TA_C10: Stage 1

[TA_C10]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

When boxing stuff in that requires hardware access, drilling some holes to pass wrenches through can help too.

I thought about drilling a hole in my side plates to give access but since I had access I went ahead and just welded the nut to the back. Makes life easier when working under the truck during maintenance

And man it was really difficult getting my welding gun and my big fat head with helmet to see inside there to weld those dang nuts... When I finished up, I was thinking I should have just went to home depot for the right size hole saw and went that route instead lol. But I think this will be better in 4 years when I'm replacing my exhaust again because I think introducing carbon welds to that SS it might not last very long, at least that's what I am learning after all this work.... Whatever.... We shall see.

[siggyfreud]

I did something similar for the rear mounted gas tank on my 66 project so I could drop the tank without needing a wrench up in there. For that I used square nuts, because there was more meat on each corner and less chance to warp it. I also found that putting a bolt in the nut while welding helped from warpage too.

I see that summit carries weld nuts, which I might use on this project.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/a...4aAgXgEALw_wcB

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by siggyfreud

I did something similar for the rear mounted gas tank on my 66 project so I could drop the tank without needing a wrench up in there. For that I used square nuts, because there was more meat on each corner and less chance to warp it. I also found that putting a bolt in the nut while welding helped from warpage too.

I see that summit carries weld nuts, which I might use on this project.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/a...4aAgXgEALw_wcB

It helps to put some high temp anti-seize on the hardware as well.

[siggyfreud]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

It helps to put some high temp anti-seize on the hardware as well.

Good thinking, I didn't think of that.

[TA_C10]

Update - Exhaust - H-Pipe

Beware, lot of pics in this post . I ended up slicing a 45 in half a couple times turning my 45 into more like a 38 degree bend. Welded it all together. I have some pics showing how the saddle cut ends will attach with v-band clamps.

Then I needed to finish my saddle cuts into the adjoining pipes. I got everything set in place and just marked the holes to cut with marker. Then I used a couple different cutoff wheels to make the cuts. Worked out pretty decent. Then I finished welding all the saddle cuts and v-band ends to each section. The v-bands are a great idea I stole from @SCOTI, thanks man.

My welds are getting better, but 2 things. First, pretty sure my voltage was too high and/or not enough wire speed as you can see some holes in center of welds. It will be fine, its exhaust. The second things however is I may have learned that I should have went with similar metals instead of the SS. Just because it was same price wasn't a good reason to grab it. Someone told me that introducing carbon welds to SS might not last very long. I ended up painting my welds with high temp primer and paint for exhaust. So we will find out soon enough. I hope it lasts...

Pic heavy!































This one I wanted to mention how nicely this went together. I put the opposite end together first. Then I welded the h-pipe side v-band clamp end on first. Then the last v-band end ended up being the piece that laid down and made sure everything ended up being perfectly flush. Worked out great.

[MDPotter]

Beautiful work man. What kind of wire and gas did you use?

I have stainless headers and mufflers and was planning to use stainless tubing with stainless wire and the same argon/CO2 mix gas that I use for mild steel welding.

[TA_C10]

I used solid mig .025 steel wire. Not the best choice I know but those were my circumstances. What should be used is stainless wire 308, and should be using trimix gas much better looking weld ( helium, co, argon).

Edit:. And you should really weld a continuous bead rather than spot welding like I did. I'm still figuring this crap out... However I didn't allow any cool down time between spot welds, and I did circular patterns to make sure they overlapped the previous weld so they are joined together decent.

[cornerstone]

I appreciate your willingness to do what I wanted to do but chickend out. I figured if I tried welding on stainless with steel wire and gas it wouldn't hold or some other unknown catastrophe.... Now I know. It looks good man!

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by cornerstone

I appreciate your willingness to do what I wanted to do but chickend out. I figured if I tried welding on stainless with steel wire and gas it wouldn't hold or some other unknown catastrophe.... Now I know. It looks good man!

To be clear, they way it was done it will corrode despite that it looks good now. TA_C10 painted his in those areas to help disguise the inevitable. Even w/stainless wire & Tri-gas.... it will corrode.

