The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network







Register or Log In To remove these advertisements.

Go Back   The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network > 47 - Current classic GM Trucks > The 1973 - 1987 Chevrolet & GMC Squarebody Pickups Message Board > Squarebody Projects and Builds

Web 67-72chevytrucks.com


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-07-2020, 11:55 AM   #1
RWB-713
Registered User
 
RWB-713's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Aztec,NM
Posts: 178
1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Howdy Guys!

I've been dormant for a while on the truck forums, spend most of my time over on the 67-72 side, where I still have two projects that are currently on hold (and have been for quite some time.....life happens lol)...but over the weekend we picked up this '81 C10 for my 12 year old stepson to have as his first ride in about 3 years! I figured that would give us enough time to build it, with him learning about everything all along the way. He's just recently began to show interest in mechanics & cars in general, so it seemed like the perfect time to kick this off, and give him an end result that he can be proud to drive when he gets his license, all while learning the ins and outs of everything along the way. This particular truck comes to him as a hand me down from grandpa, and was the truck his uncle drove throughout high school (which probably makes you just as surprised as me as to how straight the body still is). His uncle didn't have any interest in keeping it, so it was passed down to him for this project!


Truck is an '81 C10 Long bed, originally a diesel equipped truck, but swapped over to gas with a standard issue 350 sometime in its life. Body seems to be in surprisingly good shape with minimal rust and just a few dings here and there. It was painted at some point along the line, but I've only been able to find minimal signs/sounds of body filler in the passenger fender. It is in pretty rough shape mechanically, which really makes it perfect for a complete work over, and for my stepson to have the opportunity to go through pretty much every part of what makes a truck work. Standard "this doesn't work" stuff and signs of hacked up leftovers from the diesel to gas swap are left over, but nothing we can't handle and get cleaned up for him. It runs and drives at the moment, we just had to put a starter and battery in it to get it home, but the engine has oil pressure issues, steering is sloppy, brakes aren't awesome, it's the exact sloppy, noisy, squeaky 40 year old truck you'd expect it to be, so we have work to do, and then some!




















I've been discussing and coaching him for the last couple days about making a plan for what he wants to do, and what he wants the end result to be. Sounds like we're going to get pretty serious about it, which is really what I was hoping for. I think a short bed conversion, paint job, interior and entire chassis re-build are going to happen. Going to try and keep it on somewhat of a budget of course, I'm hoping to keep the entire project under $10k....but I've never been good at keeping to a budget on a build of anything really...so we'll see how that goes. It's not going to be a show truck, track ready, or stupid fast, just a nice clean daily driver that he can be proud of and enjoy, maybe pass down to his kids someday.

I wanted to start this thread for anyone interested to follow along, and to have something both he and I can go back to look at over time. This won't be a fast build that we'll be working on every day or anything, I fully plan for it to take the full 3 years to complete, but I'll keep the thread updated as much as we work on it, and hopefully keep it interesting to follow along. Questions and comments are always welcome along the way, this is my first square body endeavor, so I'll have to learn the ins and outs of them as we go along too, starting with the most daunting task of the project I think....the short bed conversion. I'm going to browse the forum and interwebs for details on the process specific to these trucks, but I'll gladly take advice and info from anyone who's done the swap before!
__________________
" I strive for a level of perfection that I do not possess the skillset to achieve. "
Ariel <> '67 C10 Shorty Stepside *** Build On Hold ***
First Ride <> '81 C10 Long Fleet *** Current Project ***
RWB-713 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2020, 04:14 PM   #2
Rich84
Registered User
 
Rich84's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Woodbury, Ct.
Posts: 1,661
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

It looks like you have some good bones there. Good luck with your project. It's great that he is interested in an old truck.
Rich84 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2020, 04:04 PM   #3
LT7A
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: PNW
Posts: 3,472
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

That truck looks very complete and solid. Lucky kid! It looks very straight and you might be surprised how much that paint comes back with a little attention. You guys have great plans and you don't need my advice. But when I started my first build at about that age I had so much focus on the end result that I didn't get the chance to enjoy interim progress. There's a lot to be said for getting a rig clean and operating well. For me that would have saved a lot of frustration and increased my enjoyment. Once it's clean and solid then there's a solid base for modifications and customization. But you know all this, you've been through projects. I look forward to the updates and I hope you guys have a ball.
LT7A is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-20-2020, 08:49 PM   #4
RotaryRocketeer
Registered User
 
RotaryRocketeer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: OKC, OK
Posts: 247
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Seems like a good start. Sounds like dude is gonna have the high school parking lot all sewn up. Already nicer than my square when it first came home! Looking forward to seeing the short bed DIY.

