1969 C10 (Mean Green) Metamorphosis

[Tink]

I've decided I should put up a project thread since we really have done a lot to this truck... I call it a Metamorphosis because it has gone though many stages in it's life.

So, I'll start at the beginning:



This is what the truck looked like BEFORE we got it, but when my brother first had it. It is the only picture I have of it basically original. I'm guessing this was back in the mid to late 90s.

My brother bought it from and older gentleman and he used it for hauling firewood and going to the dump.

[Tink]

Now, on to the day we brought it home and why...



My brother had given the truck to his oldest son to drive. Apparently the Olive Green didn't suit him, so he sprayed it with Primer... (no prep, just sprayed primer directly on the paint). Then he used it for a bumper car or something (that is why the grill and bumper are missing - he tore them up rear-ending someone). One day, the starter went. My brother said no big deal - just replace it, which he did, but when he hooked the battery up he switched the negative and positive battery cable and fried some wiring. Instead of just replacing the bad wires, he just started cutting and pulling wires out all at once. He got in over his head and the truck just sat in my brother's back yard for years... when I moved closer to him, I offered to take it.

[Tink]

The engine and interior when we got it:





The truck had a redneck-rebuilt 350, which unforunately did not appear to be the original 350 that it came with... but I need to double check the casting number. The heads date to later than 68/69. It also had a 2 barrel which did not appear to be original either because the gas pedal rod was cut and modified to work. It did have it's original TH400 transmission.

[Tink]

Unfortunately, due to time, money and other circumstances the truck sat in our backyard for a while too... but, in Feb 2009 we dragged it out and began the next stage of it's life.

Out from the backyard and to the front of the garage:



We had bought a cheap 79 C10 Bonanza that was in rough shape but had a newer transmission and newer motor (which unfortunately had a cracked block) for a donor. So, the truck got the spindles and disc brakes from the Bonanza...

Removal of the rear bumper and new rubber:



295/50/R15s on 15x10s on the rear and 215/65/R15 on 15x7s on the front

[Tink]

The Rat Rod Stage had officially begun...





Coils cut in front, Addition of a roll pan (left unfinished for the Rat Rod look), Rat Roddish theme on doors, Replacement tailgate (free), side mirror (pulled of 70s Nova in junkyard), junkyard front bumper and cheap used grill from here!

[JasonBird]

cool! glad to see it's getting the attention it deserves now! keep up the good work!

[dan42]

Looks like it was a blessing that your nephew couldn't work on it, or it might be more work than it already is. Great looking truck - keep us posted!

[Tink]

Thanks! This is sort of a going back through the history - I haven't even gotten to how it looks now...

Yeah, if he could of fixed it it might have ended up in a junkyard someday instead of with us!

[Tink]

Cleaned and Painted the engine bay black... also coverted back to a manual steering box from a 1977 C10 (someone had converted its original manual steering to power) and replaced the old hacked up wiring with a Painless Wiring Harness.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Im in cant wait to see what it ended up as..

[Tink]

On to the drivetrain... all chevy orange....



- The tranny is a rebuilt TH350 from the donor 1979 C10 Bonanza
- The motor was a 350 from a 1990 Suburban, with the following parts have been added:
Comp Cams extreme energy 262 hydraulic cam
Comp Cams timing chain, lifters, magnum push rods, valve springs, 1.52 roller tip rockers and guide plates
RHS 67cc chamber heads
Holley Street Dominator Intake
Hooker Competition Headers
Holley 670cfm Street Avenger Carb
Holley 110gph fuel pump
Accell Pro-Billet Magnetic Breakerless Distributor
Estimated power at crank: 390hp, 420ft lbs

The motor and tranny in with performance stickers to go with that Rat Rod style:

[Tink]

Beginning of interior work (Rat Rod phase). Went black in here too... the burgandy carpet was newer and from a 1976 K5 that I had bought for a chassis donor for my s10.



The buckets and center console from the K5 were used too... however, the K5 seat brackets wouldn't work, so to make this 'easy', the bench seat tracks were modified for the buckets and center console to bolt on:

[Tink]

Interior together (Rat Rod phase):



Original radio, steering wheel was a junkyard score as well as the instrument cluster with the gauges - original cluster was the speedo and fuel gauge only - so you only knew how fast you were going and how much gas it was sucking.

[Tink]

After it was all together, it went to the dyno:



Results:

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Id ditch the stickers on the inner fenderwells other than that looks good..

[Tink]

Sadly after this, the truck sort of went on the backburner for project status and even took on some farm truck duties (hay, grain, firewood hauling) because a 69 Nova had taken precedence and due to an accident we ended up getting rid of our only longbox pickup.

But, we came back to the old girl and decided to get some body work and paint done... We wanted green (just not the original color) and choose the color from a small paint sample. The guy filled in all the holes from the moldings, repaired all the dents and sprayed her green. Pictures from when we first picked her up:





At first it was a bit much... just really, really green, but it grew on us.

[JasonBird]

some paint on the wheels or new wheels would be the world of difference!

[Tink]

Yup, yup... went old school... here it is with many, many new parts:

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Turned out very nice..

[Steve-W]

the green is not my color, but damn! thats one fine looking truck!
nice work.

[RCbowtie69]

Nice truck.

[Tink]

Thanks! The last picture is how it was in the fall.

Now, the aforementioned Nova ended up with the 350 that was in this truck and for a while the truck ran the Nova's old 307... but on to a 'new' motor for the truck...

We put this in about 3 weeks ago now... removed all those stickers and cleaned and re-painted first.





Build Specs:
Bored .030 over
Speedo-pro flat top pistons
All new bearings & ARP rod bolts
Cam is a Lunati Voodo 268/276
Duration @ .050 (Int/Exh): 227/233
Gross Valve Lift (Int/Exh): .489/.504
Cloyes double roller timing chain
Jegs 5 quart oil pan with windage tray
High volume Melling oil pump
All the oil drain back holes were smoothed/deburred
RHS cylinder heads (ported & decked .050)
PBM stainless undercut race valves
1.6 roller tip rockers on intake, 1.52 on the exhaust
Holley Steet Dominator intake
670cfm Holley Street Avenger Carb
110 gal/hr Holley fuel pump
2400 TCI Stall converter
Pertronix Flame Thrower Distibutor
Pertronix Flame Thrower coil
1.625" Headman headers
2.5" Dual Exhaust w/ H pipe and short glasspacks
Gilmer Drive

[Tink]

Before the motor went in, I removed all that wiring loom and went with tape only. Also re-ran some of the wires for a cleaner look. Still need to get the wiring gutter and paint the hood hinges...

[6772owner]

Looks nice and clean to me, great job, pretty truck!

[Zoomin]

Pretty cool to have all that chronicled. Nice work btw.
Posted via Mobile Device