83 C10 LWB "Squard"

[Avidyn]

So, I've been posting in the other forums for awhile now with various little projects. Figured it was time to start a build thread.

Bought an '83 LWB C10 for $400. 305/350 2wd. Had been sitting for a few years. Gas was bad, and the mechanical fuel pump had long gone. Took a couple days after work, a weekend, and an edelbrock to ger her tuned up well enough to drive home. Here's a few pictures before I got her to my house.






Took a little while to get it running, found out that the balancer had spun. So, the wires on the distributor were one spot off. Once I got them back on, I got her home. Started to clean it up a little bit. Cleaned up the engine compartment, got rid of the AC system that was broken, painted some parts and swapped on some Chevy dress up parts.





As of now, it's sitting at my previous house waiting to be moved. So, I'm working on the interior and the engine that I got.
Here's a few shots of what I've done on the interior so far.
Filled the dash cracks with foam, sanded, then covered with fleece and fiberglassed. It's been "mudded" and sanded but don't have pictures yet.



Took out my headliner. Peeled off the "sag" and glue. Glassed the foam/board for strength. Then added a underdash stereo mount and two 6.5" speaker pods. Here's a couple pictures of that. It's also been "mudded" and sanded but not pics yet.



I've started on the door panels, but haven't made enough progress to warrant any pictures. Here's what I'm going for though. Without the speakers on the lower panel.


Also, picked up a 2003 Silverado 5.3 LM7 for $150 from CL. Had low oil pressure when I picked it up and ran rough. The PO had installed a new oil pump thinking that was the problem. After tearing it down, not the case at all. Had bad 707 "castech" heads that had gummed up the whole engine. Luckily now extreme wear or over heating. Here's a few pictures during tear down.






Ordered some 862 heads from ebay. Got them for $170 shipped. Couldn't complain about that.


Once I got more into the engine (Cam removal) I found out the real culprit for the low oil pressure. THe 2nd cam bearing had decided to walk a little bit.


Got the little guy out after a little determination.


I must say, I got LUCKY!! No cam damage and no journal damage either. Yay!!

Here's where the motor sits now, ready for the machine shop. Going to get cam bearings pulled, hot tanked, washed, new cam bearings installed, and a final check on things done. Should be taking it down there the beginning of next week. Keeping my fingers crossed nothing else comes up!


So, there it is for now. I've got some good plans for it (I think). 4/6 drop, front and rear pans, custom interior, new two-tone paint, and possibly some new camaro wheels. I'll post my updates as soon as I've got them. Any feedback is always welcomed!

[454Man]

Nice!

[jaredts]

Looks solid.  400 bucks was a steal.

[bake74]

     That is not bad at all for $400.00, great find.

[Avidyn]

Does anybody know how hard it would be to swap the 73-79 style grill and headlight setup? I know I've seen in on here but can't seem to find it. Thanks guys. :-)

[VileZambonie]

It's 73-80 and pretty easy. Radiator support, hood, fenders, inner fenders, mounts, lower valance and you have to modify the front bumper brackets.

[Avidyn]

Thanks Vila. I'm going to be running Slosh Tubs. So, inner fenders won't be an issue. What's the difference between the hood and fenders? I guess I need to do a little more homework.

[stepsideclyde]

Avidyn, can you explain the oil thickening with the casttech heads?  Have seen this before and did not know the reason for it.  Looks like you have a nice project ahead of you.

[Avidyn]

The castech 706 heads had a casting flaw. They would weep coolant in the oil returns under the rocker cover. Hence the "milkshake" that you've seen. Any time coolant mixes with oil, you'll get that kind of thickening and frothy look. Hope that helps. :-)

[stepsideclyde]

Oh yes, as a diesel mechanic I have seen the "milkshake", many times...I did not, however, know about the flaw i some of the ls based engine, thanx for the info! (now to see whether the company I work for will change heads on an engine w/ 200,000 plus miles)

[Avidyn]

So, got a little bit done recently. Went to finally bring it home. And... no start. Lots of no starting. Getting fuel, good compression, no spark. New ICM, coil, cap, and rotor. Still no spark. Traced it to the pickup coil. Didn't want to mess with it when I can buy a GM Performance HEI for $64. But, until I do.... I decided to borrow from my 68 Camaro since it's already torn apart at the moment.




MSD Pro Billet Dist.


MSD 6AL Ignition Box
MSD Blaster Coil

Nevermind the wiring, I'll get it all cleaned up once I get it home.

I do have some questions though. For some reason I can't get this thing to time out right. Maybe it's my timing light, but it shows 18* advance at TDC. The dist that I have is an older 8555 without a vac advance. If I try to rotate the dist to retard it, I can hear the weights hitting the cap when I get closer. Any thoughts on what might be going on?

[jacknife]

 Good deal for 400, I really like those wheels too.

[Avidyn]

Thanks Jacknife! The more I look at them, the more I like them too.

Well, I finally got it home. 15 miles with 2005 tags! Glad I had someone following me. She ran pretty well, but no get up and go really. Needs some tuning and it'll be good. Quick question, I'm almost 100% sure I've got a TH350 because of the trans pan. But, I've got a detent cable. Is it just a kick down in this case?

[Jason S]

A TH350 will have a kickdown cable

[SmokeShow]

Are the door panels you posted aftermarket or completely custom? If aftermarket, who makes them?!?!

Your truck is coming along nicely.