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Old 08-30-2012, 10:32 PM   #1
66 C10 383
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My First Classic Truck Build

Let me give a little rundown of the what & why of my truck build ...

Having a few Camaros in the past, I'm not new to doing upgrades to my cars. My last drivable project was an 84 Cutlass that slowly progressed from the stock 3.8/auto to a 350 Chevy with TH350 auto. That turned into a 383 TPI motor with a T5 manual. The 383 soon ate that T5 and I bought an Aftermarket Tremec T56 and swapped on an Accel Superam in place of the stock TPI plenum and runners.

The 383 ended up breaking a ring land and ring ... time for a rebuild. But, most automotive guys like us can't just do a simple rebuild ...

Well, by the time the checkbook was empty my little 383 was now a 385 (.040 bore) with AFR 190 heads, Comp XFI 280 hydraulic roller cam (230 int./236 exh. @ .050 0.576" int./0.570" exh. on 113* Lobe Separation) with about 10-1 compression. The Superam plenum is beefed up with a 58mm Holley throttle body and 30# injectors. Estimates are in the 450 - 500 range for both horsepower and torque. The T56 will again be behind the 383.

My initial plans and goals for the 66 is a (mainly) daily driven truck. Not quite rat rod but nothing super fancy either. Kinda leaning towards a satin black ...

I've always thought a flatbed/stake bed truck with beer keg gas tanks on each side (between the cab and rear tires) would be sweet looking and my Corvette side pipes will now be exhaust stacks behind the cab. My 20 gal. fuel cell will probably be my main tank in the rear frame rails rather than trying to modify 2 beer kegs to run my fuel injection.

I plan on lowering it probably with 2.5" spindles/2" front springs and between a 3" or 4" drop in back. I'd like to have some rake but nothing drastic. The drop amount will be determined by the tire sizes to get that "just right" stance.

A "Hot Rod Flatbed" has to have some decent sized rear tires (and $500 each M/T Sportsman's are outta my budget!) I've been looking at running 305/50/20's on a set of black or gray Showwheels Streeters 20x10's and probably 255/55/18's on front.

Since this will be driven regularly, a few modern conveniences are in order, namely power steering and power disc brakes along with a/c.

I'll start all my questions in my next post ...
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Old 08-31-2012, 12:25 AM   #2
66 C10 383
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Okay, I know how everyone likes pics so before the flood of questions begin, here's what I'm starting with. It looks worse than it really is as it does start and run with the exception of the missing battery & master cylinder.





The front fenders and rockers have been replaced with new. The body mounts are still in great shape too. I have all new weatherstripping and various other parts for it also.

A couple interior shots, as is, thinking of repainting the inside black ...




The bench seat will be replaced with some type of factory buckets (2000 Camaro maybe ?) for more comfy cruising. I also have a set of new unused Dakota Digital gauges from my previous project 86 Cutlass that looks like they'll fit with very minor modifications. At least length and height are less than the instrument cluster so I'm thinking it should fit ...

There are a few bad spots in the body that I might get fixed but that is after it's driveable.




That's the front lower edge of the hood, and what doesn't show in pics are 2 small dents, 1 in the roof and another in the upright panel of the door.

Here's the driver that my friend bought. My truck was his project truck until he bought this one.




Here's some various pics of some of the other stuff I plan on throwing on it.

My Aftermarket Tremec T56 - The plate in the bottom pic adapts the T56 to a standard Muncie style bellhousing.




Okay, now for the questions ...

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Old 08-31-2012, 01:55 AM   #3
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Front Crossmember - An early 80's front crossmember is planned first of all. Naturally most parts will be replaced with new. I've seen several build threds where these were swapped. Is there any tricks to getting them bolted in squarely?

Brakes - I have a pair of 2000 Corvette C5 front calipers. Will these be adequate for this truck? I do plan on using the 5x5 1.25" 13" front rotors and don't plan on any high speed 100+ mph stops or heavy hauling. The stock Vette rotors are 13" diameter and 1.25" thick so I'm hoping the calipers will work with the available 5x5 13" 1.25 C10 style rotors. Of course I'll have to buy or make an adapter bracket for the drop spindles to C5 calipers. If the C5 calipers aren't strong enough to stop this truck then I'll just use the stock mid 80's brakes until I can get a 13" front setup.

