck looks great and sounds like it's a real fun cruiser!!!

Re: Project black-ops
 

Truck looks really nice!
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Re: Project black-ops
 

Nice find! These trucks are a lot of fun and becoming more and more popular. So many after market things available to spend money on! My budget has gone out the door! My truck is just about done at the body shop where it has just gone through a complete color change. I have everything to finish it and can't wait to get started putting it together!
Nick

Re: Project black-ops
 

Great looking truck! I've always had a thing for those Chevrolet valve covers.

Re: Project black-ops
 

Nice truck :chevy: Any feedback on the Toyo Proxes STIIs? Road noise, tire wear, grip, etc? Looking at maybe getting a set in the near future...

Re: Project black-ops
 

Truck is looking really good!

Re: Project black-ops
 

The Toyo STII's are a great tire. No road noise, and they look amazing. They seem to be wearing good, and the grip is a little too good. I could spin my other tires with little effort but these seem to really hook up.

Re: Project black-ops
 

Dan how about some pictures of the engine compartment? How did it turned out?

Re: Project black-ops
 

Where are the exaust pics at we wanna see!

Re: Project black-ops
 

Cool. Exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. I agree, more pics!
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Re: Project black-ops
 

Ok, I guess I needed a little motivation to get some more pics. The exhaust turned out sweet so I will get some pics.

Re: Project black-ops
 

I finally took my headers back off and sent them to RUKSE performace for ceramic coating. Don't ever make the mistake of using high-temp header paint because it will look like crap fast. I still need to pull my stock heater and AC unit and work on my smooth firewall. I want to completly update the wiring and hide as much as possible. This will be my next project. I will get some pictures of underneath the truck so you can see my how good my exhaust turned out. I had them run it through the frame rails and cut a hole in the crossmember. I need some money to rain down on me so I can everything done at once.

Re: Project black-ops
 

Looks nice! :chevy:
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Re: Project black-ops
 

I finally broke down and bought a newer truck. I got a great deal on a 2008 Chevy Vortec Max. I also wanted to post some pics of my future gear head helper Decker Jax. I can't do anything without him diving in head first.