Uncle Loyd's 72' C-10

[MDPotter]

Yes, that joint is in very good condition!

So is this the new project truck?

[MDPotter]

Such a cool truck. Solid work making it more useful for you!

[cornerstone]

Made some more progress on the 68 dump truck. Got the hitch plate welded in, new LED brake and running lights, installed a new turn signal switch, and a brake controller for the backhoe trailer. I ran by Southwest Classic in Arlington and scored a sweet new seat cover. They didn’t stock the all vinyl cover that I wanted…just to keep it more original, but they did have a bright red and red houndstooth that I thought looked real nice. It feels so much better with the broken seat springs fixed and new foam. I sanded and repainted the seat frames before it all went back together. I threw a floor rug on the dining table to do the upholstery work inside the house. Im guessing I’m not the only one who is ready for the fall temps… One of the best parts is no more mouse piss smell! The old seat cushion and cover was the stinky culprit.

[cornerstone]

I drove it into town to get the $7 safety inspection and passed. The little 327 was able to actually hit 59 mph, a new record. Currently it has the stock exhaust manifolds that dump into a single 2.5” pipe and directly into a cherry bomb type glass pack that is about a food past the back of the cab. Loud as all get out. I think I’m going to run an additional muffler and have it dump near the back axle. The bed would only raise up about 3 feet when I got it, and it took some head scratchin’ to figure out the issue. The dump cylinder reservoir is combined inside the cylinder itself. First time I’d seen that. A gallon or 2 later and it’ll raise the bed all the way. When I got home the lighting was right for a picture.

[MDPotter]

Don't make it too nice or you'll be afraid to use it! I find myself wishing somedays that I had kept my truck as a patina truck. Or I could find another one like it to enjoy as more of an original truck...

[TA_C10]

Looks great. 327 eh? Would love to see a diesel going in that... I need to fix seat springs, didn't know you could fully replace them. Instructions? Parts place?

[cornerstone]

Originally Posted by TA_C10

Looks great. 327 eh? Would love to see a diesel going in that... I need to fix seat springs, didn't know you could fully replace them. Instructions? Parts place?

I didn’t replace any, just welded them back together and added some additional for more support. It’s really pretty simple upholstery work overall. You could rebuild your seat in a day easily with your skills.

[Low Elco]

How did I miss this? Great progress, we gotta see where this goes!

[cornerstone]

This week I built a dump bed for the truck. The back gate functions 2 ways, it opens up like barn doors do and also stays solid but hinges at the top in order to spread material like gravel for a driveway. The original bedsides were made from wood and painted red. I’ve been asking my friends what color they thought would look best for the new bed and they all are saying black. I kinda thought red would look good, what do y’all think? The black paint on it now is only rattle can Krylon at the moment, just to keep the surface rust at bay. After I decide what color to go with, I’ll shoot it with an automotive paint with hardener.

[TA_C10]

Tuff question right there. That black looks really good. But I dunno, after seeing Shannon's red frame and interior with the silver paint, I'm leaning towards red for this big Bertha, and I'm not a red guy.

[Kronald_70GMC]

My vote is for red. It will look much nicer with the colour of the cab IMO. Box looks very nice btw 👍🏻

[MDPotter]

Red!

[1971Stepside]

I’m going with red…of course

[cornerstone]

Just checking in to reminisce and look for updates to the project trucks I was following. I still haven't got any work done on my 72, but I do have a better place to work on it these days. I finally installed a solar panel system that I bought a few years ago in my pole barn. I also have enclosed roughly half of the building. Having the room to work, electricity and cover from the wind and rain is going to be great. I'm hoping to move all of my tools down there this week, then the truck will be moved after that. I've got tools scattered all over my place and am really looking forward to getting it all organized again, in hopes of getting back on track and get this classic beauty roadworthy.

I hope all you fellas have a great 2023!

[zicc1835]

wow what a ride ....since your recent re-visit to my build thread I had to find yours took me 2 nights to read through ....talk about talent ...awesome work on all you have done interesting how all things kind of interrupt our build plans.. we sold a jersey shore house we had for 20 years along with boats and my 72 Cheyenne added a family room and kitchen down stairs that leads to the new inground pool at the North Jersey house ...all during the covid mess ..had our first grand baby turned 70 and reluctantly started collecting SS.. purchase a mason dump to haul my trailer and other equipment to maintain some commercial property we own, meantime I shifted gears put my 69 Doc & Kim build in storage unit and figured I would finish the Stepside,,all while typing with 2 fingers ...I really enjoyed your build thread and there are some parallels to what you and I have done which made me smile reading throughout the big difference is Im just a parts changer I wish I had half the talent you have ...good luck with all you got going on and a Healthy Happy New Year to You and family and thanks for checking in on my build .......
Jess

[cornerstone]

Originally Posted by zicc1835

...had our first grand baby turned 70 and reluctantly started collecting SS..
Jess

I can only hope that I'm healthy and strong enough to do half as much as you do when I hit 70. Congratulations on your grand baby! I envy you there! We don't have any yet...