[TA_C10]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

To be clear, they way it was done it will corrode despite that it looks good now. TA_C10 painted his in those areas to help disguise the inevitable. Even w/stainless wire & Tri-gas.... it will corrode.

Yup. I said it before, I originally was going to buy mild steel exhaust tubing so those welds were going to rust also. I wasn't interested in making it pretty, it just turned out that way. For now

Use the information as you will, whether you go with SS pipe and welding rod, or all mild steel. I will report back in a few years after I start driving the truck with pics of how it turns out.


.

[TA_C10]

Update - H-Pipe - Exhaust Wrap

Finished the H-Pipe and painted all the welds with high-temp primer and paint. I just used some VHT Flame Proof aluminum color from AZ rated at 2000 degrees. I've used it before on headers and it does pretty decent.

I bought some DEI 2" exhaust wrap for my headers. It turned out ok. We shall see how long it lasts. I had a real problem cutting these straps to the proper length on the drivers side. Passenger side I finally figured it out a little better. This stuff came with a high temp silicone spray. I sprayed it on the passenger side. It's black color which really makes the black wrap look good but I doubt it lasts long. You can see in one of my pics the difference between the color with/without the silicone spray.

[MDPotter]

Well I think the system did turn out pretty. I agree that stainless will corrode too, but it will still last longer than aluminized. I put on a quick and dirty system on my 68 when I first bought it and I have bare steel welds and that exhaust has been sitting out in the elements for a few months now and still has not rusted, but I live in a dry climate. Exhaust systems don't last forever and you'll only see it when you're underneath it, so I don't worry too much about it. I'm not building a show truck, it's a toy that I will drive as much as I can.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by MDPotter

Well I think the system did turn out pretty. I agree that stainless will corrode too, but it will still last longer than aluminized. I put on a quick and dirty system on my 68 when I first bought it and I have bare steel welds and that exhaust has been sitting out in the elements for a few months now and still has not rusted, but I live in a dry climate. Exhaust systems don't last forever and you'll only see it when you're underneath it, so I don't worry too much about it. I'm not building a show truck, it's a toy that I will drive as much as I can.

Exactly. I just didn't want someone to think it was going to stay 'new' appearing. Even the stainless turns in color. It becomes a light grey/tan color where it see the most heat.

My set-up's were Tig'd & purged. The duallys is holding up better than I thought it would (>3yrs/6500 road miles on my dually). I would also encourage wrapping the pipes if they 'crowd' the pass compartment, bed wood, or gas tank. SS loves to retain heat.....

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by TA_C10

Update - H-Pipe - Exhaust Wrap

Finished the H-Pipe and painted all the welds with high-temp primer and paint. I just used some VHT Flame Proof aluminum color from AZ rated at 2000 degrees. I've used it before on headers and it does pretty decent.

I bought some DEI 2" exhaust wrap for my headers. It turned out ok. We shall see how long it lasts. I had a real problem cutting these straps to the proper length on the drivers side. Passenger side I finally figured it out a little better. This stuff came with a high temp silicone spray. I sprayed it on the passenger side. It's black color which really makes the black wrap look good but I doubt it lasts long. You can see in one of my pics the difference between the color with/without the silicone spray.

Turning out VERY nice!

[TA_C10]

Originally Posted by MDPotter

Well I think the system did turn out pretty. I agree that stainless will corrode too, but it will still last longer than aluminized. I put on a quick and dirty system on my 68 when I first bought it and I have bare steel welds and that exhaust has been sitting out in the elements for a few months now and still has not rusted, but I live in a dry climate. Exhaust systems don't last forever and you'll only see it when you're underneath it, so I don't worry too much about it. I'm not building a show truck, it's a toy that I will drive as much as I can.

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Turning out VERY nice!

Thanks guys. I hope to finish the exhaust tomorrow so stay tuned!

[TA_C10]

Update - CPP Hidden Trailer Hitch

Brown box came while I was out of town this week. Brought my new hidden trailer hitch. It seems to be a nice piece. My only issue was that it didn't fit the holes in my frame like it was telling me in the instructions. I ended up having to drill all 3 holes in side of frame. The big 5/8 bolts did however match up on the bottom of the frame.

