1981 C10 in the works.

[Danielc409]

Hey guys and gals,

Don't have any pictures yet aside from what I posted in the Welcome section.



 But I have a 1981 Chevy C10 LWB 350/4bbl. Rust is pretty minimal, with the most of it being on the truck bed floor.

But this truck needs a lot of TLC, especially under the hood.

First of all I bought the truck for $900 basically wanting to use it as a work truck etc. At the beginning, the front passenger brake caliper was seizing, so I replaced the calipers all together and new brake lines. I've also replaced the starter since it wasn't working properly. Supposedly, the guy I bought it from put in another engine for some other guy, but after he was done and gave the truck back, the guy died. So he sold the truck for his wife blah blah blah. Well I think he did put in another engine, but not a new one. And really I don't think he knew what he was doing. It looks like he got the engine in no problem but all the wiring etc is just all over the place.

I have a oil leak coming from the timing cover which I need to replace but I'm not completely confident to take on that project myself.

The fan shroud is only being held on by pieces of welding wire and it hits the fan pretty often, causing an annoying sound when driving and turning.

The exhaust has a bad leak in it which I'm getting replaced with a new true duals setup here in the next day or two.

The a/c / heater isn't hooked up I don't believe since it doesn't work. The condenser looks to be in pretty good shape though.

The carb vac isn't hooked up either. I'm pretty sure it's running very rich because I bought it with a full tank of gas and have driven it maybe 30 miles and I'm at maybe a 1/4 of a tank. I guess it needs some carb tuning?

There just seems to be random wires hanging everywhere in the engine bay not even hooked up.

I'd really like to do just a big overhaul but I don't have the knowledge to do everything I want. I'd basically like to gut all the wiring and put in all new wires etc and route them in an orderly fashion. Pulling the engine out would be nice so I could get it cleaned up pretty good and get the underbody cleaned / lubed.

It also has the "chevy lean", the bed looks like it's crooked or something, but one side sits higher than the other.

All in all, it runs pretty strong, shifts good etc. It just needs some attention. Hopefully I can get some pointers / tips / recommendations from this forum.

I'll get some pictures up in the next few days.

[84chevysilverado]

Looks like a great project as for the Chevy lean check your cab bushings and the crossmembers under the box typical cause of  this

[Danielc409]

Thanks, yea I'll have to check it out, my rear bumper is all bent up. I was going to take some pictures today but down in south east texas we got some pretty good rainfall.

Update though, I got some duals installed today, Flowmaster 40 series. Sounds very good I must say.

[team39763]

It looks like a nice start.  When you get stuck on something or you need help, just post up on this site and somebody will come along to help you out.  I remember when I first posted on here, I didn't know anything.  With a ton of help from this forum I've become somewhat good at wrenching on my own truck.  There were even times when I felt like giving up and these guys kept me inspired.  Rest assured, you're in the right place when it comes to these trucks. 
  Ah, the chevy lean...I hate that.  Mine ended up being the body mounts rotted away on one side.  I've read on here that sometimes the leafsprings sag on one side and not the other, so you may wanna check that too.

[Danielc409]

Thanks for the info team. Just got some new front tires put on yesterday and got her inspected. Shes legal now!

[Danielc409]

Haven't posted here in awhile because I been busy with my house.

Right now I need to get my vent window replaced. Someone locked my doors on accident I guess but I don't have keys to the locks. So my dad decided to try to go through the vent window with a hanger but he forgot that latch locks and ended up breaking the glass.

I looked in   magazine but it's like 300+ for a new assembly. I'm wondering if I could just get the glass replaced or should I just search the local junk yards to get a replacement?

I did get some flowmasters put on so she runs pretty loud now heh. Every time I look under the hood, I find more and more wires that aren't connected and I have no idea where all the stuff goes to. I really just want to get these leaks taken care of first and then eventually get my AC working then I can work on the small stuff. It's just a big mess under there at the moment.

Also I keep forgetting to get some pictures of it all around.

[1980c10]

The local junk yard is your best bet, I bought an assebly for $15.00, I am pretty sure you'll need to find an 81 or newer due to glass thickness. Your best bet would be to find a wiring diagram for under the hood, I think they are on here somewhere, maybe someone who knows can post a link.

[Danielc409]

Yea I did find the wiring diagram when I was looking for the transmission ID thread. I just have no idea how to read one of those lol, might be easier to print them out.