My 63 Chevy C10 project

[Captainfab]

In looking at your exhaust pics, you don't have what I would call a Muncie 4 speed. If it is the original trans it is a SM420 4 speed. A typical truck trans with the granny low 1st gear. Reverse will be towards you and back.

[Brandons63]

Ok finally an answer on it. I've been wondering about this without taking much time to investigate. It does have the fill plug just below the shift tower one the RH side, and the drain plug same side below that. So on I have a few questions... First off what is the fluid capacity and weight? It shifts very well and surprisingly smooth for an old truck! But boy is that first gear useless for me. Second off, I'm wondering if fourth is 1:1? I haven't had it over 40 yet so not sure what the rpm will be around 55. Also haven't yet got into the rear diff to see what gearing it has. It's factory for sure though.. Last question, what would be a good reliable more "street roddish" type manual transmission for this truck that's affordable, will bolt up to my factory crossmember any maybe bell housing, and hopefully use the same shift lever hole in the hump? Also wouldn't mind if I didn't have to shorten my driveshaft and could still retain the manual clutch. Thanks for the help captain fab, I enjoy reading your posts on this forum. Another thing maybe you could shed some light on, I'd love to convert this to posi.. How hard is it to locate the parts and what all do I need to find to make the change? I'm sure there are write ups on here.. Maybe someone close has the parts laying around. Pull and save on the north side gets these trucks in quite a bit, and the manager in the valley showed me a beautiful '66 that was redone then smashed in the nose before it went into the yard... Didn't have my tool bag with me that day or I would have been able to snag some goodies before the scavengers ��

[Brandons63]

Anybody have fan shroud ideas? Has the 292 radiator. Is there a plastic one off another year I can modify without looking goofy?

[Brandons63]

Also thought I'd share this picture of my five year old sweetheart

[68Gold/white]

Originally Posted by Brandons63

Anybody have fan shroud ideas? Has the 292 radiator. Is there a plastic one off another year I can modify without looking goofy?

You might try driving it some without a shroud. My buddy had a 66 that was originally a 283/4speed combo. It had a 406/Muncie M20 in it when he sold it. He was never able to easily build up much heat in the engine, with any engine in it, he did have a factory shroud.
A shroud might not be all that important...who knows...

[Chknlyps2]

Originally Posted by Brandons63

Ok finally an answer on it. I've been wondering about this without taking much time to investigate. It does have the fill plug just below the shift tower one the RH side, and the drain plug same side below that. So on I have a few questions... First off what is the fluid capacity and weight? It shifts very well and surprisingly smooth for an old truck! But boy is that first gear useless for me. Second off, I'm wondering if fourth is 1:1? I haven't had it over 40 yet so not sure what the rpm will be around 55. Also haven't yet got into the rear diff to see what gearing it has. It's factory for sure though.. Last question, what would be a good reliable more "street roddish" type manual transmission for this truck that's affordable, will bolt up to my factory crossmember any maybe bell housing, and hopefully use the same shift lever hole in the hump? Also wouldn't mind if I didn't have to shorten my driveshaft and could still retain the manual clutch. Thanks for the help captain fab, I enjoy reading your posts on this forum. Another thing maybe you could shed some light on, I'd love to convert this to posi.. How hard is it to locate the parts and what all do I need to find to make the change? I'm sure there are write ups on here.. Maybe someone close has the parts laying around. Pull and save on the north side gets these trucks in quite a bit, and the manager in the valley showed me a beautiful '66 that was redone then smashed in the nose before it went into the yard... Didn't have my tool bag with me that day or I would have been able to snag some goodies before the scavengers ��

As Captainfab stated, you probably have an SM420 trans. Only other 4 speed truck trans that looks like the one in your muffler pic is a SM465 that came in 68 and up trucks. 465's also need a later model bell housing with a larger opening that the trans mounts up to. Both the 420 and 465 have a 1:1 4th gear and pretty close gear ratios otherwise. The 465 is bigger and has these huge cast in ribs that form a cross (+) on the sides that stick out a couple inches. On the 420 reverse is driverside and to the seat and the 465 reverse is passenger side and to the seat. I would put 80/90 gear oil in both but not sure on the quantity. Here are a couple links on them

SM420 http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge...s/manual/sm420

SM465 http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge...s/manual/sm465

You would have to go to a car 4 speed to get a "street rodish" type of trans, that would require a drive shaft change and shifter type and location would change.

Originally Posted by Brandons63

Anybody have fan shroud ideas? Has the 292 radiator. Is there a plastic one off another year I can modify without looking goofy?

Here is a pic of the shroud on my 64 with a 283. it bolts to the two flat plates that connect to the core support on each side of the radiator, should bolt right up to yours. 62 had a steel shroud. I have one from one of my old 62's that I put a 396 in back in 85, I will try to get a pic of it tomorrow and a measurement to see if it is the same as the 64 fiberglass one.

[Brandons63]

Wow thanks for the great reply! I'll wait to hear about the shroud. I've been looking locally for one with no luck at all. I would love to find the metal one though. Sucks that mine was missing.

[Brandons63]

What do you guys think about this trans?
http://spokane.craigslist.org/pts/5595500284.html

[Chknlyps2]

Originally Posted by Brandons63

What do you guys think about this trans?
http://spokane.craigslist.org/pts/5595500284.html

That t5 has an electric speedo, there is a company that can convert it to mechanical. I will dig up the link in a bit. I think 85 and older S-10 t5's have mechanical and 86 & up have the electric speedo. That is a smokin deal down here, people want $400-$500 for just the trans if you can find them. They should be good for up to 300 HP as long as you don't hammer them. Camaro's of simular vintage came with t5's but the shifter is back at the end of the tail housing and won't work with a bench seat. Your drive shaft will need to be shortened and you will need to find a slip yoke that fits the t5 and have it put on your shaft when shortened. You will also need a hydraulic clutch cylinder at your firewall.... I think Captainfab makes a bracket for that. Ask the seller if the drive shaft goes with it, might get lucky!