For a rear disc conversion I have a 2000 Camaro setup with the internal e-brake. Again, are these calipers strong enough to stop this truck? If so, anybody know where to buy a 12" rear rotor that's compatible with the Camaro internal e-brake with a 5x5 bolt pattern? Since I need to buy rotors anyway I could have the Camaro rotors redrilled for the 5x5 truck.

Bellhousing - My truck has the 3 speed with no rear crossmember under the tranny. It has the crossmember under the bellhousing. In doing my research, I've read of several guys running Muncie style 4 speeds without a rear crossmember. But my T56 is a LOT heavier than a 4 speed. Isn't the stock 66 C10 3 speed the same pattern as the Muncie 4 speed? Will it take an 11" flywheel/clutch/pressure plate? Is it possible/feasible to remove the bellhousing crossmember and just use the bellhousing as is and then add in a rear style transmission crossmember?

Can anyone give my a clue as for the wheel backspace/offset

Thanks for reading and any help/adviseyou can give.
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Old 03-05-2013, 07:48 PM   #4
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

thats a good looking truck and your as bad as i am... its all about the motor
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Old 03-06-2013, 03:02 PM   #5
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Nice truck. I'm sure someone will answer your questions about the brakes. Lots of knowledgeable guys around here.
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Old 03-06-2013, 03:33 PM   #6
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Both of those trucks look great. Thanks for sharing. The spots on the hoods and fenders are typical spots for rust, as are the rockers, cab supports, cab corners, door bottoms and floors. There is a ton of info on the crossmember swaps here, just have to do some search work. Use the search box on the top of the page and the 67-72 button will help narrow it down.
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Old 03-06-2013, 10:30 PM   #7
66 C10 383
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Quote:
Originally Posted by flips72 View Post
thats a good looking truck and your as bad as i am... its all about the motor
LoL ... yeah, well, I had this 383 and T56 and HAD to find something to put it in ...

A few things have changed since I last posted on 8/12. Been doing a LOT of research right here on this forum. Haven't worked on the truck any due to the weather and it being outside. No garage, no progress ...

I've decided to keep the stock 66 crossmember and update the a-arms to the newer 81 C10 since I'm buying one for parts. 81 power steering and linkage, power brakes, etc. Mostly new parts of course. Planned drop is 2.5 McGaughy spindles and probably run the Moog 6102 with half a coil cut which, from what I've read is about a 1 1/2" drop for a total of 4" in front. While the lower a-arms are out I might as well do the freebie caster mod, too. Found a set of blockhugger headers that look like they'll fit so I won't drag a set of long tubes with my 4" drop.

Wheels and tires will probably stick with 15 x 8's so I can rotate.

My first plan of attack is get the front suspension and brakes rebuilt and the motor/tranny installed after sprucing up under the hood a bit with some paint. I'd still like some confirmation, is the hole in the stock 6 cyl bellhousing the same size as a Muncie 4 speed? If so, then my 6 speed will be a direct bolt in. If not, then I'm back to looking for a bell ...

Just outta curiousity, what rear gear would you look at for some decent fuel mileage? Tires are going to be about 27", my Aftermarket T56 has the .62 final gear (rather than the normal .50 most 6 speeds have), fuel injected 383 and the cam is a 230* 236* on 113 LSA (Comp 280XFI hyd roller) with about 9.5 or 10 -1 compression. Comp says the cam range is 2000-5000 rpm. With a decent tune, I'd like to see 20 mpg if that's even reasonable ... By my calculations, a 27" tire with 4.11 gears with my .62 final (equals a 2.54 ratio) will put me about 1738 rpm at 55 mph (and 2054 at 65). a 4.56 rear gear (2.82 final) will net about 1950 rpm at 55 and 2281 rpm at 65. Most of my driving is at 55 but if I ever need to make a "road trip!" then it's still highway friendly.

I'm looking at running my 3.5 Corvette style sidepipes tucked up under the truck, crossing thru the frame and running the pipes on the outside of the frame unseen. Lopey cam and Vette style sidepipes ... here's a couple vids to get your imagination working if you can meld the two together ...

