My '67 Fleetside C10 renew

[sduckworth13]

Looking good John. Nothing to be a shame of for buying that truck, it looks awesome. Nice work on the exhaust system.

[jlsanborn]

Thanks Scott! One day I'll be rolling around in a truck like yours.

[808_67C10]

Jason, I know exactly how you feel about buyers remorse. I have it so bad with my k5, I am about to put it up for sale. It just never connected with my soul! LOL and I have had it for a months and dumped 1000 into it already.

[Bennett68C10]

Nice truck you got there, you won't be disappointed with it. I love my 13 GMC and it's the same color as yours. I hated the 4 cylinder mode too, especially with exhaust so I used a Range Technology AFM delete. It works awesome and doesn't leave an imprint on your computer so it won't void your warranty.

http://www.rangetechnology.com/pages/v8

[Low Elco]

Look up 150tunes.com. He did my harness and is right up the street from your work. They can turn all that crap off, and take out the timing retard on the low end so it feels like it's moving!

[jlsanborn]

Originally Posted by Bennett68C10

Nice truck you got there, you won't be disappointed with it. I love my 13 GMC and it's the same color as yours. I hated the 4 cylinder mode too, especially with exhaust so I used a Range Technology AFM delete. It works awesome and doesn't leave an imprint on your computer so it won't void your warranty.

http://www.rangetechnology.com/pages/v8

I spotted that doo-dad on Amazon last night. I've got aftermarket exhaust too and it's driving me nuts.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Look up 150tunes.com. He did my harness and is right up the street from your work. They can turn all that crap off, and take out the timing retard on the low end so it feels like it's moving!

Everything I've read tells me to get it tuned. Timing, shifting, AFM, etc... but I don't wanna dink my warranty. I'll give them 150 dudes a hollah and see what they have to say.

[Bomp]

Then,then,,,,then nanny burn out vid?

[jlsanborn]

So I'm about done screwing with the purdy truck. Put the leveling kit in and pulled the running boards. Scored that Range AFM delete doo-dad too. That thing is AWESOME. No more V4 mode and my MPG went UP by a tenth or more. Just gotta find the OEM filler door to replace the "racing" one...

Grabbed some rubber exhaust hangers and some 3/8" round bar to finish my exhaust. At this point I think I'm going to get some more pipe and make my way over, even if I only do a 1" notch.
Also grabbed some aluminum plate to make my drop blocks / pinion angle adjusters. Thought I'd just zip them up with my jig saw and then use my belt sander to make the wedge shape... Brand new blade and a solid minute got me about 1/2" across. 5 degree wedge? That ain't happening. We've got a half-azzed Jet bandsaw at work and a decent porta-band. I'll see what I can do with those this week. Sure wish I had a retired machinist/hot-rodder neighbor dude that'd barter some work

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Also grabbed some aluminum plate to make my drop blocks / pinion angle adjusters. Thought I'd just zip them up with my jig saw and then use my belt sander to make the wedge shape... Brand new blade and a solid minute got me about 1/2" across. 5 degree wedge? That ain't happening. We've got a half-azzed Jet bandsaw at work and a decent porta-band. I'll see what I can do with those this week. Sure wish I had a retired machinist/hot-rodder neighbor dude that'd barter some work

Mee toooo! However, the post office does have a pony that goes between here and there. That's a major piece of aluminum! Assuming the bandsaw can rough out a couple of blocks, a guy might see if they'd hire out for transport. Then the old retired guy could square them up, punch the holes, shave off 5 degrees of wedge and pack them up for the return trek.

[mcbassin]

Chassis is looking good. Nice work on the exhaust too. Chopping up that 1" plate is easy with the right tools. Good luck with your search for a machinist.

[Justin@EntropyRad]

Love family builds!

[Low Elco]

Whoof! Dude, 2" x 7" by 1/2" flat bar! Cut it at home with my Dewalt mini circular saw and a carbide blade with Neighbor Jay holding the WD-40. Make 8, have a truck shop bend the u-bolts ($18 each), whaaaa-la! Adjustable drop, easy peasy. I will say if you can get a drill press, it makes the 3/4" holes on 4 1/2" centers much easier. Nice chunk of Aluminum!

[jlsanborn]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Mee toooo! However, the post office does have a pony that goes between here and there. That's a major piece of aluminum! Assuming the bandsaw can rough out a couple of blocks, a guy might see if they'd hire out for transport. Then the old retired guy could square them up, punch the holes, shave off 5 degrees of wedge and pack them up for the return trek.