[Brandons63]

Awesome! Thanks for the detailed response! I will ask him about the shaft

[Brandons63]

can this trans be used with my manual clutch set up? For some reason I just like having it. And I spent some time building the linkage for it and fighting that darn zbar

[62stepside longbox]

Originally Posted by Brandons63

can this trans be used with my manual clutch set up? For some reason I just like having it. And I spent some time building the linkage for it and fighting that darn zbar

Yes you can, just use the bellhousing you allready have. It will bolt right up, then you can sell the other stuff that comes with the trans like the hydraulic clutch bellhousing and slave cylinder and make some of your money back.

[Brandons63]

Thanks duder

[Brandons63]

Hey guys, so I have been getting a lot of questions about the acid I've used to clean my truck up in the first few posts of this thread. I thought I would share some info. The product I use is called Pro Power Acid Cleaner. It's made up of three different acids one being phosphoric and the other two I can't recal as I don't have access to the label or msds right now..For $20 a gallon for concentrate...I've used this on many wheels, chrome, paint, glass, aluminum,porcelain, soiled concrete among anything else I can try it on. Depending on what ratio you mix it, it's a very handy tool and time saver. I am truly blown away by this product. In my profession (helicopter/airplane mechanic and crew member) I'm always looking for products and chemicals that makes life easier. I installed new windows on my home ($6k later) and they got hit by our sprinkler system all summer causing them to have a thick mineral build up on them so bad that they were difficult to see out of. I tried everything. I even got a rubbing compound made for this and got out the electric buffer. Nope. I saw the guy at the Honda dealership use this on my wife's Windows on her odyssey that suffered the same damage. I was amazed and asked him for a bottle of it. Sprayed it on the windows at home, and hosed it off right away. BAM crystal clear. So then I bought a gallon from their detail supply distributer. And tried it on everything. We have since bought gallon and gallons at work to use on our S/S Jet fuel tanks and wheels and everything else. Best part about it is it leaves a corrosion barrier behind. Anyways.. I'll attatch some before and after pics. The wheels pictured where on my friends old boat trailer, and the chrome was peeling pretty bad so don't mind where the acid ate the flakes away but rather what it did to the in tact chrome. This was spray on and spray off...

[Brandons63]

After.. whhhhaaaatttttttt

[62stepside longbox]

Wow I May have to get myself a couple gallons of that stuff. Looks like it does a great job

[Chknlyps2]

Originally Posted by Brandons63

Anybody have fan shroud ideas? Has the 292 radiator. Is there a plastic one off another year I can modify without looking goofy?

You have the flat plates on each side of your radiator in this pic that the fiberglass shroud bolts to. (My finger is pointing to mine in the 2nd & 3rd pic) These plates bolt to the core support, On my 62 the steel shroud bolts in the same holes as the plates, replacing them.

Originally Posted by Brandons63

Wow thanks for the great reply! I'll wait to hear about the shroud. I've been looking locally for one with no luck at all. I would love to find the metal one though. Sucks that mine was missing.

The core on my 64 radiator is 25 1/4 inches wide, the space for the core on the steel shroud is 23 1/4 inches wide. I set the steel shroud centered over my radiator with the mounting holes lined up and you can see in the third pic with my finger that there is no way my radiator would fit with the steel shroud. Check the width of your radiator before you get a steel shroud.

The last pic is of the 62 that the shroud came from

[Brandons63]

Thanks again for the help. I'll take some measurements and get it figured out. Hopefully I can locate a shroud. Seems like every truck I've found has this missing. I've run the truck a few miles and up a pretty good grade without overheating problems and the motor was war to the touch. I'll run it a while and see what happens. I can't imagine it won't overheat without one. They make a big difference.

[Captainfab]

You can buy reproduction '63-'66 fan shrouds, but they aren't cheap. Once in a while used ones show up in the classifieds here on the forum but they don't last long.

If you went with the '60-'62 metal shroud, I think you will have to change to the '60-'62 V8 radiator.

[62stepside longbox]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

If you went with the '60-'62 metal shroud, I think you will have to change to the '60-'62 V8 radiator.

Or if you can't find one just find a barrel or drum and cut a section out of it lol.

[Brandons63]

Originally Posted by 62stepside longbox

Or if you can't find one just find a barrel or drum and cut a section out of it lol.

Lol I don't know about that... I may have to borrow one as a mold and make my own composit shroud. Would be neat to make a carbon fiber one. That thing would be stout! I've made a few carbon fiber funnels and stuff but that's the extent of it lol but the resin shroud I can handle if it came down to that

[Brandons63]

Got some new wheels tires and hubcaps today. Looks sweeeet

[62stepside longbox]

Wow looks really good, I need to find Myself a pair of those s10 hubcaps

[Captainfab]

If you have experience with resin and mat, etc. it really isn't that difficult to make up your own shroud if you have the time. I used to have a link saved to a fiberglass forum that showed a step by step on making a fan shroud, but that forum is gone now.

[Brandons63]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

If you have experience with resin and mat, etc. it really isn't that difficult to make up your own shroud if you have the time. I used to have a link saved to a fiberglass forum that showed a step by step on making a fan shroud, but that forum is gone now.

Yeah. I might give it a shot. When is the swap meet? And where?