1968/70 C20 Chev Amateur Hour Fix Up

[Aaron3]

I bought a C20 it has a 1968 cab, box, and chassis, with a 1970 front end body on it, it has been converted to propane, with a 350 engine in it. Has a 4 speed manual trany in it. PO had done a rebuild on it 12 years ago (cut out the rust and cleaned it up) i guess he was a welder by trade. the guy he had do the body work was not a pro and the bondo is cracking in a few places.

Things will be a little bit slow this winter on getting much done, as i'm up in Canada and my garageis not heated to work in.

My Plans are.
Get it to pass safety first.
Rebuild the 350 and get rid of the propane, get a few more ponies out of it for fun and still be able to drive it on weekends and camping trips with out going broke on fuel.
Switch the manual trany for a Turbo 400 or 700 (need some incite into if this is easily doable?)
move the Gas tank to the back between the frame
have it painted and fix up the interior, as well as doing some sound proofing.
new tires and rims, maybe drop it a couple inches (can you change the back hubs from a 8 bolt to 6 or 5 with out getting a whole new axle?)

Any help would be appreciated

[Aaron3]

Pic

[Aaron3]

I need to replace the front end sway bar, looking in the web I see some preformance ones as well I see a rear end sway bar?? I don not see one on the rear end on my truck, do people add them on to help with sway, if so where and how?

[dmack91]

You might check the FAQ section for the swaybar install - I have seen it here somewhere.

Regarding the rear axle, I don't believe you can change out the axles for 5 or 6 bolt. It would require new axles and drums. It would be much easier to find a donor truck and swap the complete rear end over. Try to find one that matches the mounts you already have (coil vs. leaf springs). Also, you would probably want to swap over the front at the same time or you would need two different spares. Sounds like the easiest would be to find a complete donor truck, swap out the parts you want, and then sell off the rest.

Regarding the auto swap, I think you would need a different flywheel, the trans, an AT crossmember, driveshaft output and work done to mate it to your current one probably, and the linkages and shifter. The trucks came stock with a TH400, so again, it would be easier to find a donor. As for the newer OD autos, many people have done them and the extra mileage is a plus. I don't know much about the swap, but there are some pitfalls like electronic speedo outputs (that aren't compatible with your manual speedo) and a cable and/or switch that, if not hooked up or adjusted properly, can wreck havoc. Other posts have detailed this quite a bit.

Welcome to the site - you won't find a better source of info and helpful people on the net.

[Aaron3]

Has anyone switch the 4 speed manual transmission, for a 5 speed manual. If so what is the name of the 5 speed? or can you get the gears switched out so that they are not so low on the 4 speed? Just looking for a way to get the ratio better with less work than putting in a Automatic.

[Aaron3]

Any one ever put a NV4500 transmission on to a 350 engine in a C20?

[Aaron3]

Having trouble getting the hazard lights to work, replaced the yellow hazard piece below and have no power where it plugs in. Any help would be apreciatied.........
The signal lights do work.
Also which wire is for the horn?

[Aaron3]

Does any one know what this silver box with the 3 wires that are not pulged in is for?

[tanman722001]

Originally Posted by Aaron3

Does any one know what this silver box with the 3 wires that are not pulged in is for?

Looks like the horn relay