1970 C10 LWB "Blu"

[NC_John]

Yesterday was a HUGE day for Blu. Second only to when I brought it/her home. (seems to have too many nuts to be a she but I'd rather call it a she than a he)

I fitted and installed the carpet. Cleaned and installed the seatbelts. Carpet looks good. I put in some nice shiny new doorsills from GMCPaul that fit really nice. Holes lined up perfectly. (the originals were just too rough to put back in with the new carpet).



Then, to my wife's joy, Steve C (local forum member) came over and helped me put the bench seat back in the truck. This is the first time I'd been able to sit in the truck since I brought it home. I forgot how small it was. Steve was laughing. The cab is tiny. I may have to turn this into an extended cab just to get some leg room.

Then............we took it for a ride. First maiden voyage- I had only driven it onto and off the trailer and into the garage. Never left first gear... My wife was good with Steve coming along as she hasn't seen the truck drive yet either and was skeptical over whether or not we'd make it back alive.

The truck did great. The transmission functioned properly, shifter was good, clutch needs adjustment (all the friction zone seems to be way too high on the pedal). Brakes were........ well........ no power brakes so lets just say it stopped. (I haven't mentioned it on the thread but I did check the brakes right out. New drums on the back, fronts just turned, new shoes all around, new lines, I cleaned everything and inspected it, the brake fluid looks new, nice and clear and it has decent pedal). I've never driven anything without power brakes so I think this'll take some getting used to. Even my '67 Camaro had PB. The suspension was really, really soft, especially since this truck is spec'd with the optional heavy duty coils, front and rear. Needs shocks, too bouncy and the steering wandered just a little - I'll have to see if I can tighten it up a tad in the steering gear box. Steering wheel (that goofy Camaro wheel) isn't mounted straight. Its nearly 180 degrees out which is annoying....

Gauges all worked, speedo worked fine. Got up to temp normally (no leaks anywhere), oil pressure was normal on the gauge..

The exhaust is little annoying- its got factory manifolds (including one I had to replace) and dual exhaust (wimpy looking 2") but no mufflers- its got some kind of weird resonating tubes I've never seen before- they are too long to be glasspacks. (this pic shows the additional rot I found on the cab corner expediting its replacement)



Its not obnoxiously loud, but on decel there can be quite a bit of popping out the back at higher RPM (downshifting), it sounds like my harley. New exhaust with some decent mufflers (I like dynomax) is on the short list.

Anyway, we drove around town for about 30 minutes showing each other all the C series trucks we knew were in the immediate area. Stopped it a few times. Got gas.... It ran good.



The clutch pedal was sticking to the floor a bit so I lubed it up when we got back to the garage. I thought that fixed it but it didn't. It must be binding up somewhere so I have to find where.

I took it out again last night to church and it ran great there - my 7 yr old rode shotgun and loved it. Then after church we went out to dinner. On that drive it started acting up - it stalled twice and didn't want to start (both times in intersections of course). Then it didn't want to start when we left the restaurant for home. I think the float is sticking in the carb. It has a "new" reman quadrajet on it but it sat for about 9 months so the bet is everything is gummed up and sticking. I'll get a few cans of carb cleaner and a rebuild kit and go through it. I found some oil underneath it this morning and it looks like the rear main. Nuts. Not something I can do a temp fix on until I pull the engine out this fall/winter to rebuild. I'll have to keep a cookie sheet with me for when I park in friend's driveways! A small broom and dustpan for all the rust that falls out when I slam the doors too! Seriously, if I have to keep slamming the doors the way I do, I'm getting different brand seals.

Anyway- she is rolling so that kicks ass. I have the driver that I was after. Now I can put some miles on it and let her tell me what she needs.

[jmorri34]

Sweet man, I love it. Well done, interior carpet looks great.

[NC_John]

Originally Posted by jmorri34

Sweet man, I love it. Well done, interior carpet looks great.

Thanks, it came out pretty good.

Now that its rolling, it desperately needs a static drop to change both the altitude and attitude of the truck. Right now it still looks like a ratty old farm truck. A nice drop will instantly make it a cool old truck.