What the sidepipes sounds like ... http://youtu.be/DJHQ7YRSzZo

And the cam in my 383 ... http://youtu.be/FhY4bgyuMig

I'd like to publically give thanks to Cameron Anderson of Dakota Digital for customer service WAY beyond the call of duty. I bought the digital gauges for an 86 Cutlass (my previous project) well over 4 years ago and never got to use them. Never even powered them up or installed in the car. Sent him a email to ask what they'd charge to convert my Cutlass gauges to use in my 66 C10. "If they've never been used we'll swap it over for just the cost of shipping." So, now I have a brand new set of Dakota Digital gauges that will bolt right into my 66 instruemnt panel !!!

In doing my research I've seen a bunch of really sweet trucks on this forum that has given me many ideas. A lot of you guys have nicer trucks than I'll ever see much less be able to build. But, it'll be a daily driver as nice as I can make it. I'll still enjoy driving the wheels (tires) off it ...

Sorry for being so long winded, just wanted to update with my newer plans.

Doug

Last edited by 66 C10 383; 03-06-2013 at 10:56 PM.
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Old 07-07-2013, 11:21 PM   #8
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Sometimes, progress just can't be seen but I guess any progress is better than none. Sharper defined plans, acquiring parts ....

The oil pan pictured in the pics above will be disappearing to be replaced with a stock style Moroso pan/pickup for header clearance.

Thanks go to markeb01 for inspiring me to reinstall my Pete Jackson gear drive. It's unusual to hear a gear drive in a fuel injected motor but I've spent a lot of time in the past on ThirdGen.org which deals with this style TPI injected motors and some of the guys there even run them. According to them, the gear drives do not affect the knock sensor because of the different frequency the engine hears as knock vs. the frequency the gear drives put out. These guys tune their own motors and can tell what affects the timing and what don't. They know more than I'll ever know there ... besides, I've run one in different cars both carbed and this same fuel injection unit I've had for literally years with no ill effects.

My buddy and I pulled the head off my motor to freshen up and put on his truck. We noticed his had a miss to the engine and a bit of oil in the cylinder revealed his had valve problems. While we were at it we got mine as close to ready to pull out as we could without actually pulling it out. But, it's ready.

I sold some stocks I had saved up and started acquiring some parts. American Autowire harness, Captainfab's power steering and brake booster adapters (VERY nice parts !!!), Early Classic Ent. 2.5" drop spindles and 1.5" drop front springs, Hedman Hedders 69010 uncoated mid-length headers, and 4 brand new shiny wheels.

I had a tough time figuring out which wheels to use. 17" or 18" and use my C5 Corvette front/LS1 Camaro Rear disc brakes ... stay with 15's and run stock style disc/drums on 5 lugs ... steel wheels ... aluminum wheels ... American (Chinese) wheels or made in the good ol' USA ... I finally made my decision ...

Pic courtesy of Summit Racing ...)



Eagle Alloys 15 x 8 with a 3.96 backspace. Made in USA too. I'm going for a kinda sporty late 70's - mid 80's type build and I think they'll go along rather nicely.

Still trying to decide on whether to run 255/60's all around so I can rotate or run a 275/60 245/60 combo for a slight big/little rake ...

Next order will be my brake booster/master and some Moser 5 lug rear axles along with several smaller items to finish getting my motor/tranny buttoned up and get it ready to drop in. After that, it'll be ball joints and a-arm bushings to get my suspension buttoned up and some rotors so I can get it all back on the ground with my new wheels ...

So, a basement full of parts with more on the way in a few days along with a more clear direction I'm heading on my build equals ... progress, just nothing you can see ...

Slowly getting there, hopefully by summers end I can get it to move under it's own power.

Last edited by 66 C10 383; 09-11-2013 at 01:35 PM.
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Old 09-12-2013, 12:48 AM   #9
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Progressing slowly but I'm plugging along the best I can. As mentioned earlier, my truck is 45 miles from where I live thanks to city ordinances and no garage. So, it's sitting at a friends house who lives out in the country in his back 40 ...

I took this week off work and managed to get a bunch (for my rate of progress at least) done. During the summer the weeds had tried to claim my truck so we went out and reclaimed it. Got everything cut away, aired up the tires, hooked the 4 wheeler to it and pulled it out in the open so we could get a few things done. We'd previously pulled the head off the 250 6 cylinder since I wasn't using it so we could rebuild it and put it on my buddy's truck which has a bad valve.