Dad/stepdad and son projects are always the best. Still get excited when my pop comes by and wants to turn a wrench.
RotaryRocketeer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-10-2021, 06:21 PM   #5
RWB-713
Registered User
 
RWB-713's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Aztec,NM
Posts: 178
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Well... a year and some change later and we FINALLY got to put a little time into it and get things rolling. ( Had a baby in October....those take a lot of time lol ).

Nothing super awesome done yet or anything, but just wanted to update the thread since we actually did SOMETHING at least! We pulled the bed, hood, & bumpers and got it nestled into the shop on Sunday. She's a tight fit in my little garage, but that should keep us inspired to get it out of there quicker!








Up next: get those saddle tanks and a few other things off and get ready to cut the frame and make it a shorty!
__________________
" I strive for a level of perfection that I do not possess the skillset to achieve. "
Ariel <> '67 C10 Shorty Stepside *** Build On Hold ***
First Ride <> '81 C10 Long Fleet *** Current Project ***
RWB-713 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-11-2021, 08:04 PM   #6
Corts60
Just here to tinker
 
Corts60's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Holland, MI
Posts: 3,672
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Man that truck is laser straight! Lucky!!!

Great to see you are tearing into it. Can you do me favor and take a close up pic of the DIESEL emblem under the fender badge? 81 is a special year as it was the last year of the Olds diesel and first year of the new body and badge designs. I've never been able to find a picture of what the diesel badge looked like that year.

Thanks!
Corts60 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-11-2021, 08:06 PM   #7
Corts60
Just here to tinker
 
Corts60's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Holland, MI
Posts: 3,672
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Also, if that truck has been repainted, they did an amazing job not getting overspray on anything...I feel like that might be the original paint.
Corts60 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2021, 08:05 AM   #8
RWB-713
Registered User
 
RWB-713's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Aztec,NM
Posts: 178
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Corts60 View Post
Man that truck is laser straight! Lucky!!!

Great to see you are tearing into it. Can you do me favor and take a close up pic of the DIESEL emblem under the fender badge? 81 is a special year as it was the last year of the Olds diesel and first year of the new body and badge designs. I've never been able to find a picture of what the diesel badge looked like that year.

Thanks!
Yessir


Quote:
Originally Posted by Corts60 View Post
Also, if that truck has been repainted, they did an amazing job not getting overspray on anything...I feel like that might be the original paint.
I don't know if the whole truck has been repainted, I assume it has because it's in way too good of shape to be 40 year old paint I feel...but the condition of this truck continues to surprise me as we dive further in, I keep waiting to find hidden cancer, but nothing as of yet...At the very least, there's been work done to the passenger front fender, but it looks to me minor and a great blend job if it was painted at a different time than the rest of the truck.
__________________
" I strive for a level of perfection that I do not possess the skillset to achieve. "
Ariel <> '67 C10 Shorty Stepside *** Build On Hold ***
First Ride <> '81 C10 Long Fleet *** Current Project ***
RWB-713 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2021, 11:42 AM   #9
Ziegelsteinfaust
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Temple City
Posts: 3,552
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

That is a good job there.

I plan to do the same thing with my son when he gets a couple years older, and get him a project vehicle so he learns not to screw up so fast.
Ziegelsteinfaust is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 02:54 PM   #10
RWB-713
Registered User
 
RWB-713's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Aztec,NM
Posts: 178
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Got the tanks, exhaust, driveline, brake lines, & wiring taken off Sunday night. That much closer to getting serious now.

