68 Stepside for me; the Truck-A-Holic

[Beetle]

Hey guys, I am Jason and I am a truck-a-holic. This will be my 3rd truck in less than a year. I am a full time student, work 40 hours a week and I don't have time for projects (Why do I keep getting them is beyond me). The GMC sat for MONTHS when I got it, I finally gave up on that one, sold it to buy the 72 K5 which I had for less than 6 months and got tired of seeing it sit and collect dust. Thankfully it went to a home that can love it and fix it since I don't have the time, money or talent to do so. Well the K5 has left my garage and my life. It's going to a way better home, someone who can really do what needs done as I just do not have the talent nor time to do. I did subsequently rejoin the 67-72 truck world as I traded this for the Blazer.
Great news is THIS ONE RUNS AND DRIVES!! No work needed to drive her up n down the road.
68 Short Step, all original just missing radio. Since I missed the 6 cylinder truck I had in my GMC I decided I wanted another 6 pot shortbed truck. Behold my short step. Now Dad and I have matching trucks This one here has a rebuilt 250 backed up by a Powerglide. A POWERGLIDE! How awesome! I didn't know they came with Powerglides!!

So the six has Power steering, internal voltage regulator, a new carb, HEI (go ahead n say it), all new brakes and somewhat of a patina. With the trade I received cab corners, rockers, and 5 lug set up for the front.

PLANS: I am strictly sticking to this as I need to actually finish a damn project for once.

BFG Silvertown Whitewalls 235/75R15s on the original steelies which will be painted red and have baby moons. Door logos that will advert Dad and I's old biz: J&R Automotive and the logos will be weathered. The guy doing them does amazing work. I may drop it a bit, dunno if I will bag it but I am still thinking on that.

Thoughts? Opinions? Anyone with a non-working OEM radio I can put in the hole? I don't need music, I just want the hole filled.

Thanks for lookin!









Original dealership plaque I guess is what you'd call it

[slowcpe]

Nice truck. Looks like mine but in better shape.

[Beetle]

Yea she hardly has any rust, found me a good one. Thanks to Bhelton on this one!

[Beetle]

Well folks, the truck is getting BAGGED!! This past week I have bought front bag mounts, a step notch and a Little Larry's Four Play for the ride management. I bought 4 2600 bags, a Viair Compressor and Tank last month. All that is left is airline. have also done thrown some S10 caps on. Gonna be a good lookin truck in a few weeks.

[gdavis]

That looks like my old truck when I first purchased it three years ago. and a ton of dollars and hours later. good luck george

[Cash3481]

Good luck, Ill be watching!

[aggie91]

Nice truck. Will be watching this one.

[Beetle]

Little update on this, I have been daily driving it as of today! Needs paint, a cab, wheels and LS swap. I have regeared the rear to a 3.08 so the 6/Powerglide isn't too bad right now but I feel a 4.8/4L80 would be more fun to daily

[Beetle]

Alright, update time. I have been DD'ing this for a week now. Finally wrapped her up last Saturday and subsuquently drove it 200 miles Sunday and had no issues whatsoever. Since my hiatus I have been in Germany and doing other stuffs n things and life was in the way. The truck is "finished" but there are many many more things I need to do to really finish it. While I was away The truck was under the knife by a friend of mine who did all the heavy welding on the c notch and triangulated 4 link. After a year at his shop it went to my Dad's where he installed the front bags, ac, spindles and front steering stuff we swapped from his 71 style. My 71+ spindles didn't jive with my 68 stock PS setup. Also during my hiatus I made a friend a few miles from Dad's house who was dying for a short step and well, I always wanted a fleet so we did an even swap. Also done during the truck being built was a 3.08 open carrier stuffed in the stock 12 bolt. She gets almost 18 MPGs on the wide open highway at 75

Still on the list of stuff needed/wanted.

PB front crossmember
PB bolt on body drop
Bigger wheels
Aaaaand possibly a 350 swap, still up in the air with that
Another compressor, cause one aint cutting it
Find the leak in the front driver bag

Pics time!
At my buddies' shop. Didn't get there much to watch him work. I let him be and do his thing.




Back at Dad's






Found me an OEM radio to fill the hole


Most of the wiring you see has been replaced, that was super temporary. I now have a relay and pressure switch all in one unit mounted on the tank


Found me a chrome valve cover for the 6!


Bed time






So, I will keep this a bit more updated for now on. It is still in the under construction phase but it is my daily at the same time. Keep checking back, I may be slow but I am here!

[GR8-68]

Looks like a great project, looking forward to getting the updates

[3drburb]

Nice build.