I know you guys like pics so here's some as we journey thru my week's progress ... these are thumbs so just click on the image for a better look ...

Before - in the weeds ...



To out in the open ... here's a better look at what I have to work with.





The picture with the white van in the background was where it sat beside it (on the drivers side) for several years. Yeah, it was kinda hard to access ...

We pulled it around to the other side of the house and got the engine pulled !!! Yeah I know ... but it's a big step in the right direction for me ... disassembly has begun !!! Step 1 was done ...

Before we pulled the hood ...



We had to rid the hood of the yellow jacket nest ... Step 1.5 ...



After they subsided a bit we finally got the hood off. Step 2 checked off the list ...



After unbolting and unhooking everything out came the engine. Since we had limited height to work with we decided to pull the motor and tranny separately ...



We then pulled the exhaust and driveshaft. That was it for the night ... got all that done yesterday.

Went back over today after my friend got off work and got the 3 speed tranny pulled and the heater box off the firewall. I'll be installing a Vintage Air Gen IV so it won't be needed ... more spare parts for my buddy's truck ...

Thankfully while I was under the truck I was checking out the floor pans and found no holes !!! All this work was done by the friend of mine who's been helping me before I bought it. It may not be "factory correct" but it's a driver. As long as the rust is gone and my feet won't drag the highway, I'm happy. With undercoating under the cab and insulation/carpeting on the inside, nobody will know the difference anyway ...

Plans for tomorrow will be to get the engine bay cleaned up the best I can and spray the firewall and inner fenders with undercoating. Since this will be (hopefully ... someday) a daily driver I'm looking more for functionality rather than cosmetics under the hood and I figure the undercoating will help deaden a little bit of sound and won't have the upkeep of a painted firewall.

While things are drying form getting washed/scrubbed down I have a few odds and ends to do before dropping the engine in. Pull the balancer and timing cover, install my Pete Jackson quiet gear drive, replace timing cover and balancer and bolt down my other oil pan. It's got to be replaced as the headers probably won't clear the pan I have now with the kick-outs on it.

I'll then pull the big cap HEI (most TPI's use the small cap HEI's but mine has the bigger unit), pull the upper plenum, bolt on my poly engine mounts, and hook it to the cherry picker. Somewhere down the line I'll get the undercoating sprayed and get it to drying for the evening. After it's off the engine stand I'll get the flywheel, clutch and pressure plate, and bellhousing bolted on. Here's pics of my motor ...



Plans for now are to get it ready to drop in the motor on Friday evening. Then I'll get to dropping the HEI back in, test fitting to see how the Hedman 69010 mid-length headers fit and start bolting on the serpentine belt setup.

That'll be a big step getting the motor back in but I'm shooting for hopefully (fingers crossed ...) maybe with a little luck, I MIGHT even get the T56 stabbed in ... pics will follow of what I get done.

I have a few questions for future progress ...

Concerning the rear drum brakes and converting to 5 lug - I now have the Moser 5 lug conversion axles. I also have an 81 GMC with the 8.5" rear diff. Would I be better off bolting the complete backing plate/brake shoes/and rear drums to my 66 12 bolt rear end (for newer rear brake parts) or just buying rear drums for my present 66 rear drum assembly? What rear drums will fit my 12 bolt with the 5 lug axles? I'm looking for easy replacement for future repairs.

Also, I have a chance to buy a 12 bolt truck posi differential with 3.07 gears for $100. He's a friend of my friend who's helping me. They both say the rear diff is in good shape. What should I look for when inspecting the clutches for wear? Are they rebuildable and where would I get the parts? I plan on buying the thick ring gears and running a 4.11 gears on the 3 series posi.

Finally, my truck being a 1/2 ton and having the "light-duty" carrier bearing, what has to be changed to convert to the heavy duty carrier bearing from a 3/4 ton truck? Is it worth the trouble on a daily driver street truck? (Torque & HP are estimated at about 450 - 500.)



Does the whole crossmember need to be swapped for a 3/4 ton unit? Will the pinion yoke for the 1/2 ton be the same as the 3/4 ton driveshaft u-joint?

