"Burrari" my first project, 70 c10 swb

[HellaciousA]

Hi everyone,

I've been heavily in the LSX scene for the past 10+ years, and got sick of dealing with smog limiting how much horsepower I can make in my 04 GTO. I've invested too much in that car to just let it go, so I picked up this 70 C10 last night as a new project. After spending some time today underneath and poking around, I've definitely got my hands full with numerous issues to address.

Unfortunately, the SPID sticker on the glove box door is from another truck as the VIN doesn't match the left pillar plate in the jamb. I was able to decode the VIN, which lists it as a 70 GMC C10, made at the Fremont plant that left the factory with a V8. So I guess at some point, someone swapped grilles and put a chevy tailgate on it.

It's been difficult to find trucks out here that aren't rust buckets, so I was happy to find this one locally in Sun Valley for a decent price.

The truck has a lot of issues, and I originally wanted to correct the main ones to make it safely driveable, but after taking a close look at it today, I don't think it's worth it.

My goal is to make it a semi-pro tourer and keep the outside stock looking. I like the ride height it has right now, but whoever lowered it before me didn't do an alignment and the truck rides extremely poor and is pulling hard to the left. Someone also relocated the gas tank under the bed and filled in the old fuel filler. It's a hack job to say the least, and it doesn't seem safe at all.

I plan to swap in a 5.3 motor with a 4L80E along with a single turbo. Goal is to make 6-700 wheel horsepower. I'm interested in installing the hotchkis TVS setup for the suspension and getting a decent set of brakes on it so I don't kill myself with all the power. The truck currently has a 350/TH350 combo in it that I want to yank out and sell to help fund the new mods.

I'm 32 and I've done a lot of tinkering on my cars over the years, but by far this is my biggest undertaking. I'm a bit nervous after seeing all the problems thus far, but I work at a body shop, and any body work I will be saving for last. I'm looking for any advice on what areas would be best to tackle first, so here's my plan. Feel free to critique.


The bad:
-Ebrake cables are cut for some reason and dangling
-Door locks push up when closing the doors, I'm hoping they are just installed wrong and I can adjust the linkage
-All park lamps work except brake lights
-Rats nest of wiring under the dash
-Tons of self tapping screws everywhere in the bed floor and on cab floor
-Super sketchy suspension
-Bed bolts to frame are hand tight, some are totally loose
-At least 3-4 layers of paint on the truck, and the current coat of primer is cracking badly.
-Drip rails are a bit bent and separating from roof skin.
-There's some mickey mouse work on the rear frame rails were someone swiss chessed the end of the rails while fitting the fuel tank that was put in
-Someone also clearanced the front frame rails for the headers that are on it now.

The good:
-It is a genuine short wide and a factory a/c equipped truck. No major rust/rot that I can see, aside from a small hole in the left rocker by the cab corner.
-Someone already converted it to 5 lug and it has disc brakes up front/drum in the rear
-Interior has a nice bench seat with newer upholestery and newer door trim panels, and floor carpet, and dash pad
-Glass is fairly clean and has newish looking felts and weatherstripping


Do you guys think it would be best to start with yanking the carb motor and trans, and start sorting out the suspension, brakes, rear end, fuel tank, etc in preparation for the LS swap? I don't know what rear is in the truck, or if it's worth rebuilding to hold 6-700 horsepower. I know this site has a ton of info so I'm sure I'll be able to ID it. I'd also like to re-wire the chassis as well since it's been spliced and hacked up many times over, don't know what the best sequence would be for that also.

I've heard No Limit makes good suspension setups, so maybe it would be best to pull the bed off and remove all the stuff on it now, clean up the frame rails real nice and install those parts first, then work my way forward to the engine bay, and front suspension.

I've got a good air compressor and air tools along with a pretty good assortment of hand tools, so I'm excited to get started, but I don't want to rush through this and cut corners like the previous owners have. Any tips or advice will be appreciated. I'll do my best to update this as I work on it as well. Here's some photos of the Burrari (that name will probably be changed as well--it's just a funny sticker the prior owner had on the back glass).