[americanmusc1e]

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





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.



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.