[cornerstone]

Some seriously long overdue cleaning was in order. It sure felt good to power wash the crud off the truck and look over all the work I've done so far. Now that I have electricity and a few walls up in the pole barn, I wanted to relocate the project to a larger workspace. I used some scrap plate steel and built a tow hitch that bolts to the front frame horns. The skid steer made it a one man job.

[cornerstone]

Is it wrong to have spring fever in February?

I've noticed after this much time I've lost track of what my next course of action was planned to be. I got to thinking about it pretty often so I figured it'd be smart to pull all the cleaned and bagged hardware out and list it on an inventory sheet so I can see what all is missing in hopes of being more ready for assembly. I had the opportunity to mess around with the 72 this afternoon, so I lifted the bed back off to have more room to work. I'm planning on mounting the drop down battery tray and get some battery cables made after that. I also started pre assembling the brake pedal/ steering column/ booster/ master cylinder and proportioning valve. Take a look at these pics and tell me if you think I got the right brake booster. Sorry for the sideways pic. I bought it new at a swap meet a couple years ago. The vendor told me it would work for my application, but it sure looks to be sticking out farther than I expected. Another thing I noticed on the truck is the the stock brake lines only have 2 lines total (one for the front brakes and one for the back brakes), but the proportion valve has 3 ports with one port labeled front right, one labeled front left, and one port labeled rear brakes. The directions were about as useful as a pocketknife left in your sock drawer. Another thing I've been contemplating is loosing the air ride. I probably will end up trying it out since I've already done most of the work involved, but my gut tells my I'm not going to like the general performance (or lack there of). Plus the novelty of picking your ride height will probably fade away pretty fast if I were to guess. I'm second guessing the air tank location and size as well. Any thoughts?

[clay68c10]

The stock front brake lines have a splitter T somewhere on the crossmember. A lot of the prop valves are like your new one with 2 front outputs. You could run new lines or get the single outlet valve. I'm going to run the newer style and mount it down low on the frame, but I need to run all new lines anyway.

[cornerstone]

Happy to report some progress. I got the drop down battery box mounted under the bed behind the cab on the passenger side frame with a custom made bracket. Also installed a 200 amp circuit breaker directly next to the battery box connected to the positive 2 awg. cable and routed it to the front drivers side of the engine compartment. That's where my computer will reside for the L83. I'm pretty much copying TA-C10's design with a couple minor changes. I also dug up my original truck wire harness and gave it a good cleaning and inspection. Happy to report my Uncle Loyd took excellent care of his wiring and only one splice was made over all the years. I plan to take off all the factory tape and separate all the wiring that won't be used in the new set up, then re-tape and loom everything into different sections.

While I was rolling around on my creeper under the truck I was reminded of another issue that needs to be addressed, and that would be to add clearance around the driveshaft. You'll notice in the pics the driveshaft has rub marks on it where it has rubbed the back lowest part of the cab. It is also that close to the top of the driveshaft loop in the CPP lowering center crossmember as well. I may even have to change the pinion angle. In addition, I don't like the way the engine cover is so close to what used to be the wiring channel on the now smooth firewall so I wanna do something about that too. I got to thinking that it may be the custom motor mounts I made are causing both of these problems. It's possible I placed the engine too high in the bay which would cause both of the 2 issues previously mentioned.

[cornerstone]

I also fit the chrome front grille surround and a new ignition switch with bezel. I loaded up the doors with all their components and had some trouble getting both of the upper rollers into the track on the door glass. I'll get my son to be a second set of hands and eyes to help me get it right next time.

[clay68c10]

Looking good!
If you're up for moving the engine around, the Speedway stands look like a good option. I have the Holley version and they really sit the engine down nice and low.

[MySons68C20]

Originally Posted by clay68c10

Looking good!
If you're up for moving the engine around, the Speedway stands look like a good option. I have the Holley version and they really sit the engine down nice and low.

Totally agree with this!^^^^^^

It should solve your problems with the driveshaft rubbing and your pinion angle.

[cornerstone]

One step forward, two steps back. When I started this project the aftermarket had not yet produced motor mounts for my application, so I bought a universal set of "hot rod" mounts and took my best guess where to position the engine. At that time I still had the factory oil pan as well, which kept me from going as low as I wanted to. Now that the Holley 302 oil pan is on it there is much more clearance between the pan and crossmember. Like the 2 most recent comments suggest, I think the pinion angles and driveshaft clearance issues will be resolved if I install properly designed mounts. Yesterday I ordered the parts, and today I took the front end and cab back off. I also dragged it back up to the house and gave it a much needed power washing. The last time I pulled the cab I used a beam that made contact with the inner roof panel. I put some padding between the metal and the beam but it still made some scuff marks, so this time I redesigned the beam to carry the weight on the top of the door jambs. I cut a notch in a 6x6 that allowed the pinch welded flanges room so they wouldn't get bent in the process. This method worked better than the first as the cab was much more solid while up in the air. See pics.

[cornerstone]

I also made a panel to mount the computer, fuse box, and +/- terminals. This idea was directly stolen without permission from TA_C10.