Quote:
Originally Posted by flips72
thats a good looking truck and your as bad as i am... its all about the motor  |
LoL ... yeah, well, I had this 383 and T56 and HAD to find
something to put it in ...
A few things have changed since I last posted on 8/12. Been doing a LOT of research right here on this forum. Haven't worked on the truck any due to the weather and it being outside. No garage, no progress ...
I've decided to keep the stock 66 crossmember and update the a-arms to the newer 81 C10 since I'm buying one for parts. 81 power steering and linkage, power brakes, etc. Mostly new parts of course. Planned drop is 2.5 McGaughy spindles and probably run the Moog 6102 with half a coil cut which, from what I've read is about a 1 1/2" drop for a total of 4" in front. While the lower a-arms are out I might as well do the freebie caster mod, too. Found a set of blockhugger headers that look like they'll fit so I won't drag a set of long tubes with my 4" drop.
Wheels and tires will probably stick with 15 x 8's so I can rotate.
My first plan of attack is get the front suspension and brakes rebuilt and the motor/tranny installed after sprucing up under the hood a bit with some paint. I'd still like some confirmation, is the hole in the stock 6 cyl bellhousing the same size as a Muncie 4 speed? If so, then my 6 speed will be a direct bolt in. If not, then I'm back to looking for a bell ...
Just outta curiousity, what rear gear would you look at for some decent fuel mileage? Tires are going to be about 27", my Aftermarket T56 has the .62 final gear (rather than the normal .50 most 6 speeds have), fuel injected 383 and the cam is a 230* 236* on 113 LSA (Comp 280XFI hyd roller) with about 9.5 or 10 -1 compression. Comp says the cam range is 2000-5000 rpm. With a decent tune, I'd like to see 20 mpg if that's even reasonable ... By my calculations, a 27" tire with 4.11 gears with my .62 final (equals a 2.54 ratio) will put me about 1738 rpm at 55 mph (and 2054 at 65). a 4.56 rear gear (2.82 final) will net about 1950 rpm at 55 and 2281 rpm at 65. Most of my driving is at 55 but if I ever need to make a "road trip!" then it's still highway friendly.
I'm looking at running my 3.5 Corvette style sidepipes tucked up under the truck, crossing thru the frame and running the pipes on the outside of the frame unseen. Lopey cam and Vette style sidepipes ... here's a couple vids to get your imagination working if you can meld the two together ...
What the sidepipes sounds like ...
http://youtu.be/DJHQ7YRSzZo
And the cam in my 383 ...
http://youtu.be/FhY4bgyuMig
I'd like to publically give thanks to Cameron Anderson of Dakota Digital for customer service WAY beyond the call of duty. I bought the digital gauges for an 86 Cutlass (my previous project) well over 4 years ago and never got to use them. Never even powered them up or installed in the car. Sent him a email to ask what they'd charge to convert my Cutlass gauges to use in my 66 C10. "If they've never been used we'll swap it over for just the cost of shipping."
So, now I have a brand new set of Dakota Digital gauges that will bolt right into my 66 instruemnt panel !!!
In doing my research I've seen a bunch of really sweet trucks on this forum that has given me many ideas. A lot of you guys have nicer trucks than I'll ever see much less be able to build. But, it'll be a daily driver as nice as I can make it. I'll still enjoy driving the wheels (tires) off it ...
Sorry for being so long winded, just wanted to update with my newer plans.
Doug