1968 - Beatrice - Project Daily Driver

[Janz99]

Hi guys, I thought I would pop in and introduce myself and the new project truck I am starting on.

My name is Ryan, I am currently living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I have been looking for a 67-72 c10 for awhile now on and off. I came across this truck one day browsing the local Kijiji adds and eating my morning Cheerios. I immediately contacted the seller and made plans to view the truck. Circumstances came up and I was not able to make it out to look at the truck.

A month or so later the add was taken down, out of curiosity I sent a text to Wes to see if it sold. To my surprise it didn't sell and we made plans once again to view the truck. It turns out Wes is a board member who also had a build thread. Here is the link to Wes's original build thread:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...light=winnipeg


The truck was perfect for what I was looking for. I want to build a truck that I can daily drive (even in our crappy winters). I had looked at a few trucks locally but they were littered with cancer and didn't want to deal with that much rust repair. Wes had already taken care of all the rust repair on this truck and it would make a great starting point for my project.

Pictures from looking at the truck at Wes's house:

















I made Wes an offer on the truck and after a few days of back and forth on the price, we finally came to an agreement on something that worked for both of us. This weekend we made our way down with a trailer and loaded it up.

















Unloaded on my front street, ready to go to the garage for the upcoming work:

[Janz99]

My goal for the truck is for it to eventually be my daily driven hotrod. That would include being able to drive it year round in our bitter winters. To me, the only option was to do an engine swap with something more modern then the carbureted 283 that's currently in the truck. A fuel injected LS motor would fit this bill nicely.

I purchased a mostly complete 5.3L LS from my neighbor:





The engine above is a gen3 motor. I have tendency to turbocharge everything I own and the likely hood of this truck having a small turbo on it is pretty high. I found a set of the beefier gen4 rods and pistons from a 5.3 to swap in while I freshen the engine.





I also want the wife to be able to drive the truck once in awhile if needed, so an automatic transmission would also be part of the swap plans. I found a 4L80E from a guy that was a few hours away. It turns out his friend was passing through the city and was able to drop it off.









That's all for now. I have a ton of parts to start ordering and a lot of research to do. I'll try and keep this as up to date as I can.

[GR8-68]

Looks like a great start for a project, looking forward to seeing updates on the progress

[boostedc10]

Nice start and love the direction you are headed!

[Janz99]

Thanks guys, I am in this one for the long haul. Hopefully it will be something I can give to my little guy when he is old enough to drive.

I have a few questions regarding the LS swap as well as a few other general questions about the truck:

1. Currently the truck is a manual 3 speed, if I sourced a column from an automatic, does anyone make a cable setup that I can use the factory column with the 4L80e? Id like to keep as much floor space as I can since these cabs are already pretty small.

2. I see a few companies make swap mounts for the LS, does anyone make the 4L80E mount as well?

3. The truck currently has a manual steering box, id really like to change this over to a powered steering box. I have found a few "kits" to do the conversion but they are $600 or more. Is there a more cost effective way to do this conversion?

I would be using the LS power steering pump, I could make return lines and have a shop make the high pressure line. If I can buy just the powered box and any other components needed for the new box, it looks like I could do the conversion for much less then the kits that are offered? Any input on this would be great.

[Janz99]

I had some time tonight so I started pulling apart the LS motor. Its all apart aside from a few sensors I still need to pull out. Heads still need to be disassembled and a few exhaust manifold bolts that need to be machined out.

Hopefully I can bring the block and heads down to the machine shop later this week or weekend.





Also found this mallet I made a little over 10 years ago when I was a tool and die apprentice. Great for taping on stubborn main caps.

[t300]

Originally Posted by Janz99

1. Currently the truck is a manual 3 speed, if I sourced a column from an automatic, does anyone make a cable setup that I can use the factory column with the 4L80e? Id like to keep as much floor space as I can since these cabs are already pretty small.

Glad to see it got picked up / still in Manitoba! Yep there are cable setups available, you can also use factory automatic linkage with minor mods which is what I did on my 4l60e (not that you have that with the standard though...)

converting the trans to 2wd yourself?

[Janz99]

Originally Posted by t300

Glad to see it got picked up / still in Manitoba! Yep there are cable setups available, you can also use factory automatic linkage with minor mods which is what I did on my 4l60e (not that you have that with the standard though...)

converting the trans to 2wd yourself?

That's great to hear, I will have to start sourcing an auto column and linkage. Should make for a nice clean install if i can get it all to work together.

Yes, the plan is i am going to attempt to rebuild the trans myself. I've opened up a th400 before so this isn't far off. I bought a service manual for it, so hopefully the instructions will be decent.

I still need to source a 2wd housing and output shaft. I see there is a bunch on ebay, I'm just not sure of the quality of the shaft? The other option is possibly getting the output shaft directly from GM, but it may be mega $$.

I would really like to find a powered steering box for the truck. That way I can do the swap while the engine is out.

[trac209]

Originally Posted by Janz99

That's great to hear, I will have to start sourcing an auto column and linkage. Should make for a nice clean install if i can get it all to work together.

Yes, the plan is i am going to attempt to rebuild the trans myself. I've opened up a th400 before so this isn't far off. I bought a service manual for it, so hopefully the instructions will be decent.

I still need to source a 2wd housing and output shaft. I see there is a bunch on ebay, I'm just not sure of the quality of the shaft? The other option is possibly getting the output shaft directly from GM, but it may be mega $$.

I would really like to find a powered steering box for the truck. That way I can do the swap while the engine is out.

Hey Ryan you can use a power steering box from a 73 to 86,that's what I did but you would need different hoses to go to the LS pump I would wager. You're garage looks very familiar lol...

[Janz99]

I had a great day today with the family picking up this parts truck. Its an 84 thats been stripped down but has everything I need. Front disc brakes in 5 lug, power steering, sway bar, and possibly the diff since its also 5 lug.

[trac209]

Nice score,you can just bolt the whole crossmember up to your truck and your done.

[Janz99]

Thanks, that's exactly what I am hoping. I'll pull it all apart and rebuild everything then swap it over to Beatrice.

I still need to figure out what swap LS mounts will now work with this cross member.

[Janz99]

Not a ton to update but I managed to do a little work this week. Made it out to the junk yard to pick up a stock rad and a few odds and ends that I needed.




My Dad and I also got the parts truck taken apart.











Im hoping to get the rest of the parts truck to the junk yard this week. The LS heads are back from the machine shop and ready to assemble. I just need to find the time to do the work.

[STAP54]

Great find, heading in the right direction too! Thanks for sharing.

[trac209]

That last pic makes the mustang look like a 4x4 in the making lol.