[builtbyKane]

Congrats on the drive. Sounds like after a little tinkering she'll be ready for years of loyalty. The carpet looks fantastic too. Any necessary tips you can share sinse you beat me to the carpet?
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[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by NC_John

Yesterday was a HUGE day for Blu. Second only to when I brought it/her home. (seems to have too many nuts to be a she but I'd rather call it a she than a he)

I fitted and installed the carpet. Cleaned and installed the seatbelts. Carpet looks good. I put in some nice shiny new doorsills from GMCPaul that fit really nice. Holes lined up perfectly. (the originals were just too rough to put back in with the new carpet).



Then, to my wife's joy, Steve C (local forum member) came over and helped me put the bench seat back in the truck. This is the first time I'd been able to sit in the truck since I brought it home. I forgot how small it was. Steve was laughing. The cab is tiny. I may have to turn this into an extended cab just to get some leg room.

Then............we took it for a ride. First maiden voyage- I had only driven it onto and off the trailer and into the garage. Never left first gear... My wife was good with Steve coming along as she hasn't seen the truck drive yet either and was skeptical over whether or not we'd make it back alive.

The truck did great. The transmission functioned properly, shifter was good, clutch needs adjustment (all the friction zone seems to be way too high on the pedal). Brakes were........ well........ no power brakes so lets just say it stopped. (I haven't mentioned it on the thread but I did check the brakes right out. New drums on the back, fronts just turned, new shoes all around, new lines, I cleaned everything and inspected it, the brake fluid looks new, nice and clear and it has decent pedal). I've never driven anything without power brakes so I think this'll take some getting used to. Even my '67 Camaro had PB. The suspension was really, really soft, especially since this truck is spec'd with the optional heavy duty coils, front and rear. Needs shocks, too bouncy and the steering wandered just a little - I'll have to see if I can tighten it up a tad in the steering gear box. Steering wheel (that goofy Camaro wheel) isn't mounted straight. Its nearly 180 degrees out which is annoying....

Gauges all worked, speedo worked fine. Got up to temp normally (no leaks anywhere), oil pressure was normal on the gauge..

The exhaust is little annoying- its got factory manifolds (including one I had to replace) and dual exhaust (wimpy looking 2") but no mufflers- its got some kind of weird resonating tubes I've never seen before- they are too long to be glasspacks. (this pic shows the additional rot I found on the cab corner expediting its replacement)



Its not obnoxiously loud, but on decel there can be quite a bit of popping out the back at higher RPM (downshifting), it sounds like my harley. New exhaust with some decent mufflers (I like dynomax) is on the short list.

Anyway, we drove around town for about 30 minutes showing each other all the C series trucks we knew were in the immediate area. Stopped it a few times. Got gas.... It ran good.



The clutch pedal was sticking to the floor a bit so I lubed it up when we got back to the garage. I thought that fixed it but it didn't. It must be binding up somewhere so I have to find where.

I took it out again last night to church and it ran great there - my 7 yr old rode shotgun and loved it. Then after church we went out to dinner. On that drive it started acting up - it stalled twice and didn't want to start (both times in intersections of course). Then it didn't want to start when we left the restaurant for home. I think the float is sticking in the carb. It has a "new" reman quadrajet on it but it sat for about 9 months so the bet is everything is gummed up and sticking. I'll get a few cans of carb cleaner and a rebuild kit and go through it. I found some oil underneath it this morning and it looks like the rear main. Nuts. Not something I can do a temp fix on until I pull the engine out this fall/winter to rebuild. I'll have to keep a cookie sheet with me for when I park in friend's driveways! A small broom and dustpan for all the rust that falls out when I slam the doors too! Seriously, if I have to keep slamming the doors the way I do, I'm getting different brand seals.

Anyway- she is rolling so that kicks ass. I have the driver that I was after. Now I can put some miles on it and let her tell me what she needs.

Looking really good. Nice work.

What's this about the cab being small though? Do you have your bench seat all the way back against the tank? I'm 6' 270 with broad shoulders and long legs, and fit just fine with the stock bench and steering wheel/column. If you need belly room, I've heard of guys pulling the steering column in towards the engine. You might just be comparing it to modern trucks, that are SUV's with a small bed. Don't do that. Appreciate it for what it is.

Also, I meant to post this photo on this page, but mistakenly added it to a different page. I saw this car yesterday at a car show. I think your truck would look great clear coated


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[NC_John]

Originally Posted by Mister-B

Looking really good. Nice work.

