Project Inline Six

[CMGreen8812]

Hello! I've been lurking around on this forum since I bought my truck about 4 years ago, and I thought it might be fun to share the progress I've made. Fair warning, the engine swap I've chosen for this project may rustle some feathers, but we'll get to that in a bit.

Getting things started, I picked up a 1969 C10 SWB out of a field in SW Iowa as seen here. No engine, no trans, but I believe it was a manual inline six. Cab corners were good, floors were decent, but the inner/outer rockers needed replaced for sure. The front clip was also good, but the bed... not so much.

While this isn't my first rodeo, this would be the first project where welding would be required. A friend of mine who's a former welding instructor took it upon himself to help me learn, so you may see my welds improve as we go.

Armed with my first spot weld drill bit and a cutoff wheel, I jumped right in.

[68Gold/white]

Look'n good in the Iowa neighborhood!!!

[CMGreen8812]

Originally Posted by 68Gold/white

Look'n good in the Iowa neighborhood!!!

Thanks! I wish there was a faster way to upload all of the pics I have of my progress so far, but it looks like I'll need to do this 5 pics at a time. lol

[CMGreen8812]

Under the supervision of the friend teaching me how to weld, we replaced the inner and outer rockers fairly quickly. The passenger side lower a-pillar also needed some attention, so some new steel was welded in. Next, I set my sights on the only cab support that needed replaced, as well as a couple of problem areas with the floor and a spot by the heater core.

[CMGreen8812]

New cab support, trimmed to fit and welded in. Considering what I paid for this truck, I think I got really lucky with this cab!

My engine showed up at a local shipping depot, and a friend of mine helped me get it home. ::puts on flame suit:: This is a 2JZ-GE out of a 1997 Lexus SC300. The odometer read 97,xxx miles when the motor was pulled, and you could still see crosshatching in the cylinder bores when I tore it down for a quick inspection. All of these motors came with a forged crank and the blocks are damn near bullet proof, but this being a non-turbo motor, the pistons and rods are nothing special. That's going to change!

[CMGreen8812]

Hanging the engine in place, we decided where it's going to live and started fabricating our engine mounting solution. We boxed the frame on either side of the engine, and welded in some captured nuts for the engine mounts to bolt into.

[jcramsey]

Looking good so far...I like the engine choice!

[CMGreen8812]

Originally Posted by jcramsey

Looking good so far...I like the engine choice!

Thanks!


I had the engine mounts powder coated to match the frame, and I set to work welding in all of the extra holes in the firewall. Once that was finished, I set the engine in place and made a little patch panel for the fuel filler hole. (I didn't leave it there, that was just the last pic I took before paint)

[CMGreen8812]

Turns out I forgot about my plans for a rack and pinion conversion before I sent the frame to get powder coated, but that's alright. The kit I bought from No Limit Engineering went on really well, and there's tons of clearance between it and my motor. And luckily, this kit plays nice with the QA1 sway bar I picked up.

[CMGreen8812]

A friend of mine put a bug in my ear about getting a '67 front clip for my '69, and after a year or two, he talked me into it. We ended up going to a local salvage yard and taking this one home.

Then, the "smoothie" steelies I ordered showed up. 8x15 up front, and 10X15 in the rear. The 295 drag radials I ordered fit great!

[CMGreen8812]

To get some motivation for what comes next, we threw on the '67 front clip, my mismatched doors, and the rust free bed I bought the year before. I wanted to get a hint of what it was going to look like before I took it all apart and got the body ready for paint. I'm really glad I took the time to do this, because it really kept me going!

I found out I have about 1/2" between my tired and the bed floor, so I got lucky! I also installed the new bed floor fuel fill door for my Boyd Welding fuel tank.

[Racer2172]

Nice truck dig the dare to be different engine.

[CMGreen8812]

Originally Posted by Racer2172

Nice truck dig the dare to be different engine.

Thank you!

I had a friend weld in some water supply fittings and oil return fittings for my turbo setup, and then I installed some 3.75" trailing arm cross member exhaust cutouts. I plan on running dual 3" stainless steel exhaust, one for each turbo.

[SkidmoreGarage]

This build is great. I have a similar, but much slower, build going on. Don't get too discouraged with the clunky forum image interface, whatever you share is appreciated.

With how much a decent LS goes for, other engines are starting to get more attractive if you want to turbo. I say more power to you! You'll see a turbo k-series before you know it.

[Scurry67]

Great build so far! Looks great with some creative touches. I’ll be following along for sure.

[CMGreen8812]

Originally Posted by SkidmoreGarage

This build is great. I have a similar, but much slower, build going on. Don't get too discouraged with the clunky forum image interface, whatever you share is appreciated.

With how much a decent LS goes for, other engines are starting to get more attractive if you want to turbo. I say more power to you! You'll see a turbo k-series before you know it.

Originally Posted by Scurry67

Great build so far! Looks great with some creative touches. I’ll be following along for sure.

Thanks guys!

You might have noticed this old tool box I got from a friend floating around my garage. I finally got around to stripping, priming and painting it to match roof, bumpers, etc.

[CMGreen8812]

I got really lucky and managed to find a set of West Coast Jr mirrors in a salvage yard not too far from home! I tore them down, clean them up, and painted them to match the rest of the truck when I painted my tool box. I've wanted a set of these for years!

[CMGreen8812]

I changed my mind a few times concerning what direction to go with my braking system. I finally pulled the trigger on a hydroboost setup from POL, and I'm glad I did. This thing looks great!

[CMGreen8812]

After months of parts being on backorder, it's time to start wiring!

For engine and trans control, I went with an MS3 Pro Evo paired with an Amp EFI Trans Control unit, which came with a nice PnP harness for the 4L80E.

For my body harness, I reached out to a local company called Jolt Systems and had them make a new fuse/relay block with everything I need in one place. No random relays all over, no multiple fuse panels. At least, that's the idea!

A pair of 450LPH Flexfuel Walbro pumps will be delivering E85 to my FIC 1650cc injectors.

Also, I had a nearby pin striper do some work on my painted hubcaps. It's am older Toyota logo that a friend of mine found on an old keychain, and I thought it would be a fun, subtle addition to my wheels.