What a gracious offer! I couldn't bear to pull you away from your Power Tour deadline and It'd be hard for me to do any heavy lifting in return. I still haven't had a chance to see what I can do on the bandsaw but am going to give it a go tomorrow. Will report!

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Chassis is looking good. Nice work on the exhaust too. Chopping up that 1" plate is easy with the right tools. Good luck with your search for a machinist.

Thanks Mike!

Originally Posted by Justin@EntropyRad

Love family builds!

Thanks Justin! The Boy is my best motivator.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Whoof! Dude, 2" x 7" by 1/2" flat bar! Cut it at home with my Dewalt mini circular saw and a carbide blade with Neighbor Jay holding the WD-40. Make 8, have a truck shop bend the u-bolts ($18 each), whaaaa-la! Adjustable drop, easy peasy. I will say if you can get a drill press, it makes the 3/4" holes on 4 1/2" centers much easier. Nice chunk of Aluminum!

I thought about drilling (and temporarily tapping) the holes first so I could bolt it to a board and run my skill saw over it. Also thought about my tablesaw... I'm pretty sure our bandsaw here at work will do the job best. I need the thickness to get the 5 degree wedge and then will probably be stacking another 1/2" under there to finalize ride height, which is merely a guess at this point (target 4-1/2" x 6" drop). I'm lucky and have a great 4x4 outfit just down the road where I'll get my u-bolts and driveline made.

[jlsanborn]

Got some U-bolts made. They're 2" longer and I'll cut/chamfer if needed once I'm settled on bocks. I used the Jet band saw at work and cut that plate into blocks too. It's a nice saw and is in good shape, just a bit small for what I needed to do. It got the job done but it was tough to hold the part rigid and it stalled pretty easy. They're closer to size than they were.

[Vic1947]

Looking good, John. One of my buddies has a small Jet bandsaw that's been used and abused for years. Missing a few parts here and there, but it still surprises me with what it can do if you nurse it along. Offer stands to finish them up if you hit the wall.

[jlsanborn]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGzh5Y17wbs

[jlsanborn]

Had today off. Didn't know that until driving down to work and nobody was there

Pulled the rear coils off to plan out a c-notch. What? My punkin is only about 3/4" from where the bed wood will be. I do a little searching on here, and yup, that's all you get. I ain't doin it. I've got 5" springs (CPP) and will have a little under an inch of block. We'll see how that goes. I still had some bits of the mandrel bend kit left so I started working my way over. Gotta grab some 4" pipe to get my exhaust through that member at the panhard.

[Low Elco]

Looks good! Snakey weldy time!

[jlsanborn]

I scored a chunk of round tubing to make portals in my cross members where the exhaust passes through but after cutting the rings I felt that the wall thickness was too thin so I aborted. I'm still going to do that, just have to go by the metal supplier and see what they have.....

This post is really to ask a couple questions regarding clutch. The Boy just plucked his motor and is getting ready to drop that in the Blazer. He's going to run an AT so his smoked clutch and flywheel are "available". Once I'm done with exhaust I plan on remounting the cab and sorting out clutch linkage (or hydraulic). WAAAY back I scored an OEM 403 aluminum bell housing (Camaro, Chevelle, Nova, ...). I thought that was the shiz but in trying to get it all together I realize it's a bell for 10.5" clutch and Jr's is an 11". NO WORKEY. He dropped $300 on the McLeod clutch and roasted it in a month. His flywheel looked "good" so he didn't resurface it. His driving habits might be a little different than mine too. He sure didn't follow the manufacturer's break in procedure.

1. Is that clutch a POS or is it him?

2. Can I have the pressure plate turned? Do I have to or can I disassemble the pressure plate for turning? I can snag his 163t flywheel and pressure plate for next to nuthin but I'd need the 621 bell for about $200, new disc and resurface of flywheel and PP.

3. Is there a big difference between the 10.5" and 11" clutches?

4. Any bad reviews on repop aluminum bell housings?

5. Can I use the old forged clutch fork or do I have to use one of the stamped units?

Should I just by a 10.5" clutch from Napa and move on, or should I shell out for the 621 (re-pop bellhousing) and fix the "donor" clutch?

Ugh!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

1. Is that clutch a POS or is it him?

2. Can I have the pressure plate turned? Do I have to or can I disassemble the pressure plate for turning? I can snag his 163t flywheel and pressure plate for next to nuthin but I'd need the 621 bell for about $200, new disc and resurface of flywheel and PP.