As a recap, I moved my cross member back a little to make my big 21 gallon burb tank fit but even doing that this piece fit pretty good.

I ended up dropping the tank to install this piece so I painted the bottom half of the tank black just in case it hangs too low so it won't be noticeable from behind.







Here you can see the holes don't line up.

[TA_C10]

I also got another special delivery from the brown truck this week. A little something that should help bring this c10 into the 21st century technology

[cornerstone]

Tell me about your pool noodle driveshaft... I presume you have a dowel rod in it to keep it straight? I don't want to order my driveshaft until I have the cab and bed mounted so the angles are closer to ride height. What do you plan to do your driveshaft?

[TA_C10]

Originally Posted by cornerstone

Tell me about your pool noodle driveshaft... I presume you have a dowel rod in it to keep it straight? I don't want to order my driveshaft until I have the cab and bed mounted so the angles are closer to ride height. What do you plan to do your driveshaft?

The noodle has a broom handle in it. I use it to mock up my driveshaft while I built my H-pipe. I thought about a single shaft at one point too.

I've been thinking about what to do with driveshaft for months now. And I have decided for now I will keep my current 2 piece shaft and simply shorten the front section and have the it prepped with new u-joints. Rear shaft gets new u-joints as well. I'm keeping the existing carrier bearing as well.

The reason I ended up here is money. This is my cheapest solution and it should be just fine for a while as a daily driver. So now let me tell you what I really want to do.

Truck is a long bed, so I'm keeping two shafts. I want that rear slip shaft from Denny's plus their upgraded carrier bearing. It's billet aluminum with poly instead of rubber. Built for racing. Then I want to upgrade the front shaft to larger diameter to match the rear from Denny's. So it's a slip shaft in rear, slip shaft in front. Super strong and very flexible for suspension travel making a smooth ride and long lasting.

If I got a single shaft I would want an upgrade in diameter which would really be a heavy shaft unless I went aluminum. Not to mention expensive. I think the 2 piece upgrade will end up costing pretty close to same so I will probably go that route in my stage 2 when I rebuild the LS and throw a bunch of speed parts at it.

[cornerstone]

Cool, thanks for the detailed answer. I shortened my longbed and still have the original 2 pc. shafts that are in excellent condition. I am under the impression that I have to go with a single pc. shaft, but I may be wrong. I've heard guys say a 2 pc. shaft would be the better choice, but I don't know if that is possible on a shorty. The extra length issue is easily solvable, but since I converted over to a 6L80E, the front yoke is different. I stopped by a local shop in Ft.Worth a while back and he said to get all the weight on the truck before I tackle the driveshaft, that makes sense. I bought a set of 2" aluminum lowering blocks and was planning on modifying them with some 60 grit on a belt sander, instead of using shims to get my pinion angle correct.
Any thoughts?

[TA_C10]

Yeah man, for a short bed I think a single shaft is prob the way to go unless you have clearance problems just because it's easier to measure and deal with. But really if you keep the 2 piece I don't see why that would be a problem even with the 4l80. You just need to shorten the front piece and make sure they supply the correct end to support your 4l80 size u-joints. But if you're planning power, you will at the very least need to upgrade that carrier bearing. Then research the 12 bolt Chevy rear and how to beef it up at the pinion. Then the driveshaft diameter is next weakest link. I think that's right order.

Sanding down those blocks should work, but I just bought some on Amazon for pretty cheap so it's cash vs time on that idea IMO.

[TA_C10]

Couple more days and this exhaust WILL! be done.....

[1971Stepside]

Exhaust turned out nice I think. Interested in the backup camera. I've grown so dependent on mine in my daily that I think I would like one in the 71.

[TA_C10]

Update - Exhaust is complete

Finished the exhaust. I may end up extending the tail pipes later but for now its done.


I purchased SS bar stock, cut to length, bent em up, leveled the mufflers and welded them on for hangars. I reused the rubber isolators that were used on part of the exhaust before as they were still in good shape.

[MDPotter]

Your pictures aren't showing again!