[STAP54]

Looks like a great start to a great build? See you're in Fayetteville? I'm here as well...I've been seeing a few C10s running around now that it started getting warmer. We'll have to get together some time?

Steve

[Beetle]

Originally Posted by GR8-68

Looks like a great project, looking forward to getting the updates

l thanks

Originally Posted by 3drburb

Nice build.

Thanks

Originally Posted by STAP54

Looks like a great start to a great build? See you're in Fayetteville? I'm here as well...I've been seeing a few C10s running around now that it started getting warmer. We'll have to get together some time?

Steve

Steve, for sure. I sent you a PM

[hewittca]

Cool little truck. I like the original paint on the cab, what are your plans for the paint? Are you going to try to match the bed, or have the whole thing painted?

[Beetle]

Originally Posted by hewittca

Cool little truck. I like the original paint on the cab, what are your plans for the paint? Are you going to try to match the bed, or have the whole thing painted?

I am on the hunt for a new cab since mine is completely shot, a more straight grille, a better OE hood (the cowl hood is Dad's) as well as new fenders. Once I have sourced all that, truck is going to bare frame, POR15 the frame, do the bolt on body drop from Porterbuilt, clean off the gunk and reseal and repaint the engine, then new cab will get a flush firewall and then from there paint it. I am in the air about paint. I am unsure about color as I have a few ideas bouncing around my head. I want a nice metallic root beer brown, been lookin at maybe silver with red under hood and inside the cab, or just do a hot rod flatz blue with white roof. Unsure still but I will eventually make my mind up.

[GR8-68]

I like the hot rod flatz idea

[Beetle]

Originally Posted by GR8-68

I like the hot rod flatz idea

Me too

Great meeting you Sunday!



Sooooo little update time. We did the Run To The Sun car show in Myrtle 2 weekends ago. Sunday leaving out we hopped in the truck and she wouldn't crank, battery was dead. Couldn't figure out why however. Well we got a jump and headed down the road thinking that was the end of it. It was not however. Alternator took a crap on us sometime that weekend and just didn't know it yet. Well we just so happened to break down a few miles from a shop called Southern Fried Garage where just the night before we had a cruise in for a grand opening. The shop owner seen me sitting there and we talked a minute, told him what was going on and went and got a jump pack. Drove it to his shop 2 minutes away. All the while my Mom was coming to rescue us. So she met us at his shop, we all rolled to an Advance to grab a new alternator. Got back to Southern Fried and put it on my truck and the truck still wasn't charging. We tried several different things, keep in mind this is a one wire internally regulated alternator. It was getting late I had to be at work the next day. Shop owner gave me the option of letting him look at it or just store it there all week. I let him look at it. Well he kept it all last week and this past weekend Dad and I went to pick it up. Shop owner put a new battery in the truck and this along with the new alternator fixed it. He is a real cool guy to work with by the way. If you are ever in Myrtle Beach look up the shop. He does audio, works on these trucks, does all kinds of cool stuff.

Well the saga didn't end there. On the way back from Myrtle the C10 died on us twice. We think maybe just some trash got in the line and stopped up the carb ever so slightly. Well this got us thinking, along with how anemic this truck is on the highway. The reliability and just overall highway cruiser of that 6 is just not there. I have a 350 TBI motor sitting in Dad's shop. We took a valve cover off yesterday and it looks brand new. The guy we got it from said it was recently rebuilt and only fired once. They took it out, as they went the LS route and that is how last year I scored that motor with a 700R4 for $600. Well I think we are putting that 350 in my truck. Plan with that is to carb it, stuff it in my truck with a nice lumpy cam and chambered exhaust. The 350 already has front accessories, and has a serpentine setup. I will either keep the PowerGlide in the truck or swap in an NV3500. Haven't truly decided yet on that part. For now, the truck is going to sit. I just do not trust it to drive until I get it rewired, and motor swapped. This will also give me time to source a cab and whole new front clip. Tear down will be soon, look for pics in the coming days

So shopping list that might happen sooner rather than later

I am going with a Quick Fuel SL-600-VS Carb
Some sort of lumpy cam (I have manual brakes, keeping it that way)
Mech fuel pump
HEI dizzy
Aluminum intake (maybe a high rise)
Rewire truck
Find a better cab
Find better or buy new front clip
Paint it Hot Rod Flatz Blue with a white grille and roof
New chrome bumpers, grille bezels and headlight bezels
Wheels - Leaning towards Riddler 651s 20/22s

This is the shade of blue I want, guy of the name of waspp here has it.


Stay tuned, same bat time, same bat channel

[GR8-68]

It was great meeting you and your dad also, hope all the parts work out for you.