3. Is there a big difference between the 10.5" and 11" clutches?

4. Any bad reviews on repop aluminum bell housings?

5. Can I use the old forged clutch fork or do I have to use one of the stamped units?

6. Should I just by a 10.5" clutch from Napa and move on, or should I shell out for the 621 (re-pop bellhousing) and fix the "donor" clutch?

Ugh!

1. Breakage is part of the manual trans landscape. Don't care who makes it, someone can break it. Two of the main problems with clutch assemblies are they wear and high rpm can overpower the fingers/arms. Both scenarios lead to glazed discs caused by the resultant slippage. Once the disc glazes, it's holding power is much reduced and the increased slip quickly warps, grooves, stress cracks and just generally hoses the mating surfaces. The trick is to constantly stay on top of the adjustment and make sure the pressure plate is rated for the RPM it will see. Clutch tech has come a long way since I ran them, but physics is physics.

2. I'm not familiar with a process to resurface a pressure plate. In this day and age of computer aided machines, it might be possible to surface one on a mill or something similar. I can't envision a way to turn it in a lathe without disassembling it.

3. Leverage. Think of the larger diameter as a longer breaker bar. Downside is the increased outward force on the fingers/arms under high rpm which makes them not want to return to a position with full clamping force. To get around this, clutch manufacturers went to small, multi-disc setups to increase the aggregate surface area and reduce the effects of rpm.

4. NHRA frowns on aluminum cans. No protection if the clutch disintegrates... just ask Big Daddy. On anything hopped up, I'd pay the extra for steel. Just my $0.02 worth.

5. As long as the fulcrum placement is proper for the size clutch used, the wishbone and throwout bearing are compatible and you can adjust the air gap and/or free travel, I'd probably opt for forged. But the final decision should be made based on the geometry.

6. Unless you get a high performance setup from NAPA, you'll be repeating history at some point. Have you contacted customer support at McLeod? They might be able to give you options for rebuilding it.

Good luck, John... and as with all my ramblings, YMMV.

[jlsanborn]

YMMV... it's on the tip of my tongue but can't pin the acronym

What my gut is telling me is to drop the $200 on a good used 11" bellhousing and get a Napa Premium clutch kit. I don't anticipate a drag racing career in this thing, just a few burnouts. I'll call around about turning the McLeod PP but if it's a PITA or $$$, then forget it. I never considered the centrifugal aspect of the clutch while thinking bigger = better but in my case I'm thinking big. Z28 bellhousing going on Craigslist. Thanks for the input boys. I'm going to work on this thing and will post progress!

[Bomp]

Well all I know, and I don't know much, I had a pressure plate turned about 20 yrs ago and it was good. Kinda like turning disc brakes.
On the bell housing you might be able to find one on eBay, craigslist, salvage yard or swap meet. Speaking of swap meet if you come to the one in Portland I'll be down at the track. Space #1140
McLeod clutchs are pretty stout but when I was the boys age I went through 3 trannys, 2 sbc's and blew a clutch to king-dom-com . One of the trannys was a M21.
What about putting a stage 2 shift kit in a turbo350?

Good luck on the left foot devices.

[Low Elco]

Daaaaang! Kid's ridin' her hard! I know the flywheel can be ground but other than that, I got nuthin.

[Low Elco]

YMMV- Your Mileage May Vary.

[jlsanborn]

Got my eye on a couple 11" aluminum bell housings on EBay. I'll pull the trigger here short like. Had a tough time finding stock steel in the tube/pipe size I needed for the exhaust pass-through's so went back to the scrap yard. Found a perfect diameter/wall thickness chunk x 36" or so for $15. Stopped by the metal store and had them saw four 3" slices off for $10. The balance went on my stockpile with the other piece of tube I got the other day. Silver pencil, blue-tip axe, 4-1/2" grindin' rock and I'm done with that section. I clamped a piece of flat-bar across for good measure before I cut and while I welded the sections back in. Still gotta lift it up and weld out the rest. Didn't feel like takin' hotties in the chest while on my back on the creeper I cut a couple pieces of exhaust to get me through but I'll be cutting those back when I make the bends towards the bedsides and down. I'll remount the bed when I make those pieces so it'll look just right. It sure ain't perfect but I'm SUEPR happy with the results. Still gotta get them Walker band clamps (x4). Once I'm done with all this mock-up I'll pull it all out, weld it all up and paint. Then it gets hung up on the wall with the rest of my work. I'll use the other two rings I have to do the same at the trailing arm cross member where I've already cut through. This is a big deal for me. Not many lowered trucks with pipe all the way out back! Supposed to rain tomorrow, so I'm hoping to get more done.