What's this about the cab being small though? Do you have your bench seat all the way back against the tank? I'm 6' 270 with broad shoulders and long legs, and fit just fine with the stock bench and steering wheel/column. If you need belly room, I've heard of guys pulling the steering column in towards the engine. You might just be comparing it to modern trucks, that are SUV's with a small bed. Don't do that. Appreciate it for what it is.

Also, I meant to post this photo on this page, but mistakenly added it to a different page. I saw this car yesterday at a car show. I think your truck would look great clear coated

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No belly problems but I'm 6'-6" and there just isn't much leg room.... Its alright, I'm not planning on any cross-country trips with it.

That bug does look cool!

[Jwood70]

Cool looking truck. I like the idea of keeping the patina like it is.
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[72SWBChevy]

Nice base to start with!! Looks super clean!!

[NC_John]

Originally Posted by Jwood70

Cool looking truck. I like the idea of keeping the patina like it is.
Posted via Mobile Device

Originally Posted by 72SWBChevy

Nice base to start with!! Looks super clean!!

Thanks guys. I'm hoping to put some miles on it this weekend....

[SCHRUMGMC]

I'd convert it to a Gmc personally

[mvesr]

Man, I love the truck. I have a 68 stepside with the same color blue interior with a darker blue outside. What color are you going to paint it. Your exhaust is a very high dollar chambered exhaust from a High perf Camaro or chevelle 68 or 69. Never seen it on a truck. If it is not rusted you might want to save it or sell it to someone who needs it for a restoration. You might look it up at year one or some other Camaro resto parts place and see what they sell for. If you get up near Asheville with it let me know and we will get coffee or lunch or something and compare notes.

Mika

[NC_John]

Originally Posted by mvesr

Man, I love the truck. I have a 68 stepside with the same color blue interior with a darker blue outside. What color are you going to paint it. Your exhaust is a very high dollar chambered exhaust from a High perf Camaro or chevelle 68 or 69. Never seen it on a truck. If it is not rusted you might want to save it or sell it to someone who needs it for a restoration. You might look it up at year one or some other Camaro resto parts place and see what they sell for. If you get up near Asheville with it let me know and we will get coffee or lunch or something and compare notes.

Mika

Thanks. I have no plans to paint it (for now at least). It took 43 years to get the paint this cool so I want to leave it for a while. Maybe freshen it up later. Maybe....

I'm surprised to hear that about the exhaust- they're marked "Turbo Tubes." When I was trying to find out where they came from I found these guys:

http://www.classicchambered.com/

I don't really like them very much. I guess I need to hear them on a drive-by. Not too loud though and there is a really funny "blat-blat-blat-blat" when you shift at high rpm. Kind of like a Harley when the engine revs down. My 7 year old loves it. They're mounted too low on the truck- they should have been tucked up much higher. The installer really didn't care how they looked I guess.

I don't head up to the mountains much unless I'm on the bike. You should come down for the meet & greet Liz is setting up this way next month.

[NC_John]

Just been driving Blu on weekends (when I'm in town). Got a few more tanks of gas through her incident/tow free. The truck is running really nice and its a real pleasure to drive around in it. Its just fun. Its seems to be set up with the 3-spd and 3.07 rear for for country backroads- 50-60 mph. No hurry- just moseying along. It just runs real nice there without seeming to have to work.

Went to Dixie Truck Works with forum-buddy Steve Cole yesterday and got a great score- I found a '68 intake manifold in great shape for $40.



This is one of the parts I've been hunting for to get ready for my engine work. Now I just need to find a pair of the 60's Chevrolet scripted valve covers. Orange Truck has got a pair of steel ones for $139 that might do the trick.

I've still been tinkering a bit. I replaced the side marker light lenses to freshen them up. I'll get my heater controls next week from my Saturday trip to Dixie ($85 for a real nice looking repro). I found 6-lug chevy rally's (also at Orange Truck parts) for $89 each. I think I'll go with 15X7's on the front and 15x8's on the back with the early 1967 center cap.

I'm still fighting the door weatherstripping- it still takes a real hard slam to close the doors. The drivers side is aggravating me- I can't get the door lock to work with the door closed. It works perfectly with the door open (by key or knob) and with the door closed and weather stripping out. But with the weatherstripping and door closed it won't properly lock. I completely disassembled it yesterday, cleaned and lubed everything...still no joy. I just can't find the sweet spot on the adjustment to get it to work.

