'79 C10 'muscle truck' Build

[SonOfRDgear]

I am happy to say that as of the first of September I am the new owner of this sweet piece:

Its no G-body, but I've always wanted one of these trucks since I was little. My father had a k5 blazer, and then a c20 suburban while I was a kid and I always liked them for some reason. I actually had a 77 K5 blazer for about a month or two but it was in pretty rough shape and I was not in a position to be able to keep it.

So, now that I'm more financially stable and Ive gotten rid of alot of my other toys, I went and picked up this C10. I plan on doing what I would call a "mild frame-off restoration"; I'm not going to bother going through every nut and bolt, but I will clean, repair and paint all the major components and get it all in working order.

I hope you guys like trucks, cause I plan on posting my progress here .

 

[SonOfRDgear]

Re: New Project (not a G-body)

Here's some more info on the truck:

It was originally a 6-cylinder with 3 on the tree. It now has a 350 in it and a (poorly installed) floor shifter. I found out yesterday it has the heavy duty front disk brakes. It also has a 12 bolt rear end out of an old dually. I'm not sure the gear ratio, but it has a rear sway bar which is pretty cool (and apparently hard to get).

by a lucky coincidence I was able to trade somebody for a really nice set of doors. The ones on it are all rotted away on the bottom, so they're pretty much junk.

Heres the truck next to my father's truck. I can't say that I'm fond of his taste for aftermarket accessories. Is it just me or does the old one seem a lot wider?

Here are some progress shots from yesterday's tear-down

and this is it at the end of today:

heres a look at all the poorly-applied undercoating that I have to get off of the frame and control arms

 

[Kansas Bu Wagon]

Re: New Project (not a G-body)

What are the plans for the drive train? A big block and 4l80e would be neat. maybe even an ls swap.

 

[SonOfRDgear]

Re: New Project (not a G-body)

I have a muncie m20 thats laying around, so i'll probably put it to good use in this. I already have a nice 350 to go under the hood, and i'll probably just leave the 12-bolt.
In all honesty I would love to get a big block under there, a 427 or a 454, but theyre just too damn expensive to build.

Right now I'm focusing on the chassis and replacing all the bushings etc... Once that stuff is done I'll start doing body rust repair (floors and quarter panels and all that fun stuff). If i'm lucky all that will be done by sometime next spring. THEN i'll worry about that drivetrain, haha.

I actually really wanted to build one with a manual trans, and that ended up being one of the major selling points for this one in particular.

 

[SonOfRDgear]

Re: New Project (not a G-body)

Just a little update. Continuing to take apart the front end. I pretty much have the right-side suspension taken apart, but i had to take a break cause of the rain.

35 year old body bushings. easy enough of a fix thankfully.

 

[mac61891]

Re: New Project (not a G-body)

I love these trucks. I have two that I drive regularly. I love to see them fixed up and not scraped, so many end up that way. I have loved them since I was a kid, too. Dad bought an 82 with a big block that I fell in love with and I still have. Love them. Good luck.

 

[DRIVEN]

Re: New Project (not a G-body)

Lot's of progress. Keep it up and keep posting.

 

[86_olds]

Re: New Project (not a G-body)

nice truck keep the posts coming

 

[jmt455]

Re: New Project (not a G-body)

Cool project!
You're not wasting any time, are you?
Great - and FAST - progress!!!

 

[O. D. Showtime]

Re: New Project (not a G-body)

Love these trucks as well! Good luck with it. I'll be stopping by this thread for updates.

I had a 77 shortbox, 78 K5, and a 80 GMC Jimmy 2 wheel drive. Great looks and easy to work with. Might have to dig through my old box of pics...had these long before I had a digital camera.