Since future plans call to swap out the rear gears, if the yoke needs to be changed (or if it even will ...) then would be the time to do it.

Sorry for the long winded update and thanks for checking it out.
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Old Build Thread - 383/T56
http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=540838

Updated Build Thread - Modern Relic - 66 C10 536 Dark Aqua
5.3/4L60E - BTR Stage IV Truck Cam - Vintage Air - Dakota Digital
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=778784

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Old 09-12-2013, 01:25 AM   #10
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

As for the rear brakes, if you want to upgrade and stay with drums, I would go with the 2.75" wide brakes. You will have to change the backing plate as well as the drum. Those were an option on the 12 bolts as well as the 8.5" 10 bolts. The backing plate bolt pattern is the same on the 8.5 10 bolts up thru '86 on the C10's and thru '91 on the R10/1500's.

On a posi differential, it is hard to detect clutch plate wear visually, unless there is something very obvious. What I would do is see if the wheels will turn opposite of each other. If so, then the posi is quite worn. Yes they can be rebuilt, but the cost of doing so can get close to the cost of a new posi unit. Of course that depends on just what parts that posi will need. The clutch packs alone are about $150.00. I would check with Toms Differentials. He specializes in 12 bolts.

http://www.tomsdifferentials.com/



I would definitely do away with that whimpy carrier bearing. To change over to the HD carrier bearing, you will just need the mounting plate that bolts to the bottom of the trailing arm crossmember. If you're not in a big hurry, I may have one available in a couple weeks. And it wasn't just the C20's that had the HD carrier bearing. It was many, many years before I saw a '63-'66 with the light duty carrier bearing in a C10. It appears to me that the trucks that came with the SM420, typically had the HD drive shaft and carrier bearing.
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Old 09-12-2013, 02:59 AM   #11
66 C10 383
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Thanks for the reply John!

I'd like to upgrade to the bigger brakes but all I have right now is the stock 66 rear drum and the 81 GMC rear drum setup. I guess if I replace the shoes, drums, wheel cyl, all I would really need would be the new hardware and backing plates? I was hoping the axle offset of the 8.5 was the same as my 12 bolt so I could still use my Moser 5 lug axles and have better parts availability in the future.

On the posi, the rear end is already out of the truck and axles are already gone so there's no way that I know of to check the differential other than visual. It's just and bare housing with the diff and gears inside.

I may very well be interested in that plate for the HD carrier you have. I've got a friend who has a parts truck with a 4 speed so it may have it also but getting to it is a chance situation. Let me know what you want for it and we'll work out the details. Any idea if you have a driveshaft too or if shipping would be cost prohibitive? Is the yoke on the rear diff the same or different?

Lemme know and I DO appreciate the help!
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Old Build Thread - 383/T56
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Updated Build Thread - Modern Relic - 66 C10 536 Dark Aqua
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http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=778784
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Old 09-13-2013, 01:14 AM   #12
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Yes you can use the '81 10 bolt brakes on the 12 bolt with your Moser axles.

I'm thinking I'd like $20.00 shipped for the carrier bearing plate. Shipping the driveshafts might be cost prohibitive. The cost of shipping these days is not cheap.
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Old 10-22-2013, 02:10 PM   #13
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Let me know how those 69010 headers fit. We haven't tested them on a '66 yet. It would be good to know.
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Old 10-31-2013, 12:34 AM   #14
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

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Originally Posted by Hedman Hedders View Post
Let me know how those 69010 headers fit. We haven't tested them on a '66 yet. It would be good to know.
As soon as I get the engine dropped in I'll grab some pics. A member here in the 67-72 section has some on his and said he had to use a shorty plug. Were these designed for shorty plugs or regular plugs?

As far as the rest of my build, progress is slow. Being 45 miles from my truck, not having a garage, and a rather crazy work schedule will do that I guess.

EFI ... it can be your friend or your worst enemy ...

My TPI setup has been off for well over 6 years now. Injectors need cleaned ... what sensors are still good and which ones need replaced ... then since my setup has changed from going on an 86 Cutlass to a 66 C10 truck the tuning will be different. Getting it tuned out ... at my present rate of progress seems like it's going to take f-o-r-e-v-e-r ....

