Here we go... 1969/70 Chevy C10/K20 projects

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
I've been working on little things, now that its running and keep finding more & more issues that need to be addressed. I did get the gauges mostly installed (didn't hook up the volt gauge) but was more concerned with the oil pressure and engine temp gauges. I was able to fire it up and get the coolant up to temp watching it rise, let the thermostat open & close and continue burning off paint, oil, etc. I installed a 185* thermostat and even without a radiator fan currently installed, it idled at a constant 185-190*'s. I'll add a decent fan and shroud in the near future.

I rolled it out of the shop and let it run for a good 10-15 min, checking timing, adjusting the carb, etc. The oil pressure cold was between 30-35 PSI and after warming up dropped to 15-20 PSI at idle.... but I'm running it thin, with a quart of ATF and a bit of Marvel Mystery Oil to help clean out the internals. I'll change the oil again soon and put the right weight in. I'm just glad the oil pump is healthy and working well.

The fuel pump was leaking gas at the output while it was running. Fixed that... then noticed the newly installed oil pressure gauge was leaking at the fitting. It was tight, but I think I need a little teflon tape on it. The coolant temp sensor in the head had to be adapted and it was dripping too... I think I can relocate it to the intake manifold and bypass the need for an adapter in the Vortec heads. Then I realized the throttle blades are hitting the intake manifold, the blades hang up on the manifold at one point and it was idling pretty high. I'll add an open plenum adapter between the carb and intake and make sure the blades don't hang up.

Lot of little things to tweak, but I'm glad its running well and sounding so healthy... it's still open headers and it sounds so badass. I did receive part of the exhaust system, a 2.5" crossover from Summit Racing, waiting on a pair of 40 Series Flowmaster mufflers that I'm hoping to have soon, so I can run it more often without pissing of the neighbors.

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Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
Made a better video of firing it up and running, off camera I spent time adjusting the timing, carb, burping the radiator, etc. I love how this thing sounds at idle with open headers, I think the big bump in compression from the Vortec heads makes it sound nasty! It went from 9 to 1 to 10 to 1... time for 91 octane! That has to be one of my favorite sounds. 😍

This truck is turning out quite well, next step after the engine tweaks is to get the brakes working and get it on the road! I can't wait to drive it.

 

I Lean

Mbryson's hairdresser
Vendor
Location
Utah
You keep mentioning it's a stock cam....but it sounds pretty rowdy. You sure it's stock?
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
You keep mentioning it's a stock cam....but it sounds pretty rowdy. You sure it's stock?

I have no idea what was done to it 40+ years ago, far as I know it's stock.... but I agree, it might not be? Hard to say... I really think the rowdyness is just from the open headers. We will see if it calms down after the exhaust goes on.
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
I don't want to hijack this thread, since it's about the '70 C10.... but I mentioned the '63 Chevy II four door that my wife claimed, early on. Yesterday we were able to bring it home, figured I'd share an update. Catherine will be deciding on the paint color, seats, interior materials and color and I'll be taking care of the mechanicals. The plans are to make it a nice little cruiser, fun and easy to drive. She wanted a 4 door, so she can pile her friends into it and cruise around, probably visiting the local winery's. X-D

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It has a straight six under the hood (194 cu in, 120 HP & 177 ft/lbs) and a manual, three on the tree transmission. It sounds like the trans isn't functional though, I want to try get it driving with the original drivetrain. The PO mentioned that it was parked because the transmission would jump out of gear. It happened a few times, then the final straw was when it rolled out of control, with kids in the back seat. Nothing serious happened, but it scared the family enough to park the car. It looks pretty straight, but has rust around the rear wheel wells. The interior is trashed, lots of seeds and pack rat shit, headliner falling off.

After getting it home, we pressure washed it, then got the shop vac and filled it 3 times, cleaning out all the junk inside. I decided I wanted to pull the carpet (it had some shag, house carpet inside it!) and the seats and pressure wash the interior. Once the carpet was out, I realized the floor was shot, rusted completely thru in places. :eek: I priced out full floor pans, looks like they run around $400-500.

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I have some ideas in mind for future work, the front ends on these can be pretty questionable. A Mustang II front end is a pretty common upgrade and not too spendy. These Chevy II's have a subframe on the front and you can actually buy a bolt-on front frame setup for Mustang II parts, upgrading to a rack & pinion. Disc brakes all the way around would add safety and a Ford 9" out back would be a nice upgrade. I really like the idea of swapping in a GM EcoTec... the 2.5l LCV that comes in the 2015-19 Chevy Colorado, running the Colorado 5 speed manual trans out of a 2WD truck would be amazing. The LCV makes 200 HP and 191 ft/lbs, with a simple turbo it could easily reach near 300 HP... not that it's needed.

It'll go into storage for awhile, until some other projects get done. :( Now, back to the C10....
 
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