I caved and ordered the LB - SB Conversion from Porterbuilt to make the job a bit easier and more precise. I was going to take all the measurements manually and do the hard part myself...but I figure it would save a bit of time and help ensure everything is square and straight to just use the PB template. We will have to remove the front spring hangers from the frame to use the template it looks like, which we were planning on anyway since we're going to go away from leafs in the rear, just didn't quite plan on doing it yet, but we'll take on the ever so fun rivet removal task next.

Stepson is starting to get pretty enthused about the whole thing. He hasn't ever done anything of the sort, and didn't know anything about mechanics or cars, etc., so when I first asked him if he wanted to build a truck he was like "Yeah, Cool"....and now he's asking lots of questions and talking about what to do with this, and how we're going to do that, etc, it's really fun watching him learn and develop interest. He does get frustrated at the smallest hiccup still ( Really small, like figuring out what size wrench to use, or having to holding backup on a nut, etc), but he's starting to get used to it and learn that it's part of the process. We did get him his own toolbox and basic tools for Christmas, and I bought him an electric impact when we started this project, and he does get pretty excited about getting to use those, so it's fun to see.










__________________
" I strive for a level of perfection that I do not possess the skillset to achieve. "
Ariel <> '67 C10 Shorty Stepside *** Build On Hold ***
First Ride <> '81 C10 Long Fleet *** Current Project ***
RWB-713 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2021, 12:23 AM   #11
cheby267
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: DeQuincy La
Posts: 17
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Kudos to you for taking the time to mentor and teach this young man what he can accomplish with determination and a chance to learn a skillset that will stick with him from now on . I've built several ground up projects over the last 40+ years for myself , my son drove a v-8 S-10 to high school (a real gearhead!) , my nephew, that we raised , drove a lowered SWB 05 Sierra (not so much a gearhead , but he learned the ropes ) . Now my 5 year old grandson is really bitten by the bug , I think he's worse one yet ! Ever since he could close his hand , there has been a Hot Wheels in it ! Anything that is mechanical has his full attention , so..................I've got a 76 Cheyenne that I'm about to start on that's probably going to have his name on it !My work is not done here !
cheby267 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 10:54 AM   #12
RWB-713
Registered User
 
RWB-713's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Aztec,NM
Posts: 178
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Waiting on the template for the frame to arrive, but we had some time to spend in the garage over the weekend. I asked him what he wanted to do while we were waiting, and he said we should start tearing down the front..so here we are!

One tiny little spot of hidden cancer found on the passenger inner fender, but other than that, everything is still looking solid!

He is starting to learn how to figure out what bolts need to come off in order to get something off, and how to figure the order things needs to come off in, makes me happy seeing the progress he's making.











__________________
" I strive for a level of perfection that I do not possess the skillset to achieve. "
Ariel <> '67 C10 Shorty Stepside *** Build On Hold ***
First Ride <> '81 C10 Long Fleet *** Current Project ***
RWB-713 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-27-2022, 04:15 PM   #13
RWB-713
Registered User
 
RWB-713's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Aztec,NM
Posts: 178
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Well, per usual with any project I seem to be involved in....it's been a while, and it's going slower than molasses! But I wanted to drop an update with what we've managed to get done and where we're at, just to keep this thread rolling and pulled out of the abyss of page 93 or the like.

We've only been able to find a couple hours out of every other week or so to get out in the garage and work on it, so progress is limited, but we are still working on it, and getting really close to making the "turn" back to the point a reassembly, which Aiden is definitely looking forward to more than anything. He will most certainly be happy if he never has to remove another frame rivet in his life!

Some random progress pics of the teardown:







We did managed to get the frame shortened with the aid of Porterbuilt's frame shortening template. I highly recommended it for anyone looking to take this task on. It takes any guesswork out of the job, makes everything line up perfectly ( as perfect as a 40 year old frame will line up anyway ) and provides for a very strong, welded, bolted, boxed, and fish plated connection at the seam.











And then yesterday, with the added day off for Christmas, we managed to finally pull the cab off the frame. We managed to do it without much heavy lifting and without using a lift ( you know.... the easy and most logical way ) We jacked the cab up, put it on stands, rolled the frame out from underneath it, and then put the cab on a little cart I had built out of some scrap lumber leftover from re doing my deck a while back. The cart with pneumatic tires worked flawlessly for rolling the cab out of the garage and across our gravel drive to it's storage spot under the carport.