So, with that mindset, I've decided to just bolt on a carb. I already have a Carter AFB that was on a previous 350 I had before it turned into a 383. The carb will need rebuilt and since the engine is now a 383 (with AFR heads and bigger hydraulic roller cam) I'll need to upgrade to an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake. I may use a stock HEI distributor until I can get a Davis DUI HEI that is tailored to my setup.

I did manage to get my engine off the engine stand and got my pilot bushing in the crank and the flywheel, clutch and pressure plate, and Lakewood bellhousing all bolted up. I'm hoping my bellhousing is going to work, it's actually designed for an 82-83 Camaro with mechanical clutch. The difference being the fork is angled downward some. I hope the clutch rod don't slip off the fork or what will need to be done to make it work. If all else fails, I guess I'll get a different bellhousing. Maybe the stock cast iron bellhousing will work. If a stock style Muncie 4 speed will bolt to the stock bell, then it'll work for my 6 speed it being an Aftermarket 6 speed. I'll still have to cut the bellhousing crossmember out since I'll be using a crossmember under the tranny due to the added weight and length. Think a stock automatic crossmember moved back will work?

In looking at my T56 6 speed tranny, it looks like it's about 10" longer than the stock 3 speed trans from bellhousing to tailshaft. The driveshaft I have now is the light duty carrier bearing driveshaft. Captainfab recommended I swap to the heavy duty driveshaft. Are the driveshafts the same with the carrier only being different or is the whole driveshaft different? Will needing to shorten the shaft 10'' be short enough to run a single driveshaft rather than a 2 piece?
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Old Build Thread - 383/T56
http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=540838

Updated Build Thread - Modern Relic - 66 C10 536 Dark Aqua
5.3/4L60E - BTR Stage IV Truck Cam - Vintage Air - Dakota Digital
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=778784
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Old 10-31-2013, 01:16 AM   #15
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

I've also decided to paint my truck in a more classic theme. Red and white with the side trim, windshield trim (which I already have) and the Custom Cab trim (already have that, too).

Here's my inspiration video, it's as close LOOKS wise as I have seen except the one in the vid is the BBW and mine is the small. Paint and wheels are VERY close. Mine will be lowered a little more than this one. Shooting for a 4/4 drop. I'm hoping mine will sound a bit better than the one here in this vid though ... hehe

http://youtu.be/MWM1T4QL60M
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Old Build Thread - 383/T56
http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=540838

Updated Build Thread - Modern Relic - 66 C10 536 Dark Aqua
5.3/4L60E - BTR Stage IV Truck Cam - Vintage Air - Dakota Digital
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=778784

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Old 10-31-2013, 11:27 AM   #16
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Yup, I think the stock body with all the trim but a hot rod underneath is the best thing going right now. I bet we'll be seeing more of that at SEMA next week.
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Old 10-09-2014, 12:06 AM   #17
66 C10 383
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Well it's been quite a while since I've had an update or even had a chance to do much to my truck. Life gets in the way and there's not much we can do about it ... maybe that's about to change.

On my last update I managed to get the motor and tranny out. That's where progress stopped for a while.

I did get the engine bay scrubbed up and some satin black spray can paint on the firewall and inner fenders.




While the motor was still out I swapped my oil pan and pickup to a better Moroso 5qt pan rather than use the one with the kickout 6qt pan. I also decided to swap out the timing chain for my Pete Jackson gear drive to add to the old school hot rod sound. I know some guys don't like them but I've had nothing but good luck with them. Pic below is with the engine still on the engine stand.



I then bolted up the poly engine mounts. Again here, work halted for a while. A month or so later the engine got the flywheel, clutch, pressure plate and Lakewood bellhousing bolted to the engine. Then the big moment ... the tranny was bolted to the motor for the first time in over 7 years!!!



YES !!!!!

Next step was to get the bellhousing crossmember cut out to make more room.



Not as easy as it seems to get in there with the cab still on to cut out with a sawzall. But it's out of the way for now and it'll at least let me get the motor and tranny in.

Partially at least ...

I've read where some guys running the T56 being able to get the tranny in using the low hump floor. Mine, unfortunately did not ... Could NOT get the trans even close enough to get the tranny crossmember under the trans.