Other than the door lock, its fun now- I'm just driving it around not sinking a lot of money into it. More money for gas than parts right now. I've got some high dollar projects coming- engine, lowering, wheels.... but I'm not blowing money on repair parts for the time being (which is good because my 02 Tahoe had to get a new fuel pump last week . ) Life is good!

[Sarg]

Hey neighbor the truck looks great! Just down the road from you in Albemarle. The next time you go to Dixie Truck Works look me up and stop by (I am only 10 min. from them). I would love to see your truck in person. All the hard work you have done is starting to pay off. I also have been working on an old long bed truck.

[NC_John]

Originally Posted by Sarg

Hey neighbor the truck looks great! Just down the road from you in Albemarle. The next time you go to Dixie Truck Works look me up and stop by (I am only 10 min. from them). I would love to see your truck in person. All the hard work you have done is starting to pay off. I also have been working on an old long bed truck.

LOL- if you want to see my truck in person you need to come over and look at the pile of parts! I'm in the middle of an engine build which might turn into some body work too while it is down. A three day job morphed into a three week job and I am going to try desperately not to let it be a three MONTH job.

I'll surely be at Dixie again before too long but it won't be in Blu!

"I used to have an old truck. Now I have a bunch of old truck parts."

[NC_John]

Hey y'all.....long time, no update.

I've done a bunch of small stuff (refurbed by gauge cluster) and some bigger stuff (lowered it 3" in the front and rear with springs).

Here it is with just the front done:



Now I'm into the BIG stuff. I decided that over the Thanksgiving holiday I was going to pull the engine, reseal it, change the timing set and oil pump, paint it and put it back in....

I ended up taking the entire front clip off to make the engine removal process easy.



Tugging out the small block and Saginaw....



And ready for cleaning and teardown....

[NC_John]

I spent a lot of time doing pre-cleaning on the engine before I started tear-down...



With the front clip removed the truck is all set for some more cleaning....



I spent a few more hours on it with a 3,800 psi pressure washer, copious amounts of degreaser and toothbrushes.



With that done it was time to start disassembling the engine to see what I'm working with...

[NC_John]

I was doing pretty good keeping on the plan until my Dad talked me into pulling the heads to see what the valves looked like and to change out the valve seals. "What's a set of head gaskets cost- nothing!" he said.



Everything looked really good and it was obvious that I was the first one inside the engine. No signs of anybody else ever cracking it open.



I decided since I had it this far apart it would be stupid to not rebuild it properly. It's too much work to do this again in another year or two. I stripped it right down to the bare block.



And made a big pile of parts in the garage....

[Hardesty454]

Nice update! Keep em coming.

[71cheynne402]

Looks awesome!!!

[NC_John]

Originally Posted by Hardesty454

Nice update! Keep em coming.

Originally Posted by 71cheynne402

Looks awesome!!!

Thanks guys.

I'm seriously considering getting it on a trailer and taking it to a frame shop to get the frame 100% straight before it goes back together. Then to the body shop to get the bodywork done. All of the bodywork I need done is below the lower molding so I'll be able to keep 90% of the original paint and should be able to fake patina the new close enough to match.

I'm going to get the engine buttoned back up, make some room in the garage and sort out the remaining details.... like what transmission I am going to put back in. The old three-speed Saginaw might not last too long behind the new engine (should be 350+ hp based on the parts I am putting in).

Maybe paint the front section of the frame? Disc brakes up front.....

ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching!

[hookedonchevys]

HA,its good to see I'm not the only one that starts one little project that turns into a huge one!Nice truck keep up the good work!

[gread]

There are some great ideas on this thread. I'm just starting on a project of my own. You will be my first subscription, keep up the good work!

[NC_John]

Originally Posted by gread

There are some great ideas on this thread. I'm just starting on a project of my own. You will be my first subscription, keep up the good work!

thanks- I need to do an update- this may be the bump I need. Engine is about back together...

[Chuck the Truck]

Nice build!!!!!
I just bought a 1970 GMC 1500 w/ 3 spd for my daughter as a project truck. She will be driving it in a year, so she should know the in's and out's of Her truck by that time.
She was inspired by "Farm Truck" from Street outlaws. I stumbled onto your thread here and love that you are doing exactly what needs to be done to her's.
Please continue to update, and I hope that I may bother you from time to time with some questions.
thanks