We then pulled the frame back into the garage to finish stripping some odds and ends leftover on it before we take it to get sandblasted, hopefully we can get then done in the next couple months and gather up some parts to start putting it back together along the way.







And here's Aiden, with the frame nestled into it's new temporary location, sans cab. I swear that's the same kid from the first pic in this thread, 2 years has made a HUGE difference!



That's pretty much the update for now, nothing spectacular other than completing the teardown, but we're rolling along! Still love every second he and I get to spend on the project, and he's starting to get pretty handy considering where he was when we started this endeavor!
__________________
" I strive for a level of perfection that I do not possess the skillset to achieve. "
Ariel <> '67 C10 Shorty Stepside *** Build On Hold ***
First Ride <> '81 C10 Long Fleet *** Current Project ***
RWB-713 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-27-2022, 10:55 PM   #14
evan
Registered User
 
evan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SK, Canada
Posts: 488
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Looks great! What did you put on the inside of the frame where it got shortened? Is that a piece that comes with the PB Fab kit?
__________________
Evan B.
evan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-28-2022, 12:32 AM   #15
RWB-713
Registered User
 
RWB-713's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Aztec,NM
Posts: 178
Quote:
Originally Posted by evan View Post
Looks great! What did you put on the inside of the frame where it got shortened? Is that a piece that comes with the PB Fab kit?
Yeah, it’s a box plate, that also serves as an alignment jig, that comes with the PB kit
Posted via Mobile Device
RWB-713 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-28-2022, 09:06 AM   #16
Corts60
Just here to tinker
 
Corts60's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Holland, MI
Posts: 3,672
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Progress! Nice work!
Corts60 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-03-2023, 11:40 AM   #17
RWB-713
Registered User
 
RWB-713's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Aztec,NM
Posts: 178
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Figured I'd post a little update about the small progress we've made in the last few months....Time has been scarce with high school sports dominating most of our free time, but we've managed to make a little progress somewhere in there at least.

We finished stripping everything off the frame and will end up splitting the rails and have everything sandblasted clean after we fit a few things up and do any cutting / drilling / welding we need to on the frame.





The rear of the truck is going to be somewhat of a one off "custom" setup in a few ways... I drew up some crossmembers in CAD and had OSHcut laser cut/bend the steel for us to weld together as a fun little addition, Aiden really liked putting those together, and he's picked up welding really quickly, so it was pretty awesome to see them come together with him on the end of the gun.





I also drew up some C-notch braces for the rear....mostly because I don't like C-notching frames and using the typical open ended overlap bracket that is widely available, I much, much prefer a boxed design. I know PB makes a boxed style, but I wanted to keep the plates in between the frame rails, rather than overlap the outside, so I designed an internal box notch that will also be reinforced within the box (you'll see what all the holes are for after I get the suspension put together), and I think it will be pretty overbuilt and stronger than it needs to be, but that's not an area I want to be a weak link.





Everybody's favorite Boyd Welding tank made a test fit appearance between the frame rails as well



That's pretty much where she sits right now, we've got a pile of "custom" rear suspension parts to get put together and fit up back there next, hopefully I'll have another update sooner than later! The last high school sport ends this weekend, so i have my fingers crossed for some summertime progress!
__________________
" I strive for a level of perfection that I do not possess the skillset to achieve. "
Ariel <> '67 C10 Shorty Stepside *** Build On Hold ***
First Ride <> '81 C10 Long Fleet *** Current Project ***
RWB-713 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2023, 12:06 PM   #18
LT7A
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: PNW
Posts: 3,472
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

I'm glad to see that you guys are still going on this. Good progress and going to be a really nice truck to drive. Very cool to hear about the legacy truck building, for you and cheby267 as well.
LT7A is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2023, 11:07 PM   #19
Willowrun
Senior Member
 
Willowrun's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 1,019
Re: 1981 C10 - "First Ride"

Cool project and great job on spending the time with your stepson and teaching him how to do car (truck) stuff.
Willowrun is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:55 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 1997-2022 67-72chevytrucks.com