The motor and tranny is in with my ratchet strap crossmember for now. I did some digging around and found both pieces of the high hump floor so getting that installed is the next to do on the agenda. It's no telling when that'll get done as again, life stuff has sprung up again and put my truck on the back burner temporily yet again. Here's the current condition ... now that the engine is at least sitting in there I want to work on it even more!!!



Get the high hump in and crossmember bolted up, get the engine cleaned back up and then start bolting up my serpentine belt setup, get some different headers ...

I also found out something on my paint code on my truck. My plans were to paint it Victory Red and White two tone. I managed to get the paint the p.o. had layered my trim tag in and finally got to read my original paint code. Judging by my original faded paint, I'd thought it was a Dark Green ... but it's not.

Paint code shows 536AD ... It's one of the more uncommon (rare?) Dark Aqua two tone factory paint trucks!!! So, it'll be going back to original paint Dark Aqua.

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Old Build Thread - 383/T56
http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=540838

Updated Build Thread - Modern Relic - 66 C10 536 Dark Aqua
5.3/4L60E - BTR Stage IV Truck Cam - Vintage Air - Dakota Digital
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=778784
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Old 10-09-2014, 11:03 AM   #18
TJ's Chevy
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Glad you were able to start on yer truck again. I'm subbed.
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Old 10-09-2014, 12:13 PM   #19
cru_zn_29
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Just found your build looking good. Your trim tag has seen better days. If you need a new one I have a few left from when I had some made for my truck. I can send you a picture if interested
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Old 10-09-2014, 03:32 PM   #20
markeb01
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

That engine/trans is going to be sweet once it's up and running. I know there are a lot of people that aren't fans of gear drives, but I've had a noisy Pete Jackson in my truck for over 20 years and love it. Here it is being swapped into my new engine back in 2013:



I also had one in my previous ride for 8 years before I built the truck. Good luck with your ongoing progress!
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Old 10-09-2014, 07:24 PM   #21
66 C10 383
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

Thanks for the added motivation guys, I'm looking forward to working on it again. Right now I'm about 45 miles from my truck so working on it is challenging at best. That will be changing soon, but with winter moving in I'm not sure if I'll be able to get it in out of the weather to work on it much.

cru_zn_29 - Send me some pics and some details on them.

markeb01 - Both you and your truck has been a major inspiration. You've done a wonderful job on your truck and the advice/technical info you pass along is so valuable to others. I had a PJ gear drive in a 69 Camaro which I installed back in the mid 80's. I bought it new back before there was even a "noisy" or "quiet" version. My nephew acquired the car from me and it still has the same gear drive in it to this day. Valve covers haven't been off it since. I then put one on my Cutlass (the one in the pic above) while I had the TPI in it with no problem. Everyone said it'd mess with the knock sensor. Another myth broken, the sensor never picked up the frequency of it and I had it checked on various scanners to check on it. I bought the pictured PJ gear drive from a guy years ago and can't for the life of me remember if it's a noisy or quiet version. Quiet is a misnomer as it can still be heard, it's just not overbearingly loud. Just loud enough to hear it.

Mark, it was the videos of your truck that made me decide to put my gear drive back in this motor. My initial thoughts were to just go back with a timing chain but after hearing yours I realized that not running it would have been a mistake on my part! I thank you Mark !!!
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Old Build Thread - 383/T56
http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=540838

Updated Build Thread - Modern Relic - 66 C10 536 Dark Aqua
5.3/4L60E - BTR Stage IV Truck Cam - Vintage Air - Dakota Digital
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=778784
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Old 10-09-2014, 07:36 PM   #22
cru_zn_29
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

The picture looks black but it is dark blue. 45.00 shipped with tracking #
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Old 10-09-2014, 08:57 PM   #23
66 C10 383
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Re: My First Classic Truck Build

cru_zn_29 - I'd really like to get one but I think I need to hold off right now. I've got some other stuff going on right now and need to hold off buying anything that's not needed to get it running. Thanks anyway, maybe later.
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Old Build Thread - 383/T56
http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa...d.php?t=540838

Updated Build Thread - Modern Relic - 66 C10 536 Dark Aqua
5.3/4L60E - BTR Stage IV Truck Cam - Vintage Air - Dakota